Mom & Son - The Bonus Trip! May 24th - 31st Update 8/7 - Y&Y and now complete!

[kastoney]

I'm finally all caught up. Before the FOOD though, just wanted to say you look great!!!! Congrats on all your hard work.

This was actually quite good. The chicken and veggies had a nice almost chargrilled flavor to them. All in all we were very pleased with lunch. And unlike previous trips to Kona, our service was actually good!

So happy to hear your food was good and who knew Kona could offer anything but horrible service. We get in later in the evening on our next trip and are staying at the Poly so I was already scooping a last minute Kona ressie depending upon when we get in. My sushi loving crew would love that volcano roll.

hese pictures are from the Disney Food Blog ...



This was AH-MAY-ZING! The egg melted into the polenta and that complemented the salty pork belly perfectly. This was very close to the perfect plate of food

You are literally living my disney food dreams. I was torturing myself perusing menus this weekend and came across this little gem. Now I know its as good as it sounds! Looks like we'll be hitting the wave next trip for sure.

I am sorry to say that this was a bit of a disappointment for us. Our main reason for going was the Stickey Bun Bake



Not sure if ours was overcooked but it was very, very dry. None of that gooey cinnamon roll center that we were hoping for.

We had the exact same issue. I felt like the amazingness of this had been hyped so much and ours was an overcooked and dry too. What time was your reservation? Ours was later (10 I think) so I'm wondering if that has something to do with it.

Although not much to look at, I thought the corned beef and cabbage mixture was delicious. A bit salty but that is to be expected. All of the ciders were good but the beer had a very soapy taste. We tossed that one. I enjoyed the cherry cider the best.

Cabbage and cider is definitely where its at!!!! We loved them both too

We shared the amazing poutine ....

These look so good. Le Celler has never appealed to me too much (likely because their signature filet has my nemesis mushrooms on it) but Jason and I have definitely considered getting a lunch reservation just to try the beer soup and these beauties. I'm sure we'll get there one of these days....

We shared the food and thought it was fine. Nothing special but fine. To be fair, we were both very tired after a long, extremely hot day. I think we both would have enjoyed this more if it was lunch time or if we had stuck to ice cream. Unlike the Garden Grill breakfast, I will give B&C another try.

Think you hit the nail on the proverbial head with beaches and cream. It fine and done well for what it is, but definitely more of a lunch of snack place.

 

[happy2012]

Congratulations on ur sucess!!!!

I'm so bummed Garden Grill fell short for you guys, but thanks for letting us know. That was on my list in Feb but cut it in hopes I'd read some reviews before we tried it. These Disney restaurant experiences are too rare not to LOVE the meal. With all the options, I have a hard time picking new places when I know how amazing certain ones are.

We have got to get back to Le Cellier!!!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Great reviews so far...looking forward to reading more!

Thank you!

You look great, congratulations!! I love so many of the restaurants that you have been to. We haven't been to Kona for lunch/dinner but the fish tacos are looking good! I also love Le Cellier...poutine and yummy filet...so good!!

Thank you! I am drooling just thinking about the poutine!

I'm late but I'm here!
Really enjoying your reviews so far! And all those pictures are making me want to go back so badly... (even the blurry ones! )
Can't wait to read more!

Thanks - enjoying your reviews as well!

The fish tacos at Kona looked great, actually everything there looked great! Sorry Garden Grill was a bust, it does seem dinner is the better choice there. Onion rings at Beaches and Cream..yum!!!

The onion rings were the hightlight for sure! I do want to get back to GG for dinner one of these days!

Great review of your Kona meal! I had to smile at your son's expression as he waited for his morning coffee! The Mickey and the Gang peppermints are cute! Good tip about chewing gum right after a meal so you are not tempted to eat more right away.

Yes, it was not happy times until the first sip of caffeine each day!

We have our first adr for B&C on our next trip - can't wait

Enjoy!!

Congratulations on ur sucess!!!!

I'm so bummed Garden Grill fell short for you guys, but thanks for letting us know. That was on my list in Feb but cut it in hopes I'd read some reviews before we tried it. These Disney restaurant experiences are too rare not to LOVE the meal. With all the options, I have a hard time picking new places when I know how amazing certain ones are.

We have got to get back to Le Cellier!!!!

