Trip Report "Dreams Really Can Come True" 6/1/09-6/8/09 - COMPLETED 7/19 - Page 29 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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There are other changes as well.
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We go on to the joy and through the tears
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To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
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I’ll try not to sound like I’m mooning over The Wave, but it was fantastic!
We got to the restaurant with just a little confusion about where it was. The CM at check-in was very nice and told us to wait for a few minutes with our pager in the waiting area. It was so relaxing sitting there – I felt like I was in an aquarium.
We were called after a few minutes and we were seated in a corner by the kitchen. It was a pretty place and not loud by the kitchen so it was okay. We really didn’t care, although I know this annoys some people.
Looking out from where we sat.
The tables were full, but the lighting and décor made it sort of subdued. As far as the noise level, it was like any typical Saturday night at a restaurant. The place felt trendy, but we were comfortable there. Our server, Barbara, was first-class. She explained the menu after we told her we were on the DDP.
I had wanted to try some South African wine at Jiko, so I took my chance here. I explained that I’m not a wine drinker, but I would like to try some, even though I had no idea how to order. Barbara immediately put me at ease and basically said that I could get whatever I wanted to – the red with beef and the white with fish was an old school notion. I told her I just knew I wanted something on the sweet side, not too dry. She brought out the “wine service” (I think it’s called that) which was 3 different types of wine to sample. She gave me an impromptu sommelier lesson for the layperson – she was not preachy or stuck-up at all. Medium story short – I chose the Wild Rock Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The reason: because it smelled so good. (She told me to never have a svb from California b/c they are wack. Not her word.) I looked up the wine menu on Disney’s website, but it isn’t on there for some reason. (Maybe the online menu is different than the real one.) I think I remember her saying something about Disney having exclusive, blah blah something about wines. I wish I could remember it now, but I had vacation brain at the time. After I looked it up, I realized that it was totally “wrong” for my meal, but it sure was nice at the time .
Our meal:
I was craving an appetizer, but we had to stick to the Plan, man! The bread that was served was a hearty, whole grain type that came with butter and gray Hawaiian sea salt. The boys, including DH weren’t that impressed, but I was loving it. Salted butter and bread – so good! Okay, my mouth just watered…
I ordered the Marinated Flank Steak with vegetables, chimichurri and guacamole. I think the vegetables were sweet potatoes. I had to look up “chimichurri” – it’s a green marinade for meats used in Uruguay and Argentina. The flank steak was tender and delicious with a great grilled flavor that was so good with the guacamole and the onions. I honestly don’t remember the vegetables, but my plate was clean, so they must have been good. As for the wine, I was happy with my choice. It smelled just like fruit, like “citrusy berries”. (Barbara showed me how to swirl it on the table and sniff it, hee hee .) I can’t describe the taste without sounding like an idiot. (DH said that it tasted like “wine”. He doesn’t drink either.) I’ll just say that it tasted good after each bite of food because it like cleaned my mouth with a sharpness. derrr I enjoyed it, and especially smelling it. I must have looked like a goofball sniffing my glass all night. Very sophisticated!
DH got the Sashimi-grade yellow fin tuna with edamame stew and cilantro chutney. Barbara recommended that he get it still pink inside (she’s so smart!) but he requested medium and regretted it. (He is terrified of sushi and didn’t want “raw fish” .) Still, he said it was good and that his meal was very fresh tasting. He was happy, especially after eating all those burgers all week.
DS7 got the cheeseburger and ate it all – a rarity. DS4 got the pasta with marinara sauce – he said it was good.
Dessert: The Wave serves “flights” or a mini trio of desserts according to texture. I got the “Crisp and Crunchy”. This was Vanilla-braised Pineapple Spears, Almond-Pineapple-Raisin Baklava, and Zucchini-Carrot Cake with Vanilla Panna Cotta. It wan't really crispy or crunchy, but it was very good. It was traditional flavors, “kicked up a notch”.
DH got the Freshly Crafted Sorbets: Lemon-Basil, Pineapple, and Strawberry. So good! They were all very light and refreshing, but we thought the Lemon-Basil was the best.
The boys both got the do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes – I forgot the fancy name .
Overall impression: We really enjoyed this place! It was different than HBD, but it’s like comparing apples and oranges. The food was very fresh and light, not heavy. We were eating “organic and sustainable” food and it was delicious. Our server, Barbara was awesome and attentive, even though she had a large group next to us. She took her time with us, without being obtrusive. The décor was nice and trendy, but comfortable. We will return if given the chance. I’ve read good reviews about breakfast, so that’s a possibility. Our bill came to $93.43 + $20 tip – well worth it.
for the review of The Wave as this is a place we've considered trying. Your server sounds wonderful, giving you info and time to decide on your wine. The bread and salted butter had my mouth watering.
Thanks for the review of The Wave. We are staying at Bay Lake in February and are thinking about dining there. It's so pretty
I'm really enjoying your report. Thanks for sharing
Great updates! I hear you on the Villians too - it would be nice to have some variety in there. Glad you enjoyed your meal at the Wave - it sounds very good.
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We hadn’t made plans to go to DTD, but the night was still a bit young and we didn’t want to go back to the room yet. I didn’t have a clue where to catch the DTD bus from the Contemporary, so we decided to see the Polynesian resort. We got there quickly and basically just looked around the area where you go down the stairs from the monorail. It sure was pretty, even though we couldn’t help comparing it to “our place”, AKL. We figured out how to get to the bus stop and went there to wait. While we were there, two very enthusiastic young boys came up to us and showed us their Legoland treasures they had just gotten. Wow – they could talk! Their mom just smiled and shook her head. It was a good intro because half the reason we planned on going to DTD was because of Legoland. The bus finally came and off we went. I’m can’t remember how long it took, but it seemed like it took a while to get there. We got to see the famous Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa! Huge .
We got there just before 10pm and I was surprised that it was still pretty crowded. We walked around and got to see some great musicians and performers. I didn’t take too many pictures because we were going to come back the next day. It was hard tearing the boys away from Legoland. They were disappointed, but we promised we would be back.
I know everyone has taken this picture – here’s mine!
My baby loves robots and Transformers! He just stood there staring...
Totally cool.
We walked all the way through to Disney Quest and Cirque. DH was like, “How come you didn’t tell me about this place?” Looks like DQ and Cirque may be in the next plans… We found the other bus stop and went on back to our room. I had a spa rez at 8am and it had been a long day.
Next up: a lazy Sunday and our last night at Magic Kingdom
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Medium story short – I chose the Wild Rock Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The reason: because it smelled so good. (She told me to never have a svb from California b/c they are wack. Not her word.) I looked up the wine menu on Disney’s website, but it isn’t on there for some reason. (Maybe the online menu is different than the real one.) I think I remember her saying something about Disney having exclusive, blah blah something about wines. I wish I could remember it now, but I had vacation brain at the time. 
After I looked it up, I realized that it was totally “wrong” for my meal, but it sure was nice at the time 
.
.) I can’t describe the taste without sounding like an idiot. (DH said that it tasted like “wine”. He doesn’t drink either.) I’ll just say that it tasted good after each bite of food because it like cleaned my mouth with a sharpness. derrr 
I enjoyed it, and especially smelling it. I must have looked like a goofball sniffing my glass all night. Very sophisticated! 
.) Still, he said it was good and that his meal was very fresh tasting. He was happy, especially after eating all those burgers all week.
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We've only tried it for breakfast and I'm hoping that we get there for dinner in December.
More please!! 
for the review of The Wave as this is a place we've considered trying. Your server sounds wonderful, giving you info and time to decide on your wine. The bread and salted butter had my mouth watering. 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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