Yes, Really! Even MORE Vegan and Vegetarian Dining Reviews! May 8-15, 2010

[v_gan]

We've been back from our trip for over a month now. I think it's about time I get started on these reviews before all the information becomes outdated

First I'd like to mention how awesome all the new veg. dining reviews are! For my first trip to Disney World as a vegan, I had to look high and low for food information. But now it looks like it's everywhere and it's so freakin' exciting! I haven't made it all the way through yet, but I'm loving mandibc11's reviews! And I want to thank Plasticletters and ehartman4 one more time for their incredibly helpful reviews.

_______________________________________​

This trip was to celebrate mine and Jon's 5.5-year anniversary. We also had our volunteer vouchers from earlier in the year that we needed to use. We stayed at Pop Century from May 8 - May 15.

Now. I have never been to Disney World twice in a single year. It was weird. But it was also really awesome. Kind of felt like a regular. Haha.

Jon doesn't like to spend a lot of money on food. I don't either.. But I like good food! However, since we were trying to save money and I had already gone once earlier in the year, I had to pick and choose which table service restaurants I really wanted to go to. We ended up only going to five table service restaurants on the trip (if Beaches and Cream counts), but we also found some new favorites at counter service locations! We kind of shared and snacked our way through most days. Here's where me and Jon ate on our trip this May:

Saturday, May 8
Rest Area Picnic
Beaches and Cream

Sunday, May 9
Flame Tree Barbecue
Pop Century Food Court
'Ohana

Monday, May 10
Espresso Coffee and Pastries
Tangerine Cafe
Sunshine Seasons

Tuesday, May 11
Tusker House
The Wave

Wednesday, May 12
El Pirata Y El Perico
Tomorrowland Popcorn Cart
Place Ice Cream Parlor

Thursday, May 13
Backlot Express
50s Prime Time Cafe, Tune-In Lounge
California Grill

Friday, May 14
Tangerine Cafe
Liberty Inn

Saturday, May 15
Sunshine Tree Terrace
El Pirata Y El Perico
Pop Century Food Court

 

[v_gan]

We were on the road by about 4:00 (central), and by 12:30 (eastern), we were stopping at the Florida Welcome Center. We had such a fun time having a picnic here on our last trip, we decided to do it again! I packed our lunch the night before, and here's what we had:

Tofurky pita sandwiches, celery sticks and roasted red pepper hummus, oranges, and bananas. It was very filling lunch. We just saved the fruit and most of the celery and hummus for snacking on later.

We arrived at Walt Disney World about three hours later and checked in at Pop. We were originally put in the 80s section, which, looking back, we probably should have stayed in to try something new. Might have even got a refurbished room! But I wanted to stay in the 50s again, so we asked if we could switch. We ended up staying just a few doors down from our room last year.

After we got our room organized, we changed and headed for the Boardwalk. From there, we made our way around to the Beach Club Resort and, eventually, to Beaches and Cream:

I asked how long the wait was going to be, and we were told about 45 minutes - 1 hour. We didn't have anything else to do, and I really wanted to eat here, so we got our pager and found a seat to look at a menu while we waited:

ICE CREAM CONE TABLES.

The pink lemonade and banana split were just calling my name as I looked through the menu..

We only ended up waiting about 15-20 minutes, and we were taken inside:

Pretty small little joint.

Yes, please!

I loved the decor in here. So adorable.

We were seated at the counter, right in front of all the hot fudge and ice cream toppings.

Our server was very nice, and he took our drink orders first.

Jon ordered water, and I got the Pink Lemonade!

After that, I inquired about the vegetable wrap, which is what I was hoping to get. Unfortunately, I was told the wraps were all pre-made and the pesto contained dairy. So then I asked about the veggie burger. I had to get the gross allergy-free buns, so I wasn't very excited about my meal from then on. But that's what me and Jon both ended up ordering.

Jon's burger.

My burger. I was told that the veggie burger patty was too big for one bun, so I had to suffer through two of those horrendously dry "buns". I attempted to drench the buns with ketchup so they wouldn't be so dry. But they didn't really soak any of it up. It's like they were made to be a barrier for all moisture. But the fries were good!

