We Won't Let A Head Cold Stop Us From Enjoying Disney Dining! Dec 11 Dining COMPLETE!

[jerseytinkerbell]

After our breakfast at Pop we made our way to Animal Kingdom and arrived before rope drop! That was a first for me. We spent all morning and the early afternoon in AK and did almost every ride in the park, except for Everest because it was down all day. Bummer. I hate that my dad never got to ride that, but oh well, plenty of other stuff to see. AK is such a big park and we did so much walking and my dad was really feeling awful and tired, so we decided to leave for the day. As we were on our way out my dad said he was feeling a little bit better and kind of had his second wind and asked me where to get a good sweet treat in the park. I know just where to take him. Kusafiri Bakery!

My dad decided on a Brownie Paw. Fresh baked brownie topped with chocolate fudge and buttercream.

My dad was in heaven with this thing! He is still raving about it.

I had the White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake. Chocolate cake topped with buttercream and toasted coconut.

This was AMAZING! I would go so far as to say that it was the best cupcake I've ever had. Even though it wasn't listed in the description there is also some kind of wet nut mixture on the top as well. That along with the coconut really made it delicious. The elephant is edible in case you were wondering, but I wouldn't really recommend eating it. It was kinda gross. Next time I will just take it out and leave it on the side. But it sure does look cool.

I will be having one of these cupcakes every trip from now on. This is on my must-do list!

Up next... Another Fabulous Meal At Kona Cafe!

 

[archdandy]

Great reviews so far! Your dad is such a trooper. I know I've had a nasty head cold while in disney and didn't do so well with it. I have a question for you. The elephant cupcake, is it just cake inside?

 

[chocolateMinnie]

great reviews so far and I love that you got a trip with your Dad

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Great reviews so far! Your dad is such a trooper. I know I've had a nasty head cold while in disney and didn't do so well with it. I have a question for you. The elephant cupcake, is it just cake inside?

Thanks for reading! The elephant cupcake is just cake inside. It was all chocolate cake with the buttercream and everything piled on top.

great reviews so far and I love that you got a trip with your Dad

Thank you! It was a great trip with my dad. Lots of great memories!

 

[GillieRose]

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After our morning in Animal Kingdom and some shopping in DTD we are sooo ready for dinner! We had 5:15pm reservations at Kona Cafe, but we got there a few minutes early so that I could show my dad around the hotel. The Christmas decorations there were beautiful, but not overdone. Here is their Christmas tree that was outside of Kona Cafe.

Let me start this review by saying how excited I was for this meal. My dinner here in August was one of the best meals of my life and I was looking so forward to coming back here. I was really worried that my dad wouldn't like it here, especially now that he wasn't feeling good, but I showed him the menu before I even made the reservation and he liked the sound of the menu, so I was hoping for a great meal.

The restaurant had just opened for dinner when we got there and we were seated within a few minutes. Our waitress came right over and took our drink order. Like I said before, I was trying to have a much fruit as possible for some extra vitamin C to try and ward off my dad's cold, so I decided on the Mega-Berry Smoothie since it was also included in with your drink choices on the meal plan.

This was Raspberry Purée and Nonfat Yogurt blended with Odwalla Berries GoMega and topped with whipped cream. Yum! This was so tasty! I feel healthier already!

Then we had what I consider to be the best bread & butter combo on property. The pineapple bread with Macadamia Nut Butter.

Love this! We demolished this whole loaf of bread.

We didn't get an appetizer here since I knew I would be too full for one anyway. For our entree I got the thing I have been craving the most since August. The Tuna Oscar!

The Tuna Oscar is served with Fried Green Tomatoes, Tempura-fried Lump Crab, Asparagus and Wasabi Hollandaise. Heaven! This was just as good as it was when I had it in August. I also tried to take a picture of the inside of the tuna, which I ordered medium, but it kept blurring when it tried to focus. Here it is for you anyway.

My dad took my recommendation and got my second favorite entree on the menu. The Teriyaki-style New York Strip with grilled with Pineapple Teriyaki Glaze, Sticky Rice and Stir-fried Broccolini.

He really loved this steak! He ate every bite of this and then he ate the few bites I had left of my dinner and was really impressed with my entree as well.

