14 NIGHTS SAPPHIRE FALLS...MARDI GRAS-MINIONS-HARRY & MORE...MARCH 2019 TR

Yay! So glad you've started your next report - I am so looking forward to reading along and enjoying living vicariously through you and Tom for another wonderful trip!


WELCOME April........

So glad you found this one too!!!

Decided again to start early to give me a head start........and I have a bit of spare time before we leave.......so I really hope you enjoy it.......nice you’re here again........:)
 
I would suggest Homecomin at Disney Springs. It's my favorite!! I have gone at lunch time and found plenty of seats at the bar area. Check out their menu, they are known for the fried chicken and huge portions oh and the Hummingbird Cake is outta this world!!


WELCOME back to tammy


Oh I found that menu today!! We love fried chicken and there were several dishes that caught our eye!!

I do like the sound of a bar area........::yes:: I did see the cake.......it sounds lovely, except........I hate bananas......:sick: I always wanted to eat Emerils banana cream pie as it looked so good......except the bananas.....lol......

I’m so glad you’re here for this trip report too.......hope it’s a fun read for you.......:)
 
Following!

I think I'm like most people here, really interested to hear your perspective on Disney Springs. Maybe you'll make it more than once?

And a very warm WELCOME to you again jacksdadcan

You know it’s been so long since we were there I barely even remember it, and haven’t seen any pictures of it since it’s been revamped......except the occasional parking garage picture when it’s being built......so I am looking forward to seeing it all changed........and enjoying some lovely food!!

We may visit once in March and if we like it go back for a visit in May too.

Glad you made it along too.........::yes::
 
Last edited:
What a flashback at DTD! The photo of Tom and Kyle, so sweet!
Was Kyle maybe 13 then? I love looking at our trip pix from years ago...it's unbelievable how quickly our "littles" are now adults!

Yep, he was 13.....and such a young looking 13!!! He does seem so young!! And adulthood appears with slippers on.....it creeps up on us!

Yes, we love looking back on old pictures from then.............I agree with you it’s so much fun, but scary at the same time ::yes::
 


My fave DS restaurant is the Polite Pig. I have also heard good things about the food at Jock Lindsey's Hanger bar, and I hope to get there on my upcoming trip!

I do like the sound of the Polite pig.........we do like bbq food a lot.......never heard of the other one, so will Google it......we do love looking at menu’s

Hope you enjoy it if you do get there......and thanks for the suggestions!!
 
WELCOME Alesia...….lovely to have you join us again......don't worry about not posting, I`m just glad to know you enjoy reading....although I do love to see you post!!!

Nice you have a trip coming up......didn`t you go in December for a trip too??? Or am I thinking of someone else...:scratchin I imagine the flower and garden display will be beautiful...….I hope you have a fabulous time there....

If you see us at Disney Springs give a holler out to us....would love to say hello...….:thumbsup2


Yes, we were there over Christmas. I take any chance I can to go down Orlando (especially when its winter in Wisconsin). I really enjoyed Universal but I can't handle the screen ride very much:crazy2: so we tend to go to Disney.

I will look out for you at Disney Springs!
 
Yes, we were there over Christmas. I take any chance I can to go down Orlando (especially when its winter in Wisconsin). I really enjoyed Universal but I can't handle the screen ride very much:crazy2: so we tend to go to Disney.

I will look out for you at Disney Springs!

Oh I don't blame you!!! We have a friend who now lives in Arizona and she comes from Wisconsin.....had lived in Orlando for many years though, but she spoke of how bad the winters are there...…

Yes, screen rides can be rough on some folks.....I`m ok with most except for the Simpsons and Transformers.....strangely I`m fine with Spiderman and can do all coasters.....so I can understand you giving it a pass...….

I`ll probably pop online at some point and if we`re going to be at DS when you`re around I`ll let you know......would be nice to say hello...….:)
 


So, food is a huge part of our trips to America...….

We enjoy a lot of different types and styles of food so the melting pot that makes up Orlando and surrounding areas, suits us.

