mickeysaver
<font color=blue>WINNER of the world's worst limer
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2002
- Messages
- 6,207
For those of you that remember, I had the cutest penguin in my signature block before my vacation. The penguin's name is Tux and he followed us along on our Disney vacation. The other primary members of the trip included me, (38) and my honey, Gabby (32). Along the way, on certain days, we had more family and friends join us, so there will be a few others mentioned. What follows is the account of our dining. We were not on the dining plan and never regretted that decision. While we could have saved a few dollars with the plan, we would have felt boxed in on a few occasions and might have missed out on some great things, if we had felt pressured to conform. Overall, we were under budget on our dining experiences.
12/11/05, Sunday
Tux didn't dine at Disney this day. I swear, he and Pal Mickey are just bad when left alone in the company of snack foods, especially gummy bears. The poor pengie had a tummy ache and opted to avoid the day's activities. He opted to hang out in the room with his new big Stitch friend, Pal Mickey, and the towel swan on top of the dresser at CSR.
Gabby & her mom, Pati enjoyed the Afternoon Tea at the Gardenview Lounge at the Grand Floridian. They had a 2:10pm ADR and ran a few minutes late due to a minor hold up on the monorail. They were seated with no trouble. They reported that everything was fresh and tasty. The service was quick and courteous. The meal went quicker than it did in 2003, which took a little over two hours. This meal only took about an hour.
Meal Grade: A+
I went to DTD while they did the mother-daughter bonding thing. I ate at the Earl of Sandwich for the first time. The line was out the door almost. It was wrapped though the que and even had 2 layers more outside the official que. The line moved quickly and I was ordering within 15 minutes. I had my food in about another 7 minutes. I ordered the Scudetto. OMG, it was wonderful. I was a bit apprehensive at first because the bread looked a little funny, but it was so awesome. It was so good and so filling that I didn't even eat the bag of chips that I bought to go with it. I did down the little glass bottled Coke that I purchased with the meal in nothing flat, but I do love those little bottles. Coke just taste better when it comes out of a glass bottle. The service was as expediant as possible and friendly. The food was hot and tasty.
Meal Grade: A
At MVMCP, we were joined by other family members and their companions. Becca is Gabby's youngest older sister. Becca brought her teenagers, Michael and Felicia. Felicia brought her boyfriend, Dimitri, and Becca brought her boyfriend, Herb. Becca's crew was hard to keep track of most of the night. I know that they dined at Cosmic Rays, but I have no idea what they ate because by the time we could get through the lines with our order, they had eaten and were gone. Gabby's oldest sister, Launda and her husband, Tom, joined Gabby, Pati, and I for dinner at Cosmic Rays.
Launda and Tom shared their meals. Launda had the 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken and Tom had the BBQ Rib Meal. Both agreed that the food was tasty. Gabby, Pati, and I went for the 1/4 cheeseburger combo meals. As usual, the burger was fine and the fries were hot and fresh. We enjoyed the toppings bar and had a really good quick service meal with our friend Sonny Eclipse entertaining in the background. The restaurant was noisy because it was so packed, but they should have had a few more CM's working the dining floor doing clean up. Some of the tables were pretty icky. Pati was using a scooter and had little trouble scooting up to a table out of everyone's way.
Meal Grade: B+
Almost everyone in our party of 10 tried the cookies and hot cocoa that was a freebie part of the MVMCP experience. The cookies were reported to be warm and fresh and the cocoa was hot, but not too hot.
Snack Grade: B+
By the time that we returned to CSR, everything was closed except La Tienda. We both were hungry and emotionally exhausted after dealing with the family.....long story to be posted elsewhere. So, we both grabbed chicken ceasar wraps in the to-go boxes and headed back to the room. The wraps were good, but as with any refridgerated sandwich, eventually, it gets a bit soggy.
Snack Grade: C+
12/12/05, Monday
Tux joined us for his first full day of Disney magic. He was up and ready to go with Gabby and me at 8am! The Animal Kingdom Park and MGM's Osborne Lights were on the day's schedule. We all enjoyed the parks that day. Tux throughout our trip sampled foods from our plates. I will list his top picks from the plates.
Breakfast was at Kona Cafe. We had a 10:00am ADR, but arrive a few minutes early and were seated early too. The place was about 3/4 full, but was jammed when we left. Our waitress was Bev. I only remember that because she was awesome. Gabby chose the Steak and Eggs and I tried the Big Kahuna breakfast platter. We both enjoyed a cafe mocha and orange juice with our meal. The cafe mocha was to die for. The restaurant was clean and seemed to be well run. I felt sorry for all the waitresses as it seemed kind of harsh to have them run all over the place just to service the tables because the coffee bar is set up outside of the restaurant floor and even further away from the kitchen. I would hate to work there, but Bev seemed to make it all look easy and offered amazing customer service. Tux liked her so much, he asked for her photo.
Tux's picks from the plates: The sausage from the Big Kahuna platter and the steak were both near the top of his list. The top of the list was the pancake that he tried. The flour seemed to have a Macadamia nut taste to it and it was really wonderful. The scrambled eggs with cheddar that Gabby had on her steak and eggs plate were just too cheesy for him. Tux also enjoyed the cafe mocha experience. He exclaimed at the end of our trip that it was the best beverage of the entire stay.
Tux loves Mickey Bars! He had his first today. Well, we all shared one. It is our traditional favorite icecream treat at WDW and we were glad to share with Tux.
