Takumi-Tei

This experience is a very upscale (and pricy) Japanese meal. I ate here with a friend in February 2024. We made our way to the Japanese pavilion.

The entrance is on the right of the pavilion towards the front.

We checked in but were fairly early.

The hostesses were so amazing they saw us taking pictures while we waited and offered to take one for us.

After only a few minutes, they told us we could enter.

We were taken into the lobby and met by another lady in traditional dress that explained about the restaurant and experience. It is based in the 5 elements.

We were seated in the front corner table in the wood room.

Then we were introduced to our amazing server. She explained about the Omakase experience and how it is a prix fixe plan. There are no a la carte options here.

You can choose between a Kiku (meat) and Hasu (plant based) menu. We both chose Kiku.

The server did ask for our main dish (Yakimono) and dessert (Ocha to Kanmi) choices. She also asked if we wanted the Sake pairing menu. We were pleasantly surprised by this as I had read that it wasn’t back yet. It must have been a recent addition. We both opted for that. Then she brought us warm towels to freshen up.

She also asked our water preference. I chose still and my friend went with sparkling. She brought a bottle of each to the table and used them to periodically refill our glasses.

Next she brought us each a sake pairing map tailored for our main course choice. I had chosen the fish.

Then she brought our first sake.

She gave us incredible details about the sake and why they serve it. This one is meant to be overflowed in the glass.

Then our first course arrived.

She also brought us each a card of the menu with our choice starred.

Here are some individual pictures of the first course.

I believe the next to last one was meant to be eaten like a shot. Everything was tasty.

Next came the sushi course.

Then it was time for another sake.

That was paired with the tempura lobster.

Normally, I’m not a huge lobster fan. However, I think this was the standout of the whole meal.

The sashimi was beautifully presented.

Time for the next sake.

The main course arrived shortly thereafter.

The cup had a broth to pour over the dish. It was very tasty.

Once we finished our dishes, the seasonal broth was served. It was similar to a miso soup.

Finally, it was dessert time. My chestnut creme brulee was served in a very cute owl shaped container.

We also received our final sake.

Then we had a traditional tableside tea presentation. I know most won’t get this, but it reminded me of the scene in Karate Kid part II. I love the ceremony and attention to detail.

Overall, this was a great experience. I’m not a matcha fan so didn’t finish the tea. I’m also not a huge drinker so many of the sake cups were not empty. This was how my place looked in the end.

Our wonderful server even brought us this personalized origami thank you with the check.

I had to get her picture after the great experience we had.

Final impressions:

This experience is long. From the time we were seated to the time we left was 2 hours. This is shorter than Victoria & Albert’s but still lengthy. It is also pricy. This is better for a special celebration or splurge. The servers and staff couldn’t have been more friendly. They explained everything in detail. Every sake and dish had a story and reason. It’s part of why I think the price is reasonable. I do not think this is a good option for those who do not like seafood or are picky eaters. Also, unless your child is a Japanese food lover or adventurous eater, I would save this meal for adults only. Having said that, I think this is totally worth a splurge.

Celebration at the Top – Sip, Savor, Sparkle

This is an upscale more adult oriented option for a fireworks party held at the top of the Contemporary resort. This review is from a party attended by 2 adults the end of February 2024.

Check in for the party is at the California Grill desk on the 2nd floor of the Contemporary resort.

Once checked in, you will get a wristband identifying you as a party member. If you check in before party start time, you will then wait in the area until it is time. Once it is time for the party to start, you will be taken up to the 15th floor by elevator.

Once off the elevator, they escort you around to the right of the elevators. You will pass the bathrooms before coming to the hall between the Napa and Sonoma rooms. In the hall, there are welcome drinks and a card with your party name.

There is seating in both rooms. However, most of the seating is in the room with the bar area.

Unless you are a large party, you can choose your table. We got one in the back of the room. You place your name on the table to mark it as taken. The wine bottle was a centerpiece containing lights.

This was the view of the castle from our table.

You can order any wine, beer, or cocktail from the bar at any time during the party. My favorite cocktail was the amaretto sour.

These are generous drinks. The other room contained the food. This was the food available at the party we attended. This is subject to change and may be different on another date. To start, there was a table with a server dishing up a signature ravioli.

On the other side of that table was a squash zucchini focaccia.

