The Trip With An Abundance of Steven, A WDW Jan '23 TR ***Completed 8/8***

[buzzrelly]

Maybe I'm just out of the loop since I'm not a part of the Soarin' fan club but what's the Putty?

Haha! I'm totally dating myself, but he was Elaine's boyfriend on Seinfeld! Patrick Warburton! He'll never be anything other than Puddy! (I now realize that I spelled it wrong the first time )

 

[SirRobotMonkey]

Haha! I'm totally dating myself, but he was Elaine's boyfriend on Seinfeld! Patrick Warburton! He'll never be anything other than Puddy! (I now realize that I spelled it wrong the first time )

Also, he was brilliant as Kronk in "The Emperor's New Groove" (full disclosure: never saw the sequel or animated series, so I'm not mentioning them.)

He did have one of my favorite lines in it that my brother and I still quote to this day:

Love the Warburton. High five.

 

[buzzrelly]

Also, he was brilliant as Kronk in "The Emperor's New Groove"

I don't know if I ever watched that movie! I definitely didn't realize he was in it!

Love the Warburton. High five.

 

[SirRobotMonkey]

Again, I can only speak for the first film as it's the only one I've seen but it is pretty funny. Patrick Warburton gets some of the best lines but so does Eartha Kitt. David Spade and John Goodman also star in it. Pretty surprisingly funny movie in what I kinda consider overall another "dark period" creatively for Disney Animation (I am obviously excluding the Pixar output here. ). I recommend it.

 

[Jsharp13]

I just found this TR (been off the boards a bit but planning a new trip, so I'm back!) It's been such a fun read. Of course I get really into it and realize it's not done yet... cliffhanger! Can't wait to read the last few pieces! Looks like you had a wonderful trip.

 

[Zaranthenia]

I had been hemming and hawing between the Tropical Serenade and my beloved Dole Whip float and ultimately decided to give the Tropical Serenade a shot. And I chose wrong! I think at this point I was beginning to get snacked out and the POG juice with the coconut soft-serve AND the cake pop was just all too much.

I should have just gone with the Dole Whip float.

I am extremely late to this Trip Report party but I need to defend my beloved Tropical Serenade, especially now that it has been permanently added to the menu.

But before that, kudos to you for remembering and documenting your trip this well AND for sharing it with us. It has given me some great chuckles at work.

Anyway, back to my beloved dairy free treats. The coconut is perfectly fine - but you get the tropical serenade and sub coconut/pineapple swirl instead of all coconut.

It makes A WORLD of difference.

*Now back to my regularly scheduled lurking*

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Haha! I'm totally dating myself, but he was Elaine's boyfriend on Seinfeld! Patrick Warburton! He'll never be anything other than Puddy! (I now realize that I spelled it wrong the first time )

I'm not going to tell you I've never seen a single episode of Seinfeld. I'm not going to.
But

​

Also, he was brilliant as Kronk in "The Emperor's New Groove" (full disclosure: never saw the sequel or animated series, so I'm not mentioning them.)

Yes! I definitely think it's an underrated movie, but I'm going to be honest. My first thought when I see him or hear his voice is the obvious answer.

​

Me too! Group high five!
​

I recommend it.

Ditto​

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

I just found this TR (been off the boards a bit but planning a new trip, so I'm back!) It's been such a fun read. Of course I get really into it and realize it's not done yet... cliffhanger! Can't wait to read the last few pieces! Looks like you had a wonderful trip.

Ah, planning a trip is so much fun! I hope you have a great time on it!

And thank you!

It's been just as much fun to write and relive. It was an absolutely amazing trip and kept us laughing the entire time.
​

I am extremely late to this Trip Report party but I need to defend my beloved Tropical Serenade, especially now that it has been permanently added to the menu.

But before that, kudos to you for remembering and documenting your trip this well AND for sharing it with us. It has given me some great chuckles at work.

Anyway, back to my beloved dairy free treats. The coconut is perfectly fine - but you get the tropical serenade and sub coconut/pineapple swirl instead of all coconut.

It makes A WORLD of difference.

*Now back to my regularly scheduled lurking*

HAHA! Ok ok, fair enough! The Tropical Serenade wasn't bad, but my heart and soul truly belongs to the classic Dole Whip float. The coconut/pineapple swirl instead of coconut sounds incredibly tempting though, so I'm gonna have to double fist next time I think. Tropical Serenade with the twist in one hand, Dole Whip float in the other. I will be a snack force to be reckoned with.

