Throwback Thursday : Our First Trip to Walt Disney World, Part 3

By Nick

Part 1 can be found here and part 2 here.

Tuesday 9/19/2006  

A beautiful morning at Coronado Springs, which is just a great resort to relax at, and enjoy a walk around the lake, especially in the AM.

Off to Epcot where we enjoyed Future World, spending a lot of time at the Seas with Nemo and Friends before heading to a terrific lunch at Le Cellier.

This was in the days when the Disney Dining plan included an appetizer, entree, and dessert. As an extra bonus, we were able to get chocolate milkshakes as our beverage! I don't believe these are on the menu any longer.

We went to the Magic Kingdom, arriving just as it started to rain, which really cut the already low crowd levels down to almost zero!

After a few rides, including the one and only time I will ever get on the Tea Cups, we headed back to Epcot for dinner at Marrakesh.

Wednesday 9/20/06

Late morning at Downtown Disney, which is now Disney Springs, with lunch at Wolfgang Pucks.

We spent the rest of the day at the Animal Kingdom.

Lilo and Stitch were there!

And this was the one and only trip I rode Kali River Rapids. I got drenched. 

It's also the only trip where I rode Primeval Whirl...

... and Expedition Everest at night.
 

Thursday 9/21/06

Last day of our first trip and we headed to the Magic Kingdom.

Barbie trounced me but good on Buzz.

 
It was a magical trip and I was so sad to say goodbye. 

This visit hooked my wife on WDW, and we have been back 20+ since then, buying into DVC less than a year later, and we hope to move there upon retirement!

Throwback Thursday: Walt Disney World - October 2009 - Part 3

By Nick

Back in the day, my social media outlet was the DVC News Forums. I would write trip reports for each of our visits to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and I'm sharing them here.
Some trip reports were more in depth than others, and this one is on the more descriptive side. Also, as this was a "live" trip report, I jump back in forth in time, making live comments and then going on to describe activities earlier in the day.
Any commentary I make will be in italics.

Part Three: Sunday 10/4/09 
Part 2 can be found here


Day 3 - 10/4 - 715AM

Woke up about 630AM, too excited to sleep, because we move to the Beach Club today.
I love it here, but I'm still excited to stay at a new place.
The same group of animals are out this morning, but in smaller numbers.
Probably because of the kid SCREAMING "Look" at the top of his lungs a couple of balconies away!
Time to pack up.

Day 3 - 10/4 - 1035PM

It's been a full day.
We took a cab from the AKL about 8AM and checked into BC about 820.



Our room wasn't ready, so we went to Epcot. Rode Soarin, Living with the Land, and Imagination.
We went into Innoventions and did the Great Piggy Bank Adventure. According to that, we need to save more towards retirement. Well, duh. It was cute, and a good escape from the heat.




We then grabbed a FP for Test Track, and went to the F & W Center. We saw a free seminar featuring a chef who has several restaurants in Philadelphia, Jose Garces.



During this we got a text message saying our room was ready, so we started back through WS, and stopped at a F & W stands for a quick lunch. Argentina, Peurto Rico, Canada, and Ireland. Everything we tried was good.



Got to the BCV, and went to our room, 476. Well, initially, we took the elevator off the main lobby, and the walk to our room seemed longer than the walk from Kidani Village to Jambo House. It is just about the very end, just like at the AKL.
It overlooks the canal, with the parking lot to the right, and the pool to the left.



We went down to Stormalong Bay, and that is truly a highlight. We spent a couple of hours there.



Enjoyed a Coke float, and cup of chocolate ice cream from Beaches and Cream, then headed back to the room for a shower.
On the way back, we discovered a much quicker way to our room.
We went back to Epcot around 5, and rode TT. We had a nice conversation with a DVC CM at a kiosk, then met up with, the group outside Le Cellier. Had a 2 minute wait after checking in. Dinner was terrific.



And Tom and Pam had a truly wonderful surprise for us. They had 2 Dining credits left, and treated us to dinner!
Thank you again, Pam and Tom!
I had the Kansas City Coffee Rubbed Steak, Barbie the Filet.
The steak had a very nice flavor, a subtle start, and then a noticeable coffee finish. Barbie said her filet was the best yet.
I had the chocolate chocolate cake for desert, Barbie had the apple something. I'd ask her the exact name, but she's asleep
at the moment.
We left the restaurant about a minute before Illuminations, and watched it from over by Canada.



 
Please come back next Thursday for Part 4!

Epcot's Le Cellier Steakhouse

By: Nick

Back on March 2nd, my wife Barbie and I took a day excursion from a family cruise to visit Epcot. We chose Epcot over other parks primarily to photograph the topiaries for the International Flower and Garden show. We decided to have lunch at a restaurant we hadn't visited in a while.

Arguably one of the most popular restaurants in all of Walt Disney World is Le Cellier Steakhouse, located below the Chateau in the Canada Pavilion in Epcot, and for good reason. The food is delicious.

