Why can't I button my shorts??? Twelve days of Disney dining and Food and Wine

[OasterP]

Ok time for characters! Owen is having a fun day at his grandparents house, so I have more time!

Tigger was so much fun and cute and huggable.





Piglet (and Owen's precious waffle)





Pooh!



Eeyore



It really was a great time and though maybe a little rushed it seemed a little less hetic than others. The characters came by right away, and we saw them when we got our first plates. I really do recommend it.

 

[OasterP]

I can't remember when Todd picked this awesome looking treat up, but I know it was on a day we were in the Magic Kingdom, so I'll sneak it in here. I think it may have been our first day in the MK though b/c I know it was early and it was raining when he ate it.

Huge ice cream cookie sandwich from Sleepy Hollow. He said he wanted ice cream of some sort, and we all know he loves cookies so when I realized we were close to Sleepy Hollow I knew just where to send him. He loved this and got it again during our trip. It was giant.

 

[OasterP]

On the afternoon after we went to Crystal Palace we ate at BOG lunch. We had been able to get a fast pass at the same time as our friends, so it was a lot of fun. I knew Todd wouldn't like any of the food and we still weren't overly hungry after breakfast, so he got french fries and Owen and I split a turkey sandwich. Then we all tasted the cupcake.

Owen and his favorite little lady.



Inside the castle.



Great ceiling



Rose



Painting - I so wanted to see this turn into the Beast but I never got to see it happen.



Beautiful



My part of the Turkey Sandwich lunch. I thought this was so delicious. It was real turkey breast and very good. I typically hate mayonaise but on here I didn't mind it. Very good.



Owen's part of the lunch - I don't like fries so he got those and part of the turkey. As usual he wouldn't eat the bread because there was mayonaise on it, but he ate the turkey out of it.



I can't find Todd's order of fries, but just picture more of the ones on Owen's plate and that's what he had

The Master's Cupcake. This was so pretty. I tasted a tiny bit of the icing and wasn't that blown away, but Owen ate some and liked it and Todd ate the cupcake and he thought it was really good!




There are differing opinions on this restaurant and the food quality. I can say when I go again I might not do a dinner (though it was fantastic) just because I've done it before, but I will definitely try for a lunch again. Really good food and I love Beauty and the Beast, so eating in the castle was amazing. I did have a fast pass though - I likely wouldn't try without it, b/c the line was insanely long.

 

[OasterP]

Immediately following BOG lunch I knew I wanted to check out Gaston's Tavern. I knew I just had to get that cinnamon roll. I didn't realize my love for caramel corn was so strong until I got to the World, but everyone who knows me knows that I love cinnamon rolls. If I'm going to have a treat - it's likely going to be a cinnamon roll. So no way could I not taste the delicious looking one I've drooled over for months. Granted - it didn't always look as good as the Boardwalk Bakery ones used to, but still - giant cinnamon roll = yum.

True to form it was looking like rain (so maybe Todd's ice cream sandwich WAS this day??) so there was stroller covering going on, but here it is - Gaston's Tavern!



And Gaston himself - he's very proud of the delicious roll inside...



My favorite little man in Gaston's chair



And this beauty... This had already been smashed in a container because we were taking it to go and rain threatened, but it still looked amazing. And how did it taste???? YUM! I loved it. It was the size of my head so it was shared but I ate a decent amount of it, and though I normally like my cinnamon rolls hot, this was even good days later when it was cold! If you like cinnamon rolls I'd give it a try.

 

[OasterP]

Sometime around the 3:00 parade (not shocking as this is what happened every day) the skies were opened up and we had a downpour. As we were waiting for it to hopefully stop so I could see a parade (didn't happen) Todd decided that he couldn't ignore the delicious smells we were enjoying and got in line to try an ice cream from the Plaza Ice Cream!

The menu



Todd went with the Plaza Sundae. He thoroughly enjoyed this and Owen even ate a few bites. I didn't try it b/c I don't love ice cream and wasn't hungry but the waffle cone smelled absolutely amazing. He assured me it tasted as good as it smelled.

 

[OasterP]

It was a party night at MK (but not the night we were going) and we planned an early afternoon end to the day. Originally we had 1900 Park Fare planned for that night but we had canceled it the day before, knowing we wouldn't be overly hungry and we would need an early night.

