Better do the dishes, Cinderfella! 7 days of Free Dining!

[Pooh&OurHunny]

joining in

 

[tggrrstarr]

Count me in! I was born in Shaker....my mom said I should have come out with a Geraci's pizza in my mouth since that is all she ate while preggo with me LOL

Welcome! We love Geraci's!

Oh My Goodness! The red velvet cupcake looks amazing!!!

It really was awesome, I could go for one right now!

I'm really enjoying your review! I love the characters at 1900 Park Fare for dinner.....they don't have the same ones for breakfast. I agree with the pp, that red velvet cupcake looks awesome!

Thanks! We did breakfast there last year, we want to do it again since we didn't get to meet all the characters, they took forever to get to our table and we were impatient.

Great reviews and pics to far. Looking forward to more!

Thanks, more coming asap!

 

[tggrrstarr]

We really weren’t prepared for how busy Hollywood Studios was going to be when we made reservations at Cape May, but luckily it all worked out. All I can say is TOUR GROUPS! Everywhere. I know that January is a busy time for them, but this was insane. But it was more than just tour groups, there were just tons and tons of people. In 5 trips during off season times, this was the busiest I had ever seen it. Even for an EMH day. We barely got seats for the first Fantasmic showing (an hour early!) and by the time we braved the crowds out of the park and waited for a boat to show up, we arrived at the Beach Club Resort about 8:05 pm, 10 minutes before our Reservation. We got our pager and were seated right on time.

I was really looking forward to this meal with my new expanded love of seafood, and the crablegs were especially calling to me. My dad is also a big seafood fan so I picked this reservation out for him.
My mom and dad went straight for the salad bar first, while Mic went straight to the meat, and I to the seafood.
All but Mic got the peel and eat shrimp. It was good, but seriously, just offer chilled shrimp. No one wants to peel their shrimp!
Mic’s plate had the basics, roasted potatoes, carved prime rib, roasted chicken and ribs. He avoided the mashed potatoes because they were green.

I did try the potatoes, the green was pesto and was really good. I also got some of the carved pork and prime rib. I loved the lobster tortellini.

Here are some pictures:
Lobster Tortellini and Seafood Pot Pie

Corn and Mahi Mahi with Green Beans

Clams and Crab Legs

Roasted Red Potatoes and Pesto Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Chicken and Ribs

Everything was very fresh and good. The only thing I didn’t like was the ribs, but Mic did like these. I noticed more than once that a dish on the buffet would be replaced even if it wasn’t gone yet.

My desert plate had strawberry cheesecake, a brownie, blondie, key lime tort and an oreo bon bon. The Oreo Bon Bon was amazing! Everything else was ok, but the bon bon was fantastic. Must get recipe!

Mic and Eric both had the bon bon and cookies. Mic isn’t a fan of cheesecake or brownies. And I still married him.

My mom tried the flan. She didn’t like it very much. I’m not a fan, so I didn’t even try it.

We were all very happy with our dinner. It was a perfect end to a very long day. We had another great waitress and the overall service was great. We will definitely be back!

 

[tggrrstarr]

We had our reservation Monday morning at 9:25 am, so we had enough time to catch the opening show. Eric and my Mom loved it! Once in the park, Mic ran to get a FP for Space Mt while we grabbed some pictures on Main Street. We all met up at the Castle and got a few more pics and were inside for our reservation right on time. (I did make a mistake and tried to check in at the Boutique, oops!) We got our pics with Cinderella, she was excited to meet Cinderfella, then immediately upstairs and to our table.

The tables are always set beautifully here with pastries and fruit waiting for you when you arrive. We were served orange juice and coffe and we all attacked the fruit. I was disappointed there wasn’t any pineapple, mango just isn’t the same! Mic grabbed a cinnamon roll and Eric, my mom and I tried the chocolate chip croissant. Yum!

Our waiter came over and explained our choices for breakfast, you get a pre plated meal with a choice between stuffed French toast or your basic breakfast. I was the only one who chose French Toast. They didn’t know what they were missing! I really wanted breakfast potatoes, so I asked for a side. No problem. I had done this last time too.
Here is my plate:

It comes with two slices of bacon and a big mound of whipped cream. The French toast is stuffed with cream cheese and is topped with a fruit sauce of berries and apples. This is sooo good. My mom tried a bite and liked it too. I think this is the point where she decided to start ordering everything I did, lol.

The breakfast potatoes had bits of peppers and ham in them, they were very good too. Last time I got these I didn’t like them very much, but I was also mad that the recipe had changed. This time I was prepared for this version, so I was able to enjoy them. (Plus, my tastes have changed a bit too).