In the middle was a table with various kinds of sushi.

On the end was a table with various other offerings.

They never ran out of food. If something ran low, they would get more and replenish it. Just before fireworks, they made an announcement about going outside to watch it. We did notice the desserts showed up around this time. However, everything would be available after fireworks. The party does have an area separate from the other diners in the restaurant. We are a little further back, but still have a nice view from the end.

We actually took our drinks out with us to enjoy the viewing. They did pipe the audio into the area. We had a great view of the fireworks. You really can’t see much of the projections so if that is important to you, the in-park dessert parties might be a better fit. Here are a few of the pictures I took during the show.

After the fireworks, we came back inside and got desserts.

I should say if you’re not a sweets person they did still have all the other food out as well. We noticed that people cleared out pretty quickly once the fireworks were done. We did not feel rushed in any way. Once we were done with desserts, we made our way to the elevators to get back down. If you leave too close to the end of fireworks, this wait can be lengthy.

This party is a bit on the pricey side. However, it does include all the alcohol. If you do not drink, it might not be worth it. I would not recommend it for kids since they will pay the same price. For an adults-only group with even casual drinkers who will have a couple drinks, I believe it is a great experience. All the food was amazing.

Savor the Savanna Tour

After arriving at Animal Kingdom, we made our way back to the Africa area by the safari entrance.

We checked in at the tour desk area.

We had to sign a waiver and then we were given our name tags.

We were a little early and were advised to use the restroom as it would be 30 minutes once the tour started before we would be able to again. So, we stopped by the nearest restroom.

After about 10 more minutes, everyone had checked in. We had a total of 11. Apparently this tour has a capacity of 12. Our guide introduced herself and led us to our special area.

We went back through the Wildlife Express train station area.

There was a gate off to the left that we went through.

This led to our special loading area and wonderful driver.

This vehicle is different from the regular safari vehicles. We sit up taller, and the driver is under us. The seating is around the edges pointing to the middle of the vehicle. We all took seats on the sides and the tour guide joined us to sit in the front.

Once everyone was seated and the vehicle was secured, we were off. There is space beneath the seats to place any bags or items you don’t want to hold the whole time. We started following the same path as the regular vehicles. The difference is our guide is giving us much more detailed information. She also checks for any questions and answers those. Another difference is the tour guide will interact with any workers out and about and see what they are doing.

Once in the savanna area, we did pull off on a different path. Here, one of the keepers joined us from his vehicle to talk to us a little and answer more of our questions.

After seeing a few more animals, we pulled up a separate path that led to the structure. We were greeted by another cast member who had readied the area for us.

We were led to the tables where we could relax while they explained the food we would enjoy. They did say anything we didn’t need could be left in the vehicle as it would be secured while we were here and no one would be going on it.

The food was in the middle table. It doesn’t look like a lot, but there was plenty.

There were sliced meats, cheeses, fruits, a hummus, two different types of breads, olives, a type of chicken salad, a mango chutney, pineapple with tamarind seasoning, and a few other things.

They went on to describe the drinks (alcoholic and not) that are included in this experience.

There were 2 beers, 2 white wines, and 2 red wines, as well as water and POG juice. We both lit up at the POG juice, so they actually brought us some once they were done explaining things. It’s sometimes called by different names, but POG juice is Passion Fruit, Orange, Guava juice and is delicious. I also tried one of the red wines. Here was my first plate.

The details on the structure were amazing.

The whole time we are eating, we were free to roam the area and watch all the animals on the savanna. We could also see the flamingos from our platform. They were being fed.

This is the view we had of the savanna area.

They passed around an empty ostrich egg. It has a very strong shell.

Next they brought out dessert.

There was a deconstructed smore in the tins, a chocolate pop, and a passion fruit cake with a white chocolate embellishment.

The smore was the highlight. Next they told us to grab the binoculars from the table and we would head to the other side of the structure.

This side is closest to the lions.

We did get the privilege of hearing the lion roar while we were watching. There is a bathroom on the platform area. After a bit, we were brought back to the main platform and loaded back on the vehicle. While driving past the lion area, we saw the ostriches pecking at the keeper’s vehicle.

They did pull us off the main area one more time to give us a longer view of a few things. Then, we were back to the loading area. They did ask us to turn in our lanyards if we did not need them so they could be reused. I happily took my nametag out and gave it back. Then we were led back out to the tour desk area.

