Disney in Winter came and went 2015!!

[LowesChevy]

Disney in Winter came and went: Trip Report Jan. 2015
Boardwalk Villas Jan. 17th-22nd Post #6

Grand Floridian Villas Jan. 22nd- 24th Post #27

Grand Floridian Resort Jan. 24th –this night was added on after a debate about the airline tickets. It adds another dinner and day at the parks!

We will be feasting at

Le Cellier Post #8
Trattoria Al Forno Post #9
Mama Melrose’s Post #11
Tutto Italia Post #13
Biergarten Post #15
Teppan Edo Post #17
Hollywood Brown Derby Post #19
Via Napoli Post #20
Cantina De San Angel Post #22
Chefs De France Post #24
Be Our Guest Post #28
Kona Breakfast Post #29
The Plaza
California Grill
Artist Point

Here we go!
Weekly plans
January 16th Drive to CLE Post #2

Day 1
January 17th Early AM flight on Frontier (New experience for us)
DTD; Activating APs; Lunch
Check in at BWV; Epcot Post #4

Day 2 January 18th
DHS Post #10
Epcot Post #13

Day 3 January 19th
Epcot Post #14

Day 4 January 20th
DHS Post #18

Day 5 January 21st
Epcot Morning Post #21
Epcot Afternoon Post #23

Day 6 January 22nd
Check out of BWVs
Move to GFV
MK Post #26

Day 7 January 23rd
MK Post #30

Day 8 January 24th
Move to regular room at GF
MK

Day 9
Departure

 

[LowesChevy]

January 16th Drive to CLE

I worked till 3:30 PM and scooted from work. I had finished the final touches on my carry on and grabbed my hair products. We packed up the car and were off!

The drive to Cleveland the day before went off without a hitch.

There were no snow showers or accidents along the way, which made it a pleasant drive. Surprisingly there was no wait at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner when we arrived. After dinner we drove to the Sheraton and settled in the room. Dad and I went to have a beverage at the bar, but mom was already relaxing in bed for the evening! The alarm and phone was set for a 4:00 AM wake-up call …

 

[ursalita]

Sounds like a fun trip, joining in!

 

[LowesChevy]

Day 1

January 17th Early AM flight on Frontier (New experience for us)
DTD; Activating APs; Lunch
Check in at BWV; Epcot

On the airport shuttle

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Early dawn came and we were ready to go all within 30 minutes! You can get ready pretty quick when there is so much excitement and anticipation I suppose. The shuttle only has to take you about ¼ of a mile to the airport and no surprise we were the only ones up at this time. The Frontier ticketing line was longish, but it moved quickly. I think it was our clerks first day though as she seemed frazzled-all I need to see are our bags tagged with that MCO sticker and the pressure is off. The security line was rather slow, but it’s not like you have any other options and we had plenty of time to grab a snack after we made it through.
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It was a bit of a surprise that we would need to use the walk up gate outside to board, but the Ft. Lauderdale flight was occupying the other Frontier wing. Needless to say it was a mad dash up the ramp to board and luckily we were among the first few people on so no back up! Immediately as we boarded there was a sense of urgency with the pilot and mechanic-apparently someone didn’t prepare the plane properly the night before and the water lines were frozen! They attempted to fix it a few times while the plane was boarding and about after an hour of waiting, the pilot announced that she was taking us to the other gate so we could de plane and use the restroom since they didn’t know how long it would take.

Lots of grumbling and frustration, but I will say she handled it like a champ. There were no lies to be given, just honesty. She also desperately lobbied with corporate on the phone to see if she could give us some sort of appeasement, but she was denied the ability to offer us any type of reimbursement. We were seated in the second row, so I was privy to all of the ongoing conversations J

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It didn’t take long after we exited the plane that we were called to re board. I grabbed some almonds and a quick charge for my phone since I forgot my power tube! Dummy. Finally we were off and in the air and we landed just before 11 AM. To top off the delay we had to bank around and approach the airport from the south, which is actually kind of cool because you can see most of the land marks on WDW property and why not we are already 3 hours late, what’s another 20 minutes?! I can only laugh about it now.

The original plan was stopping for breakfast at IHOP, but now it was more like lunchtime now. There are plenty of places to grab a bite on International Drive from fancy steakhouses to all u can eat buffets, but the hidden gem for us is Miller’s Ale House. They have a large menu and a huge beer and drink menu to wet your whistle. A round of fresh caught blackened mahi mahi sandwiches was just what I wanted! We may have missed going to Key West this year, but this really hit the spot. I also took the opportunity to change into my shorts and boy it felt good.

