SEMI-LIVE 5 weeks of onsite/offsite dining adventures Jan-Feb ‘23 *7/9 FINAL Update*

[elaine amj]

DH and I have always dreamed of snowbirding near Disney World and are attempting to make our dreams come true this year as we celebrate our 22nd anniversary (after covid killed our 20th anniversary plans). So this will be an attempt at a semi-live dining report. We have APs (purchased a few years back and activated last September).

One snag is that DH has been battling cancer for 7 years (this is the 4th time) and has to be home once a month for his immunotherapy treatments. We decided not to let a small thing like that stop us so we took the plunge, driving 17.5hrs down from Canada for 2 weeks in January, then driving home to repeat the whole thing a week later so we can spend the last 3 weeks of February here.

Yes, we’re crazy - especially since I am the only driver (don’t worry - I always set aside 3-4 days for the drive each way).

We’re huge Disney fans and are thrilled to spend the winter in our happy place. We don’t do a lot of attractions, only spending a few hours each day in a park - but DH LOVES to eat and thinks nothing of travelling to a park just for dinner.

We’re staying in a condo offsite so will cook occasionally. Especially lunch.

The cancer has affected his face and he has difficulties eating now. Basically we have to run everything through a food processor and he can’t really handled fried food, bread, pizzas or chips. We recently bought a little manual food chopper that we take with us everywhere and it helps so much!

We mostly eat TS as it is often easier to manage. He has been on a very strict, very heathy diet for 7 years but this year has relaxed although he still chooses a lot of plant based or healthier options.

We’re very budget conscious but are trying to splurge more. We do like value for money though.



Today, we went to Epcot for the Festival of the Arts where I was thrilled to watch Kevin and Kara perform various Broadway hits. We entered about 4pm and decided we would think about leaving after the concert ended about 6pm. I thought it was a bit late to come back to our condo to cook so I hopped on the app to look for dinner options.

I had wanted Nine Dragons (too many people posting rave reviews about the 50th dessert) but there was absolutely nothing available. Not sure what’s up lately but places typically available in the past have been really difficult to get at the last minute these days. I booked Nine Dragons for dinner on Sunday and continued browsing the app.

I came across Rose and Crown at the ideal time of 6:45pm and decided to look at the menu. We ate here 10+ years ago but DH is rather meh about British pub food so we haven’t been back. This time, the Impossible Hot Pot ($22) caught his eye and he agreed to try it. Their menu is super limited right now but it didn’t matter to me since I knew I wanted the shepherd’s pie ($25).

The shepherd’s pie was sooooo good! I was getting hungry and it sure hit the spot. It did start getting overly salty halfway through though. And I wish it has a bit more potato (I love mashed potatoes lol).



DH’s impossible hot pot was really good. Although he kept stealing bites from my shepherd’s pie. Best of all, it was so smooth and creamy, we didn’t need to run it through the food processor and he could just eat normally. Sort of anyway (he needs an adult bib these days). Tried to take a pic of what it looked like on the inside. Basically a vegetarian (vegan?) shepherd’s pie with impossible meat.



I remember loving the sticky toffee pudding ($9) so ordered it and it was good. Definitely better than the microwaved box version I got from a little British store in a tourist town recently.



DH was disappointed there was nothing chocolate for dessert but made up for it taking bites from my dessert.

Bill after 10% AP discount and tip was just about $65.

It was good and it’s possible we will return. I really liked my shepherd’s pie. But definitely somewhere like Sebastian’s Bistro is better value. My entree ($25) + dessert ($9) was $34 - more expensive than the family style Sebastian’s Bistro with bread, salad, entrees and dessert for $30. Still, I can’t compare every meal to my new gold standard lol.

We stopped at Soarin’ on the way out and finally got out of the park about 8:30pm.

Tomorrow is the breakfast buffet at Ale&Compass!

 

[Counting Stars]

What a great start to your trip report! Really nice pictures and good detail to help others like myself who are still working on our plans for this spring. The Rose and Crown seems like it worked out great. I am also a bit surprised by their really short menu, but it sounds like it was all good. So glad you are able to begin the celebrations you had planned. You both seem determined to make your dreams happen Pixie Dust and good thoughts to you both, Looking forward to more of your semi-live report!

 

[elaine amj]

What a great start to your trip report! Really nice pictures and good detail to help others like myself who are still working on our plans for this spring. The Rose and Crown seems like it worked out great. I am also a bit surprised by their really short menu, but it sounds like it was all good. So glad you are able to begin the celebrations you had planned. You both seem determined to make your dreams happen Pixie Dust and good thoughts to you both, Looking forward to more of your semi-live report!

