Having Annual Passes means infinite Disney trips, right? *COMPLETED* 6/5 California Grill Brunch

[FSU Girl]

Trip 5 - 11/23-11/25​

Garden Grove Thanksgiving Dinner Continued 2





I think my boyfriend did a pretty good job taking pictures. There was also a kids area off to the side that had chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. We didn't get anything from there, but it's nice they had those type of offering for kids who might be picky eaters.

After a couple plates of food it was time for the dessert. They had so much food for Thanksgiving there wasn't space to fit the desserts inside the restaurant. So they had a roped off area in the hallway outside the restaurant with all the dessert tables.



These were really good, the Orange Cranberry Cupcake. But the packaging was a little weird. We could get the hard wrapping off the cupcake part so it was a bit of a mission to eat it.







The cups in the background were a type of creme brulee, but the top wasn't hard so it was a little odd. Still tasted good.



My favorite dessert was the pumpkin pie cheesecake. I had a couple of these.



My first dessert plate. The top left is a bead pudding which was really good too.



So that concludes our Thanksgiving meal. We also got to meet Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. We saw Chip twice. He was a fun he kept playing with my hair. Overall it was a great Thanksgiving meal and I think we will be back for another Thanksgiving.

​

 

[FSU Girl]

Trip 5 - 11/23-11/25​

Garden Grove Thanksgiving Dinner Continued 3

After dinner we walked over to Epcot. It was nice out, but not cold enough for my long sleeves that I was wearing. I didn't really plan that right because the next day it was freezing and I had already worn my only long sleeve shirt.



The Giant Christmas tree was really pretty all lit up. It was crowded, but too bad. I was having a blast being inside Disney on Thanksgiving. We had three fast passes and rode those with little waits while stand by was pretty long. We left before the fireworks and headed to the Boardwalk.



When we got to the Boardwalk we were able to watch the fireworks from Hollywood Studios. This was really fun to watch and we happened to stop outside my favorite ice cream place at Disney. Ample Hills Creamery.



My boyfriend got the peanut butter one, I forget the name. He really liked it. I got the cookies and sweet cream. These were delicious.



We had a lovely view while we ate. I have to say this was one of my favorite Thanksgivings ever.

Up next quick service breakfast and lunch at Hollywood Studios...​

 

[Texans_loyal]

Your Thanksgiving dinner looks delicious! I'm glad you had a great time!

 

[FSU Girl]

Your Thanksgiving dinner looks delicious! I'm glad you had a great time!

Thanks It was pretty delicious

 

[FSU Girl]

Trip 5 - 11/23-11/25​

Dockside Diner Quick Service

When we first made this impromptu Thanksgiving trip my original plan was to not go into any of the parks and just relax at the hotel. But with the colder weather the pool was out of the question and being in walking distance of two parks it was hard to stay away. One of the reasons I love having the annual pass is being able to pop into a park for a few hours and not feel like it's a wasted day.

I had made three fast passes for Hollywood Studios, so that was the park we were going to. The only dining reservation I had for this day was dinner, so we figured whatever appealed to us during the day we would look into. We were going to go to Starbucks to get some coffee and breakfast, but the line was like a mile out the door and I did not want to wait an hour for food.



So I found the only Quick Service I've enjoyed in this park. Every other time the food was mediocre at best, but this place actually delivered. We liked it so much we came back for lunch a few hours later.



We both got a breakfast burrito. It came with eggs, bacon, cheese. It also included salsa and sour cream, but we both asked for these to be left off. I really liked it. It was nice and hot, the cheese was all melty and the bacon was really crispy. It also came with tater tots on the side.



After breakfast we went on our three fast pass rides. We were really excited about our Star Tours ride, it was all completely different with all new stuff about the new movies. I heard they might be retheming this since it's not in Star Wars Land. I'll be sad, I love this ride.



It was really crowded at this point. We were in the fast pass line for Rock N Roller Coaster and the line wrapped all the way around the side of the building.



A shot of the stand by line. A lot of people kept jumping into the single rider line thinking it would be faster. But I think that line was probably the same length of time to wait too.