Lunch was at Tusker House. Gabby had the chicken salad and I had the chicken sandwich. Both were excellent. The restaurant was quiet by the time we ate there, since we had the late breakfast. The meal was better than usual counter service. I would plan to go back there again.
Tux's picks from the plates: Tux thought that the mix of greens in the salad were wonderful. He thought the marinated lentils were interesting, but almost thought that they were rejects from ITTBAB at first. Tux liked my chicken sandwich, but prefered the salad.
Popcorn, who doesn't love it?!? Tux loved it. He had never tried popcorn from a theme park before, but did enjoy it quite a bit. He is particuarly fond of the take home bucket that he got to keep too.
MGM Hot Cocoa and Gingerbread Man.....what a perfect way to snack through a even stroll through the Osborne Lights. Tux said the the lights made him feel all warm and Christmasy inside. The Cocoa in the flashing mug helped to keep that warm feeling going. The temps were rather chilly that night. The warm, soft gingerbread was a nice treat.
Tux's pick: The gingerbread, but then again, we are talking about Mr. Sugar Junkie.
Dinner came from room service that night. Gabby ordered hot wings that were stated to be in a medium hot sauce and I ordered a sub sandwich. We split a piece of triple chocolate cake too. The food came quickly. The tip was already added in, but I did not tell Gabby that and since they came while I was in the shower, she tipped them. So, that driver must have been pretty happy. She realized the mistake after he had gone. Gabby loves spicy foods, even though she is a picky eater. But, the wings that she had were just too hot....not spicy, just firebreathing hot. I can handle hotter stuff than she can and I thought that they were too hot too. So, we ended up breathing fire and enjoying half of the sub sandwich.
Tux's picks from the plates: The sub sandwich.
12/13/05, Tuesday
Chef Mickey's ADR at 7:50am. Tux was there, but was not pleased to have gotten so little sleep. He would have a big day ahead of him with his first visit to the Magic Kingdom and dinner at that new Irish place at DTD. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially at WDW! Tux and Gabby were both a bit grumpy until they were in front of the camera. Tux sat nice and still on the sign in front of us when we had our photo taken. The meal is your usual breakfast fare buffet, but of course it's the characters that make this a must do at least once in your life. Chef Goofy was kind enough to take a photo with Tux even though he was working hard to keep the pastries lined up and ready for munching. Gabby and I filled our plates with a little bit of everything. We had fruits, Mickey Waffles, Minnie's Breakfast Pizza, bacon, eggs, biscuits, and all sorts of goodies. The service was fine and the place was crazy busy, but we did not feel rushed and the characters were awesome and playful as usual.
Tux's picks from the plates: While Gabby didn't care for the Minnie's Breakfast Pizza, Tux and I agreed that it was a tasty way to consume your bacon, eggs, cheese, and bread all at once. Another hit was the Mickey Waffle covered in strawberries in syrup. The worst part of the meal were the biscuits that were very ho-hum food service fare.
Sunshine Seasons was a spur of the moment thing for us. We both wanted a small snack and they had some really amazing looking items. Gabby had a bowl of mixed fruit and I had a piece of apple topped flan. The flan was really great and the fruit was fresh and tasty.
Tux's pick: The apple flan!
Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern we had an ADR at 2:45pm. The food was wonderful, but for anyone on a low salt diet please beware. The chef there seems to love his/her salt. While I don't mind food that is a bit on the salty side, some people might have a problem here. The food was all very tasty and we would definately dine here again, but I thought that someone out there might want to know. Gabby and I both tried the Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup. Yum! It was quite filling too. I opted to try the Maryland Crabcake as an entree and Gabby had the Colony Salad. The crabcake was huge and was so good. I can honestly say that it was the best crabcake that I have ever eaten and I have eaten a lot of them in my lifetime because they are about my all time favorite seafood item. Gabby's salad was very fresh and she loved the way that every item complimented the next in the salad.
Tux's picks from the plates: The crabcake and the apples and pecans from the salad. He loved the soup too, but it was just a little bit too salty to want much more than he had of it.
Dinner was at Raglan Road. While we had the Clear Channel gift certificate for $50 that we purchased at half price, I knew that we would exceed that amount with our meal here. Gabby had been to Ireland earlier this year, so I was looking forward to her impression of the restaurant and how much it would remind her of Ireland. Gabby and I both agree that the restaurant is beautiful and the bars are quite majestic. We had an ADR at 7:45pm, but it would have been unnecessary at the time that we arrived. But, by the time we left, the place was packed. So, early evening arrivals might be able to get away with no ADR, but if you come with the intention of staying for the entertainment at 9pm, you better book in advance. We were served the Irish Soda Bread with the Guinness and honey reduction for dipping. Gabby is not a big fan of soda bread to start with, but she thought that this was outstanding. Gabby is a picky eater. I was really concerned about what she might find on the menu to eat. She settled on Planxty, which is the roasted pork shank. It is served on mashed potatoes and has an apple chutney that compliments the pork very well. Gabby, who is not usually a big fan of pork loved her meal! She said that it was one of the best pork dishes that she has ever eaten. I chose the Kevin's Kudos, which is the oven-roasted loin of bacon with an Irish mist glaze served with braised cabbage and creamed potato. OMG, it was everything that I had hoped that it would be and more. I wish that I could explain just how lovely that it was. Yes, I just used lovely to describe a food item, I must be slipping. Finally, we split a Dunbrody's Kiss for desert. While the chocolate was sweet and decadent, the use of an oatmeal spiced base was a little weird. The truffle and chocolate garnish aspects of the kiss were great, the oatmeal took away from what was an otherwise perfect desert item. The service was ok, but could have been a little more attentive. We missed the entertainment, but we had lots of things that we wanted to explore at DTD that night. The meal and tip cost me only an additional $17 beyond what the gift certificate covered.
