Joy to the World: an offsite Christmas extravaganza at Disney, Universal & SeaWorld – Dec. 2016 TR

[Joanna71985]

Whew! Those are pricy milkshakes (but they sound amazing)

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I really wanted to try this restaurant when I was there in February but time gave way and we couldn't make it work. I'm really looking forward to your experience as I've not heard so many great reviews from there. I have to say that all the pictures of the food and ice cream that I've seen looks absolutely delicious.

 

[afan]

Curious to read the rest of your review. We went there for lunch too on our 2nd US day and also ate upstairs though you had a nice view. We overlooked the staircase. I had a cheeseburger and I think my friend had a bacon burger, we both had something similar and without chocolate. We couldn't justify the shakes and by this time we'd done sundaes at Beaches and Cream, Coldstone and a couple of Mickey bars They do look good and a meal on their own. We enjoyed our burgers though they weren't anything to write home about, better than in the park though.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Toothsome seems an interesting place, I'm looking forward to your review. BTW what is steampunk? That's a new one for me.

As to another visit, it's always on our wish list but we have to save up first I'm afraid

I would do a terrible job at explaining it, so I'll link you to this site :

https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/what-is-steampunk-fashion/

We saw them on the menu (via Yelp)...I am sort of a tater tot fanatic, and this just spoke to me!

Totchos
Fried Tator Tots, Spicy, Green Chili, Crispy Pork Belly, Andouille Sausage Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Oooooh, those do sound pretty good (most components, anyway ).

I love the fact that tater tots are available in place of fries in so many places in the USA! They're not nearly as popular in Canada.

AH You left us hanging on what flavors you chose

Ooops, sorry!! I had to split the entry and that seemed a logical place. I hope to have the balance of the review up soon......and I promise, there are milkshake pics .

Whew! Those are pricy milkshakes (but they sound amazing)

Our AP's give us a decent discount on dining, so it while they were still expensive, they were a little less so once the discount was applied. And.....you get to keep the plastic cup. So, its kind of like a drink, a dessert, and a souvenir all in one .

I really wanted to try this restaurant when I was there in February but time gave way and we couldn't make it work. I'm really looking forward to your experience as I've not heard so many great reviews from there. I have to say that all the pictures of the food and ice cream that I've seen looks absolutely delicious.

We have been twice, and had an excellent experience both times (and totally different meals on each visit). We are looking forward to introducing Steve's brother and SIL to Toothsome on our October trip!

Curious to read the rest of your review. We went there for lunch too on our 2nd US day and also ate upstairs though you had a nice view. We overlooked the staircase. I had a cheeseburger and I think my friend had a bacon burger, we both had something similar and without chocolate. We couldn't justify the shakes and by this time we'd done sundaes at Beaches and Cream, Coldstone and a couple of Mickey bars They do look good and a meal on their own. We enjoyed our burgers though they weren't anything to write home about, better than in the park though.

We had the shakes on this Christmas visit, but opted for one of their ice cream creations on our second visit. You are right that the shakes could easily replace a mid-day meal: especially the ones that come with a thick brownie or whole cupcake on the top. Not that they are nutritious in any way but definitely filling!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Saturday, December 24th: continued

Once Jacques left our table, our server (who had already brought us large glasses of ice water to sip away on until our shakes were ready) popped by to let us know that the'd be delivering us our milkshakes within the next few minutes: she had just popped down to the kitchen and they were being mixed at that very moment. I asked if it was okay to take a quick stroll through the restaurant to capture a few more photos and she assured me that was no problem at all. Steve was answering a few last minute text messages before they closed for the Christmas holiday, so while he took care of business, I took a tour of the balance of Toothsome.

I headed down the elevator this time.......I wanted to try it out ....and the first floor was pretty empty. I was grateful for that, so I could snap a few pictures without disturbing anyone's meal.

