999 Meals, But There's Room for 1,000 - An April 2016 Dining Report - Complete/New DR Link - 10/16

[AnnaGiselle]

Congrats to Casey! That is an amazing photo you all captured of her leaving everyone in the dust!

I loved The Wave breakfast buffet. The sweet potato pancakes with pecan butter are definitely a win, and usually it isn't as crowded as others since it doesn't have the characters. The quality of food makes it a great value!

 

[Saphire5742]

Finally here! Although I have to say that the title caught my eye before I noticed it was your DR. Love it!

First off, Congrats to Casey on her 4th place finish! That really is an awesome photo you captured. So cute how excited she was.

As usual enjoying your reviews so far. Going to need to add The Wave for next time. A breakfast buffet for $20 and sweet potato pancakes? I'm so there.

 

[ariane37]

. Not to much to report on the race front other he ran, there were star wars people, and they served no alcohol. Or at least that is all I took away from the occasion.

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Welp, nothing there for me To be honest the one run through Epcot where you meet characters along the way (do all the Disney runs have characters?) looks fun........if I could just take my time walking up to the characters.......stopping along the way for some adult beverages.....

I think we all know I'm not one much for exercise, but I loved how much Casey enjoyed this.
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This is how I feel when I watch my boys playing basketball like crazy, especially Ricky I love how much they love it. Neither Steve nor I are good at sports and we don't like exercise But I'm very glad they enjoy moving around more than I do!

The Wave breakfast buffet looks like a winner. Steve isn't a big fan of buffets either but I think he'd love the sweet potato pancakes. We had planned on doing breakfast there this past January but bumped it for some reason I can't remember. Too many places being added to my "to try" list!

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[disneyAndi14]

Love seeing the Wave breakfast buffet, we will be trying for the first time in August. The food choice's look like they are not the run of the mill buffet items. The sweet potato pancakes and the eggs benedict look really tasty. Casey looks so cute in her Star Wars outfit and she was really running great, she did leave a lot of kids in the dust.

 

[Denamac]

You have convinced us to try the Wave for breakfast in July. DH has to have at least one breakfast buffet each trip. We were going to do Trail's End but he wasn't keen on that since we were already doing Trail's End for dinner the same day. This works perfectly!

 

[Klinger13]

Love the pics of Casey's run! That face of determination is the best!! And as for the food report, well, now I'm off to go find a Wave breakfast ressie for August. The Bloody Mary & buffet look divine!

 

[suse66]

Love, love, love the look of steely determination on Casey's face..... she's my kind of girl! Congrats to her for doing so well! The Wave breakfast looks awesome too, I especially love the look of that eggs benedict.

 

[SarahLuci]

Here! I love your reports!! Great job to Casey; the pics of her in the race are adorable!

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

I've fallen so far behind so here is me trying to catch up!!​

For my second plate I went with repeats of some favorites and added in their sweet potato pancakes and a mickey waffle for good measure.

The pancakes were delicious in their own right, but up in the far corner of my plate was some honey pecan butter that took them to the next level. The sweet potato flavor was very detectable in the pancakes, as was some cinnamon, and they both paired wonderfully with the sweet nutty butter. ​

You had me at sweet potato pancake ​

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Casey definitely knows how to eat at Mickey waffle!​

Then we have my most favorite picture of our entire trip. First, this face captures my determined little girl to a tee. But second, I just love all the older boys that she is leaving in her dust.

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I wish I looked as good as Casey in my running photos - I'm usually a sweaty mess!​

 

[happy2012]

Thanks Happy. And I'm in love with your name and now may have a certain Pharrell song running through my head.

Haha!!! I think I was DIS'n happy before he was happy.

 

[happy2012]

Vacation Commencing in 3, 2, 1.....

Despite having to drag our arses into work for a half day before our departure it was Disney (almost) day none the less and we (or at least these 2) were excited.

After an uneventful flight we arrived in Orlando and though this little lady was pumped Disney was not quite upon us.


Thanks to booking a cheap airfare the evening before our intended departure we decided to take a page out of the @Leshaface playbook and stay the night at the Hyatt at the Orlando Airport. Even better I had lots of Hyatt points so our stay was free. While it sucked to be so close yet so far away from Disney this worked out really well. Our flight had gotten in around 8, we were checked into the hotel by 8:30, yet still arrived at Disney before 9 the next morning. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

We all got a great night sleep (Hyatt has the best beds and bedding) and even ordered ourselves some room service before heading off to the magical express.








Nothing special here, but I'm sure you all can guess who did not order the oatmeal!!!

Soon we were on the Magical Express and the real excitement set in.


