Biscuit's Grand Adventure 2 - Adventures in Opposites *TR NOW ACTIVE!

[topdog]

I don't know what to recommend about dining because I am going thru the same dilemma.

Your wasp encounter definitely gives me the distraction I need consider what I am going thru right now.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

GB, this link just conveniently popped up on my FB. Maybe it will give you some ideas:

http://www.****************/top-10-things-disney-world-without-park-ticket/

Poor little wasp!!! Glad at least you survived though

 

[Beka]

Hey all!

It is writing week for this year's Project 168 film and we roll cameras on Friday. My past couple of weeks have been filled with paperwork, phone calls and logistics and my next two will be filled with production and post. It was starting to make me crazy so I wanted to stop by and check in and enjoy a little mini mental vacay.

A minor bit of Disney PTR news. My BIL and his family are on the dining plan. We are not. While it made economic sense in 2009 (the cost was under a hundred bucks a day for the 4 of us), it does NOT make sense in 2014. (The cost would be $240 a day for the 4 of us this summer.)

One of the places that they wanted to eat is O'hana. I loved that place the last time, truly I did. But I don't love it $220 worth. Which is what it would cost me for 4 "adults" (still kills me) at peak season with tax and mandatory gratuity for a party our size. Plus I've since found Fogo de Chao and sorry to say it, but I like their skewered meat better.

Here lies the boggle. The four of them are heading to O'hana after a day at AK. The four of us have to find an alternative dining option that won't kill the bank. IE - It will need to be counter service to fit the budget. Here are the two things I've come up with. 1. Head to AKL, eat at Mara and check out the savanna OR 2. Head to the Pop and visit our favorite food court, then check out Art of Animation. OR possibly DTD and grab some Early of sandwich and then top it off with bread pudding at Raglan Road which I am told is on par with what they serve at O'hana.

OR none of the above.

None of the above. Head to AoA & eat at their food court. The DIS Unplugged folks rave about it. Then you've killed two birds with one stone. Or to Disney-fy it, you've magically graced two birds with one swoop of your magic wand.

If you had to come up with a non-park counter service meal, where would you go?

Earl of Sandwich in DTD is ALWAYS a favorite of ours. If you're into salad, there's a great place that does multiple kinds of salad, soup, pastas, breads called Sweet Tomatoes. They're close to the DTD side of property. If you like Chicago style pizza, try Giordano's. Tijuana Flats has good tacos & such but I'm not sure how close they are to property. Orlando Ale House (I think that's the name??) has huge portions & cheap prices. Not sure what all is in Celebration. Hope that helps!

 

[eandesmom]

Note to self. Don't use WD-40 on a wasp.



Bummer about the pants though.

First and foremost the bread pudding at RR is FAR superior to that of Ohana.

Don't get me wrong. Ohana is good but WOW RR! I wrote a whole post that was an ode to that bread pudding once.

DTD is a train wreck. Parking is a mess, construction walls everywhere, just pretty darn nutty!

That said, an out of the box idea might be Splitsville, the new bowling alley in DTD. You can eat outside without bowling (probably inside too but we didn't try) and while we didn't try their burgers or pizza...the sushi was mind blowing. And they had live music.

Random I know.

I do like The Mara idea. It is a bit exotic for some but we love it, absolutely love it, and I'd pick that over the craziness that is DTD personally. That said, I read that the others are coming from AKL but you theoretically are not given you said non park CS.

We also rather liked Cookes of Dublin in DTD for something different.

 

[joleen76]

Oh GB reading about your wasp encounter was total belly rolling calamity. You see my dh is....we'll say extremely skidish around wasps and will throw anything,spray anything, even put me between him and the wasp and does so without the grace an elephant could have ice skating on roller skates. Insert that image into your story and I had the best visual to put with your words. Thank you so much for that much needed laugh!!!

As for a non park counter service meal....hmmm....There are many options around the Beach Club and Boardwalk and the scenery is beautiful.

 

[englishrose47]

Mark you might want t wonder over to my TR and check out the surprise visitors!!!!

 

[mamamaleficent]

I am joining in (late as usual). The wasp story had me laughing so loud, I thought I was going to wake up the baby.
I vote for Wolf Gang Puck Express at DTD.


PS I was reading your Grand Adventures and a memory came flooding back to me of my husband and I's first "married quarrel" at Epcot in 2010.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Hey all!

I will send replies as soon as I can.

Thanks for all the ideas!

We are on set getting ready to start shooting our Project 168 film. If you are interested, I am posting live updates. GREATBISCUIT at Instagram / @1GreatBiscuit at Twitter.

