I fell off the ice cream truck...13 days of DDP with pics!*UPDATE: COMPLETED!!*

we were starving, so what did we do....
disney2012201.jpg

Crispy Calamari for Two - topped with grilled peppers and onions, served with dipping sauces $12.99

now Dan and I are from NJ, we are EYE TALIAN :rotfl: sicilian and napoleton :thumbsup2 so, we know our food.. and if you want to talk like a TRUE italian, you say "galamad" that is how calamari is pronounced up here.. but in Disney i do say " C A L I M A R I " because otherwise i get this look :confused:.. !!

They changed this up a bit from the last time i've had it and they did a great job, not too chewy, didn't fall out of the breadcrumbs which sometimes leaves you with just the squid. AND the dipping sauces were awesome, a spicy marinara, sweet honey sauce, and some pesto!

I would like to say that Dan and I work as a couple because i like the tenticles and he likes the rings.. thats just how we roll : AK!


I love that. I'm from NJ (but only 1/4 Italian) and I can relate.

Did the calamarai have tentacles? In the photo I can only see the rings, and like you my favorite is the tentacles.:hippie:
 
I'm really enjoying your reviews!
OT- My bil's family is from Bayonne. I feel like I know the place!:goodvibes

hahah SMALL WORLD! :rotfl:

I love that. I'm from NJ (but only 1/4 Italian) and I can relate.

Did the calamarai have tentacles? In the photo I can only see the rings, and like you my favorite is the tentacles.:hippie:

ya know looking back at the picture now i dont see any! but it still stands that i much prefer the tentacles haha :goodvibes
 
Breakfast

In my 25 years going to Disney, i have never ever been to the crystal palace.. we have always eaten at a lot of character restaurants when i was a kid but i always have the memories of walking towards adventureland and passing dozens of people waiting for the Crystal Palace. So this trip i decided we had plenty of time, lots of Disers are always commenting on getting a pre-opening ressie, and the DDP so CRYSTAL PALACE HERE I COME!

In my mind, i was expecting rainbows and butterflies to come shooting out of the buffet. This was going to be the most awesome dining experience of my life - based off the sheer fact that for 25 years i have never not seen a line out the door. Finally i was jumping on the band wagon!!

We had an 8:15 reservation and the parks didn't open until 9. It was so cool getting into the park earlier than others.. but there were still way more people walking around the parks then i had thought.

disney2012219.jpg


We got to CP and had a minimal wait, there were a handful of people and we got a pager and it started buzzing within about 5 min.. giving me some time for castle pics!

When we were brought to our table there was some confetti on it for Dan's birthday! So cute! Love how Disney just puts a little magic here and there!

It was your generic buffet, similar to Chef Mickeys. Dan loved the fact they had chefs there making your own omelets and choc chip pancakes! I stuck with just the buffet and had been looking forward to the puffed french toast (which it did live up to expectations!) Other than that the food was... alright.. i mean i could sit and describe every taste to you all but if you have eaten at one Disney buffet - for the most part- you have eaten at them all. Our waitress brought out a cupcake for Dan! So fun, even though he had no interest in eating a cupcake at 8:30 in the morning.. im like TAKE A BITE SO IT DOESNT LOOK LIKE WE DON'T APPRECIATE IT!! :rotfl:

They said it would take an hour to see all the characters.. which LOL this may sound terrible but... when i go to character buffets, as adults with no children (yet!) i'm less concerned about the characters, so our plan of attack is - ask for a picture and keep it moving piglet! I'm sure when we have kids it will be much more exciting a fun to interact with the characters!

disney2012228.jpg

Adult price range: $24.49-$28.75; Child (ages 3-9) price range: $13.84-$15.97

in the picture, there is puffed french toast, a little cinnamon roll (a little stale), breakfast potatoes (these were REALLY good), some kind of potatoes with breadcrumbs (really weird texture), scrambled eggs, cheese cubes (because when else do i get to eat cheese cubes for bfast!) and a croissant. I'm a big fan of croissant sandwiches, so i always get one and stuff it with eggs!

disney2012230.jpg

i totally forget the name of this! you can get these everywhere.. they are like a chocolate filled pastry but the name slips my mind :confused:

Dan had all the same stuff as me, except he had the choc chip pancakes with he loved!

