Biscuit's Grand Adventure | An epic tale three decades in the making!

[All7OfUs]

I just spent two days catching up and reading the entire thread (well, the TR parts at least), and now I'm hoping to join in. After all, I'm only a year late!

See? Told you it was worth it over here. Plenty of gut busting stuff around here--- including brisket.

No problem G.B., be sure to stay safe and have a great time celebrating the family birthday.
Be sure to eat some brisket for me.
Oh yeah, stay away from the rising creeks. We don't want any biscuits floating around on us.

For me too!

Floating biscuits would indeed be a wicked sight indeed. Soggy at the very least!

Howdy all! I had hoped to update yesterday, but the creek rose...literally. We had flash flood warnings all over the place. I worked from home but we were swamped. The next episode is written, I just have to finish getting the photos resized and uploaded. This afternoon we are heading over to the Collins' house. The Colonel is hosting a BBQ for his birthday. If there is anything the Biscuit's can't resist, its a well smoked brisket. Hopefully I'll be able to post everything on Monday.

See you guys soon!.

Stay safe over there! Don't eat so much you make your car too heavy to navigate the high creeks!!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Eeek on the flash flood warnings! Glad things are okay though.

The BBQ sounds so very delish. Mmmmmm!

 

[MKBekka]

Oh man! BBQ!! YUM! Flash floods...yikes. rain...ew. Gross. ick. I hate rain.

 

[PrincessV]

Howdy all! I had hoped to update yesterday, but the creek rose...literally. We had flash flood warnings all over the place.

EEK! Hope all stays dry!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

See? Told you it was worth it over here. Plenty of gut busting stuff around here--- including brisket.



For me too!

Floating biscuits would indeed be a wicked sight indeed. Soggy at the very least!



Stay safe over there! Don't eat so much you make your car too heavy to navigate the high creeks!!

LOL. We did good. I enjoy working at home, but we were short staffed and it wound up being a madhouse for a while.

Eeek on the flash flood warnings! Glad things are okay though.

The BBQ sounds so very delish. Mmmmmm!

It was QUITE tasty.

Oh man! BBQ!! YUM! Flash floods...yikes. rain...ew. Gross. ick. I hate rain.

You wouldn't like it here right now then. We've got more rain falling with another two days worth forcast.

EEK! Hope all stays dry!

Hey V! Me too!


Alrighty all - off to update...should be posted in about 10 min.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Episode 77 - The Beginning of the End

Previously on Biscuit’s Grand Adventure, the Biscuit’s were hopping, the rain was dropping, and Disney magic was in the air. At long last the day I had been dreading had arrived. I was awakened by my phone alarm and was soon up and getting ready. Most of the packing had been done the night before, so all we really had to do was get dressed and pack up the stuff in the bathroom.

Once I had made myself decent, I made sure the girls were up, grabbed my mug and hit the door. My first stop was Everything POP which was buzzing with activity. After wetting my whistle with some caffeinated glory, I cut through the lobby and checked out a luggage cart from bell services. There is no sadder creature than a DIS’er pushing a luggage cart through a resort on checkout day.

I returned to the room and helped Tracy finish getting the girls ready. Once they were nearing done, I began loading up the cart with our luggage. Before long everything was all packed up, and I wheeled the cart out onto the balcony while we did a final walk through. It was with a heavy heart that I bid our room a final farewell and sadly closed the door. While I headed over to check us in for our flight, the girls spent some time browsing the gift shop side of Everything Pop. I wasn’t too confident in my ability to dodge the lobby crowds with a fully loaded luggage cart so I winged it around the building and soon lined up at bell services to check in for our flight. There were two other families in front of me and the entire process took about thirty minutes.

Once we had our boarding passes for the plane and for the Magical Express bus, I returned the cart, got my ID back, and checked in our carryon bags with Bell Services for safe keeping. With all the details now handled, it was time to collect my ducklings and head to our final park. We had a lunch reservation at Crystal Palace and were soon aboard the Magic Kingdom bus. Our ADR was at 11:50 and in typical Biscuit form we were running a few minutes late. We managed to check in at 11:55 and joined a large group on the porch.

Within 5 min were called back up to the podium and shown to our table. I was pretty excited to be inside the Crystal Palace. I had seen it several times during my multitude of Magic Kingdom daytrips and had always wanted to eat there. We wound up sitting by the front window with a view of the castle, albeit over the heads of the crowd on the patio.



The characters were on the other side of the restaurant so once our drink orders arrived we saddled up to the buffet and began filling plates. Tracy and I each took a girl and filled their plates up first, then I sat at the table with them while Tracy got her plate filled. Upon her return I was powerful hungry and couldn’t wait to dive into the various food offerings which had been tempting me from across the room.

