So much to do (and eat) we need to go twice! A food-focused trip report. COMPLETE 7/28/22

[mickey916]

Day 2 - 5/15 Dinner & Dessert at Beaches & Cream​

After checking into the Swan we decided to walk over to the Beach Club resort for our ADR at Beaches & Cream. I apologize for the photos of half-eaten food. At this point on the trip my DS25 said I should change my title to "My Half-Eaten Food Blog". I promise I did get better as the week progressed! My DH and I decided to share our two entrees so we ordered a burger with fries and chicken sandwich with onion rings. My DS23 also got a burger with fries. We really weren't impressed with either one. The burger lacked flavor and was just a basic theme park burger.

The chicken sandwich also was just okay. The bun was dry and the chicken needed seasoning. The onion rings were fine but nothing great either. We also felt that service was pretty lacking.

My DS25 ordered the reuben sandwich. He said it was "fine", pretty basic reuben.

After eating our meals, our server came over to give us the check without asking us if we wanted dessert. Who goes to Beaches & Cream and doesn't order ice cream? So, we told him the real reason we were there was for a Chocolate Lover's Kitchen Sink and requested the addition of peanut butter sauce. We waited quite a while but then received our long-awaited sundae.

Sad to say, this was a disappointment too. There was very little ice cream. It was mostly a bowl full of whipped cream with a brownie cut in quarters, a couple oreos, and a few bites of snickers. We were all digging to find some ice cream. I ended up with two bites of ice cream, one vanilla, one cookies & cream. I never found any chocolate ice cream. The ice cream didn't seem to be of the same quality as the No Way Jose we had last month. Also, we didn't get any added peanut butter as requested. In hindsight, we should have ordered No Way Joses again. Beaches & Cream was one of our favorite restaurants in 2010 and sad to say, it was one of the worst ones this trip. The only redeeming item was the No Way Jose sundae we had in April.

We finished up to discover there was a huge downpour outside. My son pulled up the weather app and saw there was a brief five minute window coming up for us to attempt walking back to the Swan. We walked as far as we could indoors through the Beach Club and Yacht Club just in time to hit that "five minute window" and then speed-walked back to the Swan. We made it!

Coming up...better food and better food photos!

 

[mickey916]

Day 3 - 5/16 Epcot​

Our morning began with a little struggle purchasing Genie+. Thankfully due to the Everything Genie+ thread I knew how to fix it. (Thank you @scrappinginontario ). I had heard that there is a glitch for those with APs who are linked to people with tickets with Genie+ pre-purchased that prevents the purchase of Genie+. When I went to purchase it, I was unable to do so as expected. However I had my DH open an MDE account and NOT link to my brother's family (who had the Genie+ tickets). So, I was able to purchase Genie+ for the family on my DHs phone and then use my phone to book our first Genie+ for Test Track for the eight of us. (Interestingly enough even after my brother's family I left I was never able to use my account to purchase Genie+ and needed to do it on my DH's phone every day).

We started our day walking over to Epcot from the Swan which is super convenient. We arrived at the International Gateway about ten minutes before early entry and headed right to Remy. The line looked long but as soon as early entry began we moved quickly and rode within minutes. We then headed over to Frozen which was also a walk-on. While the ride is cute, we miss the original Norway troll ride. After riding, since we were conveniently in Norway we headed to Kringla for breakfast. We decided to share a few treats. We had tried school bread back in 2010 and found it to be kinda dry and flavorless but it looked so good we decided to give it a second try. Boy are we glad we did! This was absolutely delicious! We now understand the love people have for school bread. Here's my quarter...(next time I want a whole one).


We also shared the eplekake which was very tasty as well. So soft and full of apple and cinnamon flavor.

We also shared a chocolate kringla which is kind of a cross between a pretzel and a pastry. This was also excellent.

We loved all three of our choices but school bread was our #1 choice.

We headed over to Spaceship Earth which was still a walk-on and then met my brother's family for our Test Track LL. Somewhat like Frozen and the Troll ride, we miss the previous version of Test Track too. Still a fun ride but just seems less themed than the previous ride.

We were able to snag LLs for Living with the Land, Soarin' and Figment right in a row and then headed over to Space 220 for our early lunch ADR.

Up next...we venture into space

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Sounds like a really fun family vacation!

