Trails End

[Dain]

We will be at the fort for the first time in a couple of weeks. How is Trails End? We like Whispering Canyon and the food looks similar but wanted to get others opinions. Thanks!

 

[peg110]

You won't get the "Entertainment" that you will at Whispering Canyons, but the food is good. It's an AYCE style with lots of options. You won't go away hungry. Ambiance is pretty awesome too!

 

[JETS70]

One of our favorites. Food is good and the atmosphere is very relaxing. After you are finished eating.......you can go out and sit in a rocking chair on the porch and put your feet up on the rails.....if you are able.

 

[3kidsdad]

One of our favorites. Food is good and the atmosphere is very relaxing. After you are finished eating.......you can go out and sit in a rocking chair on the porch and put your feet up on the rails.....if you are able.

This exactly. One of the best kept secret dining locations at all of WDW. We have a six year old who also loves to play on the playground right near the porch.

 

[tiggerdad]

As far as I'm concerned is best food on property. Of course, it does help that it's usually within walking distance of me but the kind of food that is served is more of the style of food I'm used to. Corn, roast, ham, potatoes, etc. Helps keep with the "Welcome home" theme.

 

[peg110]

One of the best kept secret dining locations at all of WDW.

Shhh!!!!!! Don't tell... We need to keep it a secret.

Funny, though... it's amazing how many times I go there and it seems like the secret is definitely "OUT" by the crowds that are there waiting to go. (Not to mention the crowds by the HDDMR)

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Hmmmmm WCC or Trails end ? Both are good, kinda like deciding which one of your kids you like the best.

 

[msb578]

Last time I went, lunch wasn't AYCTE- we ordered off a menu. Is that still the case?

(The food was really good!)

 

[bama_ed]

msb578,

Lunch is usually not a buffet, that's true. Breakfast and dinner always are.

However, I believe on weekends they have a "brunch" during the lunch time hours which is breakfast food and a smaller selection of dinner food as a buffet selection (for a few dollars more). So I got my scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, and fried chicken with bread pudding for dessert. They also run it around the holidays (I went on January 2nd this past year which was a Tuesday IIRC) as well. But lunch most Monday-Fridays is still from the menu I believe.

Bama Ed

 

[FtW Mike]

My understanding is on the same lines as Bama Ed above only I thunked it was on weekends. We have done the Ala Carte lunch and enjoyed it. We love TRAILS END we make it our first place to eat on arrival day and last place to eat on departure day with a few times in between.

 

[themojosupreme]

However, I believe on weekends they have a "brunch" during the lunch time hours which is breakfast food and a smaller selection of dinner food as a buffet selection (for a few dollars more). So I got my scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, and fried chicken with bread pudding for dessert. They also run it around the holidays (I went on January 2nd this past year which was a Tuesday IIRC) as well. But lunch most Monday-Fridays is still from the menu I believe.

Bama Ed

OMG, we were unaware of the weekend brunch! Trails End is our favorite restaurant. When we plan our meals, we weigh between breakfast or dinner at Trails End. Now at least our weekends will be brunch for the best of both meals. Thanks for the update Bama Ed.

 

[PlutoFan10]

Their breakfast buffet is one of our favorites at WDW!

 

[MandLBee]

I just booked for Sunday brunch. Because omelette made to order will make my DH the happiest man alive. And it's a LOT of options.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

One of the best kept secret dining locations at all of WDW.

1) Let's remember two seemingly opposing thoughts
. . . this is a WDW eatery
. . . this is a campground eatery
2) The WDW location makes the food more expensive than off-site
3) Being a campground, WDW has to satisfy a different type of guest, which keeps the prices lower.
. . . campers are used to making their own food and meals
. . . campers are not forced to eat at a WDW restaurant for ANY meal
. . . campers are not captive, like eaters in a normal resort
4) WDW must make the food quality and price attractive to campers to get the camper to use the restaurant.
5) So,
. . . breakfast and dinner have more comfort-food choices than most WDW eateries
. . . breakfast/lunch/dinner recipes are deliberately close to camper "tastes"
. . . the price is much closer to "street rates" than other WDW eateries

NOTE: Trails End is a customary stop on-the-way-up for WDW Chef advancement. The chef certainly has to be good, but working at TE hones the chef's skills, as they must appease and accommodate both simpler camper taste buds and more "foodie" types that come to The Fort from other WDW resorts who want more sophisticated food. As an example, it currently has Chef TJ, one of the most acclaimed chefs (especially for allergy recipes and hard-to-feed guests) in all of WDW.

