16 Day Spring Break! I'm An Adult, I Do What I Want ;) *Update 8/17 Complete!

[Klinger13]

I had no idea there was a train from Wilmington that went to Kissimmee. Will look into that.

NJ Turnpike Exit 9 (10 or 11) here.

So many Jersey folks here! I'm NJ Turnpike Exit 4.

 

[TeeterTots]

Oh wow! I am so jealous! It is beautiful on the lake. I have family in Painted Post I will be staying with and we are hitting up the wineries on Seneca and Keuka Lake on Sunday and Monday. I go for a long weekend every summer. I love it!

Have fun!! I have family in Horseheads and Elmira! We're in Lodi, just north of Wagners! These are my stomping grounds as I was born and raised here! Maybe we'll run into each other one day....if not here, Disney!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great reviews, your Yak and Yeti food looks so good, we also try to eat there each trip now, so good. I have to try WPE, always hear great things about it. We have been around Easter the last two years and it is so busy!

 

[gmccreary]

Rob got an appetizer of the Tostados de Tinga.

I literally dream of the tostadas de tinga! Kind of bummed we can't squeeze in San Angel on our upcoming trip, but there's always a next trip

 

[goodeats]

We had a great meal at San Angel last October, I don't know why it gets such bad reviews! Especially on a hot Florida day you can't beat the location and ice cold margaritas!

I've never considered staying at Saratoga since we never rent a car, but it's looking appealing! You really can walk to DS?

 

[superme80]

Great review. My 2 year old loves your pics of Epcot.

 

[TeresaNJ]

I feel ya! So much going on. Which is why this thread is still unfinished. Oops.

Y&Y is so good! We have been missing out all this time.

You should have much cooler weather for your upcoming trip. Lucky! I wish we were going just a bit later in the month to beat the heat.

I sure am!!! Exit one on the NJ Turnpike!

\Today's totals are 17,720 steps thanks to all those times around WS. We saved $1.30 with our AP on earrings I bought at the Mexico pavilion. With TiW we saved $10.40 at RR and $18.50 at San Angel.

I'm so going to miss your dining report! So I'm a little east of you, in Gloucester County! We have something else in common; I always buy earrings in the Mexico pavilion, and I've bought lots of earring & bracelet gifts there! Don't you just love their jewelry! I haven't eaten at Raglan Road in 10 years! The last time we ate there was in March 2006, & we were celebrating my son's 25th birthday. The waiter spilled some kind of sauce all over me, then my son woke up deathly sick & vomiting in the middle of the night. Seriously, he could have woken the dead! He blamed in on what he ate at dinner! He had something with a mustard sauce on it, and wouldn't eat mustard for years, lol! The waiter was kind of rude after spilling the sauce on me, the manager came over and apologized & said he'd pay for the dry cleaning of my clothes. I was like, no thanks, just give me something to wipe myself off. I mean, if he really wanted to make it up to me, he could have given us a free app or free drink or something! We've never been back since. After reading your reviews & seeing your pics, though, I'm ready to give it another chance!

 

[suse66]

Love, love, love this update! So much deliciousness......I adore Y&Y as well and Raglan Rd too of course. I so wish my upcoming trip was longer but I guess that is a good excuse to book another trip! Looking forward to reading more......hope your winery hopping weekend was fun!

 

[ChrissyBeth29]

After our waffle fry failure we decided to give the newest option in MK a try. Skipper Canteen!





Located in Adventureland across from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, this new addition to MK was something we were pretty excited to try this trip. While I love the food in WDW, don't get me wrong, so many of their options are 'safe' and sometimes boring. This seemed like something different and I was pumped to see the Jungle Cruise theming within the restaurant. When we were there in March they were only accepting same day ADRs, so we figured we would have a good shot at a walk up and we were absolutely right. We were seated immediately. I quickly bonded with every single server in the place over my Parkbound button I was wearing that day with a killer Mean Girls reference. Seriously, like every server came to our table to see the button. It was awesome.

Our server Kelly was AWESOME! They hit you with some Jungle Cruise tour guide-like humor and she was on point with that. She was quick, friendly and had great suggestions with the menu. And speaking of the menu.





