"Maybe We Should Go To Disney World Next Week" An Impromptu May DR *COMPLETE*

[disneyquilter]

Caught up (Finally!)...you sold me on Trail's End. Since we are staying at Wilderness Lodge next June, we definitely need to try it!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Have you tried Trail's End for lunch? It's à la carte instead of a buffet, but prices are still very reasonable and the menu has some interesting options. Since you've enjoyed both breakfast and dinner, I think you'd like it as a lunch option.

I'm a shameless Disney apologist, but they are starting to do a few things to really make me shake my head lately. They need to rethink a few things right now. Especially with Universal nipping at their heels.

I hope your DLP experience gets a lot better! Sorry you're 'stuck' in France. I've been following your trip over on the live thread. I am absolutely dying to go to France! I have a lot of family in England and I am hoping to get over there next year for a trip. With a day trip to Paris thrown in for good measure.

Very true about Disney. As much as I love WDW and DL, they've definitely made some recent decisions that are rather frustrating from a guest standpoint (particularly WDW). At the same time, Universal is stepping up their game and deservedly getting recognized for its latest offerings. Perhaps it'll take a few more visitors cutting down on their WDW trips and spending time at the 'dark side' before WDW starts to take notice.

And thanks for the positive thoughts. My second experience with DLP was definitely better than the first, but I still found the resort to be my least favorite (compared to WDW, DL, and even Universal Orlando). Still, Paris has a lot to offer, so a day or two in Paris would be a great idea - I hope you get to take that England trip!

 

[BlueFairy]

For our first full day in WDW I had an early breakfast planned. I was a little worried about how I would adjust to getting up early in the morning since I work until 12:30am and usually stay up super late and sleep until 10am, but apparently I need not worry because I woke up at 6:30am ready to go!

I drove us over to Fort Wilderness for our 8am breakfast reservation at Trail's End!

A word about reaching Trail's End. If you're at MK you can take a boat to FW which drops you off very very close to your destination, or once you reach FW by car or bus you just have to hop on the first internal shuttle you see and anyone of them will get you there. There are three different internal buses, but all of them make a stop back at the Settlement Depot, which is where you need to be for Hoop-De-Doo, Trail's End or the water launch.

They must have a lot of internal shuttle because there was never not one waiting there when we needed one this trip.

We quickly arrived back at the Settlement Depot and checked in for breakfast with a very chatty hostess.

…...

We tore through that buffet in record time and soon enough we were out the door and headed for MK. And guess what? We finally made rope drop in time for the show!!!!





It was so sweet! I loved it!

With full bellies from breakfast, we are off to take MK by storm!

Hi! Can you please help out SYDNCLAIRE's mom on her thread over here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3301186

She is struggling with transportation from POP using her car for a 7am ADR at TE and then on to MK for rope drop. I'm sure she'd love to hear your ADR time and exactly how you were able to get from FW to MK in time for the show.

LOVE your review. DDs and I may have to try the breakfast in a few weeks. Looks to have something for everyone!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

FINALLY !!!!!! a Trail's End diner buffet review with awesome pics , I am so happy we added that to our ADR's , 7 days and counting !
great reviews

Thanks! So glad you are going to check out their dinner buffet. I think you'll love it. I wanted to get more shots of the buffet, but there were a lot of people up at the buffet and I didn't want to whip my camera out up there. The choices there are fabulous. Have an awesome time!

Trails End is another spot I have yet to try. I am generally not a big buffet fan but it gets such rave reviews I think we will have to check it out!

Sorry for the parking fiasco at the Poly. That and the construction would have frustrated me too. I was able to park/valet at the Beach Club a few Sundays ago. As has been said, probably depends on date/crowds and the CM you get. I heard they were very strict, understandably, yesterday (the 4th). But i certainly hope they aren't discouraging poking around the resorts.

We are huge fans now! I can't believe it took us this long to find this place. I feel sad that we've missed out on it for so long.

I think maybe what they need is a posted set of definite rules for resort parking, so that way there is no confusion. I don't like that it suddenly feels very arbitrary. Oh well, you live and you learn I guess.

