Dining Voyage 2009!

[DreamSweetsLove]

The Dining Voyage stamp rally has started for 2009 and will run from 1/5-6/30. Like last year you can choose between coupons or pins but you can't get points from Canna or Dreamers lounge which is kind of lame.

Here is my Dining Voyage!
we started with the Ambassador Hotel this time because of the "Be a Princess" event they have going on.




A present given with your meal. The teapot is for the dinner course menu and the tea cup is for the buffet. This evening we received the teapot!








You can choose between two different courses so we chose the Empire Dinner course mainly because the Cinderella dessert looked really pretty!

Tiara of marinated searebin on puff pastry with yuzu pepper shallot cream and served with edible flowers and ravigete sauce.




Parsely soup with escargot fricasse and corn galette




Grilled lobster flavored with cherry blossom salt served with kalamata olive sauce and fuki bud fritter.

[DreamSweetsLove]

Next was grilled Yonezawa beef rump steak and deep fried brussel sprouts with horikawa burdock sauce.




"So this is Love" blueberry and camembert mousse with rose champagne sorbet.














It was our first dinner at this restaurant and we ended up really enjoying it!

[lonegungirl]

Wow, that makes Victoria and Albert's look like 2 cents!

I so want to be adopted by Ichigopara. I swear, I won't quarrel with The Child...often...

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

Ichigopara, could you explain what you mean by Dining Voyage? I've never heard of it. I'm a newbie!

[gurgi]

The presentation on all the dishes looks amazing! And, even though they look like tiny portions, the number of courses makes up for it, and I would bet that I would be full after eating all of that.

[hikarii]

Wow, this event goes for half a year? Maybe I'll make it!

[whitealexander]

those food make me hungry by just looking at it..

[TDLFAN]

Ichigopara, could you explain what you mean by Dining Voyage? I've never heard of it. I'm a newbie!

The Dining Voyage is intended for frequent visitors to the resort, or for those who can afford to eat expensively during a short vacation. Basically you recieve a Dining Voyage card and you pretty much follow a "schedule" at will, in which you have to visit most of the restaurants in the resort hotels. Every time you visit a different restaurant, your "Dining Voyage" card gets stamped and if I am not mistaken, a pin (or similar gift) will be handed out to you. Once you have completed all the stamps on your Dining Voyage card, you will receive a pin (or similar gift) that completes the set. Pin collectors love this "fun" event. Ichigopara is lucky to live nearby and enjoy these great menus at TDR.

Wow, that makes Victoria and Albert's look like 2 cents!

Well, I have always said that most aspects of WDW are way overrated. All they want there is your money and you get lesser quality back in return. At TDR, the quality of the product speaks for itself.. it's all about the upmost quality you can get for your money, and the most memorable Disney experience at hand. WDW fails in that department, and most of the photos Ichigopara shares (about food in this case) clearly show how different the quality is between WDW and TDR in food... and many other areas of the resorts.

[LeeLeeLuvsDisney]

The Dining Voyage is intended for frequent visitors to the resort, or for those who can afford to eat expensively during a short vacation. Basically you recieve a Dining Voyage card and you pretty much follow a "schedule" at will, in which you have to visit most of the restaurants in the resort hotels. Every time you visit a different restaurant, your "Dining Voyage" card gets stamped and if I am not mistaken, a pin (or similar gift) will be handed out to you. Once you have completed all the stamps on your Dining Voyage card, you will receive a pin (or similar gift) that completes the set. Pin collectors love this "fun" event. Ichigopara is lucky to live nearby and enjoy these great menus at TDR.

Thanks for explaining, TDLFAN. Sounds like a win-win...if you have the money...Good food + Disney gifts!

[TDLFAN]

It's always a "win-win" situation when you visit TDR.

[DreamSweetsLove]

Hi! Sorry for this late reply but TDLFAN pretty much described it well but the rules are a little different this year and this is just to clarify the details.

The first time you order a buffet, set or course menu for 1,900 yen or more you will get a stamp card. Then every time after that you will get a stamp and will be awarded a pin or coupon for future dining on your 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 10th stamp. The coupons rise in value starting from 500 yen then going on to 1,000 yen, 2000 yen, and lastly 3,000 yen. (you won't get a stamp if you use a dining coupon) The pins start with a Donald and Daisy pin and then goes on to a Chip and Dale pin, Goofy and Pluto pin, and ends with Mickey and Minnie pin.

The participating restaurants are Chef Mickey, Empire Grill, Hana, Hyperion Lounge, Oceano, Silk Road Garden, BellaVista Lounge, and the Sherwood Garden Restaurant. You can dine at all of these restaurants or if you like dine at the same one over and over, it doesn't matter. If you are dining with someone else they will get their own card and you can not combine the cards.

I think if you are on vacation and want to do this and you like to collect pins you might enjoy this. The coupons are for people who will probably use them a little later around September or October but you can use them earlier if you like. Personally I do the dining coupon course but the pins are very cute too!

[DreamSweetsLove]

This is the next stop at Hyperion Lounge.

[a_shy_kid]

wow that looks so wonderful ichigopara!!!
those dishes look too beautiful to eat, hahaha.
i suddenly feel very hungry...hahaha.

i'm so excited explore more of the dining options when i visit tdr this year.
as always thanks for your updates!!!

[TDLFAN]

Ichigopara, I am glad you further explained the Dining Voyage program.

So, you won't get a pin if you use a coupon. Drats! You are not able to combine cards if you had a dinner companion... double drats! Oh well.. I did see the pins' pictures in the January 2009, vol #34 edition of the "Disney Hotels Dining Style" magazine. They are lovely pins but they will definitely cost a lot of money to collect them. Reason why I am willing to pass up on this pin rally.

EDIT: For those not familiar with this Dining Style magazine, it is published every so often and distributed at the Disney Stores in Japan for FREE, and it is a stylish visual guide, with great color pictures of the special menus and drinks offered seasonally or in conjunction with the parks' special events seasonally thru the year. Best of all.. it has bilingual explanation of menus, prices and events.. and feature pictures of those special things.. like this year's Dining Voyage pins! It's a MUST-READ little 12-page magazine for any fan of TDR's fine and artful dining options. I have to admit the amount of specially prepared seasonal menus and the artistic flair of these menus' presentation shown on this magazine is staggering and mind blowing. Certainly makes the WDW dining options look like Mickey D.

[Ride Warrior]

The desserts look sumptuous. Do you get to keep the figurines on them?