You win some you booze some, a HOT August 2017 dining report! complete 1/25*

[KathyM2]

Wednesday we found out he tore his ACL, will need surgery and will miss this whole basketball season.

I'm so sorry!! Just getting caught up around here as the DIS has been so painfully slow for me lately that I just didn't have the patience. I hope that you are both feeling better about his injury now.

Your dinner at Cape May looked pretty good - sorry you weren't feelin' it. That August heat really can take it out of you so quickly.

 

[wdwnut61]

Ariane I’m so sorry Ricky got hurt. I’m glad you’re getting a second opinion. I know first hand how difficult it is to watch your child in pain and need surgery. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Ricky

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Cape May looks good especially those desserts! But I'm not a big seafood lover and the ladies in my life don't like it at all, so it's probably not a place I would ever end up at.

I really have to keep those shaved ice in mind for a future trip. We've never had them but I expect my girls would enjoy it. Here's a fun thing - do you remember Scuttle's Landing in MK? That place had good snow cones and it was located about where 7 dwarfs mine train is now, way back when the submarine lagoon was still there. Wow, that seems so long ago, almost like a different place!

 

[Tracy161]

I'm not sure how he expects to eat once we kick him out of the house, but that's not going to be my concern at that point, thank God.

Sounds like a great meal, and OMG those PB blondies!!! I would have skipped the meal and just had 86 of those babies!!!

 

[buzzrelly]

The After Dinner Hot Towel

These are the BEST PICTURES EVER!

She was originally from Long Island so I sat up front and the two of us spent the entire ride lamenting the absence of certain foods and establishments in Florida that New Yorkers really can't live without - decent pizza, bagels, deli's.

That's so funny, Mike and I are talking about retiring in the South (most likely SC), and we keep talking about how much we are going to miss our kids pizza! I forgot about bagels and delis…though I make some pretty awesome grinders at home

 

[ALEXandFAB]

Over the weekend Ricky got hurt real bad in his football game. Wednesday we found out he tore his ACL, will need surgery and will miss this whole basketball season.

Oh no!! I hope his pending surgery goes smoothly and he recovers well. My husbands had two ACL repair surgeries...they stink but the recovery is not so bad (speaking as the after-surgery caretaker).

It just sucks so bad seeing your kids hurting

Yes, it does

Pineapple Margarita from La Cava Del Taquila: 100% Agave Tequila Reposado, ginger Liqueur, caramelized pineapple nectar, fresh lime and agave nectar served on the rocks

This sounds heavenly.

and I'm not sure if it was nicotine, tobacco, or pencil shreddings but it's nasty

Note to self: skip the rim stuff.

As an aside, he's tried ordering Mule's pretty much every time we've been out since this trip, and the majority of restaurants don't make them because they don't carry the ginger beer.

I had the best Moscow Mule EVER at Via Napoli in November -- Limoncello Mule: vodka, orangecello, orange and pineapple juices over shaved ice. It was FABULOUS! Nice and strong too. It is the mule by which all other mules are now measured.

The After Dinner Hot Towel

What the?! This is EXACTLY what my 10 year old does with hot restaurant towels

Am I done yet?? FOUR posts for our dinner and afterwards! And this is only day 2 of the trip lol. Lots more to come!

LOVE, love, love your reports so I don't mind the long updates

 

[Wood Nymph]

I was once served a margarita with chili powder around the rim, which I didn't find out until after I tasted it. After that I try to remember to ask them to keep everything off the rim.

That's horseradish sauce next to the meat which I love. This particular piece was a bit on the rare side for me but I could still eat it and it was almost like butter. Not like butter, but almost.

Cape May has been a family favorite since we first started going to the Beach Club twenty years ago. We don't eat there every trip, though. Your meat looks delicious. I really enjoy their sliced roast beef.

See those last two? That table had the cookies and then a few things you could pour the caramel and chocolate sauce over, such as the cubes of chocolate and vanilla cake and the stars of the show, peanut butter blondie bars They did not have these last Nov. If they had, I would have had us eating here every night of this trip.

This dessert table is fairly new. We first saw it the last time we ate there, which would have been either May or July. It is an improvement over the cookie assortment they used to have for the kids. I think it is a smart idea.