 

[englishrose47]

Just wishing you a Wasp Free Memorial Day

 

[GreatBiscuit]

That is hilarious!!!!
I'm sorry you fell, but I thank you for your selfless move for the benefit of my amusement.



Oh, and I have no dining recommendations....I'm still too busy chuckling

Happy to entertain!

GB...

I am sorry that you had to experience such calamity with the wasp but happy that you came out the victor (britches notwithstanding).

And now I have laughed so hard I have tears running down my face and would like to sincerely thank you for lightening my mood on a morning when I have to go to work and don't want to. You're my hero.

Howdy and
It's all part of friendly service here at Biscuit's

Dude, you just smack 'em with some rolled up paper or a notebook or somethin'.

Oh, but the first shot's pretty important, so just don't miss.

Yea...did that once...and I missed.

I needed that laugh today!!

As for dining, I completely agree with you. When the dining plan no longer makes economical sense for us (most likely after next March) then shelling out $220 for a meal will become a NO as well. I am shocked at some of the prices such as the Akershus breakfast!

I think that heading to AKL sounds like a lot of fun and a new adventure! We have never ate at Wolfgang Puck, but people rave about it at DTD.

It is a bit insane. We went out with a group in Dallas after a cheer competition and I balked at a $70 tab. Then it struck me that this would have been cheap by Disney standards....decided that I needed to use "real world" thinking on our dining selections. And while I know you won't get apples to apples and will ALWAYS pay a premium in park, there is a limit on things and $220 is well beyond that limit.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Oh my!!! Yeah, I laugh, but I can relate... let's just say there was a teeny-tiny scorpion on my child's bed and a can of extra-hold hairspray, several layers of Kleenex and a hammer were involved. FREEDOM!!!



We actually do this quite often, out-of-park counter serve meals. AK is at the top of our list, for sure! Mara is always yummy and the resort makes for such a nice visit. I'd give it top billing, for sure.

We also love Roaring Fork at WL, if you feel like staying Home. And the counter serve at SSR is always a winner - I particularly like the variety there. I'd avoid DTD altogether this summer - the construction there is making a mess of things.

Eeesh...scorpions...I remember dealing with those when we lived in San Antonio. Thankfully haven't had too many around here. Thanks for the recommendation on Mara!

I think all of your options are good, but I am somewhat partial to going to AKL after a day at AK. It has a nice symmetry to it.

Wow. That sounds nerdy.

P.S. The wasp got what he deserved. Not so sure about you though . . .

I really do want to see AKL....

Non-park counter service:

I've been hearing a lot of negative about the construction at DTD, but we do love going there. My counter service choices would be Cookes of Dublin or Wolfgang Puck's. (I love the idea of trying the Raglan Road bread pudding!)

Another choice would be to head to the Boardwalk -- our favorite place to stroll in the evening. You can get dinner from the Bakery or the Pizza window. And then get dessert from Seaside sweets or the Bakery.

Yeah, the more I read about the construction, the more reluctant I am to try it.

So glad you got the wasp!

Love love love the pizza at Wolfgang Puck Express. While half of our family gets something from WPE and sits down, the other half go and pick up sandwiches from Earl of Sandwich and join the rest of us at WPE. Not entirely sure that it is kosher but no one has stopped us yet!

However, construction might be a limiting factor.

If it is, then I would definitely do Mara and AKL though I do also like the symmetry of going to AK and then AKL, so maybe it should be first choice. We usually do AK and then Boma but that is definitely expensive at summer prices! Thank goodness the animal viewing is free! I haven't eaten at Mara yet but we will this next trip!

I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you choose!

WPE menu sounds pretty nifty. The goofy construction is the main snafu. AKL climbs another rung...

Oh my, I am glad you survived and the wasp did not. We actually had the Bee Man come to our house today to get rid of a large hive.

I am right there with you on the "adult" dining. My 10 yr old eats less than my 7 year old.....

AKV is our home DVC resort and in my humble opinion there is no place like it anywhere. I love everything about it.

Bee hives ain't no joke. Another fun little item to rid yourself of is a hornets nest. Had one at work last summer right next to my office. I made sure I was elsewhere when they showed up to remove that sucker. I really am bitter about the DDP. Our 11 year old eats less than our 10 year old...she's a grazer. AND a picky eater. Even if we did so the adult dining plan for her, she'd be asking for Mac & Cheese every meal.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

I don't know what to recommend about dining because I am going thru the same dilemma.

Your wasp encounter definitely gives me the distraction I need consider what I am going thru right now.

At least we are in the same boat. Glad to give you a distraction!