 

[bama_ed]

Here is the pricing from The Rusty Scupper's AYCTE thread on the DIS Restaurant Board. I copied the relevant Trails End data:

Trails End Buffets: (incl tax, excl tip)
bfast . . . 10/02/2016 Adult: $21.30, Child: $11.72
l-tgiving . 11/24/2016 Adult: $33.02, Child: $19.17
l-xmas . . .12/25/2016 Adult: $33.02, Child: $19.17
br-wknd. . .05/21/2016 Adult: $24.50, Child: $12.78
br-easter. .04/16/2017 Adult: $36.21, Child: $19.17
dinner. . . 11/24/2016 Adult: $31.95, Child: $17.11
dinner: . . 04/17/2017 Adult: $36.21, Child: $19.17
dinner. . . 05/15/2017 Adult: $31.95, Child: $18.11
d-mother. . 05/14/2017 ADult: $36.21, Child: $19.17
d-tgiving . 11/24/2016 Adult: $33.02, Child: $19.17
d-xmas . . 12/25/2016 Adult: $33.02, Child: $19.17
.
Note the date is the date that pricing goes into effect.

But you see the "br-wknd" entry is the weekend brunch. IIRC the breakfast foods stay out until something like 2-3pm.

Bama Ed

PS - good logic in the previous post, Rusty.

 

[littlejoe]

The Atmosphere blends in great with the campground, I think by far the best place for families. The food is very good and although a little pricey still much better and the options are better than once you enter the Magic Kingdom.

A little trick we learned, was fill up at the AYCEB in morning and your set for the day at the park. No breaking for lunch and can take advantage of shorter lines while the majority of guests go for long lines and lunches.

Great way to finish day also, like the previous camper said the porch and rockers are great.

 

[bama_ed]

Great way to finish day also, like the previous camper said the porch and rockers are great.

littlejoe,

Funny story here. Two years ago (Jan 2016) I was at the Fort the first week of January and ran the Half Marathon that Saturday and beat my goal time by 42 seconds (consider this - my goal time was in the range of 148 minutes and I beat it by less than 60 seconds).

The next day (Sunday) was the full 26 mile marathon but also the day we were checking out of the Fort and heading home. But I went to the MK in the early morning darkness and cheered runners coming down Main Street until about 8am. Then we went back to the Fort to pack up and check out but we also had a Trails End breakfast reservation. Having run 13 miles the day before, my motor was running and my appetite was on FULL SPEED.

I think I ate enough that morning on the way out of the Fort to put them at a financial loss for the day. I wish I could have kicked back on the porch in the rockers but driving home I never lost conciousness. This year I might have to book it on the day we check in and set up at the Fort.

You've given me a little idea (la petit pensee').

Trails End is a great finish (or a great start) to a Fort stay.

Bama Ed

 

[team bradfield]

We had the PJ's take out the 1st week of may, 4 bounty breakfasts. supposed to be eggs, bacon, hash browns. disgusting, raw bacon, rubber eggs and a handful of cold tater tots. i had to microwave the bacon before the dog would eat it. we couldn't eat it, dog was happy though

 

[North of Mouse]

We had the PJ's take out the 1st week of may, 4 bounty breakfasts. supposed to be eggs, bacon, hash browns. disgusting, raw bacon, rubber eggs and a handful of cold tater tots. i had to microwave the bacon before the dog would eat it. we couldn't eat it, dog was happy though

Hearing your story makes me wonder if there's been some changes there recently!! TE has 'always' been one of our favorite places for b'fast and dinner. We ate dinner the first week of May while there also - while most things were still very good - the desserts were not up to the usual par!

Their normally delicious strawberry cake had a very small tunnel of strawberries with loads of cut cake and whipped cream. People were actually just 'tunneling' with the serving spoon to get a little strawberry with their cake. I just passed. The dessert bars were dried out.
The normally good bread pudding was also sub par.

Was not planning to comment - figured, oh well, probably just an 'off' evening - now that you posted - just wondering!! I 'love' most desserts, but just barely tasted the ones I got - don't want the calories if I have to make myself eat them
Too many other great treats in other places that I 'can't' pass up!!

We decided to go to the Wave for b'fast instead of TE and it was absolutely fabulous!! (was just a few $$'s more).

 

[jo-jo]

Funny, last year we were turned off from The Wave breakfast and was planning on trying Trails End brunch next time we are at BLT.