Dream come true trip - Birthday at Disney dining report - Update 10/23 (Crystal Palace bfast)

[Dislover1991]

Tusker House Breakfast - 9/14​

This was our first time doing breakfast at Tusker House and we were all pretty excited about this one. My mom was VERY excited to try it - she has absolutely loved Donald since our fun experiences with him at Cape May Cafe the past few years. Unfortunately, she woke up all throughout the night pretty sick and couldn't make it to breakfast that morning She had been feeling sick the day before and I guess the spaghetti at Mama Melrose just didn't sit well with her already sick stomach (she probably needed something more bland for dinner). So it was just me and dad off to Tusker House.

Our ADR was for 8am (pre opening yay!) so we arrived at 7:25am and had our bags checked. Since they have different early morning tours in addition to Tusker House breakfast, we had to go to the CM checking reservations for Tusker House and line up. Once 7:40am came, they let us scan our Magic Bands and enter the park. Most people went straight to Tusker House but me and dad decided that since we had about 15 minutes left, we would take a few pictures in front of the park and at the Tree of Life. It was so great being able to take photos in an empty park! We made it to Tusker House around 7:50am and checked in, then got in line for the Memory Maker photo. It is no longer with Donald and is instead just in front of the entrance to the restaurant. You don't have to take the photo though, it is optional!

They called us in at 7:55am and we were seated at a 4 top (even though we told them mom didn't make it) which was in the middle of the room, so we were very excited! But the CM who sat us switched our table and sat us near the exit at a 2 top At first we were a little upset about not being in the center of the room but it was much quieter and we had an incredible waitress, so we were satisfied!

The waitress brought us some Jungle Juice and said the chef would be out soon to see me about my allergies. She also told me all about the allergen snacks I could find in the park and at the allergen kiosk - she was incredible and just went way out of her way for us!

Now the Jungle Juice - absolutely delicious! If I can recall correctly, I believe the waitress said this was orange juice, guava juice, and passion fruit juice? I normally don't drink juice - I like fresh fruit vs. fruit juice. However, I tried a sip of this and gulped it down I decided not to drink the refill on this so my dad ended up with about 3 cups since he drank my refill in addition to his - so he obviously enjoyed it too!

I toured the buffet with the chef and was so happy to see a gluten friendly station already set up in the corner! It had toast, bagels, muffins, and donuts. The chef showed me what I could eat on the buffet and also said she could make Mickey waffles in the back - how could I turn those down??

Here's a look at my first plate - starting at the top and going clockwise is a boiled egg, cheddar & swiss cheese cubes, ham & parmesan frittata, beef bobotie, sweet potato & coconut casserole, a gluten free cinnamon glazed donut, and gluten free chocolate chip muffin. Now, normally I don't eat all this sweet stuff at breakfast but I had to try some gluten free muffins and donuts because I never eat those at home!

The ham & parmesan cheese frittata was delicious and also contained little slices of potatoes - yum! I may have gone back for seconds on that. Beef bobotie isn't something i'm familiar with but I HAD to try it! It was basically like an egg frittata with ground beef and some type of cheese. It was love at first biteDefinitely not something i'd eat everyday because I don't eat beef much (or really any type of meat) BUT this was incredible! Absolutely delicious. The coconut sweet potato casserole - love at first bite here too! It was sweet potato cubes in some type of sweet glaze topped with coconut and raisins. I love coconut and sweet potatoes so this perfect for me! I'm not a big fan of raisins, but they were pretty tasty in this dish. The donut and muffin were delicious, especially to be gluten free! I had my dad try the muffin and he even thought it was pretty good. They would've tasted better heated up, but I didn't want to bother the chef - especially since I really just wanted to give those a taste.

Here's a close up of the muffin - it did have chocolate chips inside. Great option for anyone who can't eat gluten!

And what is breakfast without my usual dish of cottage cheese & fruit? They had a bowl of mixed fruit including honeydew melon, watermelon, strawberries, and blueberries. They also had a few other bowls of fruit - 1 contained grapes while the other contained fresh pineapple. The pineapple was delicious!