 

[mickey916]

Sounds like a really fun family vacation!

It was awesome! Sorry I haven't updated lately. I was away for a few days. I hope to do an update later today.

 

[tigerlilly]

Great read once again! We are scheduled for a stay at the Beach Club in September. Beaches and Cream was on our short list but after all the reviews we decided to just skip it. Maybe ice cream from the take out.... Your ride list in Epcot was impressive.

 

[mickey916]

Great read once again! We are scheduled for a stay at the Beach Club in September. Beaches and Cream was on our short list but after all the reviews we decided to just skip it. Maybe ice cream from the take out.... Your ride list in Epcot was impressive.

I hadn't planned on using Genie+ at Epcot since conventional wisdom was that it was unnecessary but since my brother had purchased tickets with Genie+ every day we had to add it in order to ride with them. I'm actually really glad we did. We got to ride every ride except Mission Space (but that was just because we opted not to). We also had lots of time for exploring and enjoying the Flower & Garden festival.

Edited to add: I would definitely suggest you do take-out ice cream and get a No Way Jose if you can!

 

[mickey916]

5/16 Day 3 continued Lunch at Epcot
​

I was very excited to snag ADRs for lunch at Space 220 for the 8 of us. I originally had to book 4 and 4 (one with my account, the other with my DHs) since 8 wasn't an option. However when we checked in at 11:20 the CM said she could combine us as a party of 8. My DH and I had been to the lounge in April but this was a first for everyone else. We all enjoyed the cool ride up the stella-vator. We were a bit disappointed however that we were seated along the far left wall, with half of our party facing the blank wall. The restaurant was empty as it had just opened and my DS25 asked if we could please be seated a little more in the center so we could all see "space" but we were told no, we had to sit where assigned. So, we made the best of it by squishing together all on one side of the table as best we could, with people at either end and my brother and DH stayed facing the wall. We were so far off to the side that honestly none of us had a very good view, which is actually the point of eating there.

My brother, his wife and DD-20 all ordered the Milky Way at my suggestion, as I had tried it in April. They all thought it was absolutely delicious and were trying to figure out how to make it at home. My older niece got the Moon Rocks which she also enjoyed but found it very sweet.

For appetizers, our group got a variety of the options and had mixed reviews. My DS-23 and sister-in-law got the Big Bang Burrata. Both thought it was a disappointment. My sister-in-law said it "lacked flavor" and my DS-23 was more blunt and said it was awful and tasted like "wet air".


My DH ordered the Blue Moon Cauliflower. He thought this was delicious and the best part of his meal.

My nieces, DS-25, and brother all ordered the Neptune Tartare. They all thought it was pretty good, nothing spectacular.

I ordered the starry calamari which I thought was excellent. Crisp and tender with two delicious sauces. I didn't find that it was overly fishy tasting either. I especially liked the roasted pepper citrus aioli.

For our entrees, my DH and DS-23 ordered the Supreme Chicken breast, described as Seared Chicken Breast, Polenta Parmesan Cake, Petite Balsamic Lentils, Basil Oil. They both thought the chicken was very good but the "yellow stuff" and "brown stuff" was awful. So, my poor DS-23 was 0 for 2 for his appetizer and entrée. I did share some of my calamari with him though and he wished he had ordered that for his appetizer.

It's too bad because this was a recent menu change and previously the chicken was served with mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts and I think they both would have preferred that dish.

My DS-25 and I however made a much better choice and ordered the Steak & Frites. This was absolutely delicious! The steak was perfectly cooked, well seasoned and huge! I couldn't even finish my steak and I gave my DS-23 some "pity-fries" due to his lousy chicken dish. My DS-25 said it was his favorite meal of the trip. (Sorry for the blurry picture).


My sister-in-law really enjoyed the Steak Salad. She too thought it was one of the best things she ate all week.


My older niece ordered the plant-based Terra-Bolognese. She didn't really eat it at all. I didn't want to make her self-conscious so I didn't ask why but I don't think she liked it.


Interesting that the server never asked why she wasn't eating it either. In fact we saw very little of our server. She took the order, someone else brought the food and she brought the bill at the end.

Lastly, my other niece and brother ordered the Tuna Tataki. They both thought this was very good.