I guess a lot of people look down their noses and say chains are dreadful and only certain places are worth a visit, well, I agree some chains are better than others...….but when you don't have any of them in the UK, we try to give them all a bash at some point. Most are cheap and cheerful, like Orlando Ale House on Kirkman......amazing food at ridiculously low prices for what you get......others we tried we hated, like Olive Garden (so sorry if you`re a fan) I found the food to be very artificial and plastic, so we wouldn't go back there again.

I`ll leave the hotel options to another post as they deserve a post all to themselves, but this trip we plan to try a place we haven't been in years...…..Kobe...….

We loved it when we used to go regularly and Kyle always enjoyed the show......this was where he first tried teriyaki sauce when he was around 13......he always thought he wouldn't like it and never tried it......but the rather overpowering chef with the huge cleaver chopping up his chicken in a very elaborate way, convinced him with a smile he`d love it...….and he did!!!!

Teriyaki chicken with noodles is one of his favourite dishes to this day...…..





i-nJHkpTk-XL.jpg




We enjoyed the seating at the Tepenyaki table......although we went once and got the most miserable group of people ever around us......but usually folks engage one another and it is very much an enjoyable evening of not only food but lovely conversation too...….

There really is too much food though!!! If you do plan to ever go to Kobe, make sure you are absolutely starving......But, the show itself that the chef puts on is very good.....and they are funny too......I`m not sure which one we`ll aim to go for, but maybe the one on Kirkman as it`s so handy for us.....

We do enjoy many meals offsite as well as in the hotels and the parks too......varying from top end restaurants like Ocean Prime which is just beautiful...…and serves the wonderful Berries and Bubbles cocktail.....




i-MQHF8dG-XL.jpg





I guess Ocean Prime is very much a top end place and ideal for a special occasion, and they do look after everyone so well...…and food is top notch. Usually we go between that and The Palm for a higher end meal every trip, but we find we choose the Palm more often for some reason, but we do love it here.


But, we also love cheaper places too like Teak Neighborhood Grill...….




i-SKqw9qf-XL.jpg





Amazingly good burgers and very friendly service...…..and serves the Donut Burger...….this is a regular neighborhood bar that is crammed full of locals. They do have tourists, but we are in the minority and always have been here, but they are very welcoming and it has some atmosphere around it. Although if you go when they are playing live music at night, it is very loud.





i-TXVcTGB-XL.jpg





This place is only 5 minutes away from Universal and serves beautiful food and service is always excellent.....we don't visit every trip, but it`s a place we know we can go and will have a lovely meal.


Longhorn in LBV and Red Lobster down by the convention centre are two places we frequent on a regular basis...…..they`re two places you know what you`re going to get…...good food at bargain prices too...….


Steaks at Longhorn are half the price of Ocean Prime and the Palm, but they are still decent and have always been cooked exactly as we like them...….I am so fussy with steak.....if I ask for medium rare, I expect it to be exactly right......I`m never snippy with staff if it`s not right and I detest having to send anything back, but steak is one thing I will ask for it be done again...we`ve seen some people be incredibly rude sending food back, hate to see that kind of rudeness.....





i-x2Tv682-XL.jpg






i-RmhVnX5-XL.jpg







i-M35XXDs-XL.jpg







i-KnLXcTn-XL.jpg






i-RsfRDPd-XL.jpg






i-kmQKRx8-XL.jpg





And if you are a dessert fan then you`ll love this chocolate stampede at Longhorn...….Tom and Kyle share the cake part, and I nibble on the ice cream...….




i-wjLBJ8H-XL.jpg





One place we do want to go back to, is Hot and Juicy Crawfish...….we only discovered it last September and we loved it!!!!

We went for lunch and all the seafood is freshly cooked and served in a bag.....yep, a bag with any and all of the seasonings you may choose to go with your seafood.....it was a little messy, so if you are squeamish about folks ripping the head off of shrimps and so on, it`s not the place for you......but you are given bibs and plenty of wipes to clean yourself up.....and the spiciest Cajun fries I ever tasted....