Thank you for coming out of lurking to comment! As someone who also usually lurks, I feel truly honored!​

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Day 7, Part 2
January 28, 2023
"Did She Just Call Me Allie?"

It was now about 11:30 and Mel and I had yet to eat anything. Famine was beginning to set in. The light was fading from our eyes. Starvation was imminent. Death would surely follow.

We staggered out of Test Track and headed over to the World Showcase to tame the hunger demons.



I knew what I wanted and that was a couple of dishes from one of the fArts booths- Deconstructed Dish.

When the fArts booth menus were released, I knew I was going to find myself at the Deconstructed Dish. A Deconstructed French Onion Soup? Be still my heart.

Deconstructed BLT? Say less, I’m there.

It was the only booth that I would've fought a heard of lesser kudus to get to. Mel was less convinced. She hemmed and she hawed, but ultimately decided to join me on the Deconstructed journey.


Deconstructed French Onion Soup: “Beef broth ravioli, Gruyere cream, onion bread pudding, and onion textures.” $6.50


Deconstructed BLT: “Pork belly, soft-poached egg, onion bread pudding, watercress espuma, and tomato jam.” $7

I know the “soup” got mixed reviews, even from Mel and I, but I thought it was so interesting and tasty! It was essentially a giant Xiaolongbao. I am also a giant Xiaolongbao. And a fan. Mel wasn’t entirely on board with the rave soupy review- calling it “edible, but not something she would get again.”

It’s ok to be wrong, Mel.

We both equally enjoyed the BLT. I was worried the pork belly would be dried out but that wasn’t the case and was even better when sopping up the yolk from the perfectly poached egg. I wasn’t a fan of the tomato jam, but I don’t think anyone is surprised by that at this point. Mel thought the watercress espuma was oddly addicting but didn’t care for the onion bread pudding.

The hunger demons mildly tamed, we continued on our quest around the world (showcase) and I took a quick loop around Mitsukoshi.





I found a couple of things that caught my eye but remained strong and chose not to spend over $20 on a single hair clip that I would end up losing the minute my little feetsies touched Jersey soil again.

Next time if it’s still there, I might not be as lucky.

Leaving Mitsukoshi empty handed for the first time, I found myself gathering up Mel and wafting over towards Kabuki Cafe. I saved my money by window shopping so I deserved a treat. Which costs money. That I just saved.

Moral monetary dilemma instantly past me, I quickly placed an order for a rainbow shave ice for myself and a cherry/blue raspberry shave ice for Mel.

‘Scuse me.

A kakigori.

Forgive me.

It was another one of those Disney treats that I’ve always heard so much about but have never tried until this trip.




Kakigori: “Japanese shaved ice available in rainbow, strawberry, melon, cherry, tangerine, or blue raspberry.” $5.50

The kakigori was pretty good- it was sweet and cold and hit the spot. But it was a lot of sweet and cold. We both had about half of our ices before calling it quits.

I’m not sure if I would make kakigori an every trip sort of snack, but I would absolutely get one again in the future. I just wish they came in a smaller option.

Poor me.

Mel and I had a Frozen DAS reservation we needed to attend to so we padded on over to Norway. The standby wait was posted at 75 minutes, but we were flopping down in the 4th row of our viking ship about 6 minutes later.



The butt-soaking feature was turned down once again since I don’t remember getting wet this ride through, and I would absolutely have put in my notes if we got wet. I scream it from the proverbial rafters every time there are even 3 tiny water drops on me.

I assume Olaf got the message after that one time.


That man stole my pose!



We continued our globe trotting to Canada, where we had a 1:45 lunch reservation at Le Cellier. Mel and I have dined at Le Cellier one singular time prior, but are both massive fans of the restaurant's food booth offerings during Food and Wine.

I checked in for our reservation at 1:25 and spent the few minutes before I got our table ready text wandering around the pavilion and snapping a few pictures while Mel people watched from a nearby bench, like a hawk searching for prey.











6 minutes after checking in, Canada was quacking at our presence as we lumbered towards our table located in Quebec.

Mel had been talking all week about how excited she was to get the Cheddar Cheese soup. It was her one food goal of this trip.

You know what Mel didn’t get at Le Cellier?

Go on, guess.

That’s right. Mel did not get the Cheddar Cheese Soup.

Let me explain what ended up happening. Mel has a shellfish allergy. As the person who makes the dining reservations, I always mark Mel’s allergy in the reservation and we’ve never had a problem. The host usually asks who has the allergy. I throw Mel under the bus. She gets an allergy friendly menu even though there is no shellfish in mashed potatoes and Caesar salad and the wait staff keeps my skrimps off of Mel’s plate.