Final thoughts: The experience is cool but depending on where you're seated the view can be limited. Some of the appetizers and entrees were excellent, others not so much. It is very expensive for what you get. For us, we were glad we did it but it's a "one and done" for us, with the only exception is my DS-25 who would love that steak again (but I bet I could find him an excellent steak elsewhere).

Up next...snacks and dinner at the Garden Grill.

 

[mickey916]

5/16 Day 3 Snack & Dinner in Epcot​

After our lunch in Space, we enjoyed some of the Flower & Garden displays and walked through the Butterfly house and then started walking through the countries, starting with Canada. It was very hot and sunny so we decided to each get a Kakigori at the Kabuki Café once we reached Japan. This is so delicious and refreshing on a hot day!



The heat got to my brother's family so they ended up leaving but we continued our leisurely tour through the countries. We rode the Gran Fiesta Tour (no Genie+ necessary) and worked our way back around to the Land. We still had time before our dinner so we rode Living with the Land standby with only a ten minute wait. Then it was time to check in for the only ADR requested by my sons....Garden Grill. We have such great memories from our 2010 trip that the boys couldn't wait to eat there again...and it lived up to all our expectations! Such a great meal.

Dinner rolls with sweet honey butter. Basic dinner rolls but the butter is really good!

Harvest-inspired garden salad. I loved the flavor of the salad dressing and the addition of the olives was a nice touch.


Skillet: Roast Turkey with Stuffing and gravy, garlic green beans, grilled beef with chimichurri, mashed potatoes, and corn succotash. We enjoyed every bit of this skillet (and ate a second one as well).

Macaroni and cheese side. This was creamy and really tasty! I liked this one even better than the one we ate at Liberty Tree in April (and again in May).

Berry shortcake with Whipped Cream. We weren't looking forward to this dessert too much as we are chocolate fans but this too was really delicious. The shortcake was more like a pound cake, the berries were fresh and the whipped cream tasted homemade. This was a very satisfying end to an excellent meal. My DH says he'll never say no to dinner at the Garden Grill.

After our meal we pulled a Lightning Lane for Spaceship Earth and then started to head out the International Gateway when we realized Harmonious was starting in 15 minutes. So we stood along the side of the bridge near the International Gateway. It wasn't a great view but we enjoyed the music, fireworks, and the projections we could see on the side pieces. We opted not to stay for Extended Evening hours as we wanted to be early for rope-drop the next day at Hollywood Studios and we had ridden everything we wanted to ride. We made the short walk back to the Swan, another successful park day in the books.

 

[mickey916]

5/17 Day 4 Hollywood Studios
​

Our morning started promptly at 6:45 purchasing Genie+ for the day followed by a successful dual phone situation where we snagged a 9:30 am return slot for Rise for only my family (my brother's family wasn't eligible since they're off site) and a 10:10 for Slinky for the 8 of us. My family headed out early to be ahead of the crowds for early entry and walked the very convenient path from the Swan.

At ropedrop we headed directly to the Tower of Terror. The line was quite long and a CM told us it would be an hour wait. That seemed too long so we hopped off line and headed to RNRC. Our way was blocked by CMs and we were told it was down and we weren't allowed to get past the CMs. So, we headed back to Tower, now even further back in line, but decided we'd just wait it out. As soon as the ride opened however we funneled right in and I think waited maybe 15 minutes tops. (As the line started moving we did notice that they were now opening RNRC so a bunch of people ahead of us jumped out of line and headed toward RNRC).

As we exited Tower, we discovered a Joffrey's stand right outside the exit. Time for coffee and those long awaited big pink donuts we never were able to get at Universal. We also got a chocolate frosted but forgot to take pic of that one.

This was very tasty and worth the effort to finally get one! We're not sure if it's the same as the ones we were denied at Lard Lad but certainly look the same.

After our quick breakfast it was time for our Rise ILL$ so we headed to Galaxy's Edge. As we entered the stormtrooper room, I was amazed at how long we had to take pictures (should have known better)...
We then were ushered into the transport vehicle and when that part of the attraction concluded, the doors opened to CMs saying "we don't know if they told you but the attraction is down" and we were escorted out and told we needed to scan our Magic Bands to come back later at any time. CMs were very efficient and people were really understanding.

