Planning for DxDP in a Whole New World...A Feb 14 PDR *2/19 Complete*

[JessicaKnits]

Welcome all to my Pre-Dining Report!!

My Name is Jessica, and this will be my 3rd trip to Disney World. On my previous two trips I had the Deluxe dining plan, and this trip will be no different.

One BIG difference though, is that earlier this year I started converting to a pescetarian diet. For those that aren't familiar, that means I will eat fish and shellfish, but no land animals. This is QUITE a departure from my former extremely carnivorous self. I gradually transitioned, starting first by eliminating red meat from my diet, and then more recently eliminating poultry as well.

I am still a work in progress, and still learning a lot about my new lifestyle. I am going on this trip with my friend Megan, who is definitely still Omnivore. I have found this to be quite a challenge in planning our ADRs, because two of her must do's (Ohana and Le Cellier) have very little that I can eat. So it could be an interesting journey for us! Perhaps I really can make an entire meal out of Ohana's bread pudding and salad?

I hope you decide to come along with me on this journey, as I'm sure we will have some interesting developments in the way!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Arrival Day -- Lunch
Arrival Day -- Snack
Arrival Day -- Dinner

Day One -- Breakfast (Posted 10/26)
Day One --Lunch (Posted 10/27)
Day One --Dinner (Posted 10/28)

Day Two -- Breakfast (Posted 11/3)
Day Two -- Lunch (Posted 11/3)
Day Two -- Dinner (Posted 11/17)

Day Three --Breakfast (Posted 11/17)
Day Three -- Lunch (Posted 11/23)
Day Three -- Dinner (Posted 11/23)

Day Four -- Breakast (Posted 11/30)
Day Four -- Lunch (Posted 11/30)
Day Four -- Dinner (Posted 1/19)

Day Five -- Breakfast (Posted 1/19)
Day Five -- Lunch (Posted 1/19)
Day Five -- Dinner (Posted 2/17)

Day Six -- Breakfast (Posted 2/17)
Day Six -- Lunch (Posted 2/17)
Day Six -- Dinner (Posted 2/17)


Day Seven -- Breakfast (Posted 2/18)
Day Seven -- Lunch (Posted 2/18)
Day Seven -- Dinner (Posted 2/18)


Day Eight -- Breakfast (Posted 2/18)
Day Eight -- Lunch (Posted 2/18)
Day Eight -- Dinner (Posted 2/18)


Day Nine -- Breakfast (Posted 2/18)
Day Nine -- Lunch (Posted 2/18)
Day Nine -- Dinner (Posted 2/18)


Day Ten -- Breakfast (Posted 2/18)
Day Ten -- Lunch (Posted 2/18)
Day Ten -- Dinner (Posted 2/18)

Day Eleven -- Breakfast (Posted 2/19) **NEW**
Day Eleven -- Lunch (Posted 2/19) **NEW**

Snack List (Posted 2/19)

Little Mermaid Theme Night (Posted 11/10)

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Hi Jessica - just wanted to say I'm looking forward to your reviews! As someone who's strongly considering a pescetarian diet (stopped eating red meat and pork in January, but haven't cut poultry yet), I can't wait to see what you find in WDW.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Hi Jessica - just wanted to say I'm looking forward to your reviews! As someone who's strongly considering a pescetarian diet (stopped eating red meat and pork in January, but haven't cut poultry yet), I can't wait to see what you find in WDW.

Thanks for joining along with me! Cutting out poultry was the hardest part for me. I would always eat steak or red meat if it was there, but it usually wasn't my first choice. Poultry was the hardest for me because I LOVE sandwiches! I was a woman obsessed, and was really apprehensive to try tofurkey and other soy alternatives to lunch meat. I am happy to report that I actually really enjoy them so I was able to finally make the switch. Best of luck in your decision, whatever you decide.

My goal going in to this trip is to try and choose restaurants that have at least on pescetarian-friendly option on the menu that I would eat. However on my last trip, we had the unfortunate experience that many items I had read about on very recent menus online, were not in fact offered on the day we dined. This could be interesting.

