Grand Gatherings & more! 1 year of Disney Dining! Illuminations Grand Gathering 5/26

[hlrababy]

Whoa!!!! At the lemon juice packets!!!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Whoa!!!! At the lemon juice packets!!!

I put a lot of lemon juice in my water! Those little packets come in handy. After a day or two w/o my lemon water I start craving it like crazy. OMGosh...I took pics for you yesterday. They're on my phone so they're not the best quality but it will show you how the Margaritaville here is set up. I'll add them here in a few. K?

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Margaritaville is located inside Broadway at the Beach. It has two floors of indoor seating, outdoor patios and a huge outdoor bar as well. Located in the Heroes Harbor section of Broadway makes for the "boat" look, which is perfect for Margaritaville!

This picture is taken from the Boardwalk area. Across the way from Margaritaville you will see remnants of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion. If you've ever been to Myrtle Beach you are familiar with the Pavilion. It was a staple in our community for many decades. A few years ago they took it all away. Pieces of what used to be can now be seen here, at BATB.

Look to your left from this area and you will see more shopping. Behind this is the Ripley's Aquarium.

You walk past the Pirate as you get closer to the boardwalk.

I know a lot of the Marg pics look the same but I could not see them on the phone. I wanted to make sure I got a decent shot.

It was just me and Bolt yesterday. He had a blast in the funny mirrors and arcade.

A shot from the arcade...

Back by the Margaritaville Sandbar you see this across the way.

How cute is this little boat? It had some water in it yesterday so Bolt made a sandcastle instead.

This is the outside bar near the manmade beach...

Love these chairs!

Looking across the lake...

Back entrance near the patio. Sorry I never took a pic of the front.

Inside by the Hurricane...

The tables

Inside bar...

In the Summer you couldn't get this kind of picture. The place looks like a madhouse and the wait is usually over 3 hours! It's a really fun place to hang out though. It's like a carnival over there.

Anyone who travels to Myrtle Beach should definitely check out this area. They have a Disney Store, Build A Bear, Hard Rock Cafe, Mini Golf, Magic Quest, Ripley's Aquarium, IMAX....tons and tons of stuff to do here.

And now, back to my food report.

 

[jenseib]

Wow! I didn't know this one even existed. Looks so good. I do have a question. How does Sunshine seasons work. Do you get your desert at a different place? If so how does that work with the dining plan?

 

[Lynn5700]

Tammy that crumb cake looks soooo good!!! It was the first thing I noticed in the picture, lol.

I have to try it next time we go to Sunshine Seasons.

 

[hlrababy]

Oh WOW!!! That is all I can really say!!!! !Thank you for taking those pictures for me!! I would be sad to see whats left of the Pavillion! Shag is one of my favorite movies and I love it when they are driving down the strip. In fact, when we went to Myrtle Beach in 1990, I had to go by the Pavillion

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Wow! I didn't know this one even existed. Looks so good. I do have a question. How does Sunshine seasons work. Do you get your desert at a different place? If so how does that work with the dining plan?

Yep! This is one of the busiest & biggest ones! You can't tell by these pictures with it being off season and all though.

SS works just like the food court at Pop. You get whatever you want and at the end they ring you up for it. The dessert selection is insane over there but I'm telling you....that choclate coffee crumb cake is the BOMB!

Tammy that crumb cake looks soooo good!!! It was the first thing I noticed in the picture, lol.

I have to try it next time we go to Sunshine Seasons.

It is amazing! You guys are doing deluxe right? Well, you can always go and use a snack credit! I think I will save up all of mine and get a loaf to bring home. Ha! I'm going crazy thinking about that cake. Agh!

Oh WOW!!! That is all I can really say!!!! !Thank you for taking those pictures for me!! I would be sad to see whats left of the Pavillion! Shag is one of my favorite movies and I love it when they are driving down the strip. In fact, when we went to Myrtle Beach in 1990, I had to go by the Pavillion

I forgot to tell you....you see the surfboard table? Sidney built that! It's so cool! I love my honey....he's so good at everything! I never thought it was possible to fall more in love with someone after 11+ years of marriage!

