Mickey's watching! Christmas week dining with foodies, allergies, and kiddies.

[Mainemama]

Greetings! This is my first attempt at a dining report. It will be pictureless. Sorry! Our littlest kid makes meals all hands on deck and off cameras. I apologize in advance for formatting issues. I will be learning as I report!

Our dates: 12/20-12/30/2015
We are: Me, loves all food, no allergies
DH, no gluten or dairy
ODD (age 10), allergies to eggs, dairy, peanuts, Treenuts, chicken, turkey, sesame, sunflower, buckwheat, and dried legumes
DS (age 8), a little foodie, no allergies
YDD (age 3), picky in a toddler way, no allergies

Our trip details: we had a split stay between Yacht Club and Polynesian. We had APs and TIW, both firsts for us. We purchased both in the summer, before the price increases. This trip fell over TIW blackout dates. We did not plan our timing of restaurants very well in regards to this discount, but still benefitted from having TIW. We booked many ADRs at 180 window, and then travel details changed in October, so added some reservations. We also ended up both canceling and reserving day of reservations during the trip. We are definitely a TS family, preferring both the food and service provided at sit down restaurants over quick service. We have used DDP on some previous trips, but found it doesn't meet the needs of our family (between allergies and what we like to order/not order) very well.

Restaurant List:
Sunshine Seasons
Les Halle's
Sci-Fi
ABC Comissary
Captain's Grille (breakfast)
Beach Club Marketplace
San Angel Inn
Beaches and Cream take out window
Garden Grill (breakfast)
Plaza
Ohana (breakfast)
Park Fare
Kona (breakfast)
Rose and Crown
Captain Cook's (breakfast and dinner)
Hoop de Doo
Yak and Yeti
Prime Time Cafe
Liberty Tree Tavern
California Grill
Tutto Italia
Grand Floridian Cafe

I will begin the first review in a later post. Thanks for following along!

 

[Chelley00]

Always love to read other allergy reviews! You have quite a few on your list we have planned for May.

 

[pumba]

welcome and can hardly wait to hear your reviews.... by the way ..I am a maine mama too..

 

[Mainemama]

welcome and can hardly wait to hear your reviews.... by the way ..I am a maine mama too..

No way! We must be a rare breed on the Dis! I benefitted from your posts prior to this trip, Pumba!

 

[vettegirl]

I am on board!

 

[Mainemama]