Did CP live up to my dreams of rainbows and butterflies... no lol but i'm glad i got to experience it.

Overall, i would go back here for the sheer fact that we were in the park so early. Once we got out of there, we headed over to fantasy land where it wasn't even open yet.. since we were there so early and near fantasyland.. within the first hour of opening we rode: Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Small World and Haunted Mansion :woohoo:

Total: $57.50
DDP: 2 TS
OOP: Tip

Since we ate so early, i was looking for something around 11ish.. i had wanted something similar to my Frozen Cappucino... so when we got to the Sunshine Tree Terrace and i saw Citrus Swirl.. im like :cool1: sounded like a nice, refreshing, citrusy drink...

WRONG. it was ice cream, and here is where my downfall begins.

The CM handed over this:
disney2012242.jpg

Citrus Swirl - orange slush with vanilla soft-serve ice cream $3.19

at first i was really irritated cause its 11am and i'm eating ice cream, are you kidding me! But then 4 scoops in and im on :cloud9: and i'm at disney, so who cares!!!!!!!!

I'm gonna say this and some of you may hate me for this.. but the Citrus Swirl is BETTER than the dole whips.. i was an avid dole whip fan, but i have converted. It's basically the same concept just with orange slush, similar to a creamsicle but way better!

Total: $3.19
DDP: 1 snack
OOP: $0.00

Dan also had a Mickey Ice cream sandwhich from a cart in Frontierland.. and he swears they are better than the Mickey Ice Cream bar.. no way i believe that. Here is a pic from the disney food blog as i wasn't fast enough to grab a pic before he ate it!

mo.jpg

Mickey's Cookie and Cream Ice Cream Sandwich $3.50

Total: $3.50
DDP: 1 snack
OOP: $0.00

Lunch

We headed back to Pop for lunch!

With the DDP you now get refillable mugs which for the most part works out well if your eating at your resort because you can fill up your mug at the fountains and then you still get an additional drink, so when we ate at the hotel we would stock up on water or ice tea!

Dan had the chicken nuggets and fries and a brownie. He thought the chicken and fries were good but he said the brownie was awesome, 2 thumbs up)

disney090.jpg

Chicken Breast Nuggets - $7.89

disney091.jpg

Brownie - $2.39

I had the vegetarian burger with fries and for dessert an apple danish! They told me the veggie burger would take a few minutes - which i was cool with, just meant it was going to be fresh! I asked for it with cheese!

disney088.jpg

Vegetarian Burger - $6.99
It looks so pretty, but that coleslaw on top was GROSS and they put some kind of sweet relish on it.. i just wanted the burger no clue it was going to have that.. i took it off and normally i'd eat the coleslaw on the side but this stuff was so hard it was barely edible.. The burger was awesome though! It was the kind of veggie burger with the vegetable pieces :thumbsup2

disney092.jpg

Assorted Danish $2.69
This was so tasty! You cant go wrong with a danish!

Total: $23.96
DDP: 2 QS
OOP: $0.00

Dinner

Dan has wanted to try Via Napoli for years and i was always complaining "it's just a pizza place!" But we did it this year, mostly because i saw all the dining reviews about it and thought the pizza looked amazing! I wasn't sure what to do - we had intially had a couple TS meals we were going to pay OOP, and i thought we could get one pie and pay OOP, but when i got there i saw how huge they were and realized that would be way too much pizza! So we got the individual pies.

We had a little bit of a wait and they were not taking walk ups.. i had to laugh because some people were coming up and asking how do you make reservations :confused: lol

disney2012254.jpg

Individual $16, Margherita - tomato, mozzarella, basil
Individual $18, Quattro Formaggi - mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone

Dan ordered the Margherita, which is basically just the plain pizza and i ordered the 4 cheese! We decided to split them since they were huge pieces and we wanted to try both! I liked the Margherita better, it had just enough sauce and cheese and Dan loved the 4 cheese.. it was white pie (no sauce), so with all that cheese and bread it was too much for me, i only ate one of the four cheese pieces!