This location is big huh!? You would LOVE this one. You guys have to come visit soon! For real! O M Gosh! SHAG is one of the best movies ever made!!!!! Ya know I saw a copy in Hell Mart a while back. I need to go buy one. I haven't seen it in a really long time. The blvd looks so weird girl. It's so trashy looking now. You see this patch of grass all the way to the ocean and all around it you see nasty run down motels and porn shops. It's so gross! I wish our town would pass some new building codes. Some things around here look like poo and could really use a makeover!

 

[Maureenmouse]

Hey Tammy! I'm going to follow along with your food review now. I never knew it was there. ( Dumb me. It was probably linked at the bottom with your other stuff!) Hope you're all doing well. it will take me a few days to get through your review I'm sure, but I always love your write ups.

 

[WrightFamily06]

OMG so I didn't know you were doing this report ! I'm here now and I have quite a bit of catching up to do it looks like ! Can't wait to read it all !

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[WrightFamily06]

So I've gotten caught up this morning on your DR and all your reviews are great ! I have so many ideas rolling around in my head now for our next trip to WDW Can't wait to read more !

 

[teekee2]

Okay, I'm here too...finally read through your review since I have the day off and the baby is taking a nap. All these places look so yummy and I feel ashamed for not realizing that most of these places even existed at WDW. I wonder how far the blinders were down on my eyes for me to miss these places! haha It's terrible, I know...oh well...I too have a binder with menus of the places we want to try in December. I can't wait!!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Hey Tammy! I'm going to follow along with your food review now. I never knew it was there. ( Dumb me. It was probably linked at the bottom with your other stuff!) Hope you're all doing well. it will take me a few days to get through your review I'm sure, but I always love your write ups.

Hey girl! How did you miss this one? It's been around for a while. Glad you're here now!

OMG so I didn't know you were doing this report ! I'm here now and I have quite a bit of catching up to do it looks like ! Can't wait to read it all !

Started it a while back....its mostly dining only but now that I'm done with TR's I might add a little extra here and there.

joining in

WELCOME!!!!

So I've gotten caught up this morning on your DR and all your reviews are great ! I have so many ideas rolling around in my head now for our next trip to WDW Can't wait to read more !

I hope to try some new spots this time too. We'll see. Ya never know where we'll end up.

Okay, I'm here too...finally read through your review since I have the day off and the baby is taking a nap. All these places look so yummy and I feel ashamed for not realizing that most of these places even existed at WDW. I wonder how far the blinders were down on my eyes for me to miss these places! haha It's terrible, I know...oh well...I too have a binder with menus of the places we want to try in December. I can't wait!!

After you stay on property it will be a whole different experience for you. Never again will you stay on the outside! When the free dining offer comes along you'll be one of the first to book, and at the 180 day mark you'll be up early waiting to book your TS meals! Yep. I can see it coming! You are going to get crazed over the place and want to explore every little inch. You'll see!

BTW congrats on scoring a day off. Even if it's due to some dude who discovered land way back in the 1400's! A day off is a day off right? See a Sunday (if you wake me up!)

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Chef Mickey's ~ A place my family would always journey to for at least one night of every trip, until now.

I'm not sure what happened during the refurb but it is not the same now. Our server was wonderful. The place is set up nice and it's clean. The food and the service at the buffet....NOT SO GOOD! I personally went just for the salmon. It had been the same for years, or perhaps I just got lucky on every visit and got the good stuff. I wasn't so lucky this time. I could tell right away it would be different just from looking at it but I took a piece anyway. It was terrible! The only thing I tried that tasted okay was the Mickey Ravioli and the Tortellini. It was the worst meal of the trip.