12/20 Sunshine Seasons, Yorkshire Fish Cart

This was our arrival day. We had an early flight out of Boston, ate poorly for breakfast and lunch en route, so were very happy to get to our first Disney food of the trip. In fact, we couldn't wait to reach our planned dinner spot of Sunshine Seasons and grabbed an order of fish and chips from the Yorkshire stand as we passed by. This worked great as a snack for 5. The chips were hot and delicious drenched in malt vinegar. The fish was disappointing. The fish itself was hot and tasty, but the batter was way too think. The pieces of fish were small, and there was a flavor of vegetable oil that dominated instead. Folks with allergies, note that my ODD and DH did not eat the batter (contained gluten and egg). They did take bites of the fish, though, and had no issues with that.
We continued towards Sunshine Seasons and my DH saw the hot cider beverage at the UK beer stand. He grabbed one for us to share. This was a nice, traditional hot cider with a bit of cinnamon and a light amount of Whiskey. I was happy it wasn't too strong. It was a good thing we tried this on the first day of the trip, as the rest of the trip ended up being unseasonably hot (mid 80s) and hot drinks were ruled out! This put a bit of a damper on my plan to try various holiday offerings, but I made up for it by indulging the kids in lots of delicious frozen treats.
We arrived at Sunshine Seasons around 6:00 pm. This was on an EMH evening on a very crowded day (Living with the Land was listing a 60 minute wait), but Sunshine Seasons seemed relatively quiet. There were no lines to order or pay. I ordered first with our 3 year old. She was super ready for her favorite Disney meal: kid's meal chicken leg! She had rice and applesauce on the side. The rice went to her big sis. We carried that applesauce around and no one ever ate it, but her love of chicken leg was fully satisfied. "Mmmmm" was all she said for the entire meal. She also had the first of countless chocolate milks. (Not something she drinks at home.) You will find the majority of her Disney diet was chocolate milk.
I ordered the pork chop with barbecue sauce, corn, and mashed potatoes. The pork was fantastic, particularly the barbecue sauce. It was a good sized chop, and had a nice texture. I was hesitant about ordering this at a quick service, but would definitely order it again. The mashed potatoes went very well with the sauce. The corn was on the cob and about 1/2 the length of my thumb. It looked like an 1/8th of a cob, silly, really. It was fine.
DH arrived and ordered his and the big kids' meals. We had found a pretty empty area on the side with Living with the Land. This gave us a bit of a break from the barrage of sound that floods Disney's restaurants. After our travel day, I was struggling with the volume. I always forget how loud everything is! DH ordered the half chicken and rice. He subbed green beans for the black beans. I don't think this was a gluten issue, he just doesn't care for black beans. This was a very generous portion. It was very good.
ODD ordered a kid's meal of salmon and green beans. She is 10, but most often ordered from the kid's menu. Even when the CMs referenced her age, she was absolutely fine to order a kid's portion. We did find she was sometimes given an adult sized beverage, though often we were not charged for it. She loved her salmon, the green beans, and the rice. The beans were fairly crisp, but still soft enough that the kids liked them (they tend to prefer very soft beans). Her second side was jello, a real treat for a kid who rarely can order dessert out.
My DS ordered the kid's macaroni and cheese with green beans and a cookie. This surprised me, as he tends to order more exotic foods, but he had had a salad for lunch on the plane, and ate every bite of his mac and cheese!
For those who have not tried Sunshine Seasons before, particularly those with kids, I would recommend checking out the menu before going. The different ordering bays were a bit tricky to navigate with the 3 kids, so I like to go in with some idea of what we are looking for.
Sunshine Seasons was well liked by all!
A note for those reading with allergies. We do not ask for the allergy binder at Quick Services at this point, because we have many trips under our belt. I also preview menus ahead of time, so I know what our allergy diners have as options.

 

[Mainemama]

12/20 snacks around world
My DH chose his "dessert" from La Cantina de San Angel. He got an order of chips and guacamole. The chips were crisp and fresh, though this was one of the craziest lines we encountered for food this week. DH thought hey use to have lime to squeeze on top, but they did not this time.
I stopped in Germany for a Schofferhoffer. Fantastic, as always! I keep meaning to try to find this at home, but then it would take away my special Disney drink.
My ODD ordered her first of MANY kakigoris this trip in Japan. This is such a delicious, reasonably priced treat. She ordered rainbow, and shared it with me. (Other kids returned to the room early with DH). I love the tangerine flavor and like the strawberry, but ODD loves it all.

 

[Mainemama]

12/21 Breakfast pastries from Les Halle's, Refillable mugs

I had picked up some pastries at Les Halle's the night before. We were staying at the Yacht Club, and I knew access to quick service breakfast choices was limited.

I had purchased two refillable mugs at Hurricane Hanna's the night before. We ended up sharing the 2 mugs as a family for the duration of the split stay, coffee in the morning for adults, ice tea the rest of the day for whoever wanted it. My DH left his mug in the room by accident the day we transferred, so we had to buy a third mug, but it still proved to be a good value. I did find when we arrived at the YC that Hurricane Hanna's was serving breakfast! We did not end up trying this, but it is a nice option for those staying at the YC/BC. The menu had a bounty platter, breakfast sandwich, and a couple other choices. It did not have waffles.

I used the Ale and Compass coffee refill station, as our room was very close to the lobby.

Our pastries from Les Halle's were baguette (for ODD). She ate this with jam from the lounge and loved it. Very crisp crust, a true French baguette. The non-allergy members of the family shared chocolate croissants and frangipani. The frangipani was also studded with chocolate. This was a new addition to the Les Halle's case since our last trip. They did also have the plain almond. My DS and I fought over the frangipani. Next time, I will get two! The croissants held up well overnight in the refrigerator. I just love eating pastries on a Disney patio or balcony! We were so lucky to have beautiful warm weather even early in the morning, watching the sky turn pink.