So happy you both loved trails end dinner ... We ate there many years ago with my kids and it was good but now it looks even better with many more dessert items. My husband loves any dessert with pecans since he was born and raised in South Carolina with pecan trees in their yard. He would love those pecan squares! I had trails end booked when we were staying at WL but we switched to AKL & GF after WL poolgate was announced so I cancel TE ... Your dinner looks and sounds so delicious I may have to see to if I can rebook.
Wonderful report as always and love your selfie couple pic, adorable!

Thanks for the kind compliments!

Those pecan squares were delicious! I have always wanted a pecan tree in my yard! I think your husband would definitely enjoy these. Too bad you had to cancel your room at WL, but switching out for AKL and GF sounds even better! At least you'll definitely have other great nearby choices at those resorts as well.

So happy that you loved the Trail's End dinner. After I saw your last trips breakfast to this wonderful location, we changed out our Chef Mickey's for Trail's End. We are very excited for it and for the fact that we will even save money on the deal! I would love to try dinner there some time as well. The fact that you still love it is very encouraging.

I was definitely happy that TE held up well for us the second time. Sometimes you worry that you built something up too much in your own mind. I hope you enjoy it there as well. I'm not a big fan of Chef Mickey's and especially considering the savings, I think you definitely made the right choice!

Hi Jeri, you dinner looked good. We have never tried there before. We have whispering Canyon for our upcoming trip....with free dining! Can't wait till you post more! Your dining reviews are awesome!

Hey Alicia! Dinner was awesome! You should definitely keep it in mind for a future trip. Let me know how you like Whispering Canyon. The food sounds good, but I'm not sure about all the antics. Not really my thing I guess.

I just found your TR & love the spontinaity of it! Our trip in 2011 was book & planned in 3wks last minute & we had a blast! It looks like a great trip!

Thanks for joining in! That's awesome that you had a last minute trip of your own. We had such an awesome time! I can't wait to get back!

Trails End looked so good, I'm a lover of potatoes too. Add some pulled pork and cheese, OMG I would have eaten two also..

Those potatoes were ridiculous. I don't know how I'll ever eat another potato without pulled pork again!

What a great trails end visit. I'd never considered it before, but we will be at WL in September so it may be a good option as I've heard its easy to walk up to. My hubby would likely be in heaven, as he adores "country" food from his southern upbringing but his italian wife does not seek capable of producing anything that can compare to his youth ; ). Avid for the price, awesome!

They were definitely accepting a lot of walkups there. I think your husband would definitely enjoy the food there. And like you said, you definitely cannot beat that price. Even though you can't re-create country food for him you can probably cook some amazing Italian meals right?

Caught up (Finally!)...you sold me on Trail's End. Since we are staying at Wilderness Lodge next June, we definitely need to try it!

So glad you were able to get caught up! You definitely have to try TE. Especially if you are staying at WL! I like being able to eat close by to the resort. For our upcoming trip we are sticking very close to the monorail resort area since we're staying at BLT.

Have you tried Trail's End for lunch? It's à la carte instead of a buffet, but prices are still very reasonable and the menu has some interesting options. Since you've enjoyed both breakfast and dinner, I think you'd like it as a lunch option.


Very true about Disney. As much as I love WDW and DL, they've definitely made some recent decisions that are rather frustrating from a guest standpoint (particularly WDW). At the same time, Universal is stepping up their game and deservedly getting recognized for its latest offerings. Perhaps it'll take a few more visitors cutting down on their WDW trips and spending time at the 'dark side' before WDW starts to take notice.

And thanks for the positive thoughts. My second experience with DLP was definitely better than the first, but I still found the resort to be my least favorite (compared to WDW, DL, and even Universal Orlando). Still, Paris has a lot to offer, so a day or two in Paris would be a great idea - I hope you get to take that England trip!

We haven't had lunch at TE yet. That might sneak its way onto the agenda this trip. It has some interesting sounding options.

I need to get caught up on your live posts. Can't wait to read more about DLP! I seriously want to go to DLP just to see the castle if nothing else. I think it is the coolest looking one by far.

Hi! Can you please help out SYDNCLAIRE's mom on her thread over here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3301186

She is struggling with transportation from POP using her car for a 7am ADR at TE and then on to MK for rope drop. I'm sure she'd love to hear your ADR time and exactly how you were able to get from FW to MK in time for the show.

