the picky kid and his foodie mom (with tiny tummy) ride again... NEW! 3/21 CP PPO, CHH & WCC

Day 3, HEA Dessert party with Plaza Viewing

Before I get into the dessert party, I just wanted to share our beast photo. I ran out of room in the previous post so I'll stick it here. I really love having the photopass with the APs, though I probably wouldn't pay for it because a lot of the people with the cameras don't really know how to use them. But what BoG review would be complete without it???

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Okay, well on to the HEA dessert party.

This is my third dessert party. My first was Jingle Bell Jingle Bam on my last trip and we met up with our First week of December planning group and I had an amazing time, but barely ate. I did have a few cocktails and the bartender gave me a can of hard cider for later but I am really just not a dessert person and we had dinner earlier in the day and weren't really hungry. I enjoyed the heck out of this for the people and for the view but didn't care about the food... not that I didn't care FOR it, I just didn't care ABOUT IT.

My second was during MVMCP last year, when it still came with parade viewing. Again, we sat with some new friends, @areno79 and @Candycane83 and their families. It was amazing, so much fun! We had a PERFECT AWESOME STRAIGHT ON view of the parade and we had a front row in the tomorrowland terrace for the fireworks and we had such truly wonderful company, it was pure magic. But again, don't ask me about the food... could take it or leave it and barely ate.

So when I knew I'd be there during a TP predicted 9 crowd day, and I had never seen HEA again and they offered the Plaza viewing option, I booked it for us. Even though before there is no way I could get my money's worth out of this thing, now I DEFINITELY could not get my money's worth. No way no how. But I had never seen HEA and had heard that viewing spot was so important and since we only had the one night at the MK on our whole trip, I wanted to make it worth it. So I booked the party.

I was also hoping that fireworks would be later than 8pm (they were 9pm the previous year) but no dice, so we finished dinner at BoG around 5:30 and had to show up for this thing at 6:45. Kid was not interested in eating more and neither was I. Also I was not interested in dealing with the lines at the buffet. Really, all I was interested in was the fireworks viewing. So I have zero pictures of the food...we went through the buffet line once and I grabbed 3 chocolate covered strawberries, a couple of slices of underripe melon and one of those s'mores things. The kid was interested in the macarons so he grabbed a couple of chocolate and a pistachio flavor and the oreo thing and a s'mores thing and that's it. So we go sit down at our table and I'm like "hey do you care if we just go out and get a good spot for the fireworks?" and he's like "yeah, I'm not hungry." So I cracked open his refillable popcorn bucket that was now empty (and that we never put popcorn in again, lol) and put all of our desserts in there. He ate a pistachio macaron and wasn't a fan, I had a chocolate covered strawberry and it was decent, the strawberry was a nice size and juicy and ripe and it was dipped in dark chocolate, but the chocolate was a bit waxy. They looked nice and tasted better than I expected. The one thing that was annoying is they were out of water bottles and were taking forever to restock them.

Anyway we went out to the plaza viewing area because another friend of mine had gotten out there late and did not like the view from the back. Since I booked this 99.9% for fireworks, I wanted to be in front. We were escorted on over and I quickly walked across the front fence before settling on a small section that had an unobstructed view... next to a couple of other people who had come to the same conclusion. we were right up against an exit gate, the on the rightmost side facing the castle if you are interested (I THINK it was rightmost) and this is the view of the castle, with a lamppost light cropped out (they shut the light before the fireworks anyway so it was not a distraction.

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I would say pretty nice view. There was a path in front of us so no one could directly block our view and then the reserved section on the other side of the path was for wheelchairs so most people were down lower. The view was amazing and worth the price of the party to me. There was one shoulder kid during the show who blocked the fountain basically but otherwise we had a perfect unobstructed view for the show.

And I took a lot of shots of these fireworks but here are a few.

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I have a ton more but I won't bore you. I will say, this show BLEW ME AWAY.

Illuminations has been my favorite nighttime show of all time for nearly the last 20 years. It still makes me cry when I see it. I love the music, the artistry, the fireworks integrated with everything else, and the message of it all. To me, it is the best fireworks show Disney has ever done.

This is ALMOST as good. I say almost because I think the score is not as good as either Wishes was or Illuminations is... however the visuals blow everything else completely out of the water. I was not expecting it to be this wonderful and it just was. I'm almost glad the score is not as good as Wishes was or Illuminations is, because my heart (and eyes) were already completely brimming over watching this, I'm not sure I could have stood it it if the music was as moving on top of it. You should have freaking heard me cheering for Tinker Bell like a 5 year old little girl wearing fairy wings herself. Bravo, Disney. Bravo. Kiddo agreed. We were both standing there kind of gobsmacked when this thing was over and it was nice to be in the plaza viewing area so we could just kind of stand there slack jawed processing the majesty of what we'd just seen without risking being trampled. So I do not regret one bit the ridiculous amount I paid for two chocolate covered strawberries and the few macarons that ended up being consumed (the kid ended up eating the chocolate macarons when we got back to the room and really liked the chocolate flavor, I ate one more strawberry.) For a first time with zero experience with this show... it was magic and it was worth it.

BUT I think I am done with the dessert parties now though. I just don't like dessert, lol. Unless it's amazing, but mass produced dessert is never amazing. However, I do kind of want to try one last one... the frozen dessert party... because the food is actually appealing and because the spot where it is located is not "my spot" for watching Illuminations. We tried the fastpass area and I got there right when the window was supposed to open, but it was already packed and I had an obstructed view. I was very disappointed but it felt like it could have been AMAZING if we got there early and I think the frozen dessert party gives that view. So I think I might like to try barely eating at that one too. But then I will probably be done with them for reals. or not. there is the star wars thing too. But after that FOR SURE.
 
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I actually preferred the JBJB food to the MK dessert party food. There were more savory options at JBJB so I didn't feel like I was going into a diabetic coma, and also BOOZE.
Oh, and for the MVMCP dessert party, I remember lots of chocolate covered strawberries, and also that amazingly thick sipping chocolate that I mixed with coffee and it kept me going for the rest of the night. But the parade view and the company was the best part, even if I *may* have had to toss strollers and throw little old ladies to the ground to get our amazing Terrace tables. :rolleyes1
The view for Plaza Garden is what makes it totally worth paying a ridiculous price, although I still hope they bring parade viewing back.
I think we got mussels when we went to BOG too. I remember thinking there wasn't enough of the bread to dip in the broth but it were tasty. Glad you finally made it to BOG!
 
breakfast there and splitting one adult entree... with the pastries it won't be bad and I'd pay the $25 for the both of us... kid can have pastries and bacon and some potatoes and the drink and I can have the eggs and some sausage and I just get the feeling breakfast might be more low key than lunch is, especially when it's PPO.
After dining at BOG multiple times, I have to say the PPO breakfast, shared, is the best of the 3 seatings. Our dinner there in 2015 was really good, haven't been impressed with lunch. The food was just ok and it was chaotic and not relaxing meal time. We've loved breakfast every time. You can check in before your adr time and with pre-ordering there is almost no wait. Last year we walked through tapstiles at exactly 8:00, Took our time down Main Street, got pictures taken at 2 different spots on Main Street, in front of the partner statue, on the bridge and took a selfie at Cinderella's fountain before checking in at BOG. We had pre-ordered and we were walking out at 8:35. I'm not much of a breakfast eater but Ethan is and sharing a Feast Ala Gaston is the perfect amount of food for us. I eat a sausage, a couple bites of potatoes and the chocolate croissant while E goes to town on the rest.
 
here is a picture. fair warning: it looks like wine, in the dark, with a candle behind it.

How fancy! It's a nice picture of wine with a candle behind it :rotfl:

Also with the drinks came the bread and it was right up the kid's alley. I just had a teeny bite to taste it since I had my wine, but the kid loved it - nice crusty, chewy warm rolls with butter... pretty much a win all around.

Yum I love the rolls at BoG :lovestruc

At that point we placed our meal order and decided to take that opportunity to walk around the West Wing a bit. The level of detail is truly astounding. The rose was really pretty and we took a selfie with it:

I don't think I've said this before but your son's Chip and Dale ears are so cute!

especially not with 4 rolls in his belly (yes the picture was after he had tucked into 1 and he ate all of them! I normally put the brakes on but... was buzzed and didn't care.)

Sounds like my brother when he was a kid (and still) and he saw garlic bread rolls at a restaurant :rotfl:

It cut easily with a butter knife and the kid was once again in HEAVEN. I didn't take a bite but it was cooked perfectly, a true medium (a bit more done than the other "medium" steaks he'd had but I'm guessing because they were thinner). The fries were good, I tried a couple. The kid gave this two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Ooo that does sound good. You weren't missing out by not ordering the adult portion. Last time I got it everything was overcooked and both the fries and steak we're very salty.