Thanks @Counting Stars ! We have put our lives on hold many times over the past 7 years and this time we’re just focused on fulfilling many long held dreams.

5 weeks over the winter in Disney is all kinds of awesome We are relishing the warm weather. At home, we’d just be sitting around the house watching TV all winter although we did discuss mall walking. The only part of snowbirding I don’t like as much is missing out on stuff with family and friends.

 

[elaine amj]

This morning, I booked Ale & Compass for 10am. 1 - because their $23 breakfast buffet is great value. 2 - for the convenience of parking by Epcot’s Intl Gateway. I love Epcot and we go multiple times - but it is the march of death for me lol. And I LIKE walking!

Offerings on the buffet:

Yogurt was standard, but nice to have. DH had 2-3 pots of it and 2 pots of overnight oats.

DH loved the fruit and ate 2 plates of it.


I gorged myself of a mountain of biscuits and drowned myself in vats of gravy. I was too full to eat much of anything else after…



Not the biggest fan of cinnamon rolls but took a bite of a fresh one. On the drier side, but pretty good if you like flaky cinnamon rolls.



Cake, muffins and croissants. All pretty blah - like from a grocery store so I stopped after some nibbles.


Asked the server if I could get bacon jam from the lunch/dinner menu. This stuff is da bomb! Tried using the croissants as a vehicle for the jam but it just wasnt good enough. I ate it by the spoonful and then mixed it with my biscuits and gravy. YUM!


Shrimp and grits was soooo good. I will definitely order this in the future. But DH was more meh about it. Good thing he was too full to eat much of it - the leftovers will be my dinner lol!



The dark chocolate waffles were good. Better on the second bite onwards. But after all my carb overload, even my sweet tooth was done and it was just too much. I ate half of one, DH ate half of one, and we were done. Dessert for dinner tonight!!

The texture is not what I expected. The exterior is a normal waffle. The inside is this odd cake-like texture. Not dense cake, not moist cake. I don’t quite know how to describe it. It got better the more bites I took, although not quite a black forest cake. It was good but not likely to reorder it. Here’s a not-so-good photo of the insides.



We are celebrating our 22nd anniversary this winter with our Year of Disney and our sweet server brought us a tiny Mickey chocolate cake to celebrate! Made up for DH’s lack of chocolate last night. He dug right in so this is a half-eaten photo lol. It was nice and chocolatey but a tad firm for DH who prefers a softer, airier mousse (prob easier for him to eat as he can’t really chew anymore as the cancer affected many of the muscles in his face)



Also, our handy manual food chopper which makes it possible for us to eat out without killing my hands with scissors.



Tonight we are either eating our brunch leftovers or going to Homecomin’ in Disney Springs. Such hard decisions

Edit to add that our meal was $44.09 after our 10% Annual Passholder discount. $54.09 after tip.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Your breakfast looks yummy! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Happy anniversary!

 

[elaine amj]

Your breakfast looks yummy! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Happy anniversary!

Thanks! I just took a look at my plans and I have dinner scheduled every night for the next week! Might scale that back a bit - we do have groceries in the fridge lol.

That said, DH has asked to take advantage of the sunshine and go to Disney Springs tonight. He’s not too crazy about Homecomin’s menu and can’t eat anything at Earl of Sandwich - so he’s going to eat at the condo and then accompany me as I eat out.

 

[elaine amj]

We booked a DAS pass for Remy when we entered the park around noonish. Return time was 2.5 hrs later - crazy! We dutifully waited out our time and went back - only to find the Lightning Lane line extending forever down to the end of the square (basically to the water!). The ride must have been down. It looked insane and we knew we couldn’t handle that - we were already exhausted. So back to the condo for a much needed nap!

 

[Counting Stars]

Brunch looks great, and reasonably priced... Thanks for sharing, and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

 

[elaine amj]

So last night, we left our villa about 6pm, still stuffed from our 10am brunch.

We stopped to ask about walking up at Homecomin’ where it was impossible to get a reservation (even last minute that day). Was told it was not too busy and we could be seated anytime.

Not hungry enough so we went to watch one of the live performances. Then a second one lol.

At 7:30pm, we were getting peckish and DH decided dinner would be his favourite Chocolate Lover’s Shake from Ghiradelli’s. $10.95 (less 10% AP discount) for a Medium. It was so rich and delicious - as always. It really is a step above milkshakes at most places. A very intense chocolatey flavour.
I got the Decadent Drinking Chocolate ($5.95 - down to $5.65 after tax with AP discount).



