BEL13VE in Magic: The TCD Gang Rings in 2013 at The Fort

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I had been trying to talk DH into coming back to Florida for a two week fort stay. The availability has been lacking or the prices through the roof for what I thought were non peak times...

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Love the pretty pink flowers. And, whoa, that was a lot of firewood. The pop-up behind the RV was ballsy.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I had been trying to talk DH into coming back to Florida for a two week fort stay. The availability has been lacking or the prices through the roof for what I thought were non peak times...

I hear yah.

It never made sense to me that it costs more to camp on MLK and Presidents' Day weekend than it does for Halloween or Thanksgiving, but it does.

I'd like to be able to say that those high prices bite Disney in the butt.

But they don't.

People pay, and the Fort fills.

As long as that happens, the price isn't coming down.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Love the pretty pink flowers. And, whoa, that was a lot of firewood. The pop-up behind the RV was ballsy.

I have seen pop-ups and motorhomes or trailers share sites enough to say that it's OK to do at the Fort, no matter what you may see or hear elsewhere, including the official Disney website.

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Next we will see a silly thread elsewhere talking about a source that told them their is secret tunnels from the Fort that connect to the utilidors.....and then Lou will repost it here and Mo will translate and make fun of that poor imbecile. Cool!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I hear yah.

It never made sense to me that it costs more to camp on MLK and Presidents' Day weekend than it does for Halloween or Thanksgiving, but it does.

I'd like to be able to say that those high prices bite Disney in the butt.

But they don't.

People pay, and the Fort fills.

As long as that happens, the price isn't coming down.

TCD

When i looked it was $100 less than staying for the two weeks at christmas

[fortpartyof4 108]

What are you saying FP4? That you never heard of Condor Man either?

Apparently, it had a lot of fans.

TCD

Yes, and that it's odd. One little typo could make that a very "non-Disney" movie.

I have seen pop-ups and motorhomes or trailers share sites enough to say that it's OK to do at the Fort, no matter what you may see or hear elsewhere, including the official Disney website.

TCD

I see this combination nearly every visit now. I don't get it, and wonder if they have issues with the electricity? Do the MH's tow the pop-ups in?

Also next time you post pictures of one of your walking tours, you may want to crop the rear view mirror out of your shots. wink wink

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Quick question. Is it against the ruled to put an rv and a pop up on the same site? I figured they just thought of it as very nice tent. Since there's usually no bathroom.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We are almost there.

Looks like it will be this update, and then one more.

So where did you guess that we were heading to dinner?

Did anyone guess Ohana?

If you you're right!

Remember how I got laughed in the face when we tried to go there on January 1?

Well, I did.

I told the girls then that the next time it worked out, we would make ADR's and eat there like gentlemen.

So, when this pick up and drop off at Orlando thing came up, I checked.

There was nothing for Thursday night.

But, we got offered very early or very late for Sunday night.

Actually, the way it went was I booked a 9:25 ADR for Sunday night, because at first that's all that came up.

When I checked another time, a 5:05 came up, so I booked that too.

Then we had to decide.

Eventually, we decided on early rather than late, and I dropped the later reservation.

I'm glad we did.

We arrived at the Polynesian Resort at about 4:50 pm, and I was surprised at how many people were already hanging around and waiting. I didn't realize that Ohana does not open until 5. I thought maybe it opened at 4 or 4:30.

The bar outside Ohana is called the Tamboo Lounge. During football season, they play the college and pro games on a couple of small TV's they have in the small seating area. The Falcons/49ers playoff game was going on when we arrived:

But they had tennis on one of the TV's:

If you ever plan on watching a game here, make sure to arrive early- there aren't many chairs:

The bar is a good size, though, and there were empty stools there:

Believe it or not, we have never eaten dinner at Ohana.

I have heard many folks rave about it, including my buddy DaveInTn here on ff.net.

I also read some on-line reviews.

