A honeymoon, a 3rd wheel & 3 very full tummies: We get how much food?!?!? 19 Nights DxDP!!!!

[robinsa88]

September 20th – Day 5 – Food and Wine / Snacks

After lunch, Steph and Clint were feeling hot and bothered and opted to take the kids for a nap back at the resort. We decided to stick it out as we wanted to explore the world showcase and knew we could stop in at the DVC lounge (which we did before dinner) for a cool drink and the cool down.

In the process of walking around the world showcase, we had already passed something I was keen to try, so we wandered back to the Morocco booth and got some:

Spicy Hummus Fries with Cucumber, Tomato, Onions and Tzatziki Sauce – $5.00

This was actually disappointing for us all. It’s not GF but Peta tried some as well (she is not coeliac so can have a little gluten from time to time). We all agreed that the flavours were quite good in terms of topping and sauces but the fries themselves were a very displeasing texture and really quite bland (which, being chickpeas actually isn’t that surprising I guess!).

Afterwards, we wanted to wash it down with something sweet, so we went to Germany to introduce Trent to possibly my favourite snack (remember from our intro that I LOVE caramel!)

Milk Chocolate Caramel with Sea Salt $3.99

This was as amazing as ever, chewy with a creamy chocolate coating and the salt really balances out the sweetness! Peta grabbed one as well.

We also grabbed a bunch of these to use up some snack credits as we knew we wanted to take a bunch home:

Werther's Original Bags (4.5 to 5.5 oz) - Soft Caramels, Chewy Caramels, Dulce de Leche -$3.99

*These are not included in the daily food tally for those tracking our dining plan costs

 

[ariane37]

I fell embarrassingly behind, so I have tons of catching up to do!

I remembered LOVING the cornbread here so I dove right in! Trent followed! And even between two of us we asked for more!

We did HDDR a few years ago and really enjoyed the experience overall. My DH got picked to be Davey the angel and it was hysterical I pretty much filled up on the cornbread, salad, and strawberry shortcake!

Well, we head over to the seats but did not sit…..they were COVERED in dead bugs….like everywhere!

I believe they had maybe sprayed extra due to the Zika virus scare but was somewhat gobsmacked that they hadn’t cleaned up.

This is gross We were there last Aug. right after they started handing out free repellent in the parks and leaving it in all the resort rooms and we didn't see anything like this......

For dessert they bring out a mix of macaroons, cookies and truffles:

OMG that dessert plate has my name written all over it

she snapped back with “you can’t have anything till you have seen the chef”.

Completely unacceptable. I think it's great how wonderful Disney is with food allergies but I also feel for all of you dealing with it; it sometimes isn't easy and almost always takes extra time. This attitude doesn't make it any better.

PLEASE NO ONE STOP READING BECAUSE WE DIDN’T LIKE THE BREAD PUDDING!!!!

I probably shouldn't admit this but I'm not a big fan of their bread pudding, either!

I am absolutely devastated this has since closed, and honestly think it is likely that, as a result, we will not do QS at HS again.

I hear you, we loved it there and went every trip We try our best not to eat any other QS in HS; instead we'll stay in the park until we get hangry and go to Epcot or the BW area.

When we arrived, we were super lucky as there were a bunch of characters out the front!

You hit characterpalooza!! And Dopey and Bert, awesome!

Donald did come back at the end, but as you can see with Goofy, Steph had to hold Ellie away from all the other characters as she was still noticeably upset:

Aw, poor baby. Way to ruin it for the little girl, Donald

The flooding on the way back to the bus was, well….an experience!

Holy Crap

Milk Chocolate Caramel with Sea Salt $3.99

Oh yea, baby

 

[Vernie822]

Love your reviews! They are so thorough. You guys really tried a lot of places.

Side note: I am absolutely devastated this has since closed, and honestly think it is likely that, as a result, we will not do QS at HS again. Truth be told, this is actually the first trip we have done any QS and although it was convenient at times, it is obviously not the best use of credits (or I would say best use of our stomach space). Because of Peta’s chronic pain condition we actually prefer a more lengthy table service experience to break up the day (a forced rest stop if you like!). I’m sure when we have kids our habits may change, and we may be more likely to use the regular plan.

I am so sad they got rid of it, too! Though admittedly I never ate there, I always thought about it and had it on my list. The sandwiches sounded amazing.

Pastrami Sandwich on pretzel roll, served with chips - $10.99

It was absolutely delicious! My mouth is watering thinking of it. Amazing salty roll, with just enough meat. It was absolutely the perfect size and both Trent and I gobbled them down quickly.

