Let's Do It Again! - First Family Trip, May 2024 (Updated 2/28 x2 - Epcot and Garden Grill)

[missjackiemcg]

I miss when you could do QS lunch at Be Our Guest! I loved the Croque Monsieur (however you spell fancy grilled ham and cheese!!!) and the strawberry cupcake from that beautiful dessert cart. Sigh.

Meeting Beast with my Mom is also one of my favorite character memories!! I'm glad he's back where he belongs now!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Just One Ride
Day 2 – Part VII

After finishing our meal we had several great lightning lanes stacked up. I’d moved back our time for Haunted Mansion so that was immediately available, as was a lightning lane for Buzz Lightyear. We also still had our multiple experience pass from Winnie the Pooh that afternoon.

At this point it was already seven o’clock and G thought we should just do one ride and call it a night. I agreed that was a wise move, especially since we had another full day planned for the next day.

Since it wasn’t far away, we trooped over to a favorite of mine, Haunted Mansion:

The standby line was listed as a 20-minute wait but that line looked pretty long to me! I was happy to have the lightning lane. We were past our ride time but had no trouble getting through with the fifteen minute grace period.

We had a ten-minute wait to reach the stretching room from the lightning lane, so I call “baloney” on the supposed 20-minute wait on the standby line. I bet it was closer to 30-40 minutes.

M was not so sure about the stretching room even though she watched it multiple times on YouTube. She was happy to hold onto G:

M survived the stretching room and enjoyed the queue leading up to the doom buggies. I rode with M (she felt better with me as she knew I loved the ride) and G took L.

I adore the Haunted Mansion – there are so many great details and Disney magic in that attraction! I tried to take it all in just in case it was my only time to ride it this trip. (Spoiler: it was!)

I managed to get a nice blurry picture of the Hitchhiking ghost:

My photo skills were not great, but the effect was so neat!

I also love capturing the creepy black widow (err, bride!):

M and I sang Grim Grinning Ghosts while we rode in the graveyard. I’m also pleased with our pictures from the ride:

G and L seem to be taking it all in. As for M and me...

I'm pointing out every detail and M is not so sure.

This attraction didn't get a rousing, "Let's do it again!" for immediate return, but M did enjoy the graveyard scene and said she'd ride it again sometime. I'll take it as a win!

It was wise to ride only one attraction as it took more than 20 minutes to experience Haunted Mansion. We elected to take the express monorail back to the TTC to get back. It was a much better (and faster!) experience since we didn’t have to go through security again. The express monorail wouldn't be a great choice post-fireworks (but as we'll learn, neither monorail is great after the fireworks! ), but for non-crunch times it was nice to have an alternative.

My favorite part is the "secret" path to the Polynesian Resort:

So pretty!

We were back in the room a little after eight o'clock. We split the tasks of washing cups and bibs, restocking the diaper bag, resetting the stroller, and getting the girls ready for bed. We soon got ready for bed ourselves and were in bed before nine o’clock. I fell asleep once the fireworks were over (darn fireworks!) but thankfully the girls were already out. It had been a long, full day!

I love @Araminta18 's “Fun with Metrics” and thought it would be fun to include as well!

For steps, I’m using the step count from my Apple watch.

Attractions are a little hard to count as M rode several things twice (thanks, rider swap!) and both G and I rode some things with only M and others by ourselves. Therefore, I’m going to count each attraction experienced by someone in our party once unless it was something we all experienced twice (such as Pirates on this day). I'll also note how many of the attractions (both rides and characters) we did with lightning lanes.

I’m also counting our character meet and greets, table service meals, and fun Disney-specific snacks.

(I went back and added our daily stats to the end of Day 1. I didn’t think to add it without the rides, but that day included steps and meals and character meets, too!)

