chocolateMinnie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2008
Great review techniques - love the points system. Cant wait for the rest 
I don’t *like* food; I Love it – A Solo August 2015 Dining Report - 10/20 COMPLETE
- Thread starter SnowWhiteOz
- Start date
Dislover1991
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2013
Sorry you feel that way. I think it is definitely worth trying!
I know it sucks that they banned peanuts and peanut butter for those who aren't allergic, but I am one of those people who has a severe allergy to peanuts. I've had some very severe anaphylactic reactions which can cause death if they aren't corrected quickly. I know for those who aren't allergic, it is easy to suggest that those of us allergic should know to stay away from the allergen but some people (such as myself) have such a severe allergy that even smelling peanut butter can cause symptoms of anaphylaxis. So it is nice to know that I can now safely eat at Ghirardelli. Like I said, I'm so sorry to those who CAN eat nuts and enjoy them, but simply just avoiding eating the allergen doesn't always prevent a reaction.
LindseyJo22
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2014
I love your rating system! Sorry the Ghirardelli experience was so lackluster - I thoroughly enjoyed my ice cream cone last time I went, but I'm not too difficult to please when it comes to ice cream 
Glad you got Earl of Sandwich to honor your coupon - that sandwich sounds amazing
Looking forward to more!
Glad you got Earl of Sandwich to honor your coupon - that sandwich sounds amazing
Looking forward to more!
SnowWhiteOz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
I'd definitely recommend B&C - stay tuned towards the end of the trip for the review!
Ugh - I hear ya. I have had my eye on it for the longest time and I was so disappointed when I heard it was going away.If you haven't tried this (we'll find out in your dining report
) the No Way Jose at Beaches and Cream is peanut butter chocolate perfection.
Good for you for couponing your way to a free sandwich!I am so glad they ended up honoring your coupon.. I would've been upset if I were you and they wouldn't honor it!
Are we food twins? Maybe. I am obsessed with this sandwich!! YUM.
So sorry you didn't love your sundae at Ghirardelli - by the description, it sounded like it had great potential!!
We definitely sound like food twins! And yes, spoiler alert, I do make my way to B&C later on in the trip
Excellent point. I completely understand the need for removing allergens such as peanuts completely from restaurants and would absolutely want them removed if I or a loved one had life threatening allergies. It just sucks when your favourite flavour combo contains peanuts - maybe it means I need to support other combinations instead like choc-banana or choc-mint
.Thanks andI love your rating system! Sorry the Ghirardelli experience was so lackluster - I thoroughly enjoyed my ice cream cone last time I went, but I'm not too difficult to please when it comes to ice cream
Glad you got Earl of Sandwich to honor your coupon - that sandwich sounds amazing
Looking forward to more!
The ice-cream definitely got better as the trip went on. I just happened to start off with the worst one!
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SnowWhiteOz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
Day Two – Friday, August 14 – Animal Kingdom - Breakfast
Tusker House
Order: Character Breakfast Buffet
Order: Character Breakfast Buffet
After just a few hours sleep (which I’m blaming on being too excited) I began my first day in the parks. To start off a full week of park action I headed to Animal Kingdom and what better way to begin then by going full on Disney at Tusker House. I had an 8:10 ADR and was at the gates by 7:20. I was the very first person in line and the first person into the park when they let us in at 7:45 which was an incredible feeling.
But there was no time to gloat or soak it in as I had breakfast to eat. I was the first person to arrive at Tusker House and was seated straight away. This is how empty it was.
After receiving my Jungle Juice, which I was not a fan of (don’t shoot me!) I headed off to do my first pass of the buffet. My first plate included a Mickey waffle (delicious), some bacon (coming from Australia I prefer eye bacon but this was fine), a sausage patty, a biscuit and sausage gravy (the gravy was nice but the biscuit was a touch dry), a cinnamon roll, a donut hole, a bit of fried plantain, a cheese blintz (probably the worst thing I ate at breakfast – one spoonful was enough) and a spoonful of the coconut sweet potato casserole (the sweet potato was undercooked but the flavour was good).