Here's a look at my Mickey waffles. I was very happy the chef only bought me 2 (although she said to tell the waitress if I wanted more) because I can't control myself with these. If they put 6 on my plate and I was stuffed, i'd probably still eat them all They were delicious! I will say Cape May had the best gluten free Mickey waffles, but any Mickey waffle is fine with me

Dad's first plate - he kind of piled everything on top so I honestly don't know how to even list what all this is Okay, so he has a croissant, an apple turnover, half of my gluten free donut, a cherry blintz, tater tots, cheese cubes, cinnamon roll, Krispy Kreme donut holes, and I believe that is veggie quiche in the background & underneath the pile along with some beef bobotie. Basically his plate was just carb overload! I know I had a ton of carbs but I at least had a little protein to go with it He wasn't crazy about the cherry blintz or the apple turnover. I do remember him really loving the croissant, tater tots, cinnamon roll, and donut holes. He liked the vegetable quiche, which he said was basically just peppers & onions, but didn't go back for seconds on that. You can't see it, but I believe he had even more of the quiche under the pile of donut holes so he did get a big serving of the quiche to begin with.

They also had tons of bagels and a lot of flavored breads (lemon poppyseed, banana nut, orange bread), which is another reason I wish my mom could've come - I would've had a MUCH better review from all her goodies

My 2nd plate was basically a mixture of my favorites from the first plate - ham & cheese frittata, cheese cubes, fruit & cottage cheese, another slice of bread (that I didn't even eat - not sure why I got it ) and some more sweet potato & coconut casserole - although I forgot to take a photo of the plate BEFORE I ate it

I don't seem to have a photo of my dad's 2nd plate but I believe he just got a second helping of his favorites from the first plate - Krispy Kreme donut holes, tater tots, cheese cubes, a croissant, and another cinnamon roll. Yep, he eats like a child

And here's a look at the characters -

All the characters were great! They were very interactive. I wish I could remember our waitress' name because she was the best server we have EVER had! When I read reviews of TH, I remember only seeing that Mickey, Donald, and Daisy were here - I never heard anything about Goofy so i'm not sure if they just added him or no one has ever mentioned it in reviews?? We will be back here on the next trip for sure! We especially loved all the different choices they had - they of course had standard buffet options but also had a few unique African dishes that were delicious. I can't wait to head back here again and let my mom try it!

Tusker House gets an A+ from us!

 

[Vernie822]

Ooooooh Tusker House!! I just love it there. Great review. I really enjoyed the frittata too. Yumm-o.

I'm glad your dad enjoyed the carrot cake cookie! Definitely a delicious treat. The shake looked pretty good too.

That is awesome that they have allergy friendly treats in the shops! I know it's less than ideal to have to buy something prepackaged over a freshly baked treat but that's great that they have those options. I know you mentioned not much being available for your allergies. Have you tried Larabars? I just love them. I know some include peanuts but there are plenty that don't (not sure if you can have any other nuts?) - my friend eats paleo/whole30 and I know there are some bars she can have.

 

[Dislover1991]

Ooooooh Tusker House!! I just love it there. Great review. I really enjoyed the frittata too. Yumm-o.

I'm glad your dad enjoyed the carrot cake cookie! Definitely a delicious treat. The shake looked pretty good too.

That is awesome that they have allergy friendly treats in the shops! I know it's less than ideal to have to buy something prepackaged over a freshly baked treat but that's great that they have those options. I know you mentioned not much being available for your allergies. Have you tried Larabars? I just love them. I know some include peanuts but there are plenty that don't (not sure if you can have any other nuts?) - my friend eats paleo/whole30 and I know there are some bars she can have.

I haven't eat thought about Lara Bars! I just checked them out online and saw that they're all gluten free! I need to check and see if any are free from nuts. To be honest, i've never tried almonds, pecans, cashews, etc - i've just assumed i'm allergic to them since i'm allergic to peanuts and anytime I even smell pecans I get pretty itchy. Thanks for the suggestion!! I definitely need to check those out!

 

[Vernie822]

I haven't eat thought about Lara Bars! I just checked them out online and saw that they're all gluten free! I need to check and see if any are free from nuts. To be honest, i've never tried almonds, pecans, cashews, etc - i've just assumed i'm allergic to them since i'm allergic to peanuts and anytime I even smell pecans I get pretty itchy. Thanks for the suggestion!! I definitely need to check those out!