Everyone else got the basic breakfast:
Scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and potatoes.

The waiter came over and asked my dad if he wanted more food, and my dad was surprised you could have more. I find they don’t exactly advertise this fact here ever since they switched from family style to pre plated. My dad got some more eggs and sausage and Mic had another cinnamon roll.
Eric got a sword and my mom got a wishing wand. No age requirement here!

The characters started coming around during our meal, it went very smoothly, but not quite as quick as it did at 1900.

Aurora heard Eric’s name and gasped and said Ariel was going to love meeting him! It was so cute, but it took me a minute to realize why! And Ariel did make a big deal too, that was the awesome part!

Oh, I almost forgot. Our waiter came out with a cupcake and a card signed by all of the characters for Eric for his Graduation. It was a nice surprise, and they made a big deal out of it, so Eric was really excited.

We had a great time here, Eric loved meeting the characters, and he was a lot more comfortable now with them. It made me wish I had booked more character meals, but in the end we had fantastic luck in the parks meeting characters.

We used two credits for this meal, if we had paid out of pocket it would have been almost $45 per person for breakfast and our photo prints. Worth it for Eric getting his wish to eat in the castle and meet Cinderella, and our meal was very good.
By the way, after breakfast I went straight over to Sir Mickey’s and they were able to ship our pictures back to our hotel even though we didn’t buy them there.

Be back soon with some snacks!

 

[jmm476]

Just joining in! I love your reviews so far, the red velvet cupcake from Starring Roles looks so good!

 

[lblume91]

First off, congrats on your weight loss!!

Second, I am loving your reviews! Your family is adorable! We have always managed to skip right over Starring Rolls because it's so small. After seeing your pictures, we won't make that mistake again. I think I left a noseprint on my computer screen trying to see all the desserts in the photo with the whole case in it! Looking forward to the rest of your reviews.

 

[princess aleya]

Great start.

 

[pkdof]

Great reviews, thank you!

 

[kimgof]

Great reviews!

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

I am loving your reviews can't wait to read more.

 

[tggrrstarr]

Sorry for the delay! Life just kind of got in the way, lol. More reviews coming either later tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[mommycrawford]

Loving your reviews!

 

[basketkat]

Sorry for the delay! Life just kind of got in the way, lol. More reviews coming either later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Looking forward to reading more when you get the time!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

I'm here and I'm subbing!

 

[Moira222]

I am enjoying your reviews & photos. DH and I have been following WW for almost a year (him better than me!) but we are hoping to make SOME good choices in between splurges on daily desserts (that's a lot of sugar) and frozen adult beverages. mmmmmm I was glad to see some of the choices at Park Faire - we also will be there our first day.

How cool that Eric got a Royal graduation card!

 

[tggrrstarr]

Aloha Isle
While we were waiting for Mic to go get our FP for BTMRR I noticed we were right next to Aloha Isle, and knew I would never get another chance for a Dole Whip, so I decided to get in line and grab one. Only problem, Mic had my Key Card! So I had to wait for him to come back, I also got him a root beer float. My mom got a Coke Float and Eric got a root beer float.

Just a note, I hate floats! I hate mixing my icecream with liquid, especially carbonated liquid. But last year I tried a dole whip float anyway. Loved the ice cream, hated the juice. So I stuck with just icecream this year. Yum. You can tell I almost forgot to take the picture!

Mic’s Float:

This was a perfect snack, it was just starting to get warm out, so it was very refreshing. Note: don't get in line unless you know you have your payment!

 

[tggrrstarr]

Loving your reviews!

Thanks! Hopefully I will get quite a few done this week!

Looking forward to reading more when you get the time!

Awesome! Wish granted!

I'm here and I'm subbing!

Welcome!

I am enjoying your reviews & photos. DH and I have been following WW for almost a year (him better than me!) but we are hoping to make SOME good choices in between splurges on daily desserts (that's a lot of sugar) and frozen adult beverages. mmmmmm I was glad to see some of the choices at Park Faire - we also will be there our first day.

How cool that Eric got a Royal graduation card!

That's pretty much how I did it, mostly good choices in actual food then splurge on desert!
Eric was thrilled to see his card, it was a great moment.

 

[tggrrstarr]

After a midday break, we came back to the Magic Kingdom and decided to eat dinner at Cosmic Ray’s before extra evening hours started. My dad wasn’t hungry, so he didn’t eat. That ended up being a bad decision because once he got hungry, there weren’t any food places open. I had not realized that they all closed during EEH. He ended up getting something at the hotel later.

