Team Renfroe's 2nd Trip Report - 1,500 pictures, dining reviews, and DISmeets!

[mjejj]

I'm loving your trip report. I read your first one and I just have to comment on this one. Your family seems to have such a great attitude!!! Can't wait to read more and good luck with your restaurant!!!

 

[portocall]

I figured you would still be super busy with your restaurant so I hadn't checked in a while... boy was I surprised. I am glad you enjoyed your meal at Ohana. I have never been to Animal Kingdom but I can't wait to go. Your pictures were fantastic. What is so horrible at the end of "it's tough to be a bug?" I am a little nervous bringing my almost 5 year old in there, would he be okay if I cover his eyes or should he skip it?

 

[Disney owl]

Really enjoying reading these

 

[alan_renfroe]

Guess what I ordered at Yak & Yeti The Shrimp and Steak and the Fried Wontons !!! Yes they were great ! I kinda liked the look of Wils Shrimp Lomein too!! I think the girls would love the ribs !! Darn it Alan ya keep giving me ideas !!!

Yeah, that shrimp lo mein looks really good....but I figure I can get that back at home. Wil just LOVES it! Leave it to me to keep giving you ideas!

Hooray! YAK & YETI still gets an "A" from the Big Guy! We'll definitely have to go back there again next year. Those ribs look really, really good (and they have to be better than the ones at WCC).

Thanks for yet another great review, Alan. Sorry about the horrible service though.

Oh absolutely! And I would agree that the ribs at Y&Y are better than those at WCC, although they are two completely different tastes.

Even though the service was bad, I think it was an isolated individual. It certainly did not ruin our experience.

Great Yak and Yeti review! We have an ADR for our second day - my DF is so excited Asia is his favourite part of the WDW! I just hope we don't egt your server!

When you go, if you're server says he is from Alabama, ASK FOR ANOTHER TABLE! Ah, really it wasn't THAT bad....and the great food MORE than made up for it.

I Team Renfroe dining reviews! I HAVE to try Y&Y this trip. Particularly that Yak Attack...

Ah, thanks Christine! We give the Yak Attack and the Emperor's Margarita two thumbs up.

Alan:
Not a fan of Chinese or Asian food but I might have to make an exception based on what I see here! These reviews are great and the pictures of the food make me absolutely drool. Gotta go get a bib now

If you don't like traditional Chinese food, you might still enjoy those ribs. Also, my Ahi Tuna appetizer was TO DIE FOR.

'burp'....now THAT was good! That shrimp and steak thing looked so good! Was that brown rice with the ribs? I practically had my nose pressed up to the screen trying to get a whiff of the chocolate brownies.......YUM! Thanks daddy.......I really was hungry.....LOL

Yeah, that's brown rice with the ribs. Both of those are wonderful dishes. And did I mention how awesome my Ahi Tuna appetizer was? <drool>

You are welcome - now go clean your room!

Wonderful report! I am bummed that I caught up because I want to keep reading, LOL.

You definitely have me thinking about the Flying Fish. Hmmm.....

Thanks! More report is on the way. Flying Fish will DEFINITELY be on our list for our next trip. They treated us like royalty.

Your Yak and yeti review has given me a wicked craving for Chinese food! It looks delicious! Sadly, my kids won't even try Chinese food (or much else, really). They have no idea what they are missing. Just sad. Great pics of FOTLK - I'm hoping to catch this show, too.

I guess that I thought the Festival of the Lion King would be a little too cheesy for my taste. It's actually more "Cirque De Solei" than Community Theatre.

Yak & Yeti is really good. Perhaps your kids can find something on the menu they would be willing to experiment with - it is a vast menu.

see.. now was that so hard you food flirt great review and great pics! i truly appreciate it! this is one of the places that i am most looking forward too! mostly for the won ton dessert.. but the more I see it, the more I want that steak and shrimp! can't wait for you to read my review!!

You are going to LOVE that wonton dessert. And the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp is really good. The shrimp is fresh and fried in a delicious batter, and the steak is a skirt steak that is very tender. I'm sure this is probably one of their top selling dishes.

And, YOU ARE WELCOME!! Can't wait to read about your upcoming trip! And you'd BETTER take food pics for all of us food junkies. LOVE the DxDDP!

Was finally able to catch up! Great pictures!

Thanks!