We started off with drinks. The Exotic Coca Cola selections caught our eye.



She recommended them and did an awesome job of describing these unique international soda offerings. She also said that if we didn't like what we got we could swap for a regular Coke product or that we could even swap from one of the exotic offerings to the other for our refills as well. Sounds like a win! I went with the Guarana Kuat from Brazil which she described as being like cream soda and she said was highly caffeinated. I needed a turbo boost, so I went with that option.



It was exactly as described and was pretty tasty!

Rob had the Fanta Melon Frosty from Thailand.



I had a sip and loved it. I switched to that drink for my refill. It was my favorite of the two. Same for Rob.

Our meal started with their bread service.



The bread was delicious. Very warm and fresh. It came with a sweet honey dipping oil. I normally love a sweet with a savory like this, but I didn't care for the dipping mixture. It was so sickeningly sweet. Rob doesn't like sweet with savory so he didn't love it either. It would have been better with some type of lightly flavored butter.

For our appetizer we split S.E.A Shu Mai, a blend of pork, shrimp, mung beans and spices wrapped in gyoza skin then steamed.



These were delicious! And super filling. I was so glad Rob agreed to split these.

For our entrees Rob went with the Rice Noodle Bowl. Pho broth served with choice of chicken, duck breast, or tofu, served with jalapenos and mix of fresh herbs. He chose the duck.



You can't tell from the picture but there was a ton of duck in there. He really enjoyed this entree quite a bit.

I went with the Trader Sam's Head-on Shrimp. Sustainable local farm raised shrimp tossed in chili-garlic sauce and served with Chinese broccoli and five-grain rice.



This was absolutely delicious! The chili-garlic sauce was slightly sweet with a hint of spice and had so much flavor. I could have eaten a whole bowl of those shrimp. I really loved the rice too. Even after I was full I couldn't stop picking at it. I wasn't crazy about the broccoli, but I wasn't complaining. Everything else about the dish was great.

Even though we were full we decided to split dessert. We easily agreed on the Kungaloosh! (The exclamation point is included in the name, so how could we not.) An African-inspired Chocolate Cake with caramelized bananas served with cashew-caramel ice cream topped with coffee dust.



Yum!!!! This was so, so, so good. We both regretted not getting our own.

I loved it here! I wish I had taken pictures of the inside of the restaurant because it was really neat. This was a total success for us and it was great to eat something so unique within the park. I hear they are making changes to the menu, which makes me sad but doesn't surprise me. We actually witnessed 3 or 4 different families come all the way in, be seated, look at the menu and leave. And made a fuss about leaving while complaining about the menu and the prices. I felt bad for the servers. This must be a common occurrence. But we definitely loved it and would return, depending on the menu changes. Hopefully they just add a burger or something to keep the masses happy, but leave the unique options on to please others like myself. We shall see.

After lunch we walked over to Tomorrowland. Buzz had a huge line, so Peoplemover it is. We needed to relax after our big meal.




Then we went back over to Fantasyland to use our final FP of the day to ride Peter Pan a second time.

The crowds were picking up big time, so we were out of the park by 1pm. 9 rides, lunch and a snack in MK within 3 hours isn't bad. We'll take it. Mark MK as a success on this day.

I also had the Kungaloosh and LOVED it and LOVED everything about Skipper Canteen! I hope the menu change didn't screw it up!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I fell waaayyy behind! All caught up! Very sorry to see the lousy service at Bongos! We had such a good meal there the first time! Love the look of the lunch sandwiches but they are pricey!

I think this may be the trip we finally try the WPE meatloaf! I say that every trip and it never seems to happen but I am determined this time!

May end up trying Captains Grill for breakfast as well. The buffet is definitely the way to go!

Y&Y is always a reliable favorite. It is on our list once again in October but I may end up swapping it out for something else. Depends on the very slim chance that Rivers of Light happens (not holding my breath!). If not, we may just hit AK one morning and then have dinner some place different.

Awesome reviews as always!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

So many Jersey folks here! I'm NJ Turnpike Exit 4.

Me too!