Wow! I love a good pretzel roll.

Spicy Fish Tacos - topped with cabbage slaw and poblano pepper aioli with potato salad $11.79

Not something I would usually order as I am funny about eating fish at fast food / quick service places but this was DELICIOUS! Fresh, tasty with a little kick from the aioli. It was perfect in the hot weather and the potato salad was also surprisingly light and tasty.

I always forget about Sunshine Seasons since we do so much in the countries at Epcot, usually. I love fish tacos, though, and these look divine!

 

[robinsa88]

Day 5 - September 20th - Garden Grill Dinner

We met up with Clint and Steph after the kids naps, and on the way to dinner we stopped at club cool and I got Trent some Beverley. I so wish I was videoing, but he would have known something was up. I have NEVER seen Trent react to any food or drink but he nearly spat it all over me and as a reflex he hit me in the arm because he was so mad! It was like an instant reflex!!! And actually, soooooooo worth it! I think he is still mad at me for not warning him but he enjoyed all the other drinks!

We also gave it to Reuben and Ellie, whose reactions were so cute! Ellie would literally not trust any of us to give her any of the sodas after that, and I don’t blame her!!!

Sad I can’t post the videos here (these are still from them) – the reaction was so, so cute!

After all having a good laugh, we made it over to the land, where Trent was especially excited to be having dinner after loving the Livin’ with the Land boat ride earlier in the day. We jumped on Soarin with fastpasses and then did the boat ride again as it still wasn’t time for our reservation at:

If you haven’t been to Garden Grill, it’s a family style meal with lots of fresh produce, most produced on Disney property.

Shortly after we sat down we were brought bread (which tastes so good):

Basket of Warm Bread with Orange Blossom Honey Butter

Plus some salad (standard fare):

Harvest-inspired Farmer's Salad - featuring produce from the greenhouses in The Land pavilion

Then very quickly got our family style meal:

Home-style Pot Roast

All-Natural Sliced Turkey Breast - with turkey Gravy

Italian Sausage - served with sauteed peppers and onions

Plus Garden Fresh Vegetables, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Bacon and Leek Stuffing

As well as potato fries and mac and cheese for the kids, (and chicken nuggets, which I didn’t photograph)

Everything here was super fresh, and super tasty. This is SERIOUSLY good food! Everything was piping hot and we didn’t dislike anything here (although we admittedly barely touched the fries and mac and cheese – not really our thing, especially with all the other fab food going!)

The server and chef here were amazing! Upon realising that the regular veggie option was not GF, the chef came out, asked if we had been on the boat ride earlier (which we had, of course) and if so which Veggies had Peta seen that she would like? Peta couldn’t believe her luck. After picking veggies, the chef offered to add some quinoa and spices, and the end result was amazing (and huge!!!!):

The characters are super fun, and chip and dale muck around a lot here!

Dessert came quickly after dinner:

Although we enjoyed this, we were pretty full from all the other food. Between us all, I believe we made it about half way through.

Peta got her own:

This looked just as good, but was definitely not! The berries were fine, but the cake part was rock hard (and not cold, refrigerator hard – like stale and horrible). We all tried some, and had worse reactions to it than the Beverley from earlier in the day!!!!

I think it could honestly have been used as a reasonably hefty weapon given how hard it was! Suffice to say, Peta (and the rest of us) each had a bite and left the rest!

And so, the score card:

Food: 4/5 – For a family style meal, the food was hard to top! Only let down was dessert – mostly for Peta, but her main did make up for that somewhat and we were already full.

Service: 5/5 – Fantastic server, manager and chef – all round, top notch service

Experience: 5/5 – Very fun, eating from the Land is great and educational, and the booths make it feel private and quiet for a character meal!

 

[robinsa88]

Day 5 Dining Plan Tally:

 

[buzzrelly]

Joining in! Love your report so far! I've been thinking about trying CG brunch on our next trip, and your review may have sealed the deal for us!

I ate at GG once in 2006 and absolutely hated it. Your meal looks MUCH better than ours did, though. We may have to give this another try someday!

Can't wait to read more

 

[robinsa88]

I ate at GG once in 2006 and absolutely hated it. Your meal looks MUCH better than ours did, though. We may have to give this another try someday!

We had enjoyed it previously but really felt that the food this time was a big improvement! Perhaps it's worth another shot?

 

[KacieD]

Awesome. GG is one of our very favorite character meals. The food is so good even though it's really simple and the characters are consistently fun and engaging. Glad you had fun too!

