odd man out
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2017
We (wife and I ages 60 +/-) just returned from our WDW trip of March 4-9, 2018. It was our 4th trip to WDW and first to stay on site (AKL - Jambo House) and without our kids, so we focused more on signature dining events we really couldn't afford with 3 kids in tow. We only get to WDW about once every 7 years so there are always a lot of new things for us to see when we are there. We got ADRs for most meals 6 months in advance.
Sunday 3/4: We arrived late afternoon and opted to relax at the resort (AKL) for our first night and go to Sanaa (6:30 ADR). If you are staying at Jambo House, there is a white van that runs continuously all day to shuttle you to Kadani Village, or you can walk which we did as the weather was nice and we needed to stretch our legs after the plane ride. We were seated quickly and started with the famous bread service. It's worth it to get all 9 toppings for just a few dollars more. Unfortunately one serving is more than two people could eat. The server wrapped it all up to go and we enjoyed the rest on our savanna view balcony later in the week, but it would be nice if they had a half-sized portion for couples. My wife had the butter chicken with vegetables and I had the duck. The food, service and ambiance were all first class. Some tables were right on the window looking over the Sunset Savanna but it got dark soon after we arrived and couldn't see much. If you eat early and ask for a window seat, you could get quite a view. I also had a glass of excellent South African Warwick Pinotage.
The next morning we ate breakfast at The Mara, the counter service fast food place at Jambo House, AKL. This was quite a disappointment. There was quite a line, the dining room was crowded, the self-serve condiment bar was a zoo, and the food lacking. We tried two egg sandwiches on the menu and found them both uninspired. Most distressing to me was that the condiment bar offered only margarine and not real butter. I contacted the hotel manager and suggested a place the AKL really should not be serving fake food in lieu of real food. He returned my call an told me that butter is available, but you have to ask a CM who will run to kitchen to get you some (hardly a satisfactory solution). We had a pleasant conversation and said he would start a dialog with the food staff about the fake food issue. At home we very much enjoy going out for a nice breakfast every now and then. But since we are not a fan of character buffets, we are just going to have to resign ourselves to the fact that breakfast is not a priority at WDW, with just a few exceptions. For the rest of our trip we got fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, and muffins from the grab and go bins and ate in the room. BTW, 2 of 4 youghurt options are swetened with Sucrolose (more fake food)
Monday was EPCOT day. We enjoyed several of the tasting options from the kitchens around WS for the Flower and Garden Show. This kept us going to our late dinner at Spice Road Table, Morocco. I got an ADR at 7:40 with the hope of getting a table with a view of Illuminations. I made this request at the podium and were seated right away at a table with a perfect view, one row off the railing, centered between the two pillars closest to the dining room on the outside patio. From Morocco, the islands in the lagoon obscure some of the action at water level, but we didn't mind. Most tables were empty so ADR may not have even been necessary. It was a bit chilly that night and they were not willing to turn on the heaters, but soon the wind died down it wasn't bad. We ordered two appetizers, one entree, and one dessert to share which worked out about right. There were the brie fondue, tuna salad stuffed peppers, the mixed grill, and the custard. The food was excellent. The biggest disappointment that the only hot beverage served was coffee. Given the theme of the restaurant it's hard to believe that hot tea is not featured prominently.
Tuesday was Animal Kingdom day. We were excited to see the new Land of Pandora, Rivers of Light Show, and Tiffins (new for us at least), so we booked dinner for the River of Light Dining Package at Tiffins. This prix fixe dinner including any appetizer, any entree, any dessert, and one "regular" beverage from the menu. We found this to be a good value as the price of these items ala carte would be somewhat more expensive. One problem with the RoL package, the only dinner times are in the middle of the afternoon. In retrospect it would have been better to schedule this for lunch (the menu is the same). So we ended up just eating some snacks in the park (which may have included the Dole Whip with Coconut Rum ) to keep us going until our 3:30 "dinner". At Tiffins, we had the squash soup, charcuterie board, 2x Wagyu Steak, whipped cheesecake, and chocolate ganache. We also had two specialty drinks not included in the package. Unfortunately, neither of us are very good at selecting specialty drinks and both disappointed. In the future we will stick to standards we know and love. The food was excellent, and service very good. The dining rooms are set up like art galleries, which we enjoyed. The only disappointment was that for some reason we were seated at a table right between two families with loud restless children (even though the dining room was almost empty). We should have asked for a different table, but its not in our nature to do that kind of thing. Also, while the Wagyu was great, I didn't find it to be "incredibly tender" as advertised.
