Grandmom Helped Pay! (She Needed a Christmas-Flavored Disney Fix)-WCC 4/18 -Complete!

[NorweJenNY]

Hi Jenny,
Great reviews. That carrot cake cookie looks delicious and I loved the big berries at CP for breakfast too! Brrr, it looks cold there. Did it warm up at all?

The carrot cake cookie is delicious! Glad you're a berry lover too.

It was cold when we went... but aside from the morning when our bus came right away and we ended up standing and waiting extra long for MK to open, it wasn't unbearably cold... as long as you were dressed properly. I didn't mind not having gloves and a hat, but normally, in states farther north, I probably would have minded. I didn't understand the people out in sandals, shorts and t-shirts though... they had to be freezing! Sheesh! Buy a sweatshirt, people! (Or bring one... it may be FL, but it's still December! It can and does get cold!)

There were times midday that we didn't need our jackets though... we were glad for the stroller because we could stuff our jackets in it. But when the sun went down (and it does that earlier in the winter months), we were digging those jackets out again!

I'm with Icky Mickey! I'm sad sad sad that I missed out on some of the WDW greats.

Carrot Cake Cookie

AND

DOLE WHIP.

How did I go on our last trip with no Dole whip. I want to cry. We need to crash your next trip.

Quit whining, dsil! You could've gotten your Dole Whip! You took Baby to MK all by yourself one afternoon and got him his haircut on Main Street... you could've just walked over to Adventureland to get a Dole Whip if it really meant that much to you!

Yeah... that carrot cake cookie... sorry you missed out on that one... next time...

Ya know, Grandmom is only one person, and she's got space in her Boardwalk room in May... I guess if you don't mind sleeping on the sleeper sofa... except that you're wasting your dh's vacation time on a trip to Aruba...

 

[NorweJenNY]

I feel they have one of the better buffet when it comes to lunch. They have a carving board but I forgot what it was, they have pasta dish, chicken, and I love the salad selection. They have edamame salad that my son loves.

A carving board at lunch sounds good! I've been gradually becoming more of a salad person, so that'd be good for me too. We'll have to see when we might be able to try that.

It's just so hard to think about not doing breakfast because I love my puffed french toast and breakfast pizza!

 

[NorweJenNY]

Sassagoula Floatworks (again)

Big Guy and Little Guy got their usuals... hamburger and chicken nuggets, respectively...

Since we were actually spening several nights at POFQ, my mother and I decided we'd be back again another evening, so this time we decided to split a chicken parm dinner...

Was it good? Yes... well, at least decent. But the portion of chicken was a little small. We once split a chicken parm or chicken alfredo (similar meal whatever it was) at POP, and I remembered it being a much bigger piece of meat. This was hard to share, especially since my mom and I see the meat as the main part of the meal and spaghetti as just a secondary item. We decided the spaghetti was much better once we got parmasian cheese to add on top of it.

We were wishing for a little more... but we were also wishing we had just gone with our typical meal here - ribs with mac & cheese... that is one hard-to-top meal! If we didn't know about the ribs meal and were just looking for something nice to eat, an order of chicken parm for each of us (not splitting one meal between two of us) probably would have made us perfectly content. Knowing we could have had the ribs but just got something different is what kinda added a little dissappointment.

But it's ok... we still had more time and more new experiences to try out... like the Candlelight Processional package at Rose and Crown. So stay tuned!

 

[NorweJenNY]

Rose and Crown
Candlelight Processional Package

Since we were going in December, we simply had to try the Candle Processional package. So we did lunch (which was around 2pm) and got passes for the 5:00 Candlelight Processional. It was so close to Christmas, and we had kids along, so we didn't want to have to wait on line too long... and my mom and I have been wanting to try Rose and Crown anyway. This just made sense!

In case you're not familiar with the Candlelight Processional package, it include an appetizer, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage for each person. (Though the kid's meals had sides that I think counted as the appetizer.)