I was starting to worry if maybe having the surgery turned on my sweet tooth since every other dessert I had was SOOO good but this was just meh and I was relieved, thinking the other sweet stuff I had that was so amazing were just a string of exceptional choices. It was some generic soft cookie type crust with some generic custard in it and the grey stuff just tasted "sweet" and like nothing else.

I didn't care much for the grey stuff either. It used to be on like a cookie bar type thing when I tried it, but I can't say the tart looks much better to me.

This meal was $43.83 after AP discount, tax and 20% tip. It was well worth it and we both really enjoyed it. The kid's meal in particular was a tremendous value between the perfectly cooked tenderloin, the adult portion of crispy fries, and the full sized adult dessert.

That is a really good value for BoG though!

So when I knew I'd be there during a TP predicted 9 crowd day, and I had never seen HEA again and they offered the Plaza viewing option, I booked it for us. Even though before there is no way I could get my money's worth out of this thing, now I DEFINITELY could not get my money's worth. No way no how. But I had never seen HEA and had heard that viewing spot was so important and since we only had the one night at the MK on our whole trip, I wanted to make it worth it. So I booked the party.

That was definitely a good idea! We booked the HEA party the night it debuted, and I'm so glad we did or I don't know if we'd even have been able to see it.

I would say pretty nice view. There was a path in front of us so no one could directly block our view and then the reserved section on the other side of the path was for wheelchairs so most people were down lower. The view was amazing and worth the price of the party to me. There was one shoulder kid during the show who blocked the fountain basically but otherwise we had a perfect unobstructed view for the show.

I think we were a little to the right of where you were, the lamp post was to the left of us.

I have a ton more but I won't bore you. I will say, this show BLEW ME AWAY.

:thumbsup2

BUT I think I am done with the dessert parties now though. I just don't like dessert, lol. Unless it's amazing, but mass produced dessert is never amazing.

Same here. Sometimes they have good food, but Josh being GF usually gets pre-packed stuff (the HEA one was an exception to that), and aside from bread pudding or cheese I don't always have a ton myself. Plus we've done most of them at this point, so I probably won't repeat any, anytime soon. Maybe if a new show debuts or a menu radically changes, but otherwise I agree.
 


It was not very busy that time of day so I think part of why we missed it is that the hellacious line that was there when we left was nonexistent when we got there. But anyway we finally figured it out and got checked in and the kid requested the West Wing. I'm standing there all like :confused3 but he knew what he wanted and was asking for it so I went along with it.
I can totally see how you missed it. Unfortunately we've only been when it is insanely busy so where to go was evident.

I was wary when I sat down because I could barely see a thing, but as soon as my dang pupils opened up a bit it was actually kind of nice. The seater also warned us that there is a lot of noise when the last petal falls but I didn't really notice anything, I wonder if it was working? or I was too buzzed. Not sure which but it did not bother the kid one bit.
This was always my problem with BoG. We never sat in the West Wing but it is so dark in there I like to call it a sensory deprivation chamber. My eyes never did adjust.

She let me know that it was not sweet AT ALL and I haven't had wine in so long, I really wanted something sweet and easy (kind of like me, lol) so I backed off and she suggested the moscato instead.
:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: Who doesn't love sweet and easy?

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That looks perfect for him. So glad he was happy with it and BoG redeemed itself.

until I realized that there was a little vat of garlic aioli sitting there and remembered back when we lived in Maryland and I was doing a project in Baltimore and we used to go to Bertha's Mussels that they had an aioli sauce one time we were there that was sooooo good with mussels.

O
M
G
Oh these look and sound divine. And as a Washingtonian who is Bawlmor adjacent 'hon (said with my best Bawlmor accent) I'm so totally with you on Bertha's. I haven't been in a few years but they are the Mussels by which all others should be compared

This meal was $43.83 after AP discount, tax and 20% tip. It was well worth it and we both really enjoyed it.
Wow, impressive for dinner for 2!

And I took a lot of shots of these fireworks but here are a few.

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This shot is everything!

BUT I think I am done with the dessert parties now though. I just don't like dessert, lol. Unless it's amazing, but mass produced dessert is never amazing.
I'm with you. We've never done one - largely for every reason you said - but of course that also means that I still haven't seen HEA because I also hate the crowds
 
I actually preferred the JBJB food to the MK dessert party food. There were more savory options at JBJB so I didn't feel like I was going into a diabetic coma, and also BOOZE.
Oh, and for the MVMCP dessert party, I remember lots of chocolate covered strawberries, and also that amazingly thick sipping chocolate that I mixed with coffee and it kept me going for the rest of the night. But the parade view and the company was the best part, even if I *may* have had to toss strollers and throw little old ladies to the ground to get our amazing Terrace tables. :rolleyes1
The view for Plaza Garden is what makes it totally worth paying a ridiculous price, although I still hope they bring parade viewing back.
I think we got mussels when we went to BOG too. I remember thinking there wasn't enough of the bread to dip in the broth but it were tasty. Glad you finally made it to BOG!

Agree without about the JBJB and I did love those gingerbread martinis. I think I mostly ate the flatbread stuff and cheese dip stuff or whatever it was. And I do remember that sipping chocolate, which I had and enjoyed and I think I stole your idea! The parade viewing was awesome even if that chick in the tutu overstepped her bounds a bit.

The tiny tummy can't fit much bread... usually with mussels and sauce I can't resist a little and will have half of one stick, they are always in long format for some reason. Why is that???

After dining at BOG multiple times, I have to say the PPO breakfast, shared, is the best of the 3 seatings. Our dinner there in 2015 was really good, haven't been impressed with lunch. The food was just ok and it was chaotic and not relaxing meal time. We've loved breakfast every time. You can check in before your adr time and with pre-ordering there is almost no wait. Last year we walked through tapstiles at exactly 8:00, Took our time down Main Street, got pictures taken at 2 different spots on Main Street, in front of the partner statue, on the bridge and took a selfie at Cinderella's fountain before checking in at BOG. We had pre-ordered and we were walking out at 8:35. I'm not much of a breakfast eater but Ethan is and sharing a Feast Ala Gaston is the perfect amount of food for us. I eat a sausage, a couple bites of potatoes and the chocolate croissant while E goes to town on the rest.

we had such a lovely dinner, I admit to being a little sad we won't be able to repeat the experience but maybe breakfast will scratch the itch. I meant Feast A la Gaston to share, we'd probably have food to spare but maybe not! Still if it was under $30 for the two of us, that is around the realm of "typical CS meal" so I'd be fine with it even if it's just breakfast.

I don't think I've said this before but your son's Chip and Dale ears are so cute!
thanks, they are from Disneyland Paris 25th anniversary (both of our ears are). someone on one of my purse groups was there doing a race and was all "hey guys anyone want these ears? i have an empty suitcase!" and picked them up for people. I couldn't resist!

Ooo that does sound good. You weren't missing out by not ordering the adult portion. Last time I got it everything was overcooked and both the fries and steak we're very salty.

I know BoG can be hit and miss, especially with the kitchen reno going on. Again I think the fact that we were there at an odd time and they were 3/4 empty when we were seated helped with food quality. It was full when we left though.

I didn't care much for the grey stuff either. It used to be on like a cookie bar type thing when I tried it, but I can't say the tart looks much better to me.
the tart LOOKS better to me but it didn't taste like much of anything besides "sweet and creamy." Which I do like I guess but I like it to taste like something and not just generic "sweet." I was mostly relieved I didn't suddenly develop an undiscriminating sweet tooth! I was happier to sit and sip the rest of my wine in the cool and dark. It was not super loud either.


That is a really good value for BoG though!

I thought so too. Especially since it included a glass of wine and a really nice meal with dessert for the kid!


That was definitely a good idea! We booked the HEA party the night it debuted, and I'm so glad we did or I don't know if we'd even have been able to see it.
I think we were a little to the right of where you were, the lamp post was to the left of us.
it was nice, we enjoyed the show SO MUCH.

Same here. Sometimes they have good food, but Josh being GF usually gets pre-packed stuff (the HEA one was an exception to that), and aside from bread pudding or cheese I don't always have a ton myself. Plus we've done most of them at this point, so I probably won't repeat any, anytime soon. Maybe if a new show debuts or a menu radically changes, but otherwise I agree.
I think the frozen one is really the only one I still want to do. Also reading that they are working on an Illuminations replacement, I hope they don't roll it out til after our next trip :(

I can totally see how you missed it. Unfortunately we've only been when it is insanely busy so where to go was evident.
This was always my problem with BoG. We never sat in the West Wing but it is so dark in there I like to call it a sensory deprivation chamber. My eyes never did adjust.
I didn't really mind it, it was nice to be elsewhere. The place was 3/4 empty when we were seated so again I say GO AT AN OFF TIME!

:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: Who doesn't love sweet and easy?
I know, right? but never cheap. 2 out of 3 ain't bad!

That looks perfect for him. So glad he was happy with it and BoG redeemed itself.
it really was the perfect sized meal for him. It's too bad we can't repeat it!

Oh these look and sound divine. And as a Washingtonian who is Bawlmor adjacent 'hon (said with my best Bawlmor accent) I'm so totally with you on Bertha's. I haven't been in a few years but they are the Mussels by which all others should be compared
I went to UMCP and worked on capitol hill for a while. Bertha's was awesome and I love mussels. They are protein packed so are often my go-to when I go out to eat because they are usually in an appetizer portion without rice or pasta and I can sit with a big huge satisfying looking bowl of food but the actual edible portion is so small I can eat usually 3/4 to the whole thing, depending on how big it is (I was able to finish this entire appetizer and was hunting around for more, although I was actually quite full!) I almost ordered myself an entree honestly because I order mussels so often at home but I was just in the mood for it that night and didn't want to spend $20 more for an entree.

Wow, impressive for dinner for 2!
yeah this tiny tummy thing rules sometimes. WITH WINE even!

This shot is everything!
I LOVE taking pictures of fireworks!!! I won't show you the dozen bad ones though, lol.


I'm with you. We've never done one - largely for every reason you said - but of course that also means that I still haven't seen HEA because I also hate the crowds
It's hard with little kids and big crowds, they get squashed. Kiddo hates that.
 
Day 4: MK, Crystal Palace PPO Breakfast

So today was our last park day. My parents were scheduled to arrive later in the afternoon and we planned to leave the park by about 3. We were both pretty tired by now after going at it so hard the last two days that I considered cancelling our Crystal Palace breakfast alltogether, but as it turned out the picky kid ran into a friend from school the day before in the MK. His mom and I texted a bit and then we met up to talk for a while the night before and discovered that we all had PPO CP ADRs. Yes I am talking in code! So once the picky kid realized his buddy would be in the same restaurant, no way he was going to cancel.

Now I will 100% admit that the CP is my pick. I LOVE Tigger. I mean love love love. Last time my phone did some weird thing and messed up all of my selfies with Tigger, so I booked this breakfast just to be able to get a new one. Really, I am not even kidding. Also I love the food here for breakfast. The kiddo really likes it too and was game. I know that PPO doesn't have a RD advantage anymore with CP but to be honest, with only 6 hours at the park, I really just wanted it outside of our park hours!

We showed up pretty early and had some time to wait before CP even opened for check in. We decided to take another selfie with the castle, this is how much my child loves me when he is not medicated (he is very sensory seeking so having his arms wrapped uncomfortably around my throat and chin digging into my scalp is pretty typical)

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I will say again that PPO rules. It was so empty and so low key, we were seated probably by 8:05 for an 8am ADR. We always seem to get the same table for 2 on the inner ring of the left side of the restaurant as you enter, right next to a column. I swear we sat in the same place last time. Kiddo's friend was nowhere to be found but the characters started coming around almost immediately, and mommy got her Tigger selfie! (I was looking pretty rough by this point in the trip though, oh well!) The food was super fresh too, having been just brought out, and there were no dregs yet that needed refreshing but hadn't been.

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Do you know how hard it is to take a selfie with a ginormous stuffed animal head in the middle and without gorilla arms??? SO HARD!

Anyway on to the food, which is why you're all here anyway and not to hear me go on and on about Tigger.

The kiddo is now old enough that I can let him loose unsupervised on a buffet, so yay. It does make it easier. But also he tends to eat not as well when he dishes it out himself. His first plate(s) were:

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the kid basically ate ALL THE CARBS and ALL THE PORK FAT. Plate on the left is pooh's french toast and a mickey waffle. Plate on the right is biscuits and sausage gravy with bacon. The bacon he picked was undercooked (he just grabbed a bunch without paying attention) so I actually ended up going back to the buffet and picking out some well cooked bacon and swapping it with the nasty undercooked stuff. It was there, just not right on top.

For my plate, I tried to stick with more of the protein heavy items:

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Starting at the top around 12 o'clock and going clockwise is the cheesy potato casserole (no idea if that is how it is labeled, lol. No it is not protein. but it's vacation and I love cheesy potatoes!) These were exactly what you'd expect them to be. Cheesy and salty and potatoey and a couple of bites was enough.

Next is kielbasa with grilled onions (not sure what it's called on the buffet, lol). I didn't really care for it. I found it to be a little bit dry and not super flavorful. I usually eat turkey kielbasa at home so maybe it just wasn't what I was expecting. I didn't end up eating more than the bite I tried because I didn't like it and the tiny tummy has no room for that.

At 6 o'clock and going into the middle of the plate is the philly cheesesteak frittata. This was REALLY good, I loved it! I am kind of fastidious at buffets now because I can eat so little and rather than just take a scoop of things, I tend to very carefully pick and choose what I want. This thing was freshly put out and no one had touched it yet so I got a piece of cheesy egg,then picked out some pepper and onion and then finally took about half of the steak off the top of it. I felt a little bad but I see from easywdw's review of the breakfast that there is actually steak throughout this thing, but I didn't take enough egg to find it. Also with it is a little dollop of what I THINK they called salsa, but it was actually a fresh pico de gallo, with fresh chopped tomatoes and chopped red onion and cilantro. This (the frittata) was delicious and my favorite thing on the plate. The steak was tender and flavorful (although of course cooked all the way) with nice caramelization on it, the egg was cheesy and gooey and hot and yummy and a bite with some egg, cheese, veggies and steak was a philly style party in my mouth. I'm not sure this thing would age well sitting out on a buffet but it was delicious hot and fresh right at the beginning. The pico added a bit of freshness and crunch. I did feel a little guilty for bogarting half the steak but I figure since I'm paying $35 for 12 bites of food I'm entitled (though I was relieved to see that there is more inside. that jewish guilt is pretty bad sometimes!)

And then there's some fruit. I don't remember if it was good or bad so I suspect it was fine.

About halfway through my plate and after the kid had devoured carbporkfatpalooza his friend showed up and just HAPPENED to be seated next to us, and there was much excitement and jumping around and hugging. Then Eeyore (our last character) showed up and we took some pictures, then all took pictures together, then my kid ran to the buffet with his friend to show him what was what so I was able to chat with the mom and finish my food in relative peace and quiet. The kid's second plate was an encore of the first so nothing to see there. But I finally helped myself to a little of what I came for: the breakfast lasagna.

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as you can see i just had a tiny bit. The fresh fruit really makes it IMO and I love this stuff. Creamy, sweet, with banana and strawberry... my sweet tooth was back. I do LOVE a good custard. I think next time if i remember I'll just stick with this and the philly frittata and be a happy person.

The total for the breakfast was $62.56 with 10% AP discount, tax and 20% tip. Expensive? yes. Worth it? YES. I may not have eaten much but I enjoyed every bite (except for the kielbasa and onions but that was just ONE bite!) and got to see my Tigger. We were out of there well before 9am, having seen the characters more than once (I think they came around twice in the time we were there but didn't stop the second time except for the ones where we took pics with both kids). I have spent upwards of 90 minutes at CP to see the characters but again, when they first open it's not backed up. I LOVE the PPO version of this breakfast honestly but maybe next time we'll do a super late seating and try to make it a brunch.

Up Next: More Mobile Ordering! Columbia Harbor House.
 
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Day 4: Columbia Harbor House with Mobile Ordering!

Even though we had a buffet, with the tiny tummy I need to eat frequently. We left this kind of open, on the fence between either Columbia Harbor House or Pecos Bill's but by this point in the trip I was craving salad something AWFUL. Of the two options, the CHH salad sounded more appealing to me, so that's where we went.

So as you all know, I hate QS because of how hard it is with the kid. And as I've mentioned before, mobile ordering (and my kid growing up a bit) is a game changer. I ordered on the app and when we showed up at CHH, my mouth dropped as the line was literally down to the gates at the Haunted Mansion. I asked a CM at the door where to go for mobile order pickup and she pointed inside where there were 4 people waiting for their orders. I sent the kid upstairs to find us a table while I waited for the food. This had two benefits: 1) he wasn't buzzing around me while I was waiting and 2) I finally had that second person to get a table so I don't need to walk around searching with a tray full of food. As long as the line was outside, there were plenty of tables inside, so no one ride me for having him get a table before I had my food!

