The Brits at the Beach Club RE-VISITED! THREAD 2 COMPLETE! About This Page:

[Tara O'Hara]

Cheryl, that dessert looks yummy!! Glad you turned your tape off before you used it up!!

[Joy J]

Another wonderful update, Cheryl!

Joy

[chezp]

Tuesday 24 December (Christmas Eve) – part four: “how much wine?” and “so this is what a Florida storm is like”

By this time, we’d had enough of wandering around Epcot in our ponchos, so we decided to go and pick up our latest set of photos from Wal-Mart. Considering it was Christmas Eve, it wasn’t as busy as I’d feared. At home, you wouldn’t have stood a chance of getting in the car park to the supermarket, but then again, our opening hours are more limited and most supermarkets in Britain are shut by between 4 – 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

On the way back, we decided to take a quick look at Publix, where I got a huge bottle of White Zinfandel, double the size of the ones back home for only $7. At home we’d pay more than that for a bottle half the size! There was me worrying before our trip that we might not be able to get White Zinfandel while we were in Florida. Little did I know that it’s a really common wine in the States and Publix had a floor to ceiling display of it. This is paradise – if we can find half a dozen bottles on the supermarket shelves at home, it’s a cause for celebration (and usually a good excuse for us to buy the entire stock in one go!) (I hasten to add that a couple of years on, we do have a better supply of White Zinfandel over here, but it’s still nowhere near as good as the stocks we see in the supermarkets in the States!)

Then it was back to the Beach Club. I was determined to see the Osborne lights again, as I think it’s a really magical way to spend Christmas Eve night. We did that last time we were at Disney for Christmas and despite the ongoing light showers, I wanted to do it again, as they’re my favourite Christmas attraction. Mark wasn’t too keen, saying we’d be cutting it fine for our 8.15 PS at the Flying Fish Café, but as it was just after 7 p.m., I figured we’d got plenty of time to go there and then go straight to the Flying Fish Café.

So off we went, catching the boat over there from the marina. We went into the park, headed straight for the lights and they were wonderful. It really is a great way to spend Christmas Eve night – I just find that seeing them puts you in the festive spirit ahead of the big day.

The plan was to go straight to the Flying Fish Café, so we got on the boat, intending to get off at the Boardwalk stop, but it was not to be. On the way back, Mark told me he wanted to go back to the room briefly and get some indigestion tablets, before walking over or taking the boat to the Boardwalk. Well, we still had time, so off we went, but it turned out to be the worst move we could’ve made.

We got back to the room fine, picked up the tablets and set off again for the marina. As we walked out to catch the boat over to the Boardwalk, the rain suddenly got a lot heavier and I mean a LOT heavier. As you’ll know if you’ve ever visited the Yacht and Beach Club, the distance from the resort to the boat stop isn’t that far, but tonight it was far enough for us to be drenched in the time it took us to walk there.

By the time we got to the end of the pier, the heavy rain had turned into a tropical storm and ten of us ended up huddling under the lighthouse. We got drenched and there was thunder and lightning all around us. Not my idea of fun, as I don’t like storms at the best of times, and certainly not being caught outside in them! In fact, I think it’s fair to say that I was terrified. There was just nowhere to go, as it’s quite a way to try and get back to cover at the Beach Club / Yacht Club and there was no way I was going to attempt running, as it was just too wet and I could just see myself slipping and breaking something.

The worst thing was there was no sign of a boat for the Boardwalk. Instead we saw two head over to MGM, without even stopping to pick anyone up from the our stop – believe me, at that point I’d have taken any boat heading for any destination. I got even more worried when a couple of people started wondering out loud whether they even ran the boat services in bad storms. Disney obviously do keep them going though, as eventually one rolled up at about 8.20, after we’d been standing there for 20 minutes. I was amazed the boats were still even running, but I was very relieved.

Next: well of course we’re late – and how long does it take to cook dinner?

[Cinderbrella]

Oh nooo! What a storm! I hope that you will still be able to enjoy your meal at The Flying Fish!! Your dessert from Akershus looked delicious!!

[lauren-roxy]

Great update Cheryl!! That dessert looked very yummy!! That rain sounds very scary! Can't wait to read more!!

[DawnDenise]

Great update Cheryl!! Glad the boat finally came for ya! Love the pic with your dessert. Can't wait for more!

[chezp]

Tuesday 24 December (Christmas Eve) – part five: well of course we’re late – and how long does it take to cook dinner?

