"Does she not know this is the happiest place on earth!?" March 2015 Girls Trip! UPDATE 4/11!

[Vernie822]

Day 2 - Sunday March 8th - Animal Kingdom

We were up by 7 AM and ready for our big day at Animal Kingdom. We'd be having breakfast at Tusker House at 9:15.

Originally, my mom had requested just one character meal. Everyone agreed that a breakfast buffet was our best bet. I don't really like lunch and dinner buffets, I don't know why. I had already eaten at Crystal Palace on our last trip, and we didn't want to eat up precious MK park time. We narrowed it down to Akershus, Chef Mickey's, and Tusker. I let them know that I had heard that the food at CM's wasn't the best, plus it would require some major bus-hopping or getting to MK somewhat late. With such a short trip, we decided that was not our best option. We also noted that Akershus was a princess breakfast, and they wanted it to be with Mickey and Minnie. I mentioned that Tusker had some different style foods, and everyone was immediately on board.

My cousin and aunt were both really well rested, and were glad they stayed behind last night to get a few extra hours of sleep.

I was a little tired, but I figured I'd be fine.

I wanted to leave by 8 so that we could get to Animal Kingdom ASAP and get all the way back to Africa to Tusker House. It was an EMH day at AK, which as not my intention, as originally our Animal Kingdom day was going to be Tuesday. But since I'd been able to get a reservation for Be Our Guest, we decided we'd do Animal Kingdom that morning, then hop to MK.

We didn't leave until 8:15. But I wouldn't let that bother me. With 4 ladies showering each morning, I expected it to take some time.

We got to the bus at 8:15 and one had just pulled away, of course. So we waited until 8:25 with hoards of other people also going to AK that day. I'm not sure if they were all hoping to get there for EMH or what. I usually avoid parks with an early EMH because I know I usually will not be up in time to get to them, plus I've heard it can get pretty crowded since a lot of resort guests like to take advantage of the extra hour.

We were surrounded by a ton of people, including what looked like some high school tour groups. We were able to get seats on the bus, although I was nervous that we'd be late.

We got to Animal Kingdom at 8:42, which was actually much earlier than I had expected!

We figured that we had some extra time to take pictures now that we were earlier than we thought.

We were through the gates in no time, though it was crowded because there were plenty of non-resort guests waiting for the opening at 9 am.


First, we wanted a glance at the Tree of Life. I swear when I was here in September, there were walls up all around it.

The photographer suggested a GRRRRR face!

Next we high-tailed it to Africa to our breakfast reservation at Tusker House.

I love this area of AK. It is one of my favorites. I adore the Lion King show, so maybe that's why - a really well themed area with an awesome show.

We checked in at 9, and I let them know we were early, and no problem if they couldn't seat us til 9:15. They said our table would be ready shortly, so we took a picture while we waited. We really didn't wait at all.

They were able to seat us right away. It honestly wasn't busy and we were one of probably 10 families in the whole place at that time. I chalked that up to it being fairly early still, on a Sunday.

Sandy was our server. She was delightful and refilled our glasses so quickly!

She started us off with some Jungle Juice. Much different than the Jungle Juice I'm used to drinking, this didn't contain any vodka.

Seriously, this stuff was so good! It was really sweet so I just had one glass but also had a coffee. Donald was meeting with the front half of the room, so we were able to go up to the buffet and get our first plate.

There was a station in the middle with breads such as croissants, chocolate croissants, apple turnovers, danish, monkey bread, caramel sauce, regular bread, and more.

Starting from the right, there were some African dishes such as bobotie, a carving station, sweet potatoes with coconut, and sweet plantains. There were also things like corned beef hash, cheese blintzes with apple or cherry sauce, and roasted red potatoes. It moved into a kids section with bacon, sausage, tater toes, scrambled eggs, and Mickey Waffles. Then there were scrambled eggs, potato and leek frittata, and ham and cheese frittata. Cereal, fruit, yogurt and oatmeal also followed. Finishing up the selection was some more fruit with cornbread and cinnamon crumb cake.

One of my 'bucket list' items was to try some African dishes at Tusker House, and as you can see, I did.

Starting clockwise from the top, I tried a cinnamon crumb cake square, potato and leek frittata, bacon, cheese blintz with apple topping, sweet plantain, roasted red potatoes, sweet potatoes with coconut (and raisins I think), and beef bobotie. In the middle is none other than a Mickey waffle.

I had little bites of everything so I could try a lot without getting too full. The cinnamon crumb cake was so delicious! The Mickey Waffle was great of course, as were the bacon and roasted red potatoes. I love roasted red potatoes. The cheese blintz was good, but not amazing. I really liked the potato and leek frittata, it had some veggies and cheese in there as well.

I didn't love the sweet plantain. I love plantain chips (they're savory and salty), so I don't know what my expectations were here. I don't like bananas because of the texture, so I think that's why I didn't like this.

The sweet potatoes weren't that great, in my opinion. I thought they'd be somewhat soft but they were hard and cold.

The bobotie was good. I have some 'beef' with the beef bobotie, however. Later in the day I felt really sick, and so did my aunt. We were the only ones to get the bobotie, so we blamed it on that. It was a joke and I'm not saying the bobotie made me sick, so don't not try the bobotie because of me, haha. It wasn't outstanding but it was yummy.