I went back to the buffet to try the carved meat. The fellas making the cuts were caught up in a conversation amongst themselves, in their native tongue. Must have been about 20 of us lined up waiting for them to finish. Then they take their sweet time when they do resume the cutting. You could see people back in the line getting agitated. I was close to the front thank goodness. Still, it took me about 15 minutes to get served.

We decided during this meal if we ever eat at CM again it would be for breakfast. It was such a big disappointment.

The characters this time were not as playful as before. They just came to the table, took pics, and ran off. We were skipped by a couple of them and had to talk to a CM to get them back in the room. It wasn't just our table they missed. It was the entire section!

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures this time. If you want to try out CM I say go for breakfast and pay out of pocket! Save a dining credit for a better meal. This dinner is not worth it anymore! Must have been the same developer that did 1900 Park Fares refurb because the same thing happened over there! S A D !!!

Dinner was icky but we managed to have some fun during the day...

Next up we take on the Boardwalk! Big River Grille & Brewing Works....here we come!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

"I forgot to tell you....you see the surfboard table? Sidney built that! It's so cool! I love my honey....he's so good at everything! I never thought it was possible to fall more in love with someone after 11+ years of marriage!"



Hey Tammy! I'm here! I've already read this report though. I don't know how I lost my subscription, but I'm back now!

I just had to say how sweet that is of you to say about your DH. It is so nice to see a wife say that about her husband nowadays. I almost never hear women talk nice about their husbands anymore. I have a wonderful DH too. And I agree, I love him more now than I did 12 years ago when we got married. He was so good to me when I had my emergency hysterectomy this summer. I couldn't have asked for anything more. He is a wonderful father too. And I think he is even getting bit by the Disney bug! But it is very nice to see another woman have something nice to say about her husband. We should be very thankful that we have good ones b/c there are a lot of duds out there!

Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[WrightFamily06]

Ickey's

I know what you mean about the food at 1900 Park Fare being terrible this year , our meal there was so gross ! We however decided to give CM a break this year and after your review I'm very glad we did !

I know I've said it before but I'm gonna say it again I absolutely love those pictures in the barber shop , they def need to be in a frame on your wall

Looking forward to your next review !

 

[sugar1967]

Tammy!!! So glad to have caught up with you here. I am going through Tammy TR withdrawls so I am happy that I will get a little taste of your latest trip on here. You lead in to your trip was looking like so much fun (especially looking forward to you refereeing your sister's fight ) So....I will settle for your amazing food pictures and anticipate our girls only trip in the future.

 

[teekee2]

I hope to try some new spots this time too. We'll see. Ya never know where we'll end up.



After you stay on property it will be a whole different experience for you. Never again will you stay on the outside! When the free dining offer comes along you'll be one of the first to book, and at the 180 day mark you'll be up early waiting to book your TS meals! Yep. I can see it coming! You are going to get crazed over the place and want to explore every little inch. You'll see!

BTW congrats on scoring a day off. Even if it's due to some dude who discovered land way back in the 1400's! A day off is a day off right? See ya Sunday (if you wake me up!)

You are so silly!! You know I'll be calling you on Sunday...however, the question is..."will you answer the phone?" lol I'll be calling you on Friday and Saturday as well but you already knew that. If I have to hear my daughter ask if she is going to be hanging out with your daughter one more time...

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

"I forgot to tell you....you see the surfboard table? Sidney built that! It's so cool! I love my honey....he's so good at everything! I never thought it was possible to fall more in love with someone after 11+ years of marriage!"



Hey Tammy! I'm here! I've already read this report though. I don't know how I lost my subscription, but I'm back now! Yay!

I just had to say how sweet that is of you to say about your DH. It is so nice to see a wife say that about her husband nowadays. I almost never hear women talk nice about their husbands anymore. I have a wonderful DH too. And I agree, I love him more now than I did 12 years ago when we got married. He was so good to me when I had my emergency hysterectomy this summer. I couldn't have asked for anything more. He is a wonderful father too. And I think he is even getting bit by the Disney bug! But it is very nice to see another woman have something nice to say about her husband. We should be very thankful that we have good ones b/c there are a lot of duds out there! I realize just how lucky I am when I read about others being cheated on and abused and having these selfish men who only care about themselves. I am so blessed. I got real lucky. I'm happy you were too.