That's how I feel! I hate to have a 'meh' meal at Disney! It is so hard choosing where to go each trip, I want them all to be great!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

To only have gained one pound while on vacation is a WIN. But to then lose that plus another .8...WOW! Way to go!

Lost another 1.2 this week! I can't say I was good in Disney but I did walk more than in past trips!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I'm finally all caught up. Before the FOOD though, just wanted to say you look great!!!! Congrats on all your hard work.


So happy to hear your food was good and who knew Kona could offer anything but horrible service. We get in later in the evening on our next trip and are staying at the Poly so I was already scooping a last minute Kona ressie depending upon when we get in. My sushi loving crew would love that volcano roll.


You are literally living my disney food dreams. I was torturing myself perusing menus this weekend and came across this little gem. Now I know its as good as it sounds! Looks like we'll be hitting the wave next trip for sure.



We had the exact same issue. I felt like the amazingness of this had been hyped so much and ours was an overcooked and dry too. What time was your reservation? Ours was later (10 I think) so I'm wondering if that has something to do with it.


Cabbage and cider is definitely where its at!!!! We loved them both too


These look so good. Le Celler has never appealed to me too much (likely because their signature filet has my nemesis mushrooms on it) but Jason and I have definitely considered getting a lunch reservation just to try the beer soup and these beauties. I'm sure we'll get there one of these days....


Think you hit the nail on the proverbial head with beaches and cream. It fine and done well for what it is, but definitely more of a lunch of snack place.

Welcome!! Hope you enjoy The Wave as much as we did! And yes, give Kona a go for sure. Maybe the service has turned the corner?! A girl can dream, right?

I admit the Mushroom Filet is probably my favorite plate of food on all of Disney property. I have tried to recreate it at home with some success but there is nothing quite like the real thing. I am sorry you feel so strongly about the mushrooms!

B&C for now is a one and done for us. We really enjoyed the ice cream at Ample Hills so that I where we will get our sweet fix!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Friday we started out in EPCOT with an early lunch at an old favorite - Via Napoli





DS started with the chicken tortellini soup



This was as good as previous trips flavor wise but could have been a bit hotter

I had the caprese - mozzarella, tomatoes & basil



This was fine. Nothing special. I prefer a saltier mozzarella but this was fine

DS tried a special they had that day ....





This was soooo disappointing. It truly had no flavor. You can see the cheese in DS's had as he desperately tried to add some type of flavor. I can confidently say that we make better carbonara at home

I dream about VN pizza so I knew what I was having ... pepperoni pizza with added broccoli rabe



This was also a bit disappointing. First off, $3.00 for that amount of broccoli rabe?! C'mon, really? And the crust didn't really have any flavor, again seemed to be a lack of salt

We were somewhat sad over this lunch and didn't even have the beloved zeppolis for dessert. We have been to VN a number of times and this was the first "off" meal for us so we will definitely return. But this was definitely DS's worst meal experience of the trip.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We left EPCOT and headed over to the Beach Club to catch a bus to Disney Springs. I am not sure how I feel about the new shopping area. I really like The Landing area and the old Marketplace but the new area with the upscale stores didn't do much for me. In part it could be because it was crazy hot and there were not trees or any other shady areas. Who knows, it may grow on me.

When we were ready for a snack, we decided to try Jocks Hanger Bar







We sat outside as it felt cooler outside with the slight breeze than it did inside. I had Reggie's Revenge





This was soooo good. Very light and refreshing. I will definitely go back for another of these!

DS surprised me by having the "Squid, why did it have to be Squid"/calamari



I don't eat calamari but he really enjoyed it. I did try the dipping sauce and it was very good. Just spicy enough without being overpowering

I had the falafel.



This was fine. Nothing special but a solid snack. I added some of DS's dipping sauce to pick it up a bit.

All in all a very nice afternoon break from the heat

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We made a last minute decision to have dinner at The Boathouse. Originally we had planned on California Grill but decided the day before that we just weren't feeling it so I cancelled it. While in Disney Springs we decided to look to see what ADR's were available and The Boathouse was the one that appealed to us the most.





The rolls were soft and buttery



I only had a bit as I wasn't super hungry and I didn't want to waste calories/points on these. They were fine but I do prefer a crunchier roll

DS had the mussels



He loved these. I did dip some bread in the broth and it was very good. I do like mussels but just didn't feel like them so I didn't try any. He is still talking about them.

