A TS newbie takes on ADRs & TiW for 10 days of Disney Dining COMPLETE

[StayAwake]

My day had been going perfectly. It was just exactly what I imagined when I made the decision to celebrate this important milestone at Disney World. I had eaten breakfast at Cinderella's castle, eaten my favorite snack, and now was about to have an effortless lunch in the Beast's castle, due to my pre-ordered lunch through my Fastpass.

Or not.

This was the moment where all of my expectations were a bad thing. Because I had read here on the boards about how one could just check in, verify the order, and then go immediately to sit down and have your food brought to you. So that's what I was expecting.

I was not expecting the reality- that since I was not on the Dining Plan, and since I chose not to add room charging to my magic band, that I would need to stand in the line to pay. Granted, I got to stand on the fastpass side of the line, but I still was now standing in a line I wasn't expecting. And then when I got to the checkout area, because I had pre-ordered my meal, I had to stand in the line with those paying cash- already a slower line than those paying with credit cards. And then, there was some kind of issue with one of the people in front of me, where they had to undo their order and start again. I won't lie, I was becoming very crabby.

Finally they took some people from our line over to another cash register that had no one in it, and I paid for my meal. I had spent 25 minutes on my effortless, magical lunch and hadn't even sat down yet.

It's crazy, the power of expectation. If it had been any other day, I probably could have laughed it off, but the fact that it disrupted my perfect anniversary day stayed with me.

Was it worth it?



The food was worth it, and once I finally got seated in the west wing and the food arrived, I was able to regain my composure and enjoy my meal. I had the braised pork with mashed potatoes and green beans, and a master's cupcake. The pork was fork tender with incredible flavor, and a gigantic serving. The grey stuff is indeed delicious, with a light, cookies and cream flavor atop a rich chocolate cupcake.

I helped myself to another serving of fountain beverage (yeah for self-serve that almost make the price of a fountain drink worth it) before heading out to enjoy the rest of my day.

 

[StayAwake]

To cap off my special anniversary day, I headed out of the Magic Kingdom by boat to Fort Wilderness. I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to find where I was looking for, but I didn't need to be concerned. Pioneer Hall is just a few feet from the boat dock.

I had previously picked up my ticket from the concierge at my resort, but learned I had to go to the ticket booth at Pioneer Hall to obtain my Tables in Wonderland refund. My savings was $10.88 for a total TiW savings of $105.80.
I had hit the break-even point- everything now was pure savings.

After having my photo taken outside, I was escorted to my table near the piano player off to the right side. This was a Category 2 spot, but I thought it was very nice.

The menu:


I had to go with the sangria. It certainly hit the spot, but was a little bit syrupy, for lack of a better term.


Cornbread & Salad. This was one of the AYCTE restaurants that didn't seem to have a portion size for 1 person- everything that came out would have been more than enough for 2. And I'm not exactly sure who needs an entire slab of butter on the their cornbread, but it's not me! If there was one thing that I didn't like about the Hoop de Doo, it was the amount of wasted food given what was served to me vs what I could eat.

The show got off to a rolicking start, and I was chosen to help participate in the Introductions song, which was a lot of fun. Later when they did celebrations, I was asked to stand up again, and the whole audience cheered for me and my cancer-free anniversary. It was very cool.

Then the show took a break so we could chow down.


Ribs, Chicken, beans, corn & mashed potatoes (hiding behind my sangria jar). The chicken and the potatoes were the stars here. The corn and beans were good, and the ribs were just OK. They were a little rubbery, and didn't have a good smoky flavor- it didn't seem like there was a rub or a marinade or anything on them- they were just cooked, and then the sauce poured on top.

The show continued, and soon enough it was time for dessert. It was at this point that another server came up to me and told me that there were two ladies at a table right in the center of the second row who were from my home state (which they knew because of the introductions song), and who would like me to join them for dessert. I said sure, and their server helped me move my drinks. It did cause my server a bit of confusion, but we got it all straightened out. It was a really lovely gesture, and we had a great time chatting about home as we ate and then after the show was over.



Strawberry Shortcake! This was the best part of the meal- no wonder they sing a song about it.

All too soon it was over and we headed to the bus stop where they had buses to take us back to our resorts. There were 5 or so different resorts that my bus stopped at, so I had a nice nap while I was waiting to get to mine. Too full from all the deliciousness.

I can see why this show has gone on for as long as it has. It's funny and charming, and a cute slice of Americana. I would not hesitate to recommend the Hoop de Doo to anyone.

I'll be on a brief break while I head out to Star Wars Weekend this weekend, but I'll be back next week to finish out the rest of this trip. Thanks for reading everyone!

