City, Sand, and Savanna - Link to new trip report

[natebenma]

We got to 50’s early, and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the cast member checking us in, he was so George McFly looking. They had more nerds back in the 50’s.

Looks like you had a really great experience at 50's Prime Time. I would love to take my dad there. I know he would get a kick out of it.

What's up with the R2D2 on the shelf? Not exactly a period decoration...

.

 

[glennbo123]

The food at 50's is so good and so hard to choose from! Both the chicken and the pot roast would be my favs!

The pot roast is my favorite easily, then probably the chicken.

Love how Cousin Tiffany photo bombed your pic

It was a fun moment. I'm glad she did it.

Sharing dinners and desserts is a perfect idea considering the portion sizes at Disney are so huge!

It works well when you know you'll be getting more than enough, which takes a visit or two. There are some places (and dishes, like the chicken at PTC) where you know there'll be enough to share.

Looks like a fun lunch! Funny about the waitress photobombing with Poppy and Gram! I've noticed alot of the menus are the same for lunch and dinner, and the prices are the same too - so basically you don't have a lunch menu. So many changes.

Yeah, I'm not thrilled about that. Lauren was definitely disappointed when we found out that sandwiches weren't on the menu....that's what she was planning on.

Popcorn in the ice cream that just sounds horrid. Sorry.

I'm with you, I don't think those textures complement each other.

What a fun update and very good to know (although a bummer) that they've gone to just one menu. That's tough as those are big meal items for lunch, too big for me anyway. We were there in 2009 and it was definitely a different salmon.

Maybe if enough people are splitting entree's, they'll go back to offering some lighter fare. Probably not though, the extra revenue from all the people ordering an entree for everyone will more than make up for it.

Too funny on the meatloaf. Santa brought Evan a Disney Cookbook in his stocking (recipes from WDW, DCL and Adventures by Disney) and he made us the 50's PTC meatloaf for dinner last night!

That is funny. What a timely chapter for you.

Judy hates meatloaf, so I only get it if I ask for it for a birthday meal.

It was quite tasty.

My compliments to the chef. Good job Evan!

I found a recipe online for Flying Fish's potato-wrapped salmon (oops, I haven't gotten to that chapter yet). It looks pretty involved, but the end result would be worth it. <drool>

It was pretty funny though, I was looking at it briefly and noted that at the bottom of the page it said MGM Studios! Checked the original printing and yep, 2004. Made me smile as that's when we went there for the first time.

Ah, good ol' MGM.

Your meal at 50's Prime Time sounds really good! Too funny about Tiffany's photobomb!

It was pretty good, and out of the rain, which was a plus. Tiffany was a fun server.

 

[glennbo123]

That's some fancy looking walkie talkie!!!

It does work a little better than the walkie-talkie's I had as a kid, which were only barely a step up from 2 tin cans and a string.

Some people just don't learn the first time...

I was close to getting put in time out.

Wow, I've never heard of this before. Sounds like a fun experience for you guys though!!

I didn't expect to see them there, but they entered the dining room from the door where the servers were going in and out, so they must enter the park through there.

I'm really glad they have those tips there. If they didn't have that helpful information, I might try to dry my hands with soap.

Exactly. It wouldn't work as well if you got the order wrong.

Gotta love having a fun CM serve you! Did she say anything about taking pictures at the table though???

No. The only time that happened was the trip before, at Whispering Canyon.

One of nature's perfect combinations

I'm kind of with you on that one...

Blech!

Looks like you had a really great experience at 50's Prime Time. I would love to take my dad there. I know he would get a kick out of it.

I hope you get a chance to someday. I think my parents enjoyed it. I'm sure they felt pretty at home!

What's up with the R2D2 on the shelf? Not exactly a period decoration...

I saw that when I posted and wondered the same thing. (That's another benefit of doing a trip report...you look at your pictures a little closer than when you're just flipping through your vacation snapshots.) Those R2D2 mugs are sold in the park at some of the drink carts, and my guess is that someone may have left it at a table and the staff put it there in case they came back for it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

For us, it was a choice between that or Sci-Fi Dine In, but with seven of us, we couldn’t have all been seated in a car together at Sci-Fi. Plus, I knew they’d have some good “home cooking” types of things to choose from at 50’s that Poppy would like.