GB, this link just conveniently popped up on my FB. Maybe it will give you some ideas:

http://www.****************/top-10-things-disney-world-without-park-ticket/

Poor little wasp!!! Glad at least you survived though

Thanks for the link BSG! It gave me a couple of ideas.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

None of the above. Head to AoA & eat at their food court. The DIS Unplugged folks rave about it. Then you've killed two birds with one stone. Or to Disney-fy it, you've magically graced two birds with one swoop of your magic wand.

I love the idea of AoA. I'm still not sure about their menu. It seems like the TR's I read are all either Love it or Hate it. We'll see when we get closer. Gonna get hard and heavy reading reviews the next week or so.

Earl of Sandwich in DTD is ALWAYS a favorite of ours. If you're into salad, there's a great place that does multiple kinds of salad, soup, pastas, breads called Sweet Tomatoes. They're close to the DTD side of property. If you like Chicago style pizza, try Giordano's. Tijuana Flats has good tacos & such but I'm not sure how close they are to property. Orlando Ale House (I think that's the name??) has huge portions & cheap prices. Not sure what all is in Celebration. Hope that helps!

I may have to look up Orlando Ale House....Thanks!

Note to self. Don't use WD-40 on a wasp.



Bummer about the pants though.

First and foremost the bread pudding at RR is FAR superior to that of Ohana.

Don't get me wrong. Ohana is good but WOW RR! I wrote a whole post that was an ode to that bread pudding once.

DTD is a train wreck. Parking is a mess, construction walls everywhere, just pretty darn nutty!

That said, an out of the box idea might be Splitsville, the new bowling alley in DTD. You can eat outside without bowling (probably inside too but we didn't try) and while we didn't try their burgers or pizza...the sushi was mind blowing. And they had live music.

Random I know.

I do like The Mara idea. It is a bit exotic for some but we love it, absolutely love it, and I'd pick that over the craziness that is DTD personally. That said, I read that the others are coming from AKL but you theoretically are not given you said non park CS.

We also rather liked Cookes of Dublin in DTD for something different.

You are the second person I've heard mention Splitsville. (It is hugely popular on the WDW Today podcast.) Hmm....I am intrigued. I think I read your review of the bread pudding. May just have to fight the construction and ride the bus over.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Oh GB reading about your wasp encounter was total belly rolling calamity. You see my dh is....we'll say extremely skidish around wasps and will throw anything,spray anything, even put me between him and the wasp and does so without the grace an elephant could have ice skating on roller skates. Insert that image into your story and I had the best visual to put with your words. Thank you so much for that much needed laugh!!!

As for a non park counter service meal....hmmm....There are many options around the Beach Club and Boardwalk and the scenery is beautiful.

LOL. Well at least I am in good company. That area is another possibility. Decisions!

Mark you might want t wonder over to my TR and check out the surprise visitors!!!!

Hey Rosie. I saw! How cool is that?

I am joining in (late as usual). The wasp story had me laughing so loud, I thought I was going to wake up the baby.
I vote for Wolf Gang Puck Express at DTD.


PS I was reading your Grand Adventures and a memory came flooding back to me of my husband and I's first "married quarrel" at Epcot in 2010.

Howdy and I think we need a some sort of official First Fight Club. You are like the 4th person now who has had the same experience.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Just wishing you a Wasp Free Memorial Day

Thanks Rosie!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Three weeks.

Three weeks from right now, I will be getting ready to check into the Wilderness Lodge.

Three weeks from right now I will be on Day 1.

Three weeks from right now I will be doing the walk between the front desk and our room.

Three weeks from right now, I will be jumping on the beds, stashing away snacks, ordering more towels and toiletries, scheduling turn down service, and preparing for my first ever Disney Waterslide Olympics.

I am just now starting to feel like this is real. The insanity of the past few months is not gone. The schedules, the tight budgets, the endless hours of things that need doing but somehow never seem to get finished, it is all still there. But like a well placed dissolve edit, I am starting to see the fervor and stress of those events begin to fade ever so slightly and the glimmer of our trip is just now starting to fill in.

There is so much yet to be done, yet so much that I have already taken care of. Even with all of the crazy plans of trips gone by, I have NEVER had this level of detail mapped out before. FastPluss+ has changed everything. Add in TouringPlans.com and it’s a minute by minute play by play of virtually our entire trip.

I am in a Wilderness Lodge frame of mind today. I was looking over scrapbook from last time and pouring over our pics from our evening there and remembering how much Tracy loved that place. (She still has no clue BTW. She thinks we are doing 1 night at Pop. The sheer thought of surprising the girls has me full on giddy.) I’ve also been checking out some of the pics of the place and the video tours. (And planning a shot list for my own.)

I am looking forward to our first night at Epcot because it will just be the four of us. I have a special surprise planned for the girls that night. I would tell you, but then what would I have to write about after the trip?