But, I wasn't completely sure what they serve beside meat on a stick.

In case you're wondering, like I was, here's the menu they have posted right outside:

This sign also tells you what they serve downstairs in Captain Cooks, where we have been many many times:

Note that this sign states that the dinner menu at Captain Cooks is not served after 11 pm. They say that Captain Cooks is open 24 hours a day, which is true, but there are limited choices after 11 pm.

When we checked in, we were given a pager and told to hang out until it went off and then report to a hostess.

By 5 pm quite a crowd had gathered, and I was a bit worried that we would be waiting a while before we would be seated:

Right before 5, all the servers came out, and there was a bit of an opening ceremony. That was cool to see.

An announcement was made not to come forward until your pager lit, so we hung back and waited.

We saw the lucky first family cheer as their pager went off, and they headed in.

I prepared myself for a long wait.

Go with the flow.

Then our pager went off!

Bam!

We were the second table seated!

I planned on documenting our experience, so I snapped this photo as our hostess stopped and picked up a loaf of bread for us on the way to our table. This photo was taken at 5:01:

We were walked past the grill, where the cooks were just putting all of the skewers of meat on the fire:

We were shown to our table, right by the window:

Twin #2 checked out the view:

The outside light kind of washed out that photo, so you can't see the excellent view we had.

I stepped back a bit and tried again:

This is one of those times when a photo does not do a scene justice. Here's a zoom on part of that photo:

Do you see that?

We were sitting there overlooking the volcano at the pool, and beyond that Cinderella Castle.

How sweet is that?

It's good to be TCD.

I loved our table location.

If I looked the other way, I could see the grill:

You can also see that they really staggered the seating. We were well into our meal before the place filled up. It was great getting seated so early. I wish I could tell you our secret, but I don't know. Our ADR was for 5:05. Maybe all those other people had a later time?

We have all wanted to eat at Ohana for a long time.

We have walked by many times and seen the servers walking around with the big skewers of meat.

We had big plans.

We had skipped chips at lunch and just had sandwiches.

We should have skipped the sandwiches too.

We were bombarded with food!

First, they brought out the salad. It had a mango dressing. It was fresh and delicious:

Then came a big plate of chicken wings and pot stickers (I was a little slow with the camera) :

Those were good.

So good that we asked for more pot stickers.

I liked the wings too, but since I knew what was coming next, I didn't have more of those.

Then came a dish of noodles and vegetables;

Twin #2 loves the oriental noodles they serve as an entree down in Captain Cooks. These were the same noodles, with a slightly different sauce. They were very good. But, we tried not to eat a lot of those, because we knew what was coming next.

Then came the meat:

Chicken, pork, beef, shrimp.

As much as we wanted.

We had all vowed to pace ourselves and make sure to get our money's worth.

I told the girls that we should plan on being here for two hours.

By about 5:40, though, we were all certain that not only did we get our money's worth, but we could not possibly eat another bite.

It was awesome.

During dinner, a fellow circulated around the dining room playing Hawaiian music and leading the kids first in limbo and then coconut races where they pushed cocounts around with brooms.

Even though we thought we couldn't eat one more bite, when dessert arrived we found some room.

The dessert here is bread pudding.

We all thought we would be fine skipping it.

Here it is :

Let me tell you something.

Bread pudding is the bomb!

Who knew?

That was some really good stuff!

It didn't take us two hours to eat at Ohana.

It only took about an hour.

The service was great.

By 6, we were ready to go.

So we did.

I highly recommend Ohana.

My only gripe is that it's expensive. it was just over $100 for the three of us, and then we had to tip our servers.

So, not cheap.

But, for what we got, I have no complaints, and we will be going again.

The plan was to head over to the MK after dinner.

It was a beautiful night, and the MK was open till 10.

Actually, when we got there, we learned that they had extended the hours and it was open till 11.

And, then there would be EMH's until 1.

We weren't resort guests, though.

And, I still had to drive home.