Next we headed to Goodings for some provisions like bottled water, laundry detergent, fabric softener, snacks, beer, paper towels, tissues and a few other goodies. I needed some small shampoos since my travel bottle broke when we arrived in Cleveland so instead of having a big mess I ditched the little fellow.

I had made some FP+ reservations for today knowing that the room wouldn’t be ready immediately upon our arrival. It also made it easier to decide what to do having already made plans. There was quite a back up at the security check point at the Boardwalk Inn & Villas, but the fellas were just being extra friendly at the booth! We drove up to the lobby area and parked near the taxi lane, I really wish they made some space for people to come into the lobby quick and check on their room. I realize that people will park everywhere, but why not a 15 minute or less lot close to the building so you don’t have to walk forever to and fro just to see if your room is ready and such?! We don’t really like to leave our things with luggage service because you may need something in your bag etc.

Our room wasn’t ready as expected, so we found a spot to park, way in the back, and made way for Epcot Guest Services. The line was a couple people deep, but eventually we were able to activate our Annual Passes and purchase a new Tables in Wonderland card! Off to enjoy Soarin!

We wandered back through Canada and The United Kingdom, grabbing some green tea from the Tea Caddy, checking out which other goodies we would be buying the next day. Still heartbroken there is no Liverpool merchandise at the Sportsman Shoppe due to their sponsorship deal, but now there is the soccer shop at Westside too! We got as far as France and it was past 4 when I received the text that our room was ready! Woohoo let’s head back to the Boardwalk!


Coming up the room at BWV

 

[princessbelle2015]

Joining in. The airplane delay was not the best start to your trip but you seem to have a great attitude about it. Sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh.

 

[LowesChevy]

Coming up the room at BWV

This has become a real pet peeve of mine, but when I say I am ready to go to my room now, I want the outside luggage person to hand the luggage off to someone inside right then, not wait for 10 minutes while 5 people try to figure out what is going on. So after a delay in waiting for the luggage- a porter came available to take us to our room. Universal moved to this system as well, but most other resorts we stay at are very quick with the luggage. Maybe I worry too much, but I like to have an eye on my bags-we have started a number of vacations without bags and even finished a couple sans belongings. We got everything back eventually, but it is incredibly stressful!

It is also great to have a host along the way pointing items of interest out, especially if you have never stayed at a property before. Our room was centrally located and not too far from the elevators, but right next to the trash and recycling room. The number was 14087 and was located on the 4th floor. Currently the 5th floor is being renovated completely, which we found out the hard way a couple of days later with noise! Defining noise which we went and complained about-I understand some construction noise, but there is no way they should have rented us this room if it was this bad. Most people may not have noticed it being at the park during the day, but we are mid day breakers. Plus one morning they started working above us at 7 AM and they weren’t supposed to start until 9 AM! We were offered a $100 credit, but we were beyond annoyed the one day. As I said there is no way the room should be occupied with the type of work going on above us-they were using a machine to remove tiles, blah.


Other than the luggage deal and the construction noise everything else was wonderful! Now here is all the good stuff about the Boardwalk Villas


My room-studio lockoff—kitchenette, queen bed and pull out sleeper sofa plus table

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The master bedroom

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The bathroom was huge and had a number of doors so you could block off different sections. I like to shower in the walk stalls in the master, especially with my knee hurting from time to time. It is a lot easier to step in the shower than lifting your leg up in the tub! The stall wasn’t super big and there isn’t a ledge to put your leg up to shave lol, but there is a ledge to place your soaps, shampoos and washes. Hopefully after the re do there will be a more spacious shower and a ledge haha!

The kitchen was very compact, but it did the job. We did a load of dishes the last day to wash anything we used during our stay. I couldn’t find extra garbage bags so we tended to dump the garbage and recycling as often as we needed. There was a loose nail sticking up on the trim between the carpet and the kitchen tile and one morning we alerted the housekeeping staff to have maintenance come check it out so no one got hurt. Lord knows you need your feet a lot at WDW!