Even though it's on the menu as "Rose and Crown Meat and Cheese Selection for Two," our waiter told my mother that she could order it as her own appetizer. That worked out perfectly, as we both wanted to try that,but I was also interested in the Scotch Eggs.

Here's the Meat & Cheese plate...

Pardon me for not remembering what everything was exactly... I know the far right is mushroom brie, which I didn't think I'd like, but actually found somewhat decent on the crispy toast. The onion jelly served with it was interesting to try. I tried a piece of each different sausage... none thrilled me. (I like a variety of non-Italian sausages - breakfast sausages, German & Polish sausages - but this British ones... nah... not worth and number of calories.) The triangle pastry thing had some type of cheese, but it tasted like those moldy cheeses (not sure if it was), and I didn't care for it. My mom, I think, actually enjoyed the plate more... that was fine with me...

I discovered that I loved the Scotch Eggs!

These are basically hard boiled eggs wrapped in a sausage-y coating. I had just tried a home-made one by a Scottish person about two months prior at a festival, and thought it was pleasant, so I figured I needed to try one in a restaurant. The plate that was brought out had a smear of mustard on it, and I couldn't believe how much I liked it with the Scotch egg! It was perfect together!

My mom, while she liked the Scotch egg, preferred her plate. I was glad - more Scotch eggs for me!

For the entrees, Little Guy ordered grilled chicken.

This kid's-meal-size hunk of meat was bigger than the piece my mom and I shared the previous night when we ordered chicken parm! Little Guy also got fries with it... he enjoyed it all, though he couldn't finish all the chicken. (I didn't blame him! It was a lot!)

Big Guy ordered pasta, but wanted everything on the side because he didn't know if he'd like the sauce (with ground turket meat in it).

He ended up really enjoying it though, and dumped all the sauce and cheese on the pasta. He downed the whole huge portion! It came with a side of fries, but I don't think he ate all of those.

My Mom and I both got the Shepherd's Pie. (We each had our own - we didn't share this because of the package... even though it was a little too much for both of our stomachs.)

It was very good. It was full of flavor, and I can't exactly remember which types of spices were used, but the ones used made it have a unique flavor. It had a comfort-food type feel. I guess meat and potatoes in general may do that though...

I don't know if I would order one again... but I'd consider it if I were sharing. It was a lot of food... especially knowing dessert was yet to come!

For dessert, the boys had make-your-own sundaes...

Mom and I had a hard time choosing, but ultimately decided to get two desserts and share both of them.

First, we tried the Chocolate Scotch Cake...

We thought it was good... chocolatey... but no different than the many other chocolate cakes served elsewhere. It was convenient for sharing since it came already cut as two pieces though!

Second, we got the sticky toffee pudding, sauce on the side...

We agreed this was beyond good! And the sauce just made it better! It may not look like much on the plate, but you get that sauce dripping all over each bite, and it was heavenly!

I would come back to Rose and Crown just to get the sticky toffee pudding! Insanely delicious!

We had no problem finding a seat for the Candlelight Processional when we got there about 30 minutes in advance. It was, however, just a little tricky to find a seat without a tree semi-blocking our view.

The show was so worth experencing! It was clearly based on Christmas in the Christian perspective. It was not commercial at all! The only thing that brought me to the reality of it not being a church experience, but in Disney was the fact that there was someone sitting a couple rows ahead of me with a hideous neon orange and green Tigger Santa hat on that got in every single picture I took!

It was more frustrating for my pictures than it was really an issue otherwise... I don't want to complain too much because it was Disney World after all... a few hats with character ears are to be expected.

The music, the readings (by Brian Dennehy this night), the lighting - it was all so elaborate and beautiful! I felt like this was a good alternative considering this trip meant I'd be missing my church's Christmas Eve service.

I highly recommend seeing this show and going ahead with a lunch/dinner package. The only thing I might do differently (if not for being with my kids and mom, who didn't want to be out too late), is I'd like to go to the later show just to experience it at night. I think the lighting for the show would be much more effective at night.

