Day 1: A quick dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express and some sweets from Goofy's
After our trip to POP, we hopped on a bus back to DTD for some shopping and pin trading. We made our way around DTD for a little over an hour before DM was hungry for dinner. We were going to go to Earl of Sandwich because it's all she had talked about since our trip in May (she always orders the Caprese and craved one for our entire trip but we were always too full to go get one) but we decided to try something different, so we headed over to Wolfgang Puck Express.
And it was PACKED. I forgot how 9:30 pm on a regular night in Disney World is unlike 9:30 pm out near us (we live just outside Chicago and there aren't many options for dinner past 10 pm on a weeknight!). DSis went to snag us a table while DM and I got in line to order.
DMom ordered the Margherita Pizza, which had a tomato-basil garlic sauce, mozzarella and parmesan, Roma tomatoes and fresh basil (thanks to AllEars for the descriptors!). Being from Chicago, we know good pizza. To me, good pizza is thick and cheesy, so I didn't care for this (and I didn't like all the basil on it...too garden-ey tasting for me), but DM has a soft spot for thin pizza so she really enjoyed it.
DSis ordered the Roast Beef and Cheddar Foccacia Sandwich (thinly sliced Niman Ranch beef, sharp cheddar, mixed baby greens, tomato, Horseradish sauce and Dijon Aioli). She was really wanted a side of Mac and Cheese and was really looking forward to it and was really upset when the man two people ahead of us in line got the last of it for the night. She thought the sandwich wasn't anything special.
I couldn't decide between the Tortilla Soup (fire-roasted tomatoes, tortilla strips and goat cheese) and the Rotisserie BBQ Beef Fire-Roasted Foccacia Melt (slices of house roasted Niman Ranch rotisserie beef, sautéed mushrooms, carmelized onions and Wolfgang's signature BBQ sauce, topped with mozzarella, rolled in warm, all natural garlic focaccia bread. Served with a side of sour cream slaw), so I got both, thinking it would be a small cup of soup.
Wrong. It was a full meal-sized bowl of soup. It was very rich and very hearty and was really a meal in itself. I didn't even get half-way through.
The BBQ Beef Sandwich was...interesting. It wasn't a sandwich. It was more a small section of beef and onions/mushrooms rolled in garlic bread foccacia with a whole lotta garlic bread foccacia around it. It really could feed two people. I thought it was very tasty, but I really didn't have much room for it and picked at it and took the rest back to the hotel. I also substitued some mixed greens for the coleslaw since I have a major aversion to mayo
Since we weren't on the DxDDP yet, we payed OOP for our meal and for two sandwiches, a pizza, a bowl of soup, and three drinks, it came to just under $50. For a counter-service. Welcome to Disney World.
And no trip to DTD is complete without a visit to Goofy's...even if you're stuffed to your eyeballs. DSis and I both got rice krispy treats (mine with sprinkles and milk chocolate and white chocolate drizzle and hers with M&M's and white chocolate drizzle). Seriously...these babies are huge. It took a good four days to get through it.
We made our way back to the Gaylord Palms for the night and to get some dinner for DGM. There's a 24-hour place in the Gaylord Palms for sandwiches and pastries. DGM wanted a turkey sandwich, so we got her one....to the tune of $9.00. Food at the Gaylord Palms, while good, is SO pricey. We'd love to eat at one of the restaurants there, but we just can't justify the price. The Grab-and-Go is just as outrageously priced. But, DGM didn't want to go out before and she wanted a turkey sandwich, so we happily obliged her.
But for anyone who stays at the Gaylord Palms in the future, a friendly hint. There's a Publix down the street from the Gaylord Palms. At the deli there, they make sandwiches to order. They're less than $4 and very tasty. Not as convenient as hopping down the elevator from your room, but for a $5, much more cost-effective.
After walking around the Gaylord Palms for a bit (it's so gorgeous there), we all headed to bed. The next day was a big one: we were starting our stay at the Grand Floridian and starting our six days of overindulgence!
Up next: A Rowdy Lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe!
I've booked the deluxe plan for our next trip and am wondering how you do it and still feel relaxed? Do you feel like all you do is run from one ADR to another? We have used and enjoyed the DDP on previous trips, but always spent more OOP. So I thought we'd eliminate that and have all our bases covered this trip. But as I plan our meals I'm wondering how we can enjoy the parks and meals with feeling like we're constantly running. How did it work for you?
We really can't imagine traveling as a family without her. Her Alzheimers presents different challenges every time we travel (she's currently in a wheelchair because she hurt her hip last spring and she's learning how to walk again) but she really enjoys it more than any of us 
So, I think they deserve another try...