It was now time to meet up with my brother's family to ride Slinky with our LL. We started to head for the Lightning Lane only to be told that Slinky was down and we'd receive an anytime LL to ride later...so far not a great morning. This made us eligible for another LL so I snagged a LL for Toy Story Mania for our group and we headed right over. As soon as we all tapped in I grabbed LLs for RNRC for 3:00. Here's where I made our fatal error. For some reason, with all the chaos of the morning I completely forgot about the 120 minute rule!!!! So, sadly even though I could have grabbed another LL at 12:15 and another at 2:15, I blew it and we didn't attempt to grab another until we tapped into RNRC at 3 (and by then there was nothing left we wanted)...I didn't even realize I messed up until the next day...

We noticed Slinky was up and running as soon as we got off TSM and used our anytime LL to ride. At this point we decided to place a mobile order for lunch. We knew exactly what we wanted...the Ronto wrap at Ronto Roasters.

We all loved these! I'm not a huge fan of sausage but I thought this was very good. The pita was soft and warm. The pork, sausage, and slaw was a great combo. My brother's family ordered the Zucchi wrap and enjoyed that as well. We then explored Galaxy's Edge and a couple of us tried the blue milk.

At first sip, I didn't care for it but the more I drank it the better it got. (Must be an acquired taste.) My niece and DS-25 enjoyed it but I don't think any of us LOVED it.

We then headed back to Rise to use our ILL$. This time was successful and I noticed that there were elements that I didn't remember from our April trip. I just learned yesterday (on the DIS boards) that there is an A mode and a B mode. We must have had the B mode in April. The ride was even more awesome in A mode.

We then pretty much wandered aimlessly as was awaited our LL at 3 pm due to my grave Genie+ error. We attempted to see the Lightning McQueen show but, believe it or not, it went down as soon as we got in line. So, we headed for a snack at the Market. We ordered a few Jack-Jack Num Num cookies to share and each got a Pineapple-Coconut Slushy.

These cookies are so warm, chocolatey and delicious!

The Pineapple-Coconut slushy was sweet and refreshing.

Finally it was time for our LL at RNRC so we headed there to ride. Three people in our group had decided not to ride but had LLs so I suggested that my two DS's and my youngest niece could take their Magic Bands and ride again. So we switched out the bands and they headed onto the ride. This was almost a disastrous decision as I hadn't factored in that we had a highly sought after ADR at 4 at Sci Fi Dine-in and they had already gone into the line at 3:30 when I remembered (and had left all their cell phones with us).

Up next...arriving at Sci-Fi at the absolute last minute...

 

[MamaMouse0920]

We noticed Slinky was up and running as soon as we got off TSM and used our anytime LL to ride.

How does the "anytime to ride LL" work?? So after the ride was down, you are issued a special LL (which I assume shows up in your "My Day"?), and you can just show up, scan your band and walk on? Or do you still need to schedule/reserve anything? TIA, and great report so far! Can't wait to read more!

 

[mickey916]

How does the "anytime to ride LL" work?? So after the ride was down, you are issued a special LL (which I assume shows up in your "My Day"?), and you can just show up, scan your band and walk on? Or do you still need to schedule/reserve anything? TIA, and great report so far! Can't wait to read more!

You just show up whenever you want and you can use it for that ride or a list of others. I didn't pay attention to which others as we knew we wanted to use it for Slinky. When Rise went down since that's a ILL$, we had to be scanned to get the one to use at any time on Rise but when Slinky went down it appeared automatically. Glad you're enjoying the report. I should be able to post every night now (last week I was in and out of internet range). More fun stuff to come!

 

[Mandy Poppins]

I really enjoyed the report and pictures! Now I'm hungry though and I would kill for a raspberry swirl Dole Whip.

 

[mickey916]

5/17 Day 4 continued​

So my last post left off as I realized the three "kids" were in line for RNRC at 3:30 with no way to contact them and we had an ADR at 4:00. It was just going to be my family for dinner, as my sister-in-law and older niece had headed back to the hotel earlier and my brother and younger niece thought they should probably join them for dinner there. I was hoping this wouldn't be an issue since we had two ADRs of four people each (and too late to cancel). I figured I could check in with my ADR and my DH could check in for the other and then we could ask if I could join him and my sons (which the CM was able to do without penalty).