No problem! I think a lot of them do have nuts, but if you go on their website, you can click each flavor and see exactly what is in them. I know most (if not all) Luna bars are gluten free as well and a lot of those don't have nuts in them.

 

[Dislover1991]

Animal Kingdom snacks

Me and dad were hungry mid day but not for an actual meal and the one snack I had to try before I left the park was a Dole Whip with rum! We headed to Tamu Tamu Refreshments for our snacks. Of course my dad didn't want a Dole whip so he went with exactly what I knew he would order - the ice cream cookie sandwich.

It was a 2 HUGE chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream in between. He received 2 scoops and they were pretty large! The entire cookie sandwich was big - that's not one of the small, snack size plates - that's actually a regular sized plate. And they didn't cut back on the chocolate chips at all - there were tons! This was nearly $5 with tax and was included as a snack on the DDP!

The cookies were soft baked but were a little crunchy so it did get a little messy. My dad tried eating with a knife and fork but that made it even messier

But overall my dad really liked this and would definitely order it again. And now to my choice - the Dole whip with coconut rum

You could also choose the dark rum, but I figured pineapple & coconut would taste great together! Also, there is no choice between just pineapple Dole whip or the Dole whip swirled with soft serve vanilla - you can only choose the actual pineapple Dole Whip. This was NOT a snack credit on the DDP but at $6.50, I felt it was well worth the price! It did get a little messy since it was extremely hot. The dole whip kept melting and causing the rum to seep out of the cup - maybe that's why I didn't feel any "buzz" (yes, my alcohol tolerance is THAT low).

I will get this over and over again obviously

Ok, and this snack occurred later in the evening. My mom bought a 4 pack of the zebra domes at the Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge - and yes the 4 pack was a snack credit!

She liked them but I guess I built them up too much. I had never tried them but wanted to so badly until I was told to go gluten free. So really, I just begged her to try them so I could see how they tasted in her opinion

 

[auntfrannie]

Everything looks so good!

 

[Vernie822]

I love that you are trying things vicariously through your parents! Haha.

Holy cow. Adding the dole whip with coconut rum to my list! I think I tried one at Flower and Garden that had macadamia nut rum in it!? I can't remember. Or maybe it was coconut. Either way I am glad to see you can get them at Animal Kingdom!

I need to show that ice cream sandwich pic to my fiance.. looks sinful.

 

[Dislover1991]

I love that you are trying things vicariously through your parents! Haha.

Holy cow. Adding the dole whip with coconut rum to my list! I think I tried one at Flower and Garden that had macadamia nut rum in it!? I can't remember. Or maybe it was coconut. Either way I am glad to see you can get them at Animal Kingdom!

I need to show that ice cream sandwich pic to my fiance.. looks sinful.

Thanks

I did that the whole time - carrot cake cookie, different cupcakes around the parks, the cookie bits sundae at Ghirardelli, & the zebra domes. I had to hear how they were somehow.

What's so bad is that I didn't get to try most of these things on the last trip because I was so paranoid about gaining more weight so I said I would try them the next time- and of course I found out a few months ago that I could no longer eat gluten So on this trip, I made sure to try everything I wanted (I apologize if this dining report makes me look like a pig )

 

[Dislover1991]

Tusker House Dinner - 9/14​

Now we head to a new restaurant (well, new to us!) - Yak & Yeti!

We started off with some drinks - iced tea for mom & dad and hot green tea for me. I was so happy with the presentation of my tea - it came in a little teapot!

My parents decided to try the pork pot stickers as an appetizer and paid OOP for this.

Pork pot stickers pan seared with soy lime dipping sauce

Of course it wasn't gluten free so I couldn't try any but my parents seemed to enjoy them. It was a pretty small portion though so if you have more than 2 people eating these, i'd say order another serving of these! The dish only contained 5 pot stickers and they weren't too big.

The chef talked to me be fore ordering my entree since Yak & Yeti does not have a dedicated allergy free menu. I wanted to try the Malaysian seafood curry for months but at the last minute decided to go with the teriyaki mahi mahi dish. The chef said he would have to make the dish without the teriyaki sauce, but otherwise the entire meal was gluten free. I was fine with no sauce because i'm not a fan of sauces anyways (in case you couldn't tell by my past reviews ) I also asked for brown rice instead of the jasmine rice and that wasn't an issue either.