There was a family sitting behind us, only 3 people, and they must have ordered the pie that feeds 3-5.. OMG, they had to use a cart to wheel that pie out! So funny the family was laughing so hard! But man, they ate the whole thing!!

For dessert Dan got the tiramisu

disney2012256.jpg

Tiramisu - Mascarpone cream, espresso coffee, lady fingers, and chocolate $8.00
He thought it was great! but when i tried it i though it had WAYYY too much espresso, like when you bit into it the liquid was pouring out, i'd prefer it a little less soaked.

I decided i wanted to try something different, and i'm normally not a fan of cherries.. but i was gonna get the Coppa Amarena, which i see is not listed on all ears, but it was like a vanilla gelato with cherry sauce! Here i go again with the ice cream, 2x in one day, oh lord. :sad2:

disney2012258.jpg

Coppa Amarena $14.00

how shall i put this... this gelato was THE BOMB DOT COM. and like i said, not a cherry fan but all the vanilla goodness and cherry sauce was like a party in a glass! They had like some crunchy cookies in there, man you could not pull me away from this!!! The waiter had initally said this was really good so i trusted that he wasnt just blowing smoke, and he was right on!

Total: $79.70
DDP: 2 TS
OOP: Tip



here are some other pics from MK, when it was empty.. and omgosh so many bunnies! I love bunnies, i had one for 10 years and every time i see them i always think about her! :love:

disney2012222.jpg


d21.jpg


d24.jpg


d26.jpg
 

Loving the reviews and can not wait to go back to MM and Via Napoli on our next trip.
 
Breakfast

For dessert Dan got the tiramisu
Tiramisu - Mascarpone cream, espresso coffee, lady fingers, and chocolate $8.00
He thought it was great! but when i tried it i though it had WAYYY too much espresso, like when you bit into it the liquid was pouring out, i'd prefer it a little less soaked.

The tiramisu was NOT drenched in espresso...i'm sorry but it's one thing I must argue with you :love:

btw...I gotta say when you said you were going to do this I wasn't for it. But reading it now I see it was an awesome idea! Love you!!
 
All this talk of tiramisu! That is my favorite dessert ever!!!!
 
I have never been in the park before opening . I will have to make an ADR for the Crystal Palace at 8!

CP is pretty average. I agree, it’s more for the characters.

The Citrus Swirl is BETTER than the Dole Whip? I’m going to have to try it now!

VIA NAPOLI :love::love:

Did you have a cute waiter? :)
 
I've never tried a citrus swirl before. I think you just convinced me it's something I have to get on my next trip!
 
Glad you liked Via Napoli! I am trying for the first time on my next trip and the pictures of your pizza look great!
 
I LOVE Citrus Swirls and agree they're better than Dole Whips. Then again, I adore Creamsicles and as you said, they're like a Creamsicle, only better! :thumbsup2

I'm so happy to see the Coppa Amarena is still on the menu at Via Napoli! I had it last year and it's seriously one of the best sundaes I've ever had. I was very sad to see it wasn't on the menu at AllEars any longer but it's obviously still on the menu at Via Napoli, woohoo!! :banana:

Really enjoying your reviews! :goodvibes
 
Great review so far, Marla.

Just to clarify about the California roll at EDO, the fish eggs on top of the roll are SMELT ROE. There are none in the roll itself :thumbsup2 This is the description on their menu:

Avocado, cucumber, seafood mix, and smelt roe reverse rolled in sushi rice and seaweed
 
Great review so far, Marla.

Just to clarify about the California roll at EDO, the fish eggs on top of the roll are SMELT ROE. There are none in the roll itself :thumbsup2 This is the description on their menu:

Avocado, cucumber, seafood mix, and smelt roe reverse rolled in sushi rice and seaweed

Ah...that makes sense. Thank you! I don't know why I didn't think of that. I've seen the "smelt roe" before.
 
