Hubby & Me & Jimmy Make Three: The Third Sequel (4th Report) PTR About This Page:

[bsblady01]

I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world

[bfth]

Originally Posted by OhToodles!

I love to read your TRs! I'm glad you're going back.
And I love that so many people like Jet Blue. My cousin's wife is a pilot for them and her home airport is MCO, even though I think she flys to the Caribbean mostly. I wish we could fly them, but they aren't in STL.

Another reason I am loyal to JB is that when we flew back for the first time with them we took our time getting off (because we knew we'd be waiting for a stroller). Sds was already off the plane when the pilot invited Jimmy into the cockpit! I'm hollaring for Sds to come back (and he's grousing because he's carrying all this stuff and had no idea what was going on) with the camera. The pilot was so nice. His kindness will never be forgotten by me (and thank goodness I got some photos too!). A little nice goes a long way and so I when we fly (which is not often), if Jet Blue flies there, I'm on their airline!

[MayraLR]

Great start! Congrats on the flight and resort!

[bfth]

Part 3: The Dining

(Sorry for the delay...you've heard it all before...crazy busy at work. Just makes the vacation all the sweeter. Although I have to worry; I used to have someone who could cover for me when I was away. That is no longer the case which also makes my work load a bit larger. I don't want to carry a work laptop with me and have to do an hour or so while I am on vacation, but...)

Ok, let's talk about Disney and food...a great combination!

Because of my numerous and severe food allergies we rarely dine out. At Disney my fears are kept at bay (yes, I've had a couple of problems, but for the most part the experience has been wonderful). But because of allergies and cross contamination concerns we do have to plan. We do mostly sit down meals with a few counter service (for the boys...although there are plenty of counter service locations in WDW that CAN accommodate me. There are also plenty that can't -- for example I REALLY wanted a hotdog at Casey’s, but NONE of their hotdogs are all beef. All include poultry product. And that's a killer for me -- literally!).

For our past 4 stays (or all of Jimmy's Disney life) we've stayed concierge. They have been very helpful in keeping me sated! They make these delicious no-egg muffins in the morning for me (so delicious that my mouth starts watering just when I write about it). They usually make me 4-6 a morning. Now I could easily down all of them, but I try to be good and save a few for a mid-day snack (or for the flight home!). I am able to have breakfast there every morning (juice, muffins, fresh fruit, cereal and those yummy lattes!). I can get a mid-day snack (yogurt, drinks, and homemade chips). And at night I can get a drink (be it wine or a cordial) while my boys can enjoy the yummy desserts (and sometimes there is a special dessert for me or fresh fruit). And I know that if I need anything during the day to eat, the staff will do their best to help me out (because the concierge staff at the Contemporary is the BEST).

Now Sds and I have been to WDW 14 times (Jimmy's been 3!), but there are still some new dining adventures that will be having this time! (Imagine that!). There are, of course, some old favorites as well. And I've even managed to "give up" a few places that we usually dine at. (The hardest one for me being the Sci Fi Dine In. I LOVE the burgers there. I LOVE the atmosphere. And I love the mid-day break when it is so hot out and the restaurant is so cool and dark. But Jimmy was a little scared last time so we have decided to forgo it on this trip).

So here's the place for our 9 days of dining (and 8 days of vacation):

- Our first "official" meal (we'll probably have to grab lunch or a snack before which isn't "official") will be dinner our first night at the Kona Cafe. We frequently eat there our first night and it's a good way to "get started". We can explore the resort (which I love) as well as the GF (since it's on the monorail loop). It used to be an undiscovered gem (since most people were going for O'Hana), but the last time we ate at Kona (Dec 2010) we found that word was out! The food is as good as ever, but people seem to know about it now! (Maybe I should have kept my big mouth shut!).

- Day 2 will feature lunch at the 50s Prime Time. We have always done dinner there and it's always been so crowded. I'm hoping the crowds will be less as we have an early lunch (before noon). I'm also hoping we get a fun server! It's been hit or mess with servers for us (although the food has always been good). I'm in Disney! I want to play! So I hope that our server this time will want to play too!

- Day 2 dinner is a new adventure: Narcoossees. I've heard many wonderful things, but we've never eaten there. We'll be there too early for fireworks, but I'm still planning to enjoy the view (and the food).

- Day 3 dinner is scheduled at Tony's Town Square. Sds and I had eaten there back in 2001 and the food was "ok" (and that place was crowded). I've seen an updated menu and thought it looked a lot better. Hopefully it will live up to my expectations.

- Day 4 we have an early lunch at one of my favorite restaurants (although we've only had dinner there in the past): The Coral Reef. I'm hoping my favorite Chef Eddie is on staff that day (he's a real sweetie). I'm also hoping that with an early lunch we'll be able to get a table next to the tank. We've had one in the past and then been on the 2nd tier. And there's nothing wrong with the 2nd tier (or even the 3rd)...the views are great. But Jimmy is so into sea life that being up close and personal would be just perfect!