Teriyaki mahi mahi with pineapple mango chutney, jasmine rice, sautéed bok toy, shiiatake mushrooms, and red peppers.


My dish was delicious! I would eat mahi mahi all the time at home and got so tired of it because I kept seasoning it the same and it just got old after awhile, but I really liked this! The mango pineapple chutney was really good and gave the fish a ton of flavor. The vegetables were delicious and grilled perfectly. I don't get to eat stir fried veggies like this hardly at all since most contain peanut oil so I was happy to try these! The rice I didn't eat much of because it tasted like it had quite a bit of butter in it. Ok, so ALOT of butter in it and I absolutely hate butter! But other than the rice, I liked everything!

Mom chose the kobe beef burger.

Kobe beef burger with sesame soy mayonnaise, french fries, and Asian slaw.

She chose this because she hadn't been feeling well (still!) and thought it would be the lightest dish on her stomach. She said it was really good - the beef was cooked to a perfect medium well (they ask how you want it cooked) but it was HUGE! I believe it was a 10oz beef patty so she shared some with my dad and still ended up wasting some. And if you can't tell - they give you a TON of fries! She enjoyed it very much but said she would've liked it better if she felt better.

This is a photo of HALF of the burger! I'd say it's plenty to share between 2 people.

Dad chose the shrimp lo mein.

Shrimp lo mein w/ carrots, cabbage, onions, and bean sprouts.

He said he liked the dish, but it wasn't anything spectacular. He actually commented that he liked PF Chang's better

Now to dessert!

Ok, so I begged my parents to each try something differently so I could review 3 different desserts but of course, they both wanted the same thing! I didn't expect my dad to order the mango pie - he just isn't a fan of citrus fruits really, so I was very surprised about that!

Mom & dad both ordered - mango pie with raspberry sauce. It even contained a small amount of strawberry & mango chutney. Yum!

I was very jealous because this is the dessert I had been wanting to try since we booked Yak & Yeti at our 180 day mark - but I hadn't found out yet that I couldn't eat gluten My mom enjoyed hers but my dad said his favorite part was the shortbread crust. I should've known he wouldn't care too much for this though since he isn't a huge mango fan. Although I was dying to try the mango pie, I had to go with 1 of the 2 gluten free dessert choices (the other was sorbet) - flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.

This is different from the chocolate pudding cake that they also serve - it's full of gluten so that wasn't an option for me But if i'm not mistaking, this is the same chocolate cake that Mama Melrose provided for me - this just contained raspberry sauce in addition to the chocolate sauce. I could be wrong, but they tasted basically the same (so both were incredibly delicious!). It wasn't a cake texture at all - it had the texture of fudge and even tasted like fudge. I'm not really sure how else to describe it. But it was delicious and I would order it again & again

Another great meal at Disney down! Just 3 more TS meals left of the trip

Next up is a pre-park opening breakfast at Crystal Palace.

 

[Vernie822]

Looks so yummy! We tried Yak and Yeti for the first time last trip. Ahi tuna nachos = delicious. The mahi mahi looks awesome, definitely a great light option. I have also heard really great things about the kobe beef burger. I am dying to try the cream cheese won tons.. I am surprised one of your parents didn't try those!

Crystal Palace breakfast is one of my favorites.

Omg, I can't imagine having grand plans to try everything then finding out you can't because of your gluten allergy! The chocolate cake looks great though even if it's a repeat of Mama Melrose

 

[kastoney]

Looks like a day of great food in AK. Too bad your mom wasn't feeling well but it looks like you and your Dad made a great day of it at tusker house. Love this place, it's my fav character meal and the only one that has actually had me return more than once.

I'm with your mom on the zebra domes, I just wasn't impressed but I'm not also a fan of white chocolate.

Your yak n yeti meal looks great and your fish looks yummy. Though I can't believe no one orders the cream cheese wontons, so good ; )

 

[Dislover1991]

Looks like a day of great food in AK. Too bad your mom wasn't feeling well but it looks like you and your Dad made a great day of it at tusker house. Love this place, it's my fav character meal and the only one that has actually had me return more than once.

I'm with your mom on the zebra domes, I just wasn't impressed but I'm not also a fan of white chocolate.

