Did I Hear That Right? A Solo Adventure at WDW Updated 8/30

[Pluto0809]

So, what did I think of All Star Music? Let’s take a quick walk back through the resort……..



















The resort was very colorful and well themed. That being said, it was not my favorite resort. I would definitely stay there again especially on a solo trip since I’m never in the room but I did find some very nit-picky stuff that I did not like.

1. The whole resort seemed a little worn like it needed a serious rehab. The carpet in my room for example was very worn. No stains on it but it was very faded in the high traffic areas.

2. I was somewhat disappointed in the selections in the food court. It seemed very limited compared to POP which is the only other value I’ve stayed at.

3. I really missed the mug washing stations that they had at POP. I ended up in the lobby restrooms washing mine each day and I saw many other people doing that also.

4. There were a lot of cheerleaders at the resort. While they never bothered me with extra noise all week, I wonder if this was because of how cold it was. No one was spending time outside. They took up a lot of the big tables in the food court but being by myself, I could always find a small table. I mostly brought this up because I know they bother some people a lot.

Everything else with the resort was wonderful. I had no problems with buses other than the one long trip from DTD but I expected that. I never had one problem with noise but again that could have been because of the cold. I barely saw anyone in the pool the whole time I was there.

Up Next: Food Porn!!

 

[wiigirl]

Can't wait for the "Food Porn"

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I have no desire to ever stay at the All-Star resorts, but it sounds like you had a good stay. I think the lack of mug washing station would annoy me the most!!

 

[katt789]

Don't think I commented, but, nice souviner posts! Lotsa pluto thats for sure!!

I did enjoy ASMu, having no mug wash was a downside, but that was about it! Sports seemed more run down to me, but who knows
Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Pluto0809]

Can't wait for the "Food Porn"

Coming right up!

I have no desire to ever stay at the All-Star resorts, but it sounds like you had a good stay. I think the lack of mug washing station would annoy me the most!!

I want to try all the values at least once. I'll be hitting All Star Sports in February so I'll just have All Star Movies and AOA to go. After that I'll probably end up a POP unless AOA really blows me away.

Don't think I commented, but, nice souviner posts! Lotsa pluto thats for sure!!

I did enjoy ASMu, having no mug wash was a downside, but that was about it! Sports seemed more run down to me, but who knows
Glad you enjoyed it!

I did get lots of Plutos! I was suprised how much new stuff there was since I had just been there in November.

Oh boy, I hope Sports isn't too run down since that's were we are staying in February!

 

[Pluto0809]

In my last TR, I ranked the meals from best to worse in my food review. I didn’t really have a clear order this trip so I’m just going to review them in the order I ate them. I’m not going to bother reviewing my banana and bagel breakfasts.

Intermission Food Court - All Star Music Resort

For this meal I had Spaghetti & Meatballs



And a Chocolate Chip Cookie for dessert:



This was probably the worse meal I had during the trip. Service was fine but the food was just ok. The noodles had obviously been sitting in water for a long time and were very mushy. The sauce and meatballs were nothing special. The cookie on the other hand was delicious!

Rose & Crown Tavern – Epcot

Rolls



Scotch Egg Appetizer



Fish & Chips



Queen’s Cake



Rose and Crown is one of my favorite restaurants at WDW mainly for the Scotch Egg appetizer. It was wonderful as usual and I enjoyed every bite. Service though this time was a little slow. My waitress disappeared on my one time for almost 10 minutes when I was desperate for some more water. The fries in my main course were to die for, some of the best fries ever. The fish on the other hand was a bit mushy which didn’t sit well with me. I have texture issues and if a food doesn’t have the texture I’m expecting I have a hard time eating it. I ended up leaving some of the fish on the plate although I might have anyways since I ordered an appetizer. The Queen’s Cake was very good although I never did figure out what to do with the stuff in the shot glass. All that being said, I will be back at Rose and Crown this October and will probably order the same dish. I just love that restaurant too much to let a few bad things keep me from coming back.

Columbia Harbor House – Magic Kingdom

Fish & Chicken plate with fries



Chocolate Cake



This was the meal that I learned the small downside of the solo trip as I spilled my coke all over my chocolate cake and didn’t want to lose my table to go get extra napkins. At least my cake was covered so it didn’t get ruined!

Writing this I realized I had fish and chips two meals in a row. Well, being a picky eater, that’s kind of the story of my life. I have very little variety in my diet! This meal was wonderful. The fries were good although they couldn’t match the ones from Rose & Crown. Both the fish and chicken was delicious. The chocolate cake was good but nothing special. I prefer the chocolate mousse that you sometimes get at the counter services.