Good call. Love that place.

We got to 50’s early, and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the cast member checking us in, he was so George McFly looking. They had more nerds back in the 50’s.

Lorraine...you're my density.

The kids arrived right on time and we were seated shortly thereafter. Cousin Tiffany was our server and was really good. She was attentive and timely whenever we needed something and gave us a nice amount of the grief that they’re famous for at 50’s Prime Time. In fact, she got on my case pretty quickly saying, “Why’re you playing with your walkie talkie at the table?”, when she caught me looking at my iPhone.

Awesome. The server really makes or breaks the meal. Glad you got a good one. And that you got into trouble.

You may even remember the “More root beer!” chapter from my last trip report.

How could I forget!

Judy ordered some onion rings as an appetizer, remembering how good these were the last time we ate here. And what’s better than an order of onion rings?

Another time when Tiffany came out I almost spilled my drink, trying to hide my walkie-talkie.

I remember getting walkie-talkies one year for Christmas. My brother and I turned them on and immediately started picking up broadcasts from the neighbor's kids down the street, who had also gotten walkie-talkies for Christmas.

Then he gave James a fake hundred dollar bill and said, “Here’s a hundred dollars, give it to your driver tonight -- it’s the least you can do.”

Awesome!

I went with James to the restroom and had to laugh at this sign. I saw them at every park throughout the week. Thank you Brawny, for the hand washing tips.

I half-expected these to be posted by Special Agent Oso.

Here’s Marlene and Lauren with their dessert.

I had a couple of bites of the dessert and it was pretty good, as you’d expect from a brownie and ice cream. I didn’t get any popcorn in my bites though -- that was a combo I wasn’t interested in trying.

We got the same dessert, and I also pushed the popcorn to the side. The rest of it was great.

We did the Ben & Jerry's factory tour up in Vermont and noted that they had an ice cream in the flavor graveyard that had popcorn pieces in it. They told us it died very quickly because the popcorn had the consistency of pieces of cardboard in the ice cream.

The epitaph for that flavor read:

Peanuts! Popcorn!
Mix 'em in a pot!
Put 'em in your ice cream!
Well...maybe not.

Anyway, I'm glad you had a good time at 50's PT. Love that place.

 

[Flossbolna]

Great update Glen! And a belated Happy New Year as well!!

One of my New Years resolutions is to try to spend more time on the DIS (or let's say more posting time instead of just lurking). I guess having a trip come up makes me more motivated again!!

Seems like you had a wonderful meal despite the fact that they went to the all day menu. I don't like this trend at all and do think that it is mainly done to justify higher prices. I would not mind an all day menu if it had lots of variety, but not if it eliminates sandwiches in favour of heavy meals.

So, what did your parents think of PTC? Considering that they were married in the 50s, I guess they can actually compare it to the real thing. Did it hold up?

 

[Flossbolna]

The epitaph for that flavor read:

Peanuts! Popcorn!
Mix 'em in a pot!
Put 'em in your ice cream!
Well...maybe not.

I love Ben & Jerry - and a huge part is because of their humour, not because of the ice cream.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

mmm onion rings and pot roast....enough said.


well one more thing, great photobomb picture

 

[KatMark]

The 50's were full of nerds???? Us lower class who were born in the 50's aren't so sure we appreciate that.

Great update, Glenn. So glad that you all enjoyed your meal (unfortunately, we did not like ours there in September--well, except for the onion rings-- and probably won't go back; it's a shame, as we had a fabulous cousin.

I love that you got a picture of "your" cousin with your mom and dad.

Can't wait to hear what you all get done next at the Studios.

 

[Poolrat]

I think it is time for a red-do for me at 50PT.

A fun server is what it is all about.

Too funny about Judy hating meatloaf. I am not a big fan either but I have a feeling it was just the way my mother made it.

 

[scottny]

That is too bad about the audition.
OMG! You saw the Cowboy scene and have proof. I have never seen it. You’re lucky.
I love Star Tours. They did a great job on it.
50’s PTC is one of my faves and what fun with the Streetmopshere people.
That brownie sundae is so big. I could not finish it.
Cute R2 on the shelf.
Happy belated holidays.

