Just Killing Time Between Meals in the Happiest Place on Earth~Sept DR *COMPLETE

[jerseytinkerbell]

After we left Epcot we took the monorail back to TTC and then took the resort monorail over to Grand Floridian for an extra special treat.


We walked out to Narcoossee's and went up to the bar. There were two awesome bartenders working and we asked for 2 Almond Crusted Cheesecakes to go! They were so friendly and accommodating and made us sit down and drink some water since we looked hot (which we were). They were seriously our favorite CMs of the whole trip. Such a brief interaction but they were incredible. They even put two Mickey straws in our to-go bag and said that grownups need to have a little fun too.




We took our treats back to the room and a little while later we enjoyed them while watching a Big Bang Theory marathon on TBS. Pure enjoyment.

This. Is. The. Best. Dessert. EVER.


The creamy cheesecake interior.


There are no words. Totally worth the $10 price tag.

We even made use of our Mickey straws with our late night treat.


Later we watched the fireworks from the balcony in our pjs. Magic Kingdom, french fries, ice cream, F&W, Almond Crusted Cheesecake, Big Bang Theory and fireworks. Pretty much a perfect day in Disney World.

 

[kastoney]

A perfect day indeed!!!!! Your plaza meal looks great. I've never tried it either, but hoping to change that this week ; )

Ahhh food and wine, pure bliss. Way to go rob looks like he really maxed out his f&w adventure. That shrimp roll in morocco looks awesome. Have no idea how we missed that one.

What a great idea to stop at GF and get dessert. I've never heard of that cheesecake before, but now I must have it. Looks amazing.

 

[vettegirl]

What an amazing update! I loved all the food and wine updates, I swear I could taste some of my favs reading your reviews. I love Narccoosses so much and I agree what a perfect day Their cheesecake is the most amazing dessert ever!!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

A perfect day indeed!!!!! Your plaza meal looks great. I've never tried it either, but hoping to change that this week ; )

Ahhh food and wine, pure bliss. Way to go rob looks like he really maxed out his f&w adventure. That shrimp roll in morocco looks awesome. Have no idea how we missed that one.

What a great idea to stop at GF and get dessert. I've never heard of that cheesecake before, but now I must have it. Looks amazing.

I hope you do end up getting a chance to check out The Plaza. I really enjoyed it. And it's reasonably priced, which is a feat in MK.

It's funny how much I always realize he has at F&W when I go back and look at the pictures. It doesn't seem like a lot at the time, but as I was posting I was counting off to him and was asking how I had so much less than him this day.

You MUST try that cheesecake. It is the most amazing dessert of all time. It is worth the stop there just for the cheesecake.

What an amazing update! I loved all the food and wine updates, I swear I could taste some of my favs reading your reviews. I love Narccoosses so much and I agree what a perfect day Their cheesecake is the most amazing dessert ever!!

F&W really is the best. I am hoping to get back there in November. I just have to stay on Rob to not use up his vacation days between now and then. Which is no easy feat let me tell you.

It is so sad that GF is the only place to get that cheesecake. It's too far from home. I need to enjoy it more often!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

The next morning we were up early and took the monorail over to Polynesian for one of our favorite breakfasts. Kona Cafe! This was during all of the construction madness and you could hardly even tell that Kona was there. This is what the walls looked like that were up all over the second floor. This is outside of 'Ohana in the waiting area.


It was so odd to see Poly looking like this. I hate that they took out the fountain, but at least the construction in the lobby is over.

We were seated after only a few minutes of waiting and we already knew exactly what we wanted.

Rob got the press pot coffee that he loves.


I opted for the Cafe Mocha.


I did not care for this at all. In the future I will stick with the press pot as well.

And of course we both had to get the juice that we love. Liliko'i Juice - Orange, Passion Fruit, and Guava blend.


This stuff is so delicious, but nearly $5 a glass which is crazy expensive. They need to lower that price by about $2.

For our meal Rob and I both got the Samoan. Poached Eggs with Hollandaise served over Smoked Pulled Pork Hash.




This is so delicious! Every ingredient works perfectly together. This has replaced the Tonga Toast as my go to item here.

Our food was awesome and we had excellent service as well. Kona Cafe is always such a great breakfast option for us. We can never have a WDW trip without it.

Now we're off to the first official day of F&W!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

This picture says it all right here. This was bound to be a super fun day. Rob's sister and her boyfriend had just flown in the night before and were meeting us in Epcot after their lunch reservation at Coral Reef. We had a few Fastpasses booked at the same time as them, so we did a few other things around the park while we waited for them. Finally we were ready to kick start F&W for the day.