An interesting thing I have found out about Disney is that most of their cupcakes (which I have enjoyed quite regularly on my past trips) include gelatin. Apparently the gelatin is used so that those mounds of frosting will hold their shape longer. So no cupcakes for me...I did however enjoy Babycakes on my most recent trip.

 

[JessicaKnits]

For our first meal of the trip we are detouring to Downtown Disney for a quick counter service lunch. On previous trips I would have stopped at Earl of Sandwich without hesitation, but I am not keen on their veggie option, so this required finding an alternative. So I chose:

Wolfgang Puck Express

This seems like a solid bet for all involved. This will be our first time dining here, although I have previously enjoyed The Wolfgang Puck Café and Dining Room.

Megan has her eye on a few dishes. Either the:

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf - mashed potatoes, port wine sauce and crispy onion rings $15

or

one of the many pizza options.

I think I would enjoy either the:

Tortilla Soup - avocado, tortillas, goat cheese and cilantro $7

or

Roasted Beets Salad - Goat Cheese, oranges, candied pecans, fresh greens and balsamic $9

or

Oven Roasted Salmon - fennel, tomatoes, arugula, roasted potatoes and horseradish cream $18.

Tell me, how has everyone enjoyed WPE?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I've only been to WPE once (a few years ago), but I had the salmon dish and loved it! Based on the reviews WPE gets, I don't think you can go wrong with any of those choices.

 

[farrahalex76]

I'm here for your dining report. I don't eat red meat or pork, I'm having a hard time giving up chicken though. If I got out to eat I'm fine its just cooking around the house for the DH and kids that the chicken comes in. Looking forward to your report and to get some ideas for our next trip.

 

[JessicaKnits]

I've only been to WPE once (a few years ago), but I had the salmon dish and loved it! Based on the reviews WPE gets, I don't think you can go wrong with any of those choices.

Glad to hear that the salmon is good! I agree, WPE seems to be one place that consistently gets rave reviews on the Dis, and that is quite rare!

I'm here for your dining report. I don't eat red meat or pork, I'm having a hard time giving up chicken though. If I got out to eat I'm fine its just cooking around the house for the DH and kids that the chicken comes in. Looking forward to your report and to get some ideas for our next trip.

Poultry was the hardest for me too! I don't have children, so it makes it pretty easy at home. I live in a small city, so sometimes eating out here is a bit of a challenge. Most waiters/waitresses don't even know what a pescetarian is here.

 

[JessicaKnits]

I apologize in advance for the onslaught of updates. I normally try to spread them out as much as possible, after all, we have to make this PDR last till February right? I am moving to Charlotte in two weeks, so I'm not sure what kind of time I will have in the coming weeks to update, so I'm trying to get enough posted in the meantime to tide you over until I get settled in!

After what I'm sure will be an amazing meal at WPE, I bet we'll be in the mood for something sweet. I was pretty disappointed recently to learn that most of Disney's cupcakes include gelatin, making them a no go for me. As a self proclaimed cupcake connoisseur this was a major bummer. One place that I know doesn't include gelatin in their cupcakes is an old favorite of mine from New York, and something I quite enjoyed on my last trip...

(Photo courtesy of disneyfoodblog.com)

Babycakes! For those of you that aren't familiar, babycakesNYC is located inside the same building that houses Pollo Campero in Downtown Disney. Their baked goods are gluten, dairy, egg and soy free. Most are also sweetened with agave nectar instead of refined sugar or corn syrup. Now, if you don't have any dietary restrictions babycakes may not be your cup of tea. I actually quite enjoyed the lemon cupcake on my last visit, and might venture out to try the pumpkin or carrot one this trip. I did try the red velvet and didn't care for it. While I certainly would prefer the overly sweet, buttery, calorie dense concoctions that Disney normally offers in its cupcake cases, I find babycakes to be a tasty alternative!

Here's a few sample picks from my last trip. (I apologize for the white out in some of the pics, I was still trying to get a hang of a new camera.)

The little box the cupcakes are individually packaged in.

The lemon all boxed up

The lemon. I really enjoyed this one, it had a very light lemony flavor and the texture of the cake was very similar to that of a "normal" cupcake.