The After Dinner Hot Towel

I love those pictures of Chris. The towel is nice, too.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Thank you all for the well wishes for Ricky I think I had my last breakdown this morning for awhile and Ricky is taking it pretty good compared to Wednesday when we got the news. His basketball coach reached out to him Wed. night and has been absolutely fantastic, letting him know he's behind him and will be supporting him through his recovery. This has made all the difference in Ricky's frame of mind and has made him feel more confident that missing this season won't result in the end of his high school basketball career, which was his main concern. Of course anything that makes him feel better makes ME feel better, so for now we're both calm! We're seeing another specialist on 10/2 and if we like him, we'll most likely set a surgery date then. I'll keep you guys updated. In the meantime he actually isn't in as much pain as you would think, only needed crutches for 3 days and isn't even wearing his brace.
It just sucks so bad seeing your kids hurting and having to alter their lifestyle, especially when it means being unable to do what they love.

Oh no!! I'm a little behind on reading TRs, so I just came across this, I wish Ricky the speediest of recoveries, and it sounds like he's already doing so much better! These young ones seem to heal so quickly, and I'm still nursing ankle pain from when I fractured it earlier this year. I'm so happy his coach had good news for him and sometimes just hearing things makes you feel so much better and when your mind is good your body quickly follows. He'll be playing basketball very soon!

Kakigori! Shaved ice with sweet syrup, very similar to a snow cone. You can get it with sweet milk on top but neither boy wanted to try that. Chris has melon and Ricky has cherry and the loved this. I've never thought of this before but for some reason it popped in to my head when the slushie was a bust. I think I scored a couple points with the boys for this until they started whining about the fact that I've been keeping it a secret from them

Hahaha, that is hilarious that it's as if you were keeping this foodie secret form them all these years...Momma knows best.

Steve said the salmon was out of this world. I wish I'd taken a picture of the sign describing it because I cannot remember at all what's on top. He also liked the veggies as both were seasoned and cooked well. He liked the chicken in the marsala but preferred the pesto pasta.

Looks delicious! I like how he can create his own dish by taking the chicken from one pasta and pairing it with another. That's the good thing about buffets! And Disney does salmon really well! all the salmon we've had at every buffet has been great!

He liked them but getting the meat out was way too much work for him and he stated that you are NOT supposed to have to work for your food. I'm not sure how he expects to eat once we kick him out of the house, but that's not going to be my concern at that point, thank God. He apparently had some mac and cheese himself and for whatever reason I have no picture of that plate.

Haha I understand having to work for your food. I like lobster and but sometimes I'm too lazy. But when you do work for it it makes it taste better! At least that is probably what I'm telling myself after getting all dirty cracking lobsters and crabs.

The non PB blondie is a piece of Key Lime cake, something I wanted to try since my first ever experience with Key Lime anything was this past May at Citricos. Citricos Key Lime dessert out of this world; Cape May Key Lime dessert, ok. The PB blondies with caramel sauce though? OMG. Soft and chewy and oh so delicious! I don't have a picture of my next plate but it looked similar to this, just replace the cake with................a third blondie.

oooh yummy! Have to try Cape May for dinner now! I need to squeeze it in somewhere...

The After Dinner Hot Towel

Hahaha his enthusiasm for this is so funny!!

the absence of certain foods and establishments in Florida that New Yorkers really can't live without - decent pizza, bagels, deli's.

I wouldn't know what to do without good pizza and bagels...I guess I can't leave NY!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

He loved it all which surprised me because I don't think he's ever eaten a drumstick lol.

Never had a drumstick before?! I finally convinced my girls to eat drumsticks, calling them Chicken Lollipops...

beef tenderloin:

Beef looks perfect to me!

he stated that you are NOT supposed to have to work for your food.

Ha. I am with him... That is how I feel about crab and lobster...

 

[ariane37]

HI Ariane, just catching up and wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about Ricky. I'm glad to hear his coach reached out to him and that he is feeling a bit better. Thinking of you and hoping he has a speedy recovery.

Thank you so much! His coach and also his team members have so far made dealing with the injury easier; I'm afraid once basketball season starts it'll be a different story though. We see the next surgeon Monday (didn't like the first) and are hoping we can get the surgery done asap and start rehab

I'm also sorry the heat was so brutal!!!! Not feeling good at Disney is the worst!