My DH just ate food he had brought from home, adding soy milk he picked up in the marketplace the night before. No gluten-friendly breakfast items at Les Halle's! We did place a Garden Grocer order for the second half of our split stay, but chose not to for our 3 nights at the YC, because we didn't want to transfer the food.

 

[Mainemama]

12/21 Lunch at Sci- Fi
This ADR was booked as my older kids' favorite from our trip last winter. Can't say my DH was thrilled, but I convinced him that we should do it for the kids!

Prior to lunch, the girls split a tasty Mickey pretzel for a snack. Am I the only one who finds snack options at HS limited? Seems like you've got popcorn or ice cream cart items, and that's about it. We managed to go the whole trip without a single ice cream cart visit, which really is a shame. I do hunt for snacks outside of eateries, as we still use a stroller. Maybe Starring Rolls or the Writers Stop has some non-sweet snack options? Please chime in if I am missing something. Anyway, my 3 year old wanted a pretzel, so that's what we got. I also got an iced latte from Starbucks. It was already super hot! I may have let my 2 younger kids share my iced latte. I used my Starbucks app throughout the trip, although found out they cannot reload in the parks.

We checked in early to Sci-Fi, just to cool off in the air conditioned waiting area. I can't believe we needed to cool off in late December! We were entertained while waiting by a CM who came out to do Disney trivia. No one but our family wanted to play, and it was super silly, because my 3 year old had a random answer for every question. What a crack up! Sadly, we were called to our table and had to end the fun.

Our family really enjoys the atmosphere of Sci-Fi, but as a family of 5, those darn cars just aren't ideal. I sat in the middle row with the 3 year old, and my DH sat in back. This may be why he wasn't keen to return this trip. Although we did have a good meal, I think I will consider other options until my littlest one gets older and we can mix up the seating options.

We ordered drinks when we sat down to cool off. I had been looking forward to a milkshake here, but made the mistake of ordering the special shake. It was peppermint and was described as "not too strong." Now I love peppermi to ice cream, but this was hands down the worst meal item of the trip. It was actually warm, foamy, and tasted like toothpaste. I took 2 sips and was done. Thank goodness I also had ordered water. My DS ordered this, too, and did not complain. He drank about 1/2, commenting that it was strange to drink warm ice cream. My YDD wouldn't touch it and I usually can't keep her away from shakes. Interestingly, the CM never commented on the leftover shakes, but when I later checked our receipts, we were not charged for drinks at all. This could have been good service, but more likely was just an oversight, as we ordered the drinks and food separately, but I felt much better about the meal knowing I had not paid for that Crest in a glass!

On to the positives...
I ordered the onion rings to share with my DS. These were fantastic. Hot, perfectly cooked batter, and served with a very interesting horseradish sauce. My DS just used ketchup.
DH ordered a green salad to start. He said it was overly dressed.

For entrees, my DS ordered the honey chipotle chicken wings. He liked these, but had a hard time eating them, as they were covered in sauce. This didn't combine well with the low lighting. He only finished 1/2.

I ordered the special burger which was fried Boursin cheese, arugula, and sweet hot pepper jam on a Brioche bun. I opted for fries, which were very good. The cheese on the burger was the size of the burger itself. I cut it in half and spread it on the burger. This was plenty of cheese. The burger was delicious. However, it was way too much food. I tend to prefer sharing entrees with one of my kids, but the two that can eat all foods don't like burgers.

ODD ordered a kid's burger and fries. She liked this and was able to get vanilla Tofutti for dessert. She loved this!

My YDD had nothing to eat... She was pretty in clear in restaurants if she wanted anything. Her diet this entire day was a chocolate crossaint, chocolate milk, chocolate covered raisins, and a part of a pretzel. She ended up falling asleep before dinner.