And the red velvet...Again, I didn't care for this one, it was a little on the dry side and I really missed a cream cheese icing.

 

[JessicaKnits]

For dinner, and our first ADR on the dining plan, we decided to stick with Downtown Disney. We're headed to another first for me...

(Photo courtesy of disneyfoodblog.com)

Fulton's Crab House. Obviously, Fulton's is sort of a pescetarian's dream and I'm pleased to see they were added to the dining plan! As I mentioned, I haven't been before, so I don't have any pictures to share with you, but there are many many things that appealed to both of us that made us decide to dine here.

The first: Crab dip!! Need I say more?

The second: Amazing appetizer options! Several things really stick out to me on the appetizer menu...

Fish Tacos - Market catch, cajun spice, pico de gallo, queso fresco, guacamole $12

Crab Cake - Jumbo lump blue crab, roasted corn maque choux, fried green tomato, remoulade sauce $15

Portobello Mushroom Fries - Orange Blossom Pilsner battered, mustard sauce $9

Lobster Corn Dogs - salsa verde, sweet chili aioli $14

Normally with fried options, I would have to be careful that they weren't fried in the same grease that is also used for frying things like chicken tenders or other meat products. Apparently this is also a concern at many other Disney restaurants. The only thing I could find on their entire menu that was a fried meat were some children's chicken nuggets. Hopefully they have their own fryer because those lobster corn dogs sound AMAZING!!

In the event that I can't have any of the above mentioned, both the

Ahi Tuna Tartar - Avocado-cucumber relish, sweet chili aioli, plantain chip $15

and the

Crab Ceviche - Blistered tomatillo, sweet onion, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, avocado $14

sound equally delicious.

For dinner, I definitely have had my eye set on the

Narragansett, Rhode Island Lobster - One pound and a quarter lobster, shrimp, scallop, spinach and mushroom stuffing, toasted breadcrumbs $49.

Really EVERYTHING on the menu sounds absolutely fantastic, I'm not sure how I will even decide!! This could very well be a game day decision for me!

I don't see a dessert menu online anywhere, but I tend to gravitate towards desserts that are a little more tart then things that are overloaded with chocolate. I would LOVE it if they had a key lime pie or something of the sort!

 

[lillygator]

this is a little off topic....but what are the benefits of a pescetarian diet? thanks!

 

[farrahalex76]

this is a little off topic....but what are the benefits of a pescetarian diet? thanks!

I have ulcerative colitis and I'm lactose intolerant so I just feel better and have more energy when I eat like this. Red meat just upsets my stomach to much.

 

[JessicaKnits]

this is a little off topic....but what are the benefits of a pescetarian diet? thanks!

That's a great question! There are many health benefits to a pescetarian diet. Since I am definitely not a physician, I have quoted an article from yahoo.com that I consulted when I was considering my options.

"While the pescetarian diet is not as friendly to the planet or to animals as a fully vegetarian or vegan diet, pescetarianism does offer a number of critically important health benefits.

Red meats contribute to many serious diseases and conditions, but the health risks related to fish are minimal. For example, several studies have strongly linked the consumption of red meat to colon cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes owing to their high content of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids and an alarming concentration of saturated fat.

Fish products do not contribute to these conditions, and in fact may help to prevent them. Most types of fish, particularly fatty fish like salmon, contain large quantities of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which have been implicated in the treatment of everything from heart disease to depression to attention deficit disorder. Moreover, in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration a "qualified health claim" that omega-3 fatty acids can combat the risk of coronary heart disease. It appears that a pescetarian diet may actually combat the diseases and conditions caused by red meat.

Seafood products can also be a good source of iron for people who do not regularly consume red meats, iron-containing vegetables, or iron-fortified cereals. For this reason, pescatarians are at a significantly lower risk of developing iron deficiency anemia, an extremely common condition among vegans and vegetarians. Vitamin D-3 deficiency, another surprisingly common nutrient deficiency among Americans, can also be combatted with adequate consumption of tuna, mackerel, and salmon.