The character interaction here was great! In between eating, we were able to meet our favorites.

Us with the man himself - it was his safari breakfast after all! I brought a birthday card for him to sign for my fiance. We would be gone during his birthday, and I felt so bad. Donald's his favorite so I knew he'd love it.

Starting from the top and going clockwise, I had: biscuits and gravy, bacon, another Mickey waffle, mealie cornbread, chocolate croissant pastry, monkey bread, and sausage.

The biscuits and gravy were awesome, as usual! They were what you get at other buffets for breakfast.

The chocolate croissant and monkey bread were so good. If you're not familiar with monkey bread, it's a bread that you can make with biscuit dough, butter, cinnamon and sugar. We have it on Easter sometimes so it was nice to see it there.

The sausage and bacon were typical of Disney breakfast food, but still really good.

The mealie cornbread was a nice surprise and I liked it.

We finished by 9:45 and were ready to go. It was a pretty quick breakfast and we all really enjoyed our choices. My cousin tried a lot of the African stuff and loved all of it. My mom stuck to more typical stuff like Mickey waffles, bacon and eggs, but still said everything was delicious.

At $28 per person, we made it $35 including tip. We really enjoyed this meal and I would absolutely come back.



On this day, our FP's were Lion King at 11, Safari at I think 12, and then Expedition Everest. I did that because I figured we wouldn't get out of Tusker House until maybe 10:30, which wouldn't work to get on the safari if we wanted to catch the 11 AM Lion King show.

Since it was only 9:45, we headed to the Safari and there was only a ten minute wait. We switched our Safari FP for a Dinosaur one later in the day. I really like that aspect of FP+. It makes it convenient to adjust something on your own smartphone rather than having to go to a kiosk.

My family really enjoyed the safari. My cousin and aunt had no idea what to expect. They were shocked that it's like a real safari and the animals are right there.

So I was on the right side of the vehicle, and the other three were on my left. Our tour guide had us checking out some animals to our left, and I turned my head to the right because I saw an elephant.

At this point, I don't think anyone else in the tour group had seen this guy.. and I blurted out "HOLY COW!" So everyone turned their heads to see this.. Sorry if it's vulgar, but the 12 year old in me was laughing hysterically.

So our tour guide exclaims "Oh! Well, if you look over at the elephant on your right, he is... not ashamed."

We all were dying of laughter. Thankfully there was maybe only a kid or two on the vehicle, and they were probably 12.

Moving on..

So that was an entertaining start to our morning! I just love the safari. I think the FP+ line was really backed up here but the standby was really short. I think a lot of people like to do their FP early for the safari.

Up next we'll head to my favorite attraction at Animal Kingdom - Festival of the Lion King!

 

[Vernie822]

We stayed at BWV last week and missed the Donald Duck/Chip n Dale topiary since we always came in through the IG Glad I saw your picture!
You should definitely try Sanaa in November, it's awesome

I am definitely hoping to try Sanaa! We are adjusting our plans and I think we'll stay at AKL, so that would be perfect. The bread service is calling my name.

I'm here loving your trip report! I decided to skip super because I was stuffed from your food photos lol It all looks delicious!

Haha, thanks! Everything was so delicious. I'm glad we didn't do an ADR that day.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hi Ashley, I'm here and catching up. I love mixing up my TR reading, so a girl's trip sounds like a perfect add.

That's one of the big things I love about an early flight and staying on property. Arrive and right to a park.

Awww, love that "the moms" freaked out over seeing Chip & Dale.

Oooooooh, walls down around Tree of Life????? That makes me happy.

I've never eaten at Tusker House, but characters in cute unique outfits and Mickey waffles is a-ok by me.

have no fear Ashley, I would have absolutely done the exact same thing if I saw that elephant.

 

[Vernie822]

Day 2 - Sunday, March 8th - Animal Kingdom

After our safari, it was time for our FP+ for Festival of the Lion King. I know some might say it's a waste of a FP+, but since we already had one for Everest and Safari, it seemed logical to make sure we got in right after our breakfast.

Right beforehand, we stopped at the restrooms near FOTLK.

And now it was time for the show!

I love this show, it's a must-do for me each trip. I would love to see it in its entirety someday.

After the show, we stopped by Island Mercantile. I love different mugs, so I've started purchasing one each trip. This time, I spotted a really cute Animal Kingdom mug with Mickey, Minnie, etc. all over it. My mom decided on a cute mug with Pooh and Tigger. I kind of wish I would have looked harder for a mug and not purchased one on the second day! But I still really like it, I just wish I could have taken home more than one mug.

My Mom really wanted to see It's Tough to be a Bug, so we headed towards the tree of life.

I think in my previous post I had said we made a FP+ for Dinosaur - I lied - we had made it for It's Tough to Be a Bug. Well, this ride only had a 10 minute wait, so we switched it up and made our Tough to be a Bug FP for Dinosaur instead.

I don't hate this show, but it's not my favorite. I hate the part in the beginning where you're stuffed in the room waiting to go into the theater. Haha.

My mom's thing this trip was Selfies, hahaha. I have no clue why. She loved taking them! Here's all of us with our Bug glasses.