Anyway I brought it upstairs and we sat down and ate and were probably done before we would have even ordered if we were in that huge line. It can't stay like this forever but I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can!

Anyway the kid had

Chicken Breast Nuggets
served with Dannon® Danimals® Smoothie, GoGo squeeZ® Applesauce, and choice of small Lowfat Milk or small Dasani® Bottled Water

I'm not sure what all that crap is on the online menu, he had it with fries, a cookie, a chocolate milk and some bbq sauce on the side:

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Sometimes, some Disney breast nuggets, fries, a prepackaged chocolate chip cookie and nesquick chocolate milk hit the spot, even for the filet mignon kid. He let me have a bite of nugget and Disney breast nuggets/tenders are like crack. SOO GOOOD. He ate all of the nuggets, about half the fries, the cookie and drank his chocolate milk and was a happy camper.

I had the:

Broccoli Peppercorn Salad - mixed greens, garden vegetables, chicken, broccoli, sunflower seeds and parmesan cheese, tossed with a peppercorn dressing
which is actually no longer on the menu anymore. This always looks so good in pictures but I realized the pictures come tossed with probably a vat of dressing and it looks so yummy and creamy... I was good and ordered the dressing on the side:

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This was alright. The "Garden vegetables" were peas and corn and I liked that the broccoli was cooked but still crisp and chilled. "Grilled" chicken on these salads is always soso and this for sure would have been better pre-tossed and drowning in dressing but I was good and used less than half of the little cup. It scratched the salad itch for sure but I wouldn't be running back for it.. which is good, because it's been switched out for some kind of wedge salad... great for all of you iceberg lovers. In fact, the broccoli is gone now too and swapped out for green beans, I'm sure the same at LTT, so basically this is off of my "healthy options" list now but will stay on my "want junk food" list...

I think next time I'll share and adult breast nuggets with the kid, lol.

Up next: MeMe and PopPop arrive and we all have dinner at WCC!
 
Day 4: Whispering Canyon Cafe Dinner

My parents arrived and we met them at the resort, with plans for a 5pm ADR for dinner and then a 6:45 fireworks cruise for 7:55 HEA fireworks.

I should preface this by saying that my father is not what we call in our household a "super flexible thinker." He is not on the spectrum... kiddo gets that from his dad's side of the family, but he is German and that seems to present a lot of the same problems. My dad is also a terrible traveler and since this was his travel day, I wanted to keep it as low key as humanly possible. Before we met my parents at the resort, my mom was texting me that he was in rare form. But seeing the 2 bedroom villa at copper creek chilled him out and he was fine by the time we got there, being all silly PopPop.

But PopPop does not like to be forced into being silly... and I knew he would NOT enjoy the shenanigans at WCC. I REALLY wanted to go to AP but I have read that the dinners are very long there and I did not think 1:15 was enough time to finish, pay, get down to the dock by 6:45 as both of my parents have mobility issues. So I decided to roll the dice and hope if I asked to be in a quiet corner and if our card was facing the right way that there would be no major moments of discomfort with my dad. But I stressed about this... a LOT.

So we got down there at 4:45 as everyone was hungry, and I checked in and let her know that PopPop is a big old grump and asked for a quiet table and server who would respect that. As it turns out (and I had NO idea going in) there is a room at the back completely by itself called "the library" where you can just sit and have a not super expensive meal without dealing with all of the "fun" inside. The atmosphere was lovely and while I didn't take a photo of it, when I googled it I saw that it's totally in theme of a wilderness lodge hotel because I saw many "wilderness lodge libraries" that looked the same. It was warm and cozy with mission style furniture, I actually would love to eat there again atmospherewise... especially around xmas. Here's a shot I found on the web:

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we sat in the corner table all the way at the far end right by the bookcase. The atmosphere really was lovely and this is probably the most important or useful thing I have to share in this whole dining report.

Anyway here's where my food pictures get sketchy because my parents put me a bit on edge and I hadn't started really drinking yet. Spoiler alert: I remedied that on the cruise quick fast.

With the thing I was most worried about worked out, we settled in to look at the menus and my parents were both ok with what they saw... but the meal started out rockily when the waitress informed my child that the milkshake machine was broken so there were no "all you can drink milkshakes" available. He was pretty upset by this as it was the one thing he really wanted there... but she said the guy was out working on it right now and I told him since we were planning breakfast there the next day, if he didn't have it tonight he could have it for breakfast. It never did get up and running that night, but he kind of forgot about it... presumably distracted by his grandparents... and cornbread:

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I just had a tiny bite of this but the butter was nice and soft and it was typical WDW cornbread. The picky kid enjoyed it as did my parents. The waitress offered to bring more when it was gone but everyone was waiting for entrees.

My dad ordered the:

Steak-Your-Claim Char-crusted New York Strip
with Brocolini, Roasted Potatoes, Pearl Onions, and Port Wine Glaze

this is the first and last pictures of my parents' food I have as it was way too hard on the cruise in tight quarters to be able to do that. But here it is:

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PopPop was starving and loved this and pretty much cleaned his plate. He said the steak was cooked perfectly and the sides were good. WHEW.

My mom had the:


Bandana Bandit's Grilled Salmon BLT Salad
with Boston Bibb Lettuce, Infused fresh Basil and Fennel Oil-Tomatoes, Olive Bread, and Bacon Jam

and here it is:

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I am too lazy to crop out her phone, lol.

Ok so I will admit that when I saw this go by and get put in front of her, my gut reaction was "what the HELL is this BS?" I'm sorry, but that is not a salad. It is a hamburger toppings plate at a backyard home bbq. 4 whole leaves of undressed lettuce with sesame seeds sprinkled on top?? and then some slices of tomato (the fennel oil descriptor scared me off). and then plain grilled salmon. and then a piece of toast. and I guess there's some bacon something on top of there but... seriously? If I had ordered this I would have been bitterly disappointed. I love a nice, composed salad. I could even deal with an artfully deconstructed salad. This was neither of those things. It was plain lettuce, nearly plain tomato and plain salmon with some weird bread that looked like it was rye bread with bugs in it. Seriously, they could do SO MUCH BETTER with this.

Luckily MeMe is nowhere near as fussy as PopPop (or I am!) and she eats about as much as I do (had the lap band years ago) and was into her 2nd glass of wine (after traveling with my father I can't blame her) so she ate some of the salmon and left the rabbit food behind (she is not really a huge fan in general of salad anyway so I doubt she was disappointed...I think she just felt like salmon). I tried her salmon and while I do not like my salmon RARE, this was a little too well done for me. It was plain and it was dry and like I said... better her than me, it would have set me into a mood if it were mine.

The picky kid had the kid's skillet, though his stress over having too much food at LTT made him not want to order it here even though he wanted BBQ so we agreed to ask the waitress to leave off anything he wouldn't eat, which is the salad, veggies and beans. So here is what he got:

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It's starting at 12 o'clock and going clockwise: corn, brisket, ribs pulled pork, chicken and mashed potatoes. We all tried some of this since it was way too much food for the kid and I thought the pulled pork was excellent. The waitress didn't care one bit, as we did it right in front of her... I even uncomfortably said something but she said it really was only a big deal when someone wanted to "share" without ordering an entree or they were asking for refills, neither of which applied to us. Which actually makes quite a bit of sense but people will still argue this nonsense to the death on the regular dining board.

Anyway it was way too much food for him to finish it himself but he ate the ribs and some pulled pork and potatoes and PopPop helped him out with the brisket and rest of the pulled pork and I think a rib too, and we all tried a bit of everything. I liked it and if we ever end up back at WCC again I'd be inclined to just share the ribs dinner with him because the bbq was the best thing on the table imo (not that I tried the steak but I would not be inclined toward that here, it's so generic).

I got the:

Chile-crusted Oak-roasted Pork Loin Rib Chop
over Stone-ground Cheese Grits, Braised Red Cabbage, Cranberry-Apple Relish, and Pork Jus

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this was just alright. For the second time I made the mistake of ordering an absolutely amazing dish at a signature and then ordering a pale comparison at a 2nd tier restaurant and being disappointed. While the pork was amazing at CA Grill, it was overcooked here... JUST to the point of dryness. It wasn't horribly dry but on a big roast like this it needed about 15 minutes less... I'm betting the carryover heat is what did it in, because I have done that by accident before. The "relish" was just dried cranberries. The grits were ok and so was the cabbage. A bite with the grits, some pork, some cranberry and dipped in the jus was a decent enough bite. The cabbage was pretty good but there was very very little of it (I ate all of the cabbage, it was about 1/4 cup at most). It wasn't bad and didn't cause me to use profanities internally like my mother's dish would have, but I wouldn't order it again.