We got back and Owen played in the splash pool at Pop. This day from start to finish was one of our best of the trip. Our friends (two different families) joined us at the pool and it was just great to sit around in the dark (dry) and chat while the kids played. I had planned on going to AOA to grab dinner while Todd and Owen ordered pizza from Pop, but I wasn't hungry enough so I ended up grabbing a small slice of their pizza. If you've never done it, this is a decent deal I think. For two QS credits, Todd got a large pizza, 2 drinks, and 2 desserts. You can get other kinds of pizza, but Todd only likes cheese so that's what he got.

The pizza was actually much better than I expected. I tried to get a picture right away but boys will be boys and they grabbed slices before I got a chance.



Those of you who have children (or are around them) - my four year old is apparently a dropper of food but very quick! And gross. He dropped his slice on the ground that was wet from the pool and had it picked up and in his mouth again before I had a chance to stop him! Nasty boys...



The desserts they chose. Todd ate the cookie and the chocolate cake thing never got eaten because I threw it out the day we left.





What an amazing day this was!

 

[Elevationist]

This whole report is making me so hungry!!! Good job!!!

 

[rlduvall]

I have really been enjoying your food reviews. The photos and descriptions are awesome. We took are now 15 DS to WDW for his first time at 4. That is just the most precious age. Fifteen not so much, but I still love him!

 

[ashleyc1113]

Great review!

 

[OasterP]

Ok I fixed my links! So much nicer to read now.

I took my lunch break to do that, and I doubt I can access photobucket from work, so I'll continue when I get home tonight.

At this point I honestly can't even remember what we did for lunch on Day 7, so I'll ask Todd when I get home. I DO remember that it was this morning that Todd realized that two of his pairs of shorts must have shrunk from the humidity!

Luckily he had some extras that fit just fine. Next time - elastic waist.

 

[vettegirl]

I have always been curious as to how the pizzas are at WDW. Glad to hear it was better than expected. I have seen them in person but never tried it.

 

[OasterP]

I have really been enjoying your food reviews. The photos and descriptions are awesome. We took are now 15 DS to WDW for his first time at 4. That is just the most precious age. Fifteen not so much, but I still love him!

I really do think this was a great age to take him! I know that he won't remember it most likely but I feel like if we waited too long he wouldn't love the characters as much! Lol teenage years scare me!

Great review!

Thank you!

This whole report is making me so hungry!!! Good job!!!

Thinking about the caramel corn makes me crave it again!

I have always been curious as to how the pizzas are at WDW. Glad to hear it was better than expected. I have seen them in person but never tried it.

Yeah I was surprised. Now I certainly wouldn't say they are amazing by any stretch, and I only had one piece, but I definitely expected them to be worse than they were!

 

[OasterP]

So from what I can tell we skipped lunch on the 27th. Most of our breakfasts were in our room. Owen and I mostly ate cereal and Todd ate leftover desserts.

On this day I think that our lunch was snacks and I had a power bar.

So first up - Owen's snack. Starring Rolls cupcake! I let Owen pick whatever cupcake he wanted from Starring Rolls and with all the good options - he chose this. An A&E cupcake. I think he liked it, but he only got a few bites before he (of course) dropped it in the rented stroller. Blue icing stains - just an FYI. But until then he was enjoying it!



That day in Hollywood Studios was HOT and crowded. I looked at the Touring Plans app and saw that it said it was a 4/10 crowd. I respectfully disagreed. I have since looked at the estimated vs actual and sure enough - it was an 8/10! Good to know that crowd level was still very manageable though! Just definitely different than what we had experienced.

Anyway we knew we were having dinner in Epcot that night, so we decided to get a snack to hold us over, and I got something I hadn't tried yet!

Yummy Mickey Pretzel!! I have yet to figure out how this happened, but all I got of this deliciousness was an ear! Vultures my two boys are!!! But it was a delicious ear.

 

[OasterP]

Our dinner plans for tonight were at Tutto Italia in Epcot. And since I hadn't eaten since my Mickey ear, I was READY to eat. We got there and got checked in with no issues. I don't even think it was raining! I was excited to try this restaurant and I knew Owen and Todd would both like the food. I'm going to be honest - a big part of my excitement was getting a cannoli. And for this particular dessert I had no intention on sharing. Maybe a bite - but no more.