Shocking despite our pre 9am arrival our room was not ready so Casey and I headed to MK while Jason went to register for the races.

Once in MK we spent some time with Tink, "buzzed" through outer space, and took a spin on our beloved pooper before Casey felt the need to channel her inner @Elevationist and get her face painted.


After all that room service started to wear off so a snack was in order,

This is one of the pre-made Strawberry Banana Smoothies from Auntie Gravity's. While not fresh and a bit too sugary, it hit the spot.

After a quick spin on the world of tiny children, Casey insisted on spending some time with her namesake.




Then it was time for our first beloved disney meal....​

We stayed @ that Hyatt on the home from a vacation one year simply to have a view of the airplanes from our room for our tot- haha!! We really enjoyed it too! We had a wonderful room service breakfast there, cornflake crusted orange french toast! It's great you got a free stay w/ ur points! -I would have done the same thing! But I know what u mean feeling like you are sooo close to Disney! I sort of feel like I'm there as soon as I get to the airport anyways. I will say, I saw Hyatt has what looks to be a beautiful Resort near Disney Springs. If u ever have points to use again! I'm an onsite person but will do a split stay sometimes. PRETTY & my kind of place! >>Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando, FL. https://www.expedia.com/Orlando-Hotels-Hyatt-Regency-Grand-Cypress.h24798.Hotel-Information

 

[Mom2m&k]

I didn't realize you started a new report! Love he reviews so far. I'm with you on a good Bloody Mary and I'm sorry I missed that one when we were at the contemporary two weeks ago. Okay and I have to say the Casey is just too cute in her race clothes! Adorable!

 

[kastoney]

We made the La Vie En Rose last weekend. It is super delish! I had the avocado margarita this trip for the first time and it was also yum. We also bought the ingredients for the Sunken Treasure, but I did not make yet. I also found the MaKenzie's Black Cherry Cider and that is also delish - I think it was just a Flower and Garden Show special - but super refreshing and a nice change.

Of course now I am dreaming of a Bloody Mary - is it the weekend yet!?!

I did not do a Trip Report. Part of me really wants to try one - but the other part of me is chicken I love reading them though so maybe I will try this weekend.

I should also say my DD who just turned 6 during the trip has now fallen in love with Star Wars - and her daddy bounded at Launch Bay. She would love your daughter's dress! And how awesome - 4th place!!!!! Love it!

First and foremost, yes it is the weekend I hope you had the bloody mary!!!

What's in the sunken treasure???? Hard to believe there is a disney drink I've not only not tried but haven't even heard of. i'm pretty sure we tried the black cherry cider at flower and garden, but I tried so much they all sort of blend together. On the good news front our local beer and wine store now carries Shofferhoffer so at least I can live my grapefruit beer dreams though out the year.

You should definitely do a trip report. For me I love doing them cause it feels like I can make the trip last longer.

Sounds like we have two daughters that would be the best of friends ; )

I will definitely put Artist's Point on my list for next time!

Wow that breakfast at the Wave looks pretty darn good for 20 bucks a person. I wanted to eat there one day but got side-tracked as usual. The sweet potato pancakes look delicious and that pecan butter...mmmm

Go Casey Go! Wow she's good! That's some awesome pictures there! She looks so determined while running and proud when getting her medals! Awesome job Casey!

Yeah we always get sidetracked too, especially at breakfast time which is never my favorite meal. But The Wave so totally worth it. Next time I intend to finally give Trails End a much deserved try too.

Thanks for the Casey kudos. She's an amazing little girl and loved every minute of the run disney events!

Go, Casey, go! Girl power! I love it!

Girl power personified!!!!

Casey did such a great job!! And, bonus, she looked absolutely adorable!!! I can see why it's your favorite picture. I'm generally not a fan of buffets either but I may need to make an exception to try The Wave! I consistently hear good things about it for all meals, but especially breakfast.

Thanks on both counts. She initially wanted to be Princess Leia, which is largely her whole knowledge of star wars, but I thought that was a bit too overplayed so when I showed her the storm trooper outfit she easily changer her mind. Funny aside since we've come back she wears the dress every couple of days, plays the imperial march, and marches back and forth "protecting" the house.

WAY TO GO, CASEY!

Thanks. Pretty darn proud of her

Omg - I just love your photos

Thank you very much!

Way to go Casey! I love the picture of her racing, she looks so determined to leave those boys in the dust (which she is!). I love her outfit. Too cute!

Yeah, the pictures capture the moment perfectly. I was gearing myself up for her crying because she didn't win (she's ultra competitive) but instead all she remembers is how many boys she ran by ; )

Go Casey! 4th place is amazing! And she looks so happy and proud!

