September PTR: The Disney Mulligan (9/3 - Go time!)

[JustCor]

Hi everyone! Well, it's time for a special PTR that's going to be important to me for a lot of reasons. Let's get the basics out of the way first:

This is me. I'm Corey. I'm 37. I made my first visit to Disney World not even two years ago. Since that first visit, I've been a few more times and have been trying to make up for lost time and experiences. I've done a few trip reports (available in my signature below) and have been trying to make each trip better than the last.

Before I start this report, a quick bit of info on how this trip came together. Last month, I spent a couple of days at WDW as a birthday trip. To oversimplify things for brevity, I had a good enough time, but by the time I got home, I had a growing sense of disappointment in the whole trip. It felt like a forced trip filled with compromise after compromise. It wasn't what I was looking for in a Disney trip and I just felt soured on the experience. The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got, and the more annoyed I got, the more frustrated I became with everything Disney. Luckily (surprisingly), we've been absurdly busy at work. I've gotten a ton of overtime and not a lot of time to think about my trip anymore. So, with a newly clear head and a welcome influx of some spending cash, I decided to see if I could make things right. Can I make a trip that rights the previous wrongs?

YES!

Let's start where my last trip fell off the rails: the resort. I could not, for the life of me, find a Disney resort at a reasonable price. The selection was not so great when I started looking, and I gambled on a price drop for annual passholders to come through at the last minute. It was a gamble I lost. In the end I stayed off property in a hotel that was ok, but never lived up to my expectations.

So, how about a quick look at my wish list from my last PTR:

It's safe to say that I completely failed to make that work for me on my last trip. I think I would have been happy to stay at a value by the time my trip ended. Between waiting for something to magically open up or get cheaper, and just not being on top of things, I failed completely. Right off the bat, I've got to make things right. I have to make this trip memorable, but in a good way. I think I did ok this time. The immediate difference between the previous trip and this trip is that the resort is booked. I'm set right out of the gate. No struggling to find vacancies and no settling for good enough.

Can you tell I'm stalling? Ok, no more stalling. For this mulligan trip, I'll be staying at:

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa!​

I have to be completely honest. This was not the plan I had in my head. Sure, I've had a very heavy wish to stay there, but my expectations were always that it would take one of those random pixie dust moments where I check into Port Orleans or Pop and am fortunate enough to get an upgrade. Things just happened to fall in place this time, though. The price is right, the dates lined up, and it was super easy to do. I used a travel agent to see if any deals were out there and I stumbled right into one.

This one booking has practically erased my simmering annoyance of the last trip and given me a new spark for planning this trip.

I think I'm off to a great start!

 

[JustCor]

A selection of food choices

At 106 days out, fast pass selection is out, but food selections are a go. It seemed a good idea to pick a restaurant in the Grand Floridian to kick off the dinner ADRs. I looked long and hard at Citrico's and Narcoossee's, but nothing really stood out on either menu. Instead, I've decided to go with the Grand Floridian Cafe. I had lunch there last year and really liked their Surf and Turf Burger. What can I say? I'm a (kind of) simple man. I'm always up for a good burger. The desserts also look to be quite good. I'm definitely looking forward to trying one (or two!) out on that first night.

For the second night, I've picked Trattoria al Forno. For the past month or two, I've been craving a good meatball. That may have played a heavy hand in this selection. The Polpetta Gigante seems to be calling my name. I've had Trattoria on my list at least twice before and I've always seemed to bail on it at the last minute. However, I'm pretty intent on sticking to this one, if for no other reason that to say that I've done it and to finally mark it off my list.

I haven't picked anything for the third night yet. I have something in mind, it's just a matter of things kind of working out. I'm thinking of going to the Disney Springs AMC theater and doing the Dinner/Movie combo thing again. I did this previously and really enjoyed it. The cost of food is actually pretty reasonable, and I liked everything I ate. The wild card in this choice will be the movies available when I go. I'll keep an eye open for the releases and see if anything interesting pops up that may be one of the limited selection of movies for the Dinner/Movie. If that doesn't work out, I think I may try Big River Grille and Brewing Works. I rarely see reviews of the restaurant, and quite honestly, I forget it exists half the time. Yet, when I look at the menu, the food seems to fall into my wheelhouse. The prices are actually normal looking as well. It seems like a no-brainer that I would eat there, but it always slips my mind. This time, I'll try to remember. It looks like something I would really enjoy.