I kicked things off at Mexico.


I got the Rib Eye Taco, which I really loved last year.


The flavor of this was still delicious, but unfortunately the beef was a little fatty this time which was definitely off putting.

I also got the Sweet Corn Cheesecake.




This was really unique! I definitely liked it.

Next we all took our last ride on Maelstrom. So sad. But fortunately a took a selfie to commemorate our last ride.


Then I stopped at Brewer's Collection for my favorite beer of all time.




Schofferhofer Grapefruit on tap!


I hated that you couldn't get the big beers in the commemorative glasses this year. Had to settle for a little guy.

Today I made my own stop in Canada for the Filet.


OMG this was so good! It was so buttery and rich. Very big fan of this item.

At this point the heat and humidity had turned into some serious rain. It's poncho time!


The rain today was a pain in the neck. It wasn't raining hard, but enough to need the poncho at times. It was still super humid though, so I was seriously sweating inside this poncho. Very unpleasant, but more drinks will fix that I suppose.

Next Rob stopped at New Zealand for the Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney.






Then we all stopped in Germany.




I was the only one to get food. I had a Berliner. A yeast doughnut filled with apricot jam.


This was much better than anticipated. I wish I had stopped for a second one.

The three of them ordered beer flights. Rob had Beer Flight #2.


Next Rob stopped for wine. I have not one clue what he got, but here it is.


I stopped at Hops & Barley.


I got the Baked Lobster Alfredo.


Close up on one of the lobster pieces.


This was really good! Not as good as the lobster roll from last year though. Wish they had kept that item on the menu.

 

[alliebelle3]

Loving all of your updates! What an amazing idea to go to the bar at Narcoossees and ask for cheesecake to go. I'm already thinking of a few places where I'd like to try this...

F&W is so much fun but so brutal when it's humid. You guys are troopers for sticking with it!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Next Rob stopped at Japan.




He got the Teriyaki Gyoza Bun. Steamed Bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables and Sweet Teriyaki.


He said this was just okay. It wasn't quite what he was expecting for some reason.

He also got the Sake Sunrise.


This he really enjoyed!

I made a return stop today to Ireland for another Cheese Selection.


I had to make sure I had a second one. I love this cheese platter too much.

I also tried the Warm Chocolate Pudding with Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur Custard.




How is this the first time I have had this?!? It is ridiculously awesome! Ireland has one of the best booths by far.

The rain was really coming down now and I ate my Irish treats under the cover of some trees.

Next we stopped at Canada. Rob needed another Filet and some Apple Ice Wine.


I had one of my favorites from last year, the Seared Rainbow Trout with Bacon, Frisee and L8 Harvest, Minus 8 Vinaigrette.


Yum, yum, yum! Delicious again.

Rob then made a few stops. He stopped for wine and he also stopped at Patagonia for the Grilled Beef Skewer and more Sparkling Brut.


It was quite the balancing act.


Then he stopped at Australia for the Garlic Shrimp we loved so much last year and Nine Stones Shiraz.




Then I made a slight detour to go back to Patagonia myself for a Beef Empanada.




Now the rain was really coming down, so we all slipped into the Craft Beer building for some drinks and some relief from the rain. This is what the inside of the building looked like.


We all had a few beers and A LOT of snack mix.






We were all pretty tired, so we finally decided to call it a day. We hit up Spaceship Earth for one final ride on our way out and then we went our separate ways. We had plans to meet up with them the next day for breakfast before we left.

All in all I think we took really great advantage of our brief time at F&W. I stuck with a lot of items I loved from last year, but I threw a few new options in as well. I was really pleased with how much we got to try. I NEED to go back for another trip during this time next year. I hope I can make it happen.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Loving all of your updates! What an amazing idea to go to the bar at Narcoossees and ask for cheesecake to go. I'm already thinking of a few places where I'd like to try this...

F&W is so much fun but so brutal when it's humid. You guys are troopers for sticking with it!

Stopping at their bar for dessert has become a new tradition for us. They are very accommodating about it. It seems like people must do this fairly often.

I have a really hard time sticking with F&W when it's hot. I can do the food more than the wine. I need to start going towards the end of the F&W dates when it's slightly cooler outside.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

We took the monorail to TTC and then the resort monorail to the Contemporary and it was getting to be after 8pm around that time and SOMEHOW even after our F&W exploits we managed to be starving. We were so ready to call it a night, so we decided to get burgers from Contempo Cafe. I have to say, after you order your food on the touch screens, which was very easy, what you needed to do at that point was very confusing. It was super packed which didn't help matters. After quite a wait we finally headed back over to BLT with our burgers. We settled in front of the tv with these beauties.