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The view: we had a lovely little balcony and a view of the water way. You could see the back of the Tower of Terror and the Tree of Life in the distance. It was chilly at night, so not a lot of hanging on the balcony lol.
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We never did get to the pool, it was either chilly or we were too tired! The grounds are well manicured and fresh flowers were well taken care of. I thought the lobby was outstanding-I love the high ceilings and chandelier.
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We would definitely love to visit BWVs again! 4/5 Stars

Coming up dinner at Le Cellier

 

[LowesChevy]

Joining in. The airplane delay was not the best start to your trip but you seem to have a great attitude about it. Sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh.

Yeah, it is frustrating, but there is not much you can do. Plus the Frontier staff was really forthcoming with information and friendly.

 

[LowesChevy]

Le Cellier seemed like a great for our first evening in WDW. It was close to the BWVs so if we were pinched for time, it wouldn’t take too long to get to Canada!

We arrived on the early side, but there wasn’t a horde of guests waiting to be seated, so we were accommodated within a few minutes. I want LC to be a go to place, but something either food or service is lacking we when dine here. Our server Alicia stopped by the table after a few moments to offer us a drink. Dad went with a Unibroue brew and mom a Torontopolitan, very tasty by the way. The menu makes it difficult to choose as many of the starters look fabulous, but I settled for the charcuterie plate and dug right into a pretzel roll afterward. My parents both a romaine salad, which was like a deconstructed Caesar salad complete with boquerones or white anchovies. Mom opted to hold on the boquerones.

Sorry these are a little blurry. I try to keep to not use auto settings and it is rather dark in the dining room. Using a flash in here is annoying at times, so I try to capture as best I can.

Charcuterie plate-very nice spread. I ate it all myself, but there is plenty for 2 to enjoy. The upper left are crostini, then home made pickles and a brie like cheese. The salamis were mainly game like rabbit. You expect to get that pork sausage taste or dry salami, but the flavors more muted and subtle. The game sausages go well with the jam. The one sausage I thought would be more flavorful was one, on the far right, the bacon and pork one-not heavily seasoned and mild.

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Filet with mushroom risotto-Dad’s was cooked perfectly, but mother’s medium was way too rare and she sent it back. It wasn’t brought out till my father and I were almost done eating and then to boot it was cooked well done. Alicia had the manager come over as we were not very happy with the situation. Totally frustrating for a place that is advertised as a steakhouse to not cook steak to the desired doneness! The manager was apologetic and comp’d the dinner, but it was still a bummer for the first night.

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Strip steak with Yorkshire pudding. Perfectly cooked although I felt it could have been hotter! My steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned simply with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
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I had to get Le Cellier’s poutine of course as a side. I am a huge curd fan and love fresh cut fries. They could crisp them up a bit more because the red wine reduction sogs them well. The red wine reduction is decadent and rich, but a perfect complement to the meat dishes.
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The meal was great, but would have been excellent had my mother’s steak been prepared correctly the first time. Alicia was very sweet and attentive. The overall time for our meal was pleasant and not excessive. Too stuffed for dessert this time!

Overall 4/5 Food

5/5 Service

3/5 Total experience

 

[LowesChevy]

Day 2

January 18th

Having been up since 4 AM yesterday, it was great to get a full night’s rest! I woke up just after 7, which is when I get up for work, but it was much easier to get out of bed today! It didn’t take long for us all to be ready and off to Trattoria Al Frono for breakfast.

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The restaurant is lovely inside-the stonework is neat. It seems smaller than when it was Spoodles, but still a huge space. It can be a little loud especially with the tall ceilings and wide open spaces, but I love the open kitchen!
We dined here for breakfast two mornings to try out a few items. The menu had some nice selections on it for any taste.
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The cured Italian meats sounded good, but I wanted some carbs and opted for the waffle the first day. It comes with your choice of meat so I picked the chicken sausage and ordered a side of hash browns. The next day I had the frittata with sundried tomatoes and prosciutto. It was served with a whole wheat croissant and hash browns. My parents both had eggs over medium-yawn. The food was interesting, tasty and visual appealing, but none of it was hot! They have some serious expediting problems-they have heating elements where they put the food up for delivery, but it is not enough. Apparently guests tolerate lukewarm warm. The place wasn’t busy either day and the hash browns are already cooked, just heat them through before service.


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Heads up though-they serve Nueske’s bacon so if you are a fan of great bacon it’s worth a visit!