DH ordered the ribs from the allergy menu with double fries (instead of baked beans). He said they were okay, but hard to eat. The low lighting really does make messy foods tricky!

This was our first chance to use TIW. We saved $15.89. Bill was $77.85.

 

[Mainemama]

12/21 Dinner at ABC Commissary

We were heading back into HS this evening to see the Osbourne lights. My original thought was to grab something to eat on the Boardwalk, but we were not hungry in the early evening, so went ahead to the lights with plans to find something in HS later. I did stop and grab a margarita from Boardwalk margarita stand. I tried the super fruit one. This was not bad, but was very sweet. I personally like a salted margarita, and this was more of a tropical/sweet drink.

I kept my eyes on ADRs in HS through the evening, but the only thing that came up was Hollywood and Vine, which seemed like too much food. My YDD had not napped this day and ended up having a meltdown in to sleep time during Osbourne lights. We gave ABC Commissary a try, knowing it had the widest range of choices for the allergy eaters. We ended up really enjoying this meal. No lines, a fairly peaceful setting with comfortable tables, a silly show on the t.v.s which kept the big kids happy, and very good food! Getting to enjoy a meal with a sleeping 3 year old may have been the best part, though. I love my YDD, but eating without her just seems so civilized!

I ordered the fried shrimp and broccoli. This was very good. The broccoli was not overlooked, and the shrimp was crisp and fresh. Tasted great with the cocktail sauce! Where I come from, fried shrimp is a totally different experience, so I wasn't sure if I would like this, but it was great.

DH and DS both ordered the salmon with fries. They both ate it all and said it was very good. This may have also come with broccoli?

ODD ordered the steak with fries and broccoli. She also really liked this. I believe I had to ask for no butter on the steak.

I also got a BB8 cupcake. This was sooo cute, and I bought it to share with my DS, who is Star Wars obsessed. It was covered in chocolate rocks. I let DS have all of those... Cute, not tasty. The cupcake, though, was good. Lemon with a bit of curd filling and vanilla frosting.

 

[Mainemama]

12/22 Breakfast at Captain's Grill.

This was a rest day for us. We planned to spend as much time as possible at Storm-a-long Bay. Breakfast right at the Yacht Club made great sense.

This was our first glimpse at a table service restaurant not being able to keep up with the crowds. There were many parties waiting outside (we had an 8:30 reservation), and the restaurant was half empty. They were not taking walk ups, I heard people turned away, but many tables were never filled. The staffing seemed set up only to accommodate the tables that were set, and we still ended up waiting an hour for our food. This was understandably challenging to manage with the 3 year old. I had already given her cereal when she woke up at 6 (enjoyed at an empty Ale and Compass lounge), but she just wasn't prepared to sit for an hour. My DH and I took turns taking her to look at the model train, etc. our food was excellent. If I returned, I would plan to book a table at opening. We have always had good luck with breakfasts booked early.

YDD ordered chocolate milk and shared off our plates. She ended up loving what my DS ordered, which caused tears, because he didn't want to share. Should have ordered 2, but it was not what you would think of as a kid's meal: the homemade granola bar with yogurt sauce and seasonal fruit. The arrangement of this was stunning. The bars (2 were served) were very dense and dark. The yogurt was in a separate section of a divided plate for dipping, and the fruit included peeled grapefruit and orange segments along with berries. It was topped with a fresh orchid. My son did not eat the fruit, but I had some and it was very good.

I had subbed a side of fruit for hash browns with my breakfast, and my fruit was the standard melon and grape mix you often find. The fruit plate was much better! However, my main order was incredible. The lemon ricotta pancakes. These were the best pancakes I have ever eaten. It was not a huge serving. 3 small pancakes topped with wild blueberry sauce and lemon curd. I could have used a bit more topping, but the texture of the pancakes made them stand alone when I ran out!