My server said it will still be a little while before the characters came round so I went up for round two. I feel like I should note that I didn’t eat everything off my first plate – I just had a taste of each of the items! Plate two included fresh fruit, another donut hole and sausage patty and some tater tots.
After what felt like forever, seeing as I was stuck off in a corner, the characters finally made their way around and I met with Mickey, Goofy and Daisy.
Donald was almost at my table when they started up a dance party. By this time it was 8:45 so instead of hanging around and waiting I paid my bill and headed off into the park to enjoy some of the benefits of having a pre-RD breakfast. With the pre-RD ADR I was able to ride all four big rides (Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur and Kali River Rapids) within the first 2 hours and with little to no wait. In fact I was on a Safari just before 9:00 and by the time I finished the wait was already 40 minutes so it made a big difference.
In all it was a great meal. The food on whole was above average, the service was friendly and the character interactions were very good. It wasn’t a cheap breakfast at $31.99 plus tip but I would absolutely recommend it as a character meal or for a good pre-RD breakfast at AK.
Scorecard:
Rating:
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Vernie822
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2014
Oooooh I can't wait to see what you had at B&C! Though I have a feeling I already know.. haha.
I LOVE breakfast at Tusker House. Just love it. Except it's not cheap by any means! Lol. We would totally be going there next trip had my fiance not requested Yak and Yeti for lunch. That is so awesome that you were able to do all of the headliners within a few hours! The only negative to a pre-park breakfast like that at AK is that afterwards, you finish everything so quickly.
I LOVE breakfast at Tusker House. Just love it. Except it's not cheap by any means! Lol. We would totally be going there next trip had my fiance not requested Yak and Yeti for lunch. That is so awesome that you were able to do all of the headliners within a few hours! The only negative to a pre-park breakfast like that at AK is that afterwards, you finish everything so quickly.
Dislover1991
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2013
Now i'm really looking forward to our Tusker House ADR - and it's pre park opening as well
The coconut sweet potato casserole sounds good so i'm praying it's gluten free And all the fresh fruit looks like heaven.
And you did much better than I typically do at buffets -i'm one of those that usually ends up with 3-4 total plates
The coconut sweet potato casserole sounds good so i'm praying it's gluten free
And all the fresh fruit looks like heaven. And you did much better than I typically do at buffets -i'm one of those that usually ends up with 3-4 total plates
SnowWhiteOz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
Following along! Great report so far
Oooooh I can't wait to see what you had at B&C! Though I have a feeling I already know.. haha.
I LOVE breakfast at Tusker House. Just love it. Except it's not cheap by any means! Lol. We would totally be going there next trip had my fiance not requested Yak and Yeti for lunch. That is so awesome that you were able to do all of the headliners within a few hours! The only negative to a pre-park breakfast like that at AK is that afterwards, you finish everything so quickly.
Maybe...
I finished everything I wanted to see by about 4pm which was when the heavens opened anyway so it was a good time to leave the park and head back to the resort for a nap!
and thank you.I'd definitely suggest a pre-RD Tusker House breakfast if you're ever there in a busy time. I was able to walk on to the key rides and by the time I'd finished the stand-by times were almost an hour so breakfast basically paid for itself (clearly my time is super valuable!
). I have read quite a bit on here that also suggests going for a 10:30ADR as it means you get both breakfast and lunch if you want to try more options.Now i'm really looking forward to our Tusker House ADR - and it's pre park opening as well
The coconut sweet potato casserole sounds good so i'm praying it's gluten free
And you did much better than I typically do at buffets -i'm one of those that usually ends up with 3-4 total plates
I'm not a big breakfast eater usually (I don't eat eggs at all) so that's how I was able to contain myself to two plates. If it had been lunch or dinner on the other hand I'm sure I could have had a few more plates
and thank you.Can I just say I'm feeling a bit like someone who has a celebrity retweet them? Your DRs are my absolute favourites and made me super excited for dining at Disneyworld!