After the Candlelight Processional, we were ready to head back to POFQ for our last night, and we didn't think twice about what to order for dinner...

'nuff said!

The kids (since we had a big, late lunch) shared an adult pizza. The pizza on the menu says that it comes with a salad... but we didn't need salad and weren't on a dining plan. It actually cost a couple dollars less to just get the pizza. It was fine for the kids having a small meal. If we were really hungry, I probably would've gotten a little more for them, but this was sufficient this night.

We went to bed for our last night at POFQ, and as much as I loved my experience there, I wasn't too sad. In the morning, we'd be leaving... to check in at Wilderness Lodge!

This means we have a whole other day of dining experiences to share, so stay tuned...

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Nice reviews! Thanks! I've never heard about the carrot cake cookies before! It looks like an ice cream sandwich, is it? Is Writer's Stop at DHS? I'm looking for some good snack ideas!

 

[NorweJenNY]

Nice reviews! Thanks! I've never heard about the carrot cake cookies before! It looks like an ice cream sandwich, is it? Is Writer's Stop at DHS? I'm looking for some good snack ideas!

Carrot cake cookies are like a piece of carrot cake that's on the denser side, but shaped like a cookie. They're split down the middle and contain a perfectly delicious cream-cheese-like frosting.

Yes, Writer's Stop is at DHS, by the street that looks like New York City.

This is a wonderful snack idea at DHS! And if you're on the dining plan, it does count as a snack credit. If you're paying OOP, I believe it's $2.95 - which is still an excellent deal for what you get. It's huge!


The other place I'd like to try for snacks in DHS is Starring Rolls... they have some marvelous looking cupcakes there. I'm dying to try some!

 

[Disney owl]

great reports thanks

 

[NorweJenNY]

great reports thanks

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying!

 

[NorweJenNY]

Sorry for a bit of a long pause there for a while... ended up taking another last minute trip to Disney, and a bunch of other stuff... but now, I think it's time to finish up this report. Just a few more restaurants to go!

Liberty Tree Tavern

We left POFQ and checked into our studio at VWL... which looks incredible decorated for Christmas, by the way! (By now it was the day before Christmas Eve.) We had a convenient short boat ride to the Magic Kingdom, and after some attractions, we got to have lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern.

I absolutely love the colonial look inside, and the lobby - it looks like a house that I would love to live in! It has a high ceiling, but stairs up to a railed area where you can look down below. Love it!

We were seated and I already knew what to order for an appetizer (thanks to the DIS! )

We started out with the Tavern Fried Cheese...

Sooo good! The longer mozzarella sticks were really good, but the little pieces were absolutely fabulous! (They kinda remind me of the white cheddar cheese curds at A&W restaurants - only better!) My only complaint was that they served five long sticks, which can't really be split evenly... and to me this is the type of appetizer that is meant to be shared. Six sticks could be split evenly for two or three people, and that would probably be better.

Little Guy isn't really into cheese, so it was just three of us on this appetizer, but he enjoyed his own off of my water...

I liked the fact that we had TiW here instead of a dining plan. It was nice to be able to order the appetizer without feeling like it was an extra expense beyond the plan. Though it's not a ton of money anyway - just under $6 for an appetizer is very reasonable!

Ok... main courses:

Big Guy had pasta, with sauce and cheese on the side (like he did at R&C the previous day). He still ended up dumping all together in the end... and ate every last bite! He also had some green apples on the side, and his other side would come later (dessert).

Little Guy had turkey, which is served with mashed potatoes and string beans, but those don't even count as the sides! He also had a side of green apples, and his other side would come later too (dessert). He ate most of the turkey and the apples. The other stuff would just become additions to my meal, and Grandmom's.

My mom and I shared the pot roast, which gave us plenty of food for about $9 each (before TiW discount). (Sure beats most non-discounted $9 CS meals in the park!)