Tux's picks from the plates: The entrees and the Guinness Honey reduction were the standouts.
12/14/05, Wednesday
This was a big day, we had plans to hop all over the place in order to do a few special things.
We had an ADR for the Maya Grill at 7:30am. We ran a few minutes late, but it was no problem. I think there were only 2 other tables seated when we arrived. The place was basically empty. Our server was great. The coffee was the best part of the meal. It was Italian coffee and it outshined the Kona coffee that we always dream about when we are not at Disney. Really good coffee....it's better than food when you can find it in the morning. There was a wide variety of breakfast fare at the buffet. We loved everything that we tried. The food was well spiced and the breakfast enchilada of scrambled eggs were particuarly tasty. The fruits and pastries were very fresh also. I can see us booking breakfast here more often if we stay at CSR again because it was our favorite non-character breakfast experience of the trip mostly because there was such a great variety of items and Gabby had a little more control over what she could dine upon.
Tux's picks from the plates: The orange juice, the coffee, and the breakfast enchiladas.
Fudge.....yep, we went to the candy store. Gabby had a mint chocholate fudge sandwich which was awesome, but then I had a peanut butter graham cracker that was covered in dark chocolate that was pretty amazing too and with a bite of her's followed with a bite of mine.....OMG, it was heavenly. Tux liked this snack, of course, but even though he asked for more to bring home, we decided that it was in the best interest of everyone's waistline just to let this remain a treat to be enjoyed at the Magic Kingdom. This was an all day type of snack. There is no way to consume that much chocolate all at once.
Peco's Bills was our lunch! It's a tradition of ours, we must go at least once each trip. As usual, the food was great, but I did miss not being able to get my traditional hot dog fix there this time. We both had the 1/4 cheeseburger and fries. The fixin's bar is always fun there. We arrived at a time when it was not real crowded, which was great. Pecos Bills remains a favorite year after year.
Tux's picks from the plates: The burgers! Hot, fresh, and well done.....not to mention fully dressed from the fixin's bar.
We tried and Itzakadoozie and decided that while it was ok, it wasn't as good as it looked. I was hoping it was more like a sherbert product, but we found that it was really more like a giant pop ice. Tux thought it was ok, but said that he would rather have tried a Dole Whip.
Casey's Corner provided me with my traditional Magic Kingdom hot dog this year. I needed some protien and this seemed like the perfect solution. Gabby hates hot dogs, so she opted to eat a small chili and had them add some cheese to it. The spicy relish and a little mayo and that was one amazing hot dog! Gabby's chili was really tiny for the price, but it's what she wanted. She said that it was very tasty.
Tux's picks: The hotdog with the spicy relish.....YUM! I have converted the pengie into a dog lover.
By the time we returned to CSR, we both wanted something more for dinner. We opted to stop by the Pepper Market for some take out. Wow, I never knew that two plates of food and two drinks with a couple of eclairs and a creme brulee could cost that much. It rang up at just over $50. Gabby and I chose to get some fresh stir fried items. I believe it was Burbon Chicken and Steak for Gabby and Roasted Pork and Burbon Chicken for me. The portions were HUGE. We ate what we wanted of it and the rest went to waste unfortunately. That meal was not worth the money spent on it, but it proved to me that we should have tried to get into Maya Grill that night instead. I think the bill would have been less.
Tux's picks from the plates: The Burbon Chicken was really great, but the price was not so nice. The creme brulee was really nice too.
12/15/05, Thursday
Tux and Gabby started the day with an eclair. When we got to MGM that morning, we had smoothies from KRNR. Gabby had the pineapple-banana and I had the pineapple. Tux preferred the pineapple-banana.
Lunch was at the ABC Commissary and it was early....never under estimate the need for protien in the morning. I had the half Cuban sandwich and the black bean salad. Gabby had the cheeseburger and fries. I love a good Cuban sandwich. This Cuban was ok, but not the most authentic version ever. I would have liked it more had they used some roasted pork and a dark mustard, but you get what you get. The black bean salad was great, but had a lot of onion in the mix. Thank goodness I had a mint! Gabby's burger was ok and the fries were hot and fresh.
Tux's picks from the plates: The black bean salad was definately new & different. He liked this side item.
Fairfax Fries & a Coke......sometimes, you just need a little something. Tux loves McDonald's fries.
Hollywood Scoops Ice Cream was pretty good, but messy. The waffle cones were fresh. Gabby had the mint chocolate chip and I had the butter pecan. The ice cream was rich and creamy. Tux liked both flavors just fine, but really was impressed by the cones.
We had hot cocoa and cookies at MVMCP. We thought that it was just perfect. The cookies were warm and fresh and the cocoa was hot, but not too hot. A great little freebie perk! Tux loved the cocoa.
Dinner was supposed to be at the Plaza before MVMCP. Due to rapidly approaching inclement weather, we canceled this ADR the night before. We ordered room service this night because we left MVMCP really early. The clouds had been building all day. The rain was starting to drizzle just a bit and then they announced that the fireworks would be sent off 5 minutes early. Ok, to me, this was code for get out now! So, we headed out of the park ASAP. We were at the top of the monorail platform as Holiday Wishes began. By the time we made it back to the room in the car, it was raining a little harder and by the time room service arrived the rain was pouring. We ordered the fried chicken bucket with the potato salad and cole slaw. Gabby doesn't eat potato salad and I thought that this dish was not that great, so it was mostly wasted. The cole slaw was ok, but neither of us was very into it. The fried chicken was excellent though. I would reccommend it to anyone.