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SnowWhiteOz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
Day Two – Friday, August 14 – Animal Kingdom – Snacks/Drinks
Drinkwallah
Order: Coconut-Lychee Lemonade
Order: Coconut-Lychee Lemonade
So as most of you will know, Animal Kingdom is hotter than the face of the sun, so by 11:30 I needed something to cool down. I figured that it was close enough to midday that I could get an adult beverage without feeling guilty so I headed off to Drinkwallah to get a Coconut-Lychee Lemonade ($7.50+tax). According to the menu this was Parrot Bay coconut rum, lychee and Odwalla lemonade. This was absolutely delicious. Most of the flavour came from the lemonade but there were definitely notes of coconut and lychee in there as well. It hit the spot and was an excellent choice for cooling down. In fact the only let down with the drink was the serving size in comparison with the price as 80% of the cup was filled with ice.
My main issue with this drink break however was the service. The CM working in Drinkwallah that day was a gentleman from China who perhaps did not have the firmest grasp of English and it took about three attempts for him to understand my order. Not that it was a big hassle but it was definitely noticeably harder than ordering anywhere else. He seemed a bit flustered so maybe I got him on a bad day (or perhaps one of his first days).
Scorecard:
Rating:
Zuri’s Sweets Shop
Order: Mickey Ear Hat Brownie-Mint
Order: Mickey Ear Hat Brownie-Mint
The plan for the day had originally been to have lunch at Flame Tree BBQ but breakfast at Tusker House left me so full that I really didn’t feel like eating for hours. By about 3pm I was a little peckish so I ducked into Zuri’s Sweets Shop to check out the new offerings. If they still had the animal droppings I probably would have picked those but alas they didn’t last long before being discontinued. Instead I went for the Mickey Hat Brownie in mint ($3.99+tax). Now I gave this high points for presentation because it was absolutely adorable, but unfortunately the taste just wasn’t there. It was super bland and incredibly dry and I ended up throwing out half of what was a small brownie to begin with.
And I don’t know if it was just my luck on that day but the service again was a letdown. The CM behind the counter packed up my brownie and told me to head into the shop next door to pay to save time (there was only one family in front of me and I was happy to wait, but I listened to the CM). So after heading into the store section and lining up at another register the CM cashier then said I couldn’t pay there and said I had to go back in to the sweet section. I pointed out that I had been sent over here and a manager over heard and came over and eventually worked out I could pay there as the item didn’t need to be weighed. So it just became more of a hassle than it needed to be.
Scorecard:
Rating:
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- Joined
- Oct 16, 2007
We love TH for breakfast and will be taking our 13 month old next month for his first trip there. I find they have the best variety for a character breakfast. That lemonade beverage sounds refreshing you tried in AK, I may need to try one of those!!
Vernie822
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2014
YES IT IS.. Omg. Every single time I leave there dripping sweat.
Ok that looks delicious! I need to get on the Animal Kingdom adult beverage bandwagon.
SnowWhiteOz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
Even though AK was hotter than the sun I actually found that I sweat far more at HS! I think it was all the heat bouncing off the concrete.
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SnowWhiteOz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
Day Two – Friday, August 14 –Epcot Evening
Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party
After a relaxing nap (which thankfully helped with the lack of sleep the night before) I put on my poncho and made my way to the Pop bus stop to head to my evening destination – Epcot. Unfortunately it had been raining for about 3 hours at this point and I had no idea what would happen with my ADR for the evening – the Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party. Thankfully by the time I walked the distance from the bus stop to the main gate at Epcot the rain finally started to dissipate.
I had half an hour to fill in before checking in for the dessert party and went to see what FPs were left – not many I’m afraid- so I just wandered around future world and slowly made my way up to the World Showcase to try and find the check in spot. After asking a the first CM I would see I found out that due to the weather the party had been moved indoors into the Odyssey room.
Check in was quick and I was inside by 7:50.
The buffet was set us as soon as you entered the room with two identical tables at each end of the room and two drink stations in the middle (one for adult drinks and one with juice/water).