LOVE your review. DDs and I may have to try the breakfast in a few weeks. Looks to have something for everyone!

Thanks for the link! I just sent them a PM. Hopefully that helped them.

I hope you do get to check it out on your upcoming trip. There is most definitely something delicious for everyone.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After falling into a deep, deep food coma from our gigantic dinner we woke up pretty early once again and decided to make a stop at Polynesian to try and secure a last minute breakfast before heading into MK for the day. Having learned my lesson about parking at Poly without a reservation we decided to just park at TTC and take the monorail in. We were going to MK afterwards anyway, so this seemed like the best plan.

The monorail dropped us outside of the second floor entrance to the main building at Poly.


We were once again greeted to the sight of construction.




That wall wasn't here yesterday! Now you can't see the waterfall at all from the second floor. Such a bummer!

We arrived at our desired breakfast location.




We asked if they could take 2 for breakfast and they said they could. We were seated almost immediately. I think it helped that we were there around 8:15am. Still somewhat early. By 9 there is a much bigger crowd waiting to get in for breakfast. The early bird does indeed catch the worm. Or in this case, Tonga Toast.

We got a great seat along the side wall. I liked the design of the seating here. Very cozy. My view of the construction wall.


Rob's view of... me!


I don't know what that pose is. I think I'm still half asleep.

Rob ordered the 100% Kona Coffee - French Press Pot.


He loves this coffee here. He graciously shared one cup with me. I also ordered the Liliko'i Juice - Orange, Passion Fruit, and Guava blend. Outrageously priced at $4.49 a glass, but delicious none the less.


In a totally crazy unheard of reversal, Rob decided to order the Tonga Toast. Banana-stuffed Sourdough French Toast rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and served with a Strawberry Compote and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage. He went with the ham.


His accompanying condiments.


He never orders sweets for breakfast, so he threw me for a loop on this one. He liked it, but didn't love it like I do. This isn't usually his thing, so I'm glad he went outside his comfort zone. He poured the strawberry compote all over this and put butter all over it too. He did it up for this meal!

Since Rob went with something he usually wouldn't get I decided to do the same. I ordered the Samoan - Poached Eggs with Hollandaise served over Smoked Pulled Pork Hash.


I've had a bite of Rob's before, but this was sooooo good and great to have a whole order of it all to myself. I loved the tender pork in this dish and the eggs were poached to perfection. So yummy!

Our service here was fantastic as well. Our server was super friendly and was really great to talk with for a little while. Our breakfast was extremely satisfying. This place has lost its spot as my favorite breakfast location, but I do still love it here. The construction really kind of takes away from the atmosphere in there right now, but I'll probably still end up here next trip.

Now, we're off to MK for the rest of the morning with full bellies!

 

[stacy~**]

Can't remember the last time I actually commented but have enjoyed all your reviews so far!

I really need to cross Tonga Toast off my Disney Bucket List. We don't usually do more than 1 breakfast a trip (if that...) so there are so many "Disney famous" breakfast items I have yet to try.

It is a shame about what a mess the Poly is at the moment.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Can't remember the last time I actually commented but have enjoyed all your reviews so far!

I really need to cross Tonga Toast off my Disney Bucket List. We don't usually do more than 1 breakfast a trip (if that...) so there are so many "Disney famous" breakfast items I have yet to try.

It is a shame about what a mess the Poly is at the moment.

Thanks so much! Tonga Toast is definitely worth trying! It is so good. I agree, there are so many items to try. It seems like the list gets bigger every year instead of smaller.

I am ready for all the Poly construction to be done and have it be (hopefully) better than it was before.

 

[DisneyMomFanatic]

I just wanted to let you know that we cancelled our Cape May Clam Bake dinner with my parents because they took the crab legs off the menu. Guess where we booked in it's place??? Trail's End dinner buffet!!! You convinced us and my mom and dad are excited about it. Since I have the Disney Rewards Visa, I get a discount there. WooHoo!!!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After breakfast we had a great morning at MK. We arrived a few minutes after rope drop and we rode Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain , Little Mermaid (twice), Haunted Mansion and Pooh with a FP+. Spoke with a CM to see if there was any chance of a soft opening for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train today, but no luck.