Daily Stats
Steps: 15,315
Attractions: 12
(Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Tomorrowland Speedway, Mad Tea Party, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Prince Charming Regal Carousel, Pirates of the Caribbean x2, Jungle Cruise, It’s a Small World, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion)
Lightning Lane Attractions: 6
Characters: 4
(Piglet, Tigger, Tiana, Rapunzel)
Table Service Meals: 2
(Crystal Palace and Be Our Guest)
Snacks: 0
(What happened on this day?! How did I eat zero fun snacks? Yes, we had some fruit, but basic fruit can be found anywhere and is not a Disney snack for this purpose.)

Up Next: Epcot Morning

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I miss when you could do QS lunch at Be Our Guest! I loved the Croque Monsieur (however you spell fancy grilled ham and cheese!!!) and the strawberry cupcake from that beautiful dessert cart. Sigh.

I'd eaten at BOG for dinner three times from 2013-2016 but did try lunch once in 2016. I preferred the old dinner, but I'm so glad I tried lunch before the option went away! I had an excellent roast beef sandwich and a grey stuff cupcake which I enjoyed in the West Wing.

I really missed the dessert cart! I thought that was such a fun feature of this restaurant.

Meeting Beast with my Mom is also one of my favorite character memories!! I'm glad he's back where he belongs now!

Me, too! It honestly makes me more likely to book Be Our Guest in the future - it's too expensive of a meal to not have an added perk!

 

[Sarahh1027]

Wow I didn’t know that kids under 3 had a free option at non-buffet restaurants! This is helpful info as my kids eat too much to share off my plate, they always need a meal themselves plus they love mac n cheese haha

 

[disneyAndi14]

I loved meeting the Beast years ago and I also loved the QS option! I really miss that! Andi and I did the QS at BOG every single trip!
I’m glad you enjoyed the dinner, I see quite a few negative reviews.

 

[pkondz]

He even offered her a dance when he spotted her birthday button:

Awwww!

I do love the entrance to the restaurant:

Funny... I've eaten there several times and never really took the time to really see the entrance. Huh.

L (and M) enjoyed seeing the “knights” in the former QS order spot:

So that's what they did with it.

I was happy we were seated in the ballroom. I think it’s the most fun place to sit in that restaurant.

I like it too, but the West Wing has more stuff going on.
Plus... I get enough snow at home.

Be Our Guest is now a three-course prix fixe menu instead of the a la carte choices

Tragic.

our waitress was very direct in that L’s option was mac and cheese.

And ONLY mac and cheese.

So.... You're saying there's mac n cheese?

Although the (only) option was fine, I was a bit put off by our server with how matter-of-fact she was about L’s dinner. Perhaps she usually gets a hard time about this or her last table was rude to her?

Probably so. "But my baby always has carrots and apple slices."

Once our orders were in we spotted Beast walking through the restaurant:

Well, he does own the place, ya know...

I think L was happy there was no meet and greet, though, as she could stay FAR AWAY from Beast but still get a glimpse of him:

And I, of course, ordered the French Onion Soup:

mmmm... Sooooo good.
Back in the day, I'd go and order the soup and nothing else. It's a meal onto itself.

M liked the steak and green beans but was NOT a fan of the sweet potatoes.

M is smart.
Blech.

and kept saying to L, “Who’s your favorite server? It’s Houda!”

Dessert at Be Our Guest is preset (I miss that rolling dessert cart!)

More tragedy.

I thought the prior version without the three-course requirement was better (especially for the value),

 

[Araminta18]

A very nice woman offered to take our picture together:

Aw such a cute pic! I love that stained glass mural too.

We were called in for our table just a few minutes later. I don’t remember if I requested it, but I was happy we were seated in the ballroom. I think it’s the most fun place to sit in that restaurant.

I agree! I do like the times we've sat in the West Wing but one of my favorite parts of Be Our Guest is the music, and you can't hear that in the West Wing!

Glad you had a good meal overall - did you happen to notice the noise? The last few times we've been it's been SO NOISY that it kind of felt like a cafeteria and it was just loud.

(What happened on this day?! How did I eat zero fun snacks? Yes, we had some fruit, but basic fruit can be found anywhere and is not a Disney snack for this purpose.)