The whole interior is really quite a unique an interesting style, like no other place I've been in, really. Toothsome hit quite a home run on concept here: it's different and quirky without being too strange.

There was a little taste of Christmas with the small trees dotting the interior, which was just enough. It added some festive cheer without compromising the overall theme.

I also liked the fact that they had some pretty substantially sized booths, so they could easily accommodate some larger parties whenever necessary. Their booths looked really, really comfy, in fact.....might have to try and snag one of those when we visit again in the fall .

I took the stairs back up to the second floor, and got a nice shot of the lighting as I made my way back to our table.

I literally had just sat down when our server coasted in with our milkshakes in hand (how's that for superb timing?), and WOW . They were quite a sight. Even Steve, who normally leaves the photo-taking all to me, whipped out his phone and snapped his own picture or two: this deserved a Facebook post, for sure .

Let me tell you, deciding on which flavour to choose was HARD. My pick was on the left: the "Peanut Indulgence" (peanut butter ice cream, Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, peanuts, and fresh whipped cream). Steve's, on the right, was the "Chocolate X5": chocolate ice cream, chocolate chunks, strawberries, chocolate sauce, fresh whipped cream, chocolate spirals, and a cherry). Others making the short list (and on our must-try lists for future visits) were the Brownie, Salted Dulce De Leche, and Cinnamon Fantasy (for me) and the Bacon Brittle and Brownie (for Steve).

The shakes, while expensive, really were both amazing to look at and sinfully delicious. They were just the right thickness, plus they served them with really wide straws (which was a nice touch). There was a MASSIVE amount of whipped cream on each one, and there was no skimping on ingredients. I don't even want to think about how many calories are in each of these wonderful creations so let's just keep moving along, shall we?

So. Unbelievably. Good.

Our meals arrived not long after we had dug into our milkshakes, leaving us wondering......why did we bother ordering any food, anyway? Thankfully, dining for the rest of the day would be limited to airport vittles and snacks on board the aircraft: heaven knows we wouldn't need anything more.

Steve had opted for the "May Contain Bacon" burger entree: described as "a Half Pound Housemade Patty, Bibb Lettuce, Smokey Thick Cut Bacon, Grilled Pork Belly, Pineapple Chutney, Chipotle Jack Cheese, Pretzel Bun. Choice of Housemade Kettle Chips or French Fried Potatoes". He asked for the pineapple chutney on the side (since he wasn't sure if he'd like it or not), but declared the whole meal a win.....including the chutney. Even the fries exceeded expectations, and normally, fries aren't really worthy of even a mention.

I had opted to order from their all-day brunch menu, selecting the Broccoli Cheddar Quiche ("English Colby Cheddar, Fresh Broccoli, Fresh Fruit and choice of Side Salad or Soup"). I cannot even begin to tell you how GOOD this all was : every single component was simply fantastic. The quiche was flavourful and had an amazingly flaky crust, the soup was hot and delicious with the perfect consistency (and I'm a fussy texture girl, so that's saying something) and the fruit was SO fresh and sweet. This was all so good, in fact, that I had a super hard time convincing myself to try something different from their vast menu on our visit last spring. At $10.95 (regular menu price, before our AP discount) I also thought it was a steal for theme park pricing. I'd give it more than two thumbs up if I had more thumbs .

Steve managed to finish his shake before we left, and our server took his cup and washed it all out for him before we headed out, which we appreciated very much. I was still working on mine.....and had a very large portion of it still left.....so I was grateful that the cup was a keeper and I could just take it with me when we headed out. They cheerfully applied our AP discount to the final total, we covered the check, and waddled downstairs.

OMG, we were FULL .

As we shuffled our bloated bodies toward the entry door, we stopped to take a peek at the Toothsome chefs as they created their masterpieces in the milkshake kitchen. They have some large glass windows where guests can watch first-hand as each shake is made to order. A very cool little touch, especially for those times when there's a bit of a wait for a table.....what better way to pass the time ?