My DH ordered the smoked salmon plate from the allergy menu. We found they have now replaced visits from the chef, unless we requested one. This worked very well for us, even with our multiple allergies. It expedited ordering and gave us more of an idea of what substitutions could be made. CMs seemed more knowledgeable about allergy ordering, as well. The salmon was delicious, and an enormous serving. All 5 of us ate some, and I my DH still had quite a bit left when he was finished. (I helped finish it off!) the salmon was served with a gluten free bagel, tomato slices, arugula, chopped red onion, and capers.

My ODD ordered the allergy friendly waffles here. These are her favorite breakfast choice, and she ordered them many places during the trip. They were dears brown here, almost burnt. My ODD likes burnt toast, though, so she still loved them. They came with bacon. She ordered the adult portion and ate them all.

The rest of the family left while I waited for the check. TIW discount: 11.34, check was $55.58.

 

[pumba]

thanks for your reviews...I can see your plates even without photos..you do a great job describing them...we havent been to ABC since they changed the menus around..but will definitely give it a shot in April/May....we love the TIW and our annual pass too...if we dont go during the Christmas holidays we overlap the ending of the year....thanks again

 

[Mainemama]

thanks for your reviews...I can see your plates even without photos..you do a great job describing them...we havent been to ABC since they changed the menus around..but will definitely give it a shot in April/May....we love the TIW and our annual pass too...if we dont go during the Christmas holidays we overlap the ending of the year....thanks again

Thanks for the encouragement! We are not typically AP holders, but took a short trip in July. It made the most sense to go with APs, since we knew we were also going for Christmas. Now I just have to talk DH into going back in early July this year! We like to combine a few days at Disney with time on the gulf coast for beach and boating. We have never used hoppers, and I loved the flexibility to go somewhere for dinner if we felt like it.

 

[Mainemama]

12/22 Snacks around YC and Dinner San Angel Inn

We did not have a formal lunch on this day, but my DH took the big kids to the Beach Club Marketplace for some food. My DS had the pepperoni flatbread and really liked it. DH and ODD got some gluten free/egg free/ dairy free Erin McKenna's cupcakes and shared those along with some fruit. They really liked the cupcakes and went back for more later in the trip. They came in a package of four small cupcakes. My ODD also raved about bread she got at the Marketplace. Later, I found it. It was a loaf of packaged sandwich bread.She ate it right out of the package! I enjoyed a Key Lime tart from the Boardwalk Bakery. My DH picked that up the night before from Boardwalk Bakery. (I believe he got the same cupcakes there, as well.) it was very tart, the way I like Key Lime. The crust left a little to be desired. It was not crispy, but then again had sat in the refrigerator overnight. I enjoyed this, but only got through half, as it was super sweet. Would have been great with an espresso, or something to cut the sweetness. My DS finished his for breakfast the next day, and loved it.

We had a dinner ADR at 5:00 at San Angel Inn. This was a first for our family. I chose it because my older kids have expressed interest in eating in the temple in the past. I was a little nervous about how the family members who like things on the mild end of the spicy spectrum would fare, but we gave it a try!

We had excellent service here. Although every table was full, there was plenty of staff and seating and serving were handled efficiently. I ordered the much praised avocado margarita. It was frozen!? Somehow, I had overlooked this detail, and I do not like margaritas except on the rocks.... Until now! That margarita is to die for. Smooth, cold, perfectly balanced. I did find myself wishing it had salt, and later noticed "no salt" on the receipt. Maybe you can ask for salt?
We were brought chips and 2 salsas immediately. I loved the green salsa, but their red is chipotle, just a flavor I don't like due to the smokiness. The menu we were presented was different than those I had browsed on,one, so I was a bit stuck on what to order (especially since almost everything was listed as having chipotle). I chose the Chef's Combinacion. I figured I would like something on the plate, and I was right!

The combination had short ribs shredded over a corn sauce that was the best item on the plate. I shared the beef with ODD and DH. They both loved it. I also found it tender and wonderfully flavored. The corn sauce was good enough to eat with a spoon. The next item was a tamale. This was dry, although I had asked for no sauce, as it was.... Chipotle! The third item was a chile Relleno stuffed with pork. This was good and different than any dish I had ever had. The chili itself was al dente, so had a bit of resistance to the soft ground pork. It was rich and creamy. I would definitely order this dish again.