 

[Elianor]

Coming from a family of nerds, I'd say Nerds Rule! Thanks for the update! It's a great way to start the year.

*see, I don't just post when I want you to update faster*

*now, when will I get my next update?*

 

[eandesmom]

Judy hates meatloaf, so I only get it if I ask for it for a birthday meal.

I'd always hated it too. Bleh. Jeff kept saying he was going to make me his version and never did. Then, for a little while I was buying some pre-prepared meals when I had a brutal commute and had a turkey marsala meatloaf that I didn't hate. Found a recipe for a very different meatloaf and modified it to make it healthier and it's now become a staple! (Chicken Italian Sausage and Turkey, with bell peppers, carrots, red onion, cumin and nutmeg among other things) The ketchup is in the mixture, not as a glaze and I use fat free half and half instead of regular half and half. Something about the cumin, nutmeg and red onion combo is just really cool and different, definitely not traditional. Plus it's uber healthy and chock full of veggies and the whole family inhales it.

The PTC version is much more traditional though Evan did have to sub chicken italian sausage for the ground pork that it called for (so it was a combo of the chicken ital sausage and lean ground beef). It was good, not dry, which is always the thing and for me adding the chicken sausage in helps a ton flavor wise. I still like mine better but I'd eat his anytime he wants to cook it. He likes his better...partially as he made it but also he said it was way less work.

 

[glennbo123]

Good call. Love that place.

Yup.

Lorraine...you're my density.

You take your meathooks off her, Biff!

Awesome. The server really makes or breaks the meal. Glad you got a good one. And that you got into trouble.

Bust mostly that I got into trouble.

How could I forget!

Good. You were paying attention.

Thanks for breaking out the "drooling Homer".

I remember getting walkie-talkies one year for Christmas. My brother and I turned them on and immediately started picking up broadcasts from the neighbor's kids down the street, who had also gotten walkie-talkies for Christmas.

That was a good Christmas. Now they talk to each other through xBox Live.

Awesome!

The Streetmosphere people are awesome!

I half-expected these to be posted by Special Agent Oso.

Had to look that one up....I'm not up on my Disney Junior programs.

Here’s Marlene and Lauren with their dessert.


We got the same dessert, and I also pushed the popcorn to the side. The rest of it was great.

We did the Ben & Jerry's factory tour up in Vermont and noted that they had an ice cream in the flavor graveyard that had popcorn pieces in it. They told us it died very quickly because the popcorn had the consistency of pieces of cardboard in the ice cream.

The epitaph for that flavor read:

Peanuts! Popcorn!
Mix 'em in a pot!
Put 'em in your ice cream!
Well...maybe not.

I agree, the rest of the dessert, without popcorn, was pretty good. Hopefully, the folks at 50's PT will reach the same conclusion as Ben and Jerry's.

Anyway, I'm glad you had a good time at 50's PT. Love that place.

Great update Glen! And a belated Happy New Year as well!!

One of my New Years resolutions is to try to spend more time on the DIS (or let's say more posting time instead of just lurking). I guess having a trip come up makes me more motivated again!!

Yay, we'll enjoy seeing your posts in 2013 then! (I'm happy to benefit from your New Year's resolution. )

Seems like you had a wonderful meal despite the fact that they went to the all day menu. I don't like this trend at all and do think that it is mainly done to justify higher prices. I would not mind an all day menu if it had lots of variety, but not if it eliminates sandwiches in favour of heavy meals.

I totally agree. It's a shame that it steers you away from these restaurants to the quick-service fare.

So, what did your parents think of PTC? Considering that they were married in the 50s, I guess they can actually compare it to the real thing. Did it hold up?

I don't remember them remarking on it all that much really. I think they saw a few things hanging on the walls that they had though, at least at one time.

I love Ben & Jerry - and a huge part is because of their humour, not because of the ice cream.

They have some funny flavor names.

mmm onion rings and pot roast....enough said.

Agreed! ♪ ♪ ♫ These are a few of my favorite things. ♪ ♪ ♫

well one more thing, great photobomb picture

I thought it was so funny when she did that.

 

[that's nice]

Just popping in...

Your 50PT meals looked really good. We skipped our meal there in Nov. We were just not hungry.