Overall

3/5 Food

3/5 Service (much better the first morning)

3/5 Total Experience

 

[LowesChevy]

DHS

We didn’t wait long for the boat and arrived moments before the gates opened at DHS. We made way for TSMM to see if we could do stand by before, but it was crazy jammed this morning. Hopefully we can do sb on Monday. I think in general the park was busier than the touring plans estimated, but we are lucky enough to have another full day at the park on Monday, no worries. We did well on TSMM, although mom was complaining about her arm being a nuisance ha ha. We wandered past the former entrance to the Backlot Tour and the gift stop. The Frozen sing along was quite a buzz in the back of the park and then I spotted an opportunity that couldn’t be passed up. My nephew Nick loves Cars, so we had our photo taken and I texted my sister in law. He thought it was really cool!

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Star Tours had a short stand by time so we hopped on queue and enjoyed the landscaping that you miss outside when riding with a FP. Good time, but the shop was insanely busy!
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Next we were off to Sunset Boulevard to ride Tower of Terror!

Checking in…? Two people freaked out before we got going-they had to quickly release them and re-check our belts. Great ride, the girl next to me had a death grip on the seat handle! I think it was her first time. It is rather intimidating, but a great thrill for those who live to check out.

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The street performers were out and about and we watched as we ducked in and out of the shops. I spotted the Oswald three quarter length t-shirt I wanted and made note of where it was for later. After a little shopping it was time for lunch at Mama Melrose’s.

 

[LowesChevy]

Mama Melrose

This is definitely a must do for us each trip even though they changed the flatbreads to a thinner crust, we still find the food and service appealing. It is a good sized restaurant, but it begins to load slowly at 12:00 PM. Folks were coming in for walk ins and the wait was quoted around an hour or so. I feel bad for people that show up with no reservations, but then again I get up 180 days ahead of time at 6:00 AM to plan my trip. Unfortunately there are some guests that do not get the advantage of pre planning, but there are days when you can score a walk up at many restaurants.

We arrived a few minutes early and our buzzer went off shortly after we snagged a seat in the waiting room. The bathroom and waiting room are rather small for a dining room of this size, the same can be said for the bathroom at Tony’s. I have found the design of the kitchen line and entrance rather clustered. Food is flying out of the window-servers are in and out of the kitchen and guests are walking to the bathroom or being seated, it can be rather chaotic when busy.

The atmosphere is lively and there are many things on the wall to admire while you dine. It is supposed to resemble a warehouse that has been converted to a restaurant. The wood tones and low lighting provide a lovely dining room. It is my second favorite restaurant at DHS behind the HBD.

Dori was our server, as she was a couple of years ago believe it or not. She was great once again, checking in as our food arrived and bringing over fresh plates and drinks. The salads came out quickly and we finished up right before the flatbreads arrived-very good timing for the kitchen.


Generic rolls lol

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Caesar and house house salad, which includes artichoke hearts, salami, tomatoes and cucumber tossed in a zesty vinaigrette. The salads look small, but they are plenty for three people to share alongside some flatbreads. We split the carne and margarita flatbreads and my only complaint is the size of the tomato slices because they are too thick.

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Overall, it is a pleasant experience for us year to year.

4/5 Food

5/5 Service

5/5 Total Experience



After lunch we decided to call it a day and head back to the resort for some r & r. Mom opted for a nap to rest her leg and dad and I walked around the Boardwalk and over to Hurricane Hannah’s for a pina colava and a beer. We checked out the ongoing construction on the slide at Storm Along Bay and snagged a bench by the fire pit to enjoy the view. Then we made our way back over to the Boardwalk and explored the grounds a bit.


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[accountingbabe08]

Great reviews

 

[LowesChevy]

Tutto Italia

We were shocked to not see Benito at the front desk, but do not fear he was just in New York City for the weekend! He has been a fixture here for many, many years. The restaurant was nearly full, but there weren’t any parties waiting to be seated. I think Tutto Gusto is probably a big draw now considering you can order off the menu as well as get the antipastos and wines by the glass. Big bonus there is you can walk in because they do not take adrs. The addition of Via Napoli has spread the crowds out amongst the restaurants as well.

I love the tandem service you get here and at Via Napoli. It always feels like someone is bringing you a dish, piece of silverware or drink. You are well taken care here at Tutto and I love it. We had the pleasure of having a man with one of the longest names I have ever seen (Gianimenico), but we could call him Jon.