It was lunch time now and we were trying to decide where we wanted to eat. At first we were thinking of walking back to the hotel and finding something around there. But then they were doing a Star Wars march that redirected traffic and we found ourselves back in front of the diner we had eaten breakfast at.



I wanted the Nachos, but I really only wanted it with chili and cheese. I then noticed the kids nachos came with exactly that. My boyfriend wanted just a plane hotdog. When we were there for breakfast I had noticed a sign with a Kahlua milkshake that sounded really good. So I ended up ordering a kids meal with an alcoholic beverage.



My kid nachos came with carrots and apples along with a water so I was feeling super healthy. The hot dog came with potato chips.



My Kahlua milkshake also had baileys and whip cream vodka. You are given a choice between vanilla or chocolate ice cream, I chose vanilla. Most of the alcohol was sitting at the bottom, but after a few good stirs I had mixed it all together and it tasted delicious.



My kid nachos with chili and cheese. This was the perfect amount and exactly what I had wanted. Some of the nachos at the bottom were soggy from the chili, but most of it was really delicious.

After lunch we walked back to the hotel. It was amazing how much faster it was to walk to both of the parks instead of taking a boat. We beat them every time and I'm not a fast walker.



A picture of our hotel from the walking path.

We went back to the hotel room to relax and change for dinner. We were going to Il Mulino for the first time.
​

 

[FSU Girl]

Trip 5 - 11/23-11/25​

Il Mulino dinner

For dinner we were trying another first at Il Mulino. It is also located inside the Swan and was pretty easy to get reservations for on short notice.



I think the entrance looks nice, but the hostess desk is all the way inside past the bar, which was a little confusing when we arrived. It didn't seem very busy, but we had to wait about twenty minutes for our table to be ready.



While waiting for our table I took some pictures. I thought this set up looked really cool with the mirror on the ceiling like that.



Is it just me or does this table seem really cluttered? There was barely room for the menu with all the glasses, place mats and stuff.



To accompany the bread they have olive oil on the table along with eggplant and I think it was salami. I didn't try the salami, but the eggplant was delicious! It was cooked with tomatoes and topped with Parmesan cheese. They ended up bring another plate out because we finished this so quickly.





Some menu shots. It was kind of dark inside so these might be a little hard to read.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to try. I thought the mushroom risotto looked really good, but I wasn't sure if just rice would be filling enough for an entire meal. So I was going to go with a pasta when the waiter asked if I wanted to add any shrimp or meat. I asked if I could do that with the risotto and he said yes.



Risotto Con Funghi - Arborio Rice with Wild Mushrooms and truffle oil

I added shrimp and thought this was really delicious. I love all things truffle oil (although I read an article that said most times its fake because it's so expensive. Oh well) and I've recently fallen back in love with Mushrooms. I used to love them as a kid, then someone told me they were fungus and it totally grossed me out. I didn't eat them for over a decade and only recently started eating them again.



My boyfriend got veal that was made up like chicken parm. He really liked it and finished it off.



It came with a side and he chose sauteed spinach. This picture was taken at the end of the meal. He didn't like it, said it was just spinach thrown in a pan with no seasoning or flavor. The waiter was really nice and took it off the bill, even though we didn't complain about it at all.



​

 

[FSU Girl]

Trip 5 - 11/23-11/25​

BlueZoo Lounge

When we had checked in they gave us a coupon for a free $15 drink to use during our stay. We decided to use it after dinner at one of the hotel lounges. We picked BlueZoo since I had heard good things about the restaurant and was curious to see it.



We sat in a booth in the lounge next to the bar. There was a man playing music, which was a nice atmosphere.



I got the Zooberry. Description from their menu: Our namesake cocktail begins with blueberry infused Russian standard vodka, fresh lemon juice, and rock candy syrup, served up with a twist

My boyfriend got a Jack and Coke.

We also decided we wanted to try some dessert while there.



We went with an assortment of truffles that came with 12. I'm not sure I remember what was in them exactly, since I forgot right after the waitress told me. I know there was an espresso one and pistachio one. Most of them were really good, I think I didn't like only one. I thought it was interesting they were square shaped since I normally think of truffles as round. It was a pretty good dessert to go with our drinks.