- Day 4 dinner will be at Mama Melrose's. Sds and I have eaten here several times and it was hit or miss. After having a not so hot meal we passed it over for several years, but then came back when one of the chefs I knew started working here (he's since moved on to another location) and we were pleasantly surprised. Our meal here in December 2010 was excellent -- despite the service being a little spotty and our party being relegated to the dark recesses of the restaurant where we might never be found again!

- Day 5 dinner is another new try! We will be having dinner at the Tusker House! We are always at AK early in the day. This will be a chance for us to enjoy it later. Tusker House is probably the restaurant on our list that I know the least about so I'm hoping that I will be surprised with lots of wonderful things!

- Day 6 we have lunch at Le Cellier. If we didn't eat at Le Cellier during our vacation I think Sds would revolt. He LOVES it. I do too, but not as much as that man! I have planned a late lunch and figure this will be THE meal of the day. Usually I don't do that big a meal at lunch (when we had lunch at Le Cellier back in Dec 2010 I had a sandwich which was delicious). This time I'm planning on going whole hog and having a major Le Cellier meal.

- You wouldn't think we'd need dinner after a late lunch (and at Le Cellier no less). But Sds insists that we need one. So we've got an ADR at The Wave. We've eaten there only once back in 2008 and that was at lunch (which was just so-so, but then again if my memory serves me correctly Jimmy was having a bit of the crankies that day so that definitely would have impacted the meal).

- Day 7 brings us to the Plaza for lunch. They are REALLY great for people with allergies. I have dealt with 2 fantastic chefs there in the past (Kenny & Constance) and hope one of them are there for our lunch. They have all sorts of wonderful things for people with allergies that are NOT on the menu (I had a chocolate cake there in Dec 2010 and I don’t think it was on the menu. Do I need to tell you how yummy it was?).

- Dinner for Day 7 is another one I'm really looking forward to: Akershus. Sds and I have LOVED this restaurant since we first ate there in 1996! (before the invasion of the princesses!). I loved it without princesses probably a bit more because it was a place that not that many people would try (and they didn't know what they were missing!). Now it's CROWDED due to characters. And I like the characters. (I really like the characters when they fuss and fawn over my really cute little boy). I usually have a hard time deciding what I want because everything is so yummy -- and since I'll need to speak to a chef, I'll probably end up with a smattering of a variety of entrees! ;-)

- Day 8 is our last full day so we'll be running around I'm sure. We have just one meal planned and that is dinner at the Rose and Crown. Sds and I first ate there on our honeymoon in 1996. It went downhill after that. Then it went back up when my friend, Chef Amber, started to work there. When Amber was transferred it took a BIG NOSE DIVE! (As in the Chef nearly killed me, EVEN after I spoke with him at length about my allergies! If Amber hadn't stopped by to see us for lunch I would have been in BIG TROUBLE). We are dining here ONLY because my friend John is now a chef here (formerly of Akershus which is how we met). John is a fantastic guy and I know he will take good care of me. Plus I'm hoping maybe we can view Illuminations from here. (Since Illuminations is one of my favorite things at WDW -- I don't care how old it is. I LOVE it!). It would be the perfect way to wrap up the trip.

- For our last morning (since we have to leave before noon to catch a flight home...why does it always come so soon???) Sds arranged to have breakfast at Chef Mickey's. For me, this is about the characters and one last bit of Disney Magic before it all ends. We'll also want to chow down and maybe even get some treats "to go" because we most likely won't have a chance to have lunch (due to timing of buses and flights) and who knows about dinner! I'll be going out waving my napkin and singing "Celebrate, celebrate with Mickey Mouse!" (it's stuck in my head now since I wrote that!).

So those are the meal plans...now we just have to wait...

[Colexis Mom]

Great plans!

[bfth]

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great plans!

Thanks...do you know I got so hungry just writing up all that stuff??

[MayraLR]

Great dining plans!

[chezp]

Nice dining plans!

[Tabitha34]

Great dining plans!

[Cam22]

Great dining plans!

[bsblady01]

looks like you puicked some great places to eat

[OhToodles!]

I'm hungry reading that list! Great choices!

[bfth]

Yes ladies, I think it's time for lunch! Maybe we should ALL go to Le Cellier!

[MayraLR]

Originally Posted by bfth

Yes ladies, I think it's time for lunch! Maybe we should ALL go to Le Cellier!

Great idea!

[bfth]

Updated menu from the Wave at All ears:

Cabernet-Tomato Braised Beef Short Ribs - with Stokes Farm Purple Sweet Potatoes, Cider-braised Brussels Sprouts, and Candied Elephant Garlic $29.99
Grilled Beef Tenderloin - with Planet Carrots, Parsley Root Puree, and crispy Poblano Chile Rings $29.99
Whole Grain Penne Pasta - with Florida White Shrimp, Cedar Key Clams, Prince Edward Island Mussels, and Roasted Fennel-Tomato Broth $25.99
Locally-sourced Thompson Farms "Lacquered" Pork Tenderloin - on a bed of Smoked and Pulled Pork with Boniato Bread Pudding and Corn-succotash $22.99
Chili-Soy Marinated Flat Iron Steak - Thai-Chili-Ginger Long Beans and Udon Noodles $21.99

Oh my goodness...sounds so good...how am I going to choose? And after I've had a lunch at Le Cellier!