Dining Review: Labor Day Weekend with Every Kind of Appetite You Can Imagine! (Vegan, Non-Vegan, Allergy, Drinkers, etc.)

[rosiebean]

My extended family recently returned from a 5-night trip over Labor Day weekend. We had a large party (ten plus most meals) with a variety of dining requirements, from vegan, to decidedly non-vegan, to a few with allergies, to people who prefer a pescatarian/vegetarian diet most meals (though not all). Most members of our party also enjoy adult beverages! Our ages ranged from 16 to 60 plus.

With that in mind, here's a quick-ish review of our dining experiences. No pictures, sadly! Blame it on my family's tendency to SnapChat everything instead of documenting trips the old-fashioned way!

Day 1, Thursday Aug. 31. Arrival day!

Five members of our party arrived at MCO around 9 p.m. via two separate flights.

I was traveling with my two DS's (16/soon to be 17-year-old and 18-year-old) on a flight scheduled to arrive around 7:30 p.m., but weather delays in Orlando had other ideas. We waited close to two hours before departing and arrived at MCO around 9:10. My sister and brother-in-law were expected to arrive around 9, and a slight delay had their flight landing just after ours did. The timing was great, because we were able to meet up after collecting bags and share a cab to the Swan, where we were each staying for one night.

Why is our flight information important to a dining review? Because, friends, the delay intruded upon my carefully planned dining for that evening . My initial idea was to order dinner through GrubHub from one of a couple of restaurants with vegan and non-vegan options that would appeal to both DS's. With a flight scheduled to arrive at 7:30, we estimated an 8:45-ish arrival at Swan, and the plan was to order dinner when we were close to the hotel. Since our flight actually landed around 9:15, we arrived at the Swan around 10:30. The restaurants we'd hoped to order from weren't open for GrubHub at that point, so we were stuck (and hungry after so-so airport pizza and fries eaten when our flight was originally to have taken off).

Of course, I knew flight delays can happen. And they did, but sadly, this overworked mom didn't pack snacks. I remembered EVERYTHING on my list but thought "if push comes to shove and we're late, we can grab something at MCO." Well, between our excitement to get there and meeting up with my sister, we didn't.

So after arriving at the Swan and checking in, we made it to our rooms by 10:45. DS's were too tired to walk over to QS at the Dolphin, everything at Swan other than sit-down places were closed (and most sit-down places were closing), so our dinner on arrival night was the remainder of two half-eaten bags of chips I'd bought during the delay and some airplane snack sized nuts and pretzels my sister donated to us. It was enough to satisfy our hunger.

One bright note: my sister and I dashed down to Il Mulino Lounge and were able to get a to-go glass of wine to take up to our rooms (even though we made it there a bit after 11, when they were officially closed). Bless them. I know we could have gone over to Kimonos, but we were so tired and ready to get to our rooms and relax. The wonderful staff at Il Mulino made that possible. We tipped well!

Next up: It's a good thing we weren't stuffed from a late dinner, because we ate well at Hollywood Studios! Also, the rest of our party arrive in time for MNSSHP fun and snacks.

 

[rosiebean]

Day 2, Sept. 1, part 1: Breakfast at the Swan, Second Breakfast and Lunch Hollywood Studios

Lights weren't out until after midnight, but I still woke up just after 7 a.m. I was too excited to get back to sleep (and figured I could nap in-between park visits), so I left DS's sleeping and headed downstairs to Java to pick up coffee and breakfast.

Along with a coffee for myself, I picked up an Egg Muffin, Mickey Waffles, and a pastry to take up to the room to share. Service was very quick, and everything was excellent.

Quick note: my oldest, our trip vegan, tries very hard to eat a totally plant based diet. Sometimes circumstances and budget make that difficult, so he'll have vegetarian meals from time to time. Occasionally (very occasionally) he'll eat fish and very rarely (very rarely) meat. What that means for our trip he was fine eating the Mickey Waffles knowing they weren't vegan.

After meeting up at HS and hitting a few rides, we had a mid-morning ADR, aka second breakfast, at Oga's Cantina. We ordered one of each kind of snack, the Batuu Bits (space veggie chips and dip) and the Happabore Sampler (a space themed charcuterie plate). Drinks included adult drinks - Jedi Mind Trick and Bespin Fizz - along with a few Carbon Freezes.

Service was a bit slower here than it was at Java (and we'd find that a theme throughout our stay), but everything was really good. Oldest DS was happy with the Batuu Bits and the hummus-type dip on the Happabore Sampler. The rest of us had fun figuring out what was actually on the Happabore Sampler! Drinks were very well made as well.