A Tree of Life selfie was in order.

After this, we noticed it was getting really hot. I had my water bottle with me, and I had filled it up once, but not enough.

My cousin wanted to ride Kali River Rapids, but the wait was 55 minutes. We decided it was not worth it, and there were no more FP+ left, so we couldn't even switch for it.

We wandered into Asia, taking in the sights, since we had spent much of the morning near Africa. We stopped and watched these monkeys for a few minutes.

Our Expedition Everest FP+ was for 12:40. My aunt decided she'd rather not ride, and my mom thought she would give it a try. I like this ride, even though the going backwards and circle part makes me sick. So I took a Bonine for my motion sickness.

My mom decided to get off at the chicken exit because she was a little nervous. She likes rides, but not always roller coasters. My cousin and I loved this ride! I love that you can see so much from at the top of the hill.

After Everest, it was time for Dinosaur. I contemplated skipping this ride because I remembered it being jerky. We didn't ride this last time we came because Justin wasn't feeling well that day and I wasn't chancing it since I don't like jerky stuff.

My mom convinced my aunt and I that we'd be fine. It was wayyyy too jerky for me! I really did not feel well afterwards.

It was seriously hot out now, so we wandered through Dinoland and purchased a few waters. We headed towards the entrance and some of us changed to shorts.

At about 2:15, we decided to head out of the park and towards MK so we could catch a few rides before our 6:15 reservation at Be Our Guest.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Joining in, Ashley! I love a good girl's trip!

Your afternoon at the food booths looks fabulous! I'd love to travel to Disney sometime when they have those! It's also nice that you had some one-on-one time with your mom!

How nice to hear that some of the walls were down at Animal Kingdom! I hope it stays that way (or that they continue to disappear!).

 

[deedee2177]

All caught up! Can't wait to read about your review of BOG for dinner. I'm hoping to get a Dinner ADR there for our November trip

 

[afwdwfan]

Needless to say, we had an amazing time, including our engagement, and cannot wait to go back this year.

Ok, I cheated. I didn't read your whole TR, but I went back and looked for the proposal update... that is awesome!!! First of all, congratulations. I'm glad that he was able to pull of the surprise and you now have that special spot in the Magic Kingdom!

We decided that November 2015 would be a great time to get back and see the Osborne Lights, Food and Wine, and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We’re also hoping to catch the last MNSSHP.

That looks like it could be an epic trip. I'd love to be able to do the last MNSSHP and first MVMCP sometime!

K and I would arrive at 8:30 on Saturday morning, so we really only had Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday (2/3 of Tuesday since we'd be flying home that night), and it just didn't seem like enough. I didn't want to feel rushed, so I asked about adding one more day.

It would only cost us $55 more per person for the room, plus an upgrade for the tickets which was only $10 per person.

Everyone decided it would be worth it to have one extra day. YES!

When in doubt, always add an extra day.

Akershus seemed pretty expensive, and the girls decided they would rather meet the Fab 5 – Tusker House it is! I was excited to try this one as I have heard great reviews. Plus, we could do Tusker House and get right on the safari afterwards.

Nothing like stuffing yourself at a breakfast buffet and then jumping in the back of a truck for a bumpy ride.

Well, a few weeks before our trip, someone on the Dis March 2015 Facebook group had to cancel a few of her reservations. I was able to coordinate and grab a Be Our Guest reservation for dinner! This required some switching up of plans and Fastpasses, but it worked out pretty well.

A last minute add on was Raglan Road. My mom’s other sister ate here on her trip in November and really liked it. My cousin is Irish on her dad’s side, so I knew she would love it. Plus, since we had an extra day, that would fit right in.

Good choice. I've never been able to try it yet, but I've seen nothing but positive reviews. I need to get there sometime.

Coincidentally, it was employee appreciation day and everyone was allowed to leave shortly after lunch. I wanted to get a few things finished before I left, so it was nearly 4 PM by the time I got out of there. Mostly everyone else was already gone.

Looks to me like you should have done a Friday evening flight then...

Next up was the liquor store, because I had the bright idea of packing small bottles of wine into my suitcase. Being that I don’t fly too often, I knew you could take liquids up to a certain amount on the plane. I thought that was what small bottles of wine were for. My coworker informed me that it’s not for flying, but for sneaking in your purse to the movies.

Apparently I was wrong, and the FAA says it’s illegal to bring and consume your own alcohol on a plane.

He’s famous for feeding us ‘nacho noodles’ once – pasta topped with nacho cheese sauce.

Ok... so how was it? It seems like it could be anywhere between absolutely disgusting, and surprisingly awesome.

We had some morning mimosas in the car, and we were ready to go!

Too bad you couldn't pack your wine in the carry on to keep the buzz going...

My uncle kept telling us we would be super early and would have a ton of time.. well, so we thought. We got inside the airport and it was wall to wall people. INSANITY!

I don’t fly often, but my cousin does, so she told me we should check the alternate security checkpoint. We had to go outside to get there, but we were in and out in 15 minutes. It was so worth the walk across the street in 10 degree weather.

Wow... definitely paid off to try the other checkpoint.

The other one sat with her mom, and screamed the entire time. For two. Whole. Hours.

