He was very excited, haha!
We were very surprised!
It was huge! They were each going to get their own until the saw the size of it!
It wasn't bad, just nothing great.
Even better that it was "free"...haha.
Yes and get the salmon and salad!
It was!
It was perfection! Send me a recipe if you successfully recreate it please!I keep meaning to try to create that salad. It looks so good! What a great dinner to round out your trip
Wow I was at the Fountain in June and the Smash Burger was great. It was huge and hung out of the bun which was fresh and also grilled. I noticed yours was served in a plate but mine was served on a metal square pan with the fries in a small mesh basket. We were planning to return there during our next visit but may have to reconsider5/18 One Final Fantastic Day with Our Sons
We started our morning off by introducing our sons to one of our favorite breakfast buffets, Boma! Between the four of us I think we sampled everything on the buffet! Here’s our first four plates.
We all very much enjoyed our selections, especially the ham with Boma sauce, bread pudding, and pecan sticky buns. DH was initially disappointed they didn’t have the tater tots they usually serve, which he says are the best tots anywhere. However, they had sweet plantains instead and he thought those were excellent too. DS-28 really liked the deviled eggs.
After our meal we enjoyed watching the animals on the savannah at both the Jambo House and Kidani Village. We then drove to the TTC and walked over to the Polynesian. It was super hot so we stopped for a drink at Captain Cooks and then showed our sons the new Tower. We had a great chat with a CM at the DVC kiosk. She challenged us to find a hidden Minnie in the mural. I found it!
After exploring the Tower, we walked over to the Grand Floridian. We were very pleased to discover that the sodas we bought at Captain Cooks were able to be refilled at Gasparilla, since we had refills left and were within our two hour limit (pro-tip!)
We continued walking over to the Magic Kingdom. I gave our sons a choice of heading over to the Contemporary or taking a boat to Fort Wilderness. They opted for the boat ride. Little did I know, DS-26 had an ulterior motive, he wanted to try the Buckaroo Bread he heard us raving about. So, we headed to Trail’s End and purchased this tray of deliciousness!
This is such a tasty treat and it was much better to share it with four people. DS-26 loved it! DS-28 doesn't care for cinnamon but he enjoyed this too. We have this on our must do list for our next trip. However I noticed last week it is no longer listed on the online menu for Trail’s End. We’re really hoping it hasn’t disappeared like our favorite cinnamon pretzel from El Mercado.
We stopped by Tri-Circle-D Ranch to say hello to the horses.
Eventually we took the boat back to Magic Kingdom and the monorail to the TTC. We drove back to the Swan and our sons wanted to stop by the Blue Ribbon Corn Dog stand to get the Giant Mozzarella Stick: Giant Mozzarella Stick, coated in Garlic and Italian seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs. Served with Marinara sauce and a bag of chips.
They both really enjoyed these! They are fans of the Blue Ribbon Corn Dog stand. DH and I didn't get anything as we were still full from Boma and Buckaroo Bread.
We still had some time before our sons had to leave and we were very hot after all the walking. So, we changed into our suits and headed to the Grotto pool at the Swan/Dolphin. Even though we have stayed at the Swan a couple times, we’ve never had time to enjoy the pool. It was awesome! It was a great way to cool off and relax before bringing them to the airport.
Eventually we dropped them off at the airport and headed back for our last night at the Swan. DH wanted to watch the NASCAR race that night so we initially decided to pick up something for dinner that we could eat back at the room. I had seen that Trattoria Al Forno had “to-go” options in the app so as we got closer, I attempted to place an order, only to discover that it wasn’t available after all. We wanted to eat somewhere quick and close so we headed over to the Fountain at the Dolphin. We’ve eaten here previously and found the food to be quite good and the service excellent.
We were seated promptly and our server took our order. We decided to share the Little Gem Caesar Salad and I added grilled chicken.
Little Gem Lettuce, Herbed Brioche Croutons, Parmesan Cheese, Creamy Caesar Dressing | Add Grilled or Fried Chicken $10
What you may notice from this picture is there is no chicken. More on that later. This salad was very basic, like something you would get in a cafeteria. There wasn’t much dressing and the lettuce had brown edges.
We also shared the Fountain Smash Burger: Certified Angus Beef, Griddled Onions, Crispy Lettuce, Farmers Tomatoes, American Cheese, Locally Baked Bun
As you may also notice, this is not a smash burger. It is an overcooked, dried out tasteless standard burger on a stale bun. It was awful. They have updated their menu and this burger is not nearly as good as the Fountain Signature Burger we had in 2023.