Hypothyroidism, a common cause for obesity in the United States, can also be combatted with a balanced pescetarian diet. Many seafoods, especially shellfish, contain high levels of natural iodine, known to protect against, treat, and prevent thyroid disease. Depression, mental slowing, goitre, and weight gain are common symptoms among adults with hyperthyroidism, but it can often be treated easily and naturally with a high-iodine pescetarian diet.

Pescetarianism is also an easier solution than full vegetarianism for people who want to give up meats but are concerned about the health impacts of soy. While protein deficiency is exceedingly rare even among strict vegans, many vegetarians have difficulty feeling full or satisfied without having a protein source in each meal. However, many vegetarians have difficulty digesting soy protein or are concerned about the unknown effects of isoflavones (estrogen-mimickers) in soy, leading them to switch to pescetarianism to meet their protein needs.

The predominantly pescetarian diet consumed by the Japanese may be a contributing factor to their long life spans and low cancer rates Although the Japanese smoke more and are exposed to more environmental toxins than citizens of the United States, their rates of coronary heart disease and cancer are significantly less than in the United States. The high content of life-giving Omega-3 fats, natural iodine, and vitamin D-3 found in fish may contribute to the overall health of the Japanese population."


Many also consider a pescetarian diet for ethical reasons. My decision was based on a combination of both. Heart disease and cancer run in my family. I also have several family members that have Type 2 diabetes. Personally, I just "feel" better since I have become a pescetarian. I have more energy, sleep better at night and my skin looks amazing. I hope this helps!

 

[DLFan123]

I'm here! I'm a healthy pescetarian who mostly doesn't eat meat for the ethical reasons. I was a pretty enthusiastic meat eater back in the day, but it has now been 15 years since I have eaten any land creatures and I don't miss meat one little bit.

I'm looking forward to your reviews and to see what you select. Fulton's is beautiful at night! It's too bad we didn't have the greatest experience there in 2012, so we might not be back. The menu options look so good, though! They sound right up my alley.

I love a good lemon cupcake! Yum yum!

 

[Sagginit]

post on! my mother is a pescetarian and will occasionally eat red meat. she went this road a few years ago as cholesterol was a concern. sometimes we have a hard time with booking because family style restaurants don't offer a lot of meat options and buffets can be skimpy on the seafood. i liked garden grill but the food was too much of an issue there. they put bacon in a salad and they allowed her to order fish but still gave me a huge serving of meat for just me. i still have a few months till our trip so i'm going to read your reviews and see if i should swap any of my ADRs.

 

[JessicaKnits]

I'm here! I'm a healthy pescetarian who mostly doesn't eat meat for the ethical reasons. I was a pretty enthusiastic meat eater back in the day, but it has now been 15 years since I have eaten any land creatures and I don't miss meat one little bit.

I'm looking forward to your reviews and to see what you select. Fulton's is beautiful at night! It's too bad we didn't have the greatest experience there in 2012, so we might not be back. The menu options look so good, though! They sound right up my alley.

I love a good lemon cupcake! Yum yum!

Glad to hear that the atmosphere at Fulton's is good at night! Sorry to hear you have had a bad experience there. I know people always rave about the service at California Grill, and it was one of the worst service experiences of my entire life, anywhere. Thankfully the food was good enough to send us back again in 2012 and we had a much more enjoyable time.

post on! my mother is a pescetarian and will occasionally eat red meat. she went this road a few years ago as cholesterol was a concern. sometimes we have a hard time with booking because family style restaurants don't offer a lot of meat options and buffets can be skimpy on the seafood. i liked garden grill but the food was too much of an issue there. they put bacon in a salad and they allowed her to order fish but still gave me a huge serving of meat for just me. i still have a few months till our trip so i'm going to read your reviews and see if i should swap any of my ADRs.

Glad to have you here! My trip has been bumped back a few weeks to February 22nd - March 5th, I hope that my reviews will be up in time to help you out!

 

[JessicaKnits]

Hi ya'll! Thanks for hanging in there with me. My first few months in Charlotte were much crazier than I thought they would be, but I am finally getting settled in enough that I have a little more free time on my hands. So let's pick up right where I left off!