Next up was my only chance to redeem this meal: Dessert. I asked if they had non-dairy ice cream. "Yes! Tofutti and Rice Dream!" Could I possibly get a banana split with the non-dairy ice cream? "Let me check!"

Meanwhile, I'm sitting there incredibly nervous and hopeful.

Final answer: "YES!" However, there would be no pineapple, strawberry, or caramel sauce. And no whipped cream. But they had Hershey's chocolate syrup!! Yaaaaaaay!

Ladies and gentlemen.. Here it is:

The absolute best thing I have ever put in my mouth.

I just don't have any words. It was beautiful. It was so beautiful. I wish I hadn't agreed to share with Jon. I wanted it all. After I was done, I wanted to plan another trip just so I could come back and eat another. It was that good. The chocolate sauce and the banana together was just..

All smiles by the end of the meal!

Overall, I was pleased with our experience with Beaches and Cream. However, had it not been for that banana split, I probably wouldn't go back. And now that I know about the vegetable wrap, I will plan on eating dinner elsewhere and reserving Beaches and Cream for dessert. We had excellent service, and I thought it was a great start to our trip.

After dinner, we headed back to the Boardwalk to watch the performers and browse through the shops. This was probably one of my most favorite days at Disney World. No rush, no hassle. It was just a pleasant day with beautiful weather. We headed back to the room fairly early to get a good night's rest for our week ahead.

Up Next: Flame Tree Barbecue, Pop Century Food Court, 'Ohana

 

[mandibc11]

I'm so excited you're starting your reviews! I knew you had gone about a week before us, so it's about time!

You know, we ate at Beaches and Cream for lunch one day, and I actually got the Veggie Wrap! But they had to go "next door" to make me a separate one. I never figured out where this elusive location was, but if I had to guess it would probably be Cape May.

That dessert looks fantastic and I'm so jealous I didn't think of it myself!! Can't wait to hear more...I'm hoping to make it to Disney at least once more this year!

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

I LOVEEeee your Yellow Dress where did you get it?! A the girl in my is coming out there is food porn to be had and Im looking at your dress, but its so pretty!

 

[shellbelle]

I just love reading your reviews! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Vegcentric]

Yay! You're back! I'm so glad I loved your Kingdom Hearts shirt and your adorable yellow dress. You guys looked so cute at your dinner together. Thanks for posting more reviews, they're always super helpful.

 

[Linda67]

Hello there

Great Beaches and Cream review, glad that your Banana Split was soooo yummy

By the way, I just love your dress just perfect for sitting at B&C in

 

[disney_princess_85]

Awesome, more v_gan reviews!

The banana split looks amazing. I love your yellow dress, very pretty.

 

[shippedtosea]

joining in!

 

[butiflfeet]

Thanks for sharing your reviews! I'm looking forward to reading more about your adventures!

 

[onelilspark]

I LOVEEeee your Yellow Dress where did you get it?! A the girl in my is coming out there is food porn to be had and Im looking at your dress, but its so pretty!

I was thinking the same thing! I love that dress, so cute!

 

[hogwartsdropout]

Looking forward to more reviews! Love your dress too.

 

[ehartman4]

Wow, that banana split looks AMAZING! Also, I know almost everyone is saying this, but oh well... you two are adorable!

 

[YayDisney!]

I am a recent vegan, so I'm loving your reviews and ideas for what I will be able to eat on my next trip to WDW. Thank you!!

 

[v_gan]

I'm so excited you're starting your reviews! I knew you had gone about a week before us, so it's about time!

You know, we ate at Beaches and Cream for lunch one day, and I actually got the Veggie Wrap! But they had to go "next door" to make me a separate one. I never figured out where this elusive location was, but if I had to guess it would probably be Cape May.

That dessert looks fantastic and I'm so jealous I didn't think of it myself!! Can't wait to hear more...I'm hoping to make it to Disney at least once more this year!