We spend a bit under an hour at Oga's before heading out for a few more rides.

Since we were heading to MK for the Halloween party later that night, we had a late lunch planned. Originally, I'd booked an ADR at Sci Fi (which my kids adore). However, the night before, when I was sipping my to-go wine and eating airplane snack pretzels, I found an ADR at the new Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Toy Story Land. Since we'd never eaten there (and since their vegan and non-vegan reviews were really good), I had my oldest DS book a table on his MDE ap. After a quick text exchange to see if my sister and brother-in-law were good with the change, we canceled the meal I'd reserved at Sci Fi.

It was the best decision we made all trip. Roundup Rodeo BBQ was FABULOUS. It took a little while for our server to get to our table, and then for our drink orders to be taken (and for drinks to come out). But after that, everything was very well paced. The meal wasn't rushed at all, something I've experienced (and hated) at other WDW restaurants.

Moreover, everything was sooooo tasty. We started with the biscuits and salads - tomato, watermelon, and romaine and kale. Salads were good, especially the tomato one. The biscuits were amazing and we just about devoured them (and my vegan DS asked for the last piece after eating a gluten-free roll that left a bit to be desired).

For our four sides, we ordered baked beans, mac and cheese, fried pickles, and veggie slaw. Everything was, again, really good, especially the mac and cheese and veggie slaw.

The family-style BBQ platter was the big hit, though, both the vegan one and non-vegan. On the regular meat-eater platter, the ribs and chicken were our favorites (both were fall-off-the-bone tender and so smokey and flavorful). The sausage and brisket were very good as well. My vegan DS said his platter was excellent, especially the veggie brat and "rib" chop. The vegan platter comes with a kind of breaded cauliflower, which the table shared. Ours server asked if we wanted more of anything, but we were full (though a bit tempted for more biscuits and chicken).

We were almost too stuffed for dessert, but still managed to finish them . All the non-vegans ordered the Chocolate Silk Pie. Our vegan diner had the plant-based Peach-Strawberry pie. The dessert portions aren't huge, which is a plus after such a big meal! The desserts were also very, VERY sweet, and I find smaller sizes better in that circumstance. We had no complaints, to say the least.

For drinks, I had a seasonal wheat beer in a can. It was so good after such a hot morning! (And it was HOT and so humid that day.) My sister had a draft (forget which kind), which she also liked. Younger DS had the frozen cocoa, which is really a chocolate milkshake. He downed it, so I guess it was good! Everyone else had basic non-alcoholic beverages, which were refilled when needed with no waiting.

All in all, this was a great meal. The atmosphere was fun, and I still think about how tender and smokey that chicken was! When I asked both DS's this past weekend what their favorite meal during our trip was, they both said Roundup Rodeo BBQ.

Next up: Meeting up with the rest of our party at MNSSHP!

 

[DaisyNY]

Following along…haven’t tried Roundup Rodeo yet! May have to include it on our November trip!

 

[rosiebean]

Day 2, Sept. 1, part 2: Eating at MNSSHP

After Round Up, we split ways with my sister and brother-in-law. My DS's wanted to look into getting a droid and light saber (something we weren't able to do on a previous trip due to circumstances), so we made sure to get that long awaited task out of the way before heading to Poly where we were checking into a DVC studio for the remainder of our trip.

After a rest much enjoyed rest in our studio, we headed to MK to meet up with the entirety of our party (three nieces, two nephews, and a nephew in law, for a total of 11). The nieces/nephews arrived at MCO midday and/or drove and arrived midday headed to their resorts (Swolphin and POR). Those at Swolphin hit up Kimonos for sushi and drinks when it opened, and they enjoyed it a lot.

After a joyous reunion outside of Tron around 6:30 (we got a great boarding group during the party), we concentrated on that side of the park. Before heading toward the other side, we stopped at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe for food. Among our many orders were the Vegan Patty Melt, Chicken Strips, Burgers, and Zombie Fingers (among probably other dishes, but were spread among three tables).

I didn't have any of the Zombie Fingers, but they were scarfed up at their table.

The burger and chicken fingers were a park burger and chicken fingers. Nothing special but still satisfying. Fries were great, hot and crispy. The plant patty melt was good as well according to my DS (who said the flavor reminded him of a big mac). His only complaint was that part of the bread was a little soggy.

As with each of our trips to MNSSHP, we were focused on riding our favorites while lines were low (and we were very lucky in this regard). This meant we didn't snack nearly as much as we wanted to during the event.

That said, a few younger members of our party did stop by Main Street Bakery and said the special cinnamon roll was very good. Apparently, the Churro Cart was also a hit. I believe a few other snacks were had, but those are the ones I remember people mentioning the next day.