I weirdly love Disney counter service burgers. I love them. I crave them when I get back home. I don't know what it is. Must be the pixie dust they sprinkle in.

Our last evening in WDW. Always a bummer. But at least we can still see fireworks from our balcony. Hard not to smile when you're looking at fireworks.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

We woke up on our last morning to some seriously dreary weather. One last look at our great view.




We were somehow so unorganized getting packed up and putting everything in our car. We were slightly late to our breakfast reservation with Rob's sis and it was raining and muggy and we were practically running to MK. Not the best way to start our last morning. Our reservation was before park opening, which normally means some great empty park pictures, but since we were late and it was raining I only got one.


The rest of our party was already seated when we got there. We ordered our drinks and then we were all ready to hit the buffet.

My first plate.


Loved everything! The french toast puffs are always a fav, the corn beef hash is excellent, the biscuit was so fluffy and moist and I loved the gravy, the breakfast lasagna is another fav, the apple danish was tasty, the breakfast pizza was fresh from the oven and really really good today, the cheesy potatoes are awesome and even the bacon was pretty good today. I highly successful plate!

Rob's first plate.


The man loves an omelet station and he put sauce all over his fresh toast puff, which seems like blasphemy to me but he enjoyed it.

I stopped after my first plate, but I think Rob had another plate I didn't get a picture of. Like I said, I was feeling very off from running late, so my picture taking abilities we slightly off today. We got a few pictures with the characters as well.




We waited around for quite awhile for more pictures, but the other characters still hadn't come around. We were ready to start our drive, so eventually we left without seeing all the characters. It was so hard to leave the park without riding one last ride, but we needed to get on the road. We said good bye to my SIL and made the walk back over to BLT. It was really raining now, which didn't make the drive out of WDW fun at all.


Such a sad sight.

Our drive back home was BRUTAL! It took us over 18 hours, where it usually takes 14-15. I4 was badly backed up as soon as we got on it, 95 was closed with no warning near Jacksonville and we had to take a nightmarish detour that cost us almost 2 hours, it rained the whole time and we hit bad traffic again all throughout Virginia and into Maryland and had a car run into a bus right in front of us. I was not wanting to drive to Florida ever again by the time we got home. That feeling has now slightly passed and I am ready to go back. I have a three day trip to Orlando coming up next week and I am hoping to get in as many DTD and Disney resort meals as I possibly can. I will keep you all updated!

Thank you all so much for be patient with me while I took forever to finish up this report! I appreciate you all reading along with me and joining in with me on Instagram as well. You guys are the best!

 

[OasterP]

Jerri!! I'm so glad I checked in tonight - I haven't been on in forever and I made it just in time for you to update. Yay! I swear you are my kind of vacation people with the Big Bang dinner in! So much fun. Reading the end of your report reminded me of our weather the entire time we were there...fun times. I hope you get to go back in April together!

We are planning for September again but it will be with the inlaws so we'll see how it goes.

I may have to go back and read this again from the beginning I know there were specific things I wanted to comment on and I forget so I'll look.

 

[rteetz]

Great report! Loved following along and seeing all the food you guys tried. I have never been during any of the festivals but that's definitely something on my bucket list.

 

[vettegirl]

So sad your report has come to an end! Loved all the food and wine updates. CP looks so good for breakfast and those characters are sooo adorbable. That sucks about the drive home, I don't think I could ever drive there, I would die in a car that long hahaha!!

 

[ChrissyLady]

I love your reviews!!! I will be there next week too, so looking
forward to Crystal Palace & I'm glad it still holds up!

That puffed French toast is the BEST!!

Thanks for the great reviews!

 

[DisneyMom2Boyz]

Hi Jerri,
Loved reading your finished trip report! We love the Plaza alot and with the boys its simply menu is very easy to please. I love the tomatoe soup too! Did you every try the soup at Beaches and Cream? Is it the same? I may have to try to get that almond cheese cake...it looked really good! I might have to take a walk from the Poly over there and try to get a piece. Have fun this week in Orlando!
~Alicia

 

[DLFan123]

That carrot cake from WPC looks amazing!

 

[DLFan123]

Just finished your entire review. Looks like it was a great anniversary trip!

That is such a good idea-to take the almond crusted cheesecake to go! That looks delicious and it's something we may just have to try on our next trip.

It's too bad about your experience at BLT. I hope these technological problems aren't becoming common with the Magic Bands. I've heard a similar experience from someone else. We'll be visiting for the first time in April since the upgrades to Magic Bands from Keys to the World. I am a little nervous.