Luckily it was just that one day, which was MUCH better than my Disney Thanksgiving day stomach bug in 2015! That was the worst so far.

Cape May looks like many good choices, we have been twice 3-4 years ago before Andi decided she doesn't really like seafood or red meat ugh!

Oh lol, yes that certainly limits what she can eat then. The salads are great and then there are the carbs like breads and mashed potatoes, so she'd definitely get full, but there are also many better places for her!

I am sorry to hear about your son's injury, I am glad he is handling it okay. It is so tough when a sports injury occurs! Good thoughts to him and you as he goes through the healing process in the upcoming months!

I can handle the sprains and bruises, even the ones that put them out for a few weeks. But this one that's putting him out the whole season in high school is super upsetting. I go through a day when it doesn't get to me, then something comes up that brings my mind basketball and I'm sad again. So far he's handling it better than I am but as I said above, we'll see what happens when basketball season actually starts........thank you for your concern

Key lime at Citricos!!!!!! Sign me up!

I think I'm going to have the Key Lime there again in November!!

What can I say? You've raised a young man who expects a little luxury in his dining indulgences. I totally support his enthusiasm! But lord help your future daughter in law...

Oh, I'm only going to have 3 DIL's at the most (remember my stepsons), Chris will never get married. He's going to live with us forever, no woman will put up with that kid!

Maybe rethinking that CL wish... Love the beer options there! WL and AKL clubs look so nice! One day. Maybe when I have better dining self control...

From your comment on my PTR regarding carbs and your recent loss, sounds like you have that under control pretty well now

Oh boy, that Cape May dinner looks awesome! My next trip may need to include it!!!

I hope your next trip is soon, even though you just returned

He does seem to love his hot towels The first time we got them I had no idea what to even do with mine, I just patted it gently then handed it back

lol I was the same, it was about 22 years ago and I was at a very fancy restaurant in the city with Steve. He knew what to do but just sat and watched me gently wipe my hands and put it down with a confused look on my face

he travel time at Wilderness Lodge has been a concern of mine. I’ve wanted to stay there, but it seems like getting anywhere besides Magic Kingdom would take a while. Probably why I picked it for my one night stay where we are only going to Magic Kingdom J

Actually, travel time from WL is good! Steve was the problem lol. The bus is the quickest way even to MK in general, but the boat is so relaxing and peaceful if you aren't in a major rush. Not that the boat is slow but the bus is just usually quicker. Even if you stop at the Contemporary or FW it's no longer than other resorts.
I'm so glad you're trying WL!!

I was a little concerned about it being a seafood buffet, since my boyfriend isn’t big on it. But there seems to be a lot of other items to choose from I think he’d be happy here.

Yeah don't worry, as you see I eat 0 seafood and I enjoy it

That cobbler looks delicious!

Oh, yeah

I'm with ya Chris! I should not have to expend more calories than I'm about to consume.

lol!! That's exactly the problem, he doesn't like expending calories doing ANYTHING

Do they only have characters at breakfast?

Yes, in beach attire We've never been for breakfast but I hear good things and the costumes look adorable.

That's wonderful news! I'm sure it made a huge difference to him to have his coach backing him up and encouraging him.

It totally does! At this point at least, I honestly believe it's made the difference in his outlook and allowed him to stay positive.

Bahaha!! Poor Steve. He tries.

He does...............but I wish he'd stop

Prayers for a speedy recovery for Ricky! It is hard, but he can overcome the injury. I have a son who is a junior this year. He lost his freshman year (the entire football season) to a muscle injury, his sophomore year he got a concussion 3 weeks in and missed 3 or 4 weeks.

Holy moly! That stinks for your son and you too. Especially the concussion, those are no joke

His junior year is going great so far, only a fractured finger (lol) and he can play with that. It is so super stressful! Football is not for the faint of heart!

Fingers crossed the rest of the year is injury-free for him!!!

Hope the surgery and recovery go well!

We should have more info. on the surgery Monday, I'm both nervous and anxious as I want to move on asap!

 

[ariane37]

Your dinner at Cape May looked pretty good - sorry you weren't feelin' it. That August heat really can take it out of you so quickly.

Luckily I felt better by the time I got my food lol, but not well enough for my beloved alcohol. I'm not completely surprised the heat got to me since I HATE it, but a bit surprised since it hasn't affected me like that on previous August trips. Won't stop me from going next summer though!