I think this tour is a good value for the price. The extra time in the savanna and more in depth information especially for someone interested in animals or becoming a veterinarian was worth it. Keep in mind, there is no guarantee as to which animals will be out or how active they will be at the time. I will leave you with a few pictures of the many animals we saw on the tour.

Resort Review: Port Orleans French Quarter

This most recent stay happened the end of February 2024.

My party for this trip was 2 adult friends. We had a garden view room with 2 queen beds. We arrived at the resort about 6:30 PM and had received notice that our room was ready on the way from the airport. This was timely since I had indicated during online check in that we would be arriving about 6 PM. On arrival we were greeted and welcomed.

Since we knew our room number, we made our way straight to our room. We were in 3120. It was in the building to the right of the lobby as you exit.

It was a ground floor room just off the main “road” around the resort.

We were never bothered by any noise coming from this area. Here is a look towards our room coming from the lobby.

These rooms do still have ceiling fans. I know a lot of the resorts have removed these during remodeling.

There is a table and 2 chairs by the door area.

The 2 queen beds are located on the opposite side of the room.

The Hey Disney version of Alexa is available in the rooms. There are 2 more plugs and a few USBs in the nightstand between the beds.

The bathroom area has a double sink and lots of hanging space along with the trash and recycle bins. This hotel also has an iron and ironing board. The safe is on the wall to the right. You can see its reflection in the mirror.

There is a full, locking door to the shower and toilet area. A lighted magnifying mirror is on the wall closest to this door. Full sized, wall mounted bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are in the shower.

This resort has several activities available every day. During our stay, the pool was being refurbished. However, they did have a shuttle (golf cart) that went from the lobby over to Riverside if you wanted to use the Ole Man River pool there. Here is a sample activity schedule from our stay.

This is the nightly campfire area.

We did randomly encounter characters one day on our way through the lobby. This is the outside area right before you enter the lobby.

French Quarter is much smaller than Riverside. They are connected by a walkway. This bridge is the line between the 2 properties.

The river is the pathway for the boats between the two and over to Disney Springs when they are running.

The boat is in the back of the resort kind of behind the pool. This sign is at the entrance.

French Quarter is small enough that there is only one bus stop area in front of the lobby. You can easily walk the property and it has many beautiful areas. Here are a few.

This resort has a food court, Sassagoula Float Works. They have a decent menu with kid friendly and New Orleans themed option. This is a picture of the shrimp and grits and on the far side is the Jambalaya with corn bread.

Be aware that the super slice of pizza is basically 1/4 of the pizza.

Scat Cats lounge is a jazz bar at night. The area also serves beignets during the day. I personally love them.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with a view of the lobby entrance from the resort day and night.

This is a great, compact resort. It is a great place to stay if you are concerned about the amount of walking or internal bus loops. Although some buses also make the stops at Riverside, you never have to worry about getting off at the correct stop for French Quarter. When the pool is open, it has a sea serpent slide and plenty of area for the kids along with a decent sized kids splash area. I’ve never seen it super crowded. I would suggest this resort for adults and those looking to cut down on walking. Also, if you have a love for New Orleans, this might be right up your alley.

Resort Review: Grand Californian Club Level

This review was from a trip in April 2023.

Grand Californian is the highest-level hotel at Disneyland in California. It has an entrance straight into Disney’s California Adventure. It also has an entrance from Downtown Disney.

The club level lounge is on the top floor of the building. That is also where the club level rooms reside. We had completed online check in but stopped at the front desk to get key cards. This is not necessary. You can go straight up to the club floor and the concierge staff will help you. There is also a known issue where the front desk staff will not give the correct cards to access the club lounge. I would suggest heading straight up to the concierge desks. When you come out of the elevator on the 6th floor, you will see the red couch and a desk on either side. The cast members at these desks can help you.

We were in room 6112. Our room had 2 Queen beds.

There was also a love seat.

It has a small balcony with two chairs and a small table. This was the view from the balcony. The people you can see on the right are in the club lounge.

The bathroom has a double sink area. There is a hair dryer under the sink area. Club level does have extra toiletries present in this area. There were 2 vanity kits that included Q-tips, an emery board, and cotton pads. There were also 2 dental kits that included a toothbrush. small toothpaste, and a flosser. There was one more kit, but I didn’t make a note of what it included. The makeup mirror by the sink has one magnified side and I found it very useful when getting ready.