 

[toomuchtv]

Ellie would literally not trust any of us to give her any of the sodas after that, and I don’t blame her!!!

That's too funny! I can't wait until we are there in May and I can make my son (he will be 20 months old) and mom try it.

Peta's meal looks AMAZING! Sounds like there was a great chef there.

 

[robinsa88]

September 21st – Day 6 – Kona Café Breakfast

Up early again this morning, we had decided it was nice and easy to jump on the monorail and head to the Polynesian before another long park day. We had a 7am reservation – we hoped for plenty of time to then meet Clint and Steph and see the welcome show at MK.

We enjoyed the brisk walk over:

We were happy to start the day somewhere I was longing to try, Kona Café, I love tropical flavours and, despite being unable to try the famed Tonga Toast, I had my eye on another prize (see below)! On our next trip I’m excited to give lunch or dinner a go here.

Prior before starting our meal, Trent and I were super excited to enjoy 100% Kona Coffee - French Press Pot - Serves 2; $9. This was smooth and went down a treat! Just what we needed!

Peta was also excited to enjoy a special drink: Liliko'i Juice - Orange, Passion Fruit, and Guava blend $5. Peta recalled having this at Ohana in the past and was delighted to meet an old friend

For meals, I got the:

Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes - with Macadamia Nut Butter, Pineapple Sauce, and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage $13

Soooooooo good! The pineapple and butter on top made them so moreish and they were piping hot! Such yummy fluffy pancakes as well!

Trent went with:

Blueberry Pancakes - with your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage $13

His choice surprised me, as he would usually go the big breakfast option, but I think he was sick of the big, fatty breakfasts and so he stuck with carbs instead LOL. He said they were hot and fresh, and the blueberries made them tasty.

And Peta enjoyed (off the allergy menu):

Egg White Omelet - with Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese $12

She felt this was a bit plain, but the goats cheese definitely gave it something.

Our server was…..well SSSSLLLLOOOOOWWWWW…….. It took 10 mins to get our drinks, thankfully I said we would order then. Meals took 20 mins to comes out, I waited 10 mins after eating, and, after trying to get her attention for 10 minutes, we went up to pay. And the person at the podium was noticeably frustrated by my choice.

But, we were, as a result, running late to meet Clint and Steph and late for rope drop – I was super mad! Especially after booking 7am breakfast for a 9am rose drop!

We sadly made it to MK on a boat just in time for the welcome show, only for it to be absolutely packed! We were barely able to get off the boat and into the security lines L It was the busiest day we had seen so far and a significant increase on crowds. Thankfully it did quiet down again and most of our trip (until the last day or two) and our other park days were not as busy.

And so, the ratings:

Food: 4/5 – Tasty meals here and the great coffee and juice is a definite plus

Service: 1/5 – Sooooooooo Slow!

Experience: 4/5 – Nice and relaxed choice for the Poly! Plus great theming and location.

 

[Sailormoon2]

Slow service drives me crazy, especially at Disney where you are inevitably on a time line. I would have been fuming, it's really one of those things I have no patience for. Lol! Glad you arrived in time, but too bad it wasn't the way you had envisioned.

 

[robinsa88]

September 21st – Day 6 – Cosmic Rays Lunch

We had a fairly early lunch today as the crowds were quite bad and we *hoped* to beat the rush. We headed straight over to Cosmic Rays where Clint knew there was a safe option for him (rotisserie chicken – which for the record, he said was delicious!).

We found lining up here irritating. You can only get certain meals on each side and it seem a lot of people were confused by that. The service was super slow, and it was exacerbated when we sought help on Peta’s meal. There was a lot of confusion about whether the falafel burger patty was gluten free and even, which is fine – we looked over all the ingredients and concluded it was! Yay!

But, then there was an issue getting the order in the computer. They had to write something else and the explanation didn’t reach the kitchen. We literally head up the already long line for 15 minutes which I was SOOOOOO embarrassed about. By the time we finally got the food, hit the toppings bar and sat down Clint, Steph and the Kids had eaten their food and were on to dessert!

Here’s what we went with:

For me: Barbecued Pork Sandwich - with your choice of green beans or French fries $11.99

For Trent: Bacon Cheeseburger - with your choice of green beans or french fries $12.99

And Peta’s: Falafel Burger - with your choice of green beans or french fries $11.99 (on a GF bun!)

As you can see from our trays, the toppings bar here has a lot to offer and is a definite selling point.

We all had a specialty drink, and after seeing our just married badges they threw in 2 mickey straws at no extra cost! Some very nice pixie dust!