I threw all thoughts of WW away and had the wedge salad



OMG was this good. Creamy blue cheese, thick bacon pieces, crisp lettuce and fresh tomatoes. This was perfection for a wedge salad lover

DS again surprised me and had the lobster pasta



He enjoyed this very much as well. I am not a lover of lobster but I did try the pasta. It was perfectly al dente and not mushy which we both appreciated.

I had the filet mignon sliders





I love all things sliders and these were amazing. Tender, flavorful, just perfect. I would have a hard time ordering anything else when we go back to The Boathouse because we definitely will be going back.

No dessert for us as we had other plans but here is the menu ...



This turned out to be one of our favorite meals of the trip. Again proves that sometimes those careful made plans just have to be changed!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Dessert was much later at ....



So cute inside!









DS had a sundae with dark chocolate ice cream


:
I had a small cup with two scoops. I chose the WDW flavor "Sally Sells Sea Shells" which is Orange Marshmallow Ice Cream with House-made Salty Chocolate Seashells and Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream made with Cream Cheese and gobs of House-made St. Louis-Style Ooey Gooey Butter Cake





This was soooooo good. It may be the best ice cream I have ever had. Is it that good or is it that I don't eat "real, full fat" ice cream any more? I don't know but I can't wait to go back and try some more flavors!

My sister and nephew joined us. My nephew had a boring vanilla waffle cone!



All those wonderful flavors and he chose vanilla! LOL

A bit later, my sister and I had a margarita



This was very, very sweet. I only drank about half. Nonetheless, a very fun night on the Boardwalk with family!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

All your food looks delicious! I would have loved that pasta and your sliders!

 

[alohamom]

I love that you have included the dessert menus, even if you didnt partake-thank you!

 

[ALEXandFAB]

We were somewhat sad over this lunch and didn't even have the beloved zeppolis for dessert. We have been to VN a number of times and this was the first "off" meal for us so we will definitely return. But this was definitely DS's worst meal experience of the trip.

Bummer

The rolls were soft and buttery

HELLOOOOOOOOO

I threw all thoughts of WW away and had the wedge salad

It's almost lunch time in my neck of the woods and I would LOVE to have something like this sitting right in front of me

I have to ask, were the fries as crispy as they appear in the photo?

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream made with Cream Cheese and gobs of House-made St. Louis-Style Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

That. Sounds. INCREDIBLE.

My sister and nephew joined us. My nephew had a boring vanilla waffle cone!



All those wonderful flavors and he chose vanilla! LOL

Kids

 

[kastoney]

This was soooo disappointing. It truly had no flavor. You can see the cheese in DS's had as he desperately tried to add some type of flavor. I can confidently say that we make better carbonara at home

What a disappointment. When I read the description I thought even I would give up the pizza for truffles and carbonara. Too bad it didn't live up o expectations. Sounds like we'll have to head to your house instead

This was also a bit disappointing. First off, $3.00 for that amount of broccoli rabe?! C'mon, really? And the crust didn't really have any flavor, again seemed to be a lack of salt

We were somewhat sad over this lunch and didn't even have the beloved zeppolis for dessert. We have been to VN a number of times and this was the first "off" meal for us so we will definitely return. But this was definitely DS's worst meal experience of the trip.

That is a pretty pathetic amount of broccoli rabe. Jason always gets it added to his sausage pizza and gets way more than that.

Sorry VN wasn't up to expectations. Hopefully just a temporary blip and not a seed change.

This was soooo good. Very light and refreshing. I will definitely go back for another of the

YUM!!!!!!!!!

He loved these. I did dip some bread in the broth and it was very good. I do like mussels but just didn't feel like them so I didn't try any. He is still talking about them.

These look amazing!!!!! Especially that bread on the side.

DS again surprised me and had the lobster pasta



He enjoyed this very much as well. I am not a lover of lobster but I did try the pasta. It was perfectly al dente and not mushy which we both appreciated.

Holy huge portion batman!!!!! This looks like utter lobster perfection and I'm not much of a fan either.

I love all things sliders and these were amazing. Tender, flavorful, just perfect. I would have a hard time ordering anything else when we go back to The Boathouse because we definitely will be going back.

I've read so many good things about these I've always thought they can't live up to the hype. Guess that was wrong. Think we may do a bar/appetizer crawl (sans the kiddo) on our next trip and these must be tried!!!