This buffet line was definitely the slowest moving of all those which we tried, and it seemed like it was forever before I finally managed to get back to the table. Among the offerings I selected were the infamous corn spoon bread, some sort of pasta something or other, the red skin taters, some type of sliced roast beast, and last but not least, a big pile of fried cabbage. I was surprised to find that final offering on the buffet as it had not been on the menu’s I’d seen. I know cabbage isn’t something most folks get excited about, but I’m the only Biscuit who eats it so when I find it in a restaurant, I gladly partake.

Eeyore was just two tables away by the time I got back so I postponed the beginning of chow time in order to assume photographic duties.



No sooner had we finished taking Eeyore’s picture than the parade began. It looked as if my meal would be delayed yet again as I grabbed the camera and moved for a better angel.



FINALLY I was able to sit down and eat about thirty minutes after we had actually been seated. This little delay only added fuel to the fire and I pretty well inhaled the first plate. (Thus I somehow managed to forget all about shooting some food porn.)

We still had a bit of a wait for the rest of the characters to get to us so I went up for another helping. I’m not sure what all made it on the plate, but I know I had some more cabbage. Soon the characters were all coming by and I once again resumed photo duty.








(Ever wonder if Piglet get's nervous walking past the buffet line on Pork Tenderloin day?)

Once the character’s had gone by, it was time to ponder the dessert possibilities. None of the offerings appealed to me, so I grabbed a couple of more things off the buffet, including some more cabbage. That would make a total of three helpings. Yeah, I said it. I ate three helpings of cabbage just hours before planning to board the atmospheric confines of a commercial airliner. I don’t know if that’s an FAA violation, but if it isn’t it should be, I guaran-dang-tee you. Was it my best decision? No, but it was definitely good eats, and that my friend trumps logic.

The girls had a much more traditional dessert and enjoyed them greatly.





Soon the bill arrived and once all was squared away, it was time to head out. The girls stopped off at the bathroom, then came back to get me so I could see the lounge area that connects the two facilities. It was a little strange to sit and wait in there. Women would enter, then give me this really weird look like they thought I was somehow intruding upon the ladies lounge. I quickly skedaddled and passed the rest of my wait time shooting photos of the topiaries.





The girls soon returned and we were set to enjoy our last few hours in the Magic Kingdom. My overall impressions of the place? It was okay. It wasn't my favorite of the meal, but I didn't loath it either. I'd be up for trying it again sometime, but not until I've done some of the other retaurants first.

BONUS FEATURE 1 – Disney Dining Review.

With our final dining credit now cashed in, perhaps this would be a good time to examine the eternal question. Was paying for the Disney Dining Plan worth it?

Here’s the breakdown on what we would have spent if we had actually paid cash for every meal. (Prices are food + tax only and do not include gratuities.)

Table Service Meals:
Ohana $97.96
Chef Mickey's $101.96
Mama Melrose $72.20
Crystal Palace $83.03
Les Cellier $95.03
Whispering Canyon $95.57
Akershus $100.54
Sub Total $646.29

Counter Service Meals:
Sunshine Season $44.51
Everything Pop $48.13
Pizzafari $36.11
Flametree $45.07
Electric Umbrella $40.79
Sunshine Season $45.09
Backlot Express $39.72
Sub Total $299.42

Snack Credits
Sunshine Season $7.75
Beverly Sunset $4.69
Hollywood Scoops $5.76
Casey's Corner $10.66
Cosmic Ray's $10.66
Popcorn Cart $11.01
Hey Howdy Hey $12.58
Min and Sid's $10.66
Popcorn Cart $3.84
Ice Cream Cart $7.68
Sub Total $85.28

Grand Total $1,030.99

The Disney Dining Plan cost $699.72, leaving us with a difference of $331.27.

So for what we ate, it was a great value. But what if we had been paying out of pocket for every meal? Certainly we would have ordered differently. So to find out the true value of the DDP, I need to look what we would have potentially spent had we been doing every meal out of pocket.

For starters, we would have had fewer table meals. When I sat down to plan our the trip, my original plan was to do three table service and the rest counter service. The three places we would have chosen for table service were: Chef Mickey’s, Ohana & Les Cellier. Chef Mickey’s and Ohana are fixed price venues, so their cost would not have changed. However, had we been ordering at Les Cellier, we would have split an entrée and added two sides, rather than doing 2 entrees and 2 desserts. That would have dropped our bill to 54.73.

Our new Table Service costs would have been:

Ohana $97.96
Chef Mickey's $101.96
Les Cellier $54.73
Sub Total $254.65

For the counter service restaurants, we would have dropped desserts. When the dessert options are removed, our average cost of CS per day, had we ordered everything else the same, would have been $36.39. By converting 4 table service meals to counter service, we would have had 11 table service meals to pay for.