I’m not a parent but I know that mom was doing everything she could to calm her daughter down. I felt so bad. The parents were becoming upset because nothing they could do would soothe her.

Yuck... Yeah, I feel their pain. Our kids were 2 and 4 when we flew to California, and I swear, I never want to fly with them again until they're 20.

I didn’t let myself get annoyed or mad – I knew they were doing everything they could. I can’t imagine taking 4 small kids on a plane.

On behalf of those parents, thank you for being understanding, and for being so nice to their older kids.

We then headed off towards The Land. I noted on my Lines app that The Seas with Nemo and Friends only had a 10 minute wait, which basically meant a walk through the queue, so in we went..

I don't think I've ever seen that line longer than 10 minutes.

So of course I was singing the "big blue world" song in my head for the rest of the day!

...and I've got a feeling I'm going to have it in my head for the rest of the day now. Thanks.

My cousin and I love a light beer, so this was perfect. I had been drooling over the burnt ends hash since I had first seen photos of it that week.

I'm drooling over everything in that picture!

Since we had an open day on Wednesday, our last day, I went on to My Disney Experience and snagged a lunch reservation for 2 PM. I had been to Via Napoli on our last trip and raved to them about how great the pizza was, so they were eager to try it.

I'm glad you managed to work that one in there! I love a good VN pizza!!!

We saved our treats for later, but what can I say, that popcorn is amazing.

Unfortunately it sat in our room and we ate it as the trip went on.. so it got kind of stale. She did take the second bag home for my dad.

We've never had a bag last long enough to even come close to getting stale!!

Overall, I’m so glad we built in some time for some World Showcase/F&G eats. Everything was exceptional for the most part, and we really loved splitting everything 4 ways. Mostly everything was really easy to share, so we got a taste of so many different delicious things!

That does seem like the perfect way to go! It would be nice to try a little bit of everything.

I was really excited to be on my own. I don't know why. A few years ago, I hated being by myself. Growing up with a big family, someone was always around. So I struggled a lot with down time and knowing what to do. Since moving out on my own (now Justin and I live together), I really became used to being alone, so now I don't mind it as much. Actually, I like it! Ha.

I'm right there with you... I was the same way about not wanting to do anything alone... then when I graduated I started doing a lot of traveling. Spending nights in hotels alone, eating in restaurants alone. And now, it totally doesn't bother me. I even miss having some of that alone time. When I get a chance to go off on my own in the parks... it is absolute bliss. I love spending time with my family, but sometimes just being by yourself to do as you please is just something you need to do.

We spotted Marie or "that girl" as my mom referred to her since she didn't remember her name, upstairs, and ran up to take a picture. There was only one couple in front of us.

That's a new one to me! I never knew she came out up there. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her out in the parks anywhere.

She started us off with some Jungle Juice. Much different than the Jungle Juice I'm used to drinking, this didn't contain any vodka.

Ok, makes me feel better that I'm not the only one who thinks of "that" Jungle Juice when I see reference to this drink.

In the middle is none other than a Mickey waffle.

You can't go to a Disney breakfast buffet and not get a Mickey waffle.

Since it was only 9:45, we headed to the Safari and there was only a ten minute wait. We switched our Safari FP for a Dinosaur one later in the day. I really like that aspect of FP+. It makes it convenient to adjust something on your own smartphone rather than having to go to a kiosk.

I'll give you that. One of the definite bonuses of this system.

At this point, I don't think anyone else in the tour group had seen this guy.. and I blurted out "HOLY COW!" So everyone turned their heads to see this.. Sorry if it's vulgar, but the 12 year old in me was laughing hysterically.

After our safari, it was time for our FP+ for Festival of the Lion King. I know some might say it's a waste of a FP+, but since we already had one for Everest and Safari, it seemed logical to make sure we got in right after our breakfast

Definitely not a waste. I mean, it is AK. Nothing wrong with getting into a show quickly and easily. It isn't like you have 20 other things to choose between.

My cousin wanted to ride Kali River Rapids, but the wait was 55 minutes. We decided it was not worth it, and there were no more FP+ left, so we couldn't even switch for it.

Did you just tell her to jump into the pool with her clothes on? It would last longer than the ride and have the exact same effect.

I like this ride, even though the going backwards and circle part makes me sick. So I took a Bonine for my motion sickness.

It is an awesome ride. I always take some Dramamine when I go the parks though. At least whenever I remember.

 

[Vernie822]

Hi Ashley, I'm here and catching up. I love mixing up my TR reading, so a girl's trip sounds like a perfect add.

That's one of the big things I love about an early flight and staying on property. Arrive and right to a park.

Awww, love that "the moms" freaked out over seeing Chip & Dale.

Oooooooh, walls down around Tree of Life????? That makes me happy.

I've never eaten at Tusker House, but characters in cute unique outfits and Mickey waffles is a-ok by me.

have no fear Ashley, I would have absolutely done the exact same thing if I saw that elephant.

Arrive and right to a park was such a good idea. Last time we went, my fiance and I arrived at 2:30 PM. By the time we got to the resort, I felt like we had wasted an entire day. I'm a fan of early flights now! The walls were definitely down in some but not all places - so awesome. In September it just had a different feel with all of the construction.