It is intensely rich, warm and strong. Wayyy richer, thicker and more intensely chocolatey than a hot cocoa. The server verified I liked dark chocolate when I ordered it. It was…interesting. Very nice in tiny sips. Could have been improved (IMO) with some mint to balance the richness. Wish I had some mint syrup on hand. I took half if it home to drink in sips over the next few days. Glad I tried it but I far prefer their (incredibly good) hot cocoa.



I had signed up for the Earl of Sandwich eclub and the next day got an email coupon for $5 off. Decided to grab my fave holiday sandwich but when I got there (almost no line at 7:30pm), their machines were down and could not process coupons. Not hungry enough anyway so I left.

Then I spotted something that’s been on my try list for years - the Donald Waffle Sundae at Marketplace Snacks right next door to Ghiradelli’s.



$8.99 + tax and it was sooooo good. I love lemon and it added such a refreshing note to the vanilla soft serve and the delicious eggy, soft, yet crispy perfect texture of the bubble waffle. I will definitely get this again! And the presentation is cuteness overload! Really difficult to eat though - a spoon is absolutely necessary lol.



We enjoyed our treats on one of the little tables outside Ghiradelli’s and got to listen to the music on the nearby stage too. A country band was playing - my favourite!!

Then it was back to our condo and bed. We were definitely too full to consider anymore food tonight!

 

[elaine amj]

This morning, we got to Hollywood Studios at 9am and took the Skyliner to the Riviera. Our plan was breakfast at Primo Piatto (I had wanted dinner but DH said breakfast was more doable for him).

When we got there, I saw the sign for Toppolino’s Terrace and wondered what walk up was like as I have been unsuccessful at getting an ADR - even at the last minute.

I was shocked to find the app said 30 mins and we decided a quick plan change was in order and added ourselves to the list. We found a swing in the lovely garden and chilled out. Less than 10 mins later, we got a notification to go back. I hemmed and hawed a bit because usually I like to add some Disney gear for character meals (and I didn’t wear my Minnie ears!) but we decided to just go for it.

We got a lovely little two top next to the sunny window and they soon brought out a cute paint bucket full of pastries.



The apple bread was pretty good but not my favourite. I could take or leave the muffins but DH happily eats anything chocolate. The croissants were flaky, airy, tasty bites of goodness. It’s hard to get a good croissant in North America (European bakers have a lighter hand). I ended up asking for 1 more croissant later in the meal and our server brought 2 more (so I brought one home lol!). Here’s a better picture of the goodies:


Our server happily told us we could order an entree and a side. DH ordered the steak and quiche. I asked for the steak and to replace the polenta with potatoes (she said she would bring both so I didn’t have to choose) and a side of waffles. So I got an entree and 2 sides.



The sour cream waffles was as good as everyone says. Wow!

The quiche was delicious - but we often get great quiches in various bakeries we visit (I am a bakery fiend lol). The potatoes were yummy- although maybe not as life changing as some reports say haha. The polenta was creamy and good but I found the sauce too salty. I like salt but I guess what I think as a lot of salt is not as much as what some people think as this is a somewhat common complaint for me. The steak was perfectly cooked and soooo good. Here’s a close up:



Our food chopper failed us in the steak and I had to hand scissor it and was left with aching hands lol. This is how small Dh needs his food cut up:



The characters came around a lot. We saw them twice in a bit over an hour. I continue to confirm what we discovered 10+ years ago - we’re just not big fans of meeting characters at meals. Background is not very attractive and hastily taken photos rarely come out nice. I far, far prefer meet and greets - although we only do those rarely anyway. My now young adult kids feel the same way although we have done most of the character meals on property over the years (usually for the food). My Mickey-mad niece LOVED them when she was 3 though and I took her to a bunch



Even taking our time, we would probably have been done in an hour. But near the end the server took quite a while to come back to bring us the various things we needed. On the good side, coffee came in a carafe we used to serve ourselves so I had piping hot (decaf) coffee the entire meal. Bliss!

Our bill was about $100 after AP discount and tip:


We packed doggy bags with a small amount of leftover steak and half the pastries (incl one precious extra croissant LOL!)

Afterwards, we stepped out on the balcony and discovered a delightful seating area in the sunshine:



We have spent most of the trip looking for cozy places to sit and chill and couldn’t resist the lure so we hung out here for over half an hour. It was so pretty and had relaxing Italian music in the background.



