The Dirty Dozen – 12 Days of Disney, Drinks & Dining - Updated 2/26

[cruisin5]

I cannot thank you enough for taking "us" along on your adventures. It's truly enjoyable.

 

[sarahlucinow]

Absolutely love your posts. You definitely have a knack for writing. Hope your dad keeps getting better!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I am so sorry to hear this! Hoping the rest of you stay safe and well.

Thank you. Day 8 pcr tests for the boys and I all clear so all good

I don't think I mentioned it but we randomly ended up here in September.

Glad the food had improved a wee bit but RR with no diddle-de-dee just ain’t right!

Do not get between this girl and her dessert

Not 50's but you are in the right park

Ok I’m guessing Sci-fi for the win!

 

[MomtoLandK]

Loving your reviews! Those pork bao buns look really good.

I'm guessing Sci Fi as Jason's favorite restaurant since I'm pretty sure I remember you saying that he always wants to go there and you would like to go to 50's prime time sometimes. I think I remember this because I love Sci Fi. Not necessarily for the food (it's fine but nothing outstanding), but I love going in there on a hot day and relaxing in the dark. Also, I love my family, but sometimes I don't want to have to talk and there we can just sit and watch the screen quietly, LOL. Unfortunately, my husband hates sci fi for some reason, so we don't go every trip like I would like to. Of course, he refuses to go to 50's also since he doesn't care for that type of food.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Man I fell behind! But I am back!

We were definitely having panic attacks, especially Casey. We were masked up but still quite disconcerting. I hadn't even seen that number of people cumulatively in over a year, let alone being squished with that many all at once

It def is hard being that we just haven't been with people! Ha!

I think we maybe ate one of these between all of us. Goodish news for the biscuits (but not my brother) is he took them to go and got stuck in Dallas on the way home so he was happy to have them.

Well, I guess that is good minus you know the delay of flight.

First up we have the Thigh High Chicken Biscuits which are topped with Che Fart's fried chicken thighs and bread and butter pickles then drizzled with hot honey.

Oh man I was reading this before dinner. Not a good idea! These are a family favorite for sure!

We also got the Bee Haven Bay Fried Green Tomatoes with Shaved ham, rémoulade sauce, and dressed local greens.

I love this! It's my personal favorite.

Last, but not least we also got a side of Momma’s Mac and Cheese (someone was apparently very excited about this).

I mean, what is there not to like....

“World Series” which for a non-sports fan we thought was odd but turns out she meant the World Showcase

Ha! World Series... Gwen would do the opposite call the actual World Series World Showcase.

We took the boat to MGM (love this perk of The Swan)

I can't wait till they change the name again and you are like 3 names behind. Speaking of which, did they just drop the idea of changing the name?

This was the first time we didn’t get to be pilots but it was still a fun ride as the family we were with was hilarious and literally screaming and yelling at each other on what to do.

Our first time was with a father and daughter and they were so cute that it made it fun. Who you are with really does effect the ride.

It was a little tough to chew and the spikes definitely hurt going down, but when in Batuu

Ha!

For our actual food we split the Felucian Kefta which is Plant-based Meatballs, Herb Hummus, Tomato-Cucumber Relish, & Pita Bread.

We had th

Sooooo good! I have made it home a few times and it's good but not quiet as good.

no slinky dog for Casey (and spoiler alert she’d never get to ride this trip).

bummer. fingers crossed she can ride in December

So we walked. Through the monsoon. A mile back to our hotel. Up Hill. Both ways

I am sure it felt that way! Although once you get a certain amount wet does it really matter anymore.

Jason thought running a few miles around the Boardwalk area sounded like a good way to “rest” No. Thank. You.

he is strange.... no thank you

In a rare and bold move Casey ordered from the kids menu and went with the Mickey waffle with a side of bacon and sausage.

it's Starting!!!! Don't mess with her Mickey waffles!

I ordered the Al Forno Eggs which is Brick Oven-roasted Cage-free Eggs with Spiced Tomato Sauce and Crispy Country Bread.

I love dishes like this! I just had something similar last weekend. delish.

In words I never thought I would hear spoken Casey felt this was “too sweet” and “needed less sugar.”

Was she feeling ok?

As our app we went for the Risotto “tots” which is technically a side item on the menu. These are fried risotto with white truffle and “sassy” romesco.

I want to go just for these! Rissotto is my soft spot

She liked these very much but said they tasted like bbq and she wanted more kimchi flavor. Only my child.

