"What exactly is a schnitzel!?" March 2015 DR - November Trip Plans 9/2

[Vernie822]

I LOVED that coconut white chocolate ice cream!! DH got the cinnamon apple crumble one, that's delicious also Glad we stayed away from the caramel one......
We ate (snacked) more in France on our trip last month than we ever have before, and I have to agree with you that the bakery is now a new favorite of mine! I've already figured it in to our Nov. trip a couple of times lol.

I think I need to try the caramel apple crumble one next time. The coconut white chocolate was delicious.. yum!! I am in love with the French bakery.. I totally get that you can find pastries anywhere but I think I really felt like I was in France, haha. So good!!

 

[DisneyJo]

What a shame your ice cream wasn't nice, but I'm very pleased they swapped it for you!

Thanks for your great reviews I've really enjoyed them

 

[Vernie822]

OK y'all, time for a REAL LIFE update! I thought I'd share because chances are I'll add some to this dining report (or perhaps start a new one..) for our upcoming JUNE weekend away.

Long story short, we took a trip in September 2014, I knew I'd be back in March with the girls, so I bought an AP just to save on my tickets and perhaps the hotel room for our March trip.

We (my fiance and I) decided to plan a trip for November 2015, because we wanted to be there for Food and Wine.

Last week, after super hectic weeks at work, we decided we could not wait until November and needed a getaway ASAP.

Niagara Falls, NYC, and Washington DC were all discussed. Hotels in the city, plus a rental car, plus food and tours and museums would be pretty pricy. Probably equally as pricy as say, hotels at WDW with Justin's park tickets (he doesn't have an AP).

So we decided we could definitely swing a weekend getaway to WDW in JUNE. Yes, less than 180 days (gasp), and pretty spontaneous, even if it is 35 days away (that's spontaneous enough for me, lol).

We managed to find decently priced flights out of Buffalo (1.5 hours from us, flights from our little airport would be 2.5 times as much), and we are BOOKED! 3 nights at Pop in June, with only one request - we must eat at Ohana. I was fortunate enough to find an 8:15 ADR on our arrival night, so I grabbed that.

We also booked Le Cellier, which we have been wanting to try. We are going in November during F&W, so we decided to do Le Cellier now so that we can spend more precious stomach space on the food booths in November.

Yeah, I feel a little Disney-crazy going back in June although I was just there in March and will be going back in September. But why vacation somewhere when you know you really want to be at WDW?!

We are planning to take the @kastoney route of scheduling few ADR's.. I even asked and Justin said he would rather just schedule those two and wing it the rest of the trip, seeing what's available that day and kinda just going with the flow. Honestly I'm fine with whatever since usually our trips are so scheduled. It might be nice to eat places we usually wouldn't go to. Who knows, maybe we'll really like this idea. And we aren't planning on grabbing many FP's either until we decide that day where we want to go. I won't hold my breath, because who knows if I can handle not planning ADR's and FP's, lol.. but we will see!

 

[ariane37]

Woo Hoo, Yay !! So glad you're doing it! I know you'll have an awesome time! Just stop with this nonsense about feeling crazy for going back since you were "just there" in March I was just there in March and it feels like MONTHS ago!!! You are totally right, why vacation somewhere else when you know you want to be in WDW???

I like the idea of doing this trip different than you usually do as far as ADR's and FP's. If you decide you prefer your normal way, you've only switched it up for a short trip And please please either add to this dining report or do a separate short one. I'm interested to hear how you like Le Cellier. We ate there in 2011 or 2012 and really enjoyed it. I go back and forth on returning but so many say how it's not worth the 2 credits anymore and there's other signatures we want to try (like the 3 we're doing in Nov. now thanks to DH switching up my plans lol). I dream about their cheese soup though......

 

[kastoney]

Yeah another Disney trip. for Ashley!!! Though if you ever decide to give DC a whirl, let me know. I'm a native, got 40 years and counting in our nations capital ; )

And thanks for the shout out. I truly hope you all enjoy just taking the trip day by day and exploring all the options out there. I know it's now for everyone, but maybe you will become a convert. Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[ursalita]

Just finished reading through your DR. We were there for the F&G at Epcot and I can't believe how many things I didn't try. I'm kicking myself for not trying the gnocchis.

