Mission 0 credits complete! Sept 2014 Dining Report (Onsite/Offsite) **COMPLETE**

[JellyEllieBean]

I like that idea, we're hoping to go SSR next summer, it would be nice having everything there when you arrive.

Did you tell them your expected time of arrival at hotel?
So do the hotel look after your shopping it until you arrive?
Finally, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you tip the person who helped you load all the bags?

Thanks

Alison x

[ChoppyGirl]

How things differ - we stayed at SSR in August and used our mugs loads. Although we did stay in the Grandstand area and spent a lot of time by the pool and there was a mug station there. We loved SSR

[MissFortune]

Travel Day - Lava Lounge

Once we were had dumped our stuff in our room we got quickly changed and headed out to Downtown Disney for dinner as it was pretty late already.

It was a very short walk to the DTD bridge from our room in Congress Park, about 3-4 minutes along the water which is a beautiful little stroll. The bridge was fantastic throughout our stay and made it so convenient to pop to DTD whenever we fancied. It was very well lit at night and played Disney tunes through speakers so I often boogied along it.

Before food we decided to visit the Lava Lounge on the side of RFC Marketplace for a tipple as it was a new build since or last trip.



It's a lovely outside bar overlooking the water & the other end of Downtown Disney.

This was my attempt at a night time picture with my rubbish camera (sorry!)


Here's what it actually looks like.


The menus had a really cool lava lamp effect where the red would move around in the liquid. You could even buy one to keep for a silly amount of money as you will see written at the botom of the menu



Anyway - we both had a pink parrot lemonades (I had 1, Andy had 2) which has been a favourite of mine on previous trips.









These were $8.99 each and very refreshing - just what was needed after a long day. The Lava Lounge had a lovely atmosphere, especially at night when it was all lit up and is a great relaxing place to just sit and chill with a cocktail. Would definitely revisit.

Total paid in cash without tip (incl. applicable tax) - $28.72

[MissFortune]

Hello & thanks to all those that had read & commented so far. Hope you are enjoying my report up to now. Sorry it's a bit slow to get going.

[MissFortune]

Originally Posted by JellyEllieBean

I like that idea, we're hoping to go SSR next summer, it would be nice having everything there when you arrive.

Did you tell them your expected time of arrival at hotel?
So do the hotel look after your shopping it until you arrive?
Finally, if you don't mind me asking, how much did you tip the person who helped you load all the bags?

Thanks

Alison x

See more...

Hi, Yes it's really helpful. You have to pick a time slot for delivery, much like online shopping with ASDA/Tesco etc so we just picked one a little bit before we expected to arrive. The bell hop services at the hotel look after your delivery until you arrive to collect it (or you can call them to bring it over to your room once you are settled). They do have fridges to keep your perishables in so it doesn't matter if you have delivery in the morning and don't land until the afternoon.

I can't remember how much exactly we tipped but I would have guessed about $15ish as we had quite a few bags and he was really helpful talking us through the resort etc. He seemed pretty happy with the amount (hope it was enough!) .

Originally Posted by ChoppyGirl

How things differ - we stayed at SSR in August and used our mugs loads. Although we did stay in the Grandstand area and spent a lot of time by the pool and there was a mug station there. We loved SSR

See more...

Hi,

Yes I think if we were closer to CS restaurant or there was a mug station near to us then we would have gotten a lot of use out of them. The locations just weren't convenient. I think they should put a mug refill station at all of the pools to be honest.

We are booked to go back next year and plan to stay nearer to the main area with Carriage House & Artists Pallete.

[ChoppyGirl]

Originally Posted by MissFortune

Hi,

Yes I think if we were closer to CS restaurant or there was a mug station near to us then we would have gotten a lot of use out of them. The locations just weren't convenient. I think they should put a mug refill station at all of the pools to be honest.

We are booked to go back next year and plan to stay nearer to the main area with Carriage House & Artists Pallete.

See more...

I really loved SSR and would definitely stay there again as it was great being so near to DTD and with the dining plan it was so easy. Congress Park would be the perfect area if it had a drinks station. No trip for us this year unfortunately as getting a new car instead but still looking at flight prices just in case as my BFF has got a large condo booked so would just need flights and park tickets

[MissFortune]

Travel Day: DTD - Wolfgang Puck Express

After the Lava Lounge it was time for some proper food to end the day. We made the short walk over to Wolfgang Puck Express in Marketplace which is literally a few metres away.

The queue was out of the door which initially put us off a bit but we decided to just stick it out and it did move fairly quickly in the end so no bother.

The inside decor was much nicer than I was expecting for a counter service but they do say it's one of the best of the CS restaurants afterall!





It felt weird to be ordering our very first meal on the Dining Plan using our magic bands but sadly quite exciting We ordered, grabbed our fountain sodas from the self service machine and found our own table. It was fairly busy that night but there were plenty spare tables to choose from.

To eat Andy opted for the Half Rotisserie Chicken (with Garlic Butter, Rosemary and Mashed Potatoes) but he subbed the mashed potatoes for fries with no problem.



Sorry food photos here aren't great but they much better, promise.

He said it was "alright". The chicken was a tad on the dry side and the meal on the whole wasn't earth moving. Just basic chicken & chips and plenty of it. But it was warm and filling and did it's job.

I chose something I'd been drooling over for a long time - Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf (with Mashed Potatoes, Port Wine Sauce and Onion Strings)



I'm slightly sad to say that for me it looks a bit better than it tasted. Don't get me wrong it was tasty and I did enjoy it but just not the food of gods as I had been expecting. Perhaps I had built it up in my head too much and expected Angels to sing and it just didn't live up to expectations.

One of the things that I've written was that the sauce was a little too strong and that's coming from someone who loves rich sauces! The meatloaf/ potatoes were really nice but the onion strings got a bit greasy after a while. It was a really generous portion too and I didn't get close to finishing.

For dessert we both chose the Crčme Brűlée.



Now this did live up to the hype. It's probably the best Crčme Brűlée that either of us have eaten. Definite 10/10 yum yum.



Overall the meal was tasty, hot and plentiful. Perhaps it was just a case of eating too late after a really long day which affected our opinions. I have to remember this is just a counter service location and as such it's actually a really good option - the portions here are big and a pretty reasonable price for what is served.

I would eat here again and am interesting trying the pizza which looked pretty awesome.

Credits used here - 2 CS
Credits left - 12 CS,14 TS & 14 SC

[Ycryan]

Loving your report, can't wait to read more. x

[dixonsontour]

Great start

[16offtodisney!]

Oh looking forward to seeing the rest x