When we got to the Flying Fish Café, we were seated straightaway, but I was annoyed to find out from Mark that we’d been marked down as “late” on our booking, even though we’d explained to them what had happened and we were drenched! I think allowing 15 minutes to get a boat from the Beach Club to the Boardwalk should be more than enough time, but never mind….

The first thing which struck me about the Flying Fish Cafe was the design, very light and airy and a pleasant change from some of Disney’s darker restaurants, such as Palio or Akerhaus.




Mark ordered the steak and I went for the tilefish. Neither of us had an appetizer. I did ask what tilefish was like, never having come across it before, (talk about being an adventurous eater! ) and our server told me that it was a mild white fish, which sounded perfect.

Well, after a 30 minute wait, we knew something wasn’t quite right, but could we find our server anywhere? Nope, absolutely no sign of him. We eventually asked another server where our dinner was, as we seemed to have been waiting a long time for our food, who told us that because Mark had asked for his steak to be medium to well done, that takes 20 – 25 minutes. That’s fine, but I just wish someone had told us that at the start, then we’d have known.

Mark loved his steak (obviously worth the wait! ), but I was very disappointed with the tilefish. It certainly wasn’t what I’d describe as a mild white fish. It had quite a strong taste to it, as did the accompanying creamy polenta and Portobello mushroom sauce. Again, not what I’d expected at all. As a result, I just couldn’t finish it. It certainly wasn’t the best meal we’d had at Disney and the service was pretty poor. We weren’t impressed.

We were glad we’d tried the Flying Fish Café, as we’d admired it from the outside on many trips, and it’s a lovely looking restaurant, but we won’t be going back in a hurry. The food, from my point of view, and the service were pretty bad and I certainly don’t expect to pay that much money for such a poor meal.

Flying Fish Café
Main course 6 8
Atmosphere 8 8
Service 5 5
Value for money 5 6

Average: 6.38



With that, we headed back to the Beach Club and bed – tomorrow would be Christmas Day and, despite tonight’s awful weather, I still had vague hopes of a repeat of two years ago, when we’d spent a lot of Christmas Day in Stormalong Bay. I guess only time would tell…

The weather today was humid and cloudy in the morning, light showers in the afternoon and a tropical storm in the evening.
The best thing today was seeing Carousel of Progress and the Timekeeper.
The worst thing today was being stuck right in the middle of a tropical storm.
The funniest thing today was the family on the monorail, who ended up going back to Epcot.
Today we tried the Flying Fish Café
And the result was I don’t think we’ll be going back again in a hurry.
The most magical moment today was seeing the Osborne lights.

Pedometer: 8.6 miles

Next: Goofy and Chip forget it’s the season of goodwill to others…!

[Colexis Mom]

Great updates Cheryl Sorry you had to wait so long for dinner More please

[LLaffinPlace]

So sorry your visit to Flying Fish was disappointing! We have never had an experience like that; every time we have had a wonderful meal. I hope you will be willing to try it again some time and that you will have a much, much better experience. You might try to get Jon, our favorite server there. His descriptions of the dishes have always been spot-on, as has his wine recommendations.

[Tara O'Hara]

Cheryl, I felt the same way about the Flying Fish Cafe! BLECH!

[DawnDenise]

Sorry dinner wasn't all that you had hoped! Looking forward to more Cheryl!!

[Cinderbrella]

Sorry your meal didn't turn out, Cheryl! We enjoyed our meal here, but we had an excellent server, too. He steered us through the menu with a lot of helpful experience. I had the filet and it was excellent, and DH had a fish dish, although I can't remember if he enjoyed it. Our appetizers and desserts were also recommendations of our server- I wish I could remember his name. They were all excellent. Hopefully you will return someday and have a better experience.

[chezp]

[ QUOTE ]
So sorry your visit to Flying Fish was disappointing! We have never had an experience like that; every time we have had a wonderful meal. I hope you will be willing to try it again some time and that you will have a much, much better experience. You might try to get Jon, our favorite server there. His descriptions of the dishes have always been spot-on, as has his wine recommendations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Larry, from reading your trip reports I know that you consistently have first class meals at the Flying Fish Cafe and I'm sure one day we will try it again. I hope when we do that our meal is as good as the ones you guys get!

[lauren-roxy]

Sorry your meal was a disappointment Cheryl. Can't wait for more!!

[poohsgirl]

<font color="purple"> about the rain and the poor meal Cheryl. But still loving your report. Can't wait for more! </font>