Can't wait to read the rest!

I've been busy with school over here and remodeling the house. We're almost done. I'll share pictures then. Now I need to get back to this and finish it up!

Ickey's Well!? It's fitting. lol

I know what you mean about the food at 1900 Park Fare being terrible this year , our meal there was so gross ! We however decided to give CM a break this year and after your review I'm very glad we did ! 1900 used to be one of our favorite places to eat, now I avoid it like a neighbor with swine flu!

I know I've said it before but I'm gonna say it again I absolutely love those pictures in the barber shop , they def need to be in a frame on your wall I agree. They're so cute and they say something.

Looking forward to your next review !

Coming soon!

Tammy!!! So glad to have caught up with you here. I am going through Tammy TR withdrawls so I am happy that I will get a little taste of your latest trip on here. You lead in to your trip was looking like so much fun (especially looking forward to you refereeing your sister's fight ) So....I will settle for your amazing food pictures and anticipate our girls only trip in the future.

Aww. That's sweet. Well here I am. Lots more to come. I'll cover the fight...just for you, when the time comes!

You are so silly!! You know I'll be calling you on Sunday...however, the question is..."will you answer the phone?" lol I'll be calling you on Friday and Saturday as well but you already knew that. If I have to hear my daughter ask if she is going to be hanging out with your daughter one more time...

I plead the fifth. I had fun this weekend! We could have had a LOT more if I'd looked at those damn emails. Grrr! I'm an idiot! If I could kick my own butt I would. I'm going to go do those pics here in a few. Do you care if I share our weekend here? I LOVE the pics of your mom and dad. Of course the one we did with Brian can't be posted on the Dis.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

August 25th was our next day. That morning we went to Blizzard Beach. We saw Colleen and her family there. This was our first time meeting her husband Jim. We hung out for a bit in the wave pool but most of our day was spent on the family raft ride. (Mine, Gabby's n Bolt's anyway.) Sidney and Dash spent the day on the big slides doing their thing. We had lunch at Blizzard Beach and I took pictures but I used the waterproof cameras and they're still in the cam. Anyway, the food over there is the fast food counter service stuff but its good. No complaints. The people who work there are over friendly too. At the end of the day I left with sore feet and a mild sunburn. Sidney on the other hand chose not to wear sunscreen at all so he was burnt very bad. He usually tans in 5 minutes so figured he wouldn't need it. WRONG ANSWER DEAR!

After we returned to Pop and got a shower we decided to head over to the Boardwalk for dinner. We didn't have any set reservations for this day. The Big River Grille and Brewing Works doesn't require a reservation so we headed there.

We were seated immediately. The place is known for its beer but neither of us care for beer or wine so we passed. Our wonderful server came over and took our orders. I got the salmon with double mashed potatoes.

Sidney ordered the steak and shrimp

Both meals were simply delicious! One of, if not the best meal, of the entire trip! I will be going here again! Excellent service and excellent food! As for dessert....they don't have a whole lot of options but what they do offer is superb!

Sidney ordered the cheesecake

and I ordered this chocolate with extra chocolate cake

Everything was so good. This is one of the best kept secrets at WDW! I highly recommend it. Oh, remember how I said Sidney got a little too much sun? What do you think?

Next time get a base tan and put the sunscreen on! LOL Poor thing. He was miserable for days after. His back got the worst of it.

The boardwalk was dead that day. I don't think I'd ever seen the place so slow. We took a little stroll before heading over to DisneyQuest.

Speaking of DisneyQuest....if you are into video games you have to check this place out! It's so much fun. Here are a couple of pictures from there.

Later tonight, hopefully, I will hit on O'Hana again. Grand Gatherings coming soon!