Celebrating 50 Disney style! Complete w. cost breakdown and OOP vs DDP thoughts.

[suse66]

Wow, that milk tart looks awesome! I am going to have to add that to my must try snack list!

Love the pic of Baloo & King Louie! WE had a great meet with them last year!

Aren't they fun? I was laughing until I cried...Baloo kept insisting I was 21, bless him! You will love the milk tart; as it's not too sweet, it's really refreshing.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Joining in!

 

[HolRae]

Enjoying your reviews.

 

[suse66]

Joining in!

Glad to have you here! bet you are looking forward to your next trip!

Enjoying your reviews.

Thank you! Glad to have you along!

 

[pepperandchips]

Woohoo! What an awesome way to celebrate. Happy belated birthday!

i decided to try the African milk tart which was a super yummy creamy coconut centre in a chocolate pastry shell, drizzled with dark chocolate. This was awesome!! Cold, creamy and not too sweet with lots of yummy coconut.

So glad you reviewed this - I had no idea it was coconut and looks right up my alley. I will be trying this ASAP!

 

[suse66]

Woohoo! What an awesome way to celebrate. Happy belated birthday!



So glad you reviewed this - I had no idea it was coconut and looks right up my alley. I will be trying this ASAP!

Thanks! It was a very fun way to celebrate! Yes, that tart is delish.....I'm sure you will love it!

 

[suse66]

Is there anything better than waking up on your first full Disney day?? I had one thing on my mind and that was coffee. I quickly got ready and went down to Boardwalk Bakery to grab my refillable mug. They had beautiful looking muffins as well so I grabbed an orange and cranberry muffin and nibbled on it a bit as I strolled along the Boardwalk with my coffee. I knew I had to be aware of the time as I had a 9:00 reservation at Garden Grill for breakfast with Chip and Dale! My boys had not wanted to do a character breakfast in years so I knew it was one experience I would be sure to put on my list for my solo trip. By about 8:30 I had my park bag packed and was on my way to Epcot through the International Gateway.

I love walking through an empty World Showcase! I had a great chat with one of the custodial staff who had been working with Disney for years. He was such a nice man!

Soon I was making my way to the Land and checked in to Garden Grill. I was led to a two top corner table on the lower tier of the seating area. My server was Vickie and she was awesome! Very friendly and kept the coffee flowing! Vickie went through any possible allergies with me and asked if I wanted to speak to the chef. I told her I was not concerned but I was certainly impressed once again by how seriously Disney takes allergies.

Soon this little beauty came out to the table....still warm from the oven and so soft and tender. It was pure cinnamon roll perfection!

Next up was a big bowl of fresh fruit, the clear winners in here were the blueberries and cantaloupe. Very fresh and sweet. I found the strawberries a little mushy and the pineapple was rock hard and sour. Oh well, I knew I had more goodness coming!

I was totally in the spirit of things so was sure to say hello to all the characters as they came around. First up was Farmer Mickey. He thought it was hilarious that he was on my Tshirt.

Pluto and I posed for a selfie......

After Pluto and Mickey's visits, it was time for the main course! This is so much food! The scrambled eggs were extremely good, piping hot and well seasoned. The ham was delicious, tender and not too salty. I was not a huge fan of the bacon as most of it was kind of limp. There was one or two pieces that were a little better cooked. The potato barrels were delish! Crunchy on the outside with flaky potato goodness inside. I had to watch myself with these as I wanted to try the waffles as well. I really couldn't do justice to the waffles as I was getting so full. I ate about 2/3 of one, it was light and fluffy but sadly I just could not manage it all! There was at least enough food for two hungry people on my platter.

I had fun meeting Chip and Dale and I had quite a fun conversation. This was a terrific breakfast with good service, yummy food and great character interactions. Even as a solo diner I felt like I was part of all the shenanigans and had a great time. I would highly recommend this experience!

 

[fallonkendra]

I've done Garden Grill for supper, but now I think I need to go for breakfast at some point too! Great reviews so far!

 

[suzimar57]

Looking forward to your reviews of the Afternoon Tea and the Brown Derby!

 

[Lisa F]

was your two-top part of a booth? going with kiddo in december and hoping to request a lower level table. the land is one of my favorite rides.

 

[suse66]

was your two-top part of a booth? going with kiddo in december and hoping to request a lower level table. the land is one of my favorite rides.

Lisa, it was in a booth area. The two top was in the corner and there was a larger table to seat six in the other part of the booth. It was very spacious. I love the Land too...have you ever done the "Behind the Seeds" tour? We did it in March and it was really great!

 

[suse66]

Looking forward to your reviews of the Afternoon Tea and the Brown Derby!

I am looking forward to reliving both those experiences through writing about them....both were fab!