Shortly after we received our food, the host came over and sat down next to me. (We were at a banquette style table. I was seated on the bench and DH was across from me in a chair.) The host said he wanted to ask if we were okay if a couple with a service dog was seated at the table next to us (basically one person would be seated on the same bench as me at the adjacent table.) We told him that was perfectly fine but that we appreciated that he asked. Then, since we hadn’t seen our server since he took our order, we pointed out that our salad didn’t come with the added chicken. We told him it was no big deal but we wanted to make sure we weren’t going to be billed the additional $10 for the missing chicken. He assured us that he would make sure it wasn’t on the bill.
A few minutes later a manager came by and said he was told we didn’t get the chicken on our salad and we were to be assured we wouldn’t be charged for it. We thanked him and again reiterated it wasn’t a big deal, we just didn’t want the additional charge for something we didn’t get.
Now, back to the “service dog”. The couple was seated next to us with their dog but unfortunately this was not actually a trained service dog. The dog was jumping around, banging his head under the table and hitting my legs as he wagged his tail. He was completely out of control. To top it all off, he was also flatulent. It was not a pleasant dining experience to say the least.
As we hurried to finish our lousy burger and salad, our original server finally stopped by the table. He said to us, “I just wanted to let you know that the reason you didn’t get chicken on your salad is that you never ordered it.” I was stunned that a server would speak like that to a guest. I calmly responded, “I did say I would like to add grilled chicken. You may not have heard me, but I most definitely said it.” He didn’t say anything further and simply walked away.
So, we paid our bill, leaving only a 10% tip since our service was clearly not stellar and headed back to our room to watch the race.
I don’t know what has happened to the Fountain but it has clearly gone downhill. The food and the service were not good at all. After we returned home, someone posted a link to an article in the “Swan and Dolphin Resort Thread” that said that the Fountain had gone downhill. Our experience proved that to be the case, sadly.
Despite our lousy dinner, we had a nice relaxing evening watching the NASCAR race before heading to bed for our last night in Florida.
Total Steps: 25116
Up next…in search of burger redemption before we began our drive back home.
Your visit was after ours so maybe they improved it or maybe we just hit an off night. They split the burger ahead of time for us so that's probably why ours came on a plate. Glad to hear yours was great!
Would've had to be some amazing chicken, lol!
It sure was! They didn't ask us how we wanted it but usually smash burgers are thin patties and they don't ask so we weren't surprised when they didn't. This was not at all what we expected.
We couldn't believe it either. In the past our servers at the Fountain were above and beyond excellent. Not this time. We were glad the boys weren't there for this meal!
I guess with 4 people it is easier to sample everything. That’s great!5/18 One Final Fantastic Day with Our Sons
We started our morning off by introducing our sons to one of our favorite breakfast buffets, Boma! Between the four of us I think we sampled everything on the buffet! Here’s our first four plates.
We all very much enjoyed our selections, especially the ham with Boma sauce, bread pudding, and pecan sticky buns. DH was initially disappointed they didn’t have the tater tots they usually serve, which he says are the best tots anywhere. However, they had sweet plantains instead and he thought those were excellent too. DS-28 really liked the deviled eggs.
I love that they have a hidden Minnie!
Buckaboo bread definitely looks yummy and of course your DS would want to try it.
After exploring the Tower, we walked over to the Grand Floridian. We were very pleased to discover that the sodas we bought at Captain Cooks were able to be refilled at Gasparilla, since we had refills left and were within our two hour limit (pro-tip!)
We continued walking over to the Magic Kingdom. I gave our sons a choice of heading over to the Contemporary or taking a boat to Fort Wilderness. They opted for the boat ride. Little did I know, DS-26 had an ulterior motive, he wanted to try the Buckaroo Bread he heard us raving about. So, we headed to Trail’s End and purchased this tray of deliciousness!
This is such a tasty treat and it was much better to share it with four people. DS-26 loved it! DS-28 doesn't care for cinnamon but he enjoyed this too. We have this on our must do list for our next trip. However I noticed last week it is no longer listed on the online menu for Trail’s End. We’re really hoping it hasn’t disappeared like our favorite cinnamon pretzel from El Mercado.
The horses are so beautiful!!