LOL 100% agree on fruit

 

[PAsFab5]

I am catching up on your report! Your girls are such good ages for a Disney trip, you can tell they are having the best time!!

We had issues at crystal palace in October with the characters. We had a 6pm reservation on a party night (we were not going to the party) and we waited forever for the characters.

After a hour and a half they put Pooh up front near the front door and we were instructed to go meet him there on our way out. It was a good interaction but like you said, the wait was just too long for the characters.

 

[Woth2982]

I thought the prior version without the three-course requirement was better

I agree. They got rid of my favorite soup (potato leek) and the chicken I loved!

With Beast greeting guests again I think the experience is more in line with the high price. It’s still not the best value for money

I feel like this place is a huge missed opportunity for a character meal. I just don't find the pre-fixe meal worth it any longer. I tolerate CRT because at least my kid can see the princesses.

I miss when you could do QS lunch at Be Our Guest!

YES! It was so much better than dinner!

M did enjoy the graveyard scene and said she'd ride it again sometime. I'll take it as a win!

I traumatized my DD and she still to this day calls it "The spooky ride" and WILL NOT go on it

 

[suse66]

You had a fabulous MK day! I love your good use of early entry to knock out some fun rides. Too bad your breakfast at Crystal Palace wasn't all it could have been. We had the exact opposite experience in August. In the close to 2 (!) hours our group was there, we saw characters multiple times. It was so much fun! And of course we all had three plates...I don't think I ate again until 8:00 that evening!

The ride photos from Pirates are adorable! Also love M's spunk and grit on conquering 7 Dwarves. Too cute! You definitely made a good call on having a rest. I applaud your ability to eat three times in the heat....My appetite plummets in that weather and I just want water and unsweetened ice tea. Looks like a good meal at BOG. I still wish they would bring back the QS option (and the breakfast!).

 

[vamassey1]

I'm finally caught up and I'm LOVING your reports.

You're girls are having the best trip ever and you're enjoying it with them.

The tips for taking little ones is great too. I'm going to have to remember to use the sunscreen tip the next time we have the boys.

Love the daily stats too.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Wow I didn’t know that kids under 3 had a free option at non-buffet restaurants! This is helpful info as my kids eat too much to share off my plate, they always need a meal themselves plus they love mac n cheese haha

We had luck getting a separate meal about 50% of the time at the fixed price choose your meal restaurants. She was offered a limited meal option at Be Our Guest (mac and cheese) and Cinderella’s Royal Table (chicken nuggets or mac and cheese), but was not offered a meal at Topolino’s Terrace (she ate from the pastry basket and she and M shared sides) or our 50’s Prime Time meal with the Fantasmic Package (again, I used one of M’s side choices to get L fed). I believe we were also given the option for mac and cheese at Storybook Dining, but I didn’t take notes and don’t exactly remember.

In short, your mileage may vary, so have a backup option for sharing in mind. You always have the option to pay for a full kid’s meal, but certainly one of the best parts of bringing a child under three is they don’t have to pay for the buffets or fixed price meals!

I loved meeting the Beast years ago and I also loved the QS option! I really miss that! Andi and I did the QS at BOG every single trip!
I’m glad you enjoyed the dinner, I see quite a few negative reviews.

Yes, meeting Beast is a delight - I’m so glad that option is back! I loved the dinner options at BOG so I frequented it more then, but that was a lovely quick service option and I did enjoy my single opportunity to try it.

Perhaps we were lucky with the food quality, but I also knew what we were getting into with dining there. It’s a heavy meal (especially if you’re there with hot weather), but the surroundings were great fun for M (and me!). I didn’t love it as much as the old experience, but it was fun and I’d do it again on a future trip.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Awwww!

It was such a wonderful character interaction! I’m so glad that he’s back to meeting guests.

Funny... I've eaten there several times and never really took the time to really see the entrance. Huh.

They have so many fabulous details in that restaurant - it was SO well done!

So that's what they did with it.

That’s how I remember it during the old dinners as well (although the kiosks were still there but covered up).

I like it too, but the West Wing has more stuff going on.
Plus... I get enough snow at home.