I have never been in the park before opening . I will have to make an ADR for the Crystal Palace at 8!

CP is pretty average. I agree, it’s more for the characters.

The Citrus Swirl is BETTER than the Dole Whip? I’m going to have to try it now!

VIA NAPOLI :love::love:

Did you have a cute waiter? :)

hahaha ya know, my observations of all the cm's in the world showcase is that they are all really good looking!! LOL especially the ones in norway! i'm thinking this may be a requirement! j/k :rotfl2:

Great review so far, Marla.

Just to clarify about the California roll at EDO, the fish eggs on top of the roll are SMELT ROE. There are none in the roll itself :thumbsup2 This is the description on their menu:

Avocado, cucumber, seafood mix, and smelt roe reverse rolled in sushi rice and seaweed

:thumbsup2 thanks!!
 
Breakfast

Today we were heading to Islands of Adventure.. and we had a score to settle.

The last time we were there was a few months after the opening of WWHP (wizarding world of harry potter), and i can unhappily say, for that trip..we spent well over $100 on IOA/US one day park hoppers, and all i got was a butterbeer. meaning we did not ride a single ride, or eat anything.. just got a butterbeer. BUT i still firmly say that butterbeer was worth the 100$+ :lmao: but seriously, that trip we waited an hour just to get into the HP area of the park.. it was raining, the main HP ride had broken down with no hope of reopening

and i was like

:scared1:

"WE'RE LEAVING" .. so needless to say we left, but this time we were riding that ride! come hell or high water!

so Dan made it very clear we needed to be out of the hotel bright and early.. so we decided to grab something quick.. bagels..

disney306.jpg

Bagel $2.59
mine was everything and Dan had a plain.. he did not like his at all. Though, i think a contributing factor was how terrible the toasters are at pop?! unless i was not using it correctly - they were just not getting the job done. Mine was okay, i used cream cheese (which i thought they charged for but i dont see it on my reciept?).. nothing to write home about but it was enough for the morning! so 2 bagels plus our apple juice and choc milk!

Total: $9.23
DDP: 0 credits
OOP: $9.23

Snacks

We got our butterbeer! Which let me assure you, this is the most amazing drink every created.. i could and would drink multiple cups, even as sweet as it is! It's even better if you have read the books and seen the movies because you KNOW this is what real HP butterbeer is supposed to taste like!

disney104.jpg

16oz butterbeer $4.25

Total: $10.00

I also had a fruit cup because i saw this little kid eating one and i got jealous! I usually steer clear of fruit down in florida because for some reason it just never seems ripe to me, its always hard and flavorless? This was REALLY FRESH, everything was perfect! It had watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew! NO GRAPES.. i hate when grapes are mixed with other fruit, they get all soggy and gross!

disney102.jpg

Fruit Cup - $2.99

Total: $2.99

Lunch

ahhh lunch, what an amazing DISASTER this was..

ss.jpg


I went to school in FL, Dan and I were together long distance during that time and when he came down one time i introduced him to Steak and Shake.. while i was in college i was still eating meat, so i was familiar with the place, i liked it.. and HE LOVED IT! he was dying to go back there to eat so i thought we'd stop there on our way back since it right outside DTD.. not too far.

Basically, we sat down, our waiter was super nice! :thumbsup2 Dan ordered a shake, and we ordered the rest of our food. He was getting a double steakburger with cheese while i was getting a grilled cheese as there was absolutely nothing else i could eat lol. Well a bigger group of unruly people came in a sat at the table next to us.. we waited, and waited and waited, now if your familiar with steak and shake.. they take a while.. they say something like "this is good food, not fast food" ??? well the shake never came, food never came.. and the table next to us has just received all their food.. all 12 people.. okay now i am :mad: I ask where our shake is, my response was.. "you ordered a shake?" OMG, i see how this is going to go... when i questioned about the food, the waiter went to go check only to come back and tell me that someone deleted the order so could he take it again?