That's where things stand so far. I'm 106 days away from going back to Disney, but this trip already feels more 'genuine' than my last trip. It's a soothing feeling when things actually come together fairly smoothly. More updates later!

 

[JustCor]

Pre-gaming at under 100 days

My wait is under three digits, which is awesome! I still can't do any fast pass selections yet. So, instead, I've been looking over ADR stuff and seeing if anything pops out to replace my current selections. My plans are staying pretty firm at the moment. I think a nice bit of pre-gaming on the menus may help to pass the time. Let's do a breakdown of things...

Grand Floridian Cafe

Now, I probably won't be getting appetizers, and the selection isn't changing much. I do love a shrimp cocktail though, and the wings do sound pretty tasty. However, of all of the offerings, the Winter Heirloom Apple Salad is the most probable. I love goat cheese, and a nice salad to start things off sounds about the best way to do things. Besides, I need to save a little room for the good stuff!

The last time I was at GFC, I went for a specific purpose: The Surf and Turf Burger. It was pretty darn good, and I could do worse than having that again. On the other hand, I would kind of like to have something new and different. There's really nothing here that I would steer clear of. For now, I'll eliminate the burger (had it), the chicken (meh), and the strip steak (boring). The Salmon and the Shrimp and Grits is really standing out the most. I enjoy salmon quite a bit, and I absolutely love wasabi peas. It already tastes good, mentally. The shrimp and grits look to have a combination of a lot of good, strong flavors. I'm iffy on grits. I may live in the south, but I'm not a southerner by any means. I've only recently started trying grits, and I'm not sure how I feel about them. I've had some great grits (District Table and Bar) and a lot of not so good grits. Still, the shrimp, chorizo, and mascarpone cheese are giving me a good deal of hope. And if all else fails, burger. Burger is life.

Yay sweets! It's a pipe dream. What ends up happening quite often is that I get full long before dessert time. I had to look up what a Gateaux was. Chocolate mousse is appealing, but on top of a rich chocolate cake, that may be a bit too much. If (big if) I make it to dessert, it's a coin flip between the cheesecake and the sorbet. Either one is a winner in my book.
​

Overall, the menu seems smaller than I remember, or maybe I wasn't really paying too much attention because of the focus on just getting the Surf and Turf Burger. Now that I'm really breaking it down, the menu seems a little on the sparse side. Hmmm. I may or may not end up changing this ADR at some point. The selections are mostly appealing, which is good, but a slight bit of greater variety might be more appealing. Maybe.

Next update? Maybe a pre-gaming for Trattoria al Forno. Maybe looking at different ADRs. Maybe something else. Maybe something. Later!

 

[JustCor]

More fooding

I thought pre-planning for Trattoria al Forno would be a little more difficult than it's turning out to be. I'm iffy on certain preparations of Italian food. I'm not a huge fan of chunks of onion or tomato in sauces. I like them a little more smooth. In fact, I mostly hate raw or cooked onion or tomato because of textures. I've gotten a little better about bits of them being in foods like pasta sauces or salsas, but it's not a favorite thing. Strange, admittedly, since I really enjoy a lot of Italian dishes, but how it's made is a big deal. I'm a weirdo like that. Anyway, on to planning...

Trattoria al Forno

This one is actually super easy: Fried Calamari, all the way. I love fried calamari. I'm interested to see how this balsamic agrodolce works with it. I've had calamari with marinara, and I've had it with various other sauces. I think my favorite is actually the sweet chili sauce that they serve at all of the Ale House locations. The sweet and heat work well with the fried calamari. Using the powers of I've-never-taken-a-day-of-Italian, I've deduced that the sauce might be sweet. Isn't dolce candy? It feels like candy. My very basic understanding of high school spanish says candy. That's my kind of language. Barring the calamari, I suppose the mussels also sound pretty good, but my heart is set on fried rings of deliciousness.