Love the review Jeri! I haven't been on the dining review board in a while but when I saw yours I read the whole thing in one sitting.

 

[DVC Stacy]

Just went through your whole report in one sitting! Looks like you guys had an amazing time and some amazing food! Can't wait to see what comes next!

 

[inkedupmomma]

just joining in! haven't been on the dis in a while, but remember you and your husband SO vividly from past reports! Y'all are close to us too! I think I want to try Yak and Yeti again after many years of avoiding! Really love that y'all took things slow and just did what you wanted when you wanted! Taking our first solo trip next month and I feel completely at ease after reading this! Thanks!

 

[Mousemommy1]

I mainly lurk over here on the dining reviews, but I'm all caught up on this one. Another great job!

 

[MamaKate]

Awesome Reviews!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

You have SOLD me on staying at Saratoga for a Disney Springs focused weekend. I love how easily you can hop over! And SO much good food there now, definitely need several meals to try everything I want to! I could go for that burger or meatloaf right now at 8am! Raglan one of my favorites although last time we got a really crappy table in the back room that dimmed the overall experience quite a bit.

Speaking of tables (maybe I have a problem, LOL), I also love San Angel but good gravy those tables are packed tightly in there. And I wish you could order the guacamole from La Cava. If you like Mexican, you'll have to try Frontera Cocina in Disney Springs - so yummy!!!!

I don't want your report to end! So you will have to go back ASAP, that's all there is to it!

While Saratoga doesn't wow me like Poly or AKL, it is a cute resort and you can't beat the location. And I feel like it's never packed there. As I type this I am getting excited to go back. It is so convenient to be close to all that food and now such great shopping and of course the movies.

San Angel really does pack you in. Fortunately it's too dark to take much notice. I cannot wait to try Frontera Cocina! It looks amazing!!!!

Have no fear because we will be back there in just 43 days! Totally focused on F&W and Disney Springs. And we are doing the luau at Poly for the first time, so it should be a fun filled, food filled trip!

These reviews are just reminding of all the places I need to try and get to on our next trip. Its's been a few trips since we've been to Raglan or San Angle and love both. Especially the margaritas! And your hubbys wings and scallops look amazing. And on the amazing front those tacos at Yak n Yeti look so good!!!!! We'll definitely be going next month and I hope they still have them. Like you its become a must for us too. Oh so good.

Speaking of good, who knew there was a happy hour anywhere in the world????? If only every place did this I would so be set.

I love them both too, but they can be hard to fit in. I like too much!

He has been talking about his food at RR since we got back. He loved those scallops.

I hope you get to try the tacos because they were da bomb.com!

That's what I'm saying! We have always been on the hunt for a happy hour and we wandered right into it this trip. Crazy.

Nice updates, Jeff

Only 3 days left? Oy. I've lost track of how many movies you've seen. I've never considered a stay at Saratoga Springs but you have me curious about the resort. I've only been to the property once, back in '06, and it didn't impress me much and I've just dismissed it as 'not for me' ever since. Now that I've typed that out I realize it's been ten years - omg, lol.

Enjoy your weekend away!

Nice!

Well we ended up seeing 13 by the end of the trip. A new record! SSR definitely doesn't impress you the same way AKL or BWV does, but it is charming and quiet. I really just like the location.

I had no idea there was a train from Wilmington that went to Kissimmee. Will look into that.

NJ Turnpike Exit 9 (10 or 11) here.

It's so much more convenient for us than driving into Philly. We're about 15-20 minutes from the Wilmington station, so it's easy to get a family member to just drop us off. I took the train from there to WDW about 4 years ago and it was cool, but I was so uncomfortable. Hopefully having a roomette this time should remedy that situation. We shall see.

Awesome! So you're not too much further past the exit for Great Adventure. Yay Jersey!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

So many Jersey folks here! I'm NJ Turnpike Exit 4.

Awesome! Woo hoo Jersey!

Have fun!! I have family in Horseheads and Elmira! We're in Lodi, just north of Wagners! These are my stomping grounds as I was born and raised here! Maybe we'll run into each other one day....if not here, Disney!