YDD ordered a cheese quesadilla. She ate 1 of the 2 small quesadillas, and then just licked the cheese out of number 2. That was a hit in her world. This came with rice and green beans. The green beans were well cooked, a bit crunchy.

DS just ordered an appetizer Caesar. He was not too hungry after his flatbread. He does love tacos, so we will have to return some day. The Caesar was great. It was a very generous serving, in fact even with my help we couldn't finish it. It was a strong, lemony dressing, not too creamy.

DH had the chicken with a chocolate based sauce. Sorry, not sure he actual name! He really enjoyed this at the restaurant, but had stomach issues later. He does have a sensitive stomach. I tried it and thought it good, but the sauce was an intense enough flavor that I would not want it as an entree. Ghee chicken itself was lovely and tender.

My YDD had fish, rice, and green beans. She enjoyed this.

TIW discount: 19.50, Bill 100.62 including tax and tip. Incidentally, my DH and kids usually ordered ice tea or juice, I just didn't take notes. The juice and tea was always just fine!

 

[Mainemama]

12/22 Desserts
We split up heading out of Epcot, DH with the girls for a Kakigori stop. (Always rainbow, always delicious). I headed to the Beaches and Cream take out window. My DS and I had ordered a Florida Sunshine Shake here in the summer, and DS wanted a repeat! You do have to ask for this, as it is not listed on the take out window, but they were not busy, so had no problem making one. In fact, this is where the trip title comes in. I had been a bit chatty with the CM taking our order, though I have no idea exactly what I said. When she handed us our shake she followed it with a free serving of rainbow sherbert for me and said, "Mickey's watching!" I was happy he was, because it turns out it is delicious! My DS' Shake was also glorious. This has a very orange flavor, but is apparently made with sherbert. I had skipped my own shake, because I had just read that the Crew's Cup lounge serves Schofferhoffer. I think this beer makes a great dessert! I stopped in and ordered one to go on the way back to the room. It was not draft, like in Epcot, but was still delicious. (Though draft had a slight taste edge). And guess what? Turns out rainbow sherbert and Shofferhoffer are the perfect pairing!

 

[Mainemama]

12/23 Garden Grill Breakfast
Garden Grill began offering breakfast the month before our trip, and I added it to our round up about a month out. Our family has never tried Garden Grill, but we are a family that prefers table service character meals over buffets, so it was a natural fit once I read some positive reviews. The dinner menu has never appealed to me, so I was happy breakfast was added! This meal was a standout. DH only mentioned 2 meals over the course of the trip as being really excellent, and this was one of the two! The quantity and variety of food surpassed Ohana's breakfast, our former favorite character breakfast.

We had one of the last breakfast times available, 10:20, as we were checking out of YC and transferring the Poly via Epcot. I did visit the Marketplace with YDD early to give the rest of the family time to sleep and us early birds a first breakfast. We split a chocolate chip muffin and a package of clementines. The muffin was moist and very good ! (I had low expectations. This was YDD's choice.)

The later time slot at GG was nice, as the restaurant slowly emptied out and was fairly quiet. We had plenty of attention from the characters, and server, too, although there was a near miss when the CM asked if we wanted seconds of anything before we got our first serving of the main course! A platter appeared immediately after that!

This meal begins with POG juice (same as Ohana and Kona) poured liberally, chocolate milk, coffee, and a fruit plate. There is a sticky bun bake that came out at this time. This was very good. It was not the best cinnamon roll I have ever had (a bit dry in the pastry department), but it was much better than the pastries often served at Disney.

We received an allergy friendly plate very quickly: waffles (not Mickey, just round), ham steaks, bacon, and potato barrels. We had no eggs on this due to ODD's egg allergy. We had regular syrup with this plate. Standouts according to ODD were the potato barrels and everything else!