This is a half serving, by the way. They divided the single portion onto two separate plates for us in the kitchen. Yummy pot roast, and just the right softness (without just falling apart to look like cat food). It was served over mashed potatoes with gravy, and included veggies like onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms - though I'd have preferred no mushrooms.

While it was indeed yummy, the mashed potatoes got even yummier when I used Little Guy's unwanted turkey gravy on them - oh, divine! My mom and I split LG's portion of mashed potatoes too and shared his gravy on them... she agreed with me about the turkey gravy on the potatoes!

The kids were entitled to ice cream for dessert (though I think a fruit cup was another option - but I doubt many kids would voluntarily pick that over ice cream!) Little Guy's came out with a candle for his birthday,even though it was a week early. We figured his brother celebrated his last birthday in WDW, so he should have a chance too!

Since we'd merely shared an appetizer and entree, of course my mom and I had to try dessert!

We decided on the ooey gooey toffee cake...

It was sooo close to being a 10! Tasted delicious, but not overwhelmingly heavy... though I suppose it was also helpful that we shared this as well. (My tastebuds could've gone for a whole one though!) The reason why it's not a 10 is for one reason, IMHO - nuts... I don't like nuts in my desserts, and this had nuts in it. I don't like crunching down on hard nuts amidst softer cakey substances or smooth ice cream or anything like that. But had it not had nuts,this would have been a 10, definitely!

So that concludes my LTT report... I promise I will get to more soon!

 

[NorweJenNY]

Enchanted Grove

By mid-to-late afternoon, we were all looking for something to hold us over until dinner back at the Wilderness Lodge. I had packed a few snacks for the boys, so they were fine. My mom was just yearning for a somewhat decent cup of coffee, and ended up trying a not-so-great cup of espresso when she saw that the coffee was the less-than-not-so-great "Nescrape." Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck with my hold-me-over indulgence either. I got a frozen raspberry lemonade slush.

It probably would've felt a little more refreshing in the summer time, but it was also just too sweet... ...and I like sweet... normally... not then though. I drank about half of it. Shoulda gotten something different... maybe that pineapple-orange smoothie from Auntie Gravity's that I had a few days earlier.

Oh well... at least I tried something new. On to the next eating adventure...

 

[NorweJenNY]

Whispering Canyon Cafe

Our final Disney meal for this trip...

At least we've learned how to end a trip well... with one night at Wilderness Lodge, following a meal at Whispering Canyon, of course.

This would be my third trip to Whispering Canyon, but first trip here using TiW instead of DDP. We were overstuffed at this restaurant using the DDP. This time, we thought we’d try some other menu items.

My mom and I again did well together. To start we shared and appetizer – which was supposed to be just barbecue pulled pork spring rolls, but someone goofed! We ended up getting served the combination platter for two, which consisted of the pulled pork spring rolls and the herb seafood cakes. (They only charged us for the spring rolls that we ordered.)

I absolutely fell in love with the pulled pork spring rolls! It was served with a BBQ-mayonnaise, and that made them even better! There were two on the plate, and if that’s all they serve on the the non-combo plate, then I think that the price tag of $9.99 is a bit much! $5 per single spring roll? At least we would just pay $4 each with the TiW, but I still think that’s a bit overpriced. But cost aside, they were incredibly good! I was neutral about the seafood cakes – not particularly good, nor bad. I’m more of a crab-cake type of person, and these were leaning more toward too fishy for my tastebuds. However, my mother felt exactly the opposite – loved the seafood cakes, but felt neutral about the spring rolls. She didn’t think the seafood cakes were too fishy at all. I guess we all have our personal tastes!

I also got a mega berry smoothie…

I felt it was more toward an ice/slushie consistency than a creamy consistency, and I would have preferred a more creamy type of smoothie, but it was still ok. I liked having a more “fun” drink than just a lemonade or diet coke. (Although they do serve a light raspberry lemonade here too… I don’t think I cared for that flavor this particular day since I had the overly sweet raspberry lemonade slushie earlier.)