Tux's picks from the plates: Room service fried chicken.....dark meat.
12/16/05, Friday
Tux was very excited to be a part of this day's journey. We were going to Epcot and there would be family and friends joining us. Gabby's sister, Launda, Pati, and two of Gabby's best friends, Jenny & Jackie, would be joining us. Jenny & Jackie are twins. Even though I have seen them several times in the 6-1/2 years that I have been with Gabby, I rarely can tell them apart. Pati was on a scooter again this day and so was I. I had managed to create some really nasty blisters on my toes and feet by this day. I may just plan to rent a scooter next time for everyday because no matter what I do, I always end up miserable with multiple blisters everytime I go to Disney. I have been home a week and my little toe on my left foot is still icky and sore, but I digress.
Breakfast was just for Tux, Gabby and me. We had an ADR for 10:30m at Ohana. We arrived early and were seated about a half hour early. There was a leak in the ceiling of the waiting area that was dripping down on a chair. It looked to have been dripping for quite some time, but it was not dealt with until we were leaving the restaurant even though it had been reported much earlier. The food was great. We were served Kona coffee, orange juice, Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, mixed cut fresh fruits, Hawaiian pineapple bread, biscuits, and a cinnamon raisin bread. It was all great. The only part of the meal that was less than tasty was something that Stitch whipped up for me. Stitch was having a particuarly hard time with his badness level that day. He decided to be really playful with me and Gabby. He looked around to make sure that no one was watching first and then started with his antics. He was trying not to audibly laugh, but you could hear him giggle on the inside. Stitch first decided to steal Gabby's hat. So, there are a few families with pictures of Stitch wearing a hat that says Merry Chris-Moose with antlers sticking out of the sides. If your family has that photo, please let me know. Stitch did return the hat, but then decided to feed me. He speared a piece of pineapple from my plate with the fork and then swirled it though my coffee. He then fed me this less than wonderful tidbit. I could have refused, but it was dripping and I was wearing a new white shirt, so I ate it in the interest of not being spotted all day. Tux was then stolen away by Stitch. Stitch dropped Tux's Mickey Mouse ears on the floor, but Gabby was able to save them. So, someone out there has a picture of Stitch at their table with Tux. Again, anyone with that photo, I would love to see it. We had great character experiences with Lilo and Mickey also. Pluto never made his way to our table, but that was ok, we needed to get back to Epcot.
Tux's picks from the plates: The Hawaiian pineapple bread, the scrambled eggs, and the sausage.
For lunch we had an ADR for the 6 of us at Rose & Crown at 2:40pm. We arrived early and were seated within 10 minutes. For those of you on scooters, this is not the user friendliest environment to be in. We left our scooters outside in the stroller parking area, which is a pain to navigate out of when it's time to go. We were seated on the patio area. We had a great view of the water and a stalker sea gull decided to keep us company. The waitress was great and provided great service to the high maintence folks in the bunch. Gabby, Pati and I all had Potato Leek Soup. It was the best Potato Leek Soup that any of us had ever had. This is saying a lot since it's Pati's favorite soup and she and Gabby had been to Ireland earlier this year and eaten quite a bit of it then. Gabby had a side salad as her entree since the soup was so filling. Pati and I had the corned beef sandwich. Launda had the Ploughman's Salad. Jenny and Jackie shared their entrees of Banger's and Mash and Cottage Pie. No one had room for desert. But, we had a hidden Mickey in the meal! Gabby looked at her Diet Coke and saw a perfect little hidden Mickey in the glass. I hope the pictures turn out. She was able to show us all before it burst. Everyone agreed that the meal was wonderful and while a bit on the pricey side, it was worth it......not bad from a group of FL penny pinchers!
Tux's picks from the plates: The potato leek soup.......does anyone have Disney's recipe?
Hot Cocoa rocks when you are sitting on a scooter in 40-ish degree weather with the wind blowing. Gabby and the girls met me at the Tree Lighting Ceremony with a warm cup of cocoa. Tux and I agreed that it was a most welcome warm up.
Dinner was at Liberty Inn. Wow, this was a crowded nightmare. Everyone understood why I had made the lunch ADR, when they experienced counter service during Candlelight. Since group decided to join us so close to the time of our trip, it would have been impossible to have gotten an ADR for dinner. It took us over 30 minutes to grab a table and 45 more minutes just to get the food to the table. I had the bacon cheeseburger and Gabby had the chicken salad. What everyone else had is a blur at this point. We all agreed the food was hot, fresh, and good, but the place was such a zoo.
Tux's picks from the plates: Fresh Hot Fries!
12/17/05, Saturday
This was our day to leave unfortunately. We got such a late start because of the rain and the shopping that we decided to skip RFC this time. We decided to use the gift certificate for Joe's Crab Shack when we returned home. So, Earl of Sandwich was the winner. Gabby hates rare beef. She ordered the roast beef....not a good moooove. Tux and she both agreed that it had too much moo left in it, so I got to eat it instead. She had told them no hoarsradish, but it would have been perfect with some. Gabby in turn, ate my Scudetto. She also thought that it was heaven on a roll, as did Tux. We skipped the chips, but did pick up a couple of chicken salad sandwiches, brownies, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for the road.