I have to start off by saying your trip report is definitely in my top 10 of all time favorites, you are doing an amazing job

I was talking to my sis Purplepeg and I told her she too needs to sub to this one, I love your upbeat attitude, you get it!! I told her "they just love being there and it comes through in his writing and pictures" even when you have a not so stellar experience (that woman on the tram that said No, you left your son behind...have to tell you that infuriated me, why are people so mean) you alway let it go and remember that you're blessed to be able to enjoy this wonderful place with your adorable family!

We are leaving on Monday morning for 3 weeks in WDW...we can't wait....this is the first time we're going for 3 and feel truly blessed. I was so excited to read your review on Yak and Yeti...we're there on Wednesday and now I don't even have to look at the menu, I know exactly what I'm ordering

Thank you again for your wonderful insite into this beautiful place

Wow! Thanks very much! Before we went to WDW on our first trip, reading other people's trip reports taught us a lot about what to do, where to go, etc. SO, we were determined to do a trip report of our own when we returned home from our trip last year. It was SO much fun, we decided to do another one this year!

You are absolutely right when you say we just love being there! Hey, it's Disney World! If you can't be happy here, you just can't be happy! Besides, our lives are so hectic that we really appreciate the times when we get to be together as a family. We know and understand that these are special times in our lives. We are all pretty much healthy....and I can't stress this enough...our kids will only be 12 & 9 respectively ONCE. They are growing up so fast that we fully intend to take advantage of this time in our lives.

Cool! Three weeks at Disney! That's wonderful! I hope you all have a wonderful, happy, safe, and blessed time at WDW.

 

[MagicShell]

It sounds like you had a wonderful time at AK. I think it is very pretty too, but it is so big! I get turned around so much in that park. We also love FOTLK. I am glad you got to see it. My husband would like the Yak and Yeti restaurant. But, I am a very picky eater and won't try many things. Maybe I should branch out a little. I must admit that your food looks really good.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Alan has a talent for pickingyour menu choices I know I have been severely influenced by him!! He better be seriously considering June 2012 although I think he is !!!

Yes I do! and we definitely are!

Wonderful posts, Alan!

Have to agree with The Lion King show, the cast gives a impressive, full of energy performance.

Your Y&Y posts brought back a lot of memories, as our experience was almost identical: bad server, wonderful food!!. I don't even remember the name of the guy, I must have blocked it out of my mind!!

I think my wife agrees with Elizabeth's choice!! She had the ribs last year and enjoyed them very much... And that Tuna of yours... I have to convince Mercedes to eat out today, in a good Asian Restaurant and order seared tuna (Although I do have to admit yours looks insuperable)...

Regards,

Luis

P.S. You owe us some photos of B.F. Dwags Grand Opening!!

[Editing] After I wrote my post I showed my wife the photos of your Yak&Yeti post. Her only comment: Let's go and eat seared Tuna!! Great minds think alike...

Hi Luis! It was YOUR trip report that made Elizabeth want to order those ribs in the first place...so we have YOU to thank! As I stated, I almost ordered them myself, and probably would have if I had not already eaten ribs twice in the first two days.

That Ahi Tuna was amazing!! I love a good seared tuna with wasabi and soy sauce, but this was served with a wasabi aioli drizzle. It was sort of spicy and sweet. And the tuna was served over a bed of sweet chili slaw. Delicious!

You are right - I DO owe everyone some pictures of the restaurant. Although we have not had our "official" Grand Opening, (which will be the last weekend of August,) the restaurant is open for business for what we call a soft opening. We haven't had an opportunity to take any pics yet, but I will definitely be doing so in the next week or so. We just got our signs up this past week, and we still have some more decorating to do....but we are almost there!

That food looks soooooooooo good - my gang will definately be having lunch there on our next holiday.

Looking forward to reading more. Thanks for the wonderful updates

I hope you all will enjoy Yak & Yeti as much as we did. I read lots of posts from people who do NOT like it, but we absolutely love this place.

Great update Alan. Now I want to try Yak & Yeti!! We have not tried it yet but probably will during our anniversary trip next May.

It would definitely make a nice lunch place for your anniversary trip.

Wow, what awesome FOTLK, safari and food porn pictures!! Thank you for sharing all of your memories with us Renfroes!!

Juliana, you go girl!!!!!! Too cool that you would try all the rides this year.

