Cheers to Character Cavalcades, Cocktails and Celebrations! 2/1 3 HUGE ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!

[Jenny Sanders]

Hi Jen found your TR and am enjoying it. I've been subscribed to Jen & Joe on the go from the beginning. Unfortunately I'm unable to comment on YT. Loving these vids in your TR. OMG Gia is getting so big, but still adorable. So sorry to hear of the loss of your father. I definitely understand as I lost my mother last month. It's nice to be able to get engulfed in the Dis again now that things have settled down. Your meal at WBG looked awesome as do all of the cocktails I've seen the Disney Drinkers test. Hope you guys will be at Disney for the 50'th, hubster and I would really enjoy having some cocktails with you guys.

Thank you so much for all your support. Joe and I really appreciate it!!!
Losing my dad has been really rough and it was just so unexpected.
Yes, Gia is getting big and sassy, lol! She definitely has opinions.
We are going for the 50th!!!!! Just actually booked everything a week or so ago. Yay!!!

Loved loved loved your live updates from St. Pete! Looks like you had such a fun, relaxing time there and spent lots of time on the water. I'm sure it was exactly what you needed after recent weeks. So glad you got away!

Hi Tracy! Thank you.
We had such a good time and it was nice not having an agenda and being able to do everything on the fly.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Hi everyone! We had a night of spooky fun and I wanted to share it with you. Have a look!!!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FRIENDS!

Let's get back to this TR, shall we?!?! I feel like it's been forever since I gave an update and I'm just itching to get back into it...

Well, this part of the trip takes us to dinner at the Kona Cafe. We hadn't been here in years. We drove over with Julie, Todd, and Gia and were pretty much seated immediately for our 530 reservation. Unfortunately, that's pretty much one of the only positive things I will be able to say about this meal (besides one of the food items). This pains me because I was really really really looking forward to dining here. Back around February or so, the menu had been updated and there were so many new items I wanted to try. We had reservations to dine here in May, but we all know how that turned out. We didn't have time to fit it in during our July trip, so September it was...

Like I said, we were seated right away after we checked in on our mobile device. We were put at a corner table overlooking the second floor of the Poly. Not my first choice for seating but it was all right.

So, now I'm kind of at a loss for words. Instead of talking about what we ordered, I'll talk about our service first. Our server was the worst server we have ever had throughout 48 years of visiting Disney World. He rushed us. He was rude. He brought us an item we never asked for then proceeded to tell us we ordered it wrong. WHAT? Who does that? Then, instead of just leaving it, he took it way. Again, what??? It's not like he could give it to someone else...He never refilled our water glasses. He never took the time to check up on us. We were never asked if there was anything else he could bring us or if we wanted dessert. It seemed like he was just interested in getting us in and out so he could fill our table with another party and collect another tip as quickly as possible.

Anyway, enough of the poor service. I'm sure you all get the picture. There's a reason we stopped coming here in the first place and many reasons why we will never go back...☹

On with the food...Joe, Julie, Todd, and I each ordered a few Lapu Lapu's to get the party started. These were good but not nearly as strong as they once were. Joe and I shared the crab/lobster mac and cheese for our appetizer. This was very good. It was creamy and full of big chunks of lobster and crab. We really enjoyed this. For our entrees, I had the California roll and Joe had the rainbow roll. We both agreed these were just ok, nothing special. We had planned on splitting a few desserts but after the poor service and just ok food, we decided to leave and head down to the Pineapple Lanai.

Can I just say that the Pineapple Lanai is awesome!!! I love how you sit outside on the beautiful Poly grounds to enjoy your ice cream treat. Joe and I split the swirl which was amazing. Here's a funny side note. Gia was starting to get a bit antsy at this point (even with a nice size serving of pineapple dole whip). I can't remember what Julie said to her. Probably something along the lines of sit nicely and eat your ice cream before it melts all over you. Well, Gia didn't like that and told Julie to "shut the F up." OH NO!!! What did my perfect, little niece just say??? We were all a bit stunned and some of us MAY have snickered a bit...Anyway, the party that never really was pretty much ended here. It was time to get a sassy, potty-mouthed Gia to bed...

Next up, breakfast at a restaurant I always give a bad wrap to and one I said I would NEVER EVER go back to, lol!!!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Dinner at the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Village Resort

 

[rdkeim]

I hate to hear that about Kona. It used to be our favorite breakfast spot. No excuse for that kind of service. Oh my, your niece. I'm sure that was a shocker! Thanks for your review!

 

[kittylady1972]

Wow I am sad to read about Kona as well. We have had some great experiences there in the past, for lunch and for dinner, and some great service. That just doesn't sound good at ALL!

