No Longer coming to you Live from Disney World! Take 3 DDW'S TAMBU LOUNGE 8/6

[SmallWorld71]

Thanks for another update, DDW.
We've added 2 Universal days onto our December vacation to experience DA. We LOVED WWoHP when we went back in 2010.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Another fantastic update Mr. DDW! Too bad about the butterbeer ice cream. At least you got to sample a few other flavors as well. That's great that you were able to utilize early entry. That seems to be the way to do it right now.

 

[vettegirl]

Wonderful

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[disney meema]

Fabulous pictures DDW of Universal they really have brought their themes to life with Harry Potter in Florida. We were planning on going to universal during our WDW trip this November but last week we were in California for 2 weeks and went to universal ... they are building a Harry Potter wizard world ( whatever they call it LOL ) in California between the Simpson area and Shrek experience and it goes way way back towards the backlot tour ( it's huge so maybe it will include everything Florida has now ) will wait for it to open there since we go several times a year. Looks like it's about 1/4 done so could be late 2015 or 2016? But I've read they really can bang out their attractions so who knows! Their newest ride experience is despicable me and a land to go with that theme. But since you travel so much you've probably seen it already.
Love love your Disney Paris pictures amazing! But yikes on the prices! What is the cost of a ticket to the parks? Thanks on advance : )

 

[Haygar2]

Thank you for those amazing pictures of Diagon Alley! We were trying to figure out how we could fit Universal into our trip. After adding it up, we realized that it would cost us over $1000 just to add that "extra" day. (Between park tickets, rental car, resort stay, and dog boarding) It just isn't feasible. On a much brighter side, my husband did say that it gives us a reason to go back. Yep. Works for me.

Thanks for this wonderful thread. I must say, I look at the food pictures almost every day. They really helped when I was deciding on where to eat. I am helping my brother plan a trip and I keep sending him pictures to help him make his decisions also.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Thanks for another update, DDW.
We've added 2 Universal days onto our December vacation to experience DA. We LOVED WWoHP when we went back in 2010.

I hope you enjoy Diagon Alley! And hopefully Gringotts will be having less technical issues by then.

Another fantastic update Mr. DDW! Too bad about the butterbeer ice cream. At least you got to sample a few other flavors as well. That's great that you were able to utilize early entry. That seems to be the way to do it right now.

Early entry definitely made all the difference with Gringotts, and I'm still not sure it was worth the effort. As for Florean Fortescue's, my recommendation would be the hard-packed ice cream flavors, but you could probably do better at L'Artisan des Glaces anyway.

Fabulous pictures DDW of Universal they really have brought their themes to life with Harry Potter in Florida. We were planning on going to universal during our WDW trip this November but last week we were in California for 2 weeks and went to universal ... they are building a Harry Potter wizard world ( whatever they call it LOL ) in California between the Simpson area and Shrek experience and it goes way way back towards the backlot tour ( it's huge so maybe it will include everything Florida has now ) will wait for it to open there since we go several times a year. Looks like it's about 1/4 done so could be late 2015 or 2016? But I've read they really can bang out their attractions so who knows! Their newest ride experience is despicable me and a land to go with that theme. But since you travel so much you've probably seen it already.
Love love your Disney Paris pictures amazing! But yikes on the prices! What is the cost of a ticket to the parks? Thanks on advance : )

It's interesting to hear about Universal Hollywood - I've never been there, but it would probably be fun to visit when their Potter expansion is complete. And you're definitely right that Universal knows how to build things quickly - Diagon Alley construction began 2.5 years ago, whereas Avatar at AK was announced almost 3 years ago.

My ticket at DLP was a 4-day park hopper for the price of 3 days ($220 USD). Honestly, that doesn't seem awful compared to WDW or DL, but the other costs (such as food) were definitely jarring.

Thank you for those amazing pictures of Diagon Alley! We were trying to figure out how we could fit Universal into our trip. After adding it up, we realized that it would cost us over $1000 just to add that "extra" day. (Between park tickets, rental car, resort stay, and dog boarding) It just isn't feasible. On a much brighter side, my husband did say that it gives us a reason to go back. Yep. Works for me.

I can definitely see what you mean about the cost of visiting Uni for a day. Unfortunately, both Disney and Universal have pricing models that encourage longer/multiple trips but 'punish' you for a 1-2 day visit - I hope you get a chance to visit Diagon Alley in the future!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

So we're back home now, and I don't expect to return to Orlando before next year. But it was a great trip, even without stepping foot in a WDW park.

I've got at least another update to share - this one is from Monday evening, when we decided to visit WDW's newest 'on-property' resort:

The Four Seasons! Like most of WDW's recent hotel projects, it's a bit of an eyesore from the outside. However, the inside looks very nice, bringing together luxury and magic.

I loved this lighting fixture, which is inspired by fireworks.

Unsweetened tea - yes please!

This hotel is located within Golden Oak - the luxury home community near Fort Wilderness and Port Orleans. This promotion for Golden Oak was located near the lobby.

Of course, we had to grab a bite while visiting the hotel, so we stopped at Lickety Split. This is a coffee bar, gelato shop, and grab and go location.

We each chose the Seafood Cobb Salad with Florida Meyer Lemon dressing. This was $16 and included a decent quantity of lobster, crab, and shrimp. I also loved the dressing, which had a sweet, tangy flavor.