DH did eat the eggs from the family platter, which had all the same items plus a side of gravy and biscuits. Standouts were the eggs served with 2 different salsas made from produce grown right in the Pavillion. The chocolate hazelnut sauce accompanying the waffles was also delicious (and this comes from someone who does not like hazelnuts or Nutella). The biscuits and gravy looked disgusting. I am a Westerner/ Northener and had honestly never tried this combination. I braved them and they are very good! I only ate that taste, though, as this was an insane amount of food. None of us needed to eat again, except for Dole Whips, which I believe don't count in Disney, until a late dinner!

I hope this meal continues being offered. Our TIW discount was $25.19 and the bill with tip was 129.98.

 

[pumba]

again great reviews...my sister always has biscuits and gravy..I cant get past the looks of it..so I settle on eggs, home fries, sausage and biscuits ..( at disney of course) Thanks again

 

[phabric]

I enjoyed your reviews and I plan on going to many of the same plans.

 

[Mainemama]

again great reviews...my sister always has biscuits and gravy..I cant get past the looks of it..so I settle on eggs, home fries, sausage and biscuits ..( at disney of course) Thanks again

The looks really are an obstacle. I am more of a biscuit with honey and butter girl myself, but at least now I know why biscuits and gravy are a thing! Next odd combo to try would be chicken and waffles. Another menu item you don't see in our neck of the woods.

I enjoyed your reviews and I plan on going to many of the same plans.

Wish I had some planning going on!

 

[Mainemama]

12/23 Dinner at the Plaza

After checking in at the Poly and a Dole Whip break...
Just have to say that the Pineapple Lanai helps make he Poly remain a draw for us after construction altered some of our favorite parts of the resort. IMHO you have to swirl vanilla with he pineapple. (No longer available in MK). My ODD loves Dole Whip second only to Kakigori. It was so nice to be able to pop over to the lanai and pick one up to savor on our balcony.

...We headed into MK for the first time of our trip. This was originally our first day of the trip, and I thought the Plaza would be a magical, yet simple place to start our trip. This meal was also planned before I had been to the Plaza. I ended up going in the summer, just with my kids. We had a good experience, but I realized it wasn't going to be a huge draw for my DH who would like more options than just plain burgers and fries. We debated switching to something else, but stuck with it for simplicity. Our meal timing worked out well, as we were seated 30 minutes before Wishes right by the window. This gave us a little bit of fireworks view. My YDD was still frightened by a full on view of fireworks, so this allowed us to see without hearing, a great option. Downside to this timing was that it was wall to wall people outside the restaurant. To reach the bathroom, you have to make it through all those people.

The restaurant is small (my DH's reservation), and I found the atmosphere overall more charming at lunchtime. Our service was very slow, which I had not found to be the case in the summer. It is very affordable, and I will reserve it in my mind as an option for lunch, but overall we like leaving the park for meals.

I had a burger with cheddar cheese and sautéed mushrooms. The fries are fantastic, everything you read about them is true. They are thick cut fries and I made sure we all ordered our own (a lesson learned from sharing in the summer, the portion of fries served with sandwiches is not huge). I did share with my YDD who only ordered... Chocolate milk! She ate 1 enormous fry, so I still had plenty for myself. The burger was okay. More cooked than I like, kind of flavorless. Any other table service burger at have ordered in WDW was more interesting.

My DH had a bacon burger from the allergy menu. Coupled with the dry gluten free roll, he was very underwhelmed.

YDD ordered an adult sized bacon burger (to get the bacon). She ate about half.

DS had a kids cheese burger. He said it was okay.

DH and YDD left to get their desserts elsewhere (although they do serve dairy free options), I think DH was just getting tired of the somewhat chaotic atmosphere.

I stuck it out to share a delicious brownie sundae with DS. You can ask for custom flavors on this. We did mint chocolate chip and another non- vanilla flavor (can't recall). The brownie on this is moist and delicious. He ice cream and sauce is just typical Dreyers type. Overall, still a delicious sundae. We let YDD have the Mickelodeon "all to myself!" in her favorite flavor... "Thocolate." She was in heaven.

I think the Plaza remains a good option in the right situation. It is not, however I would seek out or miss if we don't go back.