Looking forward to the rest of your AK day!!!

Thanks very much! I was very proud of Juliana for trying many of the bigger rides this year. She didn't like Expedition Everest because of the backwards part, but otherwise she enjoyed it. She loved Dinosaur!

Everything looked so good! Even the stuff I know I wouldn't like still looked good. Now I'm not a huge fan of mixed drinks but I must say the Yak Attack sounds divine! Oh and that sundae. I'm drooling.

Ok is it just my warped sense of humor or does anyone else laugh at a restaurant with the word Yak in it?

Agree with Luis. We need some pics of the grand opening.

Oh, I'm with you 100% on the name of the restaurant!! Last year, Juliana was really sick at her stomach on our Animal Kingdom day. After riding Expedition Everest, I joked with the family, "Well...we've seen the Yeti. Let's just hope we don't have to see the Yak!"

Pics from the restaurant are promised in the near future! Stay tuned!

Alan you are so right about the Animal Kingdom being such a visually pleasing theme park. I agree that if there were more rides and attractions, I think it would be a lot of people's favorite. EE is my favorite! Great trip report!

Glad you agree with me. I think if Animal Kingdom had about three more thrill rides, it would be my favorite park. Hope those Imagineers are planning something even as we speak! I hope the economy doesn't slow the progress of WDW.

Another request for Dawgs grand opening pics!

Ditto--I'd like to see too!

Me too!!!!!

Ahhh....you all are TOO sweet! I will make sure to take some pics and post them. In the meantime, someone we know took a few pictures on the day we first opened and posted them on our Facebook group. I will post them. By the way, if any of you are on Facebook, search for "Fans of B.F. Dawgs" and join our group!

Great report, as always! How are things going in the hot dog business?

They are going great! We are SO busy and school hasn't even started yet! We live in a college town, so we are expecting even better business once the students get back in late August.

 

[alan_renfroe]

Love the photos and Yak and Yeti review. That restaurant is on my list of "must do's" for our next trip! Glad you enjoyed it just as much the second time around. That's when you know you're onto something good!

From now on, if we are going to Animal Kingdom, we will always try to get a reservation for lunch at Yak & Yeti. It is a wonderful break.

I'm loving your trip report. I read your first one and I just have to comment on this one. Your family seems to have such a great attitude!!! Can't wait to read more and good luck with your restaurant!!!

Thank you VERY much! Thanks for reading and following along.

I figured you would still be super busy with your restaurant so I hadn't checked in a while... boy was I surprised. I am glad you enjoyed your meal at Ohana. I have never been to Animal Kingdom but I can't wait to go. Your pictures were fantastic. What is so horrible at the end of "it's tough to be a bug?" I am a little nervous bringing my almost 5 year old in there, would he be okay if I cover his eyes or should he skip it?

Glad you are all caught up! Animal Kingdom is great! If you are planning a multi-day vacation, I would definitely schedule at day at AK. You can go early and be done by mid afternoon. I do wish they had a few more rides, but otherwise, it is a MUST see. Expedition Everest is one of the coolest rides I've ever experienced!

Okay, here's the scoup on "It's Tough to be a Bug." SPOILER ALERT!! Do not read this if you don't want to know what happens...

... The show begins very cheerfully with Flick making his introductions and declaring everyone in the audience as "honorary bugs" for the day. Everything is great and wonderful until Hopper shows up. Hopper reminds Flick of how humans kill bugs and then begins to terrorize the audience. The audience is sprayed with "bug killer" (actually just mist) and the room gets dark. Spiders decend from the ceiling. Bugs are released in numbers upon you, and the tactile effects of the chairs make it feel like you are getting shocked by bugs. For adults without kids, the whole thing is hilarious!! However, for the kids, it is like a nightmare coming to life. There is NO WAY they should let kids under 8 in to see this thing....unless your kid is very couragious. Inevitably, with each showing of "It's Tough to be a Bug," you will hear TONS of screams from children. Uh....very 'un-Disney-like' experience overall. Long story short: I wouldn't subject your 5-yr-old to it.

Really enjoying reading these

Thanks! Glad to have you along for the ride!

It sounds like you had a wonderful time at AK. I think it is very pretty too, but it is so big! I get turned around so much in that park. We also love FOTLK. I am glad you got to see it. My husband would like the Yak and Yeti restaurant. But, I am a very picky eater and won't try many things. Maybe I should branch out a little. I must admit that your food looks really good.