Tusker House was so great. I'm hoping to get back there soon, although I think we may try Boma for breakfast this next trip.

Joining in, Ashley! I love a good girl's trip!

Your afternoon at the food booths looks fabulous! I'd love to travel to Disney sometime when they have those! It's also nice that you had some one-on-one time with your mom!

How nice to hear that some of the walls were down at Animal Kingdom! I hope it stays that way (or that they continue to disappear!).

The food booths were so awesome! I'm so glad we were there for that. We caught the first day of Food and Wine on our last trip, I wish we could have experienced even more.

All caught up! Can't wait to read about your review of BOG for dinner. I'm hoping to get a Dinner ADR there for our November trip

Thanks! Good luck with the BOG reservation. I was able to get one for our September 2014 trip by calling the first day, this trip I wasn't so lucky since we booked after the ADR day, but I'm still glad we got one. The food was delicious both times.

Ok, I cheated. I didn't read your whole TR, but I went back and looked for the proposal update... that is awesome!!! First of all, congratulations. I'm glad that he was able to pull of the surprise and you now have that special spot in the Magic Kingdom!


That looks like it could be an epic trip. I'd love to be able to do the last MNSSHP and first MVMCP sometime!


When in doubt, always add an extra day.


Nothing like stuffing yourself at a breakfast buffet and then jumping in the back of a truck for a bumpy ride.





Good choice. I've never been able to try it yet, but I've seen nothing but positive reviews. I need to get there sometime.


Looks to me like you should have done a Friday evening flight then...





Ok... so how was it? It seems like it could be anywhere between absolutely disgusting, and surprisingly awesome.


Too bad you couldn't pack your wine in the carry on to keep the buzz going...





Wow... definitely paid off to try the other checkpoint.


Yuck... Yeah, I feel their pain. Our kids were 2 and 4 when we flew to California, and I swear, I never want to fly with them again until they're 20.


On behalf of those parents, thank you for being understanding, and for being so nice to their older kids.


I don't think I've ever seen that line longer than 10 minutes.


...and I've got a feeling I'm going to have it in my head for the rest of the day now. Thanks.


I'm drooling over everything in that picture!


I'm glad you managed to work that one in there! I love a good VN pizza!!!





We've never had a bag last long enough to even come close to getting stale!!


That does seem like the perfect way to go! It would be nice to try a little bit of everything.


I'm right there with you... I was the same way about not wanting to do anything alone... then when I graduated I started doing a lot of traveling. Spending nights in hotels alone, eating in restaurants alone. And now, it totally doesn't bother me. I even miss having some of that alone time. When I get a chance to go off on my own in the parks... it is absolute bliss. I love spending time with my family, but sometimes just being by yourself to do as you please is just something you need to do.


That's a new one to me! I never knew she came out up there. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen her out in the parks anywhere.


Ok, makes me feel better that I'm not the only one who thinks of "that" Jungle Juice when I see reference to this drink.


You can't go to a Disney breakfast buffet and not get a Mickey waffle.


I'll give you that. One of the definite bonuses of this system.





Definitely not a waste. I mean, it is AK. Nothing wrong with getting into a show quickly and easily. It isn't like you have 20 other things to choose between.


Did you just tell her to jump into the pool with her clothes on? It would last longer than the ride and have the exact same effect.

It is an awesome ride. I always take some Dramamine when I go the parks though. At least whenever I remember.

Thanks - it was a pretty great proposal. It was a lot of fun celebrating the rest of the trip.

I wasn't brave enough to try the 'nacho noodles', haha. I think my brothers approved and my sister was disgusted.

I had been on Kali when I was probably 11.. and I remember it being similar to a ride we have at Kennywood in Pittsburgh. Really not too exciting and you just end up wet, so I was glad we didn't have to go on, haha.

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Note to self I don't do jerky rides! Thanks for the heads up. Animal kingdom looks way better in your photos than I had imagined it would in my head. I'm excited to try the safari and EE.

 

[Vernie822]

Day 2 - Sunday, March 8th - MK and Be Our Guest

We got to MK close to 3, just as the parade was starting.

Now I don't know if it was a combination of the 85 degree weather to a 33 degree bus (why do they keep these things so darn cold?) but I was DYING. Okay, I exaggerate, but seriously, by the time we got to MK my legs felt like jello and I thought I'd pass out. I felt like such a rookie. But I hadn't had much water that day, except a bottle in the parks, and we hadn't eaten since 9 oclock.

My aunt was feeling the same way, so we stopped at Town Square and rested on the couches outside of Tony's for a little.

My mom and cousin offered to grab us some food, so they headed out to get us each a Mickey pretzel and some water.

In the meantime, I watched a little bit of Festival of Fantasy from the porch at Tony's. I'm obsessed w/ this parade.

Mom came to the rescue, with a Mickey pretzel, water, and Sprite for my aunt and I. We all shared and rested for a little bit longer.

I appreciated them dodging the parade viewers to get us some food. They said they went to Tomorrowland, so my guess is these came from the Lunching Pad.

While we sat there and ate, a family with a few small children was sitting in the couch area as well. My mom and I watched their 2 year old daughter wander outside onto the porch, with no one seeing she had left!