Toppolino’s was a success! Although to be honest, I’m not super sure we will return. $50 each for breakfast is a lot. We’re generally too frugal for signature dining and are usually happiest at 1 TS places. That said, my favourite Le Cellier filet mignon is now $62 (wait, what?!!! When did THAT happen?! Hmmm….now gotta decide if I should cancel that reservation. Did it really say $62?!!)

 

[elaine amj]

Dinner tonight was just leftovers from our Ale & Compass brunch. Cold dark chocolate waffles are still pretty good And I REALLY like the shrimp and grits! Didn’t expect that as some years ago I tried grits for the first time and wasn’t a fan. Gave it a few more attempts, one at a higher end hotel in Kentucky. Blech. Now apparently I really like it! How tastebuds change

Oh and I discovered that the drinking chocolate from Ghiradelli’s solidified into a rather nice chocolate - almost like a thick mousse. I warmed up a small amount to drink - but I think I will give the rest to DH to eat solid. It is really too rich to drink.

 

[elaine amj]

We’re so full from all this eating lol! Today’s lunch was in the condo and Dh also ate dinner in the condo. However, I really, really like Bahama Breeze’ Happy Hour and have only managed to go once before (in wintery Michigan).

We were supposed to go during our family Christmas trip to celebrate my birthday (that was in July haha!) but I was sick in bed. So even though DH was reluctant, I insisted on working it into our plans. Especially since we are staying just next door at Sheraton Vistana Resort (btw, why does it take 7 mins to drive next door? Only in Florida lol)

Happy Hour is from 4-6pm and is a fab deal.

I started with the Ultimate Pina Colada (I am obsessed with pina coladas - I don’t care how old fashioned it is lol!). It was not the best pina colada ever - but pretty good swirled with strawberry slushy for just $5. I think I prefer it without the strawberry slush.



Then I ordered a firecracker shrimp and coconut shrimp. The plates were much bigger than they looked online! The coconut shrimp was very good but the firecracker shrimp was one of the best I have had (even thiugh the shrimp was typical chain restaurant quality). Perfectly fried with a delicious aioli I would happily drown in (Ok ok - I like my sauce haha!).



It was a giant portion and I am so stuffed even though DH did have a few firecracker shrimp and I didn’t touch the chips in the bowl.

DH also got a Chocolate Island ($9+) that I didn’t take a pic of. He loved it. Of course - it’s chocolate after all. It was a nice chocolatey mousse on top and a thicker, cakier chocolate base. Very nice from the tiny taste I got.



Tiny bill.

In future, a $6.75 order of firecracker shrimp and a $5 pina colada is plenty for dinner for me. I was insanely full adding on the coconut shrimp.

DH has been trying to talk me out of coming here but afterwards said how nice it was to sit on the verandah and how great the food was. So glad I pushed for it - and I finally git my birthday meal 6 months late haha!!

We will return

We hit up MK after and they have a glass slipper photo opp! Wow!!

 

[DL1WDW2]

I’m having so much fun with your trip report
Thank you for sharing !

 

[elaine amj]

I’m having so much fun with your trip report
Thank you for sharing !

Awww…thanks so much! Glad you are enjoying it!

I don’t always manage to write them - but I love being able to go back to read my memories. Also to remind me what I liked/didn’t like. It’s harder when I’m with my family - I never seem to have spare time during those trips!

I love reading dining reports and learn so much from them too!

 

[elaine amj]

Today’s breakfast is not fancy - cottage cheese and frozen blueberries in the condo.



We have so much food in the fridge we are planning to eat lunch and dinner mostly in the condo. Only 1 week left to eat up all the food LOL!! There’s no way. A bunch will travel home with us in the cooler.

MK today. I am really really hoping a cheeseburger spring roll is in my future. We’ll see. I could have had a snack in MK late last night. But I was definitely not hungry after all that shrimp!

 

[elaine amj]

Lunch was in the condo as planned. Whipped up a quick omelet with mushrooms and spinach dip.

For dinner, DH ate fish in the condo and I decided to wait until we staked out a spot for fireworks at MK. Got to MK at 6:30pm and was shocked all the premium spots were gone. No biggie as we had another favourite spot that was still available.

I left at 7pm in the hunt for my spicy chicken waffle from Sleepy Hollow. It took almost 45 solid mins to get through the line. Nuts!



I think my pieces of chicken were rather small and my sandwich understuffed. It was good. Love the spicy and sweet sauce and the nicely fried chicken. My waffle was fresh and not soggy - but I was still hungry after. $9.89 with a request for no chips.
We walked a bit after the fireworks as my friend’s DD wanted a turkey leg. The cheeseburger spring roll stand was sadly closed after the fireworks.