In 2014 I ordered the Spicy Kazan Roll at CA Grill at the beginning of our trip and then the Kona Cafe equivalent and the rice was cold and a bit hard and the whole thing was not as fresh... I see it's off the menu now but it was hugely disappointing at the time. I need to kind of be more aware of what I'm doing, and Disney needs more variety! lol

I didn't get pictures of desserts and I didn't order one myself because I knew I could try my parents' desserts. My dad ordered the


Coconut-Rice Pudding (A No Sugar Added Dessert)

I wish I had a picture... it had mango in it too and was served in a mason jar. I didn't point out it was no sugar added (he is pretty inobservant) because I wanted to try it and it turned out you couldn't really tell. This was just alright, I am not sure if he even finished it.

My mom had the Mason Jar Cheesecake. It was some fancy blah blah blah cherry with blah blah (I think amaretto now that I think of it). Again, not a dessert person (she has a truly epic sweet tooth), but this was surprisingly AMAZING. It was seriously delicious and I wish I had more room for it. Maybe not all of the flavors are hits but this cherry amaretto sure was. Who knows what they will have when you go there, but I encourage you to give it a try.

The kid had a bowl of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate sauce I'm pretty sure. I have no photographic evidence but I vaguely remember. I can ask him in the morning when he wakes up.

Overall this was a decent meal but not great and doesn't have me want to go running back. The kid kind of does for the all you can drink milkshake and we may be staying there on our next trip but once was enough for me. I really think the bbq is the way to go here honestly but it's not a great option for me since the price is so high on it and I can eat so little... so like I said, I think if the picky kid talks me into it we'll split the ribs and I'm gonna have me one of those cheesecake mason jars. My parents liked it very much though... as I said, mom is not fussy and she IS a dessert person so it ended on a very high note for her. My dad really enjoyed his food too. I'd sit in the library again as I nearly had a sensory meltdown just walking through the other side of the restaurant... but I was a bit on edge managing things too. The kid preferred the quiet though as well. If we had to sit in the other room I think this restaurant would be a no-go for me going forward.

As we were walking out my dad said to me "WOW good call on that other room!!" as people ran by whooping and carrying ketchup. I had explained earlier what they do there with the ketchup and the gallon sized sodas etc. and he was super relieved we sat in the library. But not as relieved as I was!

Up next: HEA Fireworks Cruise
 
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Ok, so I've heard of the breakfast lasagna at CP, but have never actually seen it. I was expecting some sort of egg casserole thing, but the fruit/sweet sounds and looks EVEN BETTER! Also, I would have totally eaten all of the kid's bacon, as I prefer it that way. So next time you go and you happen to get undercooked bacon, I will gladly take it off your hands. I hate bacon that is crunchy. I know, I'm weird.
Also, I booked WCC on a whim for our next trip but I'm still feeling ehh about it. We went in 2009 when we took my cousin (she was 6), and they originally sat us in the quiet room/area you were in. That wasn't going to work so we asked to switch and got a table right in the middle of the action. She absolutely loved it, and we loved watching her have fun. I remember thinking the skillet was okay, but it felt a lot like the food at HDDR for some reason. I'm guessing if we stick with the res we'll end up with the skillet, but it still doesn't excite me so I may end up cancelling.
Oh, and YOUR MOM'S MEAL IS NOT A SALAD. What kind of deconstructed ridiculousness is that?!?! It's like some one just ordered a hamburger, and switched out the beef with a slab of salmon. That sort of travesty should not be allowed. :sad2:

Lastly, I had forgotten about the 14 gingerbread martinis I had at JBJB, and now I really want one. Or 5.
 
Ok, so I've heard of the breakfast lasagna at CP, but have never actually seen it. I was expecting some sort of egg casserole thing, but the fruit/sweet sounds and looks EVEN BETTER! Also, I would have totally eaten all of the kid's bacon, as I prefer it that way. So next time you go and you happen to get undercooked bacon, I will gladly take it off your hands. I hate bacon that is crunchy. I know, I'm weird.
Also, I booked WCC on a whim for our next trip but I'm still feeling ehh about it. We went in 2009 when we took my cousin (she was 6), and they originally sat us in the quiet room/area you were in. That wasn't going to work so we asked to switch and got a table right in the middle of the action. She absolutely loved it, and we loved watching her have fun. I remember thinking the skillet was okay, but it felt a lot like the food at HDDR for some reason. I'm guessing if we stick with the res we'll end up with the skillet, but it still doesn't excite me so I may end up cancelling.
Oh, and YOUR MOM'S MEAL IS NOT A SALAD. What kind of deconstructed ridiculousness is that?!?! It's like some one just ordered a hamburger, and switched out the beef with a slab of salmon. That sort of travesty should not be allowed. :sad2:

Lastly, I had forgotten about the 14 gingerbread martinis I had at JBJB, and now I really want one. Or 5.

oh no no no no no. Here is what it is:

"Layers of Waffles, Pancakes and Pound Cake Topped with Pastry Cream and Caramelized Sugar"

Looks a bit gross in the pan after people have been picking at it. It's garnished in the middle with strawberries and bananas, I helped myself to the best part ;) It's like a softer, sweeter, less dense bread pudding sort of. It's over by where the desserts are for the dinner buffet, that center island thingie. I want some right now!

Lol it's a date at a breakfast buffet if we're ever there again. I like my bacon crispy too and so does the kid!

Honestly, I would not make a trip for WCC. We stayed there and may end up staying there again (kid is waffling on wanting to do the Poly again instead) and we might end up there again if we stay there but I would not make the effort to go there. I liked the food at HDDR but that's why we're going to do Trail's end brunch, I don't feel so bad about spending $25 for myself there and I can get the fried chicken with my eggs benedict and french toast bread pudding all in one meal. I love brunch! That's part of why I'm considering a couple of character meals (crystal palace and tusker house) at very late breakfast seatings instead of PPO next trip.

I don't know what the deal is with the salad but the lettuce wasn't even dressed. and sesame seeds with olive bread? who thought that was a good combo? it was just weird all around. But she is just about the least fussy person I know when it comes to food, and doesn't really like vegetables either so I don't think she cared but just wanted the salmon. Like I said, she loved the cheesecake and probably should have just shared my pork and then had her cheesecake. They were both dry proteins, not a huge difference between them, lol. She literally did not touch anything that grows out of the ground on that whole plate.
 
I don't hate Bibb lettuce (I use it instead of taco shells to keep carbs down), but that whole thing just looks like a disaster.
I'll have to look at breakfast reviews of CP. We've only ever been there for dinner, and I thought it was good but it was a long time ago so I'm sure the menu has changed.
 
I don't hate Bibb lettuce (I use it instead of taco shells to keep carbs down), but that whole thing just looks like a disaster.
I'll have to look at breakfast reviews of CP. We've only ever been there for dinner, and I thought it was good but it was a long time ago so I'm sure the menu has changed.
I use it to wrap stuff too but there was nothing to wrap! I make awesome pf chang copycat chicken lettuce wraps (brought them to girl's weekend and had 4 requests for the recipe) that go in those. And the sesame seeds would make sense then!
 
Just a heads up..if your son wants to go back to WCC and you want to be a little cost effective, he could always order his kid's skillet and you can order a kid's meal and share a little with him to get a taste. Back when we went last year, my friend was really not hungry but had wanted a rib and little piece of chicken. Our server was really cool and recommended just ordering the two kids meals and that she would bring as much as they wanted.
 
Day 1: Animal Kingdom
Satu'li Canteen Lunch!


So the flight went smoothly, grabbed our luggage, grabbed the rental, activated our APs and by 11:45 or so we were in the park. I had an 11:30-11:45 FP+ for festival of the lion king, planning to do that and safari first and then lunch at Satu'li Canteen and then FoP. Well, as you can perhaps surmise from our breakfast situation, we were both on the verge of HANGRY when we got to AK so we decided to head straight to Satu'li Canteen rather than trying to run to FotLK and get there before noon. That turned out to be a good decision.

Now remember, I am the girl who completely avoids QS restaurants. In 2014 it was hell on earth trying to manage my whirling child in a series of long lines then balancing a tray trying to look for a table that wasn't too dirty while managing the whirling child simultaneously. In 2016 we didn't do a single QS because it was so stressful and exhausting. But this was our first foray into QS with the new magic of mobile ordering.