This is another super easy choice. For the past few weeks, I've been seriously craving meatballs. I'm not even kidding. I've been to five different Italian restaurants around me over the past two weeks looking for a good meatball dish, and I've come up short every time. I'll probably hit two or three more before I give up. So, yes, Polpetta Gigante is what I want. I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that it's delicious. I had a few moments of hesitation before deciding on that. I needed to know how big these meatballs were. I'm sort of spoiled. When I lived out on Long Island, there was a restaurant called Vincent's that had the perfect massive meatball covered in delicious sauce. I loved eating at Vincent's. The sauce was available for sale from the restaurant, and also from Wauldbaum's. I've consumed many, many, many jars of it and wish it was available down here. So, to check what I could expect, I consulted trusty Google for my answer...

Muy bueno! The size looks good, and the sauce doesn't appear to have any big chunks of stuff I may not enjoy, and the dish in general looks like everything I could want. I believe Vincent's had a larger meatball and definitely more sauce, but this looks promising. Here's to hoping!

Is three desserts too much? I feel like the answer is no. I also feel like the answer is Gelato. And Zeppoli. And Cannoli Pizzelle. Maybe I'll be too full and I won't have to make the choice. Is it crazy to hope to be too full? If I had to choose at this very moment, I feel like it would be Cannoli. Or Panna Cotta. Or Tiramisu. Darn it. That's going to be a tough one.​

This may be the meal I'm most looking forward to. I've got a craving for everything meatball related and it may never go away. We'll see how the Disney options stack up to the local stuff. It shouldn't be to hard to beat. Locally, it's been a bunch of misses. Sprinkle some fairy dust and a good deal of cheese on my meal, because I'm ready!

Next update? Who knows. Probably more food stuff until the fast passes open up. A quick snack may quell the need to stare at menus for now, though.

 

[JustCor]

The times, they are a'changin

I'm just under the 90 day mark, and plans are currently slowly coming together. I'm 30 days from being able to make some FP+ selections, and increased workload at my job means my planning time has been somewhat limited. However, I've still managed to put some good time into the MDE website and get some ideas and a change or two.

GFC is out, Wave is in. I had a really good breakfast at The Wave last year. The food was tasty, the service was good, and the restaurant was a welcome kind of peaceful that seems difficult to find at the Magic Kingdom. I've had intentions of going back and having dinner there and I'm going to make good on it for this trip. Almost all of the reviews are exceedingly positive, and my own personal experience only adds to my desire to go back. I'll scour over the menu at some point, but I have no doubt I'll find a few items that I'd really like to try.

My current food obsession of the moment is calamari. I've been peeking at random restaurant menus to see which ones offer a calamari appetizer, but I'm not sure where to go. Does anybody have recommendations for good calamari at Disney? I'd love to hear your experiences!

That's about the planning I've had a chance to do so far. I have to say, this is going far smoother than last time. This is getting fun again! More updates later.

 

[JustCor]

Spinning the wheels

Only a tiny update for today, and not much more. On a fairly regular basis, I peak at the menus of various restaurants at Disney to see if anything happens to stand out. A lot of it is motivated by what I may be hungry for at the time I'm browsing. Today it just happens to be breakfast. I noticed I didn't really pick anything place to go for a breakfast type meal, so maybe it's time to change that. I've done Boma (a few times) and The Wave (twice) before and enjoy both. After adding The Wave for dinner, I gave a thought or three to going back for breakfast as well, but I think I'd like to try something new. 1900 Park Fare, but I'd rather not eat and interact with characters, especially at breakfast. I need about four cups of coffee to reach the point of functional, so I'm not my Disney best early in the morning. However, right down the way is the good ol' Grand Floridian Cafe. I may have replaced it as a dinner choice, but it's looking great for a breakfast pick. So, on my day of departure I'll be sitting down for a little GFC goodness to put some food in my belly for my drive home. It seems like a fitting choice to wrap up the trip.

 

[JustCor]

Paid, In Full

I've been slow on the updates because there hasn't been much happening. Today was a pretty big deal though: my trip is paid for! It's definitely nice to have the ability to pay off the trip a little at a time leading up to vacation day, but it feels exceptionally good be paid off in full well ahead of time. The long hours at work have definitely helped to eat away at the costs, so for the remaining 68 days, any extra scratch can go towards a savings for food and food, and probably food.