Tux's picks from the plates: Scudetto all the way!
As a side note.....we hated the chicken salad sandwiches. Yuck! The brownies and the cookies were excellent though.
So, that was it.....our dining experience. I hope that it helps someone make some plans. Maggie
12/11/05, Sunday
Tux didn't dine at Disney this day. I swear, he and Pal Mickey are just bad when left alone in the company of snack foods, especially gummy bears. The poor pengie had a tummy ache and opted to avoid the day's activities. He opted to hang out in the room with his new big Stitch friend, Pal Mickey, and the towel swan on top of the dresser at CSR.
Gabby & her mom, Pati enjoyed the Afternoon Tea at the Gardenview Lounge at the Grand Floridian. They had a 2:10pm ADR and ran a few minutes late due to a minor hold up on the monorail. They were seated with no trouble. They reported that everything was fresh and tasty. The service was quick and courteous. The meal went quicker than it did in 2003, which took a little over two hours. This meal only took about an hour.
Meal Grade: A+
I went to DTD while they did the mother-daughter bonding thing. I ate at the Earl of Sandwich for the first time. The line was out the door almost. It was wrapped though the que and even had 2 layers more outside the official que. The line moved quickly and I was ordering within 15 minutes. I had my food in about another 7 minutes. I ordered the Scudetto. OMG, it was wonderful. I was a bit apprehensive at first because the bread looked a little funny, but it was so awesome. It was so good and so filling that I didn't even eat the bag of chips that I bought to go with it. I did down the little glass bottled Coke that I purchased with the meal in nothing flat, but I do love those little bottles. Coke just taste better when it comes out of a glass bottle. The service was as expediant as possible and friendly. The food was hot and tasty.
Meal Grade: A
At MVMCP, we were joined by other family members and their companions. Becca is Gabby's youngest older sister. Becca brought her teenagers, Michael and Felicia. Felicia brought her boyfriend, Dimitri, and Becca brought her boyfriend, Herb. Becca's crew was hard to keep track of most of the night. I know that they dined at Cosmic Rays, but I have no idea what they ate because by the time we could get through the lines with our order, they had eaten and were gone. Gabby's oldest sister, Launda and her husband, Tom, joined Gabby, Pati, and I for dinner at Cosmic Rays.
Launda and Tom shared their meals. Launda had the 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken and Tom had the BBQ Rib Meal. Both agreed that the food was tasty. Gabby, Pati, and I went for the 1/4 cheeseburger combo meals. As usual, the burger was fine and the fries were hot and fresh. We enjoyed the toppings bar and had a really good quick service meal with our friend Sonny Eclipse entertaining in the background. The restaurant was noisy because it was so packed, but they should have had a few more CM's working the dining floor doing clean up. Some of the tables were pretty icky. Pati was using a scooter and had little trouble scooting up to a table out of everyone's way.
Meal Grade: B+
Almost everyone in our party of 10 tried the cookies and hot cocoa that was a freebie part of the MVMCP experience. The cookies were reported to be warm and fresh and the cocoa was hot, but not too hot.
Snack Grade: B+
By the time that we returned to CSR, everything was closed except La Tienda. We both were hungry and emotionally exhausted after dealing with the family.....long story to be posted elsewhere. So, we both grabbed chicken ceasar wraps in the to-go boxes and headed back to the room. The wraps were good, but as with any refridgerated sandwich, eventually, it gets a bit soggy.
Snack Grade: C+
12/12/05, Monday
Tux joined us for his first full day of Disney magic. He was up and ready to go with Gabby and me at 8am! The Animal Kingdom Park and MGM's Osborne Lights were on the day's schedule. We all enjoyed the parks that day. Tux throughout our trip sampled foods from our plates. I will list his top picks from the plates.
Breakfast was at Kona Cafe. We had a 10:00am ADR, but arrive a few minutes early and were seated early too. The place was about 3/4 full, but was jammed when we left. Our waitress was Bev. I only remember that because she was awesome. Gabby chose the Steak and Eggs and I tried the Big Kahuna breakfast platter. We both enjoyed a cafe mocha and orange juice with our meal. The cafe mocha was to die for. The restaurant was clean and seemed to be well run. I felt sorry for all the waitresses as it seemed kind of harsh to have them run all over the place just to service the tables because the coffee bar is set up outside of the restaurant floor and even further away from the kitchen. I would hate to work there, but Bev seemed to make it all look easy and offered amazing customer service. Tux liked her so much, he asked for her photo.
Tux's picks from the plates: The sausage from the Big Kahuna platter and the steak were both near the top of his list. The top of the list was the pancake that he tried. The flour seemed to have a Macadamia nut taste to it and it was really wonderful. The scrambled eggs with cheddar that Gabby had on her steak and eggs plate were just too cheesy for him. Tux also enjoyed the cafe mocha experience. He exclaimed at the end of our trip that it was the best beverage of the entire stay.
Tux loves Mickey Bars! He had his first today. Well, we all shared one. It is our traditional favorite icecream treat at WDW and we were glad to share with Tux.
Lunch was at Tusker House. Gabby had the chicken salad and I had the chicken sandwich. Both were excellent. The restaurant was quiet by the time we ate there, since we had the late breakfast. The meal was better than usual counter service. I would plan to go back there again.
Tux's picks from the plates: Tux thought that the mix of greens in the salad were wonderful. He thought the marinated lentils were interesting, but almost thought that they were rejects from ITTBAB at first. Tux liked my chicken sandwich, but prefered the salad.