For dessert I had told my dad about the bread pudding at 'Ohana and how they let me have it for my dessert here at Kona last time. My dad loves bread pudding and wanted me to ask for it for both of us this time. I asked our waitress and she said yes. Success! She brought out a big bowl of bread pudding topped with vanilla ice cream and a container of the bananas foster sauce on the side. We poured the sauce on and divided it between the two of us and started eating when all of a sudden my dad said, "Oh no! You forgot to take a picture!" I have him trained with the food picture taking already! Well, I was still able to snap a few pics of half eaten bread pudding.

Oh my gosh! Amazing, as always! And now, I've got my dad hooked! He loved our whole meal and so did I. I just love Kona Cafe. I have never had a bad meal here whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is on my must-do list at least once for every trip.

Up next... A very sick dad braves MVMCP

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After our wonderful meal at Kona Cafe we took the monorail over to Magic Kingdom for MVMCP.

At this point in the day my poor dad was really feeling terrible, but I could tell he was trying to power through his sickness for my sake because he knew I was so excited for the Christmas Party. After we had been in the park for a little while we stopped at one of the places stationed throughout MK giving out holiday treats. Each location had this outside of it.

We each got a Snickerdoodle and a cup of Hot Chocolate.

These were a nice little snack, but my dad didn't really have any it because he was feeling so lousy. We had to take a lot of breaks for him to sit down and then, not to be too gross in a dining review, let's just say that some stomach issues arose. Poor dad! After that, he was feeling a little bit better for a few and we were able to stay for the parade and a few more rides. Then my dad had a really bad coughing fit in line for Big Thunder Mountain and I really didn't think he was gonna make it out of the park. He was sooooo sick! Somehow we got back to the bus, which was a whole other ordeal, and back to the room. We both went to bed hoping that he would feel better in the morning.

Up next... Breakfast by myself

 

[kelleigh1]

I love that you went with just your Dad. I imagine those are memories you'll hold onto forever. I can't imagine convincing my Dad to go to WDW with me.

The Castle lighting is amazing. I'm so glad that you commented and posted the picture. I loved the show of lighting the castle and I'd almost forgotten about it.

And I have got to get those non-pareils on our next trip. Never knew about those.

 

[Linda67]

Oh boy, your dinner at Kona looks delicious

And that bread pudding - just heaven in a bowl

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

I love that you went with just your Dad. I imagine those are memories you'll hold onto forever. I can't imagine convincing my Dad to go to WDW with me.

The Castle lighting is amazing. I'm so glad that you commented and posted the picture. I loved the show of lighting the castle and I'd almost forgotten about it.

And I have got to get those non-pareils on our next trip. Never knew about those.

It really was such a great experience getting to go to WDW with just my dad. We had a blast!

I just loved the Castle lighting! I took video of it and it makes me want to cry every time I watch it. So magical!

The non-pareils were really good! You definitely should check them out on your next trip.

Oh boy, your dinner at Kona looks delicious

And that bread pudding - just heaven in a bowl

It was delicious! The bread pudding really was heaven in a bowl! If I could get that bread pudding somewhere here at home I would probably go up about 3 pants sizes because I would have a hard time eating anything else!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After a rough night at MK the day before my dad woke up feeling a little bit better, but he was still pretty sick. I kept trying to tell him that I wouldn't be upset if we had to spend a day just hanging out at the hotel, but he was determined to do Epcot today. He didn't want to eat, but insisted that I go use a CS credit on myself for breakfast, so I headed down to the food court by myself.

I looked around at all the choices and decided that the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Croissant had been so good the day before that I would get it again today along with some more juice.

This one was even better than the last one! Very fresh again. Loved it!

I sat outside and enjoyed my breakfast and talked to DH for awhile on the phone (I was trying not to be too mushy on the phone with him in front of my dad, so I had a brief window to get all our lovey dovey talk in) and waited for my dad to get ready for the day.

Up next... Lunch In Epcot

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After a full morning in Future World my dad & I headed over to World Showcase. It was around 11:30am and I was already hungry since I had eaten breakfast really early, so I suggested to my dad that we stop for lunch. We both love Mexican food and I had a great meal at La Cantina de San Angel last trip, so I took us over to Mexico.

My dad's appetite was finally returning and we didn't want to split anything, so we each got the Tacos de Carne.