Ha! I love it. They sound good though.

Up next, Jason’s favorite Disney restaurant and its probably not what you think. Any guesses?

hmmmm... I am trying to think what it could be... Maybe Hollywood and Vine? I kid...

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Finally joining the party. I love how long you kept the surprise from Casey and how happy she was to be back in Disney.

I think of Casey frequently when feeding Robert lol. I aspire for him to be as good an eater as she is. We started early on just letting him eat whatever we’re eating and so far he eats anything and loves steak, sausage and spicy food the most so hopefully it’s working.

How long will she have to wear her brace for? I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a kid but they said it wasn’t enough of a curve to wear a brace. Then when I was getting an epidural placed in labor, the anesthesiologist asked if I ever had my scoliosis treated . I said sir i have other priorities right now!

 

[buzzrelly]

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow, I was a little behind, I guess! Happy Thanksgiving!

To help soak up all that sugar bluezoo started us off some sourdough bread and butter.

That butter looked weird before you even said it was weird.

None of their desserts struck our fancy so we had to "make do" with the Gideons cookies we had in the room. Oh the sacrifice. Though word of warning these cookies had some sort of curse on them as they were lorded over by the girl from the ring.

You’ve been warned.

Ha! That is a weird angle…but super yummy cookies!

Up next, Jason’s favorite Disney restaurant and its probably not what you think. Any guesses?

I think I know, only because you literally just told me last week…Sci-Fi Drive-In!

 

[Misha72683]

After years away, because no trip was on the horizon, I am finally back on the boards and so thrilled that you are still doing dining reviews but seas definitely taken aback by how grown Casey is now! I wanted to know how that happened, Becuase when I started reading your reviews, she was a little girl (also she is the same age as my oldest)

 

[kastoney]

Happy New Year! Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jason! And Merry any other things I may have missed in my extended absence from this place. But I promise I've got all the bad fantastic excuses

First and foremost, we spent the first week in December in DISNEY WORLD! Between all of the Christmas, the most glorious weather and time with my favorite Disney friends it was the perfect start to the holiday season.

We spent a ton of time soaking up the holiday park magic.

And while we didn't partake in as many signature restaurants as usual there was of course plenty of holiday food and drinks.



Even better than all the Christmas and adult beverages we got to spend time with our wonderful friends, Ariane @CruellaNY, Jenny @Jenny Sanders, and Kelly @buzzrelly. We'd seen Jenny and her hubby Joe in June, but it had been 2 1/2 years since I had seen Ariane and Kelly. These ladies feed my Disney and friendship soul so there were all the reunion feels.






Since we returned its been a whirlwind of getting ready for Christmas and somewhere in there this guy had a birthday.

Complete with a cake befitting every 46 year old's creepy clown cake dreams.

Then of course there was actual Christmas filled with Disney snack pajamas

And everything under the tree appearing to be from Mitsukoshi.


And finally we spent the New Year in Savannah ringing in 2022 with more picture perfect weather and our best friends.


So there ya have it. I'm tired just from writing all of that. But that is my very long winded way of saying its been a wee bit busy around these parts but I'm back and will focus on getting this long overdue report done. Thanks in advance for sticking with me.

Again, Happy & Merry to all!​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Complete with a cake befitting every 46 year old's creepy clown cake dreams.

These two... I feel like 75% of your photos of these 2 are some version of this!

Again, Happy & Merry to all!

Happy & Merry to you guys as well!

 

[KathyM2]

Looks like you had a great time at WDW and a lovely holiday season!! I've enjoyed following along!

 

[kastoney]

I cannot thank you enough for taking "us" along on your adventures. It's truly enjoyable.

Thank you so much. Love sharing our adventures with everyone. It's enjoyable for me to relive them again.

Absolutely love your posts. You definitely have a knack for writing. Hope your dad keeps getting better!

Thank you! I love to write but have to write the most boring things ever at work so this is a fun outlet for me.

My Dad continues to get better. He had to have another procedure last month but is recuperating well. Hoping we get the all clear next month that he can resume all of his normal activities. He's played baseball/softball for almost 70 years so missing out has been pure torture for him.

Ok I’m guessing Sci-fi for the win!

Winner Winner SciFi Dinner!