I ended up driving through Lodi! We went to lunch at the Ginny Lee and went to Wagners and then drove up to Three Brothers. So awesome that you live there. It is so beautiful up there.

Great reviews, your Yak and Yeti food looks so good, we also try to eat there each trip now, so good. I have to try WPE, always hear great things about it. We have been around Easter the last two years and it is so busy!

Thank you! Definitely take the time to give WPE a try. It is the best! Oh wow, I can't handle another year at Easter. Next year we are going to go earlier in March I think. Easter fell pretty early this year too, so that didn't help.

I literally dream of the tostadas de tinga! Kind of bummed we can't squeeze in San Angel on our upcoming trip, but there's always a next trip

Yum! It's so hard to fit in all the great food. Like you said, there's always the next trip!

We had a great meal at San Angel last October, I don't know why it gets such bad reviews! Especially on a hot Florida day you can't beat the location and ice cold margaritas!

I've never considered staying at Saratoga since we never rent a car, but it's looking appealing! You really can walk to DS?

I don't know why either. I have had all positive experiences there.

It's great at SSR! You sure can! We requested a building closer to that area, so it was a super quick walk, but you can conceivably walk there from any of the buildings at SSR and it would just take a little longer. We have stayed in different areas and made the walk rather than take the bus unless its hot or rainy. I'd rather get the exercise!

Great review. My 2 year old loves your pics of Epcot.

Thank you! Aww that's sweet.

I'm so going to miss your dining report! So I'm a little east of you, in Gloucester County! We have something else in common; I always buy earrings in the Mexico pavilion, and I've bought lots of earring & bracelet gifts there! Don't you just love their jewelry! I haven't eaten at Raglan Road in 10 years! The last time we ate there was in March 2006, & we were celebrating my son's 25th birthday. The waiter spilled some kind of sauce all over me, then my son woke up deathly sick & vomiting in the middle of the night. Seriously, he could have woken the dead! He blamed in on what he ate at dinner! He had something with a mustard sauce on it, and wouldn't eat mustard for years, lol! The waiter was kind of rude after spilling the sauce on me, the manager came over and apologized & said he'd pay for the dry cleaning of my clothes. I was like, no thanks, just give me something to wipe myself off. I mean, if he really wanted to make it up to me, he could have given us a free app or free drink or something! We've never been back since. After reading your reviews & seeing your pics, though, I'm ready to give it another chance!

Oh wow, you're definitely close! I am so going back to buy more from there. I get so many compliments on the earrings I got there.

Oh no, that's a bad experience. I don't blame you for not going back. But maybe it's time to go back. I would certainly hope you don't have yet another terrible experience like that one!

Love, love, love this update! So much deliciousness......I adore Y&Y as well and Raglan Rd too of course. I so wish my upcoming trip was longer but I guess that is a good excuse to book another trip! Looking forward to reading more......hope your winery hopping weekend was fun!

Thank you! We really just take all these trips for the food. I need to just move there. The winery trip was super fun thanks!

I also had the Kungaloosh and LOVED it and LOVED everything about Skipper Canteen! I hope the menu change didn't screw it up!

Skipper Canteen was great! And now they accept TiW, so we will definitely be back and hope that they still have a great menu.

I fell waaayyy behind! All caught up! Very sorry to see the lousy service at Bongos! We had such a good meal there the first time! Love the look of the lunch sandwiches but they are pricey!

I think this may be the trip we finally try the WPE meatloaf! I say that every trip and it never seems to happen but I am determined this time!

May end up trying Captains Grill for breakfast as well. The buffet is definitely the way to go!

Y&Y is always a reliable favorite. It is on our list once again in October but I may end up swapping it out for something else. Depends on the very slim chance that Rivers of Light happens (not holding my breath!). If not, we may just hit AK one morning and then have dinner some place different.

Awesome reviews as always!

I have to catch up with your DR too! I am so behind. Bongos was a bummer. I may need to put another trip or two between that visit before I return.

Yes! Meatloaf! Meatloaf! Meatloaf!

I cannot wait to go back to Captain's Grille for breakfast. The buffet was phenomenal.