There is a pocket door to separate the toilet and shower room.

The shower has both a rain shower head and a removable and height adjustable one. It had 3 mounted toiletries in the shower.

There are 2 robes for use in the room. They are very comfortable. They do have these robes for sale in the gift shop.

The closet is decent sized. There is a small safe and steamer available. There is a little butler’s pantry area that has a dorm sized fridge and a K-cup machine. There is a small drawer under the machine that has different K cups and various sweeteners and creamer. There were also drawers in a dresser under the TV.

Overall, we found there to be plenty of plugs and USB plugs for all of our devices. There is a plug by the beds that is useful for a CPAP machine.

Aside from the expanded toiletries and robes, these rooms are virtually the same as the regular rooms at the Grand Californian. The real draw for these rooms is the access to the club level lounge. It is called the Veranda and is located by the concierge desks. You use your key card to unlock the doors to enter.

Immediately inside the door to the right, you will find the things needed for the coffee machine.

There are regular (not to go) coffee cups in the drawers below the machine. The machine is a little intimidating but easy to use.

This machine was available pretty much anytime. There are also regular urns of coffee on the left of the doors. There were distinct hours for the rest of the offerings.

We ended up here most often during the breakfast hours. They tended to be the busiest right after opening for the first 30-60 minutes due to people trying to get a bite before getting to the parks.

Here are the things we found while we visited:

Grand Beginnings:

Afternoon Tea:

Grand Hours:

Sweet Endings:

Aside from the club lounge, the Grand Californian also has an elegant signature restaurant, Napa Rose.

The big draw is the buffet restaurant that does a character breakfast and brunch as well as lunch and dinner (without characters), Storytellers Cafe.

The Craftsman Bar and Grill is a standout option for counter service. We dined here a couple times and were always pleased with the food.

The nachos and poke bowl were both above expectations.

This resort also has a spa if you need a relaxation experience.

There are multiple pools available for use at this hotel.

The first pool through the gate by Storyteller’s was not heated during our stay and was rather chilly.

Behind that is the pool that has the waterslide. The waterslide is a good length as it winds around the trunk.

There are a few hot tubs scattered about the area.

There’s also one more pool you can see in the back of the chairs in the picture below. The pool chairs are super plush since they all have a thick cushion.

You can rent cabanas

or these bed-type loungers.

Overall, we really enjoyed this resort. The best part was the proximity to the parks and the dedicated entrance to Disney’s California Adventure. If your budget allows, this is a great place to stay for your Disney Park days. If you do go club level, I would suggest at least one non-park day to be able to enjoy the resort and all the lounge offerings.

Resort Review: Polynesian Club Level

This review is from February 2022.

We had Magic Bands pre-ordered for this trip and did online check in. Even without that, the check in process for club level is different. You can go straight through the lobby and head to the Hawaii building which is where the lounge and all but a few suite rooms reside.

You have to use a key card, Magic Band, or be buzzed in to get the doors to open. Just inside the doors are desks staffed with cast members to help you. They will get you checked in, help you with things during your stay, and just make the experience more enjoyable.

Our room was on the ground floor. It was a garden view room, number 1517. The halls are actually bright while also being tropical.

Upon entering the room to the right was the bathroom. It featured a double sink.

Across from that was a shower/tub combo with a sliding glass door and removable shower head wand.

Straight ahead between those was a pocket door that led to the toilet.

Towels were in the toilet room.

There were small bottles of products on the sink area.

A bar of facial soap was in a holder by the sink as well.

Inside the shower, the larger mounted bottles of products could be found.

To the left of the main door were closets. The first set had robes for use during your stay. There was also a handheld steamer.

The next door held a couple drawers, a luggage rack, and extra bedding supplies.

The third door was hinged (the first 2 were sliders). It had a full-length mirror. Inside were several shelves. One contained a small safe.

After that door was a little nook area. It had a K-cup machine, the ice bucket, a drawer, and a small door.

The drawer held coffee supplies.

The small door led to a dorm sized fridge.

We had a 2 queen bed room. The beds were on the right side.

On the left was a TV, dresser, and sofa.

I believe this sofa can convert to a bed. It was pretty comfortable to sit on.