While my DS's and I didn't get as many special party treats as we'd wanted to, we did stop by several trick or treating spots during the night. The cast members handing out candy were very generous. so we had candy to snack on in our hotel room the rest of the trip (and we still have some at home now!).

Next up: Breakfast at 'Ohana's before heading to Animal Kingdom. And just like our lunch plans on Friday were switched at the last minute, so were our dinner plans on Saturday!

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Great TR so far. Looking forward to seeing 'Ohana breakfast and all the future meals. And sounds like you did a great job managing a large group - I could use some tricks and tips - once the group get over about 6 I find it difficult to manage.

 

[rosiebean]

Sorry for the delay in this update, but work got nuts! Good nuts, but still nuts lol.

Day 3, Sept. 2, part 1: 'Ohana!

Our ADR at 'Ohana was at 8:30 the Saturday after MNSSHP. Breakfast at 'Ohana is a bit of a tradition for my two DS's and I when we're at WDW. My youngest has always loved Stitch and Pluto, my oldest loves Stitch these days, AND we were staying at Poly. So of course I had to make sure we had breakfast here.

I made this ADR for for 8 people given that it was the day after MNSSHP. I knew some of our party would want to sleep in, and I was right! In the end, 7 of us made it to breakfast, and some of use barely made it.

My nieces and nephews who were at Swolphin joined us for breakfast, and they were making great time according to their texts. Just as our group of 3 was walking toward the check in area for 'Ohana at 8:20, I got a message that the other 4 were getting on the monorail and heading toward the Polynesian. But...

They got on the wrong monorail.

So a few minutes after the "we'll be there in a few minutes" text I get a frantic "the monorail didn't stop, we're going past the Grand Floridian, it's still not stopping!!!" message.

I'm not going to lie, it was stressful waiting for them to make it around and get to the Polynesian. But after a frantic run from the TTC to the GCH, bless them, we were all checked in and seated (they also didn't realize they didn't even need to take the monorail, that the path from the TTC was that close to Poly...they saw it as the monorail zoomed past the resort, but lesson learned!).

As with our meal at Roundup Rodeo BBQ, the pacing during our breakfast at 'Ohana was slow at first, but picked up just enough one food arrived that we weren't rushed but also weren't waiting.

Drinks were had, of course. Coffee for everyone, but also a Wasabi Bloody Mary (mine, and it was excellent) and a couple of mimosas (nieces and nephews). The pog juice was enjoyed as well, as was the fruit and bread.

The star of the show, however, was the breakfast skillet. Everything was very well prepared. Everything (sometimes it's hit or miss). The potatoes were fantastic, the waffles and biscuits were fantastic. The ham was said to be fantastic (I didn't try it). But beyond fantastic were the sausage links and scrambled eggs. The sausage was cooked just right, crispy-ish on the outside, juicy inside. The eggs were creamy, but not underdone. I really do not like overcooked eggs, and these were perfection. Everyone at the table raved over them.

My vegan DS loved his skilled. He really liked the plant-based sausages (just all plant-based meats) he had on the trip. He also enjoyed the plant-based eggs. Everyone at the table wanted to try those, and they were...different. The texture was right but the taste wasn't quite right. I think they'd be great in a breakfast burrito with salsa and beans. That doesn't matter though, because my DS really enjoyed them.

Character interaction was great too, especially Stitch and Pluto. It's probably sometimes hard for the characters with a table of adults, because you get some adults who don't care and some who are more excite than little kids. The characters during our meal read our table very well, coming in for selfies with a couple of us at a time, having a little fun with the older cousins.

It was just a really enjoyable meal.

I was pleasantly surprised at the overall quality of the meal. While we've always had great character visits at 'Ohana, the meals have varied, with some parts of the skillet being great and some not so great. Our last visit was also rushed, with all the food coming out at once. This time, everything was just so well done and well paced. One thing I noticed, though, was that the restaurant was not nearly as full as it's been in the past (pre-COVID at least). I wonder if lack of wait staff means lower headcounts in the restaurant and less pressure to turn over quickly, which in turn gives the kitchen time to prepare food well, even if they're low on staff as well. I could totally be wrong! But we really enjoyed the meal, and I think outside of Roundup Rodeo BBQ, it was our favorite of the trip.

Next up: drinks in Animal Kingdom, snacks at the Polynesian, and dinner in Epcot!

 

[erinch]

Keep it coming!