So close, yet so far away. I wasn't too broken up about it though since I knew we'd be back soon enough.

We made our way over to BTMR to use another FP+, but this was the line we encountered.

Yup, that line at the bottom of the picture is the start of the FP line. Not happening. Luckily I was able to switch it out on the app for a POTC FP+.

It was such a beautiful day in MK. It was the perfect temperature this day. I loved every second of our day. I coudn't ask for more than this gorgeous sight.


After our nice morning in MK we took the ferry back to TTC. I love riding the ferry! Now it's that time again... selfie time!


From there I drove us to DTD and we FINALLY had our favorite treat. Ghirardelli!


We placed our order and actually managed to find a seat inside. We waited patiently with our number.


Rob ordered his favorite, the Hot Fudge Sundae. Here it is on the menu.


And here it is in person. He ordered his with Cookie Dough Ice Cream.


I had the Mint Bliss - One scoop of mint chip ice cream, one scoop of chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate hot fudge sauce, whipped cream and a square of Mint Bliss Intense Dark chocolate. Except I changed mine to all mint chocolate chip ice cream.


Soooooo good! The all mint chocolate chip ice cream makes it even better in my opinion. The dark chocolate hot fudge is amazing!

Then we made our way over to the West Side for a movie. This time it was Godzilla, which was really good!

Just wanted to share some DTD construction pictures with you. It's so weird there now! It feels very cramped walking around with all the big walls up. I can't wait to see what it will look like when it's all finished.

Outside of Raglan Road.


The walkway that now takes you behind Paradiso 37.






The new Starbucks, which has since opened.






The Pleasure Island bridge is closed, which was so weird.


I can't wait to see how much progress they have made when I return in September. It looks like a bit of a wreck right now with soooooo many walls up all over the whole entire area.

Up next, eating our way around WS!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

I just wanted to let you know that we cancelled our Cape May Clam Bake dinner with my parents because they took the crab legs off the menu. Guess where we booked in it's place??? Trail's End dinner buffet!!! You convinced us and my mom and dad are excited about it. Since I have the Disney Rewards Visa, I get a discount there. WooHoo!!!

Too bad about the crab legs! I still can't believe they took those away. With no crab legs they are going to lose a lot of people. I hope you all love Trail's End! Gotta love getting a discount.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

We returned to our resort and parked the car and then from there we took a bus to Epcot. We decided to eat our way around WS. Rob ate entirely from F&G booths. I had a couple of things, but I wasn't feeling the booth options quite as much. All of those were in my previous F&G booth updates. Eventually I ended up stopping at Yorkshire County Fish Shop.


I have never eaten here before, but I love the Fish and Chips they serve in Rose & Crown, so this sounded like a great option. Fish and chips it is!



Holy smokes, this was delicious! I love, love, love the batter on the fish and their chips are the best. They are the cooked so perfectly. Everything was so fresh. I loved every bite of it.

On our last loop around WS I finally remembered there was a new treat I simply had to try. It was time to stop at Refreshment Port.


Ladies and gentleman, the Croissant Doughnut, or the Cronut, if you will.


Apparently I am just gorging myself on fried food tonight. Yum! This was messy, but fabulous. Very similar to the french toast puffs you find at Crystal Palace.

It was almost time for Illuminations and was totally crowded now, so we picked this time to leave and go back to the resort. We called it a night pretty early and got caught up on sleep so we could have another full today tomorrow.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Wow, so many updates! The DTD construction pictures make me really happy. Not because DTD is an ideal place to hang out right now (although it sure beats Disney Village in DLP), but because the finished product is going to be so good. Downtown Disney was honestly fine as it was (although Pleasure Island had certainly become a dead zone). But it's nice to see Disney take on an ambitious project in Orlando to make the entertainment area more beautiful, upscale, and Disney. Progress is certainly moving quickly (and the new Starbucks is awesome!), but they've still got a long way to go before Disney Springs is complete in 2016. It'll be worth it!

And I'm glad you liked the cronut! I was pleasantly surprised when I tried in December, and even after trying the 'official' cronut by Dominique Ansel, Epcot's version holds up fairly well.