Herbed foccacia and olives

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Fior de latte mozzarella with roasted sweet peppers, sea salt and basil. This is a great appetizer for sharing, but I kept it to myself. My only complaint would be a few more cloves of garlic and leaves of basil-otherwise perfect. Mom had the Caesar- very tasty and an olive tapenade is spread on a crostini. The Caesar had a great pugent flavor, but not too overpowering.
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Fettuccini campagnole with arugula and basil pesto, spinach and burrata with a stewed tomato on top to show the colors of the Italian flag. The former L’ Originale Alfredo di Roma used to serve a dish to signify the colors of the flag as well. This dish was very good and filling, even without meat.
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Father had his favorite gnocchetti with sweet sausage ragu and mom had minestrone to go along with her salad. She was eyeing up the panna cotta for dessert, which is heavenly chocolate custard with an Amarena cherry on top.


The food was great and the service was excellent as usual. A return next fall highly likely!


Overall: 4/5 Food

5/5 Service

5/5 Total Experience

We were totally beat after dinner, so skipping Fantasmic tonight and getting an early start tomorrow!

 

[LowesChevy]

January 19th

Day 3 was our first full day at Epcot with a focus on Future World. After breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno the march was onto Test Track. Stand by wasn’t too long, so we rode twice with our FP as well. It was rather brisk, so lots of folks were playing around in the test drive center and game area.


It may have been cold, but it was a pure blue sky and I took the opportunity to get some photographs since September was so gloomy. The crowds were also light this morning allowing us to ride TT so quickly. I had swapped today’s agenda with Hollywood Studios and while it was clam over here, HS was crazy yesterday! Oh well we still had plenty of time at either park. After Test Track we explored Mouse Gears to check out the 2015 merchandise and things for my nephews of course.

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The Land Pavilion was its usual busy self. The lines for the Land ride seem to fluctuate with the Soarin’ crowds. Sometimes the queue is looping around the stairway other times you can basically walk on the boat. Even though it seems dated the Land is still an enjoyable experience to us. Some of the plants were looking pretty rough, but I have to remember it is winter!

A new feature to the Land and one I have never seen before the sand snow man.
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They went all out naming this species
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Get me some salad dressing!

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By now it was just after 11 so we made our way to the World Showcase. We didn’t spend a lot of time in Mexico because I was certain we would be back! The Cave De Tequila was hopping bright and early though…it’s a little early for me for tequila, but hey people want to enjoy themselves. IMHO they should have made an outer building for the CDT because the place is jam packed every time you enter the pavilion. I know it is newer, but there is never a shortage of folks looking for specialty beverages.

China has trimmed back their merchandise like many other shops. Most of the jade sculptures are located along the wall now instead of having a large dedicated section. The clothing area still has a huge variety of robes, shirts and dressed as well as shoes. There is still a large selection of novelty souvenirs to pick and choose from in the stores. The China pavilion is always calm and peaceful, especially in the morning before many of the crowds arrive.


It was now time to head to Germany for lunch at Biergarten.

 

[LowesChevy]

Biergarten

It was a little early and they told us to come back in 15 minutes after we tried to check in at the podium. Mildly annoying, but I understand they have to wait for the rest of the table to arrive before we were seated. We grabbed a bench and enjoyed the sunshine and warmth to the air that finally arrived by mid day. We checked back in and it still took forever to be seated even with our entire table waiting there in the lobby.

Our table was on the third tier near the restroom and kitchen walkway. A perfect location if one will be drinking a liter or two of beer! I don’t remember eating here ever, but my parents did-so it had definitely been too long since our last vi My dad and I ordered a couple of liters and mum got herself a root beer, now it was time for the main event!

The buffet has two sides and in the center is the meat carving station, which had a meatloaf and a pork roast available for carving. The CM carving the meat went to culinary school only a few hours away from our hometown. He seemed like a very nice young man and said he really enjoyed his job I learned as we chatted a bit. The pork roast and meatloaf have a number of mustards, horseradish and other relishes in dishes to enhance the meats. The cold side of the buffet has different salads made with cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, pickled vegetables and salad greens. There are also a selection of salamis and sausages.