I ended up deciding to go back to Sleepy Hollow for a fruit waffle sandwich.





It was my first time having this actually. And like has been reported - a perfect balance of nutella and fruit.

But…$9.04?!!!!!! For a dessert/snack/breakfast?!

It didn’t compute in my head how outrageously expensive this is. Especially when the spicy chicken waffle is $9.89. For 80 cents more you get (a normally large) chicken instead of fruit. $6/7 would be a far more reasonable price for the fruit waffle.

A bit too much for my frugal soul lol.

 

[Ginger03]

Love your report. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

[elaine amj]

Love your report. Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Thanks for joining in!

 

[elaine amj]

Today’s lunch was in the condo - working through our groceries lol!

Today is the Eve of Chinese New Year which is traditionally when celebrations start. Left my poor kids at home but DS20 went off for a weekend trip and poor DD21 was by herself. Eventually she found a friend to go to a Chinese restaurant with her and DS20 reported he hit up a Chinese buffet.

As for DH and I, there isn’t a whole lot of Chinese restaurants in Orlando and we ended up deciding to go to Morimoto Asia. It sorta counts although it is more Japanese than Chinese.

DH ordered the special - which was a ground burger patty made with A5 Wagyu Beef (the fancy stuff with the certificate) and filet mignon. Yeah I know it’s the leftover scraps ground together lol. But at $32, it sits in a stone bowl over a bed of rice, then a sunny side egg and hot mushroom gravy drizzled over top at the table to finish the cooking process.

I got the famous sticky ribs which came with a side of rice ($35).




Unfortunately, DH had trouble swallowing his food. We asked for more gravy but it turned out to be very salty (heavy on the soy sauce) and only suitable for a light drizzle. Then we asked if they could do another sunny side up egg for him as the first was basically fully set when we cut into it. The runny yolk helped a lot although one yolk isn’t really enough for all that rice.

Still, the burger patty itself was moist, juicy and had that melt-in-your-mouth consistency of wagyu beef. Definitely different from your regular burger. Sadly, it was the wrong dish for DH and he couldn’t even appreciate the texture of the patty. Rather wasted on him.

My sticky ribs were beautifully fried and a lovely balance of flavours. It was just a little too salty for my taste but the plain rice really helped balance that out.

The restaurant is very pretty but this time we were seated in a two-too in the middle. Righ next to our neighbours. Like Le Cellier and some other Disney restaurants (especially the fancier ones for some reason), you’re basically sitting at the same table and can hear each other’s entire conversations clearly.

It was a bit awkward for us with all DH’s issues as I was trying to help him figure out solutions while not bothering out neighbours too much. They looked over quite a bit although not in a mean way that I could feel. But it’s understandable we can be a bit of a curiosity as I cut up DH’s food into tiny bits and help him manage his meals.

Unfortunately I wasn’t in the greatest mood tonight (that time of the month) so when DH got frustrated with his dinner, I got a bit upset too.

By the end, I was glad to get out of there. Which was a bit sad considering it is on the expensive side. Our server was good but not memorable.

I really should have asked for a different table where I would have felt more comfortable dealing with DH’s stuff. We’re generally used to this, but this is the closest we have ever been sat to our fellow diners. And I try not to think about it - but I know DH’s difficulties eating must be tough for diners with weaker stomachs to see. We are generally as discreet as possible and DH wears a baseball cap anyway (for his vision issues) which does double duty of hiding his face while he eats.



I decided to try to rescue the night with an indulgent dessert and we went to Amorette’s Patisserie and I decided to try the signature Amorette’s Petit Cake. I figured this was their signature cake and they must have perfected it.

I had thought their Mickey Mousse cake not quite good enough for the price last time.

It was pretty but I was still a bit disappointed that the 50th Anniversary petit cake is gone now and I missed it.



11 layers of chocolate cake, red velvet cake, cherries, etc etc.



It was…just ok. The cake was generally rather firm (hard?). Not the moist deliciousness I had been hoping for. It was like a decent black forest cake but had no wow factor. The fondant was a bit tastier than most fondants (which is not saying much lol). I scraped it all off and then ate a few bits of it mixed in with the cake.

For $17 after tax, I think I am done with Amorette’s. Very, very pretty but not much substance.



I think I am just too cheap and the price affects my tastebuds

 

[Noreen411]

Hi. I am enjoying your report very much.
I love the snowbirding idea and am impressed that you are doing the drive back and forth from Canada back to back like that.
Looking forward to reading more

Noreen