The onion rings look really good. I guess I need to go eat lunch now.

 

[glennbo123]

The 50's were full of nerds???? Us lower class who were born in the 50's aren't so sure we appreciate that.

Well, except Elvis of course.

Great update, Glenn. So glad that you all enjoyed your meal (unfortunately, we did not like ours there in September--well, except for the onion rings-- and probably won't go back; it's a shame, as we had a fabulous cousin.

That's a shame....I know the restaurants can be hit-or-miss sometimes. I'm sorry to hear that.

I love that you got a picture of "your" cousin with your mom and dad.

Yeah, I didn't have a good picture of her before this.

Can't wait to hear what you all get done next at the Studios.

I think it is time for a red-do for me at 50PT.

A fun server is what it is all about.

Give it a shot. Remember: onion rings, vanilla coke, pot roast. That's all you need to know. Oh, and maybe a dessert sans popcorn.

Too funny about Judy hating meatloaf. I am not a big fan either but I have a feeling it was just the way my mother made it.

I think it's a texture thing with Judy....doesn't like the bread crumbs and stuff. For a while when I was a kid, I was on a meatloaf sandwich kick. My mom would have to make one about once a week for my lunches. (Don't tell anyone, but I was a little spoiled!)

That is too bad about the audition.

I was afraid that she'd be pretty upset, but she handled the disappointment. I swear, she was sooo close to being picked for a moment there.

OMG! You saw the Cowboy scene and have proof. I have never seen it. Youre lucky.

Yes, it does exist!!!

I love Star Tours. They did a great job on it.

Agreed. I thought it was awesome.

50s PTC is one of my faves and what fun with the Streetmopshere people.

50's and Streetmosphere at the same time -- it was like abuse overload! But in a good way.

That brownie sundae is so big. I could not finish it.

Since we shared, I didn't get much. (Wah!) My kids are getting too big, and getting too many bites in before I can eat everything.

Cute R2 on the shelf.

I think it was only there temporarily. Of course my son James wanted to get one, but fortunately, when he was asking about them we didn't know where they sold them. We later saw them at a vendor-cart, when he wasn't with us.

Happy belated holidays.

Thanks Scott! I hope you enjoyed your holidays too.

 

[glennbo123]

Coming from a family of nerds, I'd say Nerds Rule!

In the movies, they get their Revenge too. Or is that Revenge II?

Thanks for the update! It's a great way to start the year.

You're welcome.

*see, I don't just post when I want you to update faster*

Uh huh. And....

*now, when will I get my next update?*

There it is! I knew that was coming!

I'd always hated it too. Bleh. Jeff kept saying he was going to make me his version and never did. Then, for a little while I was buying some pre-prepared meals when I had a brutal commute and had a turkey marsala meatloaf that I didn't hate. Found a recipe for a very different meatloaf and modified it to make it healthier and it's now become a staple! (Chicken Italian Sausage and Turkey, with bell peppers, carrots, red onion, cumin and nutmeg among other things) The ketchup is in the mixture, not as a glaze and I use fat free half and half instead of regular half and half. Something about the cumin, nutmeg and red onion combo is just really cool and different, definitely not traditional. Plus it's uber healthy and chock full of veggies and the whole family inhales it.

I'm not sure what to say other than, I'd try any of those! I'm not too picky. Judy has some "healthy" meals that we love too. But sometimes we have to make sure that she doesn't go overboard -- for example, a couple of weeks ago she made a root vegetable stew where the recipe said "it's so tasty, you won't even miss the meat!" I said, "it sounds great, but let's throw some stew-beef in there." Let's not get crazy, right?

The PTC version is much more traditional though Evan did have to sub chicken italian sausage for the ground pork that it called for (so it was a combo of the chicken ital sausage and lean ground beef). It was good, not dry, which is always the thing and for me adding the chicken sausage in helps a ton flavor wise. I still like mine better but I'd eat his anytime he wants to cook it. He likes his better...partially as he made it but also he said it was way less work.

It's nice that he's looking out for you!

Just popping in...

Yo!

Your 50PT meals looked really good. We skipped our meal there in Nov. We were just not hungry.