Your yak n yeti meal looks great and your fish looks yummy. Though I can't believe no one orders the cream cheese wontons, so good ; )

We loved Tusker House too! My mom keeps asking if we can go back there on the next trip so she can try it and I keep saying that I have NO issue with that! I'm sure once she tries it, it will become our next "must do" breakfast on each trip!

Looks so yummy! We tried Yak and Yeti for the first time last trip. Ahi tuna nachos = delicious. The mahi mahi looks awesome, definitely a great light option. I have also heard really great things about the kobe beef burger. I am dying to try the cream cheese won tons.. I am surprised one of your parents didn't try those!

Crystal Palace breakfast is one of my favorites.

Omg, I can't imagine having grand plans to try everything then finding out you can't because of your gluten allergy! The chocolate cake looks great though even if it's a repeat of Mama Melrose

My mom saw the cream cheese wontons on the menu back when we first booked Y&Y and wanted to try those but decided on the mango pie last minute. I wanted her to try them so I could review those and the mango pie. Her & my dad could've at least shared the desserts to try different things!

 

[vettegirl]

Love Yak & Yeti!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Great report! So glad you enjoyed your Mama Melrose meal. That was a standout for us on our last trip and a pleasant surprise.

I am drooling over your WPE pics as well. Their breakfast pizza and meatloaf are incredible!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I love your report! I thought it was so cute that you went back to CBR where you had gone as a child.

Your photos are so crisp and clear, you almost feel like you could pick the food off the plate and eat it! Can I ask what kind of camera you use? Your photos are wonderful.

 

[Dislover1991]

I love your report! I thought it was so cute that you went back to CBR where you had gone as a child.

Your photos are so crisp and clear, you almost feel like you could pick the food off the plate and eat it! Can I ask what kind of camera you use? Your photos are wonderful.

Oh my gosh thank you Actually, I used the camera on my iPhone 6 Plus. No app or anything. Didn't even use HDR! I did have to edit some of them on my phone due to lighting though. But thank you!!

 

[jknicholas]

everything looks great!!! enjoying the pictures and write ups! cant wait for your 9/15 & 9/16 reviews! i think i may give the whole food review thing a try on my thanksgiving short trip!

 

[Dislover1991]

I'm so upset - I had a draft saved on here for my review of Crystal Palace - it was almost complete, I just needed to add a few more reviews of the food. So I log on, and it isn't there!

Any idea how to retrieve it or should I just start over?

 

[alan_renfroe]

I am late to the party but just found your DR...and I've just finished reading the whole thing. Fantastic report! Your photos are great and made my mouth water! My wife and I will be celebrating my 50th birthday at WDW in January, 2016 so I definitely got some dining options to consider. Mama Melrose's looked really good...and we are already fans of Y&Y. Looking forward to reading the rest of the report!

 

[Dislover1991]

Crystal Palace Breakfast 9/15​

We arrived to MK around 7:30 for our 8:05 ADR. The place was already pretty crazy! With the BOG breakfast now, it's much more crowded for early morning ADRs than I figured. After having our bags checked and going through the turnstile to scan our bands, we had go into separate lines for each restaurant. As long as your ADR was before 9am, you were allowed in. So basically if you had an 8:45 ADR you could've walked through a mainly empty park for nearly an hour!

By the time we got through the gates, it was 7:50 so we took a few photos in front of the castle and checked in at 8. What I don't like about early morning ADRs is they seat you according to the time you check in. A few people ahead of us had 8:30 ADRs and were allowed in before us because they checked in first.

Anyways, we arrived to the table & it had some Mickey confetti The server took our drink orders and said the chef would be out soon to speak with me about my allergies. I ordered coffee, dad ordered iced tea, & mom ordered coffee & orange juice.

The chef came out and took me on a tour of the buffet - I had pretty good options! And said he could bring me gluten free waffles, muffins, and toast. I took him up on the waffles & muffins - I can always have gluten free bread at home I also asked about the omelet station because I didn't see it. He offered to make me an omelet in the back, using only "safe" pans because the pans at the omelet station are also used to cook the pancakes - therefore there was a risk for cross contamination. I love how thorough Disney chefs are!