And food.

I'm 8 days from fast pass selections, which will probably be the next big thing for this trip. I haven't exactly done a good job of pre-planning for that. I like quite a few of the rides at Disney, but there are very few that I feel like going out of my way to plan for. Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror are my favorites, and I do enjoy Big Thunder Mountain quite a bit. I keep meaning to get Toy Story Midway Mania, but in previous planning, it's lost out to RNRC. I'm a fan of a good coaster, it's a weakness. I'm curious about the new Soarin' experience and will probably burn a fast pass on it, but that may be a tough one to pick. There isn't anything else fast pass worthy that I would do at Epcot. I'll look again and see if anything pops up that I can fill other selections with, but Soarin' may wait until another trip. I do like the scents on the ride and would like to see if they've added anything new. Give me 15 minutes flying through a great smelling Christmas tree and I'd be super happy.

My food selection is looking pretty good still. I've come close to burning out on Italian food, but not to the point where I would probably consider changing my selections. If anything, I may still add something, perhaps in Disney Springs. The rest of my planning is just nailing down small things. A new pair of shoes may be in order sooner or later, and maybe figuring out different snacks to bring to keep in the mini-fridge. So, that's where I'm at so far. Easy peasy lemon squeezy (knock wood) so far. I'm quite happy with what I have at the moment.

More to come later.

 

[JustCor]

The all-important 42-day mark

I need a vacation. Oh, right, it's coming up. When I planned this vacation, September seemed like a good time to go. Why would I pick something ridiculous like an August trip? It'd be so hot in August! Oh yeah, it was hot in September last year, too. So, with 42 days remaining, I'm itching for a vacation before the vacation. Instead, I'll continue doing bits and pieces of trip planning.

Where was I last? Oh, right, food stuff and waiting for fast pass selections to open up. I picked out a few of the old standby choices at the 60-day mark: Tower of Terror, the Mountains, and a little 7DMT action just because. I also added Toy Story Midway Mania, as I've never actually been on it. I snagged a decent time for the new Soarin'. I enjoyed it last time, though I got some butterflies in the belly near the end. I think that may end up doing it for my selections. This is less a trip about rides and more a trip to just get away from here for a few days.

I'm a hair over a month away. It feels like forever at this point. More updates later, and maybe without the big gap in things. Whoopsy.

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

Hi!

The GF! Awesome! What difference that will make to your trip! Are you staying 3 nights, 4 days? We'll be in the World at the same time! Though we are not staying at the GF. One of these days, maybe. I think the Poly is first, though.

I don't know anything about the calamari options, so I can't help you. Sorry! But good luck! Maybe somewhere in Disney Springs??

If you like games, you'll love TSMM. I love it! And the 3D aspect makes it that much more fun. I hope you like it!

Our trips are close but still so far!

 

[thepicklebee]

I had calamari at Via Napoli and it was mighty tasty!

I am doing a solo in September for a few days (courtesy of a work conference in Orlando) and I debated hotels too. I could have stayed at the Boardwalk... and thought about it for the sake of walking to Epcot, but decided to stick with POFQ to save some $$$ to then spend on F&W goodies.

 

[JustCor]

Hi!

The GF! Awesome! What difference that will make to your trip! Are you staying 3 nights, 4 days? We'll be in the World at the same time! Though we are not staying at the GF. One of these days, maybe. I think the Poly is first, though.

I don't know anything about the calamari options, so I can't help you. Sorry! But good luck! Maybe somewhere in Disney Springs??

If you like games, you'll love TSMM. I love it! And the 3D aspect makes it that much more fun. I hope you like it!

Our trips are close but still so far!

Yes! I'm so looking forward to GF! I never thought I'd be able to stay there, but everything kind of worked out really nicely. I did Poly last year, and while it was a nice resort, I had a bit of construction outside the window that kind of put a damper on things. I'll be there three nights and four days and I really, really can't wait.

I didn't know there was 3D stuff in TSMM. I do so bad on 3D stuff! Fingers crossed that it's not too wonky for me. I'd hate to get sick on a Toy Story ride, of all things.