Understandable. If you're not hungry, what's the point? That's the downfall of having to make your dining reservations so far in advance. But hey, you probably allowed somebody else to get in that didn't have a reservation.

The onion rings look really good. I guess I need to go eat lunch now.

I already ate, but I could still toss a few of those onion rings down right now. Mmmmm.

 

[eandesmom]

I'm not sure what to say other than, I'd try any of those! I'm not too picky. Judy has some "healthy" meals that we love too. But sometimes we have to make sure that she doesn't go overboard -- for example, a couple of weeks ago she made a root vegetable stew where the recipe said "it's so tasty, you won't even miss the meat!" I said, "it sounds great, but let's throw some stew-beef in there." Let's not get crazy, right?

I try to stick to healthy meals...that don't taste that way at all.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

I'd always hated it too. Bleh. Jeff kept saying he was going to make me his version and never did. Then, for a little while I was buying some pre-prepared meals when I had a brutal commute and had a turkey marsala meatloaf that I didn't hate. Found a recipe for a very different meatloaf and modified it to make it healthier and it's now become a staple! (Chicken Italian Sausage and Turkey, with bell peppers, carrots, red onion, cumin and nutmeg among other things) The ketchup is in the mixture, not as a glaze and I use fat free half and half instead of regular half and half. Something about the cumin, nutmeg and red onion combo is just really cool and different, definitely not traditional. Plus it's uber healthy and chock full of veggies and the whole family inhales it.

The PTC version is much more traditional though Evan did have to sub chicken italian sausage for the ground pork that it called for (so it was a combo of the chicken ital sausage and lean ground beef). It was good, not dry, which is always the thing and for me adding the chicken sausage in helps a ton flavor wise. I still like mine better but I'd eat his anytime he wants to cook it. He likes his better...partially as he made it but also he said it was way less work.

when parker was little thats how we started making our meatloaf and meatballs, lots of veggies mixed in he had no clue and loved them and your right they made them more flavor full.

but we use beef and sausage for our mixture dont know if i have ever seen the chicken sausage..but will look for it next time.

its also good to throw a little BBQ on the top of the meatballs the last 5 or 10 minutes to get a glazy crust on them...adds some extra good flavor.

 

[Flossbolna]

I totally agree. It's a shame that it steers you away from these restaurants to the quick-service fare.

You know - reading your comment made me wonder whether that change might not be due to the dining plan. People were less likely to use their credits for lunch as they would spend less. Now lunch is as expensive as dinner, so it might steer more people towards lunch reservations.

Btw, just talking about lunch menus: A friend of mine keeps talking about how Fulton's at DTD is one of the best deals for lunch on Disney property. I think they even have a 20% DVC discount as well. I am hoping to get to eat there in the spring and will report back afterwards!

I don't remember them remarking on it all that much really. I think they saw a few things hanging on the walls that they had though, at least at one time.

I think it might be a bit strange to see your old kitchen appliance as theming in a restaurant...

I wonder how long it is going to be until there will be 80's themed restaurants somewhere...

 

[eandesmom]

when parker was little thats how we started making our meatloaf and meatballs, lots of veggies mixed in he had no clue and loved them and your right they made them more flavor full.

but we use beef and sausage for our mixture dont know if i have ever seen the chicken sausage..but will look for it next time.

its also good to throw a little BBQ on the top of the meatballs the last 5 or 10 minutes to get a glazy crust on them...adds some extra good flavor.

We use Chicken Italian Sausage a LOT, I use it anytime something calls for Italian sausage and in a lot of our everyday cooking (stuffed shells/manicotti, pizza soup, etc). They have it at the grocery typically, Isernio's is the brand I see most often but we also get it from our Butcher, homemade where they have sweet, mild or hot. We buy a ton of other kinds of chicken sausages from the butcher and grocery store/Costco but this would be the ground, not links. We also make our meatballs with either turkey or chicken but more often than not buy those if I can find the kinds I like. It's a pet peeve I have with Costco. Amy's (I think) makes a great chicken Italian meatball but Costco is inconsistent in carrying them. Yet they always have the teriyaki ones. Grr. I want them in my pasta, not as an appetizer!

Ok now I feel the need to make my chicken meatballs (with sundried tomatoes in them, yum!).