Wednesday was Magic Kingdom day. After our breakfast disappointments at The Mara, we decided to treat ourselves to a real breakfast at the Kona Cafe. We were able to book a 9:20 breakfast ADR on the previous day. We had eaten here before and knew this is one of the few places in WDW we could get a nice leisurely sit-down breakfast. Unfortunately we underestimated our commute time from AKL to Poly and were a bit late for our ADR. The plan was to take the but to MK and monorail to Poly. What I didn't know is that we had to go through the security lines at MK to get on the monorail. I called the WDW dining line and asked if they could help. The couldn't (or wouldn't) contact the podium at Kona but did post a note in our ADR that we would be a few minutes late. We were about 20 minutes late but the hostess didn't seem mind. My wife had the salmon plate and I had the macadamia nut pancakes and we shared a press pot of really good coffee. This was enough food to keep us going most of the day
For dinner we had 5:30 ADR at Be Our Guest which I was able to book by getting up at 7 AM 6 months in advance. We were seated in the grand ballroom which was beautiful, but rather noisy. We both started with the onion soup, my wife had the seafood pasta, I had the pork tenderloin, and we each had wine, coffee, and desert. While the castle is famously beautiful and meeting the beast was a lot of fun (otherwise, we didn't do any character greetings), there were more flaws than there should have been. My pork was served room temperature, the pasta sauce was way too salty, the coffee was luke warm, and any reasonable bakery could make a better cream puff. We told the server about the deficiencies. He offered to replace the pork (but I had already eaten most of it - it was actually pretty good cold), he found some hot coffee, but couldn't do much about the pasta or cream puff. He then told us how they were doing a major kitchen renovation/expansion and that BoG was going to become a prix fixe signature restaurant in July. It seems they are limping along with an inadequate kitchen until then. At the end of the meal, the manager came by and apologized for the problems and gave us vouchers for free T-shirts.
Thursday was see the rest of Magic Kingdom morning. Since we couldn't get good coffee at The Mara, we stopped at the Starbucks on Main Street and also got their chicken wrap to stash in the day pack for lunch later in the day. That was a great option - much better than the ubiquitous burger and fries-like options at the park's counter service establishments. We were saving ourselves for our big event:
At 3:30 PM we checked in at the podium at Jiko back at the AKL for our Wanyama Safai Dinner. This special dining event can't be booked on-line. You have to call the special events phone number and pay in advance (currently $209 plus tax). While this is quite pricey, we found it to be a good value as it includes hors d'oeuvres with iced tea, a tour of the AKL savannas with two animal care experts, and a 4 course meal with wine pairings where you get to sample most of Jiko's menu. They only book up to 12 people per day, so you will share the meal with a small group of new friends. Appetizers and tea are served in the lovely Cape Town Wine Lounge. At 4 PM, the animal care staff takes you to a safari truck for a 1.5 hour tour of the savannas around the lodge. These are the people who take care of the animals so they know them all by name. Some of the encounters are quite close and the baby giraffes put on quite a show. Then at 5:30 you are seated at a large table in the middle of the main dining room and the chef brings out an an amuse bouche, a sampling of 3 appetizers, several entrees with accompaniments (served family style), and a sampling of 3 desserts. Each course comes with wine. We were done at 8 PM. It was by far the best dining experience of the trip.
Friday was see the rest of World Showcase before flying home day. We made our way through the rest of the WS pavilions we had missed on Monday and finished with a 1:20 ADR at Rose & Crown. I had not made lunch plans in advance and were able to get this ADR a day or two in advance. We have eaten here before so knew what to expect. It really is one of our favorite places. We had spent a lot more money for meals at Tiffins and Be Our Guest, but can't say they are much if any more enjoyable than lunch at R&C. My wife said her salmon was to die for and unlike Spice Road, they obviously know how to serve tea (believe me, it is an art rarely found in the US). I found my bangers and mash to be just like I remember from my trips across the pond and the Boddington's Real Ale was awesome, although maybe a little bit too cold. I suppose they are caving a bit to the American palate that just doensn't know how real ale is supposed to be enjoyed.