Here is a view from the other direction of the TV and dresser. There is also an attached nightstand with a lamp.

The room is a standard room for the Polynesian resort and could be found anywhere. The amenities are what makes it club level. One inclusion is a nice welcome letter and gift. These were on the left side of the dresser top. The letter includes the times for the different refreshments in the club lounge.

The gift at the top of the above picture was a cylindrical container with packaged nuts inside. The container was made of a soft wood.

To my surprise and delight, we could actually see Space Mountain through the trees especially at night.

The Polynesian resort is a top tier resort by Disney standards. One of the pluses is the close proximity to Magic Kingdom. There is also the monorail that runs right through the resort and can take you to the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT (via a monorail switch). One of the better bars is also here, Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. It can get very busy at night with long waits for a seat. It is a bar full of interesting things and some drinks do include effects in the space.

These things are available to all guests and even visitors to the resort. The thing that sets the club level apart (aside from room location) is the club lounge. The menu changes based on the time of day. On my first night, I was able to partake of the dessert and drinks timeframe. Here is what was on offer that night.

The Nespresso machine and water were available at any time. They did have various tea bags (Twinings) on the other side of the water.

I was also able to grab breakfast there one morning. This was the offerings at that time.

This club lounge is 2 stories. The second floor does not extend all the way to the windows. As a results, there is a great view and a lot of natural light from the 2 story windows.

Overall, this is a nice splurge. I would suggest having at least one non-park day if you are staying here to be able to enjoy the atmosphere and partake of everything offered.

Victoria & Albert’s 2023

I had the opportunity to visit this amazing restaurant again. Here is that review:

Victoria & Albert’s

Resort Review: Art of Animation Family Suite

My family stayed in this room in April 2022. At the time, I had a 13-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter. As such, they didn’t want to share beds. This was the perfect space and has 2 full bathrooms to help with preparations. We booked a Family Suite with no theme chosen. This is normally slightly less expensive, but you won’t find out your theme until your room is assigned on check in. We were having trouble picking one so this worked well for us. When our room was assigned, we were in the Finding Nemo section very close to the main pool.

We did drive to the resort so this was how we entered.

We parked in the lot that looked closest to our room. This was the view of our building as we were walking in. There was some painting happening on our building. I can only assume that’s how we ended up with what would normally be one of the more desirable rooms.

We went to the left of this building to get to the main entrance. The walkway is between this building and the main pool.

Upon entering the room, there is a table with 4 chairs and through the door is the main bedroom.

Looking to the left, you find the first bathroom and the living area with pull-out sofa and TV.

Here is a better view of the sofa area.

To the left of the sofa is a small kitchenette. It has a small fridge, bar-sized sink, Keurig, and small microwave.

Looking back towards the TV, there is a dresser and the hanging rack beside it. In the drawer were the pillows and covers for the pull-out sofa. That chair was surprisingly comfortable.

The bathroom in this area has a shower/tub combo with a shower curtain.

The toilet is in the room with the shower, but they do have a door. There is a single sink outside in another area.

The main bedroom does have a door and a queen bed.

There are nightstand on either side of the bed.

The bedroom has a TV, small safe, dresser, hanging area, and the iron and ironing board.

The bedroom as an en-suite bathroom. This bathroom only has a shower with a glass door. Everything is in one big room here including the toilet and single sink. There is a magnifying mirror on the wall by the door.

For charging, the dresser here has 4 plugs and 4 USB plugs. The nightstands had 2 plugs and at least one USB in the lamps. The dresser in the main area had the same 4 plugs and 4 USB plugs.

There are nightstands on either side of the table. This is what it looks like with the bed pulled down. My daughter had already put her things on it. She was able to pull it down by herself.

My son had no complaints with the sofabed.

Overall, this room provides plenty of space and the second bathroom was great. This resort has a big main pool and the Skyliner. In fact, our building was one of the closest to the Skyliner. We found that transportation option to be superior and elevate this resort. The food court also has plenty of good food options.

This resort is a good option if you are a family of 5+ or a family of 4 that just needs more room or 3 beds.

Luxury Dining experience at Disney

In February 2018, I had the privilege to dine at Victoria & Albert’s in the Grand Floridian resort. It is a first class experience all the way. Here is a link to my review.

Victoria & Albert’s