Popcorn, who doesn't love it?!? Tux loved it. He had never tried popcorn from a theme park before, but did enjoy it quite a bit. He is particuarly fond of the take home bucket that he got to keep too.
MGM Hot Cocoa and Gingerbread Man.....what a perfect way to snack through a even stroll through the Osborne Lights. Tux said the the lights made him feel all warm and Christmasy inside. The Cocoa in the flashing mug helped to keep that warm feeling going. The temps were rather chilly that night. The warm, soft gingerbread was a nice treat.
Tux's pick: The gingerbread, but then again, we are talking about Mr. Sugar Junkie.
Dinner came from room service that night. Gabby ordered hot wings that were stated to be in a medium hot sauce and I ordered a sub sandwich. We split a piece of triple chocolate cake too. The food came quickly. The tip was already added in, but I did not tell Gabby that and since they came while I was in the shower, she tipped them. So, that driver must have been pretty happy. She realized the mistake after he had gone. Gabby loves spicy foods, even though she is a picky eater. But, the wings that she had were just too hot....not spicy, just firebreathing hot. I can handle hotter stuff than she can and I thought that they were too hot too. So, we ended up breathing fire and enjoying half of the sub sandwich.
Tux's picks from the plates: The sub sandwich.
12/13/05, Tuesday
Chef Mickey's ADR at 7:50am. Tux was there, but was not pleased to have gotten so little sleep. He would have a big day ahead of him with his first visit to the Magic Kingdom and dinner at that new Irish place at DTD. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially at WDW! Tux and Gabby were both a bit grumpy until they were in front of the camera. Tux sat nice and still on the sign in front of us when we had our photo taken. The meal is your usual breakfast fare buffet, but of course it's the characters that make this a must do at least once in your life. Chef Goofy was kind enough to take a photo with Tux even though he was working hard to keep the pastries lined up and ready for munching. Gabby and I filled our plates with a little bit of everything. We had fruits, Mickey Waffles, Minnie's Breakfast Pizza, bacon, eggs, biscuits, and all sorts of goodies. The service was fine and the place was crazy busy, but we did not feel rushed and the characters were awesome and playful as usual.
Tux's picks from the plates: While Gabby didn't care for the Minnie's Breakfast Pizza, Tux and I agreed that it was a tasty way to consume your bacon, eggs, cheese, and bread all at once. Another hit was the Mickey Waffle covered in strawberries in syrup. The worst part of the meal were the biscuits that were very ho-hum food service fare.
Sunshine Seasons was a spur of the moment thing for us. We both wanted a small snack and they had some really amazing looking items. Gabby had a bowl of mixed fruit and I had a piece of apple topped flan. The flan was really great and the fruit was fresh and tasty.
Tux's pick: The apple flan!
Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern we had an ADR at 2:45pm. The food was wonderful, but for anyone on a low salt diet please beware. The chef there seems to love his/her salt. While I don't mind food that is a bit on the salty side, some people might have a problem here. The food was all very tasty and we would definately dine here again, but I thought that someone out there might want to know. Gabby and I both tried the Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup. Yum! It was quite filling too. I opted to try the Maryland Crabcake as an entree and Gabby had the Colony Salad. The crabcake was huge and was so good. I can honestly say that it was the best crabcake that I have ever eaten and I have eaten a lot of them in my lifetime because they are about my all time favorite seafood item. Gabby's salad was very fresh and she loved the way that every item complimented the next in the salad.
Tux's picks from the plates: The crabcake and the apples and pecans from the salad. He loved the soup too, but it was just a little bit too salty to want much more than he had of it.
Dinner was at Raglan Road. While we had the Clear Channel gift certificate for $50 that we purchased at half price, I knew that we would exceed that amount with our meal here. Gabby had been to Ireland earlier this year, so I was looking forward to her impression of the restaurant and how much it would remind her of Ireland. Gabby and I both agree that the restaurant is beautiful and the bars are quite majestic. We had an ADR at 7:45pm, but it would have been unnecessary at the time that we arrived. But, by the time we left, the place was packed. So, early evening arrivals might be able to get away with no ADR, but if you come with the intention of staying for the entertainment at 9pm, you better book in advance. We were served the Irish Soda Bread with the Guinness and honey reduction for dipping. Gabby is not a big fan of soda bread to start with, but she thought that this was outstanding. Gabby is a picky eater. I was really concerned about what she might find on the menu to eat. She settled on Planxty, which is the roasted pork shank. It is served on mashed potatoes and has an apple chutney that compliments the pork very well. Gabby, who is not usually a big fan of pork loved her meal! She said that it was one of the best pork dishes that she has ever eaten. I chose the Kevin's Kudos, which is the oven-roasted loin of bacon with an Irish mist glaze served with braised cabbage and creamed potato. OMG, it was everything that I had hoped that it would be and more. I wish that I could explain just how lovely that it was. Yes, I just used lovely to describe a food item, I must be slipping. Finally, we split a Dunbrody's Kiss for desert. While the chocolate was sweet and decadent, the use of an oatmeal spiced base was a little weird. The truffle and chocolate garnish aspects of the kiss were great, the oatmeal took away from what was an otherwise perfect desert item. The service was ok, but could have been a little more attentive. We missed the entertainment, but we had lots of things that we wanted to explore at DTD that night. The meal and tip cost me only an additional $17 beyond what the gift certificate covered.
Tux's picks from the plates: The entrees and the Guinness Honey reduction were the standouts.