The hot side offers the carving table as well as pork schnitzel, which was very good-nicely seasoned and browned evenly. There are meatballs in a rich red wine sauce, macaroni and cheese, spaetzle, pretzel rolls, braised red cabbage, salmon, roasted potatoes, vegetables and sausages to enjoy. My picky mom found enough dishes to try and enjoyed herself for the most part. She was in her glory with the apple strudel and vanilla sauce. The dessert selection was decent, but I found the portion of black forest cake to be small. I understand we have moved into a trend of tiny desserts, but I wanted a hunk of cake lol! After grazing on the buffet I can imagine most people are completely stuffed though. I don’t like to see people waste food, so the smaller portions of sweets are good.

You really come to Biergarten for the entertainment of course! My pictures turned out kind of dark, so I didn’t post them. I was surprised by how well the one gentleman played the bells-holy cow that’s fast! The one accordion player looked suspiciously like my grandfather, he really reminded us of him. The quality of the band was quite impressive. Unfortunately these types of instruments do not attract scores of people to learn them, but hopefully there will always be folks to keep the old traditions alive. Most of the music was familiar to us because my grandparents still loved to listen to it and they had only emigrated here in the 1950s.

Overall--A pleasant way to spend lunch. We had a lot of fun, but we probably will not return for another year or so.

3/5 Food

3/5 Service

4/5 Total Experience

 

[LowesChevy]

Meanwhile back at Epcot…

We took a rest in room after lunch and planned on heading back to Epcot later for some fun before dinner. The park crowds had thinned out as we made our way toward the United Kingdom. Dad grabbed a beer and it was just about time for the British Revolution to come out for a set. I was annoyed by the behavior of some of the guests. During the show they preceded to carry on a personal conversion about that, this and the other. Guests are there to enjoy the show not listen to your yelling back and forth. It is rude and disruptive to the guests and performers. I guess I just don’t understand some people. Other than that the performance was great and Tigger and Pooh even got in on the action!



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After the show it was time to head to Japan for dinner.

 

[LowesChevy]

Teppan Edo

We spent a little time wandering through the Mitsokushi Department store. They always seem to have good turnover on merchandise and of course offer a huge variety of products with a wide price range. Lately I have been buying and trying snacks and the CMs are always very excited to tell you their favorites.

The restaurant was busy as usual and we waited till the rest of our party arrived. For once our table was located in the front of the restaurant! Although we were displeased that they decided to cram 9 people at an 8 top, so it made the seating extremely squishy. There isn’t much wiggle room to begin with and that was just wrong.

The great news is that everything else was wonderful, with the exception of my Coca Cola-just tasted of soda water! We had the pleasure of being entertained by Kendita, from Houston. I have heard about him from other guests, so it was fun to finally see him in person. He even sprinkled some sesame seeds on my noodles for my photos!







Dinner was excellent, the shrimp and steak both tender and flavorful. You can always rely on hot food here and a great show. Still a great experience despite the cramped nature. We will definitely be back in September!

Overall-a must do for us

5/5 Food

4/5 Service

4/5 Total Experience

Good night-tomorrow DHS!

 

[LowesChevy]

Day 4
January 20th
DHS

It was an early wake up call for us because they started working on the room above us at 7:10 ish!! Really-they aren’t supposed to start until 9!! We stopped at the Boardwalk Bakery for a light bite. Our lunch is at the Hollywood Brown Derby, so we do not want to stuff ourselves at breakfast! I had a breakfast sandwich, which was okay. They are made up ahead of time and are warmed for service. My parents both had a bagel and a coffee. The tables outside were a nice thought, but they were freezing! It was might chilly this morning again, but it was going to warm up and possibly get some rain showers.

The boat ride was pleasant and our captains were very entertaining with their bad jokes. For instance why shouldn’t you give Elsa your balloon? She will “Let it go!” “Let it go!” Or why should you never ask snow white about her iPhone? She has a lot of problems with apples…tidi boom. They were on a roll this morning. Look how cute Mama Bear is this morning!

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So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen good bye!
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We were able to get through the gates and get to TSMM before 9:00 AM, so we hopped into the stand by line. This worked out well by 9:50 we had already rode twice and I notched my best score ever! The park didn’t seem as busy as it had been Saturday, but there was a lot going on in the park. There were camera crews shooting film of young people acting very enthusiastically-must have been for future promotional videos of some sort. I guess we may find out soon. I had FP+ for ToT, my favorite, but mom is not a fan so she has no problem sitting it out while dad and I go have fun. It was quicker than the other day of course and the stand by line looked okay for this time of the day. I can’t imagine what it will look like later. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…gift shop
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Afterwards we went back to The Great Movie Ride and took a spin around the movies before lunch. The line was loooong, but we must remember there aren’t that many attractions to suck up people with the Backlot Tour closed. The wait was about 20 minutes or so, not terrible, but longer than it had been in years past. Our CM was kind of awful, but it’s just because we have seen the act so many times perhaps.


