Trip Report Disney in Winter came and went 2015!!

m3owbox · Feb 16, 2015

I didn't even know The Boardwalk was going through renovations?

mrdrift · Feb 16, 2015

All of that food look fantastic. Making me think that adding those locations to my ADR'S might be a good idea. Following along.

LowesChevy · Feb 18, 2015

m3owbox said:
I didn't even know The Boardwalk was going through renovations?

Yes, they started on the 5th floor and are making their way down to the bottom. Major renovations on the villas as they are being totally gutted and re done.

LowesChevy · Feb 18, 2015

DHS

We didn’t wait long for the boat and arrived moments before the gates opened at DHS. We made way for TSMM to see if we could do stand by before, but it was crazy jammed this morning. Hopefully we can do sb on Monday. I think in general the park was busier than the touring plans estimated, but we are lucky enough to have another full day at the park on Monday, no worries. We did well on TSMM, although mom was complaining about her arm being a nuisance ha ha. We wandered past the former entrance to the Backlot Tour and the gift stop. The Frozen sing along was quite a buzz in the back of the park and then I spotted an opportunity that couldn’t be passed up. My nephew Nick loves Cars, so we had our photo taken and I texted my sister in law. He thought it was really cool!

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Star Tours had a short stand by time so we hopped on queue and enjoyed the landscaping that you miss outside when riding with a FP. Good time, but the shop was insanely busy!

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Next we were off to Sunset Boulevard to ride Tower of Terror!

Checking in…? Two people freaked out before we got going-they had to quickly release them and re-check our belts. Great ride, the girl next to me had a death grip on the seat handle! I think it was her first time. It is rather intimidating, but a great thrill for those who live to check out.

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The street performers were out and about and we watched as we ducked in and out of the shops. I spotted the Oswald three quarter length t-shirt I wanted and made note of where it was for later. After a little shopping it was time for lunch at Mama Melrose’s.

FlaggNL · Feb 19, 2015

As always thanks for sharing and waiting for more to come

Goofnut1980 · Feb 20, 2015

LowesChevy said:
Le Cellier seemed like a great for our first evening in WDW. It was close to the BWVs so if we were pinched for time, it wouldn’t take too long to get to Canada!

A maybe for next trip

Great report! I agree with the Le Cellier. I have been there many many times and this last time we went the food was handled the same way. I will eat it medium but when its raw and the red is running. Please microwave that puppy for a minute! lol... Then when they brought it back, it was well done. Same thing with the fries being soggy. I grew up near Canada so I am used to real poutine with the correct sauce so it was disapointing to me.

We have found the Yachtsman to be a better steak restaurant. Yes you have to dress nice but its outstanding! Try it on your next trip home!

satchamo · Feb 21, 2015

LowesChevy said:
Le Cellier seemed like a great for our first evening in WDW. It was close to the BWVs so if we were pinched for time, it wouldn’t take too long to get to Canada!

We arrived on the early side, but there wasn’t a horde of guests waiting to be seated, so we were accommodated within a few minutes. I want LC to be a go to place, but something either food or service is lacking we when dine here. Our server Alicia stopped by the table after a few moments to offer us a drink. Dad went with a Unibroue brew and mom a Torontopolitan, very tasty by the way. The menu makes it difficult to choose as many of the starters look fabulous, but I settled for the charcuterie plate and dug right into a pretzel roll afterward. My parents both a romaine salad, which was like a deconstructed Caesar salad complete with boquerones or white anchovies. Mom opted to hold on the boquerones.

Sorry these are a little blurry. I try to keep to not use auto settings and it is rather dark in the dining room. Using a flash in here is annoying at times, so I try to capture as best I can.

Charcuterie plate-very nice spread. I ate it all myself, but there is plenty for 2 to enjoy. The upper left are crostini, then home made pickles and a brie like cheese. The salamis were mainly game like rabbit. You expect to get that pork sausage taste or dry salami, but the flavors more muted and subtle. The game sausages go well with the jam. The one sausage I thought would be more flavorful was one, on the far right, the bacon and pork one-not heavily seasoned and mild.