12/14/05, Wednesday
This was a big day, we had plans to hop all over the place in order to do a few special things.
We had an ADR for the Maya Grill at 7:30am. We ran a few minutes late, but it was no problem. I think there were only 2 other tables seated when we arrived. The place was basically empty. Our server was great. The coffee was the best part of the meal. It was Italian coffee and it outshined the Kona coffee that we always dream about when we are not at Disney. Really good coffee....it's better than food when you can find it in the morning. There was a wide variety of breakfast fare at the buffet. We loved everything that we tried. The food was well spiced and the breakfast enchilada of scrambled eggs were particuarly tasty. The fruits and pastries were very fresh also. I can see us booking breakfast here more often if we stay at CSR again because it was our favorite non-character breakfast experience of the trip mostly because there was such a great variety of items and Gabby had a little more control over what she could dine upon.
Tux's picks from the plates: The orange juice, the coffee, and the breakfast enchiladas.
Fudge.....yep, we went to the candy store. Gabby had a mint chocholate fudge sandwich which was awesome, but then I had a peanut butter graham cracker that was covered in dark chocolate that was pretty amazing too and with a bite of her's followed with a bite of mine.....OMG, it was heavenly. Tux liked this snack, of course, but even though he asked for more to bring home, we decided that it was in the best interest of everyone's waistline just to let this remain a treat to be enjoyed at the Magic Kingdom. This was an all day type of snack. There is no way to consume that much chocolate all at once.
Peco's Bills was our lunch! It's a tradition of ours, we must go at least once each trip. As usual, the food was great, but I did miss not being able to get my traditional hot dog fix there this time. We both had the 1/4 cheeseburger and fries. The fixin's bar is always fun there. We arrived at a time when it was not real crowded, which was great. Pecos Bills remains a favorite year after year.
Tux's picks from the plates: The burgers! Hot, fresh, and well done.....not to mention fully dressed from the fixin's bar.
We tried and Itzakadoozie and decided that while it was ok, it wasn't as good as it looked. I was hoping it was more like a sherbert product, but we found that it was really more like a giant pop ice. Tux thought it was ok, but said that he would rather have tried a Dole Whip.
Casey's Corner provided me with my traditional Magic Kingdom hot dog this year. I needed some protien and this seemed like the perfect solution. Gabby hates hot dogs, so she opted to eat a small chili and had them add some cheese to it. The spicy relish and a little mayo and that was one amazing hot dog! Gabby's chili was really tiny for the price, but it's what she wanted. She said that it was very tasty.
Tux's picks: The hotdog with the spicy relish.....YUM! I have converted the pengie into a dog lover.
By the time we returned to CSR, we both wanted something more for dinner. We opted to stop by the Pepper Market for some take out. Wow, I never knew that two plates of food and two drinks with a couple of eclairs and a creme brulee could cost that much. It rang up at just over $50. Gabby and I chose to get some fresh stir fried items. I believe it was Burbon Chicken and Steak for Gabby and Roasted Pork and Burbon Chicken for me. The portions were HUGE. We ate what we wanted of it and the rest went to waste unfortunately. That meal was not worth the money spent on it, but it proved to me that we should have tried to get into Maya Grill that night instead. I think the bill would have been less.
Tux's picks from the plates: The Burbon Chicken was really great, but the price was not so nice. The creme brulee was really nice too.
12/15/05, Thursday
Tux and Gabby started the day with an eclair. When we got to MGM that morning, we had smoothies from KRNR. Gabby had the pineapple-banana and I had the pineapple. Tux preferred the pineapple-banana.
Lunch was at the ABC Commissary and it was early....never under estimate the need for protien in the morning. I had the half Cuban sandwich and the black bean salad. Gabby had the cheeseburger and fries. I love a good Cuban sandwich. This Cuban was ok, but not the most authentic version ever. I would have liked it more had they used some roasted pork and a dark mustard, but you get what you get. The black bean salad was great, but had a lot of onion in the mix. Thank goodness I had a mint! Gabby's burger was ok and the fries were hot and fresh.
Tux's picks from the plates: The black bean salad was definately new & different. He liked this side item.
Fairfax Fries & a Coke......sometimes, you just need a little something. Tux loves McDonald's fries.
Hollywood Scoops Ice Cream was pretty good, but messy. The waffle cones were fresh. Gabby had the mint chocolate chip and I had the butter pecan. The ice cream was rich and creamy. Tux liked both flavors just fine, but really was impressed by the cones.
We had hot cocoa and cookies at MVMCP. We thought that it was just perfect. The cookies were warm and fresh and the cocoa was hot, but not too hot. A great little freebie perk! Tux loved the cocoa.
Dinner was supposed to be at the Plaza before MVMCP. Due to rapidly approaching inclement weather, we canceled this ADR the night before. We ordered room service this night because we left MVMCP really early. The clouds had been building all day. The rain was starting to drizzle just a bit and then they announced that the fireworks would be sent off 5 minutes early. Ok, to me, this was code for get out now! So, we headed out of the park ASAP. We were at the top of the monorail platform as Holiday Wishes began. By the time we made it back to the room in the car, it was raining a little harder and by the time room service arrived the rain was pouring. We ordered the fried chicken bucket with the potato salad and cole slaw. Gabby doesn't eat potato salad and I thought that this dish was not that great, so it was mostly wasted. The cole slaw was ok, but neither of us was very into it. The fried chicken was excellent though. I would reccommend it to anyone.
Tux's picks from the plates: Room service fried chicken.....dark meat.