The West Wing is fun to see but it’s kind of dark to eat in there (especially with young kids). And yes, I’m sure you have plenty of snow this year!

Tragic.

I was really sad when that changed. I get it - you may as well capitalize on the success of the restaurant, but removing the flexibility and several of the great choices (my mussels! The dessert cart!) really downgraded the place, in my opinion.

So.... You're saying there's mac n cheese?

Probably so. "But my baby always has carrots and apple slices."

I don’t doubt some folks are VERY salty about their children not getting a full meal.

Well, he does own the place, ya know...

Absolutely!

mmmm... Sooooo good.
Back in the day, I'd go and order the soup and nothing else. It's a meal onto itself.

YES, it’s SO good. I’m glad they didn’t take that away with the mussels!

M is smart.
Blech.

We actually love sweet potatoes, but their particular preparation was not very appetizing.

Our waitress was a delight. They put excellent people in that restaurant - our last server there was a delight as well!

More tragedy.

The desserts were fine, but those cupcakes from the dessert cart were WAY better.

Aw such a cute pic! I love that stained glass mural too.

Thank you! Even though I look hot and sweaty (it was SO HOT when we were there!) it was nice to be in a picture.

I agree! I do like the times we've sat in the West Wing but one of my favorite parts of Be Our Guest is the music, and you can't hear that in the West Wing!

I love seeing the West Wing but it’s not my favorite place to eat my meal. I ate there once when they still had QS lunch - I enjoyed it, but the short quick service was plenty of time in the West Wing for me.

Glad you had a good meal overall - did you happen to notice the noise? The last few times we've been it's been SO NOISY that it kind of felt like a cafeteria and it was just loud.

Now that you mention it, it WAS noisy in there! We could still carry on conversation but it was one of our noisier restaurants. I believe Chef Mickey’s was worse but thankfully there we were off near just a few tables so it wasn’t too bad.

LOL 100% agree on fruit

Honestly, what was I doing that day? I think the heat got to me - additional snacks outside of an air-conditioned space must not have been appealing.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I am catching up on your report! Your girls are such good ages for a Disney trip, you can tell they are having the best time!!

I agree - they were fabulous ages. I’m even more excited about our upcoming trip - the girls are now six and two (almost two and a half) and I’m excited to see how much more our youngest gets out of the trip this time!

We had issues at crystal palace in October with the characters. We had a 6pm reservation on a party night (we were not going to the party) and we waited forever for the characters.

After a hour and a half they put Pooh up front near the front door and we were instructed to go meet him there on our way out. It was a good interaction but like you said, the wait was just too long for the characters.

This seems to be a trend with Crystal Palace. I’ve been to so many character meals (both on this trip and before) and I don’t know why they can’t get it together like every other character meal. I’m glad you at least got to meet Pooh - all we got was a wave!

I agree. They got rid of my favorite soup (potato leek) and the chicken I loved!

My sister LOVED that soup! On our very first sister trip she got potato leek soup from Rose and Crown and then started ordering similar soups everywhere!

I know Disney likes to take advantage of their opportunities, but I don’t love it when they mess with things I like.

I feel like this place is a huge missed opportunity for a character meal. I just don't find the pre-fixe meal worth it any longer. I tolerate CRT because at least my kid can see the princesses.

I agree 100%! It would absolutely match its price if you could meet Beast AND Belle (can you imagine the demand then?!), but I’m glad that at least Beast is back to meeting guests.

I actually loved CRT (it’s a repeat on our upcoming trip!), but it is more fun with little kids.

YES! It was so much better than dinner!

I actually loved the old dinner but I thought it was nice to have multiple options. They had great sandwiches on that lunch menu! Plus, extra opportunities to eat those delicious cupcakes is always a win.

