10/28 continued Ahoy Maties! It’s the Beak & Barrel!
After our ride on Pirates of the Caribbean we attempted to find the entry to Beak & Barrel to check in. We walked back and forth a bunch of times and we could not find the entrance! Finally we found it tucked away to the right of the Pirates of the Caribbean.
As we were waiting to be called we witnessed a couple attempting to sneak in. They played the old trick and walked in with another group as they were called. Next thing you know we saw them escorted right back out. Well, at least they got a glimpse inside.
We were seated at a very small round table for four and shortly after we were seated another couple was seated with us. I attempted to make conversation a couple times but they didn’t seem interested in talking to us. This made for a very awkward experience. They didn’t really talk to each other too much either so the four of us just sat there in uncomfortable silence. Sadly I think this impacted our overall feelings about the experience.
DH & I ordered the Island Provisions to share: Plantain Chips, Blue Corn Tortillas, and Toasted Flatbread served with Mango Chutney, Garlic Chimichurri, Spiced Guava, and Zesty Culantro Cream Dips
We both enjoyed the dips a lot. As usual, DH liked the two sweeter ones, the mango chutney and spiced guava sauce. I liked the savory ones, the garlic chimichurri and zesty culantro. We do make a good pair! The only downside was we seemed to have gotten the bottom of the barrel for the plantain chips so they were really difficult to dip.
We gave the Island Provisions a B. They were good but not really worth the $16.00 price tag.
Our table was situated in the main dining area but we didn’t have a good view of the bar area. Every time we heard Rummy the parrot come out I would jump up to get a picture and he would already be heading back offstage. Based on YouTube footage I actually had expected him to be out and about more than he was. I never did quite catch what he was saying. Also our server wasn’t nearly in character as others I had seen in vlogs. She didn’t really interact with us at all other than to tell us we had to come up with our own pirate name or she wouldn’t bring back our credit cards. It was another awkward interaction. After we paid our bill, I walked around to get some pictures and finally was able to see Rummy the parrot and get a picture.
So, overall, we’re glad we got a chance to go to Beak & Barrel. The theming is incredible but there wasn’t as much theatrics going on as we expected. The food was fine but pricey and we didn’t get drinks so we can’t comment on that. The bottom line for us was the seating situation was just too awkward. We knew ahead of time we would be seated with others so we weren’t surprised but I didn’t expect it to feel so uncomfortable. Perhaps if our tablemates were a little bit friendly, we may have felt differently but it was not really an enjoyable experience for us. We gave Beak & Barrel a B. It was a one and done for us.
After we left the Beak & Barrel, we both gave a huge sigh of relief, and said “whew, glad that’s over.”
We made our way back to the Haunted Mansion which still had a 35 minute wait. We waited 26. We just love this attraction!
Since all we had for lunch was the chips and dip, we decided to head next to Columbia Harbor House to share their seasonal chicken tenders meal, the Seaside Chicken Tenders, topped with a seasoned aioli, crushed pretzels, and crispy garlic.
We did not really like these. The chicken tenders were good quality but the pretzels, garlic, and aioli made them super salty. We gave them a C.
We also ordered the Ghost Smore.
This was very cute and the chocolate ganache and graham cracker crumbs were good. The panna cotta had a weird gummy consistency. We gave it a B-.
Along with our meal we purchased two sodas. Last spring when we dined at Columbia Harbor House we asked the CM if we were allowed any refills on soda. He told us we were allowed one refill and all we needed to do was to bring our empty cup up to any counter for any CM to fill it. We assumed that was still the policy. So, when we finished our sodas we went back up to the counter and asked if it was possible to get refills. The CM told us no but we could get free water. We’re not sure if the policy changed, if that CM was uninformed about the policy (although there were several CMs standing there when we asked), or if the previous CM was mistaken. The fact that all the other park's quick services allow refills but Magic Kingdom does not is very strange, especially at $4.79 per cup.
Last spring we loved our meal at Columbia Harbor House and had given it a B. This time was not the same experience. We gave it a C.
After lunch we went to see the Country Bear show. Despite being apprehensive about the revamping of the show, we really like this new version. The crowd seems to enjoy it much more too. We headed over to see the Hall of Presidents next and then rode It’s a Small World with no wait.
At this point it was almost 4:00 so we headed to Tomorrowland to pick up our party wristbands and candy bags.
Up next… party time!