Yeah, I have a bad habit of starting things late

I so wish I had gotten your luck at Beaches and Cream! That wrap sounded so much better than the veggie burger(s) I got. I really wish their regular buns were vegan

I might be going back with my sister and her boyfriend this fall for the Halloween Party! I hope it all works out!



And, thanks, everyone! I'm so glad you'll be reading!

I didn't realize my dress would be a bigger hit than the food, but thanks for all the compliments! haha. I got it at JC Penny, for those wondering

 

[v_gan]

On Sunday, Animal Kingdom was our first park of the day. We got there early, picked up our tickets with our volunteer vouchers, and sat at the turnstiles until the park opened. I was given a carnation, since it was Mother's Day. Deja vu from last year, most definitely. We did the exact same parks on Mother's Day the year before!

Once the park opened, we rode Everest, met some characters, rode the Safari, met some more characters, rode Dinosaur, explored some animal trails, and then we decided to stop for a light lunch/snack at Flame Tree Barbecue. We knew we had a big dinner at 'Ohana later, so we didn't want to over-do it early on.

We ordered the fruit plate, an order of fries, and a large diet coke to share.

The fruit plate comes with a yogurt-honey dipping sauce, which is obviously not for vegans. But it comes in a little closed container on the side, so no worries about asking for it without.

The fruit was good. I'm just not a big melon person, and I also don't really think it was worth the price (around $7, I think). I would have much rather picked up some whole fruit at the fruit stand in Africa for about $1 a piece.

We also got some barbecue sauce and ketchup to dip our fries in. (Heck, if you don't eat the meat, you can at least still enjoy some yummy barbecue fried potato sticks! )

I ate some of the grapes and a little bit of the orange. Jon ate the rest. I ate most of the fries. And that barbecue sauce was awesome. It was good to have another condiment other than ketchup for once.

Flame Tree Barbecue was a nice place to go for a light lunch, and I would definitely stop here for some fries again. It's a nice place to go if you don't want anything too heavy in the middle of the day. (Unless you're eating the barbecue sandwiches or ribs, of course.)

Our plan was to ride Kali River Rapids right before we left the park, so that's where we headed after we ate, since we had gotten fastpasses earlier in the day. It was our first time riding, because we've always been worried about getting soaked and having to walk around all day in wet clothes. We made it out fairly dry, but just wet enough to cool us down a bit. This kid we saw at the fountain in Asia after we rode obviously didn't get wet enough to his liking:

But, anyway.. After we left Animal Kingdom, we headed back to Pop to swim for a bit before dinner. We were hungry again by the time we got back, so we stopped in the food court and got some Vegetable Lo Mein to share:

Opening a packet of soy sauce with my teeth.

It was still tasty! And still a lot of food. A good, quick bite to share between two people.

After we swam for about an hour or so, we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. I had contacted Chef TJ about 2 weeks earlier, letting him know that we would be coming. He assured us that he would be there, so I had no worries!

Up Next: 'Ohana!

 

[mandibc11]

After we swam for about an hour or so, we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. I had contacted Chef TJ about 2 weeks earlier, letting him know that we would be coming. He assured us that he would be there, so I had no worries!

Up Next: 'Ohana!

Ok, so I'm hoping that by using this method, you were actually able to get chef TJ! Don't get me wrong, my food was fantastic with Chef Julie, but there's just something about presentation that I'm a sucker for! I'm excited to hear how this turned out...I'm trying my hardest to go in the fall!!

 

[MelanieC]

Yeah I've been waiting for your review. Just in time since we leave in 2.5 weeks for a two week trip. It will be my first trip to the world as a vegan. All of these vegan reviews have really helped.

I can't wait to read the rest.

 

[disney_princess_85]

I had contacted Chef TJ about 2 weeks earlier, letting him know that we would be coming. He assured us that he would be there, so I had no worries!

Could I ask how you contacted Chef TJ? I really hope he's there when we eat at 'Ohana next month.

Looking forward to more.

P.S. nice polka dot dress/top- very Minnie Mouse!

 

[Plasticletters]

holy crap....that kid in the fountain is ridiculous