Ariane I’m so sorry Ricky got hurt. I’m glad you’re getting a second opinion. I know first hand how difficult it is to watch your child in pain and need surgery. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Ricky

Thank you so much Tammy, I appreciate it It SUCKS, it sucks when there's nothing you can do to ease their physical pain or emotional pain. I have to keep faith that his coach will stand by his word about saving Ricky a spot next year. I don't see what he has to gain by telling him that and he's always been a stand-up guy so I really have no reason to doubt him, I think it's just me worrying he'll be disappointed again. It's going to be a long wait!

Cape May looks good especially those desserts! But I'm not a big seafood lover and the ladies in my life don't like it at all, so it's probably not a place I would ever end up at.

If it weren't for Steve and Ricky enjoying seafood I never would have eaten there, but if nobody in the family enjoyed it I wouldn't waste the time. Too many other great places to eat!

Here's a fun thing - do you remember Scuttle's Landing in MK? That place had good snow cones and it was located about where 7 dwarfs mine train is now, way back when the submarine lagoon was still there. Wow, that seems so long ago, almost like a different place!

I don't remember Scuttle's Landing but I DO remember 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea which was the submarine ride. Loved it! I have fond memories of riding it with both my dad and grandmother Totally different place than it is now!

Sounds like a great meal, and OMG those PB blondies!!! I would have skipped the meal and just had 86 of those babies!!!

I could have done that EASILY if I'd seen the blondies before eating any dinner lol!

These are the BEST PICTURES EVER!

I know right?? I have to keep them for when he's older!

That's so funny, Mike and I are talking about retiring in the South (most likely SC), and we keep talking about how much we are going to miss our kids pizza! I forgot about bagels and delis…though I make some pretty awesome grinders at home

Maybe you can open a deli in SC because since they don't have delis in Georgia, I doubt they have them in SC, either. I know we aren't far from each other now and we'll be close again if you move south, because Steve is determined to move to Fl. once Chris goes to college!

Oh no!! I hope his pending surgery goes smoothly and he recovers well. My husbands had two ACL repair surgeries...they stink but the recovery is not so bad (speaking as the after-surgery caretaker).

Thank you for telling me that After speaking with many people who either had the surgery years ago or recently, it does seem that the recovery period has gotten much quicker and easier in recent years. Ricky is a hard worker and I know will do whatever he has to do to make his rehab go as fast and smooth as it can, because he'll hate sitting around and being unable to be active.

Note to self: skip the rim stuff.

Very good idea

I had the best Moscow Mule EVER at Via Napoli in November -- Limoncello Mule: vodka, orangecello, orange and pineapple juices over shaved ice. It was FABULOUS! Nice and strong too. It is the mule by which all other mules are now measured.

I have to tell Steve this, and then I have to book us at Via Napoli

What the?! This is EXACTLY what my 10 year old does with hot restaurant towels

At least they're easily amused!

LOVE, love, love your reports so I don't mind the long updates

Aw, thank you Was hoping to get another update done this weekend, but the day got away from me and tomorrow we're going to a play in the city. Definitely during the week!

I was once served a margarita with chili powder around the rim, which I didn't find out until after I tasted it. After that I try to remember to ask them to keep everything off the rim.

I don't mind chili powder in some things but I wouldn't like it on the rim of a margarita either. I'll stick to salt or sugar!

 

[ariane37]

I wish Ricky the speediest of recoveries, and it sounds like he's already doing so much better! These young ones seem to heal so quickly, and I'm still nursing ankle pain from when I fractured it earlier this year.

Thank you!! He feels almost like normal but can't really run or jump and of course has to be careful he doesn't injure himself more; both the first surgeon we saw and his physical therapist said he'd feel like nothing happened soon and he had to be sure not to do too much. I'm so happy he isn't in pain but I know this is just the beginning unfortunately. I hope your ankle feels better! Sucks getting old lol!

And Disney does salmon really well! all the salmon we've had at every buffet has been great!

I of course don't eat it, but Steve has enjoyed salmon at many Disney restaurants

oooh yummy! Have to try Cape May for dinner now! I need to squeeze it in somewhere...