Be Our Guest – Magic Kingdom

I started out this meal with a glass of wine and some rolls





Cornish Hen with fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables



Chocolate Cupcake



This meal was the clear winner out of all my meals on this trip. The entire experience from start to finish was so magical! I have reservations for here in both October and February and cannot wait to eat here again. If you get any chance to eat here, even if it’s just for lunch, go for it!

Service in the restaurant was excellent, my food came out in record time and my server took great care of me. The Cornish Hen and potatoes were delicious. I didn’t eat the other vegetables because I don’t like vegetables other than potatoes. I was really sad to find out they took this dish off the menu. I really hope the new chicken dish is as good. I may also go for the steak some time. I would love to try the pork dish that everyone raves about but pork and I don’t get along.

And then there was chocolate cupcake! This thing was so good it had to warrant a new paragraph. I have had dreams about this thing. I’m not even sure why it was so good, it just was! I think I’ve told everyone that is coming on the next two Disney trips with me about this cupcake! I would eat at Be Our Guest again just to get another one even if I had hated the rest of the meal.

Flame Tree Barbeque – Animal Kingdom

½ Chicken Plate with beans and Cole Slaw



Chocolate Mousse



Yum, yum, yum and yum! Flame Tree is my go to at AK and I loved every bite of my chicken, beans and chocolate mousse. Unfortunately the Cole Slaw went to waste because I don’t like it. I thought about offering it to some of the other diners in my section but I figured that would be viewed as a little weird.

Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

Continued from Previous Post

The Plaza Restaurant – Magic Kingdom

Hamburger, ketchup only with Fries:



Chocolate Milkshake



This was my first time eating at The Plaza and it won’t be the last. I didn’t even realize the restaurant existed until I started reading TRs on the DIS. I thought it was just an ice cream parlor. I am really glad I discovered this little hidden gem.

I really enjoyed my burger and fries and the Milkshake was to die for. The atmosphere of the restaurant is really cute and the service was great. I had a wonderful view of the castle while I ate. I was planning on taking DH here in October but managed to snag a Be Our Guest reservation for that night so I may have to cancel if I can’t find BOG for a different night.

Backlot Express – Hollywood Studios

Chicken Tenders and Fries



Chocolate Chip Cookie



Backlot Express was not my original lunch destination for my HS day. I wanted to go to Pizza Planet but after getting sick on Star Tours, pizza just did not sound good. I opted for the blander choice of chicken tenders. What can I say, Disney chicken tenders are good. Yep, that’s about it. I can’t really review the cookie because I saved it for later which ended up being a week later. It was kind of stale by then. I also struggled to find a table here, it was really crowded inside because of the cold weather so I ended up sitting outside and shivering through my meal.

Mama Melrose – Hollywood Studios

Rolls



Penne Pasta, add Chicken



Mama Melrose is another one of my favorites at WDW. I’ve eaten there three of my last four trips and am a bit sad I won’t be catching it in October or February. DH is not a fan of Italian Food and my family wants to try something different at HS in February.

I love the Penne dish with the chicken added. Adding chicken to a pasta dish is one of my favorite things. I also love to add it to pizza. My server was very busy and although she wasn’t chatty, she did take very good care of me. I did struggle a little to finish my pasta because I had a Starring Roles cupcake that afternoon and was not all that hungry. That is why there is no dessert picture, I ended up skipping it this meal. The only downside of the meal was the 45 minute wait I had before I was seated. My ADR was 4:45 and I didn’t get seated till 5:30. That’s the first time I’ve had that problem at Mama Melrose so maybe they were just really busy that day.

Coral Reef Restaurant – Epcot

Roll



Seared Trout with Mashed Potatoes



Baileys & Jack Daniels Chocolate Mousse



This trip was mostly about my favorite restaurants and Coral Reef is no exception. I was seated very quickly and on the bottom tier near the aquarium. I love the whole look of this restaurant and the service has always been great. This time was no exception.

My trout dish was delicious. It had originally come with a warm bean salad but being picky I subbed for mashed potatoes which were really good. My main reason for this meal though was the mousse. I think I went on enough about the mousse and how much I love it in my original post so I won’t bore anyone with a repeat. I will say that this has been my favorite dessert at WDW right up till I tried that cupcake at BOG. The two are now tied in my mind.

Casey’s – Magic Kingdom

Hot Dog with ketchup



Fries



Chocolate Brownie



Casey’s is my second favorite counter service in MK after Columbia Harbor House. When I was at WDW in 2010 for the first time in 12 years, Casey’s was our first meal of the trip. We ate hot dogs and fries while sitting on the curb and watching the people walk by and taking in everything about Main Street. Casey’s will always have a special place in my heart just for that memory alone.

That being said, I didn’t enjoy this meal as much as I usually do because my stomach had had enough strange foods for one week. There was nothing wrong with the food, the hotdogs and fries and Casey’s are very good. And I adore the chocolate brownies. I had just reached my limit for the trip!