Oh, another sidebar before I forget. I saw on the boards or heard on a podcast that AK now has Dole Whip.

That’s nifty.

Day 7 is the 4th of July. I have us slated for Epcot, but I am reading a LOT of reviews on the Farwerks and the 4th and a lot of folks are claiming DHS is the place to be. Not sure what we will do. All I know for sure is that it will

NOT be MK.

We may stop and see my cousin on the way down.

We may not stop and see my cousin on the way down.

I have begun working on my playlist for the trip. Obviously there is a heavy dose of park music, and Sweet Home Alabama for when we cross that state line. (I grew up in Huntsville, AL before immigrating to Texas in the middle of 3rd grade.)

My plan as it stands now is to depart work around 3. Come straight home and depart for The World at six. Drive to Lake Charles or Baton Rouge. (Arrive between 12 and 2 depending on traffic and how far we go.) Spend the night at someplace cheap but not too cheap. Get a good night’s sleep and leave around 10 the next morning, arrive in St. Augustine around 8. Spend the night with my cousin. Depart the next morning around 8 and drive to The Lodge. (Arrive around 10.)

Day 1 – Room not ready (counting on this): Stash our gear with Guest Services and Head to Epcot. Light activities – Tracy’s RA requires us to pace ourselves.
Room ready (Possible): Stash our gear in the room, I’ll head to Epcot with the girls, and Tracy will probably stay in the room.

2PM – Nick and his family arrive. Waterslide Heat 1 begins.

5PM – We leave for Epcot, Nick and Tamm’s crew leave for Chef Mickeys. (Their girls are both <9 so they are on DDP.)

9PM – Return to resort, hang out until 11 – head to bed.

Day 2 – Nick’s family and myself and my 2 girls will head to MK for rope drop. We will ride 7 Dwarfs Mine Train together and possibly the Ariel ride through thing. (I don’t feel like looking the name up.) They head to breakfast at
9:30 at Cindy’s and my girls and I will hit Space Mountain & Buzz, then cross over to Frontierland for Big Thunder. Nick and crew will join up with us at some point and we’ll hit Pirates, HM and a few others.

If Tracy wants to come over for a while at some point, I will either guide her to the boat launch over the phone or go over and ride back with her while the girls stay in the park with their cousins. (She will be at the end of the effectiveness for her weekly Embrel dose so she will probably only have around 5 hours total for the day that she can handle the parks.)

We will eat lunch around noon, use a FP+ on 7 Dwarfs and then head back to the room around 1. After naps for those children who need it, and heat 2 of the Waterslide Olympics for those who don’t, we grab dinner and head back to MK. They still don’t list this day as EMH, but they have expanded the park hours until Midnight. We plan to close the park down. We have FP+ booked that evening for Enchanted Tales with Belle and Peter Pan. (Wanted something Tracy could do and enjoy without having to stand a long time waiting for.)

That’s it for the first couple of days.

I won’t bore you with details on the rest.

YET.

On a personal note, thanks all for your patience. I thought I would have more written by now, but life has been crazy. I am happy to report our film project went well this year and we will be screening at the Project 168 Festival in L.A. in September.

A couple of screenshots from this year's production: (We went SciFi)

Hope you are all having a great Saturday.

 

[glennbo123]

Sorry to read about Tracy's RA. I didn't realize that.

Very cool that you're keeping WL a secret...that'll be a great surprise!

Dole Whips at AK? Awesome!

 

[Poolrat]

Good news about being so busy - the trip kind of sneaks up on you.

I know you are about to bust with excitement and I know you will have a great time.


I have done the 3rd of July on Poly beach ( but it is mess right now) and the 4th in EPCOT- Great show. Also standing on the bridge by China I could see both DHS and MK fireworks so a three for!!! Just an idea.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Sorry to read about Tracy's RA. I didn't realize that. Very cool that you're keeping WL a secret...that'll be a great surprise! Dole Whips at AK? Awesome!

Thanks Glenn! We suspect it was starting on our last trip. It took a LONG time to get a diagnosis and find a treatment plan that worked for her, she is doing pretty well now. Provided her idiot husband doesn't drag her around a theme park for 12 hours. The surprise is KILLING me! I SO cannot wait to spring that on them!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Good news about being so busy - the trip kind of sneaks up on you. I know you are about to bust with excitement and I know you will have a great time. I have done the 3rd of July on Poly beach ( but it is mess right now) and the 4th in EPCOT- Great show. Also standing on the bridge by China I could see both DHS and MK fireworks so a three for!!! Just an idea.

That it does! Hmm...bridge by China...I'll have to recon that on our first park day at Epcot. Thanks for the tip!