I definitely have to try Tusker House breakfast, Ohana and BOG dinner next trip. They sound so good!

I want to try Raglan Road but based on your experience I think I'll try to go at an off time when it's not so crowded.

My mom and I had brought Crystal Light packets with us to switch it up with our water.

I never thought of this, it's a great idea!

And these babies are huge.

I had to ask them if they had the carrot cake cookies, I wasn't looking for something the size of a dinner plate.

Looking forward to hearing about your upcoming trip.

 

[Adgie128]

Hi, Ashley!

Finished your second DR, too. I've been playing catch up after a little time off of the boards. The nice part of it is that I get to read completed DRs with no wait between updates. There's the silver lining!

Woohoo, I'm in the Disney Foodies group on FB, too, so had to comment on that. I love it and it helps give me the WDW food fix that non-Disney fans just do not understand.

I so agree with you on Raglan Road, by the way. The reviews on FB and here hyped it up for me and then when DBF went for lunch, nothing appealed to me enough to order. It could have been the heat, but all I wanted for lunch that day was Ghirardelli ice cream. I'm not a fan of feeling too full of fried, saucy, or heavy food, so that could have been exaggerated by the humidity in August, too.

I have so much to say, but I'll list the highlights: CHH looks so good, particularly the lobster roll. Love your entree choice at BoG! That's definitely been my favorite meal I've tried there. Carrot cake cookie, Mickeylodeon with mint chocolate chip ice cream from The Plaza, and 'Ohana bread pudding are in my top three Disney desserts, so I was excited to see each of those in your reviews.

Anyway, hope to "bump" into you on the Foodies page or on here. Hope your next trip planning is off to a good start.

 

[Vernie822]

Just finished reading through your DR. We were there for the F&G at Epcot and I can't believe how many things I didn't try. I'm kicking myself for not trying the gnocchis.

I definitely have to try Tusker House breakfast, Ohana and BOG dinner next trip. They sound so good!

I want to try Raglan Road but based on your experience I think I'll try to go at an off time when it's not so crowded.

Thanks for reading! TH was the surprise winner for me this trip. Maybe because I'd already been to Ohana, BOG and Via Napoli, but still, I thought it was awesome. You'll have to let us know what you think. I definitely don't want to deter anyone from trying Raglan for themselves, but it was definitely crowded where we were at that time!

I never thought of this, it's a great idea!

Thanks! It helped get rid of the yucky Florida Water taste, haha.

I had to ask them if they had the carrot cake cookies, I wasn't looking for something the size of a dinner plate.

Looking forward to hearing about your upcoming trip.

LOL, Right!! They are HUGE!!

Finished your second DR, too. I've been playing catch up after a little time off of the boards. The nice part of it is that I get to read completed DRs with no wait between updates. There's the silver lining!

That is the silver lining for sure - I love DR's but sometimes I like to read old ones so I can get a bunch of reviews at once and I don't have to wait for an update. Thanks for reading.

I so agree with you on Raglan Road, by the way. The reviews on FB and here hyped it up for me and then when DBF went for lunch, nothing appealed to me enough to order. It could have been the heat, but all I wanted for lunch that day was Ghirardelli ice cream. I'm not a fan of feeling too full of fried, saucy, or heavy food, so that could have been exaggerated by the humidity in August, too.

You know, I love the Foodies group, but they totally over-hyped it for me. Different people have different tastes for sure, but I agree with the fried, saucy, heaviness of it all. I kind of just wanted a nice salad by that point, haha.

Anyway, hope to "bump" into you on the Foodies page or on here. Hope your next trip planning is off to a good start.

Thanks so much! I'm sure I'll see ya around

I have so much to say, but I'll list the highlights: CHH looks so good, particularly the lobster roll. Love your entree choice at BoG! That's definitely been my favorite meal I've tried there. Carrot cake cookie, Mickeylodeon with mint chocolate chip ice cream from The Plaza, and 'Ohana bread pudding are in my top three Disney desserts, so I was excited to see each of those in your reviews.

Oh yes.... love that bread pudding! So, so good!

 

[Pfau]

Fantastic fantastic! End with a beer. Thatta girl!

If you DO ever decide to come to DC, I know a few people who can lead you to some great restaurants.