The key lime eggs Benedict intrigue me, as it's not a combination I would normally think of. And I'm impressed the bacon was crispy. My one experience with Disney bacon was not a good one.

Yeah, we're pretty darn proud of her finish Of course if was only among about 30 4-6 year olds but impressive none the less.

Yeah, the key lime and benedict does sound odd but it really just adds a touch of tartness and some acid which paired well with everything else.

Wow congrats to Casey, 4th place is absolutely incredible and she looks so adorable too

Thanks Jo!

 

[kastoney]

Congrats to Casey! That is an amazing photo you all captured of her leaving everyone in the dust!

I loved The Wave breakfast buffet. The sweet potato pancakes with pecan butter are definitely a win, and usually it isn't as crowded as others since it doesn't have the characters. The quality of food makes it a great value!

Thanks. Wish we could take credit for the "dust" photo but that was all photo pass. Jason got some good ones but was before the finish line so nothing quite so good.

Glad to hear there are other Wave fans out there. I went in anticipating ordering from the menu, but the buffet looked so good we couldn't resist digging in. Definite value to be able to try so many good things. Now only if bloody marys were included in the price ; )

Finally here! Although I have to say that the title caught my eye before I noticed it was your DR. Love it!

First off, Congrats to Casey on her 4th place finish! That really is an awesome photo you captured. So cute how excited she was.

As usual enjoying your reviews so far. Going to need to add The Wave for next time. A breakfast buffet for $20 and sweet potato pancakes? I'm so there.

Welcome Saphire! The title came to me when stuck on haunted mansion. What better to combined than one of my fav rids and FOOD. Seemed perfect.

Yeah, the buffet was really great. You should definitely give it a whirl plus MK is right next door afterwards.

Welp, nothing there for me To be honest the one run through Epcot where you meet characters along the way (do all the Disney runs have characters?) looks fun........if I could just take my time walking up to the characters.......stopping along the way for some adult beverages.....

Yeah, I think all the runs have characters. Jason intended to stop for photos on his 10K run, but he said the lines were crazy and he was a man on a running mission. On the flip side, you and I totally need to do a "run" but just walk with thermoses full of adult beverages! We'd totally win that race.

This is how I feel when I watch my boys playing basketball like crazy, especially Ricky I love how much they love it. Neither Steve nor I are good at sports and we don't like exercise But I'm very glad they enjoy moving around more than I do!

Yeah, same for us. We aren't a coordinated family so sports doesn't appear to be in Casey's future, but one never knows. She's got crazy long legs so running is perfect for her now. But I always say genetics will catch up to her sooner or later as I too was once a tall, skinny kid ; )

The Wave breakfast buffet looks like a winner. Steve isn't a big fan of buffets either but I think he'd love the sweet potato pancakes. We had planned on doing breakfast there this past January but bumped it for some reason I can't remember. Too many places being added to my "to try" list!

You guys should totally give it a whirl. i'm not a buffet fan either, but this one was really good. You can order a la carte too but we found all the individual menu items are on the buffet too so that seamed to be the no brainer.

Love seeing the Wave breakfast buffet, we will be trying for the first time in August. The food choice's look like they are not the run of the mill buffet items. The sweet potato pancakes and the eggs benedict look really tasty. Casey looks so cute in her Star Wars outfit and she was really running great, she did leave a lot of kids in the dust.

I'm sure I've asked this already, but when are you going in August? We are there the end of the moth.

Hope you enjoy the wave as much as we did. For the price and quality it really was a great value.

You have convinced us to try the Wave for breakfast in July. DH has to have at least one breakfast buffet each trip. We were going to do Trail's End but he wasn't keen on that since we were already doing Trail's End for dinner the same day. This works perfectly!

Woohoo, hope you enjoy it as much as we did! I've heard trails end is pretty darn good too, so looking forward to hearing what you all thought. Think we're gonna finally do it in August.

Love the pics of Casey's run! That face of determination is the best!! And as for the food report, well, now I'm off to go find a Wave breakfast ressie for August. The Bloody Mary & buffet look divine!

Yeah her face is pretty darn perfect and it shows her personality to a tee. And maybe we'll see you at the wave in August ; ) Jason is already asking for a return trip.

Love, love, love the look of steely determination on Casey's face..... she's my kind of girl! Congrats to her for doing so well! The Wave breakfast looks awesome too, I especially love the look of that eggs benedict.

Thanks so much. Steely determination is a great way to describe Casey. She is full of determination and perseverance for sure.

The eggs benedict were ah-maz-ing!!!!! Grand Floridian has something similar but these were so much better.