I had calamari at Via Napoli and it was mighty tasty!

I am doing a solo in September for a few days (courtesy of a work conference in Orlando) and I debated hotels too. I could have stayed at the Boardwalk... and thought about it for the sake of walking to Epcot, but decided to stick with POFQ to save some $$$ to then spend on F&W goodies.

I considered Boardwalk as well. I really like the location, probably more than the location of GF. I like the idea of being able to walk to Epcot and take a boat to DHS and a mono to MK. Maybe I'll stay there next year. I just couldn't pass up GF. I haven't stayed at POFQ, but I did do a stay at POR in the Royal Guest rooms, and it still may be my favorite of the resorts so far. I hear great things about POFQ and have no doubt it's amazing too!

Thank you both for following along!

 

[JustCor]

A simple update

I've spoken with a friend who lives in Orlando and we may hit up Fogo de Chao for a dinner on one of the nights. Fogo was, hands down, the pinnacle of my last trip. The food and service and top notch, without a doubt. I almost feel like I may have to start fasting now just to be prepared for that dinner. I plan on putting down a painfully large amount of meat for that dinner. If you haven't gone, and you like meat, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't like meat, they have an impressive salad bar. I'm not a salad person, but I could easily fill myself ten times over with all of the great stuff they have just at the salad bar. It is nowhere near a cheap dinner, but it is so incredible and completely worth it.

Looking back on my last trip report, there are a few things I had forgotten about, such as the delicious caramels at Epcot and the Ghirardelli stuff at Disney Springs that I sure wish I had right now. I need to figure out how to fit all that in somewhere as well. I sure do wish it was September, like now now.

 

[JustCor]

Top hat, monocle, flip flops, and accidental adulting

As the 30-day mark fast approaches, I've picked up a weird bit of anxiety, as if GF is too fancy for me. In a setting like Disney, it seems absurd to think, but there's been a low undercurrent of that idea permeating through my planning. It started, innocently enough, with the idea of buying new luggage. On my normal Disney trip, I load up my trusty Kia Soul with my reliable yet ratty gym bag filled with clothes and my college backpack-turned-travel bag filled with a laptop, iPad, and various plugs for phones/cameras/smart items/whatever. I've never thought about their appearance nor anything beyond them being a basic means for carrying my stuff. Now, though, I felt a little subconscious about them. They're low key. They're well worn and well loved (mostly). They do what I need them to do, though they could do it better, I suppose. I started by clinging to the notion that I could get stuff that is more suited to actual travel, rather than just bags that happened to hold items in a workable fashion. Then I questioned my clothes: graphic tees that I've had for years and cargo shorts with lots of pockets. Simple, sure. All of a sudden, though, they feel dated.

This is all ridiculous, naturally. Nobody at Disney really cares how I dress or what my luggage looks like, as long as it isn't tattered or offensive. Still, GF has an aura in my head of something different. I want to look nicer and carry nicer things, and it's because I think I don't want to betray that aura. I've visited before, dressed in my dregs and slumming around. That was different. I was just a tourist for those visits. Now, I'll be a very temporary resident and it just feels... important. It's crazy, I know. I'm mentally adjusting my expectations based on an admittedly overpriced hotel that I'll be at for a few days. Still, my regular packing plans feel inadequate. My wardrobe feels wrong, and it forced me to consider that I really don't know how to dress myself for a nicer venue or higher class restaurant. I have one pair of dress pants and one nice dress shirt that I reserve for interviews in funerals. I couldn't dress fancy casual (or whatever it's called) if my life depended on it. It's an odd feeling to realize I've made it to a few years shy of 40 and still wear clothes that I would have worn in my 20's.

GF is now making me realize that it might be time to grow up, maybe just a little. So, my regular plans for fast passes and dinner reservations are now accompanied by me trying to put together at least four days of outfits that look nice and slightly more upscale than a star wars shirt and wrinkled shorts that have sat in the dryer for two days because I don't want to fold them.

I'm doing this whole adult thing wrong, it seems.