For dessert, I ordered 3 scoops of house-made gelato (candied fig, blackberry, and lemon-basil). All of them were excellent, and the lemon-basil was particularly refreshing.

Overall, we were extremely impressed with our food at the Four Seasons, and we didn't even try one of the actual restaurants! To make things even better, Lickety Split validated our parking, so valet only cost $5 plus tip. I'd love to return here for a more substantial meal - hopefully the restaurants will post menus soon.

From the Four Seasons, we drove to the Poly for another stop. Here's the 'Ohana waiting area:

View:

But our stop wasn't 'Ohana. It was Tambu Lounge again.

We decided to share a Lapu Lapu - I was surprised how strong it was!

We also got the grilled steak skewers with chimichurri sauce. The steak itself wasn't great quality, but I enjoyed the salad because it tasted like the one 'Ohana serves (or served?).

But the best part was still to come - bread pudding again!

I hope Tambu Lounge is still serving the bread pudding on my next visit, because this was a food highlight of the trip.

 

[mommycrawford]

Best thread Evvvveeeeerrrr!!!!!

My daughter and I spent a good part of the morning looking at posts and getting excited for our trip!

Thank you to all who contributed!

 

[vettegirl]

4 seasons looks lovely! I agree the lapu lapu is super strong. Last time I had one had a hangover from it!

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[kastoney]

How on earth did I just find this thread and there are 140+ pages. Some days I think I'm forever clueless.

Thanks for all the great updates from "the other side" DDW. Universal is definitely way ahead of disney in the immersion game. Got a few more years until my little one is up for it. So in the meantime I'm still a sucker for the disney nostalgia. I'll just have to drown those universal sorrows in copious amounts of lapu, lapu.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

4 seasons looks lovely! I agree the lapu lapu is super strong. Last time I had one had a hangover from it!

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I certainly wasn't expecting that from the Lapu Lapu! Makes me glad I shared it with someone. And the Four Seasons is beautiful on the inside! Not all of the restaurants there are open yet, but they sound promising (such as a Spanish-inspired steakhouse on the 17th floor). Plus, the hotel is only a short taxi ride away from most on-property WDW resorts.

How on earth did I just find this thread and there are 140+ pages. Some days I think I'm forever clueless.

Thanks for all the great updates from "the other side" DDW. Universal is definitely way ahead of disney in the immersion game. Got a few more years until my little one is up for it. So in the meantime I'm still a sucker for the disney nostalgia. I'll just have to drown those universal sorrows in copious amounts of lapu, lapu.

Glad you enjoyed the updates, and I'm a sucker for Disney nostalgia too! In fact, aside from the Wizarding World, I'd say WDW's immersion and atmosphere are superior. Still, Universal is constantly stepping things up, which means the dark side will be even better whenever you decide to cross over.

 

[emmysmommy]

Mr. DDW: Oh man! Bread pudding at Tambu Lounge? How did I miss that? We skipped 'Ohana this trip so I was resigned to not having any.

Now that I'm a Uni fan - especially of WWoHP and specifically DA - I agree with you. The immersive experience was fantastic. The train... oh my gosh, that was so well done.

I learn a lot from your posts. I was familiar with the Golden Oak community but not the Four Seasons. Sounds like that was a worthwhile visit.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Mr. DDW: Oh man! Bread pudding at Tambu Lounge? How did I miss that? We skipped 'Ohana this trip so I was resigned to not having any.

Now that I'm a Uni fan - especially of WWoHP and specifically DA - I agree with you. The immersive experience was fantastic. The train... oh my gosh, that was so well done.

I learn a lot from your posts. I was familiar with the Golden Oak community but not the Four Seasons. Sounds like that was a worthwhile visit.

The bread pudding at Tambu is an awesome addition, so hopefully they keep it around! I actually liked it more than usual, since my stomach hadn't been stuffed beforehand.

Agreed on Diagon Alley and WWoHP - the area has completely stepped things up for Orlando (I think the only comparable experiences in terms of 'immersion' are Africa and Asia in AK). In fact, after hearing your movie marathon idea, I decided to have a marathon of my own...I've been rereading the books! Currently on the 5th one, and it's getting me completely excited about the Wizarding World again.

The Four Seasons looks wonderful on the inside, and it has some really cool features. They've got a lazy river, an adults-only pool, and a 17th floor steakhouse. Plus, you get to see glimpses of Golden Oak as you drive to and from the hotel! I don't know if we'll ever stay there, but it would be nice to return there for a TS meal.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Great news about the Tambu Lounge at the Poly, DDW! I always go there to get a Mai Tai every trip. Now I can get the O'Hana wings and Bread Pudding too. Yay!!

I haven't been to O'Hana since January 2013, as it had gone down hill so much during my last couple visits. The wings and pudding hadn't changed; and I kept wishing they would just sell those at the lounge with my beloved Mai Tai. I guess wishes do come true.

I am set to go there on my October trip. Can't wait.

 

[kanadar]

Sounds like the Pineapple Lanai should be opening this week, my sister and I are going to be in Disney at the end of September and it is on our list! Can't wait to try it!

 

[LuvEeyore]

Joining the fun and food reviews

 

[thornton0511]

bumping

 

[happy2012]

I love that Tambu Lounge!!!! Thanks for the scoop on 4S! You always give great reviews DDW!!!