I traumatized my DD and she still to this day calls it "The spooky ride" and WILL NOT go on it

Oh, no! Hopefully as she gets older she’ll be willing to give it another shot. I’m sure you did this, but I found having M watch it on YouTube before our trip helped a ton.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

You had a fabulous MK day! I love your good use of early entry to knock out some fun rides. Too bad your breakfast at Crystal Palace wasn't all it could have been. We had the exact opposite experience in August. In the close to 2 (!) hours our group was there, we saw characters multiple times. It was so much fun! And of course we all had three plates...I don't think I ate again until 8:00 that evening!

It was a wonderful day! We accomplished a ton during early entry, especially since we picked less popular rides. The kids loved them!

Wow, multiple visits from characters?! I’ve never had that happen at Crystal Palace! I’m glad you had such a wonderful experience there. I like Crystal Palace (and would certainly return), but I think it’s fallen off the list as a must-do every trip for me.

The ride photos from Pirates are adorable! Also love M's spunk and grit on conquering 7 Dwarves. Too cute! You definitely made a good call on having a rest. I applaud your ability to eat three times in the heat....My appetite plummets in that weather and I just want water and unsweetened ice tea. Looks like a good meal at BOG. I still wish they would bring back the QS option (and the breakfast!).

Thanks! I was pretty pleased with all of our ride photos that day. I was so proud of M’s bravery in trying several potentially “scary” rides - she ended up liking everything she was willing to try.

I think the reason I was able to eat two full meals (lunch was more like half a meal) was that they were in air-conditioned restaurants. My lunch wasn’t as appealing as the A/C was struggling. I think this also the reason I didn’t eat many snacks - the heat was off-putting for additional food cravings!

I'm finally caught up and I'm LOVING your reports.

Welcome, Vanessa! I’m so glad you’re here. And thank you!

You're girls are having the best trip ever and you're enjoying it with them.

They had a great time, especially my older daughter. I was so excited to be back at Disney World - it is my happy place!

The tips for taking little ones is great too. I'm going to have to remember to use the sunscreen tip the next time we have the boys.

Thank you! That sunscreen tip is one of the best I came across before our trip. You wouldn’t think applying it early would make a difference, but it was infinitely easier plus it was a HUGE bonus to be able to wash your hands afterward. If you apply sunscreen mid-morning in the park, you’re stuck with either using hand wipes (which kind-of work?) or taking extra time to find a bathroom.

Love the daily stats too.

Thanks! I love seeing stats in other people’s trip reports (I’m pretty sure @Araminta18 was the OG on the daily stats, but I’ve seen it in other reports too). It will be fun to total everything up at the end to see how much we accomplished!

 

[pkondz]

I was really sad when that changed. I get it - you may as well capitalize on the success of the restaurant, but removing the flexibility and several of the great choices (my mussels! The dessert cart!) really downgraded the place, in my opinion.

Yeah... I'm not planning on dining there... possibly ever.
I've been several times (when it was a la carte) so don't feel like I'm not seeing something new.

I don’t doubt some folks are VERY salty about their children not getting a full meal.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Yeah... I'm not planning on dining there... possibly ever.
I've been several times (when it was a la carte) so don't feel like I'm not seeing something new.

That's fair. I'd eat there again as I thought our food was good and it's a better value with Beast meeting again... but it has fallen from an "every trip" restaurant to a "once in a while" restaurant. I think it's a better dinner choice than lunch as three courses of heavy food in the Florida heat seems like a poor choice.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Time to Soar!
Day 3 – Saturday, May 25th

Thankfully I slept much better on our second night at the Polynesian. Yes, I was kept awake by the Happily Ever After Fireworks but fell asleep soon after it was finished. I slept all night and it was glorious!

I was awake at 5:45 (eight hours of sleep!) and started getting ready for the day.

I also purchased our Genie+ for the day and paid $29 per person for the multiple-park option.

Once I was ready for the day, I headed over to the Great Ceremonial House to clear our room balance. We were using our Magic Bands to pay for all our meals and purchases and then clearing the balance with our Disney Redemption Card.

While waiting for guest services, I overheard the woman in front of me talking on the phone about their park tickets. Once she was off the phone, I let her know that she could easily update her park tickets at guest services (she was wondering if it was possible to add a park hopper option to their existing tickets). She was in line for a different question, but the guest services person confirmed my information was right!