Enjoyed reading your reviews and seeing the pics. Thanks for posting!

 

[kastoney]

Can't believe your trip is over already. I was looking forward to you hitting up a few more F&W booths ; ) You did such a better job than I at getting to try multiple items and more importantly drinks. Gonna have to up my game next time.

Looks like you had a great last meal though. But that drive - OMG I would not have been able to sustain that. But your VA/MD traffic - welcome to my life everyday. You should have packed some pooh's french toast for the road ; )

Thanks for letting me eat a long with you. Hope you get some good eats this week.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Jerri!! I'm so glad I checked in tonight - I haven't been on in forever and I made it just in time for you to update. Yay! I swear you are my kind of vacation people with the Big Bang dinner in! So much fun. Reading the end of your report reminded me of our weather the entire time we were there...fun times. I hope you get to go back in April together!

We are planning for September again but it will be with the inlaws so we'll see how it goes.

I may have to go back and read this again from the beginning I know there were specific things I wanted to comment on and I forget so I'll look.

Looks like it's going to be a May trip! May 9-19 at SSR. Still waiting on 2 wait listed nights, but it's booked! Just trying to plan out the food now.

Good luck with the inlaws. I couldn't spend a week with mine. Rob and I would end up in the Disney asylum.

Great report! Loved following along and seeing all the food you guys tried. I have never been during any of the festivals but that's definitely something on my bucket list.

Thanks so much! I love going during the Festivals. Looks like I will be missing out on F&W this year, but we just booked a trip during F&G, so it should be a blast. I highly recommend going during F&W. It's so much fun.

So sad your report has come to an end! Loved all the food and wine updates. CP looks so good for breakfast and those characters are sooo adorbable. That sucks about the drive home, I don't think I could ever drive there, I would die in a car that long hahaha!!

I love CP's breakfast. It's still my favorite I think. I wish Rob enjoyed it more.

The drive is BRUTAL. As happy as I am to be going back in May I wish we weren't driving. It's bumming me out. The fact that I hate my hubby's driving doesn't help matters either. At least glorious WDW is at the end of it.

I love your reviews!!! I will be there next week too, so looking
forward to Crystal Palace & I'm glad it still holds up!

That puffed French toast is the BEST!!

Thanks for the great reviews!

I hope you had a great time on your trip! The puffed french toast really is the best! I could eat a whole plate of just that.

Hi Jerri,
Loved reading your finished trip report! We love the Plaza alot and with the boys its simply menu is very easy to please. I love the tomatoe soup too! Did you every try the soup at Beaches and Cream? Is it the same? I may have to try to get that almond cheese cake...it looked really good! I might have to take a walk from the Poly over there and try to get a piece. Have fun this week in Orlando!
~Alicia

Hey Alicia! I would say the soup is fairly similar at both places. I liked the Plaza's just a little bit more for some reason. You should definitely make the walk (Or monorail ride) over to GF for the cheesecake. It is heaven on a plate. Or in this case, a takeout container.

That carrot cake from WPC looks amazing!

Just finished your entire review. Looks like it was a great anniversary trip!

That is such a good idea-to take the almond crusted cheesecake to go! That looks delicious and it's something we may just have to try on our next trip.

It's too bad about your experience at BLT. I hope these technological problems aren't becoming common with the Magic Bands. I've heard a similar experience from someone else. We'll be visiting for the first time in April since the upgrades to Magic Bands from Keys to the World. I am a little nervous.

Enjoyed reading your reviews and seeing the pics. Thanks for posting!

That carrot cake is the best I have ever had. I love it there!

Hope you get to try the cheesecake. You won't be sorry!

I think my unfortunate experience is the exception. The MagicBands have been so convenient every other time. Hope all goes well trying them out in April!

Can't believe your trip is over already. I was looking forward to you hitting up a few more F&W booths ; ) You did such a better job than I at getting to try multiple items and more importantly drinks. Gonna have to up my game next time.

Looks like you had a great last meal though. But that drive - OMG I would not have been able to sustain that. But your VA/MD traffic - welcome to my life everyday. You should have packed some pooh's french toast for the road ; )

Thanks for letting me eat a long with you. Hope you get some good eats this week.

I wish I had tried more at F&W! I look at the pictures and think, "Is that all I had?" I doesn't seem like a lot looking back on it, but I was so stuffed at the time.

I can't imagine dealing with that type of traffic every day. I think I would lose my mind. I'm not a happy driver.

I definitely had some good stuff on my brief trip. Just started a short DR for it, but I will be back in May with another full DR. 11 days in WDW. Can't wait!