I'm guessing Sci Fi as Jason's favorite restaurant since I'm pretty sure I remember you saying that he always wants to go there and you would like to go to 50's prime time sometimes. I think I remember this because I love Sci Fi. Not necessarily for the food (it's fine but nothing outstanding), but I love going in there on a hot day and relaxing in the dark. Also, I love my family, but sometimes I don't want to have to talk and there we can just sit and watch the screen quietly, LOL. Unfortunately, my husband hates sci fi for some reason, so we don't go every trip like I would like to. Of course, he refuses to go to 50's also since he doesn't care for that type of food.

Good memory! Sounds like you and Jason need a date night at SciFi I don't know why he loves it so much, but he does. It was his one in only request on our trip last month. Though now that I think of it maybe its the same as you and he just wants an environment to ignore me in I don't hate like your hubby it but it certainly isn't my favorite. But Jason is so go with the flow on 95% of our trips I figure indulging SciFi is the least I can do.

Man I fell behind! But I am back!

Speaking of falling behind. Pretty sure I take the cake

I can't wait till they change the name again and you are like 3 names behind. Speaking of which, did they just drop the idea of changing the name?

I hadn't heard anything recently but have heard rumblings over the past year or so. I'm hopeful if they change it they just go back to MGM. Would be fitting at this point.

I want to go just for these! Rissotto is my soft spot

Mine too though Casey and Jason don't like it for some reason. I think I make some pretty darn good risotto but the two of them poo poo the idea every time I mention making it.

hmmmm... I am trying to think what it could be... Maybe Hollywood and Vine? I kid...

Can you believe we have actually eaten there When you couldn't meet the Disney Jr characters in the park and that was the only place to do so we had the breakfast buffet once. I told myself it can't be that bad since breakfast is forgiving. I was wrong.

 

[kastoney]

Finally joining the party. I love how long you kept the surprise from Casey and how happy she was to be back in Disney.

Hi Mama! So great to see you back in these parts! Speaking of which hearing about someones engagement trip would be awesome

I think of Casey frequently when feeding Robert lol. I aspire for him to be as good an eater as she is. We started early on just letting him eat whatever we’re eating and so far he eats anything and loves steak, sausage and spicy food the most so hopefully it’s working.

That is fantastic! We didn't set out for Casey to be the eater she is just never felt the need to feed her anything different than we were eating and thankfully she seemed to like just about everything. So keep it up with Robert and he'll be eating sushi with Casey in no time.

How long will she have to wear her brace for? I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a kid but they said it wasn’t enough of a curve to wear a brace. Then when I was getting an epidural placed in labor, the anesthesiologist asked if I ever had my scoliosis treated . I said sir i have other priorities right now!

You poor thing. I know first hand the pain you were in and not the time to discuss scoliosis When I was having Casey I heard someone in the hall whistling and was yelling lots of expletives to tell them to stop. Turns out it was my anesthesiologist who was in no hurry whatsoever. Must be something in their "genes"

She'll have to wear her brace until she stops growing so we have a ways to go. But good news is she is really good about wearing it and is down to 18 hours a day (from 21) so she is doing good.

Wow, I was a little behind, I guess! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving. And Birthday. And Christmas. And New Years. And you got to see me day

After years away, because no trip was on the horizon, I am finally back on the boards and so thrilled that you are still doing dining reviews but seas definitely taken aback by how grown Casey is now! I wanted to know how that happened, Becuase when I started reading your reviews, she was a little girl (also she is the same age as my oldest)

Welcome back!!!! I know how hard it can be to read about trips when you don't have one planned yourself. I took a hiatus for a while but in the end Disney always calls us back.

Casey has definitely grown from those early trip days. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened too. She and I are officially sharing earrings and lotions and I know shoes aren't too far away. I keep telling her to stop growing, but apparently she has no control over it

These two... I feel like 75% of your photos of these 2 are some version of this!

Make that 90% and you now know what my life is like most of the time. Photo or not, that is just how these crazy two are

Looks like you had a great time at WDW and a lovely holiday season!! I've enjoyed following along!

Thanks Kathy!!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Your December trip sounds like it was a lot of fun. I love Disney in December.

Casey has the cutest Christmas pajamas.

Did you get a snow day today?

 

[buzzrelly]

We'd seen Jenny and her hubby Joe in June, but it had been 2 1/2 years since I had seen Ariane and Kelly. These ladies feed my Disney and friendship soul so there were all the reunion feels.

It was so nice getting to spend some time with The Stoneys!

somewhere in there this guy had a birthday.

Complete with a cake befitting every 46 year old's creepy clown cake dreams.

That cake!

Also, I have that same Mickey from Costco. I need to find the Minnie to go with him next year (I hope!).