It was a nice way to end our short Thanksgiving trip. It was really cold out, which for this Floridian that makes it feel extra romantic.



When we got back to our room we discovered we could watch the Hollywood Studios fireworks from our balcony. It was a nice surprise.

This impromptu trip was really fun and I enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving this way. I think we will definitely come back for another Thanksgiving in the future.

My next Disney trip is in three days ​

 

[Texans_loyal]

To accompany the bread they have olive oil on the table along with eggplant and I think it was salami. I didn't try the salami, but the eggplant was delicious! It was cooked with tomatoes and topped with Parmesan cheese. They ended up bring another plate out because we finished this so quickly.

The eggplant looks so good, literally drooling lol. I'm glad you enjoyed your meal! I will have to make my way over there soon.

 

[FSU Girl]

The eggplant looks so good, literally drooling lol. I'm glad you enjoyed your meal! I will have to make my way over there soon.

The eggplant was so good I could probably have just eaten that all night and been happy

 

[disneyAndi14]

We were at Disney over Thanksgiving, we had Thanksgiving dinner at Yak and Yeti and I agree it was cold Friday, even for a Minnesotan. Your two dinners look great!

 

[FSU Girl]

We were at Disney over Thanksgiving, we had Thanksgiving dinner at Yak and Yeti and I agree it was cold Friday, even for a Minnesotan. Your two dinners look great!

They were great thank you How was your Thanksgiving meal there? It's supposed to be a low of 38 degrees this weekend when I go back I'm going to freeze!

 

[disneyAndi14]

They were great thank you How was your Thanksgiving meal there? It's supposed to be a low of 38 degrees this weekend when I go back I'm going to freeze!

Our dinner was really good. We shared the Tikka Masala chicken, pot stickers, and wonton dessert so not traditional Thanksgiving. Wow 38 will be cold. Our high today is only 22 so I’m use to it but it feels cold in Florida when it gets down there lol!

 

[FSU Girl]

Our dinner was really good. We shared the Tikka Masala chicken, pot stickers, and wonton dessert so not traditional Thanksgiving. Wow 38 will be cold. Our high today is only 22 so I’m use to it but it feels cold in Florida when it gets down there lol!

That sounds delicious. Honestly Thanksgiving food is not my favorite and I would have been fine with a nontraditional meal. But my boyfriend really wanted the traditional meal. And wow 22 is very cold. South Florida rarely sees temperatures like that.

 

[ariane37]

What a nice trip! Having been down there for Thanksgiving the past two years we really felt not being there this year. And didn't like it
Your Il Mulino pics have me drooling, love it there! I could eat that eggplant all day. And that truffle dessert from Bloozoo sounds awesome. Good to hear Garden Grove dinner was really good on the holiday! Hope you're enjoying your current trip

 

[kastoney]

As I write this I realize you must be in Disney right now. So jealous of how close it is for you. Looks like a great way to spend Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing!

 

[FSU Girl]

What a nice trip! Having been down there for Thanksgiving the past two years we really felt not being there this year. And didn't like it
Your Il Mulino pics have me drooling, love it there! I could eat that eggplant all day. And that truffle dessert from Bloozoo sounds awesome. Good to hear Garden Grove dinner was really good on the holiday! Hope you're enjoying your current trip

I really liked celebrating the holiday there I think its unique and fun. That eggplant was amazing I can't wait to go back and have it again.

As I write this I realize you must be in Disney right now. So jealous of how close it is for you. Looks like a great way to spend Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing!

It dangerous how close it is lol. I'm always trying to make new trips. It was a really nice Thanksgiving.

 

[FSU Girl]

So a mini update, I will be posting my food reviews within the next couple days of my last trip. But, I wanted to share something with all of you first.

I got engaged! He proposed while we were on the Disney Dream

 

[DLo]

Congratulations!

 

[ariane37]

Gorgeous and congratulations!!!!!

 

[suse66]

Congratulations!!!! So happy for you!

Thanks for posting your reviews of Il Mulino and Bluezoo......they are definitely going on my list for our 2019 anniversary trip!