But oh Le Cellier. Oh you tricky beast.

I perused the menu, eyeing all the steak choices. Should I get the filet? Perhaps the strip? Maybe go out on a limb and get the scallops? The possibilities were as endless as the vast Canadian coastline.

“I can’t get the soup,” Mel mumbled across the table from me.

“What?”

“The soup isn’t shellfish allergy friendly. I can’t have the soup.”

“What? You’ve literally had it more times than I can count.”

And that was true. Mel’s had the soup so many times, it borders on alarming and has never had an issue. It never even occurred to us that it wouldn’t be shellfish allergy friendly. I don’t know what part of the soup is coated in crawfish and lobster tails or if it’s just that there’s a potential for cross contamination, either way Mel’s hopes and dreams were crushed.

I audibly heard her heart break.

We decided to cut our losses and just order an appetizer or two each and call it quits on Le Cellier for the trip. Mel was bummed out and I didn’t want to be the only one elbow deep in red meat and mushroom risotto.

We each opted for the wedge salad and I paired mine with the French Onion soup. It seemed insensitive, at this point, to get the Cheddar Cheese after Mel’s crushing blow.


Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad: “Marinated toy box tomatoes, edamame, Applewood-smoked bacon, smokey blue cheese dressing, crispy onions.” $16.


French Onion Soup: “Brioche, provolone, fontina, asiago, parmesan.” $13.

I asked for no brioche in my soup and got scolded by the waiter since “the cheese will sink to the bottom.” I was fine with that since, I don’t know, I’m not entering my soup in a beauty pageant.

Mel and I both thought our apps were good, albeit no Cheddar Cheese soup. The French Onion soup is no longer on the menu that I can tell, but it was a pretty standard flavor with lots of melty cheese- that yes, did sink to the bottom.

We quickly paid our waiter a few loonies and toonies and skedaddled away from Canada before we were accosted by a couple of mounties.


Steven, please! Stop harassing the hikers!









We continued our lap around the World Showcase, with our sights set on the Odyssey Event Pavilion. I had previously gotten the grape mistake known as the Figment smoothie on our last Epcot day but I knew just a snack that would pick up Mel’s spirits: the Rainbow cake.

Did it look sickeningly sweet? Yes. Did it look right up Mel’s alley? Also yes.

She loved it.


Rainbow cake: “with freeze dried Skittles ® bite sized candies.” $4.75

Not to be out-snacked, Mel tucked her piece of cake into the front basket of the ‘Ol Rickety ECV and we went off in search of a snack for me. But I knew what I wanted.


Compressed Watermelon Tataki: “with pickled watermelon rind, yuzu pearls, watermelon foam, and wasabi.” $4.75.

I don’t know what it is about watermelon with wasabi on it but I was obsessed. I’m actually pretty impressed with myself that I was able to contain myself enough to not get the dish again for a third time.

We were able to find a table near the Moderne booth to belly up to and snack our little hearts out before we decided to take a quick look through the new(ish) Creations Shop.

I bought a couple of things for a few of my coworkers- a Hercules and IASW hand sanitizer and a 2023 WDW keychain- using mobile checkout for the 2nd time that trip and also the 2nd time in my entire life.

Mobile checkout still gives me minor anxiety as I’m convinced Disney security is going to think I didn’t pay for my little hand sanitizer and tackle me outside of Club Cool, my face pressed into the sticky tiled floor that’s stained with leftover Beverly. There will never be enough bottles of Hercules hand sanitizer to clean that level of Disney dirty.

Mel and I decided to give Figgy a quick forehead kiss goodbye and headed over to the Imagination Institute.





The standby wait was posted at 10 minutes, which we all know is a lie, as we only had to wait about 5.





I also took another quick photoshoot in the free photobooths in the Figgy Dump shop as I truly have no shame. Even if strangers can watch you duck face the camera from outside the booth.

Talk about your free entertainment.





Not to outdo ourselves, I placed a mobile order for Yorkshire County for some fish and chips with a pick up window relatively close by. I absolutely love Yorkshire’s fish and chips. For a very, very long time they were my favorite food in all of Disney World and were my non-negotiable must-do every trip.

Besides a slight hiccup of having truly subpar fish and chips from Rose and Crown a couple of trips ago, I haven’t had my beloved fish and chips since 2018.

Oh, how I missed them!

I hit the “I’m here, please feed me!” button at 5:01 and 2 minutes later, our food was tossed at us and we were shooed away to the back of the UK pavilion.