At 3:45 we still had no sight of the "kids" so my DH and I decided to check-in and await notification our table was ready. My brother stayed behind to tell my sons to boogie to the Sci Fi Dine-in as soon as they got off the ride.

At 3:55 we got notification that our table was ready (early...great...). We went to the hostess stand to explain that our sons weren't there yet. We were told we couldn't be seated without them and had fifteen minutes before our reservation would be canceled and we'd be charged as a no show...I texted my brother in a panic who reassured me they were off the ride and on their way...they made it at 4:08...and we were promptly seated in one car. A rather stressful start to a meal...but a happy ending at least.

We started by sharing a couple appetizers. This my DHs and my half of our onion ring order. These were very crispy with a nice coating.

This is our half of the fried pickles. These were also very good. The coating was nice and crunchy and they weren't greasy at all. I liked the dipping sauce which I think was ranch.

We all ordered the Drive-In Burger, "Our Signature Blend of Beef and House-made Seasoning served on a Brioche Bun topped with 9-hour Smoked Pork, Bourbon-Bacon Jam, Cheddar, Lettuce, and Barbecue Sauce."

Three out of the four of us really enjoyed our burger. My DS-25 however didn't care for it, saying it tasted no different than Burger King. The fries were decent but I prefer shoestring style. Overall, three out of the four of us thought this was a very good meal.

I kept refreshing Genie+ and was able to book an 8:45 LL for MMRR. There were no Smuggler's LL left and that was the only ride left we wanted to experience. We explored Toy Story Land a little more as well as Galaxy's Edge and then noticed the standby line was only 20 minutes for Smugglers. My two sons were assigned as pilots and I was a gunner. DH opted not to ride as he suffers motion sickness. My sons did really awful! When we got off the ride the CM suggested next time they should perhaps be gunners since they crashed into everything...it was pretty funny.

We had a 7:00 ADR at Oga's for our party of 8 that was now only a party of 4. We were seated promptly but it was super crowded and so much smaller than I expected. We were seated at a table with 4 other people (too bad we weren't a party of 8 anymore, that would've been fun). We actually just took a look around and left. It just wasn't "our vibe"....

We decided to ride standby for MMRR since our LL was a long way off still and we didn't really have anything else we wanted to do. It ended up being a pretty long wait but it was raining so we were happy to be inside. We then rode Toy Story Mania one more time with only a 5 minute wait. Thankfully the rain ended in time for us to walk back to the Swan.

Here's my thoughts on Hollywood Studios: Genie+ is a must do or you'll spend huge amounts of time in line. However, there's just not enough rides to spend a full day unless you want to fill time with shows, which we didn't care to do. So even though with Genie+ we weren't waiting in line, there was just a lot of "hanging around" waiting for our next LL. I noticed a lot of other people sitting around too. The theming of Toy Story and Galaxy's Edge are amazing so at least there's interesting things to see. My sons both said Hollywood Studios was their favorite of the Disney parks but it's probably in last place for me and my DH. We all agree however that Rise is worth a trip every time!

Up next...another day at Epcot and two of our best meals of the week...

 

[mickey916]

5/18 Day 5 Epcot​

My brother's family was traveling back home so the rest of the week we were on our own. My sons wanted to spend the morning at Epcot and take a little more time exploring the countries as that was a little difficult in our group of 8. We started in France with breakfast at Les Halles and waited in line for them to open. We decided to share a few items. We were about 10th in line but by the time we bought our food all the tables were taken by people saving tables so we headed outside and found a table by the water that we could stand at and eat our food.

First, the Roule Aux Fromage. This was okay but could have used more bacon and cheese. It was also no longer warm by the time we found our table.

Beignet filled with chocolate and hazelnuts. This was very tasty. The chocolate filling was excellent and beignet was light and fluffy.

Pain au Chocolat. This too was very good. The pastry was light and flaky with a nice chocolate filling.

Apple crumble. This was very good as well but I prefer the eplekake from Kringla.

After breakfast we leisurely toured the countries, ending up in Mexico for an early lunch ADR at the San Angel Inn. I read mixed reviews but I wanted to try the 50th Anniversary Chocolate Fiesta Pyramid. We checked in and were seated promptly at 11:30. This is such a cool setting for a meal.



We decided to start with the queso fundido appetizer. Our server, who was excellent, gave us extra chips and tortillas which was much appreciated.