But that is my very long winded way of saying its been a wee bit busy around these parts but I'm back and will focus on getting this long overdue report done.

I cannot believe how quickly December flew by! I haven't started any trip reports and don't know if I'm feeling it lately. Work has been with this new variant and it's basically so depressing.

Happy Thanksgiving. And Birthday. And Christmas. And New Years. And you got to see me day

Definitely a national holiday!

FYI, we just booked BLT for next December (I'm glad I still retain the tiniest spark of optimism). We booked 12/2-12/10 with hopefully my mom and Ava coming along. Just in case y'all were thinking of another December trip

Also, I was thinking of you this morning…they were showing VA on the news with all the snow and traffic backed up on I95. Hope you guys are doing ok! We haven't even had snow like that yet here in CT!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Happy everything! Good to see you back here. Love your husband’s sedate, mature, oh so understated cake
Glad your dad is doing good and that Casey is down a few hours on her brace. She really is a wee superstar not complaining . I think you should take her to Disney to celebrate…. oh wait-you did that already- well you should do it again and you can meet all your pals again then too! See I have good ideas ( sometimes) and selfishly speaking then I’ll get to read about it after which is almost as good as going ( ok it’s not but it’s better than being stuck at home and not reading about your trips ).

 

[kastoney]

Your December trip sounds like it was a lot of fun. I love Disney in December.

It was so nice to finally experience Disney at Christmas. Though I gotta say the warm weather and Christmas did throw me off a bit.

Did you get a snow day today?

Yes we did and both Casey and I got a snow day. We ended up with about 8 inches which was so strange after a 60 degree day on Sunday.

Also, I have that same Mickey from Costco. I need to find the Minnie to go with him next year (I hope!).

My Dad bought that for us so I didn't know where it was from. Will have to tell him to be on the look out for Minne next year.

I cannot believe how quickly December flew by! I haven't started any trip reports and don't know if I'm feeling it lately. Work has been with this new variant and it's basically so depressing.

Ugh I'm so sorry. Cannot imagine what you are dealing with. Not sure if I'm gonna do a report either. Will see how I'm feeling once I finally get this thing finished, ya know sometime in September

FYI, we just booked BLT for next December (I'm glad I still retain the tiniest spark of optimism). We booked 12/2-12/10 with hopefully my mom and Ava coming along. Just in case y'all were thinking of another December trip

Woohoo!!!! I'm waiting to see what Casey's school calendar looks like for next year before we plan anything. Having her out for a week wasn't ideal now that she is older so thinking I may need to work a trip into time she already has off.

Also, I was thinking of you this morning…they were showing VA on the news with all the snow and traffic backed up on I95. Hope you guys are doing ok! We haven't even had snow like that yet here in CT!

What a mess!!!! We drove home from Georgia on Saturday so thankfully we didn't have to deal with any of that. But people were stuck for 2 days! I was back at work today and we had a ton of people out because so many people take 95 and both ways were still shut down. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) I don't have to so didn't impact me.

Happy everything! Good to see you back here. Love your husband’s sedate, mature, oh so understated cake

Why thank you. He made the mistake of mentioning to me one day that he always wanted a clown cake but didn't get one. Never tell me these things

Glad your dad is doing good and that Casey is down a few hours on her brace. She really is a wee superstar not complaining . I think you should take her to Disney to celebrate…. oh wait-you did that already- well you should do it again and you can meet all your pals again then too!

She really is great about her brace. No chance I would have been as compliant as she is. If it were me I'd be milking it for all the Disney trips and everything else I wanted. Thankfully she is not me.

See I have good ideas ( sometimes) and selfishly speaking then I’ll get to read about it after which is almost as good as going ( ok it’s not but it’s better than being stuck at home and not reading about your trips ).

You have the best ideas. We need to turn one of those ideas into a trip for you so you can starting writing your own report

 

[kastoney]

Attack of the 50 Foot Milkshake

Day 8 found us heading back to MGM again. I have a love/hate relationship with this park (love the kitch but hate its lack of cohesion and inability to absorb crowds) so I was actually lobbying to head to Animal Kingdom or Epcot instead. But with a lunch reservation at Jason’s favorite restaurant that was strictly forbidden.​

And what is that restaurant…

SciFi Dine In Theater

Why this man who was a professional chef for 20+ years loves this place is beyond me. But love it he does.​

Speaking of love, torn between two of his favorite beverages – milkshakes and beer - he did what any logical person would do. Order both.