We also stopped in the Toothsome store to pick Jake up a little treat, since we were sorry to have not been able to experience this meal with our boy. Chocolate malt balls are a favourite of his, so selecting something was super easy......though the sticker shock was another story. At $13.95 plus tax for a tiny box, I must admit even our AP discount didn't take the sting off that final total . But, he's worth every penny and it was Christmas, after all.

We headed out into CityWalk, our hearts a little heavy as we had come to the end of the vacation road: it was time to make our way to the parking garage, collect the car, and head to the airport. All good things had come to an end, and oh....what a trip it had been! As we were walking along, Steve looked behind himself and then stopped in the walkway. As he fiddled with his phone, I assumed he had received another text message and was replying to the sender.....but it turns out, he wanted to catch this:

A beautiful, parting shot: one of my favourite pictures out of all the wonderful memories of our trip. It now graces the final page of the photobook that I created of our vacation once we had finalized our move to Michigan. In the section of the blue sky in the top right of the frame, I inscribed one of my favourite quotes from Buddha:

"Everything that has a beginning has an ending.
Make your peace with that, and all will be well."

The ending of our trip is coming up next.

 

[Monykalyn]

Yep you should definitely be doing an Orlando travel blog!
Going to try to fit in Toothsome either in October or November...

 

[Joanna71985]

Ooo that food looks good!!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Toothsome milkshakes look delicious. Mmmmmmmmm........

 

[pepperandchips]

don't even want to think about how many calories are in each of these wonderful creations so let's just keep moving along, shall we?

Says the woman pictured below this quote with the ungodly thin arms for someone eating a peanut butter explosion of heavenly proportions!

(Seriously you guys look great and so happy in all your vacation photos!)

What kind of soup did you have? That meal looks sooooo good! We will have to give toothsome a try next time we are at Universal!

 

[vrajewski10513]

Spoiler alert.. the Salted Dulce De Leche is DELICIOUS!!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Yep you should definitely be doing an Orlando travel blog!
Going to try to fit in Toothsome either in October or November...

You, my friend, are far too kind . But thank you for being so lavish in your compliments.

I am glad you're going to give Toothsome a try! I hope your experience is as positive as ours have been.

Ooo that food looks good!!

It was simply delicious . Whatever issues they had when they first opened (long waits for milkshakes, food taking a half hour or more to be delivered to your table, etc.) were definitely remedied by Christmas.

Toothsome milkshakes look delicious. Mmmmmmmmm........

They were simply mouthwatering! Not for the lactose intolerant, though .

Says the woman pictured below this quote with the ungodly thin arms for someone eating a peanut butter explosion of heavenly proportions!

(Seriously you guys look great and so happy in all your vacation photos!)

What kind of soup did you have? That meal looks sooooo good! We will have to give toothsome a try next time we are at Universal!

Aw, you are too sweet . This short and stumpy girl rarely has anything described as 'ungodly thin' ... except maybe my patience on a bad day .

The soup was cream of broccoli. Cheese was offered (and accepted) but optional. Cream of broccoli is my favourite soup, and it paired perfectly with the quiche.

Spoiler alert.. the Salted Dulce De Leche is DELICIOUS!!

Yes, you tried it!! Which other flavours have you had the opportunity to sample? Have you decided on a personal favourite yet?

Every component of the dulce de leche shake had me drooling except for the pretzels. If there was something other than pretzels that they could substitute on that shake, it would have easily been my first choice. I bet the top of the brownie sundae with the dulce de leche as the milkshake base would be nothing short of heaven in a cup .

 

[vrajewski10513]

Yes, you tried it!! Which other flavours have you had the opportunity to sample? Have you decided on a personal favourite yet?

Every component of the dulce de leche shake had me drooling except for the pretzels. If there was something other than pretzels that they could substitute on that shake, it would have easily been my first choice. I bet the top of the brownie sundae with the dulce de leche as the milkshake base would be nothing short of heaven in a cup .

