TBT: Walt Disney World November 2011, Part 4

By Nick

Back before I blogged, I participated regularly in the DVC News Forums where I would post trip reports, such as this one from November of 2011. Any current commentary will be in italics.

PART 4 : 11/14/11 
Part 3 can be found here
 
Monday, November 14th:

We made the 8AM Extra Magic Hour at the Animal Kingdom, and rode the Kilimanjaro Safaris twice.
The first ride, the lion was awake!



The second ride, the lion was up! But no roar.



We then headed over to Expedition Everest, and Josh and Barbie rode. Jill managed to get a picture of them. That's them in the front!



We headed over towards Dinosaur, and Nemo was just seating, so we went in.



We then rode Dinosaur.
Barbie and Josh went back to Everest, while I went with Jill, who needed more Tigger!



I love the winter outfits.



We went one way around to meet up with Barbie and Josh, and they went to the picture spot looking for us, and got their pics with the characters also.



We met up, and had lunch at Yak and Yeti. Everything was very good, but we all agreed, the Chicken Lo Mein Jill ordered was the best dish. (This is my favorite Chicken Lo Mein, anywhere!)



Afterwards, we went to see "It's Tough to be a Bug".
We then did the different animal trails. The animals were all fairly active.





We then took some pics in front of the Tree of Life.





By now, it was getting late, and we caught the last Safari of the day. This time, the lion was pacing, probably waiting to be fed. We stopped and watched him for a few moments, but still no roar. Oh, well.





We headed over to the Magic Kingdom after the AK closed, as Barbie and I really wanted to see the Christmas version of the Castle show.
It was packed! I started to have flash backs to the 40th Anniversary debacle, and we all decided to get off Main Street and find a quieter local. We had dinner at Cosmic Rays, and then waited for the show next to the Tomorrowland Terrace.





It's a pretty good spot, but.....



..half of the front of the caste projection was out! Major disappointment!

We waited a couple minutes, but it wasn't being corrected, so we headed around to Big Thunder to ride while the fireworks were going off.

After that, the park started emptying out, as it was evening Extra Magic Hours, so we walked right onto Jungle Cruise, then got ice cream at the Plaza.



We then headed out. It was a long day!

Please stop back next Thursday for the final part of this all to short trip.

Throwback Thursday: Walt Disney World-September/October 2008 - Part 1

By Nick

Back before I got on Facebook, which led to blogging, which led to Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and now Podcasting, my only form of socializing via the internet was a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) forum called Mouseowners and then The DVC News Forums.

I met a lot of wonderful people through these forums, many of whom I am still friends with, and many I wish I had met and never got an opportunity to.

While going through the DVC News Forums WDW Planning and Trip Reports page to find some information for a blog article, it was a real trip back in a time machine to see my posts, and to see friends and acquaintances comments.

I thought I'd attempt to share my reports here. Some are very lengthy, so I'll be breaking them up into multiple parts, as I did when I initially posted them.

I hope you enjoy! I was newjerseynick on the forums by the way, if you were ever on these forums.

We begin with a trip on September 27, 2008 at 1:45 AM!  I couldn't sleep and got a grand total of 3 hours. Our flight left at 710am.

We used Magical Express and got to Pop Century by 10:20am. Our room wasn't ready so we checked our bags, and headed to Animal Kingdom.



We got FPs for Everest, and went to the 11:30am Finding Nemo the Musical.

Rode Everest. Even then, motion sickness made it a once a day event for me. The backwards part is a killer.

We had ADRs at Yak and Yeti for 1:PM, but we showed up about at 12:30, and were promptly seated.

We started off with the pot stickers, which were very tasty. For our entrees, Barbie ordered the Crispy Mahi Mahi, I had 2 appetizers, the Mussels, and the Sesame Ahi Tuna. The mussels were good, but the broth they came in was phenomenal.





After lunch we rode Dinosaur twice, with no wait.
After Dinosaur, we went on Kilimanjaro Safaris. I always enjoy the safari, but on this trip we wound up being held up for about 15 minutes, in an area that had no wildlife, because a pelican was blocking the road and another vehicle up ahead. And it was in the sun. And hot.

After that ride, we decided it was time to head back to Pop and take a swim.

I called ahead on the bus ride back, and our room was ready. We got back to the hotel about 4, and we were put in the 1990s section.