For entrees, Big Guy got a boring old cheeseburger and fries… (though to him, they were not boring…)

Why was his burger not boring? Let me answer that with a picture…

Little Guy had grilled chicken with French fries and fruit.

He was liking his chicken… always loves French fries, what’s not to like? We got the fruit upon hearing that there were grapes mixed in… however there were just a couple. Most of the fruit was honeydew and cantaloupe – the two most boring melons on the planet… bringing that to the table was just a waste. I don’t know a lot of kids that go crazy for this type of fruit, but I do know kids go crazy for watermelon, strawberries, apples, oranges, grapes… I wish Disney would just stick with those fruits and lose the pale orange and pale green melons… blah! Enough of that fruit tangent… back on track now…

My mother and I split an entrée as well (if you couldn’t already guess). We got the meatloaf, which was served on challah bread with mashed potatoes on top… also a side of mixed veggies.

I’m well aware that many people are not into meatloaf, but my mom and I are. I enjoyed this meal… meatloaf and mashed potatoes are comfort food, and that’s how they made us feel – comfortable. We aren’t raving about how wonderful the dish was because it wasn’t rave-worthy, but it still was good. I wasn’t too wild about the vegetables, but I ate them like a good girl anyway.

Looking back, some more pulled pork spring rolls with BBQ-mayonnaise for dipping would have satisfied my tummy a lot more! But, I’m glad I tried something different anyway.

In the past, I have loved getting the skillet – mostly for the pulled pork and ribs… I just haven’t liked the overly-stuffed feeling I got after it. I don’t have much self-control at those all-you-can-eat meals, particularly when they include BBQ food. So my thought is that if… er… I mean “when”… I go back to Whispering Canyon, I’d like to indulge in overpriced pulled pork spiring rolls and perhaps try yet another entrée… preferably to share. Though if I’m on the DDP, I probably will just go ahead and get the skillet.

Though this report is not yet over! There’s still dessert!

We had to… Little Guy got his birthday dessert (and yes, both boys also had chocolate chip cookies before as well)…

The boys split this.

And mom and I shared yet again! If the boys got a dessert, we weren’t just going to sit there and watch them eat it!

We got the s’more cheesecake…

This is the same thing I’d ordered the other times I was here, but this was the FIRST time I actually saw it presented on plate. I was so stuffed the previous times that I had just taken it to go!

I enjoyed it a little bit more because it was right out of the kitchen and not boxed-up. My mom enjoyed it too. Again, I would place this in the category of comfort food – but not overly indulgent or highly rave-worthy. It’s mostly cheesecake with just a little bit of chocolate and marshmallows on top. On the one hand, I might like it if there were more chocolate, but on the other hand, I might not like that just because of how much heavier more chocolate might make this after a big meal. I think I’m ready to try a new dessert on my next trip back here.

The best part of the evening was that “comfort” feeling. The food was comforting. The feel of the Pacific Northwest lodge was comforting. The Christmas décor was comforting.

And escaping after dinner to our own studio villa was comforting…

Thus with warm, comforting wishes to readers, I conclude this dining report.

 

[angelsmith52]

Well, that was a lovely report! Thanks for sharing it with us!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Great reviews and photos. It's so nice to see the Christmas decorations. Your little boys are adorable!

BTW, what is the filling in the carrot cake cookie sandwich? An icing?

 

[NorweJenNY]

Well, that was a lovely report! Thanks for sharing it with us!

You're welcome!

Great reviews and photos. It's so nice to see the Christmas decorations. Your little boys are adorable!

BTW, what is the filling in the carrot cake cookie sandwich? An icing?

Glad you enjoyed.

The carrot cake cookie has a filling that is kinda frosting-like... but softer... I think I decided it was like a cross between a sweetened cream cheese and frosting - but whatever it is, it is a perfect filling for that soft, cakey cookie!