Animal Kingdom is really big...that's why I'm hopeful that in the future there will be more attractions...but not at the expense of the beauty of the park. There's a lot of walking to do in this park.

 

[alan_renfroe]

After a wonderful lunch at Yak & Yeti, we were ready to face the rain outside. We put on our rain panchos and carried on...

Since Yak & Yeti is located very near Kali River Rapids, and it was raining anyway, we decided to get in the standby line. Score! The rain had sent many people out of the park....so we were able to walk right with less than a 5-minute wait! We enjoyed it so much that we decided to ride again. And Again!!! Hey, why not? We're already wet, there's no line...we practically had it to ourselves!

After riding Kali River Rapids three times, we decided to go back to Expedition Everest and use our FastPasses. When we got there, it was closed for repairs....so we went on over to DinoLand again. This time, we rode Primeval Whirl. Again, last year Juliana would not ride this ride....but she did this year! However, I think she had made up her mind before even getting on the ride that she was not going to like it. She screamed the whole time! Oh well....maybe next year! This was Elizabeth's first time to ride as well, and she LOVED it!

After Primeval Whirl, we decided to walk back over to Expedition Everest to see if it was running again. SCORE! It was back up and running! Since Juliana did not like the part where it goes backwards, she decided to sit this one out. Since we had four FastPasses, I stayed with Juliana while Wil & Elizabeth rode. Afterwards, Wil and I used the last two FastPasses and rode together. Riding EE in the rain is exilerating!!!

It was now about 3:00pm. We were drenched from head to toe and had pretty much done everything we wanted to do, so we left the park. By the time we got back to Coronado Springs, the rain had stopped....so we put on our swim suits and went to the Dig Site Pool! Since it was still overcast, we literally had the entire pool to ourselves!

Wil must have gone down that Jaquar slide at least 50 times! No lines....they had the whole place to themselves!

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and I decided to stroll over to Siesta's for an adult beverage.

We both ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Very refreshing!

We had taken a picture of the kids at the Dig Site pool last year, so we had to take another in the same spot again this year!

What a great day we were having! Early Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom, an awesome lunch at Yak & Yeti, and the entire Dig Site pool to ourselves for the entire afternoon! It was now time to go back to the room and get ready for dinner.

Coming up next - Getting ready to go to dinner at Narcoossee's!

 

[KatMark]

It was now about 3:00pm. We were drenched from head to toe and had pretty much done everything we wanted to do, so we left the park. By the time we got back to Coronado Springs, the rain had stopped....so we put on our swim suits and went to the Dig Site Pool! Since it was still overcast, we literally had the entire pool to ourselves!

Yes, the Dig Site is calling me home. 38 more days!!!! And I became a fan of B.F. Dawgs on Facebook.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Wonderful AK pictures Alan! I'm loving your past few updates-what a truly magical day. :

We really enjoyed our meal at Y&Y too, we hope to go back soon and try it again!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I joined your B.F. Dawgs page on Facebook too! :

 

[MagicShell]

I love no crowds. I can't agree with Elizabeth's love of Primeval Whirl. That ride HURT! I am glad she enjoyed it though.

 

[crocko]

I must chime in to give some props for Primeval Whirl.

That ride rocks!!

 

[trennr]

Hey

Been silently reading your TR. (Though I accidentaly made a post to your thread while thinking I was posting to another a few weeks back. )

Anyway love the report...and all the pictures...you do a much better job than I did taking Pictures...I forget I have a camera most of the time.

Hope BF Dawgs is going well.

 

[twenty3curls]

Sounds like you had a great day at Animal Kingdom, despite the weather! More people should take the weather in stride and enjoy the day the way Team Renfroe did!

On a sidenote, I was catching up on Dis TRs this past Saturday and was bummed I had reached your last update on this current TR, so I went back and read your TR from last year. Looked like a fantastic trip...great report! Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[MeMom]

What a great day we were having! Early Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom, an awesome lunch at Yak & Yeti, and the entire Dig Site pool to ourselves for the entire afternoon! It was now time to go back to the room and get ready for dinner.

Coming up next - Getting ready to go to dinner at Narcoossee's!

Yep, that is the life!!!
How nice to have an empty pool!

Look at those sweet kids. You are a lucky man, Alan!