I tend to figure out in advance what I'm going to order at a given place (because I'm like that, nothing related to the surgery!) and really struggled over what to order here. I considered the kid meal bowl, but no boba balls or sauce and limited bases to fit into the Mickey Check guidelines. I might have been able to make modifications but I also REALLY wanted to try mobile ordering and I wasn't sure if I could make modifications at the pickup window or what the whole situation was. I also really wanted to try the potato hash base, which is not a Mickey check option. So eventually I just decided to suck up and pay the extra $4 for the adult meal vs. kid meal because I decided I was stressing out way too much over $4, it wasn't worth it.

At the last minute I decided to get the kale salad base ANYWAY because there was going to be so much yummy food coming up and I decided to try to be a little good for as long as I could. Also since changing my way of eating, I actually crave salads pretty often now and it was warm and the kale salad base sounded better. So I got on my phone and ordered up lunch and was pleasantly surprised by how empty Satu'li Canteen was right at noon... walked right up, got our food, plenty of empty tables. It was nowhere near the hell of QS past.

In fact, here we are looking happy and unstressed in a QS restaurant! YAY! Also wearing our christmas tie dye shirts, which got a TON of comments everywhere we went... way more than when we wore them to the christmas party. We are also sporting our spiffy Disneyland Paris 25th anniversary ears.

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So I got myself:


Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef Bowl
Slow-Roasted Sliced Grilled Beef marinated in a blend of Garlic, Herbs, Red Pepper Spice, and Red Wine Vinegar topped with Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and Boba Balls served with your choice of Base and Sauce.

I got the romaine and kale salad base and the charred onion chimichurri, both of which appear to have been replaced by "hearty salad" and "charred green onion viniagrette." I am wondering if they are the same thing with different names... just checked the app that is what is there.

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here is what I got. It was, as we like to say in our household, DELISHBALLS. The meat was nice and medium (ie not overcooked), the salad was fresh and crunchy and I actually found myself picking out the kale and leaving the boring romaine behind. The slaw was wonderful as well, it seemed to be pretty carrot heavy (all colors, purple and yellow and orange) and was sweet and crunchy. The boba balls were good but I would probably not pay $4 extra for them again. The chimichurri was AMAZING and now i'm sad they changed it to a boring vinaigrette but maybe it will be good also. I gave the kid some of the steak too but he was not so interested in it, I think he didn't like the seasoning.

Here is what my plate looked like when I was done eating.
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Some of the meat had made it to the kid's plate. It was a very LARGE serving. Yeah, that's a lot of waste, but it also felt like the endless salad, no matter how many pieces of kale I shoved into my mouth, there always seemed to be a full bowl of salad.

Like I said, next time I will definitely try the mickey check option and hit them up for some sauce on the side at the pickup area. If waste bothers you then stop reading here because waste is going to happen! At home I plan so I don't waste much but when I'm out I'm at the mercy of restaurant portions and I can't eat more than I do so it is what it is.

The kid got the:
Cheeseburger Steamed Pod - steamed cheeseburger pod stuffed with ground beef, ketchup, mustard, pickle, and cheddar cheese served with vegetable chips and grapes, and choice of small water or lowfat milk

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I wasn't sure how he would like it so I got him the kid meal but turns out he LOVED it... which pretty much confirms my gut feeling that for him it's most often the texture rather than the flavor because he will not eat pickles or most condiments... but all blended together he liked it. He asked me to get him the adult version next time (with 2 pods). I had a bite and thought it was alright, exactly what I expected but not really my thing. He didn't much care for the chips though, except for the blue ones (which were probably blue potato chips). I tried an orange one and had read reviews they are stale... they are not stale but sweet potatoes and yucca and whatever the heck else it was do NOT fry up like white potatoes. I've had veggie chips before and it tasted exactly like what I expected it to. He got a chocolate milk with it and I stuck the grapes in my backpack for later.

Overall we give Satu'li Canteen 2 thumbs up: would return. The food was as reviewed by everyone else...fresh and yummy with healthy options and slightly more interesting flavors if that's your thing. It's mine but not the kid's and we got stuff to satisfy both of us here.

Ok the mobile ordering amazing. I hope you were able to use it because it sounds designed for you and so does then cheeseburger pod. We shared one for research purposes but it wasn’t my favorite but I loved the chicken thighs at Satu’li. I am so glad to see this worked out for you!

Day 1 Dinner: CA Grill, AKA the kid's favorite restaurant ever.

If you'll remember from our last review (haha, like you have nothing better to store in your brain than my dining reviews!) our CA Grill Dinner was amazing. I know it gets mixed reviews, especially post remodel, but we honestly have always had excellent meals here. This is the place of my son's introduction to filet mignon and there's been no looking back. He declared it (and the mac and cheese on the side) the BEST THING HE HAS EVER EATEN.

Now for me, I try to space out my restaurants a bit. I feel like the best way to have a bad experience is to keep going back to the same thing. Things just lose their shine if you go too much and somehow never compare favorably to a previous amazing experience. BUT. That is not how my autistic child rolls. He thrives on familiarity and routine and THIS is where he wanted to go. Non-negotiable. If he could only pick ONE place it is CA Grill, and since we had a packed park schedule I scheduled it on our first night.

So we left AK, returned our one way rental to the car care center, got a shuttle to the Poly, got checked in, got our luggage, and had about 10 minutes in which to change/freshen up. I decided I didn't want to bother digging out clothes and we could go in our tie dye mickey mouse head tshirts. I know there are numerous debates on this and we were a bit under dressed (I usually do put on something nice) but oh well. I did run a brush through both my and the kid's hair (For whatever little good THAT did when he put his hat back on immediately) and put on deodorant, and off we went to the CA Grill.

We had an ADR at 6:30 and got there about 15 minutes early. We checked in and went up to the lounge and settled into a table (there were still plenty) and I really just wanted some water (afraid to try a cocktail yet) but as soon as I ordered water, I got a text that our table was ready so I chased down the waitress hoping to not make extra work for her and told her.

Typically I like to book right at restaurant open because it is a short wait, you get your choice of table request (I ask for near the window), and service is a bit faster since they are not at capacity yet. I didn't make a table request because we were both hungry and I just wanted first available, and we got one of those booths sitting across from the open kitchen. As it turned out, the kid LOVED sitting near the open kitchen and watching what was going on in there.

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I was a little concerned that the booth looked a bit oddly like it was sitting in the middle of traffic but as it turned out, the fact that it was a booth made it feel quite private and comfortable even though it looked a little weird on approach just sitting in the middle... I think I preferred it to a regular table similarly situated.

this is our view of the open kitchen:

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It was actually even more fun that looking at the magic kingdom. Those people move fast and it's amazing to watch them work.

As I said before, CA Grill had a very high bar to clear. We had an amazing waitress, amazing food, amazing overall experience last time. Last time we were on DxDDP so we did appetizers, entrees, and desserts. This time we just stuck to entrees since I can't even finish that (and the kid was not so much into his appetizer last time). The waiter was nice too, not as amazing as our waitress but he was friendly and took good care of us.

First came out the water and the bread. I think the bread last time was sourdough rolls and focaccia but this time it was just a boring boule, maybe sourdough but it kind of looked like that bread you buy at the supermarket and bake at home. It was nothing special by itself and the bread was much better last time... but the kid isn't that fussy as long as the crust is chewy and it's some kind of bakery bread and some kind of white bread, and I couldn't eat much so it wasn't a huge deal. BUT they also recently started bringing out a little dish of fire roasted tomato with garlic, basil and olive oil.

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OMG, this stuff was AMAZING. I had some on bread with a little butter and the mediocre bread was suddenly the best bread I ever ate. I ate some of it with a spoon (just the tomatoes, not spoonfuls of olive oil!) trying to be good and it was really good that way but I had to grab another couple of bites with bread because it was AMAZING on the bread. What you'll probably learn about me going forward is that I'm always in search of the perfect bite and like to combine food.

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The kid ordered the adult filet. I won't bother to copy the description here because he didn't have any of the sides, but I explained to the waiter that it was the best thing he ever ate and we were hoping to recreate that magic tonight. It was a plain filet with mac and cheese and served with some butter on top. Here is what he got - last time the mac and cheese was on the side, this time the filet was on top... luckily mixing foods is not one of the kid's "things" as he didn't care. This is the gouda mac and cheese from the ribeye entree, it's the same thing he had last time:


Oak-fired Filet of Beef

Aged Gouda Mac and Cheese

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This was served with a side of herb garlic butter that I smeared on top and melted in before I cut it up for him. It was a little less pretty when deconstructed this way but the filet was a perfect medium, cut very easily (no tendon or anything weird) and he declared this as living up to the memory. He ate all of the steak and about half the mac and cheese.