My mom ran outside after she had seen that her parents didn't follow.. thankfully a moment later and the mom realized she had run off. Talk about a heart attack!!

Once we got some food in us, we were all feeling much better and ready to take on MK.

Our first attraction was Jungle Cruise. It had a 50 minute wait, but mostly everything did around that time. We only waited about 40 minutes. Unfortunately our Skipper was really muffled and we couldn't hear much of what he said, but we still enjoyed the attraction.

We thought about meeting Jasmine and Aladdin, K loves them, but their line was long and they wouldn't be returning for another half an hour.

They wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. I wasn't feeling so hot and thought I'd just sit down and rest while they rode. I think it had a 30 minute wait, so I also hopped in line at the nearest FP+ kiosk in Frontierland. The line took about 10 minutes, but I secured us a FP+ for Peter Pan's flight later that evening. This worked well, since we pretty much knocked out anything in Adventureland that we'd be interested in riding.

After they were off POTC, we headed towards Frontierland where we were stuck in the middle of.. a hoedown!!

So fun! It was so cool watching them all dance and get the kids involved.

We had an ADR for 6:15 for Be Our Guest, so we headed over to Fantasyland to meet up with our special dinner guest.. my brother, Spencer!

We met up with Spencer and headed towards the castle.

We made our ADRs at less than 180 days, so I told my family not to expect a BOG dinner reservation. I had also been watching for news on the FP+ lunch, since testing was ending and I was unable to get a lunch ADR for a Fastpass. I was able to schedule a QS lunch, but ditched that once we were able to get a dinner ADR.

I was able to coordinate with someone on the March Facebook page, and I picked up her ADR for 4 at 6:15 for Sunday, 3/8. My mom was so excited.

My brother wanted to join us. His band would be in MK at the same time, so I told him I would call and see. At one week prior, they weren't able to add him to our reservation. The CM I spoke with told me to check for a 5 person ADR the day before, and switch one for the other. I wasn't able to find one, so I just thought I would ask the CM when I checked in if we could add an extra person.

We got there around 6 PM, and checked in. I thought I would get there early and ask about adding my brother, letting them know that we were willing to wait if they could accommodate us, but if not, don't worry.

In the 5 minutes I stood at the podium, the second CM turned away 3 angry parties who didn't understand why they couldn't seat them right away. These people did not have reservations and had no idea why they couldn't eat at Be Our Guest right then and there. They were shocked when the CM's said that they were fully booked, but that they could try later in the evening just in case someone cancelled. It pays to do your homework and stalk around on the internet for an ADR, haha!

Thankfully, the CM I dealt with was really sweet. He called the restaurant and asked about adding a 5th person, and we were told it was no problem. Yay!

We went to stand on the bridge with our pager. We took a few quick pictures and didn't even get to finding a spot before our buzzer went off.

Seriously - less than 2 minutes. WOW. When I was here in September, we waited for like 15-20 minutes past our ADR time to be seated - so this was a pleasant surprise!

Here's a quick picture my brother and I grabbed before being seated.

My brother was really excited to eat here. He had been living off of (in his words) pizza, burgers, and fries for 4 days. I guess they gave each kid $10 for lunch and dinner each day. I think it was built in to their trip cost, so this was a welcome change of pace for him.

We were seated in the Rose Gallery. Last time I ate here, we ate in the main Ballroom. Let me just say.. the Rose Gallery is breathtaking. Seriously, I was so impressed with the big Belle and Beast in the middle, as well as all of the artwork. My family was also in awe.

Only half of the Rose Gallery was full during our meal. Even less when we first walked in - probably only 3 or 4 tables. I assume that's because the kitchen maybe can't handle if every table in the restaurant was packed!? I don't know. We enjoyed the quietness of the Rose Gallery, though. It was nice after a long day and allowed us to really take in all of the scenery.

We were seated at a table for 8, even though there was only 5 of us. Our server was Cliff. He was nice and attentive.

We ordered some drinks, and Cliff brought out some rolls and salted butter.

My mom, cousin and I all ordered water. My brother had the all natural fruit punch with wildberry foam for $4.19. I think my aunt had a root beer.

My cousin really liked the sound of the meat and cheese board, so she and my aunt shared that for an appetizer.

I don't have a picture of this, but I'll try to find one.
Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages - served with cornichons, pickled onions, and toasted baguette (serves two) $16.49

They really liked this. I tried some of the smoked prosciutto and it was delicious.

We also ordered our entrees. I was in between the braised pork and shrimp and scallops. I had tried the pork chop and macaroni au gratin before, and I had absolutely loved it.

My brother and aunt both ordered the pork chop.

Thyme-scented Pork Rack Chop - with au gratin macaroni, seasonal vegetables and red wine au jus $23.99

My brother really, really liked this, especially the macaroni. My aunt also raved about the macaroni, but had a hard time eating her pork. She has some dental issues, so that was why. Otherwise, they both loved their meal.

My mom and I decided to order two entrees and split them.

I ordered the shrimp and scallops dish.

Sauteed Shrimp and Scallops - Seasonal vegetables served in puff pastry with a creamy lobster sauce $26.99

This entree was the clear winner for our table. It might have been my favorite entree of the entire trip. It was delicious. There really was a lot of scallops and shrimp in there, and the lobster sauce was great. My mom and I absolutely loved this dish.