They seated us with a bunch of other families with kids around Owen's age (smart), and got our drink orders right away. I think I got something exciting like Iced tea and water, as usual. I'm sure Owen got chocolate milk and water, and Todd went with his Diet soda and water. We're exciting like that.

Kids menu



I seem to have misplaced the adult menu, but here is the bread! We ate it, so I think we liked it.



Owen's appetizer. I will say - the fruit cups at WDW are amazing. No out of a can fruit - always really delicious berries and grapes. So good. I ate a decent amount of this, and Owen ate mostly grapes. I didn't even feel bad about it - leave me with just a Mickey ear again...



I seem to only have a picture of one of our meals, but honestly - we all got the same thing, so it didn't look much different. The kids was slightly smaller portion size. We weren't too adventurous and just got the spaghetti with veal meatballs. I'm sorry baby cows - I've never eaten you before, but yum...



Now onto the desserts! Here is the dessert menu (adults).



For Owen's dessert he got a kids gellato sundae - he ate none of it.



Todd chose this. Panna Cotta e Amarene. Chocolate custard and cherries. He loved this. He doesn't eat cherries (silly boy) so I got those. But he liked it a lot.



And my amazing choice! Cannoli - Crisp pastry filled with sweet Ricotta, chocolate, candied orange



Yum. Like the good wife I am, I offered Todd a bite, which he turned down (smart move). The only thing left of this dessert was the cinnamon silverware. I really loved this.

Todd and I agreed as we left that this was the best meal we have had yet. Now granted - we had pretty much had buffets up to that point, but still - really delicious dinner.

 

[OasterP]

It's PARTY night!!!! I was ridiculously excited about this night as I had a BOG dinner reservation and it was time for the MNSSHP. I had plans to go with our friends, and I was just so ready. Sadly the party night was a huge disappointment, but it had nothing to do with Disney. Things just didn't go according to what I had hoped for, both Todd and Owen felt sick, against my better judgement we skipped the first parade for the second one, and then the second one got rained out. Where is the crying Smiley because that's how I felt. I'm over it now, and would maybe try again some time.

Other than the overheating issues of the boys and major mom guilt for keeping little man out entirely too late - the rest of the day was actually great! We had perfect weather (hot but sunny) for almost the entire day. The rain literally started five minutes before the parade was supposed to. Ok turns out - I'm not over it.

But the food - yay!

We were going to take the morning off and just relax before the party. Enter the girl who doesn't know how to sit and relax, and we decided to go to DTD. Error #1. But it started out great and we went to Wolfgang Puck Express again, because it's awesome.

I knew Owen and I would share again and I was ready to try another pizza! So here was our choice - Traditional Margherita - Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, Torn Basil. DEE - licious.... I also ordered the cheesecake again b/c it was so tasty!



Nom Nom Nom



Cheesecake



Todd's Cheese Pizza



And his "regular" dessert!



Another fantastic meal at WPE!

 

[OasterP]

After lunch Todd said he was tired and hot and wanted to go back to the resort. I told him to go ahead and Owen and I would catch up later, so he went back and slept for a bit.

When we got back to Pop Todd still didn't feel like doing much. He's not used to being so active and it was a warm day. Our one friend was also back at the resort resting while his wife and daughter were at DTD with us. Anyway, I told Todd to skip dinner and just rest because I knew we would be out late that night and wanted him to have fun at the party.

So he chilled out and Owen and I headed out for Be Our Guest. Neither of us were in our costumes yet because it was hot and I didn't want Owen to drop anything on it (can you BLAME me???)

Our dinner was so much fun. The restaurant is gorgeous, and Owen was absolutely so much fun. Originally we were going to share a meal but he let me know he would like to order his own. He actually ended up eating almost the whole thing too!

The bread - average rolls - not bad!



Owen chose chocolate milk to drink



And I got this beauty at the recommendation of the waitress. As part of the dining plan! Great recommendation. I almost always drink water, but this was absolutely delicious. All-Natural Fruit Punch with goblet - sweetened with organic cane juice and wildberry extract topped with lemon-lime foam. (Minus the Goblet).



Owen asked for the grilled cheese children's meal, which he devoured. Except the green beans. He ate maybe two of those. One piece of sandwich had already been removed before I got to take the picture.