Have fun on your upcoming trip. I'd love to go ADR-less one day. Ah ... when the kids are gone ...

 

[jesswindsor]

Just caught up!! Great reviews!!!

 

[DisneyKates]

Your dining reviews are awesome. Thanks for sharing! We also planned a surprise trip in June. It wasn't on our radar until we realized that we actually could afford it for the same price as a beach vacation and really needed the escape! Have an amazing trip!

 

[VikingInMouseEars]

Great review, well done!

 

[Vernie822]

Fantastic fantastic! End with a beer. Thatta girl!

If you DO ever decide to come to DC, I know a few people who can lead you to some great restaurants.

Have fun on your upcoming trip. I'd love to go ADR-less one day. Ah ... when the kids are gone ...

Thank you! We had a great time. We did make some ADR's day of and day before, and it worked out well. I did tell my fiance that when we have kids I don't know if it will be that easy, because we were eating at odd hours like a 9 PM dinner.

Just caught up!! Great reviews!!!

Thanks!

Your dining reviews are awesome. Thanks for sharing! We also planned a surprise trip in June. It wasn't on our radar until we realized that we actually could afford it for the same price as a beach vacation and really needed the escape! Have an amazing trip!

Exactly, it is near the cost of a beach trip, maybe just a little more. I'm glad you guys figured it out, have a great time!

Great review, well done!

Thank you for reading!

 

[Adgie128]

So wonderful that you got another trip in! I hear you on wanting to a.) just get away and b.) choosing to do WDW. Honestly, going on little weekend trips closer to home add up fast, so it really is worth it to just go where you want to go. We were in DC about month ago and after I spent $21 on Starbucks breakfast alone, I realized how much we really spent on a two day trip.

By the way, I love all your posts on the Disney Foodies page! I was so excited when I saw your pics and realized it was you. This Disney community is so huge, but small at the same time. Hope your trip was great and can't wait to read about how it worked out for you.

 

[Vernie822]

Hey everyone, so we are back from our quick trip! We traveled to WDW from June 5th (Thursday) through June 8th (Monday). We flew down super early on Thursday (5:30 AM!!) and flew back super late on Monday (8:45 PM). We stayed at Pop Century in the 50's section, where I was able to get an AP discount.

We found flights from Buffalo for $99 each way, so we flew out of their airport instead of our usual (Pittsburgh). We live equidistant from both.

We had some Marriott rewards points from a work trip I took, and we cashed those in for a stay the night before at the Courtyard Marriott right across from the airport. It worked out really well, we drove in Thursday after work, crashed there, and woke up at 3:30 AM for our flight. The only bad part of all of this – we had to drive home an hour and a half at night! Our flight on Friday was at 5:30 AM and our flight home landed at 11 PM. Since our trip was only 4 days, it was worth it to get the extra time in the parks.


We had never stayed at Pop before, but I read online that the 50’s section was convenient to the main building. We requested that section and we were granted a room on the second floor in the first building. It was great, hardly more than a 2-3 minute walk to the main building, and pretty close to the pool (which was really cute, even though I only went once).


So, on to what you’re all here for – the food. We only made two ADR’s in advance – Be Our Guest quick service lunch, and Ohana dinner. We have been wanting to try Be Our Guest lunch, and Justin has firmly told me we MUST eat at Ohana every time. And who am I to disappoint my future hubby!?


Table of Contents is on the first page of the report!


Thanks everyone for joining in - I hope you enjoy our reviews!

 

[Vernie822]

DAY 1: BREAKFAST @ BOARDWALK BAKERY

Our flight landed a little early around 7:50. Our Magical Express bus was much quicker than we thought. We were among the last to board, around 8:30 AM, so by 9 or so we had arrived to WDW.


We had been up since 3:30 and had only eaten airplane peanuts, so I knew we wouldn’t last long in the heat without something in our bellies. We were planning to go straight to the parks.


Our DME bus was first dropping people off at Yacht, Beach, and Boardwalk, before going to Pop. As much of a planner as I am, Justin really had a great idea here. Get off at Boardwalk (can you do that!?), walk to Epcot, and get on the monorail to Magic Kingdom! I’m so glad he thought of that, because I was totally planning to just ride it to Pop then get on a bus to MK.