Here! I love your reports!! Great job to Casey; the pics of her in the race are adorable!

Hi Sarah. Welcome and thanks so much for the compliment. Hope you enjoy.

Casey definitely knows how to eat at Mickey waffle!

She may get that from me

I wish I looked as good as Casey in my running photos - I'm usually a sweaty mess!

I wish I ran so I could even look sweaty in a photo

We stayed @ that Hyatt on the home from a vacation one year simply to have a view of the airplanes from our room for our tot- haha!! We really enjoyed it too! We had a wonderful room service breakfast there, cornflake crusted orange french toast! It's great you got a free stay w/ ur points! -I would have done the same thing! But I know what u mean feeling like you are sooo close to Disney! I sort of feel like I'm there as soon as I get to the airport anyways. I will say, I saw Hyatt has what looks to be a beautiful Resort near Disney Springs. If u ever have points to use again! I'm an onsite person but will do a split stay sometimes. PRETTY & my kind of place! >>Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Orlando, FL. https://www.expedia.com/Orlando-Hotels-Hyatt-Regency-Grand-Cypress.h24798.Hotel-Information

Yum, that french toast at the Hyatt sounds delicious. I don't remember seeing that, but I'm also not a sweet morning food person so I may have overlooked it. Casey's french toast was pretty darn tasty though.

Will have to check that Hyatt out. Sadly I exhausted most of my points of our one night, but I travel fairly often for work and usually stay at the Hyatt so more should be coming....

I didn't realize you started a new report! Love he reviews so far. I'm with you on a good Bloody Mary and I'm sorry I missed that one when we were at the contemporary two weeks ago. Okay and I have to say the Casey is just too cute in her race clothes! Adorable!

Welcome and thanks for eating along with me again my bloody mary sister ; ) You definitely missed a good one, but I firmly believe you can correct that next time ; )

 

[NJlauren]

Since you are pondering lodging, are you all going again soon?

Hoping for next fall, for food and wine.... So leaning towards the boardwalk for that trip..... I also am always trying to squeeze out another trip at some time!

The Wave's bloody mary.

This looks amazing! I have only done the Wave for dinner but his alone has me thinking breakfast next time!

Love her!

Then we have my most favorite picture of our entire trip. First, this face captures my determined little girl to a tee. But second, I just love all the older boys that she is leaving in her dust.

This is amazing! You go girl!

Then we have the finish line, where my baby finished an amazing 4th. We were pretty impressed.

Another great shot!

Good for her! I have never been much of a exercise person either. But I'm trying a 5k in DL in sept so we will see how that goes....

Can we talk about getting ice cream toppings thrown at them, can we get some pics or a video of this? I feel like I need more information.

 

[pagek83]

Congrats to Casey!! That's awesome!

 

[kastoney]

Hoping for next fall, for food and wine.... So leaning towards the boardwalk for that trip..... I also am always trying to squeeze out another trip at some time!

The boardwalk is definitely perfect for food and wine. That's where we stayed a few years back when we did F&W and it worked out perfect!

This looks amazing! I have only done the Wave for dinner but his alone has me thinking breakfast next time!

It was indeed pretty darn amazing. It's a close call between this one and the Dawa Bar for the best on property so that is definitely saying something.

Another great shot!

Good for her! I have never been much of a exercise person either. But I'm trying a 5k in DL in sept so we will see how that goes....

Can we talk about getting ice cream toppings thrown at them, can we get some pics or a video of this? I feel like I need more information.

Woohoo for DL in September!!!!! I keep saying maybe I'll do a 5K one of these days, maybe I just need some disney motivation.

Yeah, I have no idea on the ice cream thing. Looked on their website and apparently their obstacles include whipped cream fun, cherry bombs, ice cream gauntlet, chocolate syrup water slide, and banana pit. Should definitely be interesting. The two of them are doing it with my equally as exercise oriented best friend so I'm sure there will be lots of pictures.

Congrats to Casey!! That's awesome!

Thanks!!!!! We're pretty proud of her.

 

[kastoney]

We're a Hoopin' and a Hollerin'

After our detour to MGM we headed back to the hotel because Jason's parents had arrived. They elected to drive from their house in West Virginia so it took them two days to get there. I have a firm I won't drive over 6 hours rule, so driving 800+ miles ain't for me, but more power to them.

We had some time before our dinner plans (yes I had planned and paid for something already) so to the pool it was. Casey did a bit of this....


....While to no ones surprise I did this

This is the Banana Cabana which is Cruzan Mango Rum, Coruba Coconut Rum, Crème de Banana, with Orange and Pineapple Juice and a float of Grenadine . It had lots of rum, plus lots of banana flavor which together equaled a nice little afternoon buzz for me.