I'm really picky about sweets lol the dulce de leche is caramel more than anything else, I didn't even notice the taste of pretzel. I'm not a huge fan of peanuts, so I didn't try the peanut indulgence Jeremy got. I didn't try the strawberry my sister got because I'm not a fan of strawberry milk/milkshakes, but my sister thought it was very tasty... no way you can finish the cupcake on top after that whole milk show though lol
The second time we stopped I actually opted for the S'More sundae which I thought was very good, but kinda weird that they serve it on a plate? The melty stuff on the plate is actually fluff not melted ice cream lol it was a bit messy but definitely delicious! Right behind that is the cheesecake which I thought was really good, but I know your feelings towards cheesecake lol

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The drive to the airport was traffic free and surprisingly swift: it was peace on earth, goodwill to men on the roadways for sure. We didn't have to stop to fill up the rental, as we always add on the refueling option to our rental at the time we pick up the vehicle. Whatever we lose in gas on return is more than made up by the convenience of not having to add a fuel stop to the stress and chaos of the airport commute.

We had decided to give ourselves a better cushion of time this year, as crowds at the airport last Christmas caused so much backlog that we barely made it to our gate in time for our flight. I will never forget standing in the swarm of people who were waiting to get in line for security: there was more than one person in tears, begging to be let in ahead of others as they were otherwise going to miss their plane. This year, we swore we would not be caught off guard a second time. Rather than arriving 2 hours ahead of our flight, we'd give ourselves an extra 60 minutes to ensure we had plenty of time to navigate any crowds which we may encounter.

We had just dropped off the rental and checked our baggage at the Jetblue kiosk when our phone pinged with a notification.

Flight delayed .

Well, fiddlesticks .

At first, it was only 15 minutes. Then a second notification came in, then a third, then a fourth until I eventually lost count. Each time, the delay grew by 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes.....and occasionally, the delay decreased by similar amounts. Also each time, we were cautioned to still be at our gate at the original scheduled time in the event that the airline was. There were moments that it felt like the airport had closed for the holiday. Take a look at our gate:

It was so weird.

At any rate, we found seats next to power outlets (so we could keep our phones, laptop and tablet well charged) and settled in to await more new on when our plane might actually arrive. Eventually, other passengers who were also en route to Buffalo joined us and we chatted among ourselves with as much holiday cheer as we could muster. I was grateful that most folks were very civilized and patient, and the Jetblue gate crew were also as informative as they could be. They eventually let us all know that the aircraft had experienced a mechanical issue in White Plains, NY and hence was the reason for the constantly changing departure time. I suppose finding extra aircraft mechanics on Christmas Eve may have posed to be a bit of a challenge.

Our jet finally touched down in Orlando at 9:35 pm. By the time they deplaned the passengers from New York, serviced the aircraft, and boarded our weary group, we were not off the ground until after 10 . The captains and inflight crew, however, couldn't have been nicer.....and the flight back to the frosty north was peaceful and uneventful.

We overnighted at the Days Hotel, and made the long drive home the following morning. Planning for Spring 2017 would not officially start for a few more months.....we had a major move to Michigan to conquer first......but unofficially , well.....that's another story .

The finally tally of the cost of all our fun is coming up next.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'm really picky about sweets lol the dulce de leche is caramel more than anything else, I didn't even notice the taste of pretzel. I'm not a huge fan of peanuts, so I didn't try the peanut indulgence Jeremy got. I didn't try the strawberry my sister got because I'm not a fan of strawberry milk/milkshakes, but my sister thought it was very tasty... no way you can finish the cupcake on top after that whole milk show though lol
The second time we stopped I actually opted for the S'More sundae which I thought was very good, but kinda weird that they serve it on a plate? The melty stuff on the plate is actually fluff not melted ice cream lol it was a bit messy but definitely delicious! Right behind that is the cheesecake which I thought was really good, but I know your feelings towards cheesecake lol
View attachment 265296

Ooooooohhhh...........I'm a s'mores lover, so that sundae looks divine to me . I could eat marshmallow fluff by the jar full . I don't, of course but I totally could!!