While I was in line I also booked our first lightning lane of the day – I chose Test Track. I tapped right at 7:00 but it took a moment to load so we got the 10:15-11:15 time slot. I was happy with this as we had plans for an in-park breakfast that morning.

Once it was my turn at guest services, I paid the balance and was quickly on my way. I’d brought my refillable mug and filled it with coffee at Capt. Cook’s before heading back to the room.

I stopped to enjoy the view of the Volcano pool on the way. It looked so peaceful (and big!) with nobody there:

M and L were awake when I returned. M had mentioned wanting to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the dark and tonight would be the best (only) night to do it. I double-checked her resolve before pulling the trigger, but did go ahead and purchase 7DMT for M and I to ride after the fireworks.

We got both girls dressed and ready and were headed out of the room about 30 minutes after my return. We had to throw a few things in the diaper bag (L’s dry bibs and both girls' refilled water cups) but were glad we’d done most of the resetting the night before.

We got L some cereal and yogurt bites and M some mini muffins to enjoy on the way. G had eaten a bowl of cereal earlier that morning and I was subsisting on coffee until our breakfast in the park. One nice thing about the stroller is I could bring along my coffee and have a spot to stow the cup once I’d finished!

This is a good view of the spot where we stowed our stroller inside the door. We never had to collapse our double stroller at the Poly which was nice and saved time:

One major advantage of the Polynesian over the other monorail resorts is its proximity to the Epcot monorail. Unlike the other resorts, you can bypass the resort monorail and walk straight to the TTC and board the Epcot monorail directly.

You’ll be pleased to know we got right through security since that magnetic monster game was safely stowed in our room.

We were walking up the ramp to the Epcot monorail just ten minutes after leaving our room:

We had a great monorail ride over to Epcot. It’s a long ride over to Epcot but it is a fun experience. M loved spotting the buildings as we rode the loop around Future World (or whatever it is now ) – it was our first visit to Epcot!

Since we’d passed through security at the TTC we walked straight into Epcot. Our journey from walking up the Epcot ramp at the TTC to walking into Epcot took less than 15 minutes – not bad at all!

We didn’t stop for a picture at the Epcot entrance (which I still regret – we never got one!), but I did get M to stop for a picture with Isabella from Encanto:

Our first destination was the Land building so we joined a smaller group that was held to the right side of the park. The crowd was pretty light for this “mini rope drop” area so I was hoping we’d make the first soar of the day.

I've actually been on the first soar of the day before! My sister and I had a pre-park opening breakfast at Akershus (back when only those with ADRs or tours were allowed in the park before opening) and hightailed it over to Soarin' after we finished our breakfast. We beat the rope drop crowd even with eating two plates and meeting every princess (what can I say - we walk fast!). After our first ride booked it over to Test Track and used the single rider line to get on quickly. We chuckled when the ride attendant thanked everyone for picking Test Track as their first ride of the day… not for us!

Back to present day, we were allowed to move forward a few minutes before the 8:30 early entry time:

I was pretty certain we couldn’t take the stroller into the Land pavilion (which is correct) but had no idea where the stroller parking was. We were directed to an area between the Land and Seas pavilions, which you may want to go to directly if you know where to park your stroller. Needing to chat with the CM and walk over to stroller parking slowed us down (as did walking with a five-year-old), so we fell behind the front group.

We all walked into the building (so empty!):

And took the escalator down to Soarin’:

We went together so M and I could get rider swaps for later and then M and G got into line.

I realized once we were in the building that we’d left the diaper bag in the stroller. We needed the food gear for breakfast so L and I walked back to the stroller to retrieve it. L and spent our time walking around a fairly empty Land building after we retrieved the diaper bag:

M and G must’ve been on the second (or third?) soar of the day as it took them quite a while to exit the attraction. I originally thought (hoped?) we’d be able to accomplish both rides before breakfast, but instead we’d have to save our rider swap for later.