12/16/05, Friday
Tux was very excited to be a part of this day's journey. We were going to Epcot and there would be family and friends joining us. Gabby's sister, Launda, Pati, and two of Gabby's best friends, Jenny & Jackie, would be joining us. Jenny & Jackie are twins. Even though I have seen them several times in the 6-1/2 years that I have been with Gabby, I rarely can tell them apart. Pati was on a scooter again this day and so was I. I had managed to create some really nasty blisters on my toes and feet by this day. I may just plan to rent a scooter next time for everyday because no matter what I do, I always end up miserable with multiple blisters everytime I go to Disney. I have been home a week and my little toe on my left foot is still icky and sore, but I digress.
Breakfast was just for Tux, Gabby and me. We had an ADR for 10:30m at Ohana. We arrived early and were seated about a half hour early. There was a leak in the ceiling of the waiting area that was dripping down on a chair. It looked to have been dripping for quite some time, but it was not dealt with until we were leaving the restaurant even though it had been reported much earlier. The food was great. We were served Kona coffee, orange juice, Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, fried potatoes, mixed cut fresh fruits, Hawaiian pineapple bread, biscuits, and a cinnamon raisin bread. It was all great. The only part of the meal that was less than tasty was something that Stitch whipped up for me. Stitch was having a particuarly hard time with his badness level that day. He decided to be really playful with me and Gabby. He looked around to make sure that no one was watching first and then started with his antics. He was trying not to audibly laugh, but you could hear him giggle on the inside. Stitch first decided to steal Gabby's hat. So, there are a few families with pictures of Stitch wearing a hat that says Merry Chris-Moose with antlers sticking out of the sides. If your family has that photo, please let me know. Stitch did return the hat, but then decided to feed me. He speared a piece of pineapple from my plate with the fork and then swirled it though my coffee. He then fed me this less than wonderful tidbit. I could have refused, but it was dripping and I was wearing a new white shirt, so I ate it in the interest of not being spotted all day. Tux was then stolen away by Stitch. Stitch dropped Tux's Mickey Mouse ears on the floor, but Gabby was able to save them. So, someone out there has a picture of Stitch at their table with Tux. Again, anyone with that photo, I would love to see it. We had great character experiences with Lilo and Mickey also. Pluto never made his way to our table, but that was ok, we needed to get back to Epcot.
Tux's picks from the plates: The Hawaiian pineapple bread, the scrambled eggs, and the sausage.
For lunch we had an ADR for the 6 of us at Rose & Crown at 2:40pm. We arrived early and were seated within 10 minutes. For those of you on scooters, this is not the user friendliest environment to be in. We left our scooters outside in the stroller parking area, which is a pain to navigate out of when it's time to go. We were seated on the patio area. We had a great view of the water and a stalker sea gull decided to keep us company. The waitress was great and provided great service to the high maintence folks in the bunch. Gabby, Pati and I all had Potato Leek Soup. It was the best Potato Leek Soup that any of us had ever had. This is saying a lot since it's Pati's favorite soup and she and Gabby had been to Ireland earlier this year and eaten quite a bit of it then. Gabby had a side salad as her entree since the soup was so filling. Pati and I had the corned beef sandwich. Launda had the Ploughman's Salad. Jenny and Jackie shared their entrees of Banger's and Mash and Cottage Pie. No one had room for desert. But, we had a hidden Mickey in the meal! Gabby looked at her Diet Coke and saw a perfect little hidden Mickey in the glass. I hope the pictures turn out. She was able to show us all before it burst. Everyone agreed that the meal was wonderful and while a bit on the pricey side, it was worth it......not bad from a group of FL penny pinchers!
Tux's picks from the plates: The potato leek soup.......does anyone have Disney's recipe?
Hot Cocoa rocks when you are sitting on a scooter in 40-ish degree weather with the wind blowing. Gabby and the girls met me at the Tree Lighting Ceremony with a warm cup of cocoa. Tux and I agreed that it was a most welcome warm up.
Dinner was at Liberty Inn. Wow, this was a crowded nightmare. Everyone understood why I had made the lunch ADR, when they experienced counter service during Candlelight. Since group decided to join us so close to the time of our trip, it would have been impossible to have gotten an ADR for dinner. It took us over 30 minutes to grab a table and 45 more minutes just to get the food to the table. I had the bacon cheeseburger and Gabby had the chicken salad. What everyone else had is a blur at this point. We all agreed the food was hot, fresh, and good, but the place was such a zoo.
Tux's picks from the plates: Fresh Hot Fries!
12/17/05, Saturday
This was our day to leave unfortunately. We got such a late start because of the rain and the shopping that we decided to skip RFC this time. We decided to use the gift certificate for Joe's Crab Shack when we returned home. So, Earl of Sandwich was the winner. Gabby hates rare beef. She ordered the roast beef....not a good moooove. Tux and she both agreed that it had too much moo left in it, so I got to eat it instead. She had told them no hoarsradish, but it would have been perfect with some. Gabby in turn, ate my Scudetto. She also thought that it was heaven on a roll, as did Tux. We skipped the chips, but did pick up a couple of chicken salad sandwiches, brownies, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for the road.
Tux's picks from the plates: Scudetto all the way!
As a side note.....we hated the chicken salad sandwiches. Yuck! The brownies and the cookies were excellent though.
So, that was it.....our dining experience. I hope that it helps someone make some plans. Maggie
Thanks for the great reviews. You are so right about the little cokes in glass bottles. I don't know why but they are so much better than the other cokes.