The buffet contained the following:
· Tiramisu (Italy)
· Chocolate Ganache Tarts (France)
· Sparkling Blue Velvet Cupcakes (USA)
· Apple Crumble (UK)
· Berry Cobbler (USA)
· Rice Krispy Balls (Japan)
· Baklava (Morocco)
· Churros (Mexico)
· Choc Chip Cookies (Normal and Sugar-Free)
· Ice-cream sundae station
· Tiramisu (Italy)
· Chocolate Ganache Tarts (France)
· Sparkling Blue Velvet Cupcakes (USA)
· Apple Crumble (UK)
· Berry Cobbler (USA)
· Rice Krispy Balls (Japan)
· Baklava (Morocco)
· Churros (Mexico)
· Choc Chip Cookies (Normal and Sugar-Free)
· Ice-cream sundae station
Non-alcoholic drinks included:
· Water
· Iced Tea
· Lemonade
· Apple Juice (?)
· Punch
· Water
· Iced Tea
· Lemonade
· Apple Juice (?)
· Punch
And there were two types of sparkling wine and a rum punch for the adults. I had a bit of a drama getting my adult drinks as I only had my Australian ID on me but they eventually said fine and served me - so maybe that a little pixie dust? 
.
.The room was decorated quite nicely with stand up bar tables covered in white tablecloths and little candles on each table. (I love how the lady on the left of the pic is clearly having an awesome time!)
My first trip to the buffet resulted in a plate with the cupcake, the rice krispy treat, the baklava and the chocolate ganache tart, accompanied by the drier of the two sparkling wines. There was no particular reason for picking these first other than that they were the first things I saw (I basically started at one end of the buffet and worked my way down to the end). The cupcake was good – the cream cheese frosting was great but the cake itself was pretty non-descript. The baklava was decent and I ate it all, although I prefer the nuts in my baklava to be a bit more pronounced and larger. The rice krispy treat was terrible as all rice krispy treats are (not a fan at all - sorry!). The chocolate ganache tart was the winner of the evening. It was small enough that you could pop the whole thing in your mouth and the ganache was just that little bit runny so that it was sort of like a little explosion in your mouth .
.
With the second trip to the buffet I ended up with some of the cobbler, the crumble, a churro and a choc-chip cookie. The cobbler was a little dry and I prefer more fruit in mine. The crumble was very good and if I wasn’t heading into a sugar coma I probably would have had more. The choc-chip cookie was a standard chewy Disney cookie (which is always good). And the churro, well I wasn’t a huge fan of this, it was a little tough and dry and needed more cinnamon sugar. This plate I paired with the rum punch. Well let’s just say they didn’t scrimp on the rum as that was all I could taste – it was just too strong for my liking so it basically went untouched.
The third and final plate (or bowl really) was a small scoop of ice-cream with fresh berries, caramel sauce and Mickey sprinkles. You can’t go wrong with vanilla ice-cream and the berries were really fresh and tasty. And I couldn’t help myself but I did grab another ganache tart (the only thing I went back for seconds of). This plate I paired with the supposedly sweet sparkling wine. This was still pretty dry – I prefer a Moscato style sweet sparkling with my dessert and unfortunately this wasn’t it.
It took a while for the room to fill up but by about 8:30 it was quite full and people had taken to sitting on the stage area or along the half-walls around the room. Even with the large crowd the food was constantly restocked right up until 9pm, so there was no worry of ever missing out on a particular item.
At 8:45 I headed out to the spot set aside for Illuminations. It was a great location, basically right as you enter the world showcase from future world behind the Disney Traders store. There was a great CM in the area who told us all about the history of Illuminations and he got two little girls next to me to blow out the flames which was super cute!
Would I do this again? Possibly. The food was all above average, with some better than average things, but the sparkling wine was not great. For $49 it is not a cheap evening but I would say for special occasions or once every few trips I would happily recommend it. And at least there are the adult beverage options which you do not get for the same price at the Wishes party at MK.
Scorecard:
Rating:
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ksromack
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2012
Enjoying your report! I booked the Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party for hubby and I next month on our first day. I purposely canceled our dinner ADR for this first night so we could graze at the F&W booths....then top off the evening with the party. I hope dh wants to share plates because I would like to try everything!
SnowWhiteOz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2015
Sounds like a great plan. Mind you I had no one to share with and I still tried a bit of everything
(except the Tiramisu but that's because I hate coffee!)
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