Well that was our whirl wind our of WDW dining. I welcome comments, questions, and suggestions. Maybe in eight more years we will be back to try what is new in the world.
Sunday 3/4: We arrived late afternoon and opted to relax at the resort (AKL) for our first night and go to Sanaa (6:30 ADR). If you are staying at Jambo House, there is a white van that runs continuously all day to shuttle you to Kadani Village, or you can walk which we did as the weather was nice and we needed to stretch our legs after the plane ride. We were seated quickly and started with the famous bread service. It's worth it to get all 9 toppings for just a few dollars more. Unfortunately one serving is more than two people could eat. The server wrapped it all up to go and we enjoyed the rest on our savanna view balcony later in the week, but it would be nice if they had a half-sized portion for couples. My wife had the butter chicken with vegetables and I had the duck. The food, service and ambiance were all first class. Some tables were right on the window looking over the Sunset Savanna but it got dark soon after we arrived and couldn't see much. If you eat early and ask for a window seat, you could get quite a view. I also had a glass of excellent South African Warwick Pinotage.
The next morning we ate breakfast at The Mara, the counter service fast food place at Jambo House, AKL. This was quite a disappointment. There was quite a line, the dining room was crowded, the self-serve condiment bar was a zoo, and the food lacking. We tried two egg sandwiches on the menu and found them both uninspired. Most distressing to me was that the condiment bar offered only margarine and not real butter. I contacted the hotel manager and suggested a place the AKL really should not be serving fake food in lieu of real food. He returned my call an told me that butter is available, but you have to ask a CM who will run to kitchen to get you some (hardly a satisfactory solution). We had a pleasant conversation and said he would start a dialog with the food staff about the fake food issue. At home we very much enjoy going out for a nice breakfast every now and then. But since we are not a fan of character buffets, we are just going to have to resign ourselves to the fact that breakfast is not a priority at WDW, with just a few exceptions. For the rest of our trip we got fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, and muffins from the grab and go bins and ate in the room. BTW, 2 of 4 youghurt options are swetened with Sucrolose (more fake food)
Monday was EPCOT day. We enjoyed several of the tasting options from the kitchens around WS for the Flower and Garden Show. This kept us going to our late dinner at Spice Road Table, Morocco. I got an ADR at 7:40 with the hope of getting a table with a view of Illuminations. I made this request at the podium and were seated right away at a table with a perfect view, one row off the railing, centered between the two pillars closest to the dining room on the outside patio. From Morocco, the islands in the lagoon obscure some of the action at water level, but we didn't mind. Most tables were empty so ADR may not have even been necessary. It was a bit chilly that night and they were not willing to turn on the heaters, but soon the wind died down it wasn't bad. We ordered two appetizers, one entree, and one dessert to share which worked out about right. There were the brie fondue, tuna salad stuffed peppers, the mixed grill, and the custard. The food was excellent. The biggest disappointment that the only hot beverage served was coffee. Given the theme of the restaurant it's hard to believe that hot tea is not featured prominently.
Tuesday was Animal Kingdom day. We were excited to see the new Land of Pandora, Rivers of Light Show, and Tiffins (new for us at least), so we booked dinner for the River of Light Dining Package at Tiffins. This prix fixe dinner including any appetizer, any entree, any dessert, and one "regular" beverage from the menu. We found this to be a good value as the price of these items ala carte would be somewhat more expensive. One problem with the RoL package, the only dinner times are in the middle of the afternoon. In retrospect it would have been better to schedule this for lunch (the menu is the same). So we ended up just eating some snacks in the park (which may have included the Dole Whip with Coconut Rum ) to keep us going until our 3:30 "dinner". At Tiffins, we had the squash soup, charcuterie board, 2x Wagyu Steak, whipped cheesecake, and chocolate ganache. We also had two specialty drinks not included in the package. Unfortunately, neither of us are very good at selecting specialty drinks and both disappointed. In the future we will stick to standards we know and love. The food was excellent, and service very good. The dining rooms are set up like art galleries, which we enjoyed. The only disappointment was that for some reason we were seated at a table right between two families with loud restless children (even though the dining room was almost empty). We should have asked for a different table, but its not in our nature to do that kind of thing. Also, while the Wagyu was great, I didn't find it to be "incredibly tender" as advertised.