You get three smoked beef brisket tacos served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips. I also loaded up on the hot salsa from the condiment station and we were all set. I loved these last time and once again, they were fabulous! I had actually been craving these since our last trip and I was glad I got the chance to have them again. Not only are they delicious, but it is so much food! It's a great use of a CS credit!

For dessert my dad & I both got the Churros con Cajeta.

Last time I wasn't crazy about the caramel sauce, but this time it was pretty good. It's not really a strong flavor, but it was a nice compliment too the churros. These were delicious as well! My dad loved everything and was pretty impressed with the amount and quality of the food. Another successful meal!

Up next... Deciding what to snack on in World Showcase

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

I swore to myself that I was going to try a new snack in WS this trip... I lied. As soon as I walked into Karamell-Kuche I knew I couldn't resist the Dark Chocolate Caramel with Sea Salt that I enjoyed last trip.

I mean, how am I supposed to resist that? It is such a HUGE piece of caramel and the sea salt just puts it over the edge from delicious to amazing! I was going to get the chocolate caramel covered strawberry, but this seemed like a lot more bang for my buck. And by buck I mean snack credit.

Now my sugar high can carry me around the rest of World Showcase!

Up next... A truly magical meal for my Dad!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Loving your reviews so far!!

OMG that bear paw from AK looks amazing! Was it a snack credit? I have to have one next trip! And Karamell Kuche...mmmmm. Can't wait to read more!

 

[kelleigh1]

I LOVE chocolate, caramel and sea salt! I am seriously drooling right now. So good!!

 

[DisneyHolidayFan]

You are an awesome daughter!!! Your reviews are outstanding and your pictures are wonderful!! Thank you so much!!! I am looking forward to the rest!

 

[gardengirl628]

Loving your reviews so far! Kona was my favorite meal of our trip in July. Planning on doing it again in October....and now that I know I can get the bread pudding from O'hanas......omg.....HEAVEN!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[pumba]

I loved your photos, I love your reviews and I love you being such a great daughter...
We are going to Pop in May and I am really anxious now to go back to the House of the Mouse...
Non Pariels....I get those at Ghiredellas in DTD and they are so good...Now I know another place to get them...

Thanks so much for your reviews so far...looking forward to more

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Loving your reviews so far!!

OMG that bear paw from AK looks amazing! Was it a snack credit? I have to have one next trip! And Karamell Kuche...mmmmm. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks! The Brownie paw and the Elephant Cupcake were both snack credits. Totally forgot to put that. They were a great use of a snack credit!

I LOVE chocolate, caramel and sea salt! I am seriously drooling right now. So good!!

Me too! I shouldn't look at that picture when I'm hungry!

You are an awesome daughter!!! Your reviews are outstanding and your pictures are wonderful!! Thank you so much!!! I am looking forward to the rest!

Thank you so much! More to come today!

Loving your reviews so far! Kona was my favorite meal of our trip in July. Planning on doing it again in October....and now that I know I can get the bread pudding from O'hanas......omg.....HEAVEN!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!

Thanks! Kona is so delicious. You should definitely ask for the bread pudding when you're there. They've let me do it twice now, so I guess they must be pretty willing to do it.

I loved your photos, I love your reviews and I love you being such a great daughter...
We are going to Pop in May and I am really anxious now to go back to the House of the Mouse...
Non Pariels....I get those at Ghiredellas in DTD and they are so good...Now I know another place to get them...

Thanks so much for your reviews so far...looking forward to more

Thanks so much for the positive response! I really liked Pop. I am definitely considering staying there again. As much as I love staying at the DVC resorts it's not always a possibility, so Pop would be a great option.
Those non pariels were surprisingly good! They sold those in almost every gift shop in every park too, so they're easy to find. And they counted as a snack option too.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

This is the review I am most looking forward to writing. After our morning and afternoon at Epcot we headed back to Pop for a much needed mid-day nap. Then we headed back to Epcot again for our dinner at Rose & Crown.