So, 11 was plenty good for us.

I'll pick it up from there in the next update.

Which will also be the last for this very long report.

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Yes, and that it's odd. One little typo could make that a very "non-Disney" movie.

:rofl2:

Learned something today -- didn't realize that Condorman was a Disney movie! Check here for more info on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condorman

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Thanks for the review of Ohanas! I've never considered eating there because it isn't exactly low carb friendly, but maybe we'll give it a try some day.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

We too have wanted to try O'hana but at the prices and mixed reviews at some other place I visited before I found home, we've kept it off the list. I may want to see if I can ressies for July. The food looks yummy.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I am stuffed just looking at your pictures from Ohana.....

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Ohana!

That looks and sounds mouth watering delicious. We have only been to ohana for the character breakfast.

I think this may be an early front runner for date night during the December 2013 trip!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I am glad that you liked Ohana, and that you had good service. As much as I enjoy the food, we have on two occasions had terrible service. So much so that after our last visit I swore the place off.

And I agree with you...the bread pudding is awesome. Just when you think you can't stuff another bite in, that dessert arrives and somehow you make room. You HAVE to make roomm.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Next we will see a silly thread elsewhere talking about a source that told them their is secret tunnels from the Fort that connect to the utilidors.....and then Lou will repost it here and Mo will translate and make fun of that poor imbecile. Cool!

LOL!

That would be silly.

There are no tunnels from the Fort that connect to the utilidors.

This one comes out in Injun Joe's cave on Tom Sawyer Island.

But, remember, that's a secret!

Yes, and that it's odd. One little typo could make that a very "non-Disney" movie.

I see this combination nearly every visit now. I don't get it, and wonder if they have issues with the electricity? Do the MH's tow the pop-ups in?

Also next time you post pictures of one of your walking tours, you may want to crop the rear view mirror out of your shots. wink wink

LOL at the typo. That would be a movie for health class, maybe?

I have seen motorhomes tow pop-ups in. I've also seen trucks towing the pop-ups in seperately. There are splitters you can buy at RV stores to handle the electric issues.

What rear view mirror? That's an optical illusion. What's with the wink wink. You know there's no way an outsider, non-guest, can just drive into the Fort and look around. Those Rangers would be on that so fast the intruder wouldn't know what hit him.

Quick question. Is it against the ruled to put an rv and a pop up on the same site? I figured they just thought of it as very nice tent. Since there's usually no bathroom.

There used to be language on the old official site that said something to the effect that guests could have one camping unit and one tent per site. But, I can't find anything like that on the new site. And, despite whatever the official site says, they don't stop folks from putting two camping units on a site.

I think you could fit three or more pop-ups on a premium site. Maybe some of us pop-up owners should try it?

Learned something today -- didn't realize that Condorman was a Disney movie! Check here for more info on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condorman

Well, you didn't learn as much as me, because I had never even heard of the movie at all.

Thanks for the review of Ohanas! I've never considered eating there because it isn't exactly low carb friendly, but maybe we'll give it a try some day.

Isn't meat low carb?

You can eat a lot of meat here.

A lot.

We too have wanted to try O'hana but at the prices and mixed reviews at some other place I visited before I found home, we've kept it off the list. I may want to see if I can ressies for July. The food looks yummy.

The food was great.

The service was great.

Loved everything about it, but the price.

Again, for what we got, it was reasonable.

I am stuffed just looking at your pictures from Ohana.....

We were stuffed too.

Ohana!

That looks and sounds mouth watering delicious. We have only been to ohana for the character breakfast.

I think this may be an early front runner for date night during the December 2013 trip!

I think this would be a great place for a date night.

Just remember that you're going to feel like you need to be rolled out of there after the meal.

Not too romantic.

I am glad that you liked Ohana, and that you had good service. As much as I enjoy the food, we have on two occasions had terrible service. So much so that after our last visit I swore the place off.