That's what Animal Kingdom looked like for us this trip, too. Lots of rain gear all around.

 

[Mysteria]

Ewwww Primevel Hurl. Makes me want to yak. Honestly I can ride the wickedest of roller coasters but things like PW and the teacups scare the crap outta me. Dumbo too. Darn thing just goes in a circle and makes me sick.

You need to get a pic of the kids every year in that same spot now!

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

I've always thought that AK was a very "photogenic" park -your gorgeous photos capture it so well...

I'm really glad you liked Yak & Yeti-we'll be eating there next week... I wonder what they'd think if we tell them we'd prefer no waiters from Alabama...-they'll probably think we're some mean old Yankees...

Loved the pool pictures-especially the one with Juliana and Wil in front of the pyramid...

Hmm...I don't think there's too much tea-in those Long Island Iced Teas...

 

[englishrose47]

First yet another great Update Alan !! How cool to have the pool to yourselves !! Add me to the list of wanting Pix of the Hot Dawgs !!!!!

 

[inkedupmomma]

"You are going to LOVE that wonton dessert. And the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp is really good. The shrimp is fresh and fried in a delicious batter, and the steak is a skirt steak that is very tender. I'm sure this is probably one of their top selling dishes. And, YOU ARE WELCOME!! Can't wait to read about your upcoming trip! And you'd BETTER take food pics for all of us food junkies. LOVE the DxDDP!"

I already know that I am going to love it lol.. what's NOT to love?? I am glad that you liked the steak and shrimp, most people say it isn't great! iam stoked to try it! I will def be taking food pics! i did last year as well, but then was so overwhlemed when I got home, that I rarely posted them! Now I promise to post pics for you! if there is anything you want me to pay special attention to off my list, please let me know!

After a wonderful lunch at Yak & Yeti, we were ready to face the rain outside. We put on our rain panchos and carried on...

Since Yak & Yeti is located very near Kali River Rapids, and it was raining anyway, we decided to get in the standby line. Score! The rain had sent many people out of the park....so we were able to walk right with less than a 5-minute wait! We enjoyed it so much that we decided to ride again. And Again!!! Hey, why not? We're already wet, there's no line...we practically had it to ourselves!

After riding Kali River Rapids three times, we decided to go back to Expedition Everest and use our FastPasses. When we got there, it was closed for repairs....so we went on over to DinoLand again. This time, we rode Primeval Whirl. Again, last year Juliana would not ride this ride....but she did this year! However, I think she had made up her mind before even getting on the ride that she was not going to like it. She screamed the whole time! Oh well....maybe next year! This was Elizabeth's first time to ride as well, and she LOVED it!

After Primeval Whirl, we decided to walk back over to Expedition Everest to see if it was running again. SCORE! It was back up and running! Since Juliana did not like the part where it goes backwards, she decided to sit this one out. Since we had four FastPasses, I stayed with Juliana while Wil & Elizabeth rode. Afterwards, Wil and I used the last two FastPasses and rode together. Riding EE in the rain is exilerating!!!

It was now about 3:00pm. We were drenched from head to toe and had pretty much done everything we wanted to do, so we left the park. By the time we got back to Coronado Springs, the rain had stopped....so we put on our swim suits and went to the Dig Site Pool! Since it was still overcast, we literally had the entire pool to ourselves!

Wil must have gone down that Jaquar slide at least 50 times! No lines....they had the whole place to themselves!

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and I decided to stroll over to Siesta's for an adult beverage.

We both ordered a Long Island Iced Tea. Very refreshing!

We had taken a picture of the kids at the Dig Site pool last year, so we had to take another in the same spot again this year!

What a great day we were having! Early Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom, an awesome lunch at Yak & Yeti, and the entire Dig Site pool to ourselves for the entire afternoon! It was now time to go back to the room and get ready for dinner.

Coming up next - Getting ready to go to dinner at Narcoossee's!

Again, thank you thank you thank you! your Tr alone has gotten me through the time I had to wait for my own trip! and your pics are absolutely kiling me with excitement to stay at CSR!! I just know I am going to love it! The pool alone is why we are staying there and your pics just sealed the deal even more! I also plan on getting a pic of Jack and Kayla at that same spot in the pool! CAN'T wait to hear your review on Narcooses! We have gotten an ADR 2 years in a row and 2 years in a ow have canceled it