I couldn't wait to have the:

Pork Tenderloin
Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, Lacquered Belly, Zinfandel Sauce

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This is a dish that I have had on and off for the last 20 years or so in various incarnations. I don't order it all the time but I do order it every few times. First I will say, I thought the presentation was beautiful. It had some little micro greens and teeny tiny tomatoes and was otherwise kind of a casual presentation in what looked like a hand glazed bowl. I'm a designer so while I won't not eat something that isn't plated well, it does delight me when something is. I was way more delighted by this more casual plating vs. the very structured plating I am used to at the CA Grill.

Here is what it looked like when I had it last in 2014. Yes I'm a weirdo, I still have this picture lying around... and also weird for making such a big deal about the plating. But I just really enjoyed it!

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This dish (ca 2018) was... perfection. Maybe the best incarnation of this dish I have ever had. The goat cheese polenta was perfectly creamy with a little bit of bite from the goat cheese, the pork tenderloin was well seasoned on the outside and cooked a perfect medium and moist and tender enough to cut with a fork. The zinfandel sauce was a perfect complement to the meaty and perfectly cooked button mushrooms, but the star of the plate was the pork belly. It was absolutely delicious with a hint of smokiness and the fat was the most perfect melt in your mouth texture. Fat can be so nasty and I don't generally seek it out, but this was cooked PERFECTLY. The little tiny tomatoes provided the perfect bit of little acidity to balance the fat in the pork and that's how I ate it, with little bites of tomato. I ate less than half of it, but the kid helped me polish this off and he loved it too (But he has never met bacon he doesn't love.)


So knowing that the kid polished off the rest of the pork belly, this is what was left... I was able to eat a bit less than 1 of the 3 pieces of pork, a bit less than half the pork belly, about 1/2 of the polenta (it was not a huge serving) and maybe half the mushrooms. I still had a lot left!

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But never fear, good planning prevailed here as we were planning to go straight back to the Poly studio after dinner and was able to have our leftovers wrapped up to bring back to the room. The food is too expensive here to just throw it away!

One of my anxieties (generated by what others have said) is having the server think that something is wrong with the meal because you didn't finish it. I really wasn't sure how I'd handle if it I had an overly enthusiastic server who was concerned with my dining experience based on how much I ate. I stemmed it off here by telling the waiter how I have been having this dish on and off the last 2 decades and I think this is the best. He agreed with me, having been a guest himself at the restaurant for even longer, but said last time he tried the pork shank version and it was even better than the tenderloin.

Another thing I noticed post surgery is that I was hungry much more often when I was walking like 8 miles a day... so this meal absolutely did not go to waste, I ended up having two post-park snacks out of it and it was the delicious perfect ending for the tiny tummy. One snack I reheated the rest of the polenta and mushrooms but ate one piece of the pork cold (I am not a fan of reheating and overcooking meat... I'd rather eat it cold. It was DELICIOUS cold) and the other meal was the last piece of meat and the kid's grapes from Satu'li Canteen, which I remembered to put in the fridge and were crisp and cold yummy by the time I remembered to eat them. The kid ate his leftover mac and cheese one of those nights too and wasn't hungry the other so we actually gave all of this yummy food a very good home.

The kid had decided way in advance he really wanted to get the chocolate cake for dessert here but we were both full after our entrees so we just paid the bill and went home. Besides... we had a backup plan for dessert at "home" anyway.

I would once again give this a 10/10. The total with $20 tip and 10% AP Discount was $107.23. Our most expensive meal!

Even though we went in with high expectations, the food was as amazing as I remember and the service was lovely. That means we're going back on our next trip because the kid won't hear of skipping it. Alright, twist my arm if you must! I will very likely book it for 5pm when it opens though as I do prefer the quieter, more empty restaurant... although the wait was short and pacing was just fine at 6:30.

I’ve had the pork tenderloin at CG a few times and it doesn’t disappoint but gracious the plating is lovely here. You and your little man are simply adorable together and I am so glad your strategy worked out.

I don’t mind waste. I did some solo traveling this trip and I can’t finish most snacks either- in fact I found half an elephant ear from DAK tucked in my park bag and forgotten as I put half away when I got it. My son was happy though. He got a Disney surprise.


Day 2: Epcot
PPO Breakfast at Garden Grill

Well I'm supposed to be unloading and reloading the dishwasher but instead I'm here continuing my dining review. Dishes and Laundry are my life sometimes, and right now I'd rather be at Disney!

So to start off our first full park day at Epcot, I booked a PPO at Garden Grill for 8am. We left the room right at 7:15 so I figured it might be less hassle to go through bag check at the resort and take the resort monorail to TTC than go through bag check at TTC... but what I started to learn the hard way is that bag check will mean you JUST MISS every monorail that you see... so we ended up having to wait for the next one, then it was delayed several times, then we transferred monorails at TTC and JUST MISSED the Epcot monorail and waited for the next one, then got to bag check right as a tram arrived so it took us the full 45 minutes to get to garden grill. I was starting to get a little antsy as I hate being late, but it worked out fine.

I requested a table on the bottom level and got it no problem. We got a large booth actually as there were maybe 10-12 families seated total the entire time we were there?

Anyway obligatory hidden mickey table setting:

View attachment 307692

I won't lie. I LOVE IT.

We were seated and the waiter was right there with fruit and cinnamon bun bake and to take the drink order, followed quickly by the big cheese himself, Mickey Mouse! Kiddo decided not to bother with autographs this time so it was kind of nice to just interact. Mickey did not feel rushed AT ALL like he does sometimes and stood there and listen to the kid chatter away, posed for selfies, and it was just generally pleasant and a great way to start off our morning. One thing I noticed during the breakfasts we did is that the characters no longer have individual handlers so we missed a lot of pictures together because no one was around to take them, especially in PPO time when the restaurant is more than half empty... so I have a lot of selfies that don't look so hot since their heads are so big.

BUT onto the food.

As I said, first came out the cinnamon bun bake and the fruit.

View attachment 307693

The cinnamon bun bake had tons of icing on top and the kid kept requesting more and more servings of this because he was starving. I tried a tiny little piece and some fruit, my plate:

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The fruit was not as good as last time but since I couldn't eat nearly as much as last time, I was able to pick out just the best parts and what I had was good... but you can probably see from the above picture, most of the strawberries are questionable.

The sticky bun was as eh for me as last time. I guess it's just not my thing.

Then he brought the drinks. I forgot to ask for just like 1/4 glass of POG juice but I had to have some... he brought me a very full glass and I had a couple of sips. There is probably nothing worse for a bariatric patient than juice, except maybe milk shakes. Anything high in sugar that goes down in large volume without stopping is generally a nono.

View attachment 307698

I really wanted to drink more or get it in a to go cup but as I said, that calorie bomb in liquid form is the last thing I need. Also I can't drink and eat at the same time so I would have had to hold it for a good half hour after breakfast.

Then the skillet came out, which is what I was really waiting for (PROTEIN!) and I think I forgot to take a picture of the whole thing this time, but here is my plate:

View attachment 307695

The scrambled eggs were cooked well and fluffy (not dried out but not runny) and the salsa is apparently back!!! This was not available when I went in 2016. I LOVED the salsa, it was nice and fresh and tomato-ey. The server warned it might be spicy for little ones but it was not spicy to me at all. That said my little one won't touch salsa with a 10 foot pole so it was no worry. I also had a few tater tots, which were crispy and like crack frankly... a couple of pieces of standard disney bacon, that was cooked just right and the ear off of a mickey waffle drenched in chocolate hazelnut sauce. Also I had half a sausage once I discovered they were on the platter too. I ate everything I dished out except a slice of bacon (that I gave to the kid), about half the eggs and a few pieces of fruit (which I had cut into smaller pieces.)

The kiddo of course had his 3 basic food groups:

View attachment 307696

Carbs, chocolate and bacon. We ended up requesting more waffles and chocolate sauce for him even after he ate the 3rd one minus one ear. The waffles were hot and crispy, the chocolate sauce was delicious, and he ate his weight in bacon. He also got apple juice with his breakfast and the waiter correctly surmised he was a "cup with a lid" type of a kid.

The character interaction was EXCELLENT. Both Chip and Dale went completely gaga over his ears, Chip pantomiming all sorts of loving gestures and Dale trying to flick the mini Chip off, lol. Pluto was great too, giving lots of nose bumps and other affectionate gestures. I won't bore you with all of our character photos but I love the look of pure joy on the kid's face in this one.

View attachment 307699

Anyway the Garden Grill PPO is 2 enthusiastic thumbs up. Yes it's a bit pricey for how much I can eat... It was $59.10 with 20% tip and AP discount, but our waiter was great about mentioning we could pay the bill early if we wanted to get a jump on Soarin' (he did NOT make it sound like he was rushing us at all but the table next to us kept asking about that) and I did and we were down at Soarin' at about 8:45.