11 X $36.39 = $400.33

For snacks, we would have pretty much done identical selections, HOWEVER, the times we used our snack credits for 4 drinks (3 times during our trip), we would not have paid extra for each girl to get a large Soda. When you take that out of our costs, the amount we would have paid for snacks would have been


Sunshine Season $7.75
Beverly Sunset $4.69
Hollywood Scoops $5.76
Casey's Corner $5.33
Cosmic Ray's $5.33
Popcorn Cart $11.01
Hey Howdy Hey $12.58
Min and Sid's $5.33
Popcorn Cart $3.84
Ice Cream Cart $7.68
Sub Total $69.30

That would have brought our total food costs to $724.28, compared to $699.72 on the DDP. So while the dollar difference only saved us about twenty five bucks, we wound up getting four extra table service meals out of the deal. So for us, it was still worth it.

To extrapolate that out further, had we not planned on doing ANY table service meals at all, our cost would have been $578.81 for all counter service meals and snacks. So for an extra $120, we would have added seven table service meals. (Which in my book was still worth it.)

So there you have it. For us, we felt it was worth the price when we signed up for DDP and now, having been there and done that, my opinion has not changed. And there is the value you can't measure. Our table service meals, though sometimes a pain to get to, were one of the highlights of our trip. Tracy, who believes highly that vacations should be relaxing, really enjoyed the downtime of being able to sit together as a family, away from the heat and crowds and spend some time together. And you know what? I have to agree. This was the first trip I had without blisters and throbbing hooves. Plus it was awesome no having to worry about keeping track of a dining budget while on our trip. Say what you will, but as for me and my Biscuits, we love us some dining plan.

Coming up on the Special Two Part Finale of Biscuit’s Grand Adventure: So long, Farewell, and Amen.

 

[Connie96]

Oh, checkout day, I feel your pain!

Lunch at CP looks like a lovely way to wrap up a week of Disney magic!

We have not ever done the DDP. DH tends to keep meticulous records of how we spent our vacation money and we couldn't justify the cost. And that was several years ago when the DDP cost less and included more. But according the records of our prior trips (during which, we ate some TS and some CS and random snacks and cokes and waters and such), the DDP would just cost more and take up more of our time. Anyway, if it was free, sure, I'd try it, but the kicker is that if DDP is free, I would probably just reschedule for a time when DDP isn't free to avoid the crowds that accumulate during that particular promotion. Catch 22.

(I haven't watched an episode of M*A*S*H in... years, I guess. But, I still recognized the reference... )

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Oh, checkout day, I feel your pain!

Lunch at CP looks like a lovely way to wrap up a week of Disney magic!

We have not ever done the DDP. DH tends to keep meticulous records of how we spent our vacation money and we couldn't justify the cost. And that was several years ago when the DDP cost less and included more. But according the records of our prior trips (during which, we ate some TS and some CS and random snacks and cokes and waters and such), the DDP would just cost more and take up more of our time. Anyway, if it was free, sure, I'd try it, but the kicker is that if DDP is free, I would probably just reschedule for a time when DDP isn't free to avoid the crowds that accumulate during that particular promotion. Catch 22.

(I haven't watched an episode of M*A*S*H in... years, I guess. But, I still recognized the reference... )

Right now, the girls are only $9.99 each on the DDP. Once they are "of age", the value pendulum definitely begins to swing the other way. (It would have increased the price of the DDP by $420 if we paid adult price for them.) Glad you caught the reference! It was a staple growing up.

 

[Millie12591]

Most excellent post G.B.! I loved eating at Crystal Palace, but we ate breakfast, so this might have had something to do with it. Next time you eat there you must eat the breakfast, you won't walk away feeling like you did about lunch. They have things there you won't find just anywhere else, like the breakfast lasagna, mmmmmm. It will put a few pounds on you, but soooo worth eating.
I'm sad your TR is coming to an end. Will we see much of you on here after your done?

 

[PrincessV]

There is no sadder creature than a DIS’er pushing a luggage cart through a resort on checkout day.

Yeah, I said it. I ate three helpings of cabbage just hours before planning to board the atmospheric confines of a commercial airliner.

That would have brought our total food costs to $724.28, compared to $699.72 on the DDP. So while the dollar difference only saved us about twenty five bucks, we wound up getting four extra table service meals out of the deal. So for us, it was still worth it.