Look how happy it made him! That is one happy fed kid right there!



For my meal - I took the advice again of the waitress and went with the steak and macaroni and cheese. It was delicious. And cooked just right! I didn't finish it, but I made a healthy dent!



For dessert I ordered one of each of the strawberry cupcake and the chocolate cupcake and had them wrapped to go. Sadly we were too full to eat them at the time, and I'm not sure what even happened to the strawberry one. I did get bite of the chocolate one several days later after being in the refirgerator and it was really delicious!! Next time at BOG - less food, more dessert





After that we changed into our costumes and got ready for our chance to meet the Beast!! It's kind of funny (not really) but the CM's here were honestly a little mean! They kept telling everyone (loudly) to keep it moving and don't leave room between you and the person in front of you in line. And then the picture was a rushed affair. Oh well though - small price to pay for such a fun experience!

Owen and I with the Beast!

 

[Elevationist]

Tutto Italia was the elusive reservation I never could score for my trip! Doh! NEXT TIME FOR SURE. I'm a big tiramisu girl, I just gotta have it! And pasta too... YUM!!!

I'm sorry your experience meeting Beast was so rushed! I really lucked out when I did mine. The restaurant was packed, but when I wandered into his study, there was only ONE family in front of me! I couldn't believe it!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Hey there Stephanie! Awesome report so far! How the heck have you posted so many reviews so far? I can't even remotely keep up with mine. Good job!

I just have to say you have an adorable family. Thanks for the funny stories. Pee Buzz. Love it.

Looks like some great food choices so far. I definitely have Tutto Italia on my radar for next trip. So glad you loved WPE! CRT looked like a super fun experience too. I need to guilt my hubby into a return visit there one of these trips.

Can't wait to read more!

 

[Dislover1991]

I've been following your report but have failed to reply! But I absolutely love reading along. I hadn't really considered BOG for dinner but I'm really wanting to try it now! And you definitely convinced me to try Tutto Italia- I'm trying to decide between Tutto and Via Napoli for our trip next September but Tutto it is!

 

[OasterP]

Tutto Italia was the elusive reservation I never could score for my trip! Doh! NEXT TIME FOR SURE. I'm a big tiramisu girl, I just gotta have it! And pasta too... YUM!!!

I definitely recommend it. We won't be on the regular dining plan again but I still might make a reservation there and pay out of pocket.

I'm sorry your experience meeting Beast was so rushed! I really lucked out when I did mine. The restaurant was packed, but when I wandered into his study, there was only ONE family in front of me! I couldn't believe it!

It really wasn't bad - I just had encountered only amazing CM up to that point and my waitress there was so fantastic, that I was surprised. The experience was still amazing though and the Beast is SO awesome. We probably had 12 families in with us.

Hey there Stephanie! Awesome report so far! How the heck have you posted so many reviews so far? I can't even remotely keep up with mine. Good job!

I just have to say you have an adorable family. Thanks for the funny stories. Pee Buzz. Love it.

Looks like some great food choices so far. I definitely have Tutto Italia on my radar for next trip. So glad you loved WPE! CRT looked like a super fun experience too. I need to guilt my hubby into a return visit there one of these trips.

Can't wait to read more!

Oh yay you are here!! I've been checking for your trip report - I always love yours, and you and your husband are so much fun! I'm lucky in that I had a lot of time to work on it Sunday because my mother in law had Owen all day.

How is your new job going?

Definitely try Tutto - I really thought it was delicious. And I chose WPE partly because of all your reviews! I tried to convince Todd to order the meatloaf sandwich b/c you love it so much, but he didn't

Definitely work on the hubby! I know we won't go again but oh my gosh I loved it!

Oh pee buzz.... when Todd told his mother about it her reaction was...And Steph let him keep him????

I've been following your report but have failed to reply! But I absolutely love reading along. I hadn't really considered BOG for dinner but I'm really wanting to try it now! And you definitely convinced me to try Tutto Italia- I'm trying to decide between Tutto and Via Napoli for our trip next September but Tutto it is!

I definitely recommend them both! And I haven't reviewed Via Napoli yet, but we loved that as well. Different experience but we had fantastic service at Via Napoli and the pizza was great too!