Thankfully our breakfast spot was close – we just had to ride the escalator to arrive at our next character meal, Garden Grill. It was time to try the cinnamon bread!

Up Next: Garden Grill Breakfast

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Chip and Dale are the Best!
Day 3 – Part II

Character Meal #4 of 11

We checked in and were seated quickly for our 9:00 ADR. I picked 9:00 so we could still take advantage of early entry but not be too delayed on our breakfast.

We were seated on the upper ring of the restaurant. I know you should request the booths in the lower ring to get better views of the Living with the Land ride, but I figured with our highchair needs we’d be better off at a table than a booth.

I was pretty excited to eat at Garden Grill. I hadn’t been there since 2007 and I’d never been for breakfast. I was a bit disappointed that they changed the cinnamon roll skillet in to the cinnamon bread. My family eats a lot of cinnamon rolls as they’re one of my husband’s favorite treats – the original skillet looked freaking delicious. Nonetheless, the bread looked good and I knew we’d enjoy the rest of the meal (I knew the kids would love the watermelon).

Plus, I was super excited about the characters. I’d always heard great things about this character meal as the characters tend to visit multiple times. After our character experience at Crystal Palace and not being able to meet Beast at Be Our Guest, I was looking forward to some character interactions!

We didn’t have to wait long – just minutes after being seated our first character arrived! Hello, Chip!

M was excited to say hello to Chip. I’d explained the difference between the chipmunks so she knew which one was which. (In case you’ve forgotten, Chip has the black nose and Dale has the brown nose.)

Chip was excited that M was wearing her Chip and Dale shirt for the occasion.

Even L got in on the character meeting fun with Dad as a buffer:

Soon we started to receive our food. We started with the aforementioned cinnamon bread:

And Watermelon slices:

A few minutes later we received our breakfast skillet:

The breakfast skillet at Garden Grill includes eggs, cheesy skillet potatoes, bacon, Mickey waffles, and grilled steak.

We received an extra skillet of steak as I asked for steak without sauce:

The food was tasty and had a few unique touches (like the steak and the watermelon), but nothing that was talked about after the trip. We all enjoyed the watermelon (and asked for seconds) and the eggs, bacon, and Mickey waffles are always good. The steak was tasty but nothing we’d go out of our way to get.

As for the cinnamon bread, we did enjoy it, but I think we would’ve LOVED the cinnamon roll skillet. The bread's crusty topping was nice and full of cinnamon flavor, but a loaf of bread does not compete with gooey hot cinnamon rolls.

We had a chance to dive into our food but were interrupted less than ten minutes later by Farmer Mickey:

I’m amused that Mickey covered up M’s face during the picture.

I also jumped up for a picture with the Main Mouse:

As usual, L was interested in watching the characters (as long as they didn’t get too close):

Pluto was close behind Mickey:

I don’t remember what M chatted about with Pluto, but it was followed by big hugs:

L, of course, was not having it:

Pluto kept trying. After a bit more interaction with L... do I spot a smile?

She kept her eye on him, though, during the official picture:

We had a few more minutes to eat before our visit with Dale:

After big hugs, there was more chatting:

And more hugs:

Dale signed the autograph books and then turned his attention to L:

She was apprehensive at first but started to smile:

And then began to giggle:

He spent more than two minutes at our table entertaining M and trying to entertain L. What a guy!

Just minutes after Dale left Chip returned. M was drawing on her erasable drawing pad and Chip wanted in on the fun:

He wrote his name on the drawing pad! M was delighted:

And look! Actual character interaction from L!

Chip then moved along to other tables that had filled in since we were first seated.

M was SO proud that Chip had used her drawing pad - she wanted an additional picture:

Those chipmunks were a delight. All the character interactions were good here but the chipmunks were next-level. They spent so much time at our table and interacting with both girls. M LOVED them and even L was intrigued. It was worth the cost for the character interactions alone.

We wrapped up our meal and exited the restaurant.