Okay, now let me just give you all a little bit of backstory for this review. My dad's mom, my beloved mom-mom, is from England and all of my dad's living family members, other than my mom-mom & I, live in England. We have been there to visit, but we haven't been in awhile and my dad really loves it over there. My pop-pop passed away two years ago and about 6 months later my mom-mom really started to go downhill. A little over a year ago my mom-mom was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's. My dad tried to care for her, but he couldn't leave her alone for more than an hour without there being a problem, so he had to put her in a nursing home. He visits her everyday and is emotionally strong most of the time, but he takes it all pretty hard. He hasn't gone a day without visiting her since she's been in the nursing home until this trip and I could tell that he was thinking about her a lot, especially when we were walking around the shops in the UK part of World Showcase looking for goodies for her. She had also been calling us a lot this particular day and was very confused about where we were and it was really hard for my dad.

He & I both have a love of everything English because of our heritage and so I knew that this would be a great place for dinner when I was booking our dining reservation. I ate here for the first time on my August trip with DH and loved the food, but didn't have the greatest service, so I was looking forward to trying it again.

We checked in at the outdoor podium for our 6:10pm reservation and we were seated about 10 minutes later. Our host Paul led us to a table in the outdoor seating area and chatted with us the whole way. My dad told him about how his mother was from England and Paul asked him questions about where she was from. He was really really nice the whole time. My dad asked him if they had sausage rolls on the menu (my dad loooooves English sausage rolls) and Paul informed him that you could get one in the appetizer of a Trio of United Kingdom Pasties. At this point our server Lee came over and explained that that was the only way to get a sausage roll. That appetizer was $16.99 and so my dad decided to pass because he didn't want the other two pasties it came with. He was feeling better, but he still didn't have a huge appetite. I already knew I wanted an appetizer though. I wanted the Potato and Leek Soup.

OMG! Yum! This soup is delicious! I could eat this everyday.

Lee also brought us out some rolls.

The rolls were fresh and warm. I love the rolls here!

At this point my dad had been chatting with Lee quite a bit and he was a really nice kid. He and my dad were talking about English football. My dad is a huge Liverpool fan and showed Lee the Liverpool tattoo he has on his arm and Lee told him that he was a Leeds fan and that his parents named him Lee after the Leeds team. He was super friendly with us the whole time and Paul even popped over a few more times to talk to my dad and ask us how things were going. Then Lee and Paul made my dad's vacation. They brought him out a sausage roll free of charge.

I can't tell you how happy this made my dad. This simple sausage roll meant so much to him. Paul and Lee had no idea that my dad had been sick the last few days or that his mother was in a nursing home with Alzheimer's and that all of this was weighing heavily on my dad. They had no idea that their simple kindness would really touch my dad's heart. My dad isn't usually warm and fuzzy with servers, but he stood up and shook their hands and was almost tearing up. He was so touched. I knew he was thinking a lot about my mom-mom at this English restaurant and I think it all just kind of hit him.

Now he actually ate the sausage roll. He really loved it! He said it was the best one he ever had.

For our entree we both got the Shepherd's Pie with Ground Lamb with Onions, Carrots, and Mushrooms topped with Mashed Potatoes and Cheddar

Here is a picture of the inside

We loved this! The mushrooms and onions inside were cooked perfectly and the mashed potatoes on top were really creamy and tasted great with the cheddar. The ground lamb flavor was delicious too.

My dad also got a side of Bubble and Squeak.

My understanding is that this is some kind of ham, cabbage and potato mixture? Not sure though. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong! Well, whatever this stuff was, my dad loved it too!

For dessert I was torn between a few things but my dad & I both decided on the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

We both liked this, but didn't love it. The cake part of it was really overdone. It was very difficult to cut into because it was really hard. Not sure if maybe that's how it's supposed to be, but I can't imagine that it is. The flavor was still good though.

When we left my dad shook Lee's hand again and told him how wonderful our meal was and Lee seemed genuinely pleased that we had a great experience. On our way out my dad stopped at the podium to thank Paul again for a wonderful meal and told him how much he loved the sausage roll.

My dad was in such a good mood and his spirits were completly lifted. We rode a few rides and then stayed for Illuminations. It was an all around wonderful evening.

Hope you all didn't mind the personal story. I just wanted to try and explain how our personal experiences shapped our meal at Rose & Crown. Food really can be more than just food sometimes. When we got home I emailed Guest Relations and told them about our fantastic meal and servers and I received a really nice email back from a Guest Services Manager. Disney Cast Members are fabulous and it was great to have such a positive expereince to be able to tell someone about.

Up next... A sugary morning at Hollywood Studios!