And I agree with you...the bread pudding is awesome. Just when you think you can't stuff another bite in, that dessert arrives and somehow you make room. You HAVE to make roomm.

I remember you mentioning your poor service.

We were very lucky.

I think being one of the first tables seated helped.

Clearly, our servers wanted to get us fed and on our way so they could get more guests in and more tips.

Fine with me.

Our service was excellent.

And, it seemed to be the case all around us.

One of the reviews I read complained about how the meat was overcooked and dry. Ours was not dry at all. Very flavorful. I could imagine the meat might be dry later at night after it's been cooked and sits around for a while.

When we go back, I'm going to try for that early ADR again.

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

We love Ohanas too but it is super expensive. Maybe if the girls bring their babysitting money and pay their own way we'll return.

Your comment on being rolled out of there reminds me of the book Mousejunkies. Not sure if you've read it but it's a WDW guidebook. The author is pretty funny and adds some personal stories in there. He too enjoys Ohanas and has this suggestion of a card that you pin to your shirt if eating there. It basically goes like "'My name is (fill in the blank). I am staying at (fill in the blank). I have just eaten at Ohanas and am dangerously engorged and cannot speak. Please get me to the nearest bus to my resort. There is a fast pass for Toy Story in my pocket, please take it as a token of my thanks." I laugh every time I think of it because it's so true! Although I too can never pass up the bread pudding.

[BuckeyeFortFan 35]

The BuckeyeFortFamily eats at Ohana EVERYTIME we go to WDW.

H.A.M.

Love it.

[Lou... 3,118]

I'm in total agreement with TCD's assessment of 'Ohana.

As for mixed reviews, most of the reviews I've read give 'Ohanas between 4 and 5 stars, that's very good. And those that give it a bad review do it for some silly reasons. IE, no scalloped potatoes, noisy room, didn't like the entertainment, really? It's all about the food.

As for the cost, considering it's Disney, and for what you get, I thought it was well worth the cost. And I would say that even if I didn't get the nice CM discount.

We were there for the first time last week and everything was great. Service, food, servers, price, all great.

I'll be back.

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

TCD,

So glad you like O'hana. We have always loved it too! On almost every trip, I would always make an ADR at O'hana, Boma and Breakfast at either Chef Mickeys or 1900 Park Faire. The last few trips, I havent been able to get an ADR at O'hana unless I took one at 9:00 or after, which is way too late for us to eat a meal like that! I need to get us back there on our next trip....your photos looked yummy!

Heidi

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

We eat there every time we go also. Except this last trip. Went to luau it was good food and good show. But we will be going back to O'Hana. Love love love the hot wings and pot stickers. And of course the bread pudding.

Ask your server if you can get your steak medium rare and they will bring you medium rare to medium. I ask every time and the steak is never dry then.

As always great TR and you guys always seem to have such a wonderful time.

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

Consider us as part of the O'Hana fan club... I have two more days until I can book that meal....

[CKCK 45]

Totally jealous of Ohana. It is on our short list of places we need to try!

[Starbuc71 162]

Ohanas is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney. We try to go at least once a year. Ressies are sometimes difficult to get. Once I even set a reminder on my phone to book a ressie the day they should have been able to book during the 6 month window and low and behold not a single open slot. I will have to say though as I stated awhile back, do not waste your time for breakfast there. It's normal Disney breakfast fare only at a ohanas price. Service has also always been terrible in the AM. Andrew, I cat believe you have never been here. If you thought this place was great you have to check out Texas de Brazil on Spruce st by international mall in Tampa. Out of this world and actually better cuts of meat. I take my corporate people there when I want to impress them...lol. I think there is one on I drive but I hear it not as good as Tampa

[kampfirekim 260]

WE are huge Ohana (the restaurant, not the Dave version) fans. It looks like y'all sat in or very near our favorite spot! We've always gone at night and watched the Fireworks. Funny, but we leave feeling like we could never eat another bite too! ;D