Cosmic Rays has three different areas featuring different types of food. My mom, Mic and I got in line at the chicken station while Eric went to the Burgers. While waiting for my food, a manager working in the kitchen gave me an evil smile and proceeded to shout out to the entire restaurant that someone was having a birthday and had all the staff sing out a birthday song. It was really embarrassing, but very funny. (I stopped wearing my pin after that!)

There was almost no wait at our station, but we had a hard time finding a table. All of the tables here are pretty much sized for two people, maybe three if you squeeze in. Finally we found a spot with two empty tables next to each other. My dad & Eric eventually joined us, their line was much longer than ours.
Eric got a hamburger, French fries and chocolate cake.

The three of us all got the Half Rotisserie Chicken and Ribs. Our meal came with green beans and mashed potatoes.

It was very good, I liked the ribs better here than at Cape May, but Mic preferred Cape May’s. I guess it all comes down to taste sometimes! My only complaint was the green beans- they were slightly overcooked.
Mic, Eric and my mom got Chocolate Cake. Mic loved his. Eric saved his for later.

I got carrot cake. I’ve really been into carrot cake lately and was excited to try this. I was very full, but I decided to try a bite then save the rest for later. It was very dry, I just ended up throwing it away.

Overall, it was very good for a quick service restaurant. There was plenty of food in our meals and I like how there’s more than just the burger option. My only complaint was how crowded it was and how small the tables were. I never noticed before when it was just the two of us.

 

[basketkat]

Oooh your chicken and ribs look really yummy!!! I think we will have to try that in September!!!

 

[tggrrstarr]

Tuesday was our off day. And by off, I really just mean a sleep in, no park touring kind of day. Eric and Mic had Disney Quest tickets, my mom & I had Tea reservations and my dad was just gonna do whatever.

My mom & I decided to do a little shopping at DTD before tea and my dad decided to check out DTD West side, so we all went to the bus stop together. I should have known by how long we waited for that bus how the rest of the day would go!
I planned 50 minutes from DTD to the Grand Floridian. Not good! None of the buses that pulled up to the stop were going to the GF, finally the third one was. Then we had to wait for the bus to switch drivers at DTD West, and then of course we had to stop at Typhoon Lagoon and Wilderness Lodge. All with the slowest Bus Driver in all of WDW! We were lucky we got to the Tea Lounge 15 minutes late. It could have been much worse! I know from previous experience (also to tea, ironically!) that there is almost always a 15 minute window for holding your reservation if you are late, so I wasn’t too worried, just annoyed.

Tea was my treat to my mom, I had really enjoyed it the last time I came here and she & I had done a tea at our church a few times. Plus, I knew I would never get Mic to come here with me.

So we both ordered the Grand Tea for $25.50 per person.
First came the tea, of course, Darjeeling for my mom and Eros for me. Eros is a Ceylon with mandarin orange and vanilla flavoring.

My friend Kristen had asked me to see if they sell the Mad Hatter blend, which they did. It was $25 for 4oz in a tin. That was a little too pricey for either of us!
Next came champagne.

For my mom, not me. Because I didn’t have my drivers license on me. I am 34 years old! They gave me sparkling cider instead. I have a confession, while I was a little tiny bit annoyed, I really don’t like champagne anyway! The cider was great!

Next course featured five different sandwiches, an onion tart and duck pâté.

Pear Gorgonzola, Curry Chicken salad, Egg Salad, Shrimp or Crab salad (can't remember which) and Watercress.
Most of these were really good, but I really didn’t care for the pear one. It had a strange texture and I don’t like gorgonzola cheese. I loved the onion tart! Surprisingly, since I’m not a huge fan of onions. I had a hard time getting my mom to try it, she doesn’t like onions either. The duck pâté was interesting. It was ok, but I didn’t love it.

Our next course was a scone and strawberry tart with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

The scone was good, but a little bit more like a biscuit than I am used to. (I guess I’ve had the scones at Starbuck a few times too many!) They gave us a tiny bowl of cream (not enough!) and a mini jar of the jam (plenty!).

For our last course, we had a choice between strawberries and cream, English Trifle or a pick of two pastries from a tray. (The pastries are good, but they are super tiny.) We both chose the Trifle, this I had practically been dreaming of since my last time here! It was just as good as I remembered it.

Garden View Tea was just as good as I remembered it, I was just happy my mom was here to go with me this time!


Coming up: Braving torrential Rains on our way to Biergarten!