So, we do hope to get back here this trip. It`s again, only 10 minutes from Universal on Sand Lake Road.....or restaurant row as it`s sometimes known as......lots of beautiful places to eat here.....and this one isn't fancy.....but wow, it`s worth a visit...….




i-JmNC6N2-XL.jpg







i-4HLMbTz-XL.jpg







i-6mMPVth-XL.jpg







i-GZZK87D-XL.jpg




More restaurant choices coming up...…..
 
As much as we enjoy eating at Longhorn, it has become sort of a joke in our family that our local restaurant never cooks the steak the way you want it! It's a bit like Russian Roulette, although we seldom send them back. On my birthday last year, I ordered a medium steak and got the rarest steak I have ever seen. Their food is delicious though, so we always give him another chance.
 
As much as we enjoy eating at Longhorn, it has become sort of a joke in our family that our local restaurant never cooks the steak the way you want it! It's a bit like Russian Roulette, although we seldom send them back. On my birthday last year, I ordered a medium steak and got the rarest steak I have ever seen. Their food is delicious though, so we always give him another chance.

lol......We have a restaurant like that here......very small place with just the owner who is the chef, and his wife and daughter take care of everything else......and usually it`s beautiful, but with a glitch or two :laughing:.....but we keep going back as the quality of the food is superb, and they are the nicest people......so I know what you mean.....

I`d love to have a Longhorn over here!!!
 
There are a plethora of other offsite restaurants we love, and usually we decide last minute we`ll eat there.....

But, we do love the onsite restaurants at the hotels......there is a huge variety between the four hotels and I think we have sampled them all at some point or other.

PBH has our least favourite restaurants, with Mamma Della`s and Bice. We found them a little difficult with allergies when they couldn't omit mushrooms or onions as the sauce was premade. So we never went back to either, although I have to say Italian is not a choice we usually make....unless it`s pizza......lol.....

But Sal`s has amazing pizza`s and sandwiches......it`s their quick service and very good value for money....you can have a grab and go breakfast there too...…




i-9vtZQfF-XL.jpg




The Palm is our favourite onsite signature restaurant. So, I guess we will definitely make a reservation for here on our next trip. It`s probably the only reservation we ever make, but this place does get busy and we`d hate to miss out on it......in fact just remembered we haven't made our booking for this trip, will get on that next week sometime...…

Food is exceptional and service too. We`ve had the same lady look after us for several years and always ask for her on our reservation…….





i-kWrHKcr-XL.jpg






i-qzbDbv8-XL.jpg






i-txVNPLM-XL.jpg





Royal Pacific has four fabulous places to eat and we are always spoilt for choice which to choose from......of course during our December visits, we don't usually go to the pool, so the Bula Bar is out and we never usually go for sushi as Kyle isn't a fan..…..but all four places have beautiful food and well worth visiting


Orchids for Sushi is some of the nicest we have ever had...…




i-9FW8zHX-XL.jpg






i-Bg2vNnH-XL.jpg







i-TJFHKHL-XL.jpg




Islands Dining room has a regular Asian themed menu, which is very good.....but on select nights they have the wok experience, which we love......so we are going to be torn this visit, whether to have the Wok night or go to Jake`s...….




i-k7VD9s9-XL.jpg






i-xMfbFZX-XL.jpg




Poolside of course is Bula Bar.....and if you do go, try the Nachos.....not as big as Margaritaville, but they still are an impressive portion……




i-QjSwvFj-XL.jpg




Jake`s is usually our must do for our first night, especially when Kyle is with us.....and they have a fabulous menu with choices for everyone...…and below is a small selection of our favourites……




i-W9qvrpn-XL.jpg







i-9L8dHxf-XL.jpg







i-DGSJ2QR-XL.jpg




Of course this trip we are staying at Sapphire Falls...…we do love this resort almost as much as we adore Royal Pacific.....but a change of hotels is nice for the occasional stay.....and we can still walk over to RP easily.....