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Filet with mushroom risotto-Dad’s was cooked perfectly, but mother’s medium was way too rare and she sent it back. It wasn’t brought out till my father and I were almost done eating and then to boot it was cooked well done. Alicia had the manager come over as we were not very happy with the situation. Totally frustrating for a place that is advertised as a steakhouse to not cook steak to the desired doneness! The manager was apologetic and comp’d the dinner, but it was still a bummer for the first night.
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Strip steak with Yorkshire pudding. Perfectly cooked although I felt it could have been hotter! My steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned simply with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

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I had to get Le Cellier’s poutine of course as a side. I am a huge curd fan and love fresh cut fries. They could crisp them up a bit more because the red wine reduction sogs them well. The red wine reduction is decadent and rich, but a perfect complement to the meat dishes.
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The meal was great, but would have been excellent had my mother’s steak been prepared correctly the first time. Alicia was very sweet and attentive. The overall time for our meal was pleasant and not excessive. Too stuffed for dessert this time!

Overall 4/5 Food

5/5 Service

3/5 Total experience

A maybe for next trip

Ha

satchamo · Feb 21, 2015

Been to LC many times, never had a problem. Always one of fav places. However, even some of the best have an off night/day.

satchamo · Feb 21, 2015

Goofnut1980 said:
Great report! I agree with the Le Cellier. I have been there many many times and this last time we went the food was handled the same way. I will eat it medium but when its raw and the red is running. Please microwave that puppy for a minute! lol... Then when they brought it back, it was well done. Same thing with the fries being soggy. I grew up near Canada so I am used to real poutine with the correct sauce so it was disapointing to me.

We have found the Yachtsman to be a better steak restaurant. Yes you have to dress nice but its outstanding! Try it on your next trip home!

Two trips ago we ate the yahtsman- my mother thought this was a great steak. Until we are at citri at the GF.

LowesChevy · Feb 23, 2015

Mama Melrose

This is definitely a must do for us each trip even though they changed the flatbreads to a thinner crust, we still find the food and service appealing. It is a good sized restaurant, but it begins to load slowly at 12:00 PM. Folks were coming in for walk ins and the wait was quoted around an hour or so. I feel bad for people that show up with no reservations, but then again I get up 180 days ahead of time at 6:00 AM to plan my trip. Unfortunately there are some guests that do not get the advantage of pre planning, but there are days when you can score a walk up at many restaurants.

We arrived a few minutes early and our buzzer went off shortly after we snagged a seat in the waiting room. The bathroom and waiting room are rather small for a dining room of this size, the same can be said for the bathroom at Tony’s. I have found the design of the kitchen line and entrance rather clustered. Food is flying out of the window-servers are in and out of the kitchen and guests are walking to the bathroom or being seated, it can be rather chaotic when busy.

The atmosphere is lively and there are many things on the wall to admire while you dine. It is supposed to resemble a warehouse that has been converted to a restaurant. The wood tones and low lighting provide a lovely dining room. It is my second favorite restaurant at DHS behind the HBD.

Dori was our server, as she was a couple of years ago believe it or not. She was great once again, checking in as our food arrived and bringing over fresh plates and drinks. The salads came out quickly and we finished up right before the flatbreads arrived-very good timing for the kitchen.

Generic rolls lol

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Caesar and house house salad, which includes artichoke hearts, salami, tomatoes and cucumber tossed in a zesty vinaigrette. The salads look small, but they are plenty for three people to share alongside some flatbreads. We split the carne and margarita flatbreads and my only complaint is the size of the tomato slices because they are too thick.

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Overall, it is a pleasant experience for us year to year.

4/5 Food

5/5 Service

5/5 Total Experience

After lunch we decided to call it a day and head back to the resort for some r & r. Mom opted for a nap to rest her leg and dad and I walked around the Boardwalk and over to Hurricane Hannah’s for a pina colava and a beer. We checked out the ongoing construction on the slide at Storm Along Bay and snagged a bench by the fire pit to enjoy the view. Then we made our way back over to the Boardwalk and explored the grounds a bit.

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mrdrift · Feb 24, 2015

The walk around the lagoon is really pretty. Seeing Beach Club, Yacht Club and the Boardwalk hotels is such a pleasure. Following along.