My mom decided to order the salmon.

Pan-seared Salmon on Leek Fondue - Served with creamy saffron-crushed potatoes $24.99

We really liked this. The salmon was good, and I liked the crushed potatoes. It was good, but not as good as the shrimp and scallops dish. I'm glad we split two and got to try both!

My cousin loves French Onion soup, and that with the seasonal salad trio sounded better to her than an entree that evening.

I don't have a picture of her soup, but she really liked it. I had a bite and it was delicious and cheesy.

This is a pretty awful picture, but here's her seasonal salad trio.

Seasonal Salad Trio - Three Individual Bowls of:
Roasted Beet, Gold Raisin and Orange Salad
Green Been, Tomato and Roasted Shallot Salad
Watermelon, Radish, and Mint salad $7.99

The first on the left is a watermelon salad, I think it had some mint on it. The middle is a tomato and green bean salad, and the third is a beet salad, I think it had raisins in it. She really loved all three of these. It was a great value for $7.99, and I think her soup was $7.99. A lot of food for $16!


We decided to try dessert. My cousin was stuffed, and my brother isn't big on sweets, so they passed. I had tried the Grey Stuff last time. I wanted to get it again, but I decided to try something different this time.

My mom and aunt each had the Grey Stuff for $4.19.

I was having trouble deciding between the Strawberries and Cream cupcake, and the Triple Chocolate Cupcake. I ended up with..

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake - - vanilla sponge cake, strawberry mousse filling, and cream cheese icing $4.19

And.. I wish I would've had the Grey Stuff. I always like chocolate, and rarely order a fruity dessert, so I don't know why I thought I'd like this. The cream cheese icing was the best part. It was rich. The strawberry was mushy, the yellow cake was bland, and the cream filling was yucky in my opinion.

It was strawberry cream, which didn't taste good to me. I only ate about half of this before I couldn't finish it - it was overly sweet.

I know many might like this, I have heard great reviews. Maybe it was just an off day, but I didn't really like it. I used to work at a bakery, so maybe I thought it would taste like their strawberry cupcake, which is awesome! So maybe my expectations were off, but I won't order it next time.

My mom and aunt loved the Grey Stuff.

Our meal, in total, cost about $180. I'm going to try to keep track of the prices for what I ate so I can compare vs. the dining plan.

Overall, service was good, the entrees were good, and all but my dessert were enjoyable. It was definitely worth it and my family really enjoyed getting to meet the Beast and see his castle.

I think next trip, Justin and I will just do lunch here. I've been wanting to try lunch. The dinner entrees are good, but aside from the pork chop, shrimp and scallops, and steak (which Justin tried last time), nothing really jumps out at me as something I have to have. I would like to try other spots for dinner and give lunch a chance here.

I was really pleased with the service here, especially the accommodating CM's that got my brother in with us! It was very much appreciated and we enjoyed a slow, relaxing meal here.

We were done eating and exited the restaurant about 7:30, just in time for our Peter Pan FP+. We rode and then headed towards Philharmagic, something I hadn't yet seen since it was under refurb during our September vacation.

Once that was over, we walked through the Emporium and decided we were just about done for the day. Since I had seen Wishes the night before, and knew I'd see them the next day, it didn't bother me if we left for the evening without seeing them. I left that up to my cousin and aunt, since my mom and I were indifferent (but wouldn't mind seeing them again, of course). My cousin said that she could see fireworks at home, and said she'd like to go back to the resort.

While these aren't necessarily "at home" fireworks (at least our fireworks in PA don't include Tinkerbell shimmying across the sky), the rest of us were fine with leaving as well, so we skipped out around 9:15.

By the time a bus arrived, we were freezing. It was about a 20 minute wait, which was fine, but then the bus driver's breaker didn't show up, so we couldn't board the bus. Finally, at 9:50, the bus driver let us on and we left for POFQ. We didn't get hime til 10:15, so we may as well have stayed for Wishes.

My mom had decided to stay and play a little longer. She met Tink and maybe hopped on Small World, but she arrived home not long after us.

I didn't mind skipping out on a late night, because we'd be well rested for our big MK day the next day.

 

[RunnerMommyof4]

Oh yummy that makes me want to try BOG.

 

[deedee2177]

Your review makes me even more excited for dinner at BOG in November!!! My ADR day is in May so keeping my fingers crossed that I can get one!

 

[sharona]

Thanks for the food porn. The EP stuff and the BOG entrees look great. I'll have to add it to our itinerary when we go in December. It's really a shame that they were turning people away from BOG when they had so many empty tables. That is such poor management of resources and reservations! Surprising since Disney is maximizing profits in every other respect!

So, Beast is at BOG but Belle is not?

 

[KatMark]

Okay...I'm playing catch up.

First...AK. Great group picture out in front. The jungle juice...to die for. They have one very similar at Boma which comes in a small glass. We've had the same server the last two times at Boma and they just bring me a big glass and leave me a carafe.

The pictures of all of you with the characters are terrific.

I was with your elephant.

I can't wait to see It's Tough to be a Bug in October...it was closed when we were there. Dinosaur is jerky...but I do enjoy it.