 

[lynn46356]

I too love the fish and chips at Yorkshire. I had had them one trip prior to bringing my husband here. He suggested we share an order!!! . I quickly told him there was no way I was going to share. Lol. I'm certain I could eat two orders of my own!!!!! Enjoying your reviews!!

 

[DisneyMom2Boyz]

Hey Jeri,
Back to posting! Love it! Keep it coming! Alicia

 

[kastoney]

Another great set of updates. I'm a tonga toast virgin and hoping to put an end to it in September. Trouble is we are not morning people so we will see if we can get moving early. The French pressed coffee may help too.

Glad you liked the Yorkshire fish. It's not as food as the real UK stuff but pretty darn good. We usually get it at least once a trip.

 

[princess aleya]

The fish and chips look so yummy!!

 

[jabead]

Finally had time over the weekend to get caught up on your reviews from Day 5 and 6...so many great updates to comment on!

Starting with Trail's End, this restaurant was not really on my Disney dining radar until I read your breakfast review. I then added breakfast there to my schedule for my October trip. I'll be staying at the WL for part of that trip, so figured that would be a great time to give TE a try. Then I just read your great dinner review and now I'm interested in dinner too. So anyway, if you had to choose just one, would you choose breakfast or dinner?

Though I've been to Kona for breakfast many times and dinner a few times, I have never been there for lunch...but your review makes me want to give it a try. My lunch schedule is already full (actually more than full, I need to eliminate a few restaurants ), so I don't think I'll get to Kona in October (other than for breakfast). But maybe next time, and hopefully by then the Poly construction work will be done.

Your Ghirardelli sundaes looks sooo delicious! I got there on my December trip and fell in love with their salted caramel sundae. I really wanted to make it back there on my last trip but sadly I didn't. But I'm determined to have that sundae again next time, and also the No Way Jose at Beaches & Cream. Would you believe that I haven't been to B & C since March 2013?

And last but not least the cronut. This was another thing on my WISH list last time that didn't happen. Hopefully I'll get around to trying it next time, as yours looks great.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Wow, so many updates! The DTD construction pictures make me really happy. Not because DTD is an ideal place to hang out right now (although it sure beats Disney Village in DLP), but because the finished product is going to be so good. Downtown Disney was honestly fine as it was (although Pleasure Island had certainly become a dead zone). But it's nice to see Disney take on an ambitious project in Orlando to make the entertainment area more beautiful, upscale, and Disney. Progress is certainly moving quickly (and the new Starbucks is awesome!), but they've still got a long way to go before Disney Springs is complete in 2016. It'll be worth it!

And I'm glad you liked the cronut! I was pleasantly surprised when I tried in December, and even after trying the 'official' cronut by Dominique Ansel, Epcot's version holds up fairly well.

I do enjoy DTD, but I'm with you, I can't wait wait to see all of the changes. It's pretty exciting. I am looking forward to checking out the new Starbucks. The pictures I have seen look very nice. Sitting along the water with an icy frappuccino sounds like heaven.

The cronut was excellent! Glad to hear that you feel it holds up well in comparison with the original. The one you tried looked delicious as well.

I too love the fish and chips at Yorkshire. I had had them one trip prior to bringing my husband here. He suggested we share an order!!! . I quickly told him there was no way I was going to share. Lol. I'm certain I could eat two orders of my own!!!!! Enjoying your reviews!!

Yeah, I don't share very well either. That was such a great meal. I only wish I could get fish and chips like that near me.

Hey Jeri,
Back to posting! Love it! Keep it coming! Alicia

Hi Alicia! More updates coming up tonight as well!

Another great set of updates. I'm a tonga toast virgin and hoping to put an end to it in September. Trouble is we are not morning people so we will see if we can get moving early. The French pressed coffee may help too.

Glad you liked the Yorkshire fish. It's not as food as the real UK stuff but pretty darn good. We usually get it at least once a trip.

You must try the Tonga Toast! It is fabulous! Making breakfast in Disney is hard when you're not a morning person. My mom has never been a morning person, so we rarely did breakfasts on family trips years ago. Rob and I are pretty good about getting up and getting a move on when we're in Disney. Every other day of the year, not so much.