There was a bit of ADR drama, because our 180+ day happened to be my first morning I was in Charlotte. Guess what...? Yea, those ADRs didn't happen. We ended up having to slightly tweak our dates due to a wedding of a mutual friend, so in the end, it wasn't a huge deal. I was still a few weeks past the 180 mark by the time I got around to, but thankfully I was able to all of our ADRs within a 10 minute timeframe of what I wanted except for one. Can you guess which?

For our day one breakfast, I had to rely on an old standby. I have had breakfast here on the first morning my previous two trips, and this one will be no different. There is literally NOTHING like walking down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A before the park has opened, getting a Photopass pic with no one in the background, and then hanging a left towards....

I'm not a huge fan of characters, and let's face it, the food isn't going to change your life. I go for the experience of the early park entry, and a decent meal. Something about sitting down at the CP feels like home to me now. We had an incredible server on my first trip, Jay. He was really wonderful and set the tone for a great trip...

Thankfully I was never too keen on any of their meat dishes here in the first place, so I won't be missing out on much this time around.

Sorry, only one food picture from meals past here to share with all of you! My first go round I absolutely would not take pictures at the buffets. Just wouldn't, no way. The second year I was much better, however this particular morning we happened to be dealing with a temperature drop of about 40 degrees from the previous day which required a last minute wardrobe change, and subsequently made us late for the bus. So, needless to say I was a bit frazzled that morning!

So, sorry for the least exciting plate of food ever! But very yummy! Going clockwise from top center, we have some pastrami smoked salmon, breakfast potatoes, breakfast casserole, and some cheese. There may also be some corned beef hash hiding behind the breakfast casserole, which is obviously something I won't be able to indulge in this time around.

I know I enjoyed everything on this plate! The breakfast casserole is flipped upside down, but on the top it had some caramelized custard and fresh banana slices. I had no idea what was really in this when I ate it, but I enjoyed it. When I went home and looked up the recipe...good lord! Let's just say, this is not a heart healthy, or really anything healthy, dish. I don't think I will be partaking in it again.

I have also previously enjoyed the peach cobbler here and the breakfast pizza. Although I seem to remember that it had bacon on it? Does anyone remember? Also, you can't come to the CP without some of Pooh's puffed French toast! delicious!!

Does anyone else have some pictures of Crystal Palace they would like to share?

 

[rachel09985]

Now I see where you moved!

It is wonderful to walk in to an empty MK! I love it! CP pooh's puffed french toast, yum! I love their pastrami smoked salmon as well.

 

[JessicaKnits]

Now I see where you moved!

It is wonderful to walk in to an empty MK! I love it! CP pooh's puffed french toast, yum! I love their pastrami smoked salmon as well.

Haha, I literally JUST replied to your TR at the same time you wrote that! In Charlotte til December. At least it's warmer than back home, right?

I really wish that CP had mini bagels to put the smoked salmon on. That would be sooooo yummy!!

 

[JessicaKnits]

I had this update all typed up and ready to go and then my computer decided it was just going to turn itself off.... So here is take two...

After spending the morning in the Magic Kingdom, we will either be monorailing it (I know that isn't an actual verb, but let's go with it) or taking a boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the beautiful Polynesian resort! I find the décor to be a bit "dark" for my taste, but there is something magical about stepping off the air conditioned monorail and into the hot Florida humidity surrounded by the lush plants, that makes you feel as if you truly have been transported to a tropical oasis.

For lunch we are off to....

I had breakfast here during my 2010 trip, and enjoyed a great lunch here in 2012. I had pretty low expectations for my lunch here, so I was pleasantly surprised. Before I dive into what we are looking forward to here, I figured I would share some photos from my 2012 trip with you.

My travel companion started off with...

Pot Stickers - wok-seared pork and vegetable dumplings with creamy ginger-soy sauce $7.49

These were awesome! I'm not sure if they were pork and vegetable separate or pork and vegetable together in one dumpling. I am hoping they are separate because I would love to order these! Does anyone know?