LowesChevy · Feb 26, 2015

Epcot in the evening

We had dinner set for the evening at Via Napoli, so as usual we strolled over to Epcot in the late afternoon. The showcase was hustling, but not overly crowded. The problem was that everyone was heading the opposite way we were ahhh! I scoped out some items in Germany I wanted-some nice Adidas hoodies were available and I needed a replacement for my beloved LFC zip up jacket. I ended up with both of them because they are always great for heading to my games and driving in because I can’t stand the bulk of my heavy coat all of the time. They have also come in handy as of late to wear under my jacket due to our terrible cold spell! We are freezing more than usual up here : (

I didn’t originally plan to do both Mama’s and Tuttos on the same day, but I was trying to make a better schedule to catch Fantasmic, which we ended up skipping anyhow because we were tired and it was chilly at night. We definitely hit it in the fall when it’s nice and warm. Maybe ha ha

The Italian pavilion is rather lovely to hang around in during the evening hours. There are plenty of places to sit and people watch and enjoy the atmosphere. People like to take photos of themselves doing funny things near the fountain etc.

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Tutto Italia

We were shocked to not see Benito at the front desk, but do not fear he was just in New York City for the weekend! He has been a fixture here for many, many years. The restaurant was nearly full, but there weren’t any parties waiting to be seated. I think Tutto Gusto is probably a big draw now considering you can order off the menu as well as get the antipastos and wines by the glass. Big bonus there is you can walk in because they do not take adrs. The addition of Via Napoli has spread the crowds out amongst the restaurants as well.

I love the tandem service you get here and at Via Napoli. It always feels like someone is bringing you a dish, piece of silverware or drink. You are well taken care here at Tutto and I love it. We had the pleasure of having a man with one of the longest names I have ever seen (Gianimenico), but we could call him Jon.

Herbed foccacia and olives

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Fior de latte mozzarella with roasted sweet peppers, sea salt and basil. This is a great appetizer for sharing, but I kept it to myself. My only complaint would be a few more cloves of garlic and leaves of basil-otherwise perfect. Mom had the Caesar- very tasty and an olive tapenade is spread on a crostini. The Caesar had a great pugent flavor, but not too overpowering.

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Fettuccini campagnole with arugula and basil pesto, spinach and burrata with a stewed tomato on top to show the colors of the Italian flag. The former L’ Originale Alfredo di Roma used to serve a dish to signify the colors of the flag as well. This dish was very good and filling, even without meat.

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Father had his favorite gnocchetti with sweet sausage ragu and mom had minestrone to go along with her salad. She was eyeing up the panna cotta for dessert, which is heavenly chocolate custard with an Amarena cherry on top.

The food was great and the service was excellent as usual. A return next fall highly likely!

Overall: 4/5 Food
5/5 Service
5/5 Total Experience

After dinner we were beat...time to rest up for an early morning trip to DHS!

BuddyThomas · Mar 5, 2015

LowesChevy said:
Coming up the room at BWV

This has become a real pet peeve of mine, but when I say I am ready to go to my room now, I want the outside luggage person to hand the luggage off to someone inside right then, not wait for 10 minutes while 5 people try to figure out what is going on. So after a delay in waiting for the luggage- a porter came available to take us to our room. Universal moved to this system as well, but most other resorts we stay at are very quick with the luggage. Maybe I worry too much, but I like to have an eye on my bags-we have started a number of vacations without bags and even finished a couple sans belongings. We got everything back eventually, but it is incredibly stressful!

It is also great to have a host along the way pointing items of interest out, especially if you have never stayed at a property before. Our room was centrally located and not too far from the elevators, but right next to the trash and recycling room. The number was 14087 and was located on the 4th floor. Currently the 5th floor is being renovated completely, which we found out the hard way a couple of days later with noise! Defining noise which we went and complained about-I understand some construction noise, but there is no way they should have rented us this room if it was this bad. Most people may not have noticed it being at the park during the day, but we are mid day breakers. Plus one morning they started working above us at 7 AM and they weren’t supposed to start until 9 AM! We were offered a $100 credit, but we were beyond annoyed the one day. As I said there is no way the room should be occupied with the type of work going on above us-they were using a machine to remove tiles, blah.

Other than the luggage deal and the construction noise everything else was wonderful! Now here is all the good stuff about the Boardwalk Villas

My room-studio lockoff—kitchenette, queen bed and pull out sleeper sofa plus table

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The master bedroom

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The bathroom was huge and had a number of doors so you could block off different sections. I like to shower in the walk stalls in the master, especially with my knee hurting from time to time. It is a lot easier to step in the shower than lifting your leg up in the tub! The stall wasn’t super big and there isn’t a ledge to put your leg up to shave lol, but there is a ledge to place your soaps, shampoos and washes. Hopefully after the re do there will be a more spacious shower and a ledge haha!

