Half the Calories, All the Fun - A "Healthier" Food-Focused Trip Report (12/2-12/13) RL update 4/10

[ddluvsdisney]

Oh I forgot to say… we always do Tappenzee I mean Cuomo bridge when we drive. I absolutely hate GW.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I the beignets at POFQ. I actually had them for the first time last December when I stayed there for a girls weekend trip.
I took DH to have them in October.

 

[mickey916]

I just found this, so happily following along!!
Now I know why you’re stopping in NC. We have made it to SC in less time but that was driving thru the night.
I love the salads at Chic fil a!! Yum!!
My youngest DS and his girlfriend went to the Ford garage in Orlando last year. They are Ford people- both have Ford trucks so they loved the theming. I’m sure they had burgers! Lol
So if you’d like to try it again it’s in the Orlando Vineland premium outlets off 535
Too bad Gideons was such a disappointment. I hate when I look forward to something and are let down.

So glad you found me again! My oldest DS is a Ford fan as well - he just bought a Maverick last year. We actually bought him a Ford's Garage shop shirt there for Christmas. We definitely want to go there again! Good to know there's one closer by.

Oh I forgot to say… we always do Tappenzee I mean Cuomo bridge when we drive. I absolutely hate GW.

We hate the GW as well. It seems like Waze always wants to take us there and usually suggests the bottom and you have to cut across lanes of traffic. We vowed never again after the last time!

I the beignets at POFQ. I actually had them for the first time last December when I stayed there for a girls weekend trip.
I took DH to have them in October.

We love the beignets, definitely not giving them up!

 

[BellaBaby]

Wow, those photos of AK at night are wonderful! We were there o 12/8 during the day, but went to Epcot at night, so missed out on those beautiful lights. Will have to check out another time!

 

[mickey916]

Wow, those photos of AK at night are wonderful! We were there o 12/8 during the day, but went to Epcot at night, so missed out on those beautiful lights. Will have to check out another time!

Definitely worth checking out!

 

[Smee]

Thoroughly enjoyed your food....errr...I mean TRIP report. It actually has encouraged me to try some of the healthier foods you mentioned on my next trip! Thank you!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

I love AK at night, it’s so beautiful!

 

[mickey916]

Thoroughly enjoyed your food....errr...I mean TRIP report. It actually has encouraged me to try some of the healthier foods you mentioned on my next trip! Thank you!

Thank you so much! I definitely recommend some of the healthier options!

I love AK at night, it’s so beautiful!

It was even better than I imagined it to be! I wish our sons could see it but they always come in May and it's never dark enough.

 

[mickey916]

12/8 Starting the Day at Hollywood Studios
​

Our goal this morning was to check out the decorations at Hollywood Studios, see the Frozen Sing-a-long Holiday show, and say a potential goodbye to Muppet 3-D and Muppet Courtyard.

We despise rope drop at Hollywood Studios so we intentionally arrived fifteen minutes after regular opening. It was still super crowded and a little wait to get through the tapstiles. We enjoyed the decor down Hollywood Boulevard and around Echo Lake before heading into the Frozen Sing-a-Long.

I had experienced the normal version of the Frozen attraction on a solo visit before but this was DH’s first time attending the sing-a-long. We both enjoyed the holiday version of the Frozen Sing-a-Long. The CMs did a great job and it was a very cute show.

We then made our way to Muppet-Vision 3D and stopped to take some pictures in case this was our last chance to see it.

We’ve never noticed these details in the outside queue for Muppet Vision before.

We actually stopped this time to look for the key under the mat.

I also never noticed these details before above the exit. I love the Comedy/Drama Fozzie Bear!

We really tried to take in all the details such as the rats fishing in the fountain.

...and of course Miss Piggy as the Statue of Liberty.

Next on our agenda was to say a potential goodbye to Rock n Roller Coaster. We headed over there and I was pleased to find a very short single rider line. I haven’t ridden this coaster since 2022 and I was happy to get one more ride in before its re-theme (although now it looks like we may be able to ride again in April/May).

After hitting all our morning must-dos, we decided to ride the Skyliner to check out more resort decorations and get some lunch. Up next…one of our best healthy lunches!

 

[madsmom22]

Love your trip report! Going in April with my sister to celebrate my retirement and hoping to eat a LITTLE more healthy so very much appreciate your reviews!

 

[mickey916]

Love your trip report! Going in April with my sister to celebrate my retirement and hoping to eat a LITTLE more healthy so very much appreciate your reviews!

Every little bit of healthy helps! Congratulations on your retirement and have a great trip!

 

[mickey916]

12/8 Continued...Lunch at Primo Piatto​

We took the Skyliner over to the Caribbean Beach Resort and checked out the holiday decor.