This was a plate of cheesy goodness. It didn't last very long. Kinda wish we ordered two.

We wanted to save our appetites for dessert so we opted to share two entrees. We ordered the Enchiladas de Pollo. These had great flavor, creamy and cheesy, and the fried plantains were also very tasty.


We also shared the tacos de ribeye. These were excellent. The beef had tremendous flavor and was so tender. If we weren't saving room for dessert (and dinner) I would have loved to have the whole order to myself!



Then my reason for making the ADR, the Chocolate Fiesta Pyramid!

This was not only fun but delicious! We enjoyed smashing through the sides. The chocolate shell was pretty basic chocolate but the chocolate mousse was really good! The tres leche cake was sweet and soft and the cinnamon ice cream was unique but really flavorful.



Overall, this was unexpectedly an excellent meal. The setting was awesome, the server was excellent, and the food was full of flavor.

After our meal, we rode a couple favorites like Living with the Land and Spaceship Earth. We also tried all the drinks at Club Cool. Beverly is still the grossest. Then, my family went to ride Journey into Imagination, while I got to do my AP preview of Guardians! I was so happy that the AP preview week fell when we were already scheduled to be at Disney! (I wish my sons could have ridden with me but I'm the only one with an AP.) This ride is absolutely incredible. I kept thinking as I was riding that this is the 21st century version of Space Mountain. Such a smooth, amazing ride!

After meeting back up with my family we decided it was time for an afternoon snack outside the park....so, we walked back to the Swan and drove to POFQ to share some beignets...so amazingly warm, airy, and tasty!


We then made a poor decision (in hindsight) and thought it would be fun to take the boat to Disney Springs. First of all, we didn't realize that it's actually a 20 minute ride so it took us longer than expected. Then, as soon as the boat docked we were informed that there was bad weather in the area so the boats were now shut down. So, with dark skies threatening and running out of time to get back to our car and make our dinner ADR, we rushed through Disney Springs and eventually found the bus stop. We hopped a bus back to POFQ, made it back to our car and then headed to the Poly for dinner at 'Ohana.

Up next...closing out our day of food perfection at 'Ohana.

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

The queso fundido looks amazing!!

 

[jrmint427]

I loved the taste of the cold brew but it didn't seem to have a strong peanut butter taste. It was sweet and delicious but not what I expected. Might have to get another one on our May trip just for scientific purposes.

Catching up again now that we’ve taken our trip! We also though there was not much of a peanut butter taste to the Gideon’s cold brew, until we got to the very end of the drink. I’m curious if you tried these again!

This may not be a popular opinion but we thought it was even better than Gideon's original chocolate chip.

No! I liked the Jack Jack cookies but loved Gideon’s even more, I like the lightly cooked / more like cookie dough cookies but agree Jack Jack’s are more cooked through.

By the way there's also nowhere to get coffee in Simpsons Land (frustration #7).

We had such a hard time finding coffee in general at Universal! We ended up walking from HP land back to the front of the park for Starbucks.

We had tried school bread back in 2010 and found it to be kinda dry and flavorless but it looked so good we decided to give it a second try. Boy are we glad we did! This was absolutely delicious!

We tried School bread back in 2012/2013 and didn’t understand the hype, we might need to try it again.

We also shared the eplekake which was very tasty as well. So soft and full of apple and cinnamon flavor.

We tried this on our trip this month and really liked it too!

We were told we couldn't be seated without them and had fifteen minutes before our reservation would be canceled and we'd be charged as a no show

I’m shocked they would have charged when at least 2 of you were there! I’m glad it worked out.

 

[mickey916]

Catching up again now that we’ve taken our trip! We also though there was not much of a peanut butter taste to the Gideon’s cold brew, until we got to the very end of the drink. I’m curious if you tried these again!

I didn't try it again but am looking forward to a potential December trip so I do plan on trying it then.

We had such a hard time finding coffee in general at Universal! We ended up walking from HP land back to the front of the park for Starbucks.

It's very odd. When I asked a TM about it she said we would have to go to the front of the park. Seems like it would be a money maker for them if they added a few more coffee stands.

We tried School bread back in 2012/2013 and didn’t understand the hype, we might need to try it again.

It's funny, after our experience in 2010 I didn't want to get it but my son insisted since it looked so good. It was so different this time and just delicious! I'm already planning to get one again in December...hopefully it's as good one!