Le Cellier translates into "The Cellar", and that is what the stone arches, windowless walls, and intimate lighting make this restaurant feel like, the wine cellars of 2 of Canada's grandest château-style hotels: Fairmont Château Laurier and Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

Wine bottles are displayed behind beautiful wood and glass showcases further adding to the ambiance.

Our friends Laurie and Angelo joined us.

Left to Right: Laurie, Barbie, Nick and Angelo

I've always found the service at Le Cellier to be very friendly and this visit was no exception.

We started with bread. Specifically, perhaps my favorite bread in all the World, the Pretzel Bread.

There are other breads, each representing a different area of Canada, and there is a story behind them. I'm not proud to admit it, but I really never hear this explanation, as I'm too busy drooling over the Pretzel Bread. And the butter comes with salt and a hint of Maple sugar! Excellent!

This is wonderful to enjoy while perusing the menu. And that little bit of sugar on the butter may help the medicine that is the appetizer and entree prices go down easier!

Let's address the elephant in the dining room now. This is not an inexpensive meal. At one time lunch was only 1 credit on the Disney Dining Plan, now it is 2, and to justify this, prices have gone up accordingly. It has been several years since I've eaten here, but I am pretty sure I didn't pay $10 for a bowl of one of Le Cellier's signature dishes, the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, made with Moosehead Beer and Smoked Bacon.

Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, though my wife remembers it as being better, but I still love it, and it is very hearty. Laurie describes the soup as divine.

I tried a bite of Laurie and Angelo's Kurobuta Pork Belly, Braised Pork Belly, Apple Butter, Jicama, Lucky Sorrel, Maple Gastrique, and it was absolutely amazing. Moist and juicy, and what I had hoped the pork belly at Citricos would taste like, but didn't. This appetizer is $14.

For his entree, Angelo had the Five Spiced "Maple Leaf Farms" Duck: Roasted Duck Breast, Confit of Leg, Blended Rice, Edamame, Grilled Baby Bok Choy, Roasted Duck Jus, for $42, and he was very satisfied with his choice, saying he would absolutely get it again.

Please note, certain menu items, such as the duck, rotate in and out seasonally, and may not be available when you visit.

My Angus New York Strip, a 12-oz Strip Steak with Potato Pavé, Wilted Spinach, and Vin Rouge Reduction - $44 was tasty, a good solid choice. But I'd ordered it medium rare, and it was delivered more medium than I was happy with, which in my opinion makes it much less juicy and takes away from the flavor. I'm sure they'd have cooked me another, but as I wanted to eat with my dining companions, and Barbie and I only had a few hours to enjoy Epcot, I didn't send it back.

Barbie and Laurie both had the other signature dish, the “Le Cellier” Mushroom Filet Mignon - 8-oz AAA Canadian Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Risotto, White Turffle-Butter Sauce, and Micro Chervil, for $44.
Both described it as tender, juicy, and flavorful, Barbie adding it was cooked to perfection.

We were all too full for desert.

Overall, Le Cellier's food is still very good, but, as previously mentioned, very pricey. Each couple paid over $120 for lunch, and that was with a 20% Tables in Wonderland discount, which, to be fair, does include an automatic 18% gratuity.

Would we eat here again? Absolutely! But I'd order the soup and pork belly, rather than an entree, and Barbie said she would forgo an appetizer and just get the filet.

Epcot in Full Bloom

By: Nick

Back on March 2nd, Barbie and I took a cruise, with one of our stops being Cape Canaveral. We took an excursion over to Epcot to have lunch at Le Cellier and to photograph the topiaries throughout the park for the International Flower and Garden Festival, which officially started on March 5th and runs through May 18th.
Spring arrives today in the Northern Hemisphere, so I thought it would be the perfect time to share some photos of those topiaries, as well as other flowers in bloom.

Directly behind Spaceship Earth, we find these beauties depicting Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto.

The flowers around and in the water features in Future World are beautiful.

Heading into World Showcase, we are greeted by Sorcerer Mickey, as well as other characters from Fantasia.

Around to Canada, we find Bambi, Flower, and Thumper.

 

The gardens in Canada are lovely regardless of time of year.

The United Kingdom has several Topiaries as well as a Tea Garden.

Around to France, where there are Princesses and their Princes, as well as trees blossoming. 

Beauty and the Beast topiaries can also be found here as well.

Continuing around World Showcase, we have Miss Piggy and Kermit, promoting "Muppets Most Wanted", which opens in theaters tomorrow!

In Germany, we are greeted by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Even though Barbie and I took several photos of this display, we managed to miss getting a photo of Happy.

Rafiki and Simba at the Outpost.

Pandas in China and a troll in Norway.

There were a few areas that weren't yet viewable when we were there, as well as topiaries we probably missed, so there is even more to enjoy at Epcot if you visit during the Flower and Garden Festival!