Pineapple Lanai is great though...agreed. So I have to ask...did she say "F" or F blank blank blank?? Kinda funny, but only because I had a kid who MAY have once commented, at the age of maybe 5, in front of my parents, "Wha'ts with all this F-ing rain" only he didn't say F-ing. My mom probably never uttered a curse word in her LIFE...so you can imagine how that went when it was in front of her.

 

[Jerzetta]

Following along.

 

[suse66]

So sad to hear about your terrible service, that is unacceptable. I ordered sushi from the Kona Island sushi bar on trip and was not impressed at all! Honestly, I have had better grocery store sushi. At least your mac'n'cheese was yummy!

And Gia! Oh my goodness.......she is getting feisty! Jamie and Stuart went through a period of using bad words they had heard from a friend and we went old school and washed their mouths out with soap. Not a lot but enough to make them think twice about using those words again, lol!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Enjoying all the videos as usual! Is it better to watch on YouTube to give you the thumbs up!
Kona sounds so disappointing, poor service really impacts a meal, good food or not! 2 of my biggest pet peeves are when a server rushes us and never comes back to fill the water. Turns me off right away!
How about Gia with the f bomb! Oh my I would have probably laughed under my breath too! Haha
When Andi was around 5, she said oh s*** we forgot my sleeping bag, then she kept saying it like it’s bad to say oh s***, so I won’t say oh s***, haha I wish I could have recorded it, it was really quite cute!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I hate to hear that about Kona. It used to be our favorite breakfast spot. No excuse for that kind of service. Oh my, your niece. I'm sure that was a shocker! Thanks for your review!

Thank you for following along. We all got a good chuckle out of Gia's potty mouth, some more than others, lol!

Wow I am sad to read about Kona as well. We have had some great experiences there in the past, for lunch and for dinner, and some great service. That just doesn't sound good at ALL!

Yep, Dina. We won't be returning.

Pineapple Lanai is great though...agreed. So I have to ask...did she say "F" or F blank blank blank?? Kinda funny, but only because I had a kid who MAY have once commented, at the age of maybe 5, in front of my parents, "Wha'ts with all this F-ing rain" only he didn't say F-ing. My mom probably never uttered a curse word in her LIFE...so you can imagine how that went when it was in front of her.

She just said F. It would have been even funnier if she had said F---.

So sad to hear about your terrible service, that is unacceptable. I ordered sushi from the Kona Island sushi bar on trip and was not impressed at all! Honestly, I have had better grocery store sushi. At least your mac'n'cheese was yummy!

We were so disappointed Suse. This was the one meal I was really looking forward to. Well, this and Narcoossees. Happy to say Narcoossees was amazing as always.
I have had better grocery store sushi too, lol!

And Gia! Oh my goodness.......she is getting feisty! Jamie and Stuart went through a period of using bad words they had heard from a friend and we went old school and washed their mouths out with soap. Not a lot but enough to make them think twice about using those words again, lol!

It was so hard to stifle the laugh.

Enjoying all the videos as usual! Is it better to watch on YouTube to give you the thumbs up!

Thanks, Caroline. We really love making them.

Kona sounds so disappointing, poor service really impacts a meal, good food or not! 2 of my biggest pet peeves are when a server rushes us and never comes back to fill the water. Turns me off right away!

Those are mine too. Seriously, how hard is it to refill a water glass???

How about Gia with the f bomb! Oh my I would have probably laughed under my breath too! Haha

It was really hard not to laugh out loud. We were so shocked but it was so funny. She's turned into a foul mouth 5-year-old going on 13.

When Andi was around 5, she said oh s*** we forgot my sleeping bag, then she kept saying it like it’s bad to say oh s***, so I won’t say oh s***, haha I wish I could have recorded it, it was really quite cute!

Out of the mouths of babes. It's just so funny when they swear at such a young age because you aren't expecting it, lol!!!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Following along.

Thanks for joining in!!!!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm glad your food was pretty to look at it considering the service was so crappy! Oh, Gia! I have to admit, I laughed when I read it, too, but if Jimmy had said that, it would've been bedtime for him, too!

 

[CruellaNY]

I always hear about bad service at Kona. It's been forever since we've eaten there (just breakfast once and lunch once) our service was ok but we were never impressed with the food. The crappy service is just another reason not to go back!

 

[Tracy161]

What a bummer about Kona! I've only been once for breakfast but I definitely have no desire to return for dinner anytime soon - yikes! But always another great video even if dinner was a bust. I really enjoy your background music selections, too! Always perfectly befitting the theme of your location

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I'm glad your food was pretty to look at it considering the service was so crappy! Oh, Gia! I have to admit, I laughed when I read it, too, but if Jimmy had said that, it would've been bedtime for him, too!

HAHA! That was about it. Even the Lapu Lapu's seemed watered down.
Gia is just so naughty, lol!