Meet the Oreo milkshake and a Funky Buddha beer. Pretty sure these two could only go together in a SciFi universe but he proclaimed the combo “righteous.” Someone was really getting into the 50’s spirit of things.​

Our driver for the day followed Jason’s suit and ordered a chocolate shake.

Very uncharacteristically I just had some water and Iced Tea. Bet ya didn’t know I even knew such things existed ​

For eats Casey and I shared the Salmon Burger which is a Grilled Salmon Patty served on a Brioche Bun, topped with Goat Cheese Crema, Apple-Fennel Chutney, Arugula, and Marinated Heirloom Tomato. We also ordered onion rings as our side which I think they have a small upcharge for.

First and foremost can we just admire this beautiful picture. Trip reporting at its finest right there. This instagram worthy photo aside, the salmon burger itself was cooked well but the goat cheese overwhelmed the salmon and the apple chutney was way too sweet. It sounded really good but these flavor profiles just didn’t work. Thankfully the rings of onion were fabulous, but of course you really can’t go wrong with fried anything. ​

And what amazing thing did Jason order at his most favorite of restaurants….

A burger Now SciFi does have a really good burger and Jason ordered extra bacon on this one, but in the end it’s just a burger. But he declared it “spectacular” so SciFi for the win.​

After lunch we didn’t stick around long because the park was a mess. At one point Rise, Runaway Railway, Slinky Dog, and Rock N Roller Coaster were all down simultaneously which of course caused pandemonium elsewhere. But we did get to visit Potatoland.

Now if Disney made that an actual land and I’d show MGM some serious love.​

We eventually cut our losses but grabbed a churro and a Frozen Coke on our way out.


Side note Jason and Casey have declared the Frozen Coke from a booth by Hollywood and Vine as the best ever and will literally not get it anywhere else. You heard it here first.​

Up next, the best meal and company of the trip​

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

She really is great about her brace. No chance I would have been as compliant as she is. If it were me I'd be milking it for all the Disney trips and everything else I wanted.

I’m like you! I managed to get a much coveted “Sindy’s horse “ for my 8th birthday because I’d had my appendix out 2 days earlier after asking for weeks beforehand with my mum saying “no way was she paying that amount of money for a bit of plastic”. Cue me saying “please can I have a horse for Sindy?” as I got into the ambulance and low and behold it arrived at my hospital bedside 2 days later (Vera was thrifty with her money so no getting it a day early or anything ). It was indeed a bit of overpriced plastic but I loved it and it’s wee nose bag too.
Casey is a wee rockstar!

You have the best ideas. We need to turn one of those ideas into a trip for you so you can starting writing your own report

A trip would be wonderful but I don’t think I have the writing skills for a report unfortunately. Punctuation is not my strong point as I’m sure you’ve noticed. I really should do something about that and study a bit. Wasn’t really covered much when I was at my primary school and then by the time I got to grammar school everyone else seemed to be well versed in punctuation and I was too shy to ask the teacher so I picked up the basics but yeah not great at it.

Meet the Oreo milkshake and a Funky Buddha beer. Pretty sure these two could only go together in a SciFi universe but he proclaimed the combo “righteous.”

Our driver for the day

Gorgeous chauffeur

I just had some water and Iced Tea.

Who are you again

Now SciFi does have a really good burger and Jason ordered extra bacon on this one, but in the end it’s just a burger. But he declared it “spectacular”

Glad the man that is Jason was happy. The o onion rings sounds good too. Shame about the salmon.

we did get to visit Potatoland

I feel like there should be a wee leprechaun in there. Maybe I should become the custodian of Potatoland after all we Irish are pretty darn good at potatoes ☘

We eventually cut our losses but grabbed a churro and a Frozen Coke on our way out

I have never had a frozen Coke but I now want one!

ason and Casey have declared the Frozen Coke from a booth by Hollywood and Vine as the best ever and will literally not get it anywhere else. You heard it here first.

Well now I’ll have to make sure that I get my first frozen Coke from there! Gotta make the first one the best there is

 

[amazingact21]

I think everyone has that one restaurant that you can't help but like, even if the food isn't spectacular. When we're back home in Florida, Alex insists on eating Whataburger multiple times. Of all the places, he picks a fast food burger joint.
But, in Sci Fi's defense, their onion rings and shakes are decent. Plus, it really is nice to sit somewhere dark and quiet for a few minutes. I can only imagine the chaos that greeted you once you left and realized all the headliners were down. Nuts!

Good to know about the frozen coke. I'm sure my kids would go for that snack.