We swam and relaxed till about 6, then headed to the food court for dinner. I had the Fried Chicken Special, and a couple Coronas. I had not discovered "craft beer" at that point.

Barbie had the Greek Salad and OJ.

We were in bed by 9PM, party animals that we are. 

Please stop back next Thursday for Part 2!

Favorite Dishes at Yak and Yeti

By Nick

Continuing a look at my favorite restaurants in Walt Disney World's theme parks as heard on Episode 17 of The Disney Exchange, I'm going to take us to the Asia section of Disney's Animal Kingdom where you'll find one of the most beautifully themed restaurants in all of the World, Yak & Yeti.

 

Not only is the themeing superb, the food is amazing as well. Y&Y is a very strong contender for favorite restaurant.

As with almost everything in WDW, Yak and Yeti has a back story.
Yak & Yeti is a house owned by a wealthy merchant who has fallen on hard times. To supplement his income, he has converted his home into an establishment that well-to-do travelers might seek out in India. It is filled with items collected by the owner and his family on their travels throughout Southeast Asia.

 

You can spend plenty of time just looking at all the incredible items scattered throughout.

My favorite dining area is on the second floor. We request a table by the window overlooking the courtyard, making it a great place to people watch as you enjoy your meal.

 

My wife and I ate here during it's opening week in 2007, and the food quality has not slipped a bit in the ensuing years.
On one of our most recent trips, my wife and I both ordered the same dish, the Chicken Lo Mein - Lo mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions and bean sprouts.
Yes, you can get Chicken Lo Mein at any Chinese restaurant, but this is the best either of us has ever had! Perfectly cooked chicken, noodles and vegetables. I could go for some right now!

On past trips we've had the Baby Back Ribs – slow-roasted ribs, hoisin BBQ sauce, chicken fried rice, sweet chili slaw: $25.99.
The ribs are very tender, and the spice tangy, but by no means overwhelming. The fried rice is amazing.

Crispy Mahi Mahi - filet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables.
The mahi mahi is crispy on the outside, yet light, flaky and juicy inside. The chili sauce is lightly spicy and the vegetables are always fresh.

Duck with Anandapur Glaze – roasted half duckling, orange wasabi glaze, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables.
The duck was delicious, and the sauce a perfect compliment.

Yak & Yeti is owned by Landry's Inc., which also owns the Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex Restaurants located at Walt Disney World, and they do not accept the Tables in Wonderland Card, but do give a 10% to Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members at lunch and dinner.

The Disney Exchange- Episode 7 Show Notes: A Walk Around Animal Kingdom

By Nick

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

-The Disney Exchange is Lisa Green, David Hodges, and me, Nicholas Maglio

-Main Topic- A Walk Around Disney's Animal Kingdom

-Lisa insists Animal Kingdom is a full day park. She gets there as early as possible and gets busy before heading to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner.
I disagree and get fired. Bye.
My wife, Barbie, and I generally just go half a day. This gives Lisa a stomach ache.
Dave gets there for rope drop if possible and also doesn't stay all day, but does return later in the day.
He points out that Animal Kingdom is wonderful at night, and I agree.

-I am pretty sure the animals at Animal Kingdom are audio-animatronics. No?

-First thing we do at the park: Lisa enjoys stopping at the cast members holding critters in glass cases with critters first thing in the morning, and will stop to look as long as she doesn't have an early FastPass. We do Kilimanjaro Safaris. Dave never gets FastPasses for the morning, opting instead to get them for late morning and early afternoon. He will ride Safari or Expedition Everest first depending on the weather.
Dave and I discuss potty locations at the front of the park.

-Touring strategies: Dave doesn't have one, but will FastPass Expedition Everest, the Safaris and the third depends, but is normally Festival of the Lion King and he can do it over and over, seeing it every trip. I confess we've only seen it once. Lisa has done it 3 times in one trip.

-Dave points out I am uncultured. I don't disagree.

-Lisa points out we (and by we, I mean the collective us, you folks included!) need to stop and observe the wonderful details in Animal Kingdom particularly in the ride queues such as Kali River Rapids. I state I've only ridden this once.
I once again give Lisa agita.

Photo: Lisa Green

-Lisa claims she has video proof of a frog attack on Kali River Rapids. (it happens at the 4:10 mark, btw)

-My favorite ride is Dinosaur, Dave and Lisa don't agree. Spoiler Alert: the Dinosaurs are NOT real.