The kitchen was very compact, but it did the job. We did a load of dishes the last day to wash anything we used during our stay. I couldn’t find extra garbage bags so we tended to dump the garbage and recycling as often as we needed. There was a loose nail sticking up on the trim between the carpet and the kitchen tile and one morning we alerted the housekeeping staff to have maintenance come check it out so no one got hurt. Lord knows you need your feet a lot at WDW!
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The view: we had a lovely little balcony and a view of the water way. You could see the back of the Tower of Terror and the Tree of Life in the distance. It was chilly at night, so not a lot of hanging on the balcony lol.

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We never did get to the pool, it was either chilly or we were too tired! The grounds are well manicured and fresh flowers were well taken care of. I thought the lobby was outstanding-I love the high ceilings and chandelier.
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After our stay we will definitely be back! Boardwalk 4/5 Stars

Coming up dinner at Le Cellier

Great report. We are currently scheduled for a Boardwalk Villas studio for June but every room picture I see anywhere has a design scheme that I can only call "Grandma Duck". Is it that bad in person or is it more charming than the crazy colors and the frilly designs in the pics make it out to be? Also, how comfortable are the beds? Thanks in advance!

LowesChevy · Mar 9, 2015

BuddyThomas said:
Great report. We are currently scheduled for a Boardwalk Villas studio for June but every room picture I see anywhere has a design scheme that I can only call "Grandma Duck". Is it that bad in person or is it more charming than the crazy colors and the frilly designs in the pics make it out to be? Also, how comfortable are the beds? Thanks in advance!

Thank you! Lol. I felt that the rooms were similar to those in the Grand Floridian, very bright and airy. The studio side was pinkish and the master bedroom side had green paint on the walls and worked into the bedding. The decor was very lovely and I am certainly not a girly girl that likes ribbons or bows or pretty pink things (except for my shirt in my avatar pic.)

Unfortunately I did not see the new design, but I will have to check it out. They were just working on the 5th floor, not sure how many rooms they will get done by June. Maybe you could even get a new room.

The beds were super comfy. I have a Simmons Beautyrest at home and it was about as good as sleeping at home. I woke up every morning at 7 feeling refreshed, plus 4 pillows on the queen and 6 on the King...I like my pillows.

We liked it so much we are staying on the Inn side this September

LowesChevy · Mar 9, 2015

Day 3 was our first full day at Epcot with a focus on Future World. After breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno the march was onto Test Track. Stand by wasn’t too long, so we rode twice with our FP as well. It was rather brisk, so lots of folks were playing around in the test drive center and game area.

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It may have been cold, but it was a pure blue sky and I took the opportunity to get some photographs since September was so gloomy. The crowds were also light this morning allowing us to ride TT so quickly. I had swapped today’s agenda with Hollywood Studios and while it was clam over here, HS was crazy yesterday! Oh well we still had plenty of time at either park. After Test Track we explored Mouse Gears to check out the 2015 merchandise and things for my nephews of course.

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The Land Pavilion was its usual busy self. The lines for the Land ride seem to fluctuate with the Soarin’ crowds. Sometimes the queue is looping around the stairway other times you can basically walk on the boat. Even though it seems dated the Land is still an enjoyable experience to us. Some of the plants were looking pretty rough, but I have to remember it is winter!

A new feature to the Land and one I have never seen before the sand snow man.
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They went all out naming this species
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Get me some salad dressing!

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By now it was just after 11 so we made our way to the World Showcase. We didn’t spend a lot of time in Mexico because I was certain we would be back! The Cave De Tequila was hopping bright and early though…it’s a little early for me for tequila, but hey people want to enjoy themselves. IMHO they should have made an outer building for the CDT because the place is jam packed every time you enter the pavilion. I know it is newer, but there is never a shortage of folks looking for specialty beverages.

China has trimmed back their merchandise like many other shops. Most of the jade sculptures are located along the wall now instead of having a large dedicated section. The clothing area still has a huge variety of robes, shirts and dressed as well as shoes. There is still a large selection of novelty souvenirs to pick and choose from in the stores. The China pavilion is always calm and peaceful, especially in the morning before many of the crowds arrive.

It was now time to head to Germany for lunch at Biergarten.