You should if you've never been there! Nothing fancy but good food

Hahaha his enthusiasm for this is so funny!!

It cracks me up! Something so simple.....I'm surprised he hasn't asked for a hot towel after dinner at home

I wouldn't know what to do without good pizza and bagels...I guess I can't leave NY!

I don't want to offend anyone but when I was in college my parents moved down south. Not only was it impossible to find good pizza but the ONE bagel place was pathetic. My dad would bring dozens of bagels back down with them when they came up to visit and he would also freeze pizza from his favorite place here and bring it down there! When he moved back up a few years later, the first thing he did before even coming to see me was stop at that pizza place

Never had a drumstick before?! I finally convinced my girls to eat drumsticks, calling them Chicken Lollipops...

I know, weird but it's just not something we make here. He probably had one somewhere when he was real young and I'm just not remembering. Love the chicken lollipop thing!

 

[suse66]

I'm going to stop here and put dessert and the end of our night in another post because it's a little late and I'm tired, and with the pictures I have left this will go to 4 different posts lol! Overall we enjoyed the dinner buffet. Some foods were good and some were real good; the only thing that anyone felt wasn't good were the mussels and that was Ricky. We'd come here again but probably not for our next couple trips, however if you are a seafood lover I think it's a great non-signature option.

CMC looks like a great option for our next family trip. I think everyone would find something they liked.

After dessert came what I believe to be Chris's favorite part of this meal. I also think as he gets older, he will either seek out restaurants that offer this or possibly even open a restaurant himself, simply to be able to give others the experience that is....

​

OMG! The look on Chris's face is hilarious!!

Cobbler Kari @kastoney had warned me about this, but I'm not a good listener so I went ahead and tried some despite still being full of PB blondies. It was delicious! Steve grabbed a snack and we sat at a table overlooking the lobby:

That cobbler looks out of this world!!!!!!!

 

[ariane37]

It's Nice When They Let you IN the Lounge.....
Roaring Fork New Menu
​

I have finally made it to our first full day at the Wilderness Lodge! Seems like I started this thing months ago.......
Coming off our two RD mornings at MK and AK, I'd planned a sleep in morning to appease the boys and also to enjoy the lounge and resort. Since Steve doesn't sleep in ever he was up early and took a look in the lounge since - SURPRISE! - our keys were working!!!

We were club level guests and we were able to get into our rooms AND the lounge by ourselves, it was a Tuesday morning miracle
​

Steve came back and since I was up, we went back to the lounge together to see what was out there for breakfast:
Cereal, fruits, steel-cut oatmeal in pot:

My favorite area, the baked goodness:



It was pretty crowded so I didn't get pictures of the rest of the spread, but there was also a pretty large tray of cheese and meats, bagels, and of course a stocked cooler. I did grab a chocolate chip muffin which was delish, but nothing excited Steve and weirdly enough he was really hungry. Normally he doesn't eat until late afternoon but today was different. We both decided to go down to Roaring Fork and try something form their "new" menu while the boys were still sleeping.

The setup here is a bit different than it was before the refurb, and you can either order where the food is made and then go on line again at the register to pay, or just order and pay at the same time at the register which is what we did. The lines were pretty long though, so while waiting I took a picture of these:
S'mores Donut Holes:


I took the picture because they looked soooo good, little donuts with mini marshmallows and pieces of thick homemade looking graham crackers also inside. I had every intention of purchasing one of these cups o' cuteness at some point during our stay but sadly, that never happened.

We did order breakfast, and after paying we were given a table marker and went to sit at a table in the hallway since inside the restaurant was packed.



We sat out there for TWENTY MINUTES waiting for our food and neither of us were thrilled, but eventually it came. Steve got the Bananas Foster French Toast, served with bacon:


I'm not a French Toast eater but it certainly looks good and Steve enjoyed it. As you can imagine it's SWeeeeet! The bacon was also good.
I got the Roaring Breakfast Platter: Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browns, Smokehouse Sausage, Bacon and a Ham Biscuit:


This was alright. Nothing to write home about. The bacon was good and the biscuit actually was, too. I normally like Disney eggs, powdered kind and all, but these were rather rubbery. The hash browns weren't cooked enough for me and I didn't try the sausage. In the end I left more than I ate and those of you who've read my other reports know that is NOT the norm for me!
Oh well, at least we weren't hungry. We returned to the room and saw the boys were awake; they were fine with breakfast in the lounge and went down themselves (just like I'd planned, thanks again for the working MB's, Disney!). After that we all went down and enjoyed some pool time which was a huge switch for us:



As I said in my TR, I was surprised how much we all liked taking the time to swim. I'm not a pool person and Steve and I never chill at our resort on our adults-only trips unless it's later in the evening at a bar. Even the boys have long outgrown wanting pool time with the exception of Chris but only on occasion. I think the August heat makes a huge difference and caused us all to want to take it slow.