Now, MK...sorry you weren't feeling so great and glad the food helped. I have yet to see the new parade and can't wait to see it (we totally missed it on our trip last year).

I love when they have the Hoedown...so much fun.

What a cute picture of you and your brother.

We've sat in the Ballroom and the Wing, but never the Rose Gallery...maybe we'll get lucky and sit there for our dinner in May. Our very first meal there (when they just opened and we were six and were there for Mark's 60th birthday, the guys shared the meat and cheese appetizer and loved it). I love the soup too. I wasn't, however, a fan of the grey stuff (love the Master's cupcake though).

Glad you got to do Peter Pan.

 

[Felipe4]

Following!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Even though you only had a few FoF photos, one was Ariel so it's all good.

YAY the hoedown!!! As a super fan of Big Al, I love this thing. So cute.

Aww that's so nice that your brother was able to join you for some "real" food. What a nice picture of you too.

I've only gotten to visit BOG one time and for lunch, but I did love it. I don't know that dinner would really entice me other than I want to meet Beast so bad.

 

[kaetra]

Fantastic trip report! Loving your excellent coverage of the Epcot festival. It looks so beautiful, delicious, fun and wonderful! <3 <3

 

[caralyn817]

Wonderful Report! You are making me very excited for our trip in a few days. I can't wait to hear more.

 

[Vernie822]

Oh yummy that makes me want to try BOG.

We liked it a lot. It's definitely a great restaurant. I think next time we'll try lunch, since we want to try other places for dinner, but it is great to try.

Your review makes me even more excited for dinner at BOG in November!!! My ADR day is in May so keeping my fingers crossed that I can get one!

Ahh good luck! That was the first one I requested at 180 days for our September trip of last year. It's definitely a great experience.

Thanks for the food porn. The EP stuff and the BOG entrees look great. I'll have to add it to our itinerary when we go in December. It's really a shame that they were turning people away from BOG when they had so many empty tables. That is such poor management of resources and reservations! Surprising since Disney is maximizing profits in every other respect!

So, Beast is at BOG but Belle is not?

I have no idea why the tables weren't filled - it was weird, because they definitely turned multiple people away. I wonder if they can't keep up with all of the people if they would pack each dining room? Not sure. Beast is there, and you can meet him after you eat. He also walks through the room during the meal but you can't really get up and meet him then. I wish Belle joined him!

 

[Vernie822]

Okay...I'm playing catch up.

First...AK. Great group picture out in front. The jungle juice...to die for. They have one very similar at Boma which comes in a small glass. We've had the same server the last two times at Boma and they just bring me a big glass and leave me a carafe.

The pictures of all of you with the characters are terrific.

I was with your elephant.

I can't wait to see It's Tough to be a Bug in October...it was closed when we were there. Dinosaur is jerky...but I do enjoy it.

Now, MK...sorry you weren't feeling so great and glad the food helped. I have yet to see the new parade and can't wait to see it (we totally missed it on our trip last year).

I love when they have the Hoedown...so much fun.

What a cute picture of you and your brother.

We've sat in the Ballroom and the Wing, but never the Rose Gallery...maybe we'll get lucky and sit there for our dinner in May. Our very first meal there (when they just opened and we were six and were there for Mark's 60th birthday, the guys shared the meat and cheese appetizer and loved it). I love the soup too. I wasn't, however, a fan of the grey stuff (love the Master's cupcake though).

Glad you got to do Peter Pan.

Omg, love that jungle juice! We're thinking of doing Boma next trip.. you're swaying me that way.

I really liked Dinosaur, even if it was too jerky for my liking. I hadn't been on Tough to be a Bug in 10 years, but I'm so glad we got to do it.

I think next time the french onion soup will have to be on my list - I only had a bite of my cousin's, but it was tasty. I think we're done with there for dinner for now - there are lots of other places we'd like to try - but I think lunch will be a must do next trip.

Following!

Even though you only had a few FoF photos, one was Ariel so it's all good.

YAY the hoedown!!! As a super fan of Big Al, I love this thing. So cute.

Aww that's so nice that your brother was able to join you for some "real" food. What a nice picture of you too.

I've only gotten to visit BOG one time and for lunch, but I did love it. I don't know that dinner would really entice me other than I want to meet Beast so bad.

I loved that hoedown!! I think it just surprised me since you know you do so much research leading up to the trip.. and BAM! In the middle of your perfectly planned day is a HOEDOWN! Lol.

Ariel's my fave, I was excited to see her on her float. I just wondered the whole time how they can see with all the sun in her eyes.. hope Ariel's wearing sunscreen.

I was so glad that my brother could join us. I think we'll do lunch next time - dinner was good and a fun experience, but it's stressful to get, and get there, and wait, so I think since I've done it twice, lunch is in our future. Meeting the beast is so fun though!

Fantastic trip report! Loving your excellent coverage of the Epcot festival. It looks so beautiful, delicious, fun and wonderful! <3 <3

Thank you so much! It was sooo delicious. I'm glad we were there for Flower and Garden.

Wonderful Report! You are making me very excited for our trip in a few days. I can't wait to hear more.

Yay! Have so much fun on your trip. Thanks for reading.