After exploring a bit, we walked over to the Riviera Resort to purchase lunch at Primo Piatto. We decided to share the Grilled Vegetable Skewer: Harissa-marinated Vegetables, Plant-based Cucumber Yogurt, Lemon-Tomato Vinaigrette, and Quinoa Salad served over a Grilled Pita

Here is the photo of our meal:

You may note that there was not actually a “skewer” involved in this roasted vegetable skewer. That being said, the roasted vegetables were absolutely delicious. We loved this so much! The vegetables were perfectly cooked and full of flavor. Our only disappointment was that we had to share it! Next time we’re going to each get our own!

We also shared the hummus platter: Hummus, Mini Pita, Spiced Chickpeas, Olive Oil

This was also a great-tasting side dish!

For dessert, we purchased a Riviera Cookie from the bakery case at Primo Piatto.

This was our first time trying this cookie. We had no idea it was served warm from the bakery case which elevated the cookie even more. This cookie was phenomenal! It had great texture and lots of flavor from the dried cherries, semi-sweet chocolate, oats, molasses, walnuts, and pistachios. It was by far the best dessert we had the whole week. It is now on the must-get list! Our only regret was that we only bought one!

We just love Primo Piatto. We have had great breakfast there in the past and now an excellent lunch. It is worth the trip over to the Riviera Resort just to eat at this quick service restaurant.

After our fantastic meal, we wandered around the Riviera Resort to check out the decorations.

We then hopped on the skyliner to Epcot so we could check out the Epcot area resorts.

Up next…Epcot area resorts decorations.

 

[disneyAndi14]

We love Primo Piatto QS, it is one of the reasons I love staying at Riviera! I also love the Skyliner to Epcot from here. It is one of my favorite resorts! The grilled vegetables look delicious!

 

[mickey916]

We love Primo Piatto QS, it is one of the reasons I love staying at Riviera! I also love the Skyliner to Epcot from here. It is one of my favorite resorts! The grilled vegetables look delicious!

We would love to stay at the Riviera some time. We prefer the Skyliner over the monorail for sure! The veggies were surprisingly good!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

That veggie meal looks awesome! You guys made some great healthy finds.

 

[mickey916]

That veggie meal looks awesome! You guys made some great healthy finds.

It was! Truth be told, I spent hours looking at menus before the trip to make sure we had some interesting healthy choices. Already looking for ideas for our spring trip, hoping to try some more healthy dishes.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

It was! Truth be told, I spent hours looking at menus before the trip to make sure we had some interesting healthy choices. Already looking for ideas for our spring trip, hoping to try some more healthy dishes.

That’s key to healthy eating IMO, especially someplace like WDW where there are so many unhealthy temptations. Seems like you guys found just the right balance of sticking to your new habits while still enjoying some fun treats. It is vacation after all!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanks for showing the picture of the vegetarian skewer, They've changed the presentation since the last time I had it. While it did have actual skewers, it also had one very large mushroom, which I didn't especially like. The current presentation looks much more appetizing-I'll definitely try it again.

 

[mickey916]

That’s key to healthy eating IMO, especially someplace like WDW where there are so many unhealthy temptations. Seems like you guys found just the right balance of sticking to your new habits while still enjoying some fun treats. It is vacation after all!

We really did try to strike a good balance. It helps a lot that we are both on the same page. We viewed this trip as a trial run figuring we couldn't get ourselves in too much trouble with just 10 days. Our next trip beginning at the end of April is four weeks long but we're pretty confident we can still strike that balance with healthy choices and treats. Our tastes have changed quite a bit so some of the stuff that used to be a huge temptation isn't really so much anymore.

Thanks for showing the picture of the vegetarian skewer, They've changed the presentation since the last time I had it. While it did have actual skewers, it also had one very large mushroom, which I didn't especially like. The current presentation looks much more appetizing-I'll definitely try it again.

Funny that they changed it but still called it a skewer. We wouldn't have cared for the huge mushroom either. Hopefully if you try it again you enjoy it as much as we did!

 

[mickey916]

12/8 continued...Beach & Yacht Club​

Walking over from the Epcot Skyliner station, we headed over to check out the gingerbread carousel at the Beach Club. This year’s theme was the Christmas Carol.

Scrooge Horse:

Christmas Past Horse:

Christmas Present Horse:

Christmas Future Horse:

Jacob Marley Horse:

I loved this year’s carousel! I think it’s my favorite one so far. Just beautiful!

Since the carousel is really the focal point of the decorations at the Beach Club, there is no huge central tree but I appreciate the seashore decorations on the tree and wreaths in the lobby.

We next headed over to the Yacht Club to see the beautiful yacht-inspired tree in the lobby.

We were disappointed to see that the gingerbread lighthouse that debuted last year wasn’t constructed this year for some reason. But, we were happy to see the holiday train display.

It is so cool how each resort has their own special display during the holidays.

Up next…checking out the Swan & Dolphin resorts.