Beer-battered fish and chips: $12.99

We took our food to the back of the pavilion, which is honestly prime real estate. There are a heap of standing tables and benches as well as a couple of steps people often perch themselves on. It’s out of the way and relatively quiet. We’ve never had a problem finding a little pocket back there to snack.

Except this time, there was a problem.

And that problem was an incredibly friendly squirrel.

I don’t know what it was about this squirrel, but this squirrel was absolutely in love with Mel. It would get incredibly close and even climb onto the ECV. Mel kept trying to shoo it away but it would be back in a matter of seconds. It even climbed into a stroller parked next to us, just to get a better view of Mel.

Mel + Squirrel 4 Ever.

​

Teecoo

***Coming up: I am a monster. A literal monster.***​

 

[buzzrelly]

It was the only booth that I would've fought a heard of lesser kudus to get to.

We decided to cut our losses and just order an appetizer or two each and call it quits on Le Cellier for the trip. Mel was bummed out and I didn’t want to be the only one elbow deep in red meat and mushroom risotto.

We each opted for the wedge salad and I paired mine with the French Onion soup. It seemed insensitive, at this point, to get the Cheddar Cheese after Mel’s crushing blow.

Aw, poor Mel! That is such a bummer

Not to outdo ourselves, I placed a mobile order for Yorkshire County for some fish and chips with a pick up window relatively close by. I absolutely love Yorkshire’s fish and chips. For a very, very long time they were my favorite food in all of Disney World and were my non-negotiable must-do every trip.

My DH is already talking about getting these...in OCTOBER! He literally tells me every time we are on a walk

Mel + Squirrel 4 Ever.

 

[nw6675]

I channeled you and Mel on the Jungle Cruise last night. As in, "Hmmmm, what would they think about this joke?!"

 

[Sacahara]

That’s right. Mel did not get the Cheddar Cheese Soup.

Let me explain what ended up happening. Mel has a shellfish allergy. As the person who makes the dining reservations, I always mark Mel’s allergy in the reservation and we’ve never had a problem. The host usually asks who has the allergy. I throw Mel under the bus. She gets an allergy friendly menu even though there is no shellfish in mashed potatoes and Caesar salad and the wait staff keeps my skrimps off of Mel’s plate.

But oh Le Cellier. Oh you tricky beast.

I perused the menu, eyeing all the steak choices. Should I get the filet? Perhaps the strip? Maybe go out on a limb and get the scallops? The possibilities were as endless as the vast Canadian coastline.

“I can’t get the soup,” Mel mumbled across the table from me.

“What?”

“The soup isn’t shellfish allergy friendly. I can’t have the soup.”

“What? You’ve literally had it more times than I can count.”

And that was true. Mel’s had the soup so many times, it borders on alarming and has never had an issue. It never even occurred to us that it wouldn’t be shellfish allergy friendly. I don’t know what part of the soup is coated in crawfish and lobster tails or if it’s just that there’s a potential for cross contamination, either way Mel’s hopes and dreams were crushed.

I audibly heard her heart break.

​

*TIRES SCREECHING* WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT I CAN'T HAVE THE CHEESE SOUP WITH A SHELLFISH ALLERGY!?!?!?!?!?!!??! (Sorry for yelling, it's not at you, it's at the soup chefs.) Do you have any idea how excited I've been to FINALLY get to try this stuff at F&W? Dang you, Canada! *shakes fist angrily at the sky*

 

[fla4fun]

*TIRES SCREECHING* WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT I CAN'T HAVE THE CHEESE SOUP WITH A SHELLFISH ALLERGY!?!?!?!?!?!!??! (Sorry for yelling, it's not at you, it's at the soup chefs.) Do you have any idea how excited I've been to FINALLY get to try this stuff at F&W? Dang you, Canada! *shakes fist angrily at the sky*

According to the recipe on Disney’s website, it contains Worcestershire sauce, which contains anchovies.

@DisneyyDaydream does Mel’s allergy include anchovies?

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

Maybe he meant the bottom as in the bottom of your body? Like starting at the legs/feet? I have questions about Lyfting around the parks. What’s the approx cost to and from parks? How long do you usually wait for a ride? Waiting for buses stresses me out so I’m going to budget them into my trip.
Do you ever take the Minnie Vans to MK?

 

[grapefruitjellybean]

The Tonga Toast is on my list of things to try and I’m saddened to hear it was cardboard. Perhaps the bread it too thick and it’s not soaked long enough?