-Lisa gives ME an ulcer. She prefers Primeval Whirl to Dinosaur.

-Dave has ridden Triceratops Spin, while Lisa and I have not, because it is just a spinning ride.

-Lisa tells a Dumbo horror story, before we return to Animal Kingdom.

-Where do we eat? Dave eats at Flame Tree 75.3% of the time. Lisa eats there also, 90% of the time. She also likes Yak and Yeti's quick serve. But her big thing is the snacks!
We learn Dave is not a sharer.
Our favorite is Yak and Yeti for sit down, Flame Tree for quick serve.

-Top 3 attractions? Dave: Rafiki Planet Watch, (in fact, so much, he likes it twice) and Festival of the Lion King. Lisa: Pangani Forest Trail, Expedition Everest, and Kilimanjaro Safari.
Me: Safari, Everest (for my wife), and Dinosaur.
I explain how my Dachshund, Squidward, looks like a Naked Mole Rat.

 

 Squidward and his sister, Shnelly

-The Wheel of Distany- One Favorite Souvenir you always buy: Lisa's is a Christmas ornament. Dave; Limited edition PIN. Me, a t-shirt.

- We meet Miss Pixie, our very own advise columnist!

-If you have a question or would like advise from Miss Pixie, contact her at:

misspixie@thedisneyexchange.com

Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the show, please leave feedback on iTunes!

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Narcoossee's Restaurant at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort

by: Nick

Since becoming a blogger, I travel differently, keeping an eye out for interesting topics to write about.
Blogging also influences dining choices at restaurants. I usually try to choose different items than Barbie, so I have at least 2 menu selections to review.
This doesn't always work out. When we visited the Yak and Yeti Restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom on our trip in October of last year, we both ordered the Chicken Lo Mein. But at least I had other photos from previous trips to write about.
What I'm getting to is this, the review of Narcoossee's is going to be slim in the food review portion, because we both ordered the exact same thing, and as this was our first visit, there's nothing else to fall back on. 
Also, I apologize for how dark the photos are, the lighting in the evening at Narcoossee's is pretty intimate.

Narcoossee's is located on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon, at the end of the Grand Floridian transportation boat dock.

We gave our names at the podium, and were handed a pager. We decided to have a look at the menu, so headed for the bar area.

On the way, we passed the open kitchen and the wonderful staff. Be sure to say hello!

 

 

I was impressed with the beer menu, not overwhelming but a nice selection.

 

We asked the bartender for a food suggestion, and he said his favorite was the scallops.

As I perused the beer list, our pager went off. As we were being brought to our table, Barbie spotted a man wearing a vest covered in Disney pins. She approached him, and they spoke at length. He came over to introduce himself and his wife. They were locals, and they also suggested the scallops, as well as the calamari.

If you time it right, and have a table facing Cinderella Castle, you can see Wishes at the Magic Kingdom. I made our advanced dining reservation at 180 days out for 8:00 pm, thinking the fireworks would be at either 8:00 or 9:00 pm. They were at 10:00 pm that evening, and while I could have changed our ADR, we both agreed that was rather late for dinner.

The menu is somewhat limited.

As our bread was being set on the table, we asked our server for an entree suggestion, and weren't really surprised when she said the scallops.

The bread was very crunchy with a soft center, almost a sourdough. I love butter with salt, and this was course, better yet!

We shared the  Crispy Rhoade Island Calamari with pepperoncini-olive relish and tomato coulis appetizer. 

I thought it was very light and crispy yet tender, not chewy. The relish was just the right kick, and the tomato coulis was the perfect acidic addition. Barbie thought they were the best Calamari she'd ever had! With a salad, this could easily be an economical choice for an entree.

For dinner, we both ordered the Pan-seared Georges Bank Day Boat Scallops with Trofie pasta with Sultana raisins, Marcona almonds, young string beans and herb creme with wild mushrooms, lemon-thyme-mustard au jus and arugula.

We both agreed these were the best scallops we'd ever had. They were perfectly prepared, and as good as they were, the pasta and mushrooms in the lemon-thyme-mustard au jus was even better. Shhhh, if you listen carefully, you can hear my stomach growling now as I write this!

We would have loved dessert, but were too full!

There is no doubt we will return to Narcoossee's in the future, and we will try to choose different food selections, but it won't be easy!