Welcome, friends! I'm excited to share day 9 Disney details with you today! If you're looking for some different things to do at Walt Disney World, I've got some terrific ideas for you! All of the fun had in this trip report was enjoyed outside of the Parks, but located on Disney property, right there at our new favorite resort, Port Orleans Riverside!
Day 9 - Friday, September 27, 2013
On this fabulous Friday we had a nice leisurely morning, sleeping in a little {quite the opposite of our normal up-before-dawn Disney schedule}, and enjoyed a full day exploring and enjoying the fantastic recreation that our resort offered!
Lunch at the Riverside Mill Food Court
After all, you shouldn't seek adventure on an empty stomach! ;)
You can't go wrong with a Disney pizza in our book. This simple yumminess was just two dining credits {using our Disney dining plan}, not bad as it fed the four of us.
You can find more information and the full menu offered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner HERE.
Resort Recreation, Inexpensive Fun!
Plenty of fun to be had at a very reasonable price!
Surrey Bike Adventures
What better way to explore a resort than on a surrey bike? Surrey-sly cute & so much fun! ;) We thoroughly enjoyed our ride and would highly recommend it! For $20-22 you can rent a two or four seater surrey bike for 30 minutes, which typically allows plenty of time for two laps around Riverside's pathways alongside the beautiful Sassagoula River. I will say, it is a bit of a workout, but what a fun way to work off some of those Disney eats! Our videos from this little bike excursion are pretty hilarious! My husband plans to start up a Disney YouTube channel soon. I'll be sure to let you know when those vids are shared!
You'll look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two ....or four! ;)
Next, we split up for a few hours to enjoy some one on one time with the kiddos. Jason took our more adventurous girl for some fun on the Sassagoula River, while Princess and I enjoyed some refreshing R & R...
Daddy & his mini me heading off for some memory making
Little One's First Time Kayaking
Jason and Little One had the best time kayaking on the Sassagoula! For $6.50 the kayak and gear were theirs for a half an hour which was enough time to paddle to Port Orleans French Quarter and back!
I can see this becoming a new tradition as they loved every minute of it!
Little One's First Time Fishing
No fishing license required, for only $4 she fished for thirty minutes from Ol' Man Island at Port Orleans Riverside!
Little One didn't catch anything during her first fishing trip, but did have so much fun that she convinced her daddy to take her back for more the next morning! Check back next Trip Report Tuesday to hear more about how that fishing adventure went! ;)
Mother/Daughter R&R Date
While the other half of our family was kayaking and cane pole fishing, Princess & I were doing four of our favorite things:
- Rocking on the front porch of our charming resort
- Eating chocolate {better yet, chocolates featuring Mickey Mouse!}
- Chatting :)
- Relaxing in a fabulous hammock
Ahh... this is the life!
A Lovely Afternoon Relaxing & Playing Poolside
We hit the pool during the daily afternoon pool party which included fun activities like limbo, a Disney spin on Marco Polo, Disney trivia, & more. Jason and the girls also enjoyed the waterside, while I lounged barefoot reading. As I began to look over our itinerary for the days ahead, my sweet hubby surprised me with a delicious Lava Smoothie {Raspberry Purée blended with Piña Colada Mix} from Muddy Rivers Pool Bar. It was so good!! He said when he looked over at me it looked like the perfect afternoon, all that was missing was a cold, yummy drink in my hand. I asked if he was able to use a {dining plan} snack credit, he replied, "This was a wife credit." ;) Isn't he the cutest?!
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Breathtaking Tropical Beauty
Dinner at 'Ohana
Dinner {brought to each table family style}: Mixed Greens with a Honey-Lime Dressing, Lo Mein Noodles tossed in a Teriyaki Sauce with Fresh Vegetables, Pork Dumplings with Sweet and Sour Sauce, and Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings. Dinner also consists of Grilled Chicken, Char-Sui Pork Loin, Szechuan Sirloin Steak, and Grilled Peel-n-Eat Shrimp brought to your table on large skewers (not pictured, more on that below). Dessert: Ohana Bread Pudding. Little One is allergic to coconut so the Chef made her a fun little sundae that she could eat. We always appreciate how the Chef here {and at other restaurants throughout WDW} accommodate her allergy, giving us the information to avoid any problems, and when needed provide her with a delicious alternative.
Dinner at 'Ohana is a must for us as it's been our family's favorite on Disney property for years now. I'm saddened to share that in all honesty our dining experience there during this trip was not up to par. Ohana means family, and you soon learn that every one who will serve you or take care of you in any way here will refer to you as "cousin". We normally do feel like welcomed family and enjoy the traditional Hawaiian hospitality, but on this night we were treated like the family members you have to invite out of obligation.
It all began well, the "cousin" who seated us was friendly and a complete delight, as expected. We had no indication that the evening would go any differently than our previous enjoyable dinners. Things took a turn when our server was rarely seen and the "cousin" who was to bring us meats off the grill basically ignored us the entire time. We sat at 'Ohana for the longest time, hungry. This has never happened to us there, nor should it! We normally have to turn away the scrumptious skewers of food, just so we'll be able to stand upright and not have to be wheeled out of there! The deliciousness is normally in abundance and continually, graciously offered, often before our plates are anywhere near empty. For whatever reason that was not the case this time around. We sadly had a completely opposite experience from our past several trips. It was beyond disappointing, so much so that I didn't realize until going through our pictures for this post that I actually took no pictures of our steak, pork, chicken, or shrimp! I usually snap photos of everything so this really surprised me, but then I recalled how disappointed we felt at the time it honestly wasn't a moment I wanted captured.
If this had been our first dining experience at 'Ohana we wouldn't have been so disappointed, but would simply not repeat a reservation there in the future. Since it has been our favorite restaurant for a while now it spoiled the evening for us not enjoying the quality of service and deliciousness we'd literally been looking forward to since making our reservation there 180 days prior.
In the end, my takeaway is that we should have complained, right then and there. We should have asked to talk to the manager and politely expressed our deep disappointment. We will make a dinner reservation there on our next trip, hopeful that this was simply an off night there. If it happens again we will most certainly speak up, and reservations there will be a thing of the past.
If you continue to follow my trip reports, when we get to day 17 you'll hear all about our {farewell to Disney} character breakfast there just before heading to the airport. It was our first time dining there during breakfast ... looking forward to sharing those details with you later! ;)
Thanks so much for visiting today! Here's a sneak peek at what's to come next Trip Report Tuesday! It'll be a FUN one! ...
You may also be interested in:
Previous Trip Reports:
Visit my DISNEY! page for magical crafts, recipes, and Disney goodness galore!
Make sure you don't miss a thing at
Chatting Over Chocolate!
Chatting Over Chocolate!
Follow on Facebook, Bloglovin', Pinterest, Polyvore, Google Friend Connect, or have each post delivered directly to your inbox! *To join via GFC or subscribe via email see left sidebar of blog ;)
I appreciate each comment, & Facebook "like"! They let me know that you enjoyed what you read, which makes it worth sharing! ;)
Wow! So much to do outside of the parks! Looks fun!
ReplyDeleteAnd when I read what Jason said about the "wife credit", I said "awwwwww!". What a keeper! :)
We saw the Luau at the Polynesian once and were not impressed at all. The food wasn't the greatest. The show was ok. Never did that again. Laughed out loud when the guy with the earphones didn't budge when you rang the bell on the bike ride.
ReplyDelete