Was it you?!
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We had time for one last ride on Star Tours before lunch too!
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Afterwards it was time to head over to the Hollywood Brown Derby for some sophisticated eating.

 

[LowesChevy]

The Hollywood Brown Derby

It was a few minutes early, but we were lucky enough to escape the thunderstorm that blew through! People were running everywhere and underneath the canopy in front the HBD it was madness. The check in line was full of people attempting to get in for the day, but it didn’t sound promising for most of them. DHS has some great table service options, but they are extremely limited. Get those ADRs before you come here if at all possible. They are several places in Epcot that you may be able to score a walk up ressie, especially during F & W. After a few minutes pager went off right around our ADR time and the rain let up and the place cleared out!

Dona arrived a few minutes later and she knew the business and gave us her recommendations. I debated on what I wanted to eat, but in the meantime dad and I ordered a tasty beverage. Beer for him and a fruity & tropical Open Audition for me

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I am really enjoying the HBD as I was skeptical of the menu before, but they have been running specials with some regular items on it and they seem to be crowd pleasing. A lot of folks were ordering the specials, so I hope they either add some of the menu items or keep running similar features. I also just made a reservation for lunch this October for our stay.

DM and I started with a greens salad and I had the Cobb salad. The green salad was on the tart side, as the dressing had a punch and the lettuces were on the bitter side. There were sugar coated pecans and some apples to compliment the dish as a whole, but little sweeter of a dressing may have cheered this dish up. The portion size was plentiful and perfect for splitting. The Cobb salad lived up to it’s reputation-excellent! All of the ingredients work so well together to give you one complete dish full of sweet, sour, salty and bitterness. This smaller appetizer portion was perfect as a starter and Dona even gave me the recipe card so I could make the dish at home, which I have done.




DF enjoyed the waygu burger so much he had it again. It looks good and is a monster of a burger, but there are so many other goodies to choose from the menu. DM was also a repeat offender and had the fettuccine Alfredo. I had the crab cakes and they were good. Nothing spectacular since they were deep fried you tend to lose some of the delicateness of the crab and pick up the fried taste. The sauce and Asian spiced raw vegetable salad they were served with were very good. Also the crab claw garnish helps the dish. I would have them for an appetizer again, but I would most likely try something else instead.





This birdie was too stuffed for dessert, but a Mickey ice cream bar may be in the works later. Lunch was wonderful and the service was great. Totally confirmed we will be back!

Overall-a must do for us

4/5 Food
5/5 Service
5/5 Total Experience

Time to head back to the Boardwalk Villas!!

So long DHS!! See you real soon



Later on dinner at Via Napoli (Actually Tutto Italia, but I had made a schedule change last minute!)[/URL]

 

[LowesChevy]

Via Napoli was on the list for a few nights ago as tonight we were dining at Tutto Italia. Since I have already posted that review, you get Via Napoli!

Before dinner we visited the Mexico pavilion for some fiesta time and the three Caballeros. We checked out what is left of the Norway shops as well. Later on that evening we made our way to Italy for dinner. It was a beautiful night with a clear sky and it just felt good to be out and about. The pavilion was busy as usual for the evening-with the two restaurants and Tutto Gusto there is a lot of tables to be filled. The check in line at Via Napoli was shorter than I had ever seen it. Usually they are stopping you at the door to try to control the check in line!

It was only a few minutes till we were called to head to our table. We were on the opposite side as the kitchen along the main drag, which is rather annoying if you are sitting on that side as people are constantly bumping you as they walk by. It is plenty wide enough, perhaps some folks should lay off the sangria?!

Matteo came over immediately and asked what type of water we would like-still this evening. DF always attempts to order beer, but they only handle the non alcoholic beverages at this time. There was a giant party being seated at the family style table in the middle about the same time. Marcelo, our waiter came over and introduced himself and encouraged us to order before the large party.

It was kind of a hurry up and wait experience, but at least the pizza and salad are delicious. Service wasn’t great, but of course we will be back.

Overall-a return trip booked
5/5 Food
3/5 Service
4/5 Total Experience