 

[DisneyJo]

What a lovely time you had at HDD. How lovely that everyone got to celebrate your anniversary and what a lovely gesture from those 2 ladies

 

[WildGinger]

Happy Happy Anniversary! I love your reviews. Your V&A experience has me thinking that I might want to try it out. I love Hoop De Doo! Glad you had fun and had yummy food!

 

[lauraleh]

Joining in! Can't wait to hear about your favorites!

 

[cammie810]

First of all....Congratulations on your cancer free anniversary!! I cannot think of a better place to celebrate such a special day! Love your reviews so far. The carrot cake cookie is one of my favorite breakfasts! Having veggies is such a healthy way to start the day! I really enjoyed your V&A review. That is on my bucket list. Lastly....respectfully disagree on the Dole whip/Citrus swirl debate. Citrus swirl wins for me. Although the Dole whip with a coconut rum topper is pretty darn good.

 

[Angeejoe]

Thanks Angeejoe- that's a great tip. I haven't tried Boma yet, but if it's similar food to Tusker House, I'm sure I would love it!

Welcome and thanks to all the new readers and commentors. This is my first time doing a dining report, so I'd love your input and thoughts.

I'm so glad to be here following along! I do think you will like Boma Breakfast, do it on an AK day. Take a cab over & then after you eat take a bus to AK! Or do it on a down day if you do a resort day or DTD day.

Here's where I began to notice a pattern that had started the night before at the Brown Derby. I've come to love the planning that goes into choosing an ADR- reading restaurant reviews, checking out menus- until I'm sure before I leave home that I don't even need to see a menu because I've already chosen what I'm going to eat. And then when I'm sitting in the restaurant, I end up choosing something different. Am I the only one this happens to?

I had planned to try the All-American Picnic Burger, and what did I get instead?

I'm kind of like you where I like planning ADRs & figuring out what I'm going to eat, but I usually don't veer off & get something different! I'm just too picky.

I have to say that Sci Fi was my least favorite meal on my Oct trip for the food, but I absolutely loved the atmosphere. I think that they need to revamp the menu for sure because it's so cute inside

I did make it to Magic Kingdom on Sunday to complete the 4 park challenge, but by 1 am, I was done. Plus, I knew I'd be coming back very soon for breakfast and I wanted to be well rested!

This day was my actual 5th anniversary date, and I had wanted it to be special. What could be more special than dining in the castle?






I had great fun participating with my wand and wishing star, but even better was my next bit of . The wonderful CM who had brought me to my table came back with a piece of paper giving me 1 free Fastpass to any ride in the Magic Kingdom. We had chatted while I was being seated about my cancer-free anniversary, and she told me that she wanted to be sure my day was magical, and this was a little something she could do to make it that way. I almost cried. I'm almost crying now typing this out. I had such high hopes for this day, and it really got my day started off right.

With my Tables in Wonderland card I received $9.27 back as my discount, for a total TiW savings of $94.92

I love this story with the CM! It brought tears to my eyes too! What an awesome experience & recognition for your milestone! I'm a social worker at a hospital on a cancer/stroke floor & stories like yours truly warm my heart! thank you for sharing that

 

[smile4stamps]

Reading along! I hope you are enjoying your Star Wars weekend!

Congrats on 5 years Cancer Free! That is amazing!!

 

[lauraleh]

The Hoop De Doo sounds fun! I think we will definitely have to remember to plan that in when our kids are a little older. Loving all your reviews so far!

 

[lynn46356]

CRT looks delicious!!!! Along with everything else. I suppose I need to put it on my bucket list. Having three sons it's never been on the to do list.

More importantly congratulations on your anniversary of being cancer free. That is definitely something to celebrate. Looking forward to the rest of the dining report.

 

[MrsB1228]

Really enjoying your reviews and congratulations on your 5-year cancer-free anniversary!! I can't think of a better place to celebrate.

 

[jen2207]

Really enjoying your review and hope to see one from your Star Wars adventures as well!!

 

[StayAwake]

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments! I will be doing a dining report about my Star Wars Weekend trip after I finish this one. But for now, on with the food! Next up: Crystal Palace Breakfast



I had heard stories of the deliciousness that was the puffed french toast and breakfast lasagna, and I was excited to try it.



From the top going clockwise: breakfast pizza, bacon, sausage, grits, cheesy hash browns, breakfast lasagna and puffed french toast, with a side of fruit.

I didn't like this breakfast nearly as much as Tusker House. The best part of the meal were the grits, which were creamy and rich, and a great treat since they're not commonly served in the midwest. The puffed french toast was also very good, but quite sweet. Bacon, sausage and fruit were standard. The breakfast pizza tasted of nothing but green peppers, the hash browns were dry and had very little flavor, and the breakfast lasagna was far too sweet and very mushy in my mouth.