 

[Lisa F]

Lisa, it was in a booth area. The two top was in the corner and there was a larger table to seat six in the other part of the booth. It was very spacious. I love the Land too...have you ever done the "Behind the Seeds" tour? We did it in March and it was really great!

I did it years ago when it was still like $4.25 to do it or something, lol. It used to be the biggest bargain and it was so much fun taking that walking tour. my kiddo is a little young and impatient for it but I would like to do it again someday. I still think it's a pretty big bargain for what you get to see and learn about.

 

[suse66]

I've done Garden Grill for supper, but now I think I need to go for breakfast at some point too! Great reviews so far!

Thank you! I am sure you will love breakfast! The food was SO yummy and there is a lot of it!

 

[suse66]

After finishing my amazing breakfast, I headed down to ride the new Soarin'. Oh my goodness, it is incredible!! I enjoyed a trip through Living with the Land, had fun exploring the Seas pavilion, journeyed back through time on Spaceship Earth and took in the atmosphere in Future World. As it was a little past noon by this point, I decided I would head over to Mexico to hit up La Cava. What a great little spot! The staff there were so friendly and I ended up having a great chat with the bartender who noticed my obsession with Pandora bracelets (just started my 4th which is a Disney only bracelet). I knew I was dying to try the avocado margarita which I had heard so much about. I did a bit of a double take when I got my bill but hoped it would be worth it. The verdict? I liked it but I didn't love it....it was very creamy and not too sweet. I didn't find it overly strong and I did notice the jugs of premixes behind the bar, so I'm not sure if they are making them exactly to order as they did in the past. Still, it was cold and refreshing and I enjoyed it as I strolled through World Showcase.

After browsing through Norway, China and Germany I made by way over to America to hear the "Voices of Liberty". What an incredibly talented group! I was so glad I made time in my day for this, it was well worth it. I had another little treat in mind at this point. While I certainly could not contemplate eating lunch, I knew a goodie from Les Halles would be just fine. I went for the delicious raspberry lime macaroon. This was two beautiful raspberry macaroon cookies, filled with fresh juicy raspberries and a tart lime cream. Complete snack heaven! It would have been amazing with a coffee if it hadn't been hotter than the surface of the sun outside.

 

[suse66]

After enjoying my yummy treat in France, I decided to head back to the Boardwalk for a rest. Unfortunately the construction I had been warned about was in full swing and they were drilling right outside my room with cherrypickers and workers right in front of my balcony. Time for Plan B! I got changed for the pool and headed down to Luna Park. After a few hours of lounging and reading interspersed with dips in the water, I was ready for ice cream! I strolled over to Ample Hills and treated myself to this yummy; Ooey Gooey Butter Cake ice cream. So delicious! Rich vanilla ice cream with almost a cream cheese flavour mixed with pieces of the butter cake. WOW!

After finishing my ice cream, I headed back up to my room to change as I wanted to go for a drink at Abracadabar. This is an awesome little spot with incredible theming. Be sure to check it out if you are in the area. I went for the Peppers Ghost cocktail (Ciroc Pineapple Vodka and Habanero Lime). This was excellent, very fresh and zingy with some heat from the habanero. A great choice! I munched on some of their house popcorn which is a lightly curried popcorn tossed with roasted chickpeas. Very yummy as well. This is the only food option here.


Up next, a late dinner at the California Grill!

 

[sleepydog25]

Enjoying your reviews. Especially liked your take on Sanaa, one of the best restaurants on property. Quality food, good value (by Disney standards), and wonderful service. We often just do appetizers as entrees, as well, with a glass or two of wine. We're partial to the full bread service paired with a nice Blanc (Sauvignon or Chenin) and/or a lovely Pinotage. But, they have have lots of tasty options in both wine and food which makes it a "must do" every trip. Lunch is perfect there, we find, when we do a couple of appetizers and a wine flight. Slainte!

 

[suse66]

Enjoying your reviews. Especially liked your take on Sanaa, one of the best restaurants on property. Quality food, good value (by Disney standards), and wonderful service. We often just do appetizers as entrees, as well, with a glass or two of wine. We're partial to the full bread service paired with a nice Blanc (Sauvignon or Chenin) and/or a lovely Pinotage. But, they have have lots of tasty options in both wine and food which makes it a "must do" every trip. Lunch is perfect there, we find, when we do a couple of appetizers and a wine flight. Slainte!

Thanks for joining in! I loved Sanaa and will definitely visit it again on my next trip. Such a great spot!

 

[DrunkJam]

Enjoying your reviews and pictures, thanks!

 

[suse66]

Enjoying your reviews and pictures, thanks!

Thank you! Glad to have you along!