I knew he was really hungry, and our Be Our Guest ADR wasn’t until 1:45, so I let him know that the Boardwalk Bakery, the bakery in France, or Sunshine Seasons may be good places for breakfast.


He wanted to check out Boardwalk Bakery, so we popped in there after walking through the Boardwalk resort.. that place is beautiful.

There were so many yummy options in here!

We each decided on a chocolate chip Mickey muffin. This was enough to get something in our bellies. We also got a Diet Coke and an ice water.

We also spotted some interesting items – they had a breakfast cone, which was a maple flavored waffle with egg, bacon, and cheese. Interesting .. not sure if I’d try that or not!


We took our muffins and drinks outside, found a seat, and enjoyed ourselves for a little while. And that is when I fell in love with the Boardwalk resorts. So peaceful. So beautiful. So much to see, and it’s SO CLOSE to Epcot. I never realized how close.

After that, we walked right in to an empty World Showcase.

We’d find ourselves back at the Boardwalk twice in the next two days.


We hopped on Soarin’ with a posted 20 minute wait, waited an actual 40 minutes, and headed to MK around 10:30.

 

[Vernie822]

DAY 1: GOLDEN OAK OUTPOST (SNACK) & BE OUR GUEST (LUNCH)

Ah, home sweet home!

We had some Fastpasses for our two favorites, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (which Justin just refers to as ‘the mine train’, and then I never know which train he’s actually talking about..) and Splash Mountain. We had a third, I think for Peter Pan, later in the afternoon. Our lunch ADR was for 1:45. Our Splash FP was for 1:20 so it would be cutting it close, but I couldn’t change either and we love Splash.


We got on Big Thunder, but we had some time to kill before Splash. It was about noon, and Justin was getting hot and queasy. He’s a big eater, so he needed something in his stomach before our lunch ADR at 1:45.


I had shown him the waffle fries at Golden Oak Outpost, so when we passed it and it was open, we had to stop.

Justin chose the BBQ pulled pork fries, topped with pulled pork and coleslaw.

My first choice would have been the cheese and gravy, but these were great. The fries were well seasoned, and there was a huge serving of pork and coleslaw. We still had some time to kill, but we didn’t want to head to Fantasyland only to come back for Splash.


We switched our later FP for Pirates of the Caribbean, so we did that and Country Bear Jamboree (which Justin vowed he will never see again). We rode Splash (they let those with a 1:20 FP through at 1:15!) and hoofed it to Fantasyland, arriving just a few minutes after our 1:45 ADR.


We pre-ordered our meals the day before. I knew if I did it a week or two before, Justin would totally forget what he ordered and I would probably change my mind!


We were seated pretty quickly, and there were a ton of people still waiting in line outside.


Justin went with the Croque Monsieur, with fries (pommes frites!?)

Croque Monsieur - Grilled sandwich of carved ham, Gruyere cheese, and bechamel with Pommes Frites $11.49


And I was back and forth between a few items: Tuna nicoise salad, roast beef sandwich, and French onion soup. Ultimately I chose the roast beef sandwich.

Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich- served warm on a baguette with horseradish sour cream and Pomme Frites $12.49 (this also comes with arugula, tomato, and red onion on it).


I had a water and Justin had a Diet Coke.


We really, really, really enjoyed our meal here. Justin proclaimed this one of the best sandwiches he’s ever eaten, and I told him I’d figure out how to make it at home. Honestly, I was fully prepared for him to dislike his and ask for mine, because I didn’t know if he’d care for the cheeses used. We even decided beforehand that we’d each eat half and then trade our other half. He wouldn’t even do that! I got two bites, that was it.


The carved prime chuck roast beef sandwich (seriously how many times can you say ‘beef’ in 5 words!? What a mouthful) was good. The horseradish sour cream was a bit strong but not too bad. The meat was really high quality, not just regular roast beef deli meat.


No dessert for us today. I was thinking about it, but ultimately decided not to order one since I figured I’d just get a snack if I got hungry.


We really liked this meal, and we’ll return back if we can get an ADR or the standby line isn’t too long.