Strawberry Lemonade Slushy – Straw extra 69c - $4.19

We felt the offerings here were just OK. I thought the bun was a bit bland and weirdly cold. My BBQ was tasty and Trent was pretty ‘meh’ about his burger. Clint had the rotisserie chicken which looked great and I regretted not going for that! The icy drinks at least were great after being out in the heat.

For dessert….

Trent went the S’Mores dessert ($3.99) and thought it was a bit dry and a weird texture. He ate about half, and the flavours were good, but I tasted and agreed the texture was off. I just went for a greek yogurt ($3.19) as I was a bit worried about my calcium intake so far (at home I have a lot of calcium enriched almond milk to make up for not drinking milk / eating many dairy products). I don’t think I did that again as I remembered quickly that I don’t like American yogurts! Too much sugar and, at least this one, it didn’t taste remotely natural. We are used to pot set yogurt without added sugar and so the taste and texture just wasn’t right for us.

Peta grabbed another GF brownie ($3.99), as sadly, the yogurt had gelatine and is therefore not vegetarian. This isn’t common at home so I was glad we checked and she was again disappointed to have the same dessert offerings. When I didn’t like my yogurt anyway, I don’t think she was disappointed anymore LOL

And so, the ratings:

Food: 2/5 – Just OK, nothing to convince us to come back

Service: 2/5 – I’m torn here, pixie dust was a plus, all the errors were a pain and just plain embarrassing

Experience: 2/5 – Very noisy here, lines not efficient and then practically a fight for a seat – maybe we are just not made for QS???

 

[Sailormoon2]

I think QS is a total crap shoot, like you really never know what you're going to get, and most times it's not that great. The only plus we have found is I can order a kid's meal, which suits my small appetite. I'm glad to know in advance that the Falafel burger is GF...I'm traveling with a GF/Dairy free vegetarian in January, and am sooo nervous for her (she does do eggs thankfully!). Your reviews are helping a lot, so thanks for taking the time.

 

[robinsa88]

September 21st – Day 6 – Snacks

By early afternoon, we were hot and bothered and all craving a snack. Trent requested ice cream, so naturally we walked over to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. It was packed! Thankfully the line moved quickly, and Trent walked out, prize in hand:

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich - two freshly made chocolate-chip cookies served with your choice of hand-scooped ice cream $5.29

He could literally not believe how big this was, especially as a snack credit. It was huge, and the cookies were chewy. Trent chose cookies n cream ice cream and loved it! It was exactly what he wanted. I could not believe that he ate it all!

Naturally, Peta found a cart to acquire her favourite snack:

And she devoured that just as fast!

Since I’m not an ice cream fan, I held out while we did a bit of shopping. Then I spied an old favourite at Big Top Treats and just head to grab…..

Chocolate covered pineapple skewer - $4.29

I was so excited to have one of these again, the sweet creamy chocolate is perfectly balanced by the tart pineapple (although I have noticed that pineapples in the US are definitely sweeter than what we have back home).

 

[robinsa88]

I think QS is a total crap shoot, like you really never know what you're going to get, and most times it's not that great. The only plus we have found is I can order a kid's meal, which suits my small appetite. I'm glad to know in advance that the Falafel burger is GF...I'm traveling with a GF/Dairy free vegetarian in January, and am sooo nervous for her (she does do eggs thankfully!). Your reviews are helping a lot, so thanks for taking the time.

Wow, I thought GF vegetarian was hard enough! Truth be told most of the allergy items cater to multiple allergies, so hopefully the addition of DF isn't too challenging. Certainly it is harder at QS - have you considered which restaurants yet?

 

[mousegear]

All caught up! It's very interesting to read your long DXDP options.

 

[Sailormoon2]

have you considered which restaurants yet?

Our must dos are Sanaa and Jungle Skipper Canteen (name?), maybe BOG for lunch, that's as far as I've gotten...suggestions on most accomodating would be well received, as well as best QS options.

 

[Araminta18]

all caught up! enjoying reading you eat at all these fun restaurants--it's making me hungry!

 

[robinsa88]

Our must dos are Sanaa and Jungle Skipper Canteen (name?), maybe BOG for lunch, that's as far as I've gotten...suggestions on most accomodating would be well received, as well as best QS options.

Spoiler alert - but Skipper Canteen were not able to do gluten free vegetarian.....and fed Peta meat based stock despite consulting with the chef. They were the least accommodating we found. Every other TS worked with us. Best QS to work with was definately Cosmic Rays despite the hold up with the CM at the front. That Falafel burger was definitely a great choice.

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Joining in! Loving your reviews!!