Spirited Highlights of a MAGICAL visit!!!

[WDW1974]

Glad you had a good time!

Sanaa was awesome, right?

Did you try the pickled ginger garlic?

Yes and yes.

If I could dine at one place tomorrow (other than V&A's or California Grill) at WDW ... right now it would be Sanaa.

I'm so hoping they don't ruin it.

While Boma and Jiko are still good, they aren't what they were when they opened.

And The Mara has been ruined. It went from being my favorite QSR on property to somewhere I only eat when I have little choice.

 

[WDW1974]

I know there's 2 versions of it
1st shirt- http://www.bearschoice.com/image/tshirts/CheechChongs/MickeyRat/mickeyrat2L.jpg

2nd shirt - http://www.teeshirtsrock.com/images/products/detail/MickeyRat.jpg

I do recall seeing Dane Cook wear the 1st one in "My Best Friends Girl" I got a huge kick out that one.:lol:

Mine would be the first one ... I actually thought some CM might make a negative comment, but they all loved it.

Even some managers gave me kudos ... so you can read into that whatever you wish!

I love the shirt, but didn't buy it ... was given as a gift from someone who obviously knows me well!

 

[WDWFigment]

^That shirt is cool and all, but I was really hoping it was a Rizzo the Rat shirt (a la the MuppetVision pre-show).

 

[Captain Chaos]

Thanks for the report 74!!! So, it is true, you really don't hate Disney.... You are just given that rep cause you are so damned honest!!!!!

And I agree with you regarding the lobbies... I can stroll through several lobbies, soaking them in as attractions themselves... BW is my favorite, but Animal Kingdom Lodge's lobby is pretty darned nice too....

Your post makes me psyched for my October trip.... Thank you!!!!

 

[NewfieFan]

All interesting points - thanks for sharing!

 

[Figment1986]

Thanks!

And lots of Busch stuff. I loved SW and Aquatica (as you know) and one of my biggest disappointments of the trip was not making it to BGT (as you'll read when I put my negative thread up!)

But, frankly, I enjoy BEC's parks more than Universal's in O-Town right now. I'm sure that'll change with WWoHP, but now it's all Disney and Busch for me!

wait a minute... would the negative be about Disney, Busch, or Nasa:lookaroun

Thanks.

And nope. I tend to not take pics at WDW unless it's a special event ...

I could be your documentor... and I'm really cheap :lol:

 

[SirGoofy]

Great report, 74!

I'm sorry I got here too late to see you. I could have given you a great Jungle Cruise with no wait! :lol:

And yes, Roa Rapids is the greatest water park attraction I've ever experienced. If it was only themed like a Disney river.

 

[a2grafix]

Are you an armed services member or retiree? I remember staying at the Hale Koa with my parents when I was in middle school. Beautiful resort. We actually first heard about it when we were staying at Shades of Green, coincidentally.

Yes, active, reserve and now active Air National Guard - 14 years in October.

Visited Honolulu (actually "South Anchorage") two times in 1997 and 1999 on vacation from my 3.5-year tour in Anchorage. Hale Koa is a "perfect" resort.

 

[a2grafix]

But the coaster quotient has been going way up in the last decade. There was a time not that long ago when Space Mountain was as 'thrilling' as it got ... glad that's no longer the case.

I will agree with you on that. After riding Top Thrill Dragster, The Hulk, Millenium Force, RocknRoller Coaster, Magnum XL-200, Maverick, Raptor, The Beast, Son of Beast, Expedition Everest, Kraken and The Mummy .... Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain, though fun, are not what I remember as a kid. Maybe it's because of going those great heights and those super fast speeds with great G-forces, that BTMRR and Space Mountain don't equal.

Don't get me wrong, I still dig BTMRR and Space Mountain and they are nostalgic, but they are not in my top 10 of coasters anymore. I will ride them, though, in December.

Before Disney in December, though, I'm hitting Cedar Point and Kings Island at least twice in August and September. Anticipating my first ride on Diamondback at Kings Island.

 

[a2grafix]

I love the Poly too. Unlike some WDW resorts, I've only stayed there once and it was pre-renovations, so I'd love to stay there again. ... Now, you're making me long for Hawaii ... one of my favorite (until 2011) non-Disney locales. Haven't been there in three years now and really want to get back. I just love the islands ...

That's why for the past two years I have been staying at Shades of Green across the street from the Poly. I love walking the long Shades driveway, across the secluded cart path at Poly and up the stairs into the lobby to catch the monorail or a "kona" flavored coffee, or walk through the front and down the path to the buses or to the ticket center.

As for Hawaii, it will be a few more years. I did have a chance this summer on "orders" with an Air National Guard medical team, but they got canx.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

Thanks.

And nope. I tend to not take pics at WDW unless it's a special event ...

Understandable - I've gone so many times (not that it's a bad thing) that I've got numerous repeats of the same photos :lol:

 

[jakeman]

Yes and yes.

If I could dine at one place tomorrow (other than V&A's or California Grill) at WDW ... right now it would be Sanaa.

I'm so hoping they don't ruin it.