One of our favourite onsite bars is StrongWater Bar…….excellent food and service makes it a definite place we visit more than once......so we have no hard decision to make here...….this`ll be a definite place we`ll enjoy. Everyone is so friendly and I think we feel very much at home here.




i-vPsj6GC-XL.jpg








i-J8hZNvn-XL.jpg








i-rJFzVFL-XL.jpg








i-6J4dZR8-XL.jpg







i-CBdcSQ9-XL.jpg




The Tres Leche cake is beautiful!!!!!



i-zh8ftNc-XL.jpg




So, as we wont be able to eat at every place here, we will decide on a spur of the moment where we`ll eat.....and we have plenty of choices...….


Too many at times!!!!
 
I love all the food and restaurant reviews, yummy!

We really enjoyed the Boathouse, Morimoto, Blaze Pizza, Wolf Gang Puck, Frontera Cocina, Homecomin, haha to just name a few at Disney Springs!
 
OMG!!!!

How much has Downtown Disney changed in 10 years!!! You turn your back for a short time :rolleyes1 and they change everything..........:rotfl:




I love all the food and restaurant reviews, yummy!

We really enjoyed the Boathouse, Morimoto, Blaze Pizza, Wolf Gang Puck, Frontera Cocina, Homecomin, haha to just name a few at Disney Springs!

Caroline.....I have been checking DS out this afternoon.........so many tempting restaurants......and it looks beautiful.......

I think we’re really looking forward to visiting for a few hours.......I had no idea they changed it that much!!! I doubt we’ll recognise it from what it was 10, well, almost 11 years ago!

Homecomin’ is really standing out for us along with Boathouse.......and a few others.......:laughing: trouble is we will only visit once, so serious decisions to be made!!!
 
OMG!!!!

How much has Downtown Disney changed in 10 years!!! You turn your back for a short time :rolleyes1 and they change everything..........:rotfl:






Caroline.....I have been checking DS out this afternoon.........so many tempting restaurants......and it looks beautiful.......

I think we’re really looking forward to visiting for a few hours.......I had no idea they changed it that much!!! I doubt we’ll recognise it from what it was 10, well, almost 11 years ago!

Homecomin’ is really standing out for us along with Boathouse.......and a few others.......:laughing: trouble is we will only visit once, so serious decisions to be made!!!
We went to Homecomin' for the first time in December and it was amazing! Be prepared, the portions are very large! I would suggest ordering an appetizer and splitting an entree. I would walk around and get dessert at Sprinkles or Amorette' Patisserie!
 
Two things... first, for Tom, go to The Void at Disney Springs... Star Wars Virtual Reality! We're doing that at Christmas for sure!

Second, you know, every single trip I want to go to Sal's and we never have. Our May trip, I must make this a priority! (Usually Davy wants to eat EVERY MEAL at Three Broomsticks!).
 
We went to Homecomin' for the first time in December and it was amazing! Be prepared, the portions are very large! I would suggest ordering an appetizer and splitting an entree. I would walk around and get dessert at Sprinkles or Amorette' Patisserie!

Looking at the menu that sounds a good idea as one of the appetisers on their own sounded huge!!!

So many to choose from.…….:)
 
Two things... first, for Tom, go to The Void at Disney Springs... Star Wars Virtual Reality! We're doing that at Christmas for sure!

Second, you know, every single trip I want to go to Sal's and we never have. Our May trip, I must make this a priority! (Usually Davy wants to eat EVERY MEAL at Three Broomsticks!).

Alice I think there is something wrong with your post.....I can`t read the first lines that you have written.....it`s all blurry.....:rotfl::duck:

Sal`s is so good.....one of the reasons we ever venture over to PBH......pizza`s are divine and we`ve had the sandwiches a couple of times and they are very good, but the potato chips that come with sandwiches are the worst potato chips we have ever tasted.....truly awful considering everything else is so good there.....either give them a pass or upgrade to French fries...…:thumbsup2

Oh the shrimp po boy was beautiful......not very Italian though!!!!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top