 

[rosiebean]

Day 3, Sept. 2, part 2: Drinking at Animal Kingdom, snacks at the Polynesian, dinner in Epcot

Something about being at WDW, especially Animal Kingdom, makes me crave cold beer. So after riding Everest, our family made our traditional post-roller coaster stop at Thirsty River Bar, where I got a Kona IPA. Others chose mixed drinks (I believe the Himalayan Ghost and Yeti Sunset). Everyone thoroughly enjoyed our adult refreshments. Later, we stopped at a cart in Pandora and had what I believe was a corona. Either that or a bud? I don't remember exactly, I just know the beer at the cart was refreshing, but a more standard offering.

After our late night, my two DS's and I were tired, so we headed back to Poly while others had snacks at the park. Once at Poly, I put in an Instacart order for in-room snacks (note: I was worried we wouldn't eat all the snacks, but I forgot I was traveling with teenage males...everything was finished except a half bag of chips by the time we left Monday evening). Even though food was on the way, we also wanted to try out Capt. Cook's, so we ventured there to get fries for my vegan DS and the Pan-Asian Noodles and Vegetables with chicken for my younger DS and I to share. The fries apparently were fantastic, because they went fast. The noodles were very good, if a little sweet. The serving was also very generous, and we had about half left over after eating our fill.

Onto dinner: our original plan was to go to Storybook Dining at Wilderness Lodge. We had an early ADR (5:30ish), and the idea was to head to Epcot after. My sister was staying there and after spending a few days there, thought it would be very time consuming for everyone not staying at WL to get to dinner. While we were at Animal Kingdom, she suggested trying to find something in Epcot, and after a quick (unanimous) vote, we canceled plans at Storybook and checked the app to see what was available. Coral Reef had two ADRs available close together that would accommodate the number in our party, so we jumped on them.

I'll admit, I wasn't excited about going to Coral Reef. We had a very lackluster dinner there years before, and Epcot has so many great places to dine that I've just never been back. Luckily, our meal here was fantastic. Seriously, one of the best of the trip.

We started with drinks (pinot grigio for me, margaritas for others, beer for still others...don't remember what kind of beer, but it was a draft and HUGE lol). Food starters included salad and clam chowder. I chose the salad, and it was terrific. It had pickled veg, and I love a good pickled veg. Those at my table who had the chowder enjoyed theirs a lot. Bread service was good as well.

For my main, I chose shrimp and grits. It was excellent. The grits were very well made and seasoned just right. The meal would have been my favorite of the trip, only about half of the shrimp on my plate were overly salty. It was like someone's hand slipped a little. But it wasn't enough to ruin the meal. My vegan son had the mushroom ravioli, and he said it was really good. It came in a tomato broth, and DS said he would have preferred a standard sauce, but like my overly salted half a plate of shrimp, it didn't take away from the overall quality of the meal. My other DS had the prime rib, and while he ate it with gusto, he also said it wasn't the best cut of beef he's had. It was good, just not great.

Others at my table also had the fish (salmon for some, Mahi Mahi for another). They really enjoyed theirs as well.

So overall, Coral Reef was a hit. One of the nice things about the meal was the fact that not only were they able to sit our two tables next to each other, the pacing of the meal was also fantastic. It wasn't rushed at all, nor was it too slow. Just a very enjoyable experience.

Up next: A full day at Epcot (minus a midday nap) featuring a few Food & Wine Festival snacks and drinks, lunch at Space 220, and dinner at more Food & Wine festival booths.

 

[rosiebean]

Day 4, Sept. 3, part 1: Food & Wine snacks and drinks at Epcot, lunch at Space 220

The day started with an early alarm for a GoG Cosmic Rewind virtual queue attempt, and once that was successfully accomplished, we took our time (aka, I took a nap and my DS's slept through the early wakeup call) before heading to Epcot.

After a few rides (including Cosmic Rewind) and with about 30 minutes before our ADR, people in our party decided a few appetizers via Food & Wine Festival booths were just the thing. We went to the booth at the Refreshment Port for younger DS to grab some poutine (he didn't share but said it was fantastic), then hit Australia, where everyone shared several portions of Coopers Brewery Pacific Pale Ale and Grilled Bush Berry Shrimp. Both were fantastic. A few people snacked on the Roasted Lamb Chop too, and enjoyed it, but I was too busy enjoying the shrimp to partake.

Following our snacks and a light bit of shopping, we headed toward Space 220 for lunch. As with other ADRs, we made two separate ones to fit the number of people in our party. And as with other meals, we were seated at tables next to each other, this time with a great view of 'space.'