I always hear about bad service at Kona. It's been forever since we've eaten there (just breakfast once and lunch once) our service was ok but we were never impressed with the food. The crappy service is just another reason not to go back!

Yep. No reason to EVER return. I'll stick to Cali Grill, Narcoossees, WBG, Homecomin', and our new favorite, Jaleo.

What a bummer about Kona! I've only been once for breakfast but I definitely have no desire to return for dinner anytime soon - yikes! But always another great video even if dinner was a bust. I really enjoy your background music selections, too! Always perfectly befitting the theme of your location

It was awful. Now I remember why we stopped going in the first place, lol!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Finally caught up and loving all your videos. St Petes looked like the perfect getaway and just what you needed after all you've been through lately. Can't believe Gia has turned 5 and learnt to swear
Such a shame about Kona- I've never been and now I know I'm not missing anything so thanks

 

[vamassey1]

Unfortunately, that's pretty much one of the only positive things I will be able to say about this meal (besides one of the food items).

I'm so sorry to hear this. We ate her for the first time in 2012 and loved it. This was also were we ate after Michelle & Jimmy said their vows on the beach. The manager was so great that day.

.He never refilled our water glasses.

This is my DH's gauge for tipping. His glass must not get empty.

Joe and I shared the crab/lobster mac and cheese for our appetizer. This was very good. It was creamy and full of big chunks of lobster and crab. We really enjoyed this.

This sounds really good.

Can I just say that the Pineapple Lanai is awesome!!!

So glad this helped save your meal.

Well, Gia didn't like that and told Julie to "shut the F up." OH NO!!! What did my perfect, little niece just say??? We were all a bit stunned and some of us MAY have snickered a bit...Anyway, the party that never really was pretty much ended here. It was time to get a sassy, potty-mouthed Gia to bed...

Of course it's always funnier when it's not your child. I think every child does this at least once.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Can't believe Gia has turned 5 and learnt to swear

She gets it from her auntie, lol! Just kidding.

This is my DH's gauge for tipping. His glass must not get empty.

I agree 100%.

So glad this helped save your meal.

It was delicious and definitely helped the night get better.

Of course it's always funnier when it's not your child. I think every child does this at least once.

She also just told her mom that she was fat. YIKES!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

This morning brings us to a restaurant I said I would NEVER EVER go back to again. I've said this a million times, yet here we were, ready to go back, reservation and all. Sigh. I just never learn my lesson, do I??? Anyway, I'm talking about Chef Mickey's if you are new to my report. I think the restaurant is loud and the food is horrible. There are soooo many better character meals in Disney if that is your vibe, like Topolino's, Trattoria (both for breakfast), and Garden Grill. Side note, Trattoria does not currently have characters. Then why did we have reservations to go back???? Well, the characters were gone due to the whole COVID situation and the buffet was gone, which meant the food was now being served family-style at your table. I had also read very good reviews on the food, since reopening, so I thought we would give it one last shot...It was also a great opportunity to shoot something new for Jen and Joe on the Go!

I was also expecting this to be a quieter meal since the characters weren't there anymore. NOPE! It was incredibly loud, with lots of screaming children. But, the food had improved a little bit. And, there was a lot of it (screaming children and food, lol). Oh, and the price was very reasonable at $25 per adult and $14 per child. Plus, they took 10% off for AP holders, so that was definitely a win.

Speaking of food, Joe and I started with drinks. He had coffee and OJ. I had hot tea and a nice, cold glass of apple juice. I bet you all didn't know that about me. I love anything with apples, especially apple juice. YUM! Then, we were brought a fruit place, yogurt parfaits (which were adorable), and a basket of pastries. These were all good. Plus, there was a cheese danish in the mix and those are my jam. LOVE them! Oh, and a tiny charcuterie too. Then, we were asked if we'd like the cold salmon, and we declined that. Not a huge fan of salmon served cold. But, we thought it was nice that we were asked about this item, considering I'm sure it's the one item that's wasted a lot. Finally, we were asked when we would like the hot items and to just let our server know when she could bring them, another nice touch. When we were ready, she brought us a meat platter (bacon, ham, sausage, and kielbasa), scrambled eggs, cheesy potatoes, tots, Mickey waffles, French toast sticks, and pancakes, complete with sprinkles. It was a lot of food, but just mediocre in taste. Nothing stood out. It was just a standard, blah breakfast that you could get at any quick service location.

Our server was good. She paced the meal nicely and Joe and I both appreciated that she took the time to ask us when we would like certain items.

My advice, skip Chef Mickey's as I'm sure a lot of DIS veterans will agree. There are so many better places to have breakfast on property with and without characters.

Next up, Epcot!!!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Our Chef Mickey's Vlog-----You Don't Even Need to Listen Closely to Hear Screaming Children, LOL!