We had an early dinner reservation and since the boys didn't have much breakfast and ours was a little on the early side, we were ready for lunch after a couple hours at the pool. We all looked at the Geyser Point menu but the boys preferred trying Roaring Fork so Steve and I said what the hell.

Nothing on the new lunch/dinner menu was standing out for me but I'd read some halfway decent reviews of the Gourmet Grilled Cheese: White Cheddar, Arugula, Tomato and Onion Jam on Multi-Grain bread:


The tater tots were good!! Oh wait, I'm sorry, potato barrels. The rest of the U.S. knows them as tater tots but within the bubble of WDW, they are most definitely potato barrels. And for whatever reason potato barrels are much tastier than tater tots!
The sandwich on the other hand, nope. Nothing gourmet about it. It was cheese with tomato and arugula, grilled. Kinda grilled. The bread was good. But what I really did not like at all was the onion jam, which prior to eating the sandwich sounded good to me since I like onion. It had a weird consistency and was too sweet. I ate half. Roaring Fork wasn't getting any points from me today.
I somehow failed to take pictures of everyone else's food but Steve and Ricky both got the Grilled Chicken on Roasted Garlic Focaccia: Roasted Peppers, fresh Mozzarella, and Oven-dried Tomato Pesto:



Picture courtesy of google

Steve enjoyed this as did Ricky, except that's an understatement where he's concerned. He proclaimed this the BEST chicken sandwich he's EVER had in his LIFE, and he's eaten A LOT of chicken sandwiches. He thought this was totally the shiznit. He licked his fingers on this one. The boy doesn't meet many sandwiches he doesn't like but this, this one is at the top of the list for sure!

Chris on the other hand got the chicken fingers and potato barrels and proclaimed the chicken fingers the absolute worst he's ever had. He ate his barrels and *****ed while doing so, so I won't scare you with a picture of the offending fingers.

Overall we weren't impressed with Roaring Fork's new menu other than that chicken sandwich. On our previous visits we liked our breakfasts and lunches there so I'm glad we have Geyser Point as another option even though we didn't get to eat there this trip.
After lunch we went back to the room to get ready for our evening park-Hollywood Studios!

UP NEXT: MAMA MELROSE REVIEW

Before I go, here's a brief update on Ricky. We saw the second surgeon today and we really liked him. He practices at Westchester Medical Center which is halfway between us and NYC, but comes up here once a month. He'll be doing Ricky's surgery down in Westchester and his secretary will call me tomorrow or Wed. to set up a date. He didn't sugar coat anything and was clear about how difficult and long the recovery period will be, but also was cognizant of how important it is to Ricky to be able to get back to basketball as soon as he's able. The surgery will be as soon as possible but due to our quick Nov. F&W trip, not sure if it'll be in Oct. or after the trip. Ricky will be on crutches for a few weeks and during that time can't ride the bus so we'll need to be here to drive him back and forth to school, so if he can have the surgery next week we'll do it; otherwise after Nov. 8th. He's still in good spirits and is still working out with his team and sitting in with the Varsity team, but I know it's going to be much harder on him once try-outs start Nov. 6th and......he's not trying out.​

 

[ariane37]

That cobbler looks out of this world!!!!!!!

It was heaven in a bowl

 

[thumper*]

Hope the surgery goes well

 

[buzzrelly]

We were club level guests and we were able to get into our rooms AND the lounge by ourselves, it was a Tuesday morning miracle

Yay! Finally!

In the end I left more than I ate and those of you who've read my other reports know that is NOT the norm for me!