This was what we had on our most recent visit: the photo doesn't do it justice. It was massive. The two of us couldn't finish it, though heaven knows we gave it our best shot. The brownies were so fresh and fudgy, they were definitely baked that day.

 

[Monykalyn]

Wow that is an empty gate! and boo to delays! We had one coming home in August with SW-rare though that is, but it wasn't by much and the pilot must have put the petal to the metal as we weren't late much at all once landed.

And security lines is why both hubs and myself (mine was free as a perk for being a platinum member on my CC) have TSA precheck. As a bonus the kids both were granted (free) precheck with us in August-zipped right on through security! and sooooo nice to not have to take shoes off, laptops out (both of us traveled with our laptops this time) etc.

Very nice uneventful drive home is always a good ending!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Cha-ching . Here's what the vacation totaled when all was said and done. Prices in American dollars is listed first, with the Canadian equivalent in brackets (where known):

$85.31 ($110.03 Cdn) - Days Hotel Buffalo airport park & fly package

$742.40 (978.78 Cdn) - round trip airfare via Jetblue, including upgrades to Even More Space seating

$285.00 ($357.87 Cdn) - vehicle rental

$8.00 - additional fuel for rental car

$367.88 ($485.01 Cdn) - one week at the Marriott Grande Vista in a two bedroom lock-out

$89.00 ($117.34 Cdn) - Interval International yearly membership [needed to secure MGV booking]

$700.00 - food, tips and miscellaneous supplies

$50.70 ($67.13 Cdn) - Santa's Fireside Feast at SeaWorld

$104.84 ($135.15 Cdn) - tickets to ICE! at Gaylord Palms [included snow tubing]

$144.00 ($182.00 Cdn) - Hoop Dee Doo Revue dinner show, category 1

$92.56 ($124.82 Cdn) - Capone's Holiday Show with VIP upgrade

$12.52 ($16.93 Cdn) - Uber fees

$66.55 ($87.33 Cdn) - SeaWorld dolphin interaction [for 5] and tray of animal food

$79.95 ($107.82 Cdn) - My Universal Photos annual photo card

$31.71 - Etsy Christmas accessories

$82.67 ($111.63 Cdn) - disneystore.com clothing order

$21.00 - Disney Photopass Share

$35.00 - Parking fees (Disney and Gaylord Palms)

$477.44 ($620.79 Cdn) - balance of Universal annual passes [after gift cards, which were received as a gift]

$210.88 ($279.29 Cdn) - tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

@dsmom kindly treated us all to the Grinchmas Character Breakfast, the Illuminations Cruise, and the Wild Arctic Tour at SeaWorld .

Our out-of-country travel insurance did not cost us anything on this vacation, as we had an annual policy that was still valid .

Our SeaWorld admission and Seaworld photos were also both free this trip, as they were under active annual passes .

Our night at the Holiday Inn Express Closest to Universal was free with our IHG points .

GRAND TOTAL: $3687.41 USD

$204.86 per person, per day; 9 nights, 8 days total

 

[3cmom]

I CANNOT WAIT to show my son the brownie sundae! Toothsome is on my list for October!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

The end, oh no ....

Delays are always frustration but it's better to get home safe. The total per day is pretty good, I daren't do mine!

Thanks for a wonderful trip report x

 

[bankr63]

Back from vacation just in time to catch the end!

It was a wonderful ride along as always, looking forward to upcoming reports. Thanks so much for sharing.

Congratulations on the new position; that came up very quickly! I agree with the others, third time's the charm...

 

[Ruthie5671]

Well, fiddlesticks

Such awful language!!!

$204.86 per person, per day; 9 nights, 8 days total

That is really a good price considering everything you did and your nice lodging.