 

[JustCor]

But it's $50

A little bit of Disney planning took place today, though not a ton. I shifted around some FP+ times to remove some of the massive gaps in two of the days. I also made the first day a Magic Kingdom day, starting the rides a little later in the day to allow for time to get to the hotel and to move things closer to the evening to avoid some of the heat. I've left a day open to do random stuff that will probably include a trip to Disney Springs and a walk around of some of the new areas that have recently opened up. I get some of the Disney email stuff and they're promoting the Dooney and Bourke Magic Bands. My exposure to D&B is essentially buying an ex an overpriced purse, and not much else. One of the designs kind of stood out to me:

I like the sketch kind of images that seem to pick up elements of all of the parks. I like that it's a white band, as well. It looks clean and fun, and this is one of two designs that could pass fairly easily as a unisex design. It's tempting. I even thought about buying it, but $48 is steep, especially when I have a large collection bands already. It's different, though, and a collectors item, so I still kind of like the idea of buying one. I can't help but wonder how many people have shelled out for one already. Do I need one? Of course not. Aside from the many bands that I already have, I have a purple band coming my way in a week or two for the upcoming trip. We'll see how my resolve holds up over the course of the next few weeks. It may just pass in a day or two, much like the desire to own every Star Wars magic band fell by the wayside fairly quickly. It's white, though. So clean.

 

[hockeyprincess25]

But it's $50

A little bit of Disney planning took place today, though not a ton. I shifted around some FP+ times to remove some of the massive gaps in two of the days. I also made the first day a Magic Kingdom day, starting the rides a little later in the day to allow for time to get to the hotel and to move things closer to the evening to avoid some of the heat. I've left a day open to do random stuff that will probably include a trip to Disney Springs and a walk around of some of the new areas that have recently opened up. I get some of the Disney email stuff and they're promoting the Dooney and Bourke Magic Bands. My exposure to D&B is essentially buying an ex an overpriced purse, and not much else. One of the designs kind of stood out to me:

I like the sketch kind of images that seem to pick up elements of all of the parks. I like that it's a white band, as well. It looks clean and fun, and this is one of two designs that could pass fairly easily as a unisex design. It's tempting. I even thought about buying it, but $48 is steep, especially when I have a large collection bands already. It's different, though, and a collectors item, so I still kind of like the idea of buying one. I can't help but wonder how many people have shelled out for one already. Do I need one? Of course not. Aside from the many bands that I already have, I have a purple band coming my way in a week or two for the upcoming trip. We'll see how my resolve holds up over the course of the next few weeks. It may just pass in a day or two, much like the desire to own every Star Wars magic band fell by the wayside fairly quickly. It's white, though. So clean.

I am struggling with the decision to buy one of these as well!!! We are at 32 days until our trip and I WANT one so badly!! But, is it a need? No... A desperate WANT.... I will probably crack this month though...

 

[JustCor]

I am struggling with the decision to buy one of these as well!!! We are at 32 days until our trip and I WANT one so badly!! But, is it a need? No... A desperate WANT.... I will probably crack this month though...

I just can't bring myself to do it. I thought about it long and hard, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I have heard that the Mickey lights at the scanners to get in glow white with these bands rather than green, which is kind of neat, and I'm wondering if there are other small changes that are specific to these bands. That does really pull at my wallet strings, but not enough to shell out nearly $50. I'm still pretty happy with my purple Haunted Mansion band and last years Not So Scary band, so i think that helps. Maybe. As me again in two weeks when the urge to buy it is too much to overcome.

 

[JustCor]

Temporary derailment

I'm off today, so it so I decided to take a little time to tweak fast pass times and plan out some smaller stuff. I'm also making these plans while starving, so, not surprisingly, I'm looking at food and restaurant reviews and seeing if there's something I'm missing or just overlooking that I need to add to my trip. I hit a near hour and a half snag looking for, innocently enough, waffle fries. After spending some time reading reviews, I wanted to look up a place in Magic Kingdom that I had not been able to try out yet because it's almost always closed when I'm there. I know, at some point at least, they served waffle fries with stuff on them, but I was struggling to remember the name. So, with a vague name in mind (Golden Oak), I hit up Google to make sure I was in the right ballpark and to eventually find some reviews. Typing Golden Oak into the search bar popped up a list of suggestions, of which "Golden Oak Disney" was one. Bingo, the memory still works sometimes.