I got back to the table and was able to snap a photo of my dad's first plate before he snagged a bite

Starting in the center & going clockwise - cinnamon bread, cinnamon bun, cheesy egg casserole, bacon, breakfast potatoes, cheddar cheese cubes, and ham & veggie quiche is under all of that. He loved the cinnamon raisin bread (as you'll see soon, he goes back for more ). He enjoyed the casserole - it contained scrambled eggs, swiss cheese, tomatoes, green peppers, and potatoes. He said it needed more salt but he remedied that at the table. I wanted to try some, but for some reason this wasn't gluten free The quiche he enjoyed as well - it contained ham, peppers, onions, and a few different types of cheeses (at least my dad tasted a few kinds). He said the bacon seemed a bit under cooked and said it was standard "Disney bacon"

I loaded up on the gluten free items offered on the buffet first.

Of course I started out with cottage cheese & fruit! The pineapple and strawberries were so fresh and delicious. All this fresh Florida fruit was! Next are cheddar cheese cubes - me & dad really love those And last is a sausage casserole. It contained eggs, cheese, broccoli, tomatoes, and peppers. I thought I may have tasted just a small bit of gravy in it but gravy typically contains wheat and the chef said it was safe for me.

Next was apple cranberry quinoa. BEST DISH IN THE WORLD. The chef said he boiled quinoa in apple sauce & just added chopped apples & cranberries to it. It was incredible! Tasted more like a dessert to me.

And mom's first plate - ham & veggie quiche, cheesy breakfast potatoes, regular potatoes, scrambled eggs, and on top is a a cinnamon raisin scone with icing. Like many people on the Dis, she raved over those cheesy potatoes! She liked the regular breakfast potatoes too but raved over those cheesy potatoes And she said the quiche was great as well. She enjoyed the scone too. Her bowl below that is a bowl of grits. Just your standard grits, but she loves her grits

And a close up of her plate. Oh, I spotted a biscuit

And now for my options brought out by the chef. These were the gluten free waffles. I believe they were the pre-packaged Van's brand, which are sold in stores. They were good but nowhere NEAR as tasty as Mickey waffles. I ate them both, but didn't care to have more. I love my Mickey waffles so much more!

And my omelet. It was an egg white omelet with broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, & swiss cheese. It was good but had a little too much cooking spray/ oil on it. I ate almost the entire omelet but was getting pretty full so decided to stop so I could save room for more goodies

Mom's 2nd plate from the buffet - Pooh's puffed french toast & Mickey waffles. She didn't even notice the puffed french toast until I brought it to her attention and told her she HAD to try it according to everyone on the Dis. She LOVED it! Maybe even more than those Mickey waffles

Mom's other plate included the breakfast lasagna, banana bread, fresh fruit (pineapple, honeydew, & cantaloupe), a cream cheese danish, chocolate chip pastry, & carrot cake bread. I'm guessing this was her "dessert" plate She said it was carb overload (and I think she had a sugar high afterwards) but loved it all! She was obsessed with the breakfast lasagna. I believe it was pound cake, pastry cream, bananas, and crushed cherries. The fruit was fresh and delicious. She enjoyed all the breads, especially the carrot cake bread!

My 2nd plate from the buffet - scrambled eggs, grapes, strawberries, cottage cheese, and a boiled egg. My standard fair at each buffet These eggs were actually the best i've probably had at any buffet! They weren't runny or salty- cooked perfectly!

And some standard Disney oatmeal - which is always good! There's just something about oatmeal at Disney

And dad's 2nd plate - cinnamon raisin scone, cinnamon roll, fresh fruit, MORE cheese cubes eek, more cinnamon raisin bread, and cheesy breakfast potatoes. This was his favorite dish. He loved it all!

And he got some breakfast lasagna. He liked it but thought it was a tiny bit sweet for breakfast (or maybe he was just on a sugar high from everything else )

The waiter brought out a cupcake for my birthday but I guess he forgot I had a gluten allergy so I couldn't eat it But he did bring me a gluten free brownie instead when I brought it to his attention As you can see below, the brownie was so good that I forgot to take a photo before digging in.

Overall, we absolutely loved Crystal Palace! There wasn't a character meal this trip that we didn't love. We will definitely return again on our next trip and hopefully with another pre-park opening ADR