When I went to England 14 years ago I pretty much lived on fish and chips over there. It is definitely the best!

The fish and chips look so yummy!!

It was definitely delicious! I would highly recommend!

Finally had time over the weekend to get caught up on your reviews from Day 5 and 6...so many great updates to comment on!

Starting with Trail's End, this restaurant was not really on my Disney dining radar until I read your breakfast review. I then added breakfast there to my schedule for my October trip. I'll be staying at the WL for part of that trip, so figured that would be a great time to give TE a try. Then I just read your great dinner review and now I'm interested in dinner too. So anyway, if you had to choose just one, would you choose breakfast or dinner?

Though I've been to Kona for breakfast many times and dinner a few times, I have never been there for lunch...but your review makes me want to give it a try. My lunch schedule is already full (actually more than full, I need to eliminate a few restaurants ), so I don't think I'll get to Kona in October (other than for breakfast). But maybe next time, and hopefully by then the Poly construction work will be done.

Your Ghirardelli sundaes looks sooo delicious! I got there on my December trip and fell in love with their salted caramel sundae. I really wanted to make it back there on my last trip but sadly I didn't. But I'm determined to have that sundae again next time, and also the No Way Jose at Beaches & Cream. Would you believe that I haven't been to B & C since March 2013?

And last but not least the cronut. This was another thing on my WISH list last time that didn't happen. Hopefully I'll get around to trying it next time, as yours looks great.

Breakfast or dinner... that's a tough call. I really do love them both, but I would say maybe breakfast, just because there are so few great breakfast options available.

I think the only Poly meal we're going to make it to this time is 'Ohana. Not sure if we'll make it to Kona this time. Maybe a breakfast if we can fit it in. Lunch was better for me the time before, but it was worth checking out. I'm trying to fit Plaza and Trail's End into my lunch schedule this trip. I find lunches the hardest to work. I'm usually not hungry enough for a big meal.

I really want to try the salted caramel sundae as well, but I have a hard time getting away from the Mint Bliss. Maybe next time. You need to get to Beaches & Cream STAT! I am so upset Rob doesn't want to eat there this trip. Hopefully I can fit in a dessert stop at least.

Definitely try the cronut! I nearly forgot about it until we were walking by. I would have been so mad at myself if I had forgotten. There are too many Epcot treats on my Disney bucket list. I need to fit in Schoolbread next time.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

The next morning we decided to check for breakfast availability at Trail's End. They had an opening, so we booked it and off we went to Fort Wilderness. We had been here two other times this trip, but this was the first time they had a sign up about parking enforcement. Maybe because it was the weekend now they were cracking down here too.

As usual, we checked in for breakfast with ease and were seated right away. Our server here was great and super friendly. We totally pigged out on the buffet more this time than our first breakfast. Rob's plates were seriously identical to his one the first time, so I didn't even bother taking a picture. Mine was pretty similar, but here ya go.


I had a biscuit with gravy, bread pudding with pecan sauce, breakfast pizza, pulled pork eggs benedict and breakfast potatoes.

Everything was excellent! Loved the biscuit and gravy! I enjoyed it at Tusker House as well, so I decided to try it here. Pretty similar.

I got another plate consisting of just pulled pork eggs benedict and the bread pudding.


Closeup on the eggs benedict.


This second one was super fresh. It was beyond delicious.

This place just gets better and better for us.

Breakfast was a success! Now we're off to AK for the day!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Our morning/early afternoon at AK was not a success. Maybe I have finally learned the lesson that getting to AK 2 hours or more past rope drop doesn't work for us. We didn't ride much and spent a ton of time in lines. The last straw was when we went to use our FP+ at the safari and the line was so ridiculously long that there was a CM standing near the FP line entrance announcing repeatedly that the FP line was a 30 minute wait. No thanks. We'll be done for the day.

Before we left that area I grabbed a treat from the Harambe Fruit Market right outside of the safari entrance. The one, the only, the Mickey pretzel!


I enjoyed this back in the room. I love, love, love a Mickey pretzel! One of my favorite Disney treats.

Then it was pool time once again.


Mickey pretzel and pool time relaxation. Gotta love Disney vacations.