To start lunch off, we had cocktails and mocktails. The mocktail was the Moon Rocks, which was bright blue and featured pop rocks candy. It was interesting and fun. I don't remember if I had a beer or wine, but I do remember it was satisfying. Other drinks at our table included the Space Age Mule and, what was the hit of the day, a cocktail called Up All Night. Oh wow, but that was good. It was made with chilled espresso, vanilla vodka, Kahlua, and creme de cacao, and it was topped with a freeze-dried slice of ice cream sandwich. It was delicious! If I hadn't already had my drink in front of me, I'd have canceled my order and gotten one of these.

After drinks were served, our waiter took our orders. I began my meal with the Blue Moon Cauliflower. Others at my table had the Centauri Ceasar Salad. My vegan DS had a salad as well. I can't remember what was in it, outside of general vegetables, because it's currently not on the menu (the current non-Ceasar one has beets, and he would never willingly eat a beet lol). It wasn't vegan as on the menu due to its dressing, but they were able to make a substitution.

My youngest DS got the Neptuna Tartare. I asked when he ordered if he understood what he was getting, and he said yes. But...he didn't. He read "sushi-grade tuna" and thought he was ordering sushi. He is not normally a fan of seafood, but he loves sushi of all kinds. He gamely tried the tartare, though, but was not enjoying it, so we traded. And we had a brief discussion about reading a menu item's full description and asking questions. He may very well have tried the dish knowing it didn't include sushi rice (he's a pretty adventurous eater and will even try seafood despite it not being his favorite), but he wouldn't have been quite so surprised when his appetizer was placed in front of him, lol.

The cauliflower was very good, not great, but DS liked it way more than the tuna sans rice. The tartare was very good, though I honestly wasn't in the mood for that kind of starter. Those who had salads, including my vegan DS, said they enjoyed theirs.

For a main, I had the burger. My vegan DS had the Space Pad Thai with tofu, and his brother had the same but with chicken. Or I believe he had it with chicken. I don't see that option on the menu now. In any case, my burger was a burger…tasty and very filling. Judging by the swiftness and thoroughness with which the Pad Thai was consumed, it hit the spot as well.

Others at our table also had burgers or the fish option, which was also said to be nicely prepared (though not as good as the fish at Coral Reef).

Overall, we enjoyed the meal. It wasn't the best of the trip (outside of the Up All Night), but it wasn't a bad meal. Service was good, pacing was good as well, and the food's presentation was fantastic. The atmosphere is what makes the experience, but after two trips there, we'll probably skip it the next few trips to Epcot. There are just too many options there to enjoy!

After lunch and a few more rides, everyone headed back to their resorts for nap/recharge time before the night ahead, which for my two DS's and I, meant more time at the Food & Wine Festival.

Up next, more Food & Wine!

 

[rosiebean]

Day 4, Sept. 3, part 2: Snacking around Food & Wine booths

Dinner tonight was on our own. Various members of our party were hanging out at WL with other relatives who didn't have park tickets or taking long naps before heading to eat/drink around the world at Epcot. My DS's and I had to make it to Cosmic Rewind by a specific time, so we weren't able to head to WL. Instead, we did the ride and then hit a few booths before DS's decided to head back to Poly to watch MK fireworks.

First up was Flavors from Fire, which had a vegan option my oldest DS wanted to try. It was AMAZING, everything we tried. We had everything: the Impossible Burger Slider (sans wasabi cream), the Smoked Corned Beef with potato chips, and the Skirt Steak Taco. Everything was *chef's kiss*. My vegan DS loved the slider (we stood in line to get seconds), while the corned beef was my favorite of the night, and the taco was younger DS's fave. Just really good food. I also had a beer, which was good, but nothing that stood out to me.

We shopped for a bit, and then went to Ireland, where younger DS and I shared the Roasted Irish Sausage with potatoes and gravy. It was tasty, but not on the level as our snacks from Flavors with Fire.

The kids were getting tired and weren't interested in making their way around the World, so we looked for vegan options and decided on Brew-Wing. On the way there, we stopped at Hawaii, where I got the Spam Sushi, which I enjoyed. Younger DS got the same and said it was almost as good as the taco.

At Brew-Wing, we got orders of the Impossible Buffalo tenders, Garlic-Parmesan wings, and Traditional Buffalo Wings. I also got a beer (an IPA I believe). My beer was great. The rest? M E H. We were disappointed. We ate what was in front of us, so it wasn't horrible...it just wasn't very good. The wings weren't crispy, the vegan tenders were actually mushy, and the sauces were ok. Once we were finished, I suggested heading to more booths, but the kids wanted to hang out at our resort. So we headed there to watch the fireworks (and to snack on our groceries later that evening) before hitting our beds 'early' so that we could head to MK first thing in the morning.

Up next: Lunch at Tony's, dinner at MCO.