I didn't find reviews for the restaurant, nor did I find waffle fries. Or food. I found a menu, kinda. Golden Oak is an answer to a question I've pondered since I first went to Disney a mere two years ago. In the back of my mind, in a place I put dreams that are possible but incredibly improbable, I stashed away the question of how I would live at Disney if I had a ridiculous sum of money. There was no good solution that I could think of with minimal to no research. Instead, it boiled down to spending a buttload of money to stay at one of the resorts full time. That solution was loaded with problems. First, of course, it's ridiculously expensive. Also, I give up regular amenities of everyday life and settle for Disney's idea of a luxury resort, which, if we're being honest for a second, isn't exactly on par with real luxury resorts in any way. Having stayed at two of the Deluxe resorts and planning out this third one, I am completely aware that I've stayed at other, actual resorts that have offered more space and more amenities for less money. Still, they lacked the all important Disney factor that figured into this ideal daydream scenario. With that in mind, I filed away that dream into the mental locker and only really dip my toe into those idyllic waters when planning out the next Disney trip.

I have a true, valid, legit answer to that question now and it stems from this search for waffle fries. See, Golden Oak Outpost is the little food stop I was looking for. It's tucked away in the back of the park towards Splash Mountain and I think I had seen something on a previous search about them having a poutine equivalent. Golden Oak at Walt Disney World Resort, on the other hand, is a private community built on Disney property with beautiful looking homes that may start a shade under two million bucks and may go up to a shade under ten million bucks, and also may have a $12,000 per year fee that covers various things that a typical HOA would cover but also covers park tickets and transportation. In moments of sane thought, I would tell you that spending $2M - $10M for a home with not a whole lot of yard space and not a whole lot of space between you and your neighbors is probably not the best idea. In typical Disney fashion, you can probably get more for you money in a non-Disney mansion in that same price range. For some reason, I could easily justify that cost (in my fantasy world where I am suddenly wealthy and that probably would be a second home) against the alternative.

So, instead of spending time looking at reviews and trying to confirm the strong notion that I had read or seen that the Golden Oak Outpost had changed their menu and no longer offered a selection of waffle fries topped with various globs of things and stuff, I looked at pictures and floor plans of houses in a community that I'm nowhere near being able to afford and mentally living out a dream that only (relatively) recently took root in my head. I don't know what I would do with 8 bed rooms, 8 bathrooms, and 2 half baths, but I do know what I'd do with that pool, and I know where I'd probably spend a fair amount of my free time.

Man, I could really go for some french fries and gravy right about now.

**UPDATE**

Golden Oak Outpost - Old Menu

Golden Oak Outpost - New Menu

Interesting variety replaced by their awful chicken nuggets. How depressing. Strike that place off the list. There's already plenty of places serving the same gross crap everywhere else at Disney.

 

[JustCor]

I'd prefer cobra

After reading about Flying Fish opening back up and having a revamped menu, I browsed the new selections and got really excited for half a second:

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  Wood-fired Carabinero Prawn and Cobra

So many thoughts and so much excitement poured into my head the split second after I read that. I love prawns! I've never eaten cobra! Where does Disney get their hands on cobra? What does it taste like? I now have to go to go to Flying Fish, apparently.

Unfortunately, I misread that. Cobia, not Cobra. An exotic dish that I would have tried regardless of the price is now something a bit more mundane. All of a sudden, I'm no longer interested. Who the heck wants cobia instead of cobra? Not me, no sir no ma'am. That's just boring fish. Ok, cobia is a tasty fish, but after the one second emotional high and the subsequent letdown, no fish could live up to the fleeting excitement of eating cobra at a Disney restaurant.

In other news, there's poutine spot at Disney Springs. One door closes, another one opens.

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[KnK]

You're just making me smile and smile. Love the great ramblings of your pre trip report. Helping me get excited for my upcoming trip.

 

[JustCor]

You're just making me smile and smile. Love the great ramblings of your pre trip report. Helping me get excited for my upcoming trip.

Yay! Happy I can make you smile! Why can't it be a month from now yet? This waiting thing sucks.