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

My DH is already talking about getting these...in OCTOBER! He literally tells me every time we are on a walk

Me and your DH are one in the same- I talk about them MONTHS in advance, and then right after I eat them, I start talking about the next time I'll have them. My new found fish 'n chips buddy!

​

I channeled you and Mel on the Jungle Cruise last night. As in, "Hmmmm, what would they think about this joke?!"

HAHA!! Lemme tell you what we would think about all of the jokes:
I would be sitting there, staring at the Skipper as if I am looking at a celebrity, laughing at every single joke like I've never heard a joke before a day in my life. Every dad in the boat is awed at my level of dad joke appreciation.
Mel would be sitting next to me, arms crossed, straight faced. You may think she's not even listening. But the minute we get off the boat, she will tell me about how fantastic the Skipper was and how that might have been the best skipper we've ever had. Every. Single. Time.​

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

*TIRES SCREECHING* WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT I CAN'T HAVE THE CHEESE SOUP WITH A SHELLFISH ALLERGY!?!?!?!?!?!!??! (Sorry for yelling, it's not at you, it's at the soup chefs.) Do you have any idea how excited I've been to FINALLY get to try this stuff at F&W? Dang you, Canada! *shakes fist angrily at the sky*

Mel had this same exact reaction in the middle of Le Cellier, lol. But as @fla4fun said, as long as you aren't allergic to anchovies, you should be good to go! Mel's never had an issue with the cheese soup before and she's had it many, many times. I just looked at the allergy menu for Le Cellier and it looks like it actually IS shellfish allergy friendly, so idk exactly what happened when we went.
​

According to the recipe on Disney’s website, it contains Worcestershire sauce, which contains anchovies.

@DisneyyDaydream does Mel’s allergy include anchovies?

I texted Mel and asked her if she's allergic to anchovies. She confirmed she is not, and then I sent her a screenshot of your comment:
​

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Maybe he meant the bottom as in the bottom of your body? Like starting at the legs/feet? I have questions about Lyfting around the parks. What’s the approx cost to and from parks? How long do you usually wait for a ride? Waiting for buses stresses me out so I’m going to budget them into my trip.
Do you ever take the Minnie Vans to MK?

LOL! Now that you say that, that's more than likely what he actually meant. But up until I read your comment, I still was thinking he meant to get into the car butt-first, and my mind couldn't wrap itself around that.
About Lyfts, it depends a little bit on where you stay and where you're going. We usually pay about $10-$15 depending on what park or hotel we're going to and I think it's about $30-$40 to the airport. We never really have to wait too long. Mel will usually start ordering the Lyft while we're walking to the ride share drop-off/pick up and a lot of the time, our driver is just pulling up as we get there.
We aren't big bus fans. At all. The last thing I want to do at the end of a long park day is wait an undetermined amount of time for a bus that I may or may not get a seat on that may or may not be -4534543 degrees.
We've take a Minnie Van a couple of times to MK but we usually just take a Lyft to the TTC and ferry boat our way over. If you're trying to avoid public transportation (and I don't blame you!) in general, the Minnie Vans are probably the better bet since they drop you off RIGHT there in MK. If you don't mind taking the ferry, go for a Lyft.
​

The Tonga Toast is on my list of things to try and I’m saddened to hear it was cardboard. Perhaps the bread it too thick and it’s not soaked long enough?

That's what I was thinking when she said it was very dry and not good! The table next to us RAVED about it, but I've heard other's say it's not as good as it used to be. They have it available at Capt. Cook's for breakfast if you want to give it a shot and not have to pay table-service prices just for something you may not be totally satisfied with. ​

 

[Joy70]

Haha! I'm totally dating myself, but he was Elaine's boyfriend on Seinfeld! Patrick Warburton! He'll never be anything other than Puddy! (I now realize that I spelled it wrong the first time )

Haha! I am at WDW now with my teenage daughters on our annual girls trip. We just rode Soarin today and that's what I told my girls when we rode it, " Hey there's Puddy!" And they said "We know Mom! You tell us that every time we ride this!" (Insert eye rolling from two teens here.) Their Dad is a huge Seinfeld fan so they are familiar with the show but not really fans. At least they know who he is. We saw today that Paul Ruebens passed away, and I had to explain who his character Pee Wee Herman was. As if I wasn't feeling old enough this trip. Oh good times!

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

We saw today that Paul Ruebens passed away, and I had to explain who his character Pee Wee Herman was. As if I wasn't feeling old enough this trip. Oh good times!

I may have never seen Seinfeld but I know who Pee Wee is! I grew up watching the same episode over and over on VHS at my Godmother's house lol.

​