I had a very late reservation (10:30 ish), so the buffet was being changed over to lunch, and I missed the make-your-own-omelette station, which I think would have made this meal more satisfying.

The building was beautiful, the characters were fun, and I can see the appeal of a pre-park opening ADR that costs far less than CRT, but I wouldn't eat here again.

With Tables in Wonderland, I saved $5.00, bringing the total TiW savings to $110.80.

 

[StayAwake]

Since I had a breakfast buffet and an AYCTE dinner, I decided to forgo lunch and just grab a quick snack on my way back to the room for afternoon relaxation.

I had first heard about this snack here on the Dis and was very excited to try it!




This was sadly not as good as it sounded. There wasn't very much banana filling, and the peanut butter frosting tasted like shortening with some peanut flavoring in it. Even the candied bacon was disappointing.

On the plus side, I did save $0.84 with my Tables in Wonderland card. Total savings so far: $111.64

 

[bangzoom6877]

Welcome back!

I'm with you about the breakfast lasagna at CP. I don't get all the hype over that item, I too find it to be too sweet and mushy. Yet I always take a little "just to see" if I like it better than last time. I do love the puffed french toast though. I like sweet things for breakfast, and I find that bacon compliments the puffed french toast very nicely. But even for me, who likes sweet things like that at breakfast, the breakfast lasagna is a bit overkill on the sweetness. I agree that the restaurant is beautiful! We always go an hour before park opening. We love the characters there, so it makes for a very nice breakfast while on vacation for our family.

We also do the same thing you did...whenever we have a breakfast buffet, we don't make a lunch ADR, just a dinner ADR and have a snack in the afternoon when we get hungry. At MK, that snack is always a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle in the afternoon when it starts to get super hot (we always go in July, every other year), right before we leave the park for our afternoon break.

Looking forward to more!

 

[StayAwake]

It was Ohana time! I was really looking forward to eating here for the first time, as it has such as following. After checking in, I headed to the Tambu Lounge to try the signature drink: The Lapu Lapu



This was delicious and had a good strong kick to it. Besides, who doesn't love a drink in a pineapple?

TiW saved $2.70 on this drink.

After about 15 minutes I was seated in the dining room and the experience began. You've probably seen these photos a million times, but here they are again.



This bread was delicious! I wish I could have smuggled some of it out with me.



The salad was good, but not amazing.



Since I was dining alone, I got my own appetizer combo plate. I loved everything on this plate! The sauce on the wings was very flavorful, and the fact that the wings weren't crispy didn't bother me at all. The potstickers were delicious, the vegetables lightly seasoned and still slightly crunchy, and the noodles were surprising as they were slightly sweet, but provided a nice contrast to the other savory items.



The skewered meats were mostly disappointing after a great start. The shrimp were really tasty, the steak was fine, and both the chicken and shrimp were dry and almost inedible.



The worst part of the night: dessert. I honestly don't know how this happened- I love pineapple, coconut, bread pudding, and caramel, so this dessert should have been right up my alley. Instead, it was mushy and all of the individual flavors were drowned by the artificially sweet tasting, runny, caramel sauce.

I would take the bread, the starters, and the shrimp, and leave the rest for someone else. But I'm really glad I got the chance to see and taste what everyone was talking about.

I saved $7.60 on dinner with Tables in Wonderland. Total savings $121.94.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I agree completely about Ohana. I also love the Lapu Lapu, along with the TIW savings that goes with it! I enjoyed the bread and starters at Ohana too, but found the meats to be mediocre. I honestly don't get the hype this place receives. I much prefer the food at Kona Cafe, and I can also get a Lapu Lapu there! For us, it was very nice to try Ohana once, but we aren't returning. The meat was kind of a let down after such tasty starters, and although we did somewhat enjoy the dessert, I've had much better bread pudding. And I also enjoy pineapple, coconut and caramel, and I love bread pudding. But this didn't do it for me the way I expected after all I had read about it. The Dole Whip is tastier to me, so I'd much rather grab one of those at Captain Cook's downstairs. Or a nice dessert from the Boardwalk Bakery...I just think there are much better dessert options at WDW.

 

[smile4stamps]

I feel the same about 'Ohana! Love the apps but the meat and dessert I wasn't thrilled with. However, despite that we have a return booked in the fall to enjoy all you can eat wings and potstickers!! Yum

 

[DisneyJo]

I can't believe how much you're saving with your TiW card, it just shows how expensive food in Disney is

 

[vettegirl]

Great updates! I have never been to CP, if it's not as good as Tusker House then I guess I will never try it. I agree with Ohana, the shrimp are amazing but some of the other meats are sooo dry! I mainly go for the shrimp. I am still on the fence about eating at Ohana in December, I am going to make the ADR but may cancel.