This was soooooo good. It may be the best ice cream I have ever had. Is it that good or is it that I don't eat "real, full fat" ice cream any more? I don't know but I can't wait to go back and try some more flavors!

Best ice cream ever!!!!! Wow it must be pretty darn impressive. I'm sure my hubby will have us there for sure on the next trip

 

[pagek83]

Just found your report and it's awesome!! Congratulations on your success with WW! You look great!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

All your food looks delicious! I would have loved that pasta and your sliders!

It was really good ... looking forward to having those sliders again!

I love that you have included the dessert menus, even if you didnt partake-thank you!

You're welcome!

I have to ask, were the fries as crispy as they appear in the photo?

The fries at The Boathouse were perfectly crispy!

What a disappointment. When I read the description I thought even I would give up the pizza for truffles and carbonara. Too bad it didn't live up o expectations. Sounds like we'll have to head to your house instead

That is a pretty pathetic amount of broccoli rabe. Jason always gets it added to his sausage pizza and gets way more than that.

Sorry VN wasn't up to expectations. Hopefully just a temporary blip and not a seed change.

I've read so many good things about these I've always thought they can't live up to the hype. Guess that was wrong. Think we may do a bar/appetizer crawl (sans the kiddo) on our next trip and these must be tried!!!


Best ice cream ever!!!!! Wow it must be pretty darn impressive. I'm sure my hubby will have us there for sure on the next trip

Debating going back to VN in July to confirm that this was a fluke.
Love the idea of a bar crawl in Disney Springs! May have to consider that in October!

The ice cream was very good. May have seemed like the best ever because I don't eat 'real' ice cream. Regardless, I loved it!

Just found your report and it's awesome!! Congratulations on your success with WW! You look great!

Welcome ... and thank you!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Next morning we went to Trails End for brunch. TE breakfast has been on my bucket list for a while. With it being brunch we could go a bit later so DS was happy to try it. First up some buffet pics ...









My first plate ,,,



Mickey Waffle with Banana's Foster Sauce, bread pudding, eggs benedict and some ham

My second plate



breakfast pizza, some breakfast meats both types of breakfast potatoes

Everything was really good. And it was packed. No longer a "hidden" gem ... now just a gem.

Didn't partake in the adult beverages but here is the menu



We both really loved our meal. Definitely worth the trip!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

After enjoying some time in DHS ...



We decided to try some of the Echo Lake snack trucks ...



Pulled chicken BBQ sliders



These were the best of what we tried. BBQ was slightly sweet and the slaw balanced the sandwich perfectly.

Beef empanadas



I did not try this but DS enjoyed them

Turkey and gouda waffle

This was disappointing. Not much flavor

For dessert ... may I present, the Worlds Most Disappointing Cookie!



It looks so yummy and melty but was hard and tasteless. Most went in the trash.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

For dinner we went to the Villains Party. This was sooooo much fun! It was handled as if it were a nightclub. Champagne and water offered while we waited to go in







Loved the theming inside ,,,



Each villain had their specialty desserts









This is the one drink that I tried and it was delicious





Very bad pic of my food



It was actually pretty good. But neither of us were very hungry. We mostly just enjoyed the show



And met some villians!





We really enjoyed the music and the show. But DS commented that there was a bit of a disconnect. The show was for lack of a better word, somewhat sexy





And yet between the performances the dance floor was full of children doing the "wipe and the naynay" and other dances. A lot of fun but may have been better if the early show allowed kids but the later show was over 18.

I would definitely do this again!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

After dinner we met my sister and nephew for the Star Wars dessert party. It was indoors because of the threat of rain and a bit disappointing when compared to the Frozen Dessert party in the summer. The pics didn't come out very well









I mostly had the savory items



My nephew tried the sweets



We all sampled the blue milk panna cotta and decided it tasted like Mylanta! A definite fail for us



The drinks



I tried the First Order Finale



It was fine - very sweet

We were somewhat disappointed until we went outside to the roped off viewing area for the Star Wars fireworks. Holy cow! This was so awesome. And the best part is that everyone sat during the show! Everyone could see, no kids on parents shoulders. It was perfect



I cannot wait to see the new & improved Star Wars fireworks in a couple of weeks!

 

[suse66]

Terrific reviews, thank you! I am so looking forward to trying Ample Hills. I'm staying at the Boardwalk so can see myself strolling down there an evening or two! The Boathouse looks great as well.