For what it's worth, a 45 minute breakfast when there is no lag time for ordering or cooking food to order was pretty much just about right. We saw all the characters, they spent as much time with kiddo as he wanted and only left when he indicated he was done by sitting back down and we both ate plenty at a leisurely pace (my typical meal at home takes about 20 minutes to eat, after that I'm supposed to stop because if I sit at the table I can graze in another whole meal in that time). They did come around again but the kid was so busy shoveling waffles and bacon into his mouth that he just waved as they passed by.

The best part was they let us on Soarin' at about 8:50 and when we were done, the rope drop crowds hadn't arrived yet. "Do you want to stay on again?!" They didn't have to ask us twice! So we got to ride kiddo's favorite ride x2 in the top middle. He was THRILLED and it was an extra bit of pixie dust that got us ahead in our touring plans by about a half hour since I had allocated a half hour to ride Soarin' a second time.

Garden Grill was a huge hit for us, the food was great (if basic) and it was so low key with the restaurant half empty, awesome character interaction. Enthusiastic 2 thumbs up and not sure I could do Epcot any other way now! This is on the kid's "must do on next trip" list.

I love that hidden Mickey and I seriously love breakfast at GG. It’s quiet and not the hassle of a buffet and you get all the best - Mickey waffles and fluffy Disney eggs. Why are they so much better there? So glad you had fun! It’s funny how a plain tot sounds more like breakfast when you call it a barrel!
 
checked in and let her know that PopPop is a big old grump and asked for a quiet table and server who would respect that. As it turns out (and I had NO idea going in) there is a room at the back completely by itself called "the library" where you can just sit and have a not super expensive meal without dealing with all of the "fun" inside.

Thank you so, so much for this tip!! I love booking ADRs at resorts that are on my "maybe someday" list - in order to explore and absorb the atmosphere without the rest of my family feeling like we're wasting time. But I generally hate "participation" restaurants, so I haven't done this one yet.
 
Alright well I am still attempting to amuse myself at home and hoping we keep power (have lost it twice but came back twice, everyone send me good juju!)

But before I move on to day 3, I forgot to share this little jewel. So we were having a great time taking pictures with the topiaries so of course when I saw a figment one, I wanted a photo with him! Who wouldn't!

I nearly died when I saw the photopass photo, as the exposure on it made figment look like a demon from hell rising up to eat us and I look like I peed my pants.

View attachment 308726

This may be my favorite photopass shot ever, actually. We did a retake with different lighting later and it wasn't much better, I think that figment topiary is just majorly creepy!

Day 3: MK Day, Room service breakfast!

So far, we had two amazing days... AK and Epcot. Today we were due for a full day at the MK and since it was the Saturday ending President's week and also the princess half marathon, I was prepared for crowds with many ADRs and breaks from the crowds. The park was set to open at 8am and we planned to rope drop, which meant I got to wake the picky kid's butt up early. I swear this was almost the most fun on vacation, as the kid is generally an early riser and never lets me sleep in. Turnabout is fair play and now the kid got to see what it's like to be woken up! He was dragging pretty badly all morning though and I think the 4:30 wake up for travel day and then 7:15am to 10pm (including travel) Epcot day were cumulatively taking a toll on him. But too bad, mama lost 110 lbs and had nothing but plans and energy!

Anyway I knew we had an early morning and he'd be slow moving so I decided to do Room Service breakfast and order it the night before. We wanted to leave by 7:15 at the latest for rope drop so I ordered it for 6:30am the night before. She told me they could not guarantee a time delivery and it would come anywhere between 6:30 and 7am but she'd leave a big note on it.

Anyone want to guess when it came? yup, pretty close to 7am.

Anyway the kid ordered a VEB (very expensive bagel). $5.50 for a bagel and cream cheese and the thing came untoasted!

View attachment 308723

Luckily, we were in a Poly Studio so I popped that thing in our toaster and he ate I think half of it... he has a pretty good appetite but generally half of a big bagel is about all he will eat, unless it is a NY bagel then he can eat 2 whole ones, lol. PIctured also is the chocolate milk that came with the kid's meal that I ordered.

I ordered a kid's mickey check meal Ham and Vegetable Scramble, which came as below (on the allears menu it is listed as coming with fruit cup, which I would have preferred)

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Right about here is where the oxford comma would come in handy, because this was NOT a "Ham and Vegetable Scramble" but rather "Ham, and Vegetable Scramble." Seriously, they are like two different things!

Room service breakfast at the Poly continues to be lackluster as it was on our last trip, but the name of the game here was getting fed easily and conveniently before a very early start to our MK day. This was not as bad as it could be... but it lacked any salt at all (though they sent packets with the tray... I guess so much for the little salt and pepper shakers) and eggs definitely need a little salt. The veggies were pretty decent, it was really just broccoli rabe (stems and leaves) and tomato, but this would have been way better with cheese, onion and the ham diced into it. I don't really like ham and would never order a hunk of it on the side like that and only didn't try to sub it because I thought it came IN the scramble, but I would have preferred sausage. I didn't even eat this but it looked kind of pathetic and dried out. I bet it was salty though.

I made a healthy choice to put protein in my belly to start my day but this was pretty soso. I can't find the receipt but I think it was around $20 all in and it was worth it for the convenience and to be able to eat while getting ready but nothing more. I had much better room service breakfast at Bay Lake Tower in 2014, and thanks to the magic of google photos you can see it (and how stinkin' cute my kid was 4 years ago)

Also it kind of annoyed me that I made the effort to call for tray pickup and we didn't put everything back on the tray, they basically took the dishes and left the trash (used coasters and opened salt packet and the saran wrap from the bagel) sitting on the table. Really, Disney? at a Deluxe? You actually left the trash of a $5 breakfast that cost $20 behind? We LOVE the Poly but their room service breakfast leaves a lot to be desired.

View attachment 308725

I don't know, maybe the key is things like pancakes and waffles and sausage make much better room service breakfast items but this was awesome (from the wave, the sweet potato pancakes and chicken sausage, and perfectly crispy mickey waffles and bacon) and our last two Poly room service breakfasts were definitely underseasoned and just "edible" as the nicest thing I could say. Also, I bet a mimosa helps too.

But anyway, our day definitely went up from there as we went over to the MK for the 8am rope drop!

Omg
I love anyone who understands and appreciates and finds humor in The Oxford comma!
 
I truly saved the best for last to catch up on, and I did catch up! But I'm on my phone which is awful for quotes and replies so I'll be sure to come back for real and participate. In the meantime, holy updates batman! You're pulling a... me with all those rapid fire updates :D

Couldn't resist saying hi without just a *little* chatter...

like it was rye bread with bugs in i
:rotfl2: You are a wordsmith, Lisa! I snorted, for real.

still argue this nonsense to the death on the regular dining board
Again with the jokes killing me. But you know what, that's why we're on the REVIEWS board where most everyone is kind and no one seems too creepy :crowded:
 
Day 3 Dinner: Liberty Tree Tavern


Now I AM a veggie eater but as beautiful as they were, I did NOT like the green beans here. They tasted too... green beany. You might think I am nuts but sometimes green beans have this flavor that I only associate with them as "green beany" that I do not like. I make them a lot at home and when I make them they are a little bit nutty, a little bit sweet. Maybe it's the variety of green bean, I don't know... these looked fancier and smaller than what I make... maybe these are french style? I also associate that "green beany" flavor with frozen green beans, I don't like them no matter how much I try. So the princess has to have green beans made her way or it's a no-go. I didn't like these, but luckily I had my lovely salad.

I feel the same way about green beans....especially the frozen ones.
 
Day 4: MK, Crystal Palace PPO Breakfast

covered that we all had PPO CP ADRs. Yes I am talking in code! So once the picky kid realized his buddy would be in the same restaurant, no way he was going to cancel.

Now I will 100% admit that the CP is my pick. I LOVE Tigger. I mean love love love. Last time my phone did some weird thing and messed up all of my selfies with Tigger, so I booked this breakfast just to be able to get a new one. Really, I am not even kidding. Also I love the food here for breakfast. The kiddo really likes it too and was game. I know that PPO doesn't have a RD advantage anymore with CP but to be honest, with only 6 hours at the park, I really just wanted it outside of our park hours!

I am a Tigger fan for life too, but I prefer the 1900 Park Fare breakfast buffet to CP's. We do 1900 PF breakfast every single trip --my family thinks it's for the food too (which is AMAZING, but.......I need my Tigger fix, and Mary Poppins is another of my favorites.....so we will just let them keep thinking it's the food).
 

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