Golden Oak Outpost
Waffle Fries - $7.99
Drink - $2.99
Total = $10.98

Be Our Guest
Croque Monsieur - $11.49
Roast Beef Sandwich - $12.49
Diet Coke - $2.99
Total = $26.97

 

[Vernie822]

DAY 1: DINNER @ OHANA


The minute we knew we were going to WDW, I jumped on My Disney Experience and looked for an Ohana reservation. I was able to grab one for Friday at 8:10, which was perfect.


We had gone back to the resort to change and rest before heading out. Once we got off the bus from Pop, we had some time to kill. I asked Justin if we could walk to the Contemporary and just take the monorail over after exploring a little.


We walked around for a while and looked in the shops. I think Contempo Café is somewhere I’d like to try for lunch sometime, to get a quick break from the parks.


We took the monorail over to the Poly and walked around a bit, it had stormed pretty badly while we were at Pop so Trader Sam’s still had their patio closed. We walked in to ask about getting a drink and they said it was a two hour wait. Bummer. We’re staying at the Poly in November so we will try it then!


We checked in a little early, probably about 45 minutes early, and they said they’d get us seated when they could, which was fine with us. I skipped an adult beverage here, because I was exhausted and I didn’t want to fall asleep during dinner!


We were seated around 7:45, 25 minutes before our meal time, so we didn’t wait more than 20 minutes. We were seated right next to the grill.

Ohana is our FAVORITE meal! We just love it.


Out came the Welcome Bread with butter.. we each had a slice but didn’t want to fill up too much.


Then came the new salad, with passionfruit vinaigrette. It has edamame, veggies, and won ton strips on top. It’s good, but I didn’t load up too much salad either.

Pot stickers and wings were next.. on our first Ohana visit, I think Justin ate 8 potstickers. He was saving room for steak this time.

Noodles and veggies followed….. the veggies were not soft enough for either of us so we didn’t really touch those. They were still super crunchy. The noodles were awesome as always!!

Time for the meat skewers. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures here. They only give you one plate, and by the time I got the meat, my plate was pretty gross with half-eaten food.


Our server wasn’t the greatest here. Right before the meat skewers, we asked for a drink refill, and she said she was going to go around with steak so she would get them after. We understood.


They try to keep you on pace with other tables around you. There were 3 tables around us that had all arrived at the same time, and she was serving them all. So she took the steak around to each table, our table was last. She gave us each one tiny piece of steak, without any explanation, and walked away.

We then were served chicken, which is delicious! I might like it even more than the steak. Once we got the chicken, I asked if we could have some more steak. “I ran out, I’ll get you some, give me five minutes,” was her response. Just not the service or attitude I’d expect from Disney. She wasn't the happiest server we have encountered.


We then received shrimp, which are SO good! Justin doesn’t eat shrimp, but our server came back around with some steak and we both took a little more of that.


Another server (or maybe it was one of the guys that brings you your sides?) saw we were low on Diet Coke and refilled us.

We were then presented with only the most delicious dessert on earth: bananas foster bread pudding. I plan on getting this every night that we’re at the Poly in November.

Justin doesn’t like it so he just ate the ice cream off the top.


We were finished by probably 9 PM, we paid our bill, and headed to MK where we watched the Celebrate the Magic show as well as Wishes!

After that we took a spin on Buzz Lightyear while all of the crowds funneled out, and once we were done we got in line with the rest of the WDW resort guests for a bus to Pop.


Our first day was successful in all respects. We didn’t totally ‘wing it’ today, but we were much more relaxed than usual in our touring, which you’ll see in following days.

 

[Adgie128]

I love the look of the Boardwalk Bakery. What cute muffins! I spot my favorite multigrain croissant, too. They're so good and a total breakfast favorite in WDW.

I like the croque monsieur at BoG lunch. I ordered that when I went and thought it was great.

I haven't been to 'Ohana in years, so I really want to return to try the much updated menu since I've been. The bread pudding, which I've gotten at Kona, is incredible. You had a really packed day, but looks like you fit in tons of good stuff!

 

[ariane37]

What a great first day!! So this was your first time visiting the Boardwalk? We it!! BW is our favorite resort, there is nothing like walking to and from EPCOT so easily, especially after Illuminations. And you're right about the bakery, so many delicious things to try!! It's also hard not to get ice cream from Seashore Sweets every night when you return to the resort

I think you should stay at an EPCOT resort for your trip after your Nov. one