I still can't figure out where the tipping point lies with the DDP. Yours isn't the first calculation I've seen come out in favor of it, but when I calculate my own I never come near breaking even! I'd been thinking the asnwer lay in desserts, but you excluded those, too. I dunno. But I'm super glad it worked out for the Biscuits!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Most excellent post G.B.! I loved eating at Crystal Palace, but we ate breakfast, so this might have had something to do with it. Next time you eat there you must eat the breakfast, you won't walk away feeling like you did about lunch. They have things there you won't find just anywhere else, like the breakfast lasagna, mmmmmm. It will put a few pounds on you, but soooo worth eating.
I'm sad your TR is coming to an end. Will we see much of you on here after your done?

I will be here. We may do a breakfast there at CP one day. Our problem with breakfast is that we're up till midnight or later EVERY night.

I still can't figure out where the tipping point lies with the DDP. Yours isn't the first calculation I've seen come out in favor of it, but when I calculate my own I never come near breaking even! I'd been thinking the asnwer lay in desserts, but you excluded those, too. I dunno. But I'm super glad it worked out for the Biscuits!

I think it depends on the number of kids you have on the $9.99 plan. When you take them out of the equation, it tips the other way.

 

[MrsSpratt]

So sad it is almost over.

And one of the BEST "is it worth it?" breakdowns I have ever seen!

 

[eliz991]

I know you've been writing this forever, but I still don't want it to end! Can you make up a few extra days and photoshop some pics?

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

very much enjoyed your break down of the bills for the trip.

thanks for sharing that, i am sure my parents will keep all the bills as well for our trip.

 

[shannn]

I totally agree about the sad DISer checking out. No matter how much time we spend, it's never enough!

I came to the same conclusion on our DDP. We obviously saved money on what we ordered in restaurants. I know we probably wouldn't have ordered those same things if we weren't on the DDP, but we got to experience a lot of restaurants that we never would have gotten to experience. It was a great chance to sit and enjoy the time rather than rush from place to place!

 

[glennbo123]

That would make a total of three helpings. Yeah, I said it. I ate three helpings of cabbage just hours before planning to board the atmospheric confines of a commercial airliner. I don’t know if that’s an FAA violation, but if it isn’t it should be, I guaran-dang-tee you. Was it my best decision? No, but it was definitely good eats, and that my friend trumps logic.

Hilarious!

Coming up on the Special Two Part Finale of Biscuit’s Grand Adventure: So long, Farewell, and Amen.

Oooh, I loves me a good M*A*S*H reference.

 

[carissanboys]

I love your photos of the topiaries. So bright.

I agree with your breakdown of whether or not the DDP is "worth it." Of course we could all eat more cheaply than the cost of the dining plan. But, the dining plan allows us to eat at more restaurants and choose more expensive meals. It's a personal thing to decide if it's worth it for you.

 

[praisehisname]

You're such a talented writer; I'm really going to miss reading your report!

We were not thrilled with Crystal Palace for dinner, either. However, I have heard that breakfast is much better.

Denise

 

[GreatBiscuit]

So sad it is almost over.

And one of the BEST "is it worth it?" breakdowns I have ever seen!

Hey Mrs. Spratt. I’m both sad and relieved.

I know you've been writing this forever, but I still don't want it to end! Can you make up a few extra days and photoshop some pics?

Hmmm….a Virtual TR…that has possibilities.

very much enjoyed your break down of the bills for the trip.

thanks for sharing that, i am sure my parents will keep all the bills as well for our trip.

No prob! Happy to be of service.

I totally agree about the sad DISer checking out. No matter how much time we spend, it's never enough!

I came to the same conclusion on our DDP. We obviously saved money on what we ordered in restaurants. I know we probably wouldn't have ordered those same things if we weren't on the DDP, but we got to experience a lot of restaurants that we never would have gotten to experience. It was a great chance to sit and enjoy the time rather than rush from place to place!

I think I could a stay a month and STILL be sad on checkout day! DDP was good for us as we still have 2 kids at the lower rate.

Oooh, I loves me a good M*A*S*H reference.

"I just don't know why they're shooting at us. All we want to do is bring them democracy and white bread. Transplant the American dream. Freedom. Achievement. Hyperacidity. Affluence. Flatulence. Technology. Tension. The inalienable right to an early coronary sitting at your desk while plotting to stab your boss in the back." - Hawkeye

I love your photos of the topiaries. So bright.

I agree with your breakdown of whether or not the DDP is "worth it." Of course we could all eat more cheaply than the cost of the dining plan. But, the dining plan allows us to eat at more restaurants and choose more expensive meals. It's a personal thing to decide if it's worth it for you.

Thanks! It’d def a personal thing and I think depends a lot on the makeup of your group.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

You're such a talented writer; I'm really going to miss reading your report!

We were not thrilled with Crystal Palace for dinner, either. However, I have heard that breakfast is much better.

Denise

You Ninja Posted on me! I'm glad you've enjoyed it. From what I've heard, breakfast is the place to be when it comes to Crystal Palace.