I’m shocked they would have charged when at least 2 of you were there! I’m glad it worked out.

I was so stressed as we were waiting for my sons to arrive. I kept thinking, of all the ADRs to miss, this was one of the hardest to get and we're going to miss it! I also couldn't believe that they called us early. I don't think we were called early on any other ADRs for either trip. Figures it would be this one...it all worked out though, thank goodness!

 

[mickey916]

5/18 Day 5 continued​

We made it to the Poly in time to check-in for our ADR at 'Ohana. It was really crowded in the Poly as it was pouring outside and everyone was taking refuge. It appeared there were LOTS of people attempting a walk-up. There were so many people around I thought we'd wait a long time to be seated but we were seated right away.

Our server brought over the first course and I was shocked to see it was the pineapple coconut bread. I was assuming we were getting the dreaded post-shutdown cheddar scones...but was pleasantly surprised the signature bread was back! Delicious as always!

She also brought us the mixed greens salad with citrus vinaigrette. The salad was fresh and the dressing very flavorful.

Next up the skillet of sides: honey-coriander wings, pork dumplings, 'Ohana noodles, and broccolini.

The wings were sticky, sweet and yummy. The pork dumplings were very good but could have used a dipping sauce; the noodles were delicious. So happy they were put back on the menu last year. The broccolini was well cooked and very good, but it's broccolini...

The server also promptly brought the proteins. First, the grilled teriyaki beef.


Three of us prefer our beef on the more done side so these were perfect for us. There were also a couple less done which my DS-25 prefers. Overall, the beef was well cooked and flavorful. It's not the most tender cut of beef but wasn't overly chewy. We enjoyed it a lot.

Next, the peel and eat shrimp. These were absolutely outstanding! My DS-23 and I devoured them. Perfectly seasoned and very fresh. Sometimes shrimp can taste strong or have an odd texture but these were perfect!


The last main protein our server dropped off was the grilled chicken with chimichurri sauce.

These were perfectly charred chicken thighs that were juicy and delicious!

We got refills of our skillets and then our server brought out our much anticipated 'Ohana bread pudding.

After the pour...

This was sweet and delicious but we prefer the old version with the bananas.

This was our second time at 'Ohana. We went back in 2010 and this time, with the exception of the bread pudding and missing sauces for the dumplings, was hands down wayyyyyy better. Last time the noodles were just okay, the shrimp had a very strong spice rub, and we were served turkey on skewers that had a very strange smell and taste. In fact my boys, who were 11 and 13 at the time, dubbed it "rhino meat". When I told them we were going again this time, they both said "oh is that the place with the rhino meat?" Ha ha!

I'm sooooo glad we gave this a second chance. This meal was absolutely incredible! It was my and my DS-23 son's favorite meal of the entire week. My DS-23 is one of those rare people who never overeats (hence he is very thin) and I couldn't believe how much he ate! My DH and DS-25 give it a very close second.

Looking back on our day, we had some amazing food! I'm so grateful we had this time with our "boys"...but we're only half way through our week! More to come.

 

[tigerlilly]

Once again loving your trip report regarding rides and food!! My daughter and I visited San Angel Inn in January and it was shocked at how good it was!

On your Epcot Les Halles breakfast did you go in and line up before park opening? I am debating if this is worth it or not (we are staying @ Beach Club). I may have to leave my husband at at table though!

We (just DH and I) are considering Sci Fi for September ....but then I think well maybe for two 50+ year olds Prime time would be better lol.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!!

 

[mickey916]

On your Epcot Les Halles breakfast did you go in and line up before park opening? I am debating if this is worth it or not (we are staying @ Beach Club). I may have to leave my husband at at table though!

I don't remember the exact time we lined up but we had early entry and probably arrived a little after 8:30 and then went directly there to line up for the 9:00 opening. Definitely want to snag a table as soon as you can!

We (just DH and I) are considering Sci Fi for September ....but then I think well maybe for two 50+ year olds Prime time would be better lol.

There were two people in their 50+s in the back of our car but they were finishing up as we were seated and it didn't seem awkward at all for us (don't know how they felt though). We're in our 50+s and we enjoyed it.

Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!!

Hope to post tonight about our Animal Kingdom day. Thanks for reading!