-now to anyone in the service industry, i saw him write down our order the first time, so couldnt he go back in the little book and see it, or the tear away paper??? just wondering-

i said we were leaving and he begged us not to, said the meal would be comp'd.

we finally got our food.. got the check, the meal was not comp'd - and this guy says.. "other than my horrible service how was everything" way to put me in an awkward spot buddy.. and then he tells me he will remember us for the next time we come back.. i really wanted to be like.. WELL YOU WILL BE WAITING A LONG TIME!

*there are no pictures to document this horrible event as reliving it through pictures would only make my blood pressure rise*

DISCLAIMER.. i know everyone has a bad day and people make mistakes and thats why i kept my cool and was just very stern.. i do wish the waiter had just let us leave as opposed to lying about comp'ing the meal.

Total: $11.69

Snack

i needed something to feel better after that ordeal.. so back at Pop, a

disney2012260.jpg

Brownie - $2.39

was screaming at me from the glass case. I mean it is so cute with it's little marshmallows and m&m's! It also tasted very fudgy!! :love: it is huge though so you could share it with someone!!

Total: $2.39
DDP: 1 snack
OOP: $0.00

Dinner

We knew we were going to the AMC Dine in theater ar DTD but we weren't sure when, so we figured since we didnt have any plans we would head there! We went to see snow white and the huntsman.. and i do have to share this picture which describes her perfectly! lol

lol.jpg


the movie was awesome though!! If you have never been to a dine in theater i would go right away! It is pretty expensive what with the movie tix, dinner and drinks.. but i mean you would prob go to another restaurant anyway! You get to sit in big comfy chairs and there are waiters who bring you your food! Love it, except when we went in NJ, no one seemed to be eating dinner..just appetizers or popcorn, but in disney everyone was eating!

I got something New on the menu! It was Bruschetta Shrimp Pasta

disney106.jpg

Bruschetta Shrimp Pasta $14.99
sorry it was so dark, i was not going to be THAT person with the flash!!! :rotfl:

This was phenomenal, especially for being like movie food.. ya know you wouldnt expect it to be good but it was! The pasta had a creamy red brushetta sauce - not too salty but perfect, and they gave you so much shrimp!! O M Gosh, the best part though was the breadstick, because it was a pretzel breadstick!! :woohoo:

Dan had popcorn :faint: boooring LOL.. but he liked it, it looks like your everyday movie theater popcorn!
Popcorn - With free refills $7.75

+ drinks, Soft Drinks - Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, Hi-C Fruit Punch $4.50

Total: about $32.00 + tip


a pic from Hogwarts! OH AND THE RIDE WAS AWESOME!!! Universal is really creating some amazing ride technology! .. nothing against disney though! :eek:

disney101.jpg
 
Hi
I'm really enjoying your reviews! Love butterbeer!! I had two of them at Universal last year!!! Thanks for taking your time to share!!
 
I am sorry you had a terrible experience at Steak n Shake :sad2:

That picture you posted about Kristen Stewart :rotfl:

I have heard about the AMC Dine-in Theater. It sounds very cool!

I have a question about it: Are there certain times you can order your food during the movie or can you just order it whenever? and do the waiters disturb your movie a lot, by bringing you your food, etc.?

Thanks :)
 
I'm getting caught up on your wonderful reviews... yikes - Steak & Shake was a big Sit and Wait.. sorry about that. Seeing your Crystal Palace review makes me looong (and drool a little) for the puffed french toast. And yes, I willl admit here and now that I actually like those potatoes with the breadcrumbs. :laughing:

I'm also a fan of EoS - especially the Caprese sandwich. Yum! Those sides are a great bargin as far as WDW prices. :rolleyes1

Your photos are awesome and your review is entertaining.... so glad that you were there for more than a few days since I have a lot to look forward to with your next updates. :yay:
 
We had a bad experience at Steak and Shake the last time I went. That's been years, and I haven't been back.

I checked into taking our family to IOA for one day our next WDW trip, but, as we have 10 people, the almost NINE HUNDRED DOLLAR price tag is a bit cost prohibited. We can go to another day to a WDW park for $100.
I really want to go to Harry World though. Sigh.

Thanks for the update!!!
 












Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top