I'm not holding my breath either. I am debating just skipping AK this trip. Still deciding on that one. I really want to try Tiffin's though, or at least the lounge.

Me too!

Love the review Jeri! I haven't been on the dining review board in a while but when I saw yours I read the whole thing in one sitting.

Awesome! Thank you!

Just went through your whole report in one sitting! Looks like you guys had an amazing time and some amazing food! Can't wait to see what comes next!

That's awesome! We definitely had a fantastic trip. I can't wait to go back!

just joining in! haven't been on the dis in a while, but remember you and your husband SO vividly from past reports! Y'all are close to us too! I think I want to try Yak and Yeti again after many years of avoiding! Really love that y'all took things slow and just did what you wanted when you wanted! Taking our first solo trip next month and I feel completely at ease after reading this! Thanks!

Yay! Well welcome back and thanks for reading! I would absolutely recommend adding Y&Y to your plans. We really loved it. The slow pace works for us. I never really feel like I missed out on anything. I hope you have an awesome time on your upcoming trip!

I mainly lurk over here on the dining reviews, but I'm all caught up on this one. Another great job!

View attachment 188411

Thank you so much! OMG the meme is amazing! I love it!

Awesome Reviews!

Thanks so much!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

The next morning we made it to HS right around 9am and the bag check line was already crazy. We went right back to RNRC to use our FP and we had a blast. Especially me as you can see.



Then we rode GMR which FINALLY had no wait time. I really enjoyed the TCM changes, but I still want to see a lot more changes in that ride.

Then we rode Star Tours once in a 30 minute stand-by and once with a FP.



I am loving the additions they have now to add in elements from the new movie. BB-8 is my fav!

After that we were all set with what we wanted to do in HS, so we walked straight from there over to Epcot and made it right in time for our lunch reservation at Garden Grill!

This has become a favorite of ours. It is the one character dining experience Rob doesn't mind because he loves the food here so much. And we LOVE Living with the Land, so it is fun to look down on the ride.

We had great character interactions throughout the meal and they were all too happy to take a selfie with me.







I love Mickey in his little farmer outfit! The cutest!

Now for the food! You start off with rolls and honey butter which is so so good. I think all butter should be honey butter.



You also get "Living with the Land" Harvest-inspired Farmer's Salad. This is always fresh and tasty and very lightly dressed, which I enjoy. I love the egg on it too.



We can look down and see the hooves of the mighty buffalo.



Then they bring out the entree platter and sides.



There is turkey breast and gravy with bacon and leek stuffing and cranberry sauce. Yum! My favorite thing on the plate!



They got rid of the rice and fish and added Italian sausage with sauteed peppers and onions. I would much rather have the fish! Rob liked the sausage though, which is good because I didn't eat any of it.



Then there was Char-grilled Sliced Filet of Beef with Red Wine Demi-Glace and Mashed Potatoes. This is thinly sliced and is cooked perfectly. We got seconds of this and the turkey.



Then there are more sides. Mac 'n' cheese and sweet potato fries. I like the fries and he like the neon mac 'n' cheese so it works out.



The other menu change is that dessert is no longer a cobbler. It is instead a shortcake with berries and vanilla cream. Now this is a positive change! We loved this! You can't tell but the shortcake is encrusted with big granules of sugar. Heaven!



Oh and I asked to be seated on the lower level, which they happily granted. Yay! Another awesome meal at Garden Grill!



This was our last day at Epcot this trip so of course I started getting sad and had to take a zillion pictures of Spaceship Earth.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After Epcot we headed back to the room for a nap and some tv time. Then we got ready and drove to Wide World of Sports for the very first time to see the Phillies play the Braves at a Spring Training game! It occurred to me not long before our trip that it would spring training time and the Braves play at WWoS, so let me see if they are playing the Phillies while we are there. As luck would have it they were playing towards the end of our trip so I shelled out the money for really awesome seats along the third base line right behind the Phillies dugout. Score! We were so excited for this game!

I had driven past WWoS 100 times, but never went there, so it was easy to find and parking was easy and free, so that was a plus. As we walked up to the entrance we were stunned at how awesome everything was! It was way better than going to a regular ball park.