LowesChevy · Mar 18, 2015

Biergarten

It was a little early and they told us to come back in 15 minutes after we tried to check in at the podium. Mildly annoying, but I understand they have to wait for the rest of the table to arrive before we were seated. We grabbed a bench and enjoyed the sunshine and warmth to the air that finally arrived by mid day. We checked back in and it still took forever to be seated even with our entire table waiting there in the lobby.

Our table was on the third tier near the restroom and kitchen walkway. A perfect location if one will be drinking a liter or two of beer! I don’t remember eating here ever, but my parents did-so it had definitely been too long since our last visit. My dad and I ordered a couple of liters and mum got herself a root beer, now it was time for the main event!

The buffet has two sides and in the center is the meat carving station, which had a meatloaf and a pork roast available for carving. The CM carving the meat went to culinary school only a few hours away from our hometown. He seemed like a very nice young man and said he really enjoyed his job I learned as we chatted a bit. The pork roast and meatloaf have a number of mustards, horseradish and other relishes in dishes to enhance the meats. The cold side of the buffet has different salads made with cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, pickled vegetables and salad greens. There are also a selection of salamis and sausages.

The hot side offers the carving table as well as pork schnitzel, which was very good-nicely seasoned and browned evenly. There are meatballs in a rich red wine sauce, macaroni and cheese, spaetzle, pretzel rolls, braised red cabbage, salmon, roasted potatoes, vegetables and sausages to enjoy. My picky mom found enough dishes to try and enjoyed herself for the most part. She was in her glory with the apple strudel and vanilla sauce. The dessert selection was decent, but I found the portion of black forest cake to be small. I understand we have moved into a trend of tiny desserts, but I wanted a hunk of cake lol! After grazing on the buffet I can imagine most people are completely stuffed though. I don’t like to see people waste food, so the smaller portions of sweets are good.

You really come to Biergarten for the entertainment of course! My pictures turned out kind of dark, so I didn’t post them. I was surprised by how well the one gentleman played the bells-holy cow that’s fast! The one accordion player looked suspiciously like my grandfather, he really reminded us of him. The quality of the band was quite impressive. Unfortunately these types of instruments do not attract scores of people to learn them, but hopefully there will always be folks to keep the old traditions alive. Most of the music was familiar to us because my grandparents still loved to listen to it and they had only emigrated here in the 1950s.

Overall--A pleasant way to spend lunch. We had a lot of fun, but we probably will not return for another year or so.

3/5 Food

3/5 Service

4/5 Total Experience

LowesChevy · Mar 23, 2015

Meanwhile back at Epcot…

We took a rest in room after lunch and planned on heading back to Epcot later for some fun before dinner. The park crowds had thinned out as we made our way toward the United Kingdom. Dad grabbed a beer and it was just about time for the British Revolution to come out for a set. I was annoyed by the behavior of some of the guests. During the show they preceded to carry on a personal conversion about that, this and the other. Guests are there to enjoy the show not listen to your yelling back and forth. It is rude and disruptive to the guests and performers. I guess I just don’t understand some people. Other than that the performance was great and Tigger and Pooh even got in on the action!

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After the show it was time to head to Japan for dinner.

LowesChevy · Mar 26, 2015

Teppan Edo

We spent a little time wandering through the Mitsokushi Department store. They always seem to have good turnover on merchandise and of course offer a huge variety of products with a wide price range. Lately I have been buying and trying snacks and the CMs are always very excited to tell you their favorites.

The restaurant was busy as usual and we waited till the rest of our party arrived. For once our table was located in the front of the restaurant! Although we were displeased that they decided to cram 9 people at an 8 top, so it made the seating extremely squishy. There isn’t much wiggle room to begin with and that was just wrong.

The great news is that everything else was wonderful, with the exception of my Coca Cola-just tasted of soda water! We had the pleasure of being entertained by Kendita, from Houston. I have heard about him from other guests, so it was fun to finally see him in person. He even sprinkled some sesame seeds on my noodles for my photos!

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Dinner was excellent, the shrimp and steak both tender and flavorful. You can always rely on hot food here and a great show. Still a great experience despite the cramped nature. We will definitely be back in September!

Overall-a must do for us

5/5 Food

4/5 Service

4/5 Total Experience

Good night and see you at DHS!

FlaggNL · Mar 31, 2015

see you in DHS

mrdrift · Mar 31, 2015

Great review of the Teppan Edo and the food looked delicious. A location that my family want to try. Nice day at Epcot with some fantastic pictures. Following along.

Trip Report Disney in Winter came and went 2015!!

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