Bummer…shouldn't be so hard to get a decent breakfast

As I said in my TR, I was surprised how much we all liked taking the time to swim. I'm not a pool person and Steve and I never chill at our resort on our adults-only trips unless it's later in the evening at a bar. Even the boys have long outgrown wanting pool time with the exception of Chris but only on occasion. I think the August heat makes a huge difference and caused us all to want to take it slow.

Maybe this will be your new thing. We love hanging out at the pools in Disney

Before I go, here's a brief update on Ricky. We saw the second surgeon today and we really liked him. He practices at Westchester Medical Center which is halfway between us and NYC, but comes up here once a month. He'll be doing Ricky's surgery down in Westchester and his secretary will call me tomorrow or Wed. to set up a date. He didn't sugar coat anything and was clear about how difficult and long the recovery period will be, but also was cognizant of how important it is to Ricky to be able to get back to basketball as soon as he's able. The surgery will be as soon as possible but due to our quick Nov. F&W trip, not sure if it'll be in Oct. or after the trip. Ricky will be on crutches for a few weeks and during that time can't ride the bus so we'll need to be here to drive him back and forth to school, so if he can have the surgery next week we'll do it; otherwise after Nov. 8th. He's still in good spirits and is still working out with his team and sitting in with the Varsity team, but I know it's going to be much harder on him once try-outs start Nov. 6th and......he's not trying out.

Aw, so sorry he has to go through all this. He's young and healthy though and should heal quickly and be back on the court before you know it. Praying still for his recovery

 

[pepperandchips]

Wow, Roaring Fork sounds like it needs some work. Although with the lines you mentioned, I'm not sure Disney will be inspired to do so... what a bummer your fancy grilled cheese was a letdown. The potato barrels do look great!

Steve enjoyed this as did Ricky, except that's an understatement where he's concerned. He proclaimed this the BEST chicken sandwich he's EVER had in his LIFE, and he's eaten A LOT of chicken sandwiches. He thought this was totally the shiznit. He licked his fingers on this one. The boy doesn't meet many sandwiches he doesn't like but this, this one is at the top of the list for sure!

Chris on the other hand got the chicken fingers and potato barrels and proclaimed the chicken fingers the absolute worst he's ever had. He ate his barrels and *****ed while doing so, so I won't scare you with a picture of the offending fingers.

Your stories about the boys absolutely kill me. I am so glad at least one member of your family was highly satisfied with his lunch! Roaring Fork's lunch/dinner menu has always seemed a little dull to me so we've never eaten those meals there. I was hoping after the refurb they would offer some more exciting choices. Sounds like that's a nope. They've seemed to excel in the snack/pastry department so I am not surprised to see that those donut holes were so tempting! Do you remember if they still had the magic cookie bars?

I hope the surgery scheduling and other decisions go smoothly. Thinking of you guys!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Wow, Roaring Forks sounds like a major disappointment...We have every intention of trying Geyser Point in November. I have high hopes for that one, because the items on the menu look delicious!!!
I'm so happy things are moving along with Ricky's surgery...He will get it done, go through recovery and rehab and be good as new!!!!!!!!

 

[FSU Girl]

We were club level guests and we were able to get into our rooms AND the lounge by ourselves, it was a Tuesday morning miracle

I'm glad you were finally able to get into your room and lounge, that would have driven me crazy not having it work.

Cereal, fruits, steel-cut oatmeal in pot:

The club food looks really good. I haven't done club yet, but I just booked a weekend trip in May at the Beach Club club level so I'm excited to try the free food

We sat out there for TWENTY MINUTES waiting for our food and neither of us were thrilled, but eventually it came.

That is a long time for breakfast food to come out.

This was alright. Nothing to write home about. The bacon was good and the biscuit actually was, too. I normally like Disney eggs, powdered kind and all, but these were rather rubbery. The hash browns weren't cooked enough for me and I didn't try the sausage. In the end I left more than I ate and those of you who've read my other reports know that is NOT the norm for me!

That's disappointing, the picture of the food looks really good. I'm trying to figure out what to do for breakfast the morning I leave for my Disney cruise from Wilderness Lodge. I was thinking of trying the quick service, but might do a character breakfast instead. Does Geyser Point serve breakfast too?

Grilled Chicken on Roasted Garlic Focaccia: Roasted Peppers, fresh Mozzarella, and Oven-dried Tomato Pesto:

This sandwich looks really good. I love all things pesto.