I probably wouldn’t have been able to fit the buckaboo bread after that breakfast. I think that’s part of my problem with getting snacks.
Eventually we took the boat back to Magic Kingdom and the monorail to the TTC. We drove back to the Swan and our sons wanted to stop by the Blue Ribbon Corn Dog stand to get the Giant Mozzarella Stick: Giant Mozzarella Stick, coated in Garlic and Italian seasoned Panko Bread Crumbs. Served with Marinara sauce and a bag of chips.
They both really enjoyed these! They are fans of the Blue Ribbon Corn Dog stand. DH and I didn't get anything as we were still full from Boma and Buckaroo Bread.
Whenever we stay on property (which is once a year), we always make time for the pool. It’s usually a nice afternoon break before we head out for dinner and the parks again.
It’s so weird how meals can change that drastically from one visit to the next. So unfortunate.Eventually we dropped them off at the airport and headed back for our last night at the Swan. DH wanted to watch the NASCAR race that night so we initially decided to pick up something for dinner that we could eat back at the room. I had seen that Trattoria Al Forno had “to-go” options in the app so as we got closer, I attempted to place an order, only to discover that it wasn’t available after all. We wanted to eat somewhere quick and close so we headed over to the Fountain at the Dolphin. We’ve eaten here previously and found the food to be quite good and the service excellent.
We were seated promptly and our server took our order. We decided to share the Little Gem Caesar Salad and I added grilled chicken.
Little Gem Lettuce, Herbed Brioche Croutons, Parmesan Cheese, Creamy Caesar Dressing | Add Grilled or Fried Chicken $10
What you may notice from this picture is there is no chicken. More on that later. This salad was very basic, like something you would get in a cafeteria. There wasn’t much dressing and the lettuce had brown edges.
We also shared the Fountain Smash Burger: Certified Angus Beef, Griddled Onions, Crispy Lettuce, Farmers Tomatoes, American Cheese, Locally Baked Bun
As you may also notice, this is not a smash burger. It is an overcooked, dried out tasteless standard burger on a stale bun. It was awful. They have updated their menu and this burger is not nearly as good as the Fountain Signature Burger we had in 2023.
Why did the manager need to come over and say the same as the server.
It really annoys me that Disney doesn’t enforce the service dog rule. I definitely would’ve complained to a manager about that ridiculousness. We love our dogs but would never bring them to a restaurant even if regular dogs are allowed.
I cannot believe that server even had the nerve to say something like that!
Glad you had a relaxing evening.
He said they were really good! I didn't try them.
Me too! The family didn't agree with me that it was one but the CM confirmed it!
He was funny. He said "you can't rave about something all week and then not have me try it!"
They are!
I actually only had the one plate at Boma 'cuz I was still so full from our previous meals. Probably didn't get my money's worth but it was still really good.I probably wouldn’t have been able to fit the buckaboo bread after that breakfast. I think that’s part of my problem with getting snacks.
I think I’d be a fan of the corn dog stand too!!
We never go to the pool but we need to make time for it in the future. It was really nice!
It is so weird!
I don't know. We thought it was strange at the time. We didn't complain or get angry, we just asked them to make sure we weren't charged and told them it was really no big deal.Why did the manager need to come over and say the same as the server.
We love dogs too but that was just not a great situation.
Judging from his reaction, he must've gotten in trouble from that manager which is so weird because we kept saying it wasn't a big deal. They are not CMs they are Marriott employees but they're usually excellent.
We do go all day and night although our nights end a little earlier than they used to, lol. When the kids were younger we'd go from open to close every day.
Plantar fasciitis is the worst! I used to get it quite a bit. I've found that quality footwear makes a huge difference. I only buy Sauconys now and I replace them every 6 months due to all the walking I do even at home. The plantar fasciitis went away a few years ago once I did that (along with icing, stretching, and Alleve). I have been battling achilles tendonitis now though since 2023 but what's weird is that my ankle felt better in Disney with all those steps. It doesn't make any sense but it's almost like all the walking was good for it...or maybe it was the cookies, lol!We can’t do that anymore. I recently developed plantar fasciitis and my limit is usually 4 hours at a time. I did 20,000 steps on Monday bc I was meeting a friend who was there for the first time. I was exhausted!!!
Yes footwear makes a huge difference!! I only wear Brooks now which have helped a lot. But it doesn’t make it totally go away.
I can walk a lot further than in the past. 