For my appetizer I decided to go with...

These were new at the time, and I don't see them on any online menus any more. It was 4 pork ribs with the most flavorful and amazing barbecue sauce I have ever had! Seriously, I could have drank a glass of it, it was THAT good! Even the slaw it was served with had the right combination of acidity and sweetness. This was definitely one of the best apps I had on our last trip! Even though I will no longer be able to eat the pork ribs, I hope that barbecue sauce is still around!

For entrees, my other half went with...

Grilled Steak Salad - Mixed Greens, tossed with grilled beef steak, Vegetables, and cashew lime Vinaigrette 15.99

I remember them saying the steak was very tender and had a nice marinade on it. Other that, there wasn't anything too inventive or out of the ordinary here!

I decided on the...

Wow! That's a lot happening in a sandwich, but it all worked. The chicken was nice and moist, and all of the other components were independently delicious. I decided to go with the sweet potato fries as my side and they were awesome! Piping hot, not greasy, and with just the right amount of salt to balance out their sweetness!

Dessert came up next, with my companion ordering...

White Chocolate Cheesecake - Cheesecake with a hint of white chocolate, strawberry coulis, and whipped cream $5.49

It was a "Celebration Cheesecake" at the time. I absolutely hated those rock hard Mickey sprinkles being all over everything at the time. The cheesecake itself was rich, creamy and not too sweet. In other words, it was perfect.

For my dessert, I decided on the...

Pineapple Upside Down Cake - with Lemongrass and Caramel Sauces $5.99

Pineapple upside down cake is one of my favorite desserts. I wanted to love this, I really did. Unfortunately, this was the low part of the meal. The cake was dry and the pineapple, despite having the rich caramel color you would expect, lacked that delicious buttery caramelized flavor. This possibly could have been cured if it would have been served warm with a scoop of ice cream instead of room temperature with the sauce.

So, now that you know all about my last meal at Kona, let me tell you a little bit about what we are looking forward to on this trip...

As I mentioned, if they offer vegetable only pot stickers, I would love to have them. The ginger-soy sauce is awesome! If those aren't an option, both the

Lump Crab Cakes - with jalapeno-lime cream $11.49

and the

Fried Rock Shrimp - with Passion Fruit-mustard sauce $14.99

sound delicious as well.

Megan has her eyes set on the pot stickers as well.

Entrees are a bit up in the air. Honestly, when I booked this ADR I had NO idea that they now offer sushi from Kona Island at lunch time?! I haven't read any reviews of this yet, so am a bit skeptical, I'm hoping maybe someone here can confirm. If this does, in fact, end up being true, then we both most definitely will be going for the sushi! Sushi is my favorite food group and I'm a bit disappointed in myself that I have never gone here for sushi in the past! Right now both the WDWinfo menu and the one directly from Disneyworld.com have sushi listed on the lunch menu. So here's to hoping!

I have my eye set on several options. Either the...

Volcano Roll - Spicy Tuna, Shrimp Salad, Tempura Crunch - $14.99

or

Shrimp Tempura Roll - Tempura Shrimp, Fresh Mango served with Lilkoi Sauce - $13.99

or

Lava Roll - Togarashi spiced Tempura Shrimp, Bay Scallops, spicy Mayo and Chives - $14.99

So, just a few choices there! If sushi ends up being a no go, I have my eyes set on the...

Big Island Fish tacos - Seared Tilapia with tomato salsa and mango mayonnaise. served in a house made shell with pasta salad and smokey bacon slaw - $14.99

I have come to consider myself quite the expert on fish tacos. I never hesitate to order them anywhere I happen to be. These will need to be made without the bacon slaw on the side, but everything else sounds excellent!

For dessert, I plan on going with what I should have ordered back in 2012, the...

Kilauea Torte - An explosion of warm liquid Chocolate inside Chocolate Cookie Volcano $5.49

I'm a sucker for warm liquid chocolate, what can I say? Now I am hungry for sushi! Next up is our dinner ADR. It will be my very first time dining at this particular restaurant and it is the ADR that has me the most worried of our entire trip. Any guesses on where it is?