Let’s update our rankings, shall we:

Character Meal Ranking

1. Garden Grill
2. Chef Mickey’s
3. Be Our Guest
4. Crystal Palace

Our breakfast at Garden Grill was awesome. The food was solid (the cinnamon bread,watermelon, and steak were unique standouts), but the characters are what made this meal a homerun. Mickey was great but the animal crew really shined here. Pluto did his best to get L interested and the chipmunks were a step above. I’ve never had anything other than a stellar interaction with them – Disney casting does an awesome job with those characters.

If you need another example, look at my picture with them during my 2016 trip:

They literally pulled me back and forth between them, fighting over who I would get to stand next to. They’re a delight!

It was a great meal and easily rose to the top of the rankings. I’d love to return for more interactions with Chip and Dale!

Up Next: Our Epcot Morning

 

[pkondz]

I slept all night and it was glorious!

Oh man... I'm jealous.
I've pretty much given up on a good night's sleep.

We were using our Magic Bands to pay for all our meals and purchases and then clearing the balance with our Disney Redemption Card.

Ah! Smart.

While waiting for guest services, I overheard the woman in front of me talking on the phone about their park tickets. Once she was off the phone, I let her know that she could easily update her park tickets at guest services (she was wondering if it was possible to add a park hopper option to their existing tickets). She was in line for a different question, but the guest services person confirmed my information was right!

You is smart.

Actually, I love being able to lend a hand at Disney. I think most DISers do.

I stopped to enjoy the view of the Volcano pool on the way. It looked so peaceful (and big!) with nobody there:

Bet you wanted to linger there.

M had mentioned wanting to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the dark

Huh!
Now that is something I've never thought of!
If/when I ever go again, I'll have to keep that in mind.

We got both girls dressed and ready and were headed out of the room about 30 minutes after my return.

Not bad.

One major advantage of the Polynesian over the other monorail resorts is its proximity to the Epcot monorail. Unlike the other resorts, you can bypass the resort monorail and walk straight to the TTC and board the Epcot monorail directly.

I've heard that.
Not sure if I'll ever get to experience that convenience, but... I have heard of it.

You’ll be pleased to know we got right through security since that magnetic monster game was safely stowed in our room.

It’s a long ride over to Epcot but it is a fun experience.

Our journey from walking up the Epcot ramp at the TTC to walking into Epcot took less than 15 minutes – not bad at all!

Not bad!

We chuckled when the ride attendant thanked everyone for picking Test Track as their first ride of the day… not for us!

Guess again!

I was pretty certain we couldn’t take the stroller into the Land pavilion (which is correct) but had no idea where the stroller parking was. We were directed to an area between the Land and Seas pavilions, which you may want to go to directly if you know where to park your stroller.

I've never used a stroller, but have seen that particular parking lot.

I realized once we were in the building that we’d left the diaper bag in the stroller.

I was pretty excited to eat at Garden Grill. I hadn’t been there since 2007 and I’d never been for breakfast.

I've never eaten there.

My family eats a lot of cinnamon rolls as they’re one of my husband’s favorite treats

I love them too... which is why I seldom eat them... just too dangerous!

After our character experience at Crystal Palace and not being able to meet Beast at Be Our Guest, I was looking forward to some character interactions!

You definitely needed a character do-over.

(In case you’ve forgotten, Chip has the black nose and Dale has the brown nose.)

Black like a chocolate chip!
But I believe Dale's nose is described as dark red.

The breakfast skillet at Garden Grill includes eggs, cheesy skillet potatoes, bacon, Mickey waffles, and grilled steak.

Steak! Did not know that.

a loaf of bread does not compete with gooey hot cinnamon rolls.

Correct. Not even close.

We had a chance to dive into our food but were interrupted less than ten minutes later by Farmer Mickey:

How rude!
Who does he think he is?? Does he think he owns the place?


Wait...

I’m amused that Mickey covered up M’s face during the picture.

She kept her eye on him, though, during the official picture:

Character Meal Ranking

1. Garden Grill
2. Chef Mickey’s
3. Be Our Guest
4. Crystal Palace

Interesting ranking so far.