Wednesday was Magic Kingdom day. After our breakfast disappointments at The Mara, we decided to treat ourselves to a real breakfast at the Kona Cafe. We were able to book a 9:20 breakfast ADR on the previous day. We had eaten here before and knew this is one of the few places in WDW we could get a nice leisurely sit-down breakfast. Unfortunately we underestimated our commute time from AKL to Poly and were a bit late for our ADR. The plan was to take the but to MK and monorail to Poly. What I didn't know is that we had to go through the security lines at MK to get on the monorail. I called the WDW dining line and asked if they could help. The couldn't (or wouldn't) contact the podium at Kona but did post a note in our ADR that we would be a few minutes late. We were about 20 minutes late but the hostess didn't seem mind. My wife had the salmon plate and I had the macadamia nut pancakes and we shared a press pot of really good coffee. This was enough food to keep us going most of the day
For dinner we had 5:30 ADR at Be Our Guest which I was able to book by getting up at 7 AM 6 months in advance. We were seated in the grand ballroom which was beautiful, but rather noisy. We both started with the onion soup, my wife had the seafood pasta, I had the pork tenderloin, and we each had wine, coffee, and desert. While the castle is famously beautiful and meeting the beast was a lot of fun (otherwise, we didn't do any character greetings), there were more flaws than there should have been. My pork was served room temperature, the pasta sauce was way too salty, the coffee was luke warm, and any reasonable bakery could make a better cream puff. We told the server about the deficiencies. He offered to replace the pork (but I had already eaten most of it - it was actually pretty good cold), he found some hot coffee, but couldn't do much about the pasta or cream puff. He then told us how they were doing a major kitchen renovation/expansion and that BoG was going to become a prix fixe signature restaurant in July. It seems they are limping along with an inadequate kitchen until then. At the end of the meal, the manager came by and apologized for the problems and gave us vouchers for free T-shirts.
Thursday was see the rest of Magic Kingdom morning. Since we couldn't get good coffee at The Mara, we stopped at the Starbucks on Main Street and also got their chicken wrap to stash in the day pack for lunch later in the day. That was a great option - much better than the ubiquitous burger and fries-like options at the park's counter service establishments. We were saving ourselves for our big event:
At 3:30 PM we checked in at the podium at Jiko back at the AKL for our Wanyama Safai Dinner. This special dining event can't be booked on-line. You have to call the special events phone number and pay in advance (currently $209 plus tax). While this is quite pricey, we found it to be a good value as it includes hors d'oeuvres with iced tea, a tour of the AKL savannas with two animal care experts, and a 4 course meal with wine pairings where you get to sample most of Jiko's menu. They only book up to 12 people per day, so you will share the meal with a small group of new friends. Appetizers and tea are served in the lovely Cape Town Wine Lounge. At 4 PM, the animal care staff takes you to a safari truck for a 1.5 hour tour of the savannas around the lodge. These are the people who take care of the animals so they know them all by name. Some of the encounters are quite close and the baby giraffes put on quite a show. Then at 5:30 you are seated at a large table in the middle of the main dining room and the chef brings out an an amuse bouche, a sampling of 3 appetizers, several entrees with accompaniments (served family style), and a sampling of 3 desserts. Each course comes with wine. We were done at 8 PM. It was by far the best dining experience of the trip.
Friday was see the rest of World Showcase before flying home day. We made our way through the rest of the WS pavilions we had missed on Monday and finished with a 1:20 ADR at Rose & Crown. I had not made lunch plans in advance and were able to get this ADR a day or two in advance. We have eaten here before so knew what to expect. It really is one of our favorite places. We had spent a lot more money for meals at Tiffins and Be Our Guest, but can't say they are much if any more enjoyable than lunch at R&C. My wife said her salmon was to die for and unlike Spice Road, they obviously know how to serve tea (believe me, it is an art rarely found in the US). I found my bangers and mash to be just like I remember from my trips across the pond and the Boddington's Real Ale was awesome, although maybe a little bit too cold. I suppose they are caving a bit to the American palate that just doensn't know how real ale is supposed to be enjoyed.
Well that was our whirl wind our of WDW dining. I welcome comments, questions, and suggestions. Maybe in eight more years we will be back to try what is new in the world.