And that my friends, is the end. Thank you one and all for following along on my journey! I will be starting a PTR very soon for my October trip and will post a link here. I hope I’ve entertained you enough to hop over there and join me for that ride.

 

[oopsiDAISY]

FINALLY~ the post I have been waiting for!!! You know I love my Disney food! I just ate breakfast, but still...I will take one of EVERYTHING please!!! Oh, how I will miss my Disney food this October...but I do aim to try the mini donuts at Blizzard Beach when I go!

Great TR, Ariana! With so many trips still planned you should be able to keep us entertained for months!!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

All that food is making me hungry, and I just finished my bagel. I'm looking forward to dinner at BOG and will be getting the new chicken, so I'll let you know how it is!

Can't wait for the PTR!

 

[marDgreen88]

I enjoyed the TR. Not really much of a PTR person but I'll definitely be in for the next TR!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Pluto0809]

FINALLY~ the post I have been waiting for!!! You know I love my Disney food! I just ate breakfast, but still...I will take one of EVERYTHING please!!! Oh, how I will miss my Disney food this October...but I do aim to try the mini donuts at Blizzard Beach when I go!

Great TR, Ariana! With so many trips still planned you should be able to keep us entertained for months!!

I KNEW you would like that post!

All that food is making me hungry, and I just finished my bagel. I'm looking forward to dinner at BOG and will be getting the new chicken, so I'll let you know how it is!

Can't wait for the PTR!

I know, I've been hungry all day after posting that. Oh, I look forward to reading your review on that new dish!

I enjoyed the TR. Not really much of a PTR person but I'll definitely be in for the next TR!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Thanks! I totally understand not being into the PTRs but you might want to check out just the first 4 or so posts. They are more like a TR than a PTR.

 

[Pluto0809]

I got done with stuff at work much earlier than I thought today so I went ahead and started the PTR! Here's a link if you want to join in.

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! An Oct 2013 PTR

 

[Luvchefmic]

Funny we not only LOVE Pluto but we have a lot of favorite restaurants, similar food tastes Oh that cupcake at BOG

I only stayed at the All Stars once, but maybe it isn't a fair opinion it was a LONG time ago and I had driven down from NY ( really pushed in the final 6 hours) and looked like I got hit by a truck when I crawled into the lobby

Either POP Warner or something else was going on No matter how tired I was the noise was unbearable Ended up sleeping in the car and was moved to an available room the next day ( over to Movies maybe ? )

Anyway I LOVE POP, have stayed at a good deal of Deluxes and Moderates ( before they were DVC and when I could afford them ) and have to say my absolute favorites are AKL and Ft Wilderness and right now I am moving over with you to the NEW PTR !!

 

[Pluto0809]

Funny we not only LOVE Pluto but we have a lot of favorite restaurants, similar food tastes Oh that cupcake at BOG

I only stayed at the All Stars once, but maybe it isn't a fair opinion it was a LONG time ago and I had driven down from NY ( really pushed in the final 6 hours) and looked like I got hit by a truck when I crawled into the lobby

Either POP Warner or something else was going on No matter how tired I was the noise was unbearable Ended up sleeping in the car and was moved to an available room the next day ( over to Movies maybe ? )

Anyway I LOVE POP, have stayed at a good deal of Deluxes and Moderates ( before they were DVC and when I could afford them ) and have to say my absolute favorites are AKL and Ft Wilderness and right now I am moving over with you to the NEW PTR !!

Yep, we are alike in a lot of ways Ruthie!

Yuck on all the noise at All Stars! I'm glad I didn't run into anything like that. POP is definitely my favorite so far but I do want to try all the values before I make my final pick. I don't know that I will ever stay at a Deluxe resort. I just don't spend enough time at the resort to justify the price. I just love the in your face "Disneyness" of the values. See you over in the new PTR!

 

[ronnmel]

I'm a few weeks late, but I enjoyed reading your last few updates and your whole TR.

 

[LisaKeys]

Well, just about a year since you started this TR, and I'm jumping on board, and I am enjoying it! Just wanted to drop in and say the address book you purchased is the exact same pattern that's on my Wrist Rest - Mouse Pad. I love the vintage look of it.

Looking forward to reading more of your TR. Have a Happy New Year!

 

[missjackiemcg]

I really enjoyed your October TR which led me to reading your others. I am always telling my DH that one day I'm just going to head down and do WDW myself so there won't be anyone standing in the way of my master plan

Your trip inspired me that this may actually be possible! I'm always thinking maybe it would be awkward or not as magical without my two guys to share it with (DH and DS4) but it seems like you got a lot of magical moments in!!

Thanks for sharing! I'm heading over to start reading your TR with your Mom. One of the most magical trips I've ever taken to WDW was just me and my Mom, the last Christmas before I got married. Looking forward to reading all about your trip