Got my pic with Mickey!



The view from behind home plate.



From out in the GA lawn seat section, which was actually pretty cool and probably what I would do in the future.



They had awesome draft beer selections all over the park. They were $11 for a big one and the refills on them were $8.



I got an Ace Pineapple Hard Cider and Rob got an Ommegang beer of some kind. Pretty awesome choices right?

Cheers!





The view from our seats was pretty good.



We got to see Ryan Howard which was awesome!



And there were great little Disney touches like Mickey coming out to help throw out the first pitch. Fireworks going off during the National Anthem. We were on cloud 9 and we were so glad we got these tickets. Then I went to grab hot dogs and a beer refill and it all went south in a hurry.

I came back and there was now an older gentleman next to me and no lie he must have been Richard Kiel's brother. He was so tall and broad and took up my entire seat. I literally couldn't sit in my seat. I had to stand the rest of the game. So I was not happy and neither was Rob. Then it started to pour in the third inning. The sky went form bright blue to black in an instant.





*Sigh* So we waited and waited and waited to see if they were going to call the game. So many people left. We were convinced that if we left they would start playing again and we would be out all that money for nothing. And the person in the control booth played all rain related songs. Singin' in the Rain, Thunderstruck, Purple Rain. All the jokes this guy. Finally at 8:15 we gave up and left. I had my poncho on and of course it is now only drizzling. Oh well. We get in the car and get almost back to the hotel and Rob sees on ESPN that the game was called due to rain. Yes! So we at least get back the money for our tickets, which did quite smoothly happen without me even having to call which was nice. Then the skies open up again and it just POURS! We left at the right time. It was a wet walk from the car to the room, but that's okay.

After waiting for an hour or so the rain stopped again and I grabbed the umbrella and not the ponchos and we walked over to get dinner at EoS.



This was a pic from a different night cause when we went it was pretty dead there. I waited in line at EoS for sandwiches and Rob went to WPE for desserts. By the time we got our food it was pouring again and the umbrella was doing practically nothing. We were soaked again. But at least we have food to comfort us this time.

Rob got the Chipotle Chicken Avocado. Grilled chicken, bacon, cheddar, avocado, lettuce and chipotle sauce.





He thought it was okay, but he was being a grump, so it was probably better than he said.

I got the Holiday Turkey Sandwich. Turkey, cornbread stuffing, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and NO mayonnaise.







I am lucky enough to have a Capriotti's right down the street from my job where I can get a Bobbie any time I want. A Bobbie is essentially the same thing, but Capriotti's does it the best and was voted the best sandwich in America at one point. This was no Bobbie, but it was delish and hit the spot. I am glad this is a permanent menu item here now.

I also got us some of their BBQ kettle chips. Yum!





Rob got a piece of cheesecake from WPE and I got another sugar cookie. I like these things!



Then we fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. What a day!

Totals for today was 6.62 miles walked. $1.66 saved at EoS and $2.00 saved at WWoS on a souvenir with our AP discount. $16.80 saved at GG with our TiW discount.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Last full day. Sad.

My notes are non-existent from this day and the next so bare with my terrible memory as I try to recall details from these next two days.

We were up early for a reservation at Captain's Grille. This time I convinced Rob to get the buffet. Here is his first plate.



Clockwise from the top he had bacon, a ham and cheese frittata, some of the egg pinwheels I enjoyed previously, stuffed tomatoes and french toast with bananas foster sauce. He loved everything, especially the pinwheels.

With the buffet you can also special order omelettes and eggs benedict, so he ordered the eggs benedict which was delivered right to our table.



He really loved this and was full by the time he started digging into it.

My first plate was bacon, a cinnamon roll, bread pudding with bananas foster sauce, potatoes, egg pinwheels and a biscuit with sausage gravy.



For my second plate I tried the tomatoes, more pinwheels, potatoes, a Mickey waffle of course and another cinnamon roll.



Everything was delicious and Rob is now sold on their buffet. An absolute must do for us now. Service was once again excellent here as well.

See ya Yacht Club! Thanks for the food!