Sadly my day drinking had to come to an end, but I was fine with that since I knew all I could drink was awaiting me on the other side of Bay Lake. We were headed to the 6:15 show of Hoop Dee Doo, which would be the first time for all of us (well technically I'd been as a kid but given the 30+ year time lapse I don't think that counted). With Jason having his half marathon the next day we knew we wanted to stick close to the lodge and we thought that Hoop would not just be a perfect location but a great country-fied indoctrination to disney for our WV crew.

So after a nice, but chilly ride to Ft. Wilderness

We were soon enough in Hoop Dee Doo where this awaited us.



Now food on the table without ordering is my kinda place!!! While the salad was pretty plain and nothing to write home about, the corn bread was super sweet and moist and hit the spot.

If you've never been to hoop everything is served family style so there is no ordering to do except for beverages. Speaking of which they have unlimited adult beverages (beer, wine, and sangria) which you know made this girl very happy. I'd heard all they had in the beer department was Budweiser (and I'm very much a Miller girl), but thankfully they had Yuengling too. So a pitcher (or two or three) to share it was


Soon after the show started and it was quite entertaining. I wasn't sure what to except with the major corny and campiness I'd read about but it was truly fun for everyone. Casey seemed to enjoy it more than anyone else as she was enthralled from beginning to end. Here's a quick terrible picture from our table.


After the first act the dinner bell rang and it was time for the entrees. There was fried chicken


Ribs


Mashed potatoes, corn, and baked beans.


The fried chicken was my favorite. It was super crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside and everything a great fried chicken should be. Major props to the kitchen staff for being able to execute hot fried chicken for an entire restaurant all at the same time. Casey was also a fan.


The ribs were great too and fall of the bone tender. Their bbq sauce wasn't my favorite as it was pretty thick and sweet with some mesquite undertones and I'm more of a thin vinegar based sauce fan. But apparently I'm the only one who thought this because another pail soon made its way to our table. This little one did her fair share of putting a dent into it.


The sides were all good too. The corn was well, corn, but the mashed potatoes were clearly not instant and were thick and delicious and the baked beans had great flavor though seemed to be pinto beans which I don't think are the typical baked bean norm. Everyone was very happy with the food and the guy with a half marathon the next day certainly did his part.


We were treated to some more of the show

Before it was time for their famous strawberry shortcake dessert

And yes this is just about as delectable as it looks. Yummy moist (I think that is the word of the post) shortcakes, whipped cream, and fresh strawberries it doesn't get much simpler or better than that. If I had to nitpick (and lets be real when don't I) I'd want some more strawberries added to the mix as you didn't always get one with each bite.

As we ate dessert the show continued a bit more and had some audience participation. Casey got to play the washboard and despite her face here she couldn't have been happier.


After dinner the masses got in line to head to MK on the boat, while we were the only ones waiting for the Contemporary/Wilderness Lodge Loop. It was definitely chilly by the water, but my silly crew all focused on keeping each other warm.


This was our first trip to Hoop and we'll definitely be back again someday. It's certainly not an every trip kind of place, but it was a fun and engaging show that pleased everyone from our 5 to 70 year olds. The food is good old classic country fare and while not fancy, its really what you want for the venue. It is pricey (it was over $300 for all of us, tip included) but definitely "worth" it. Sadly only the late show takes tables in wonderland so no discount for us.

Up next, running and bloody marys take two



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[Dis_Yoda]

I'm glad you had so much fun at Hoop De Doo! Your husband is a brave man to eat that much meat before running 13.1 miles!

 

[NJlauren]

Woohoo for DL in September!!!!! I keep saying maybe I'll do a 5K one of these days, maybe I just need some disney motivation.

EXACTLY! Trust me i am not into exercise, but i got the idea from @Elevationist and said why not! So here i am DO it!

We had some time before our dinner plans (yes I had planned and paid for something already) so to the pool it was. Casey did a bit of this....

Always having the best time this kid! I love it!

...While to no ones surprise I did this

This is the Banana Cabana which is Cruzan Mango Rum, Coruba Coconut Rum, Crème de Banana, with Orange and Pineapple Juice and a float of Grenadine . It had lots of rum, plus lots of banana flavor which together equaled a nice little afternoon buzz for me.

YUM!

Seems like HDDR was a hit! I haven't been, but i could see it being a once in every 5-10 trip type of thing, but a must do when its time has come... does that even make sense? sorry sometimes i speak my own logic language over here.

Up next, running and bloody marys take two

UMMM I AM IN FOR THIS