I agree. I saw you said you ate at the Captain's Grille. That used to be the Galley at the Yatchclub, right? If I have my names right, my wife used to work there right after it opened from it's 9-11 hiatus. The chef tried out the new dinner menu on us at lunch prior to them opening back up for dinner. It was really good. How is it fairing?

While Boma and Jiko are still good, they aren't what they were when they opened.

And The Mara has been ruined. It went from being my favorite QSR on property to somewhere I only eat when I have little choice.

I agree on all points here. Boma has been surpassed by Tusker's for me and Jiko was just missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it.

Mara was a QSR I used to get excited about (well, I used to get excited about many of the QSRs), but now it is just the standard stuff with a few "African" dishes thrown in there. On top of that the African dishes are just interpretations of standard fair (I really don't think their flatbreads have pizza sauce in Zimbabwe...)

 

[Sloan]

change at Jiko

While I still love Jiko, I think that when you say "Jiko was just missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it.", its probably due to the departure of the head chef in July of 2007, when Chef Anette Grecchi Gray was hired away by Carlson Restaurants World Wide and moved to Texas. She was really, really good, and I think that she might have been that something special that may be missing now ....

Now I'm excited to try Sanaa though. :slurp:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Sorry to disappoint. But better to learn at a young age that I really do love the place ... it makes my biting criticism a whole lot easier to digest and understand.



Absolutely. And hope you can get up there soon yourself!

Certainly hoping and planning for it.

Once it gets under your skin, you always crave it.

Indeed.

 

[WDW1974]

wait a minute... would the negative be about Disney, Busch, or Nasa:lookaroun

You know I am an equal opportunity spirit when it comes to taking shots when they are deserved.

I could be your documentor... and I'm really cheap :lol:

So are all my dates ... your point?

 

[WDW1974]

Great report, 74!

I'm sorry I got here too late to see you. I could have given you a great Jungle Cruise with no wait! :lol:

Those cruises are always the most magical.

And yes, Roa Rapids is the greatest water park attraction I've ever experienced. If it was only themed like a Disney river.

I don't care so much about the theming in that situation ... it's way kewl and relaxing ... and unique (at least on Orlando).

I'd love to see Disney 'borrow' the concept and take it to another level.

Of course, they've dumbed down their regular lazy rivers ... Typhoon Lagoon used to have lots of flotsum and jetsam in the river ... soft-sided props that could have been anything from a crate of pickles (don't know why but I never forgot that one) or the like. I am guessing legal forced them to take them out.

 

[WDW1974]

I agree. I saw you said you ate at the Captain's Grille. That used to be the Galley at the Yatchclub, right? If I have my names right, my wife used to work there right after it opened from it's 9-11 hiatus. The chef tried out the new dinner menu on us at lunch prior to them opening back up for dinner. It was really good. How is it fairing?

Yes. Same place. I've always liked it dating back to when the place opened. It did seem dreary before the recent paint job (may have been two years ago or more now).

I think the food is very good there. Steaks especially. And they actually improved the bread ...

I agree on all points here. Boma has been surpassed by Tusker's for me and Jiko was just missing something. I can't quite put my finger on it.

They've switched chefs ... actually I think they're on their second or third since Chef Annette left (she opened it and made it a great place).

But the menu has been dumbed down and the price points went way up starting in 2007 (DDP related, naturally).

Now the entrees range from $26 (veggie stuffed peppers) to $39 for a filet. That's just pushing the limit considering when it opened in 2001 not one entree was even $26. There's inflation and then there's Disney price gouging.

Also, losing items like the sweet papaya stuffed with beef and cinnamon ... and the monkfish ... and even the grains and veggies (one of the best vegetarian items I have ever had) has made it less of a must for me.

Mara was a QSR I used to get excited about (well, I used to get excited about many of the QSRs), but now it is just the standard stuff with a few "African" dishes thrown in there. On top of that the African dishes are just interpretations of standard fair (I really don't think their flatbreads have pizza sauce in Zimbabwe...)

The Mara in no way resembles what it once was. They had real African cuisine ... a great house salad (that has been dumbed down), Sugar Cane Chicken Skewers (now at Food and Wine Fest), Tandoori Chicken Pizza, an African stew ... and amazing Tomato soup that disappeared after 3-4 years because so many folks (yeah, simple Americans thought they'd be getting Campbell's).

They also had the best fries of any QSR at WDW.

A few years back they made the cuisine vaguely Greek, which I never got. But now it's burgers and basic pizza and chicken fingers largely ... they can keep it!

 

[LoriMistress]

I know there's 2 versions of it
1st shirt- http://www.bearschoice.com/image/tshirts/CheechChongs/MickeyRat/mickeyrat2L.jpg

2nd shirt - http://www.teeshirtsrock.com/images/products/detail/MickeyRat.jpg

Those shirts are great! I think I'll buy one when going to DLR this year. I'm sure I'll get tons of compliments there.

Great trip report BTW. I do agree that BTMRR is much better ride during nights. It also helps when all the AA are working.

 

[Studios Fan]

Thanks for the report.

 

[WDW1974]

Thanks for the report.

Very welcome.

Thanks for reading!

I think this one's just about run its course. Good thing I posted my 'negative' trip thread ... bet that goes on longer!