Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A Graduation Trip for Me! *Completed!

[gardengirl628]

Ugh....you're killing me with those pictures of yummy, Disney, chocolatey goodness...between cakes and cupcakes....I'm dying over here!

Kona is my favorite breakfast. The fruit dish looks so amazing....but I don't think I could bear to give up the pineapple macademia pancakes. We may have to do 2 breakfasts here in October!

 

[gabzee]

I'm loving your reviews!

I can't wait to go next trip to Kona! I'm so glad that you reviewed the fruit plate and blueberry pancakes. You don't hear too much about them. They both look delicious and I'm glad to hear that are as well!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[emmysmommy]

I've always wondered if the elephant on the cupcake is edible - now I know. It looks kinda creepy to me but the cupcakes does look wonderful! Since it didn't get a Captain Jack rating, I think I'll pass.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Love, love, love the juice at Kona! You're right though, they definitely do not give you enough. I saw someone else order the fruit platter when I was at Kona this trip and I was in awe. It really is a stunning presentation and it all looks delicious. I might have to try that next time. It's great that you all got something different at breakfast! Everything looks delish! Great pics!

Yum... I wish I could have some of that juice right now! So delicious. Kona is fantastic - I'm so glad we tried it!

Mmmmmmm, I LOVE the white chocolate elephant cupcake! It's one of my very favorites. A few days ago I tried the Cotton Top Tamarin cupcake instead of my beloved...big mistake! It was good, but there's no comparison, the elephant is superior!

Great pictures! And love the review system, as always. Except in my mind, Barbossa means the BEST EVER!

Heck, I basically love all cupcakes Sorry the Cotton Top Tamarin wasn't as good. I should try all of the cupcakes on Disney property, then rate them (for research purposes, of course ). My brother would agree with you on the pirate front - Barbossa is his favorite too!

Just wanted to let you know... If you remember I said next time I was at Downtown Disney I was going to try that Original at Earl of Sandwich because of your review. Well we did a last minute day trip on Saturday, and I had it. Oh man, it was SO good, definitely my new favorite. So THANK YOU so much for the review!

Yes, I do remember! Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! I love uncovering hidden deliciousness for others.

Loving your reviews!! I am signing on

Thanks for reading! I'll have another couple reviews up in a bit

Ugh....you're killing me with those pictures of yummy, Disney, chocolatey goodness...between cakes and cupcakes....I'm dying over here!

Kona is my favorite breakfast. The fruit dish looks so amazing....but I don't think I could bear to give up the pineapple macademia pancakes. We may have to do 2 breakfasts here in October!

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill anybody I'm with you - the fruit platter is amazing, but I don't think I could order it over the pancakes. 2 breakfasts sounds like a good decision to me!!

I'm loving your reviews!

I can't wait to go next trip to Kona! I'm so glad that you reviewed the fruit plate and blueberry pancakes. You don't hear too much about them. They both look delicious and I'm glad to hear that are as well!

Can't wait to read more!

Thank you! I don't think you could go wrong with anything at Kona. It's a fantastic breakfast and I'm sure you will enjoy your meal there!

I've always wondered if the elephant on the cupcake is edible - now I know. It looks kinda creepy to me but the cupcakes does look wonderful! Since it didn't get a Captain Jack rating, I think I'll pass.

Yeah, I did feel bad as I took a chunk out of the elephant's head. It just kinda looked at me with these sad little eyes... The cupcake part is really good, just not one of my favorites.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Day 4 – Dinner #1: Flame Tree Barbecue ​

After a few hours, Andrew and my Dad joined us at Animal Kingdom. We watched Finding Nemo: The Musical, then decided to grab a bite to eat before heading out. My Dad and I love Flame Tree Barbecue, but Andrew and my Mom aren’t a huge fan . Since we were going to the Magic Kingdom for the evening, they planned on eating over there. Laura decided she would wait and have something over there too.

So, my Dad and I shared the Ribs and Chicken Combo served with baked beans and coleslaw:

Yum, this is always so good! Except for the beans, of course, which my Dad ate. The ribs and chicken have a nice smoky flavor, which is especially tasty with the barbecue sauce. Even though there isn’t too much meat on the chicken or ribs, there is definitely enough to share. Especially if you also order this:

Onion Rings Basket
Gosh, I just love onion rings! These were perfect – crispy and not too greasy. I usually try to avoid fried foods, but it is a vacation after all.

If you like barbecue, then this is the place to go! There is plenty of nice outdoor seating over to the side and behind the restaurant as well. I would have to say that Flame Tree Barbecue is one of my favorite counter service restaurants.

I bet you can guess what this receives…

Up Next: A seafaring meal

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Day 4 – Dinner #2: Columbia Harbour House​

After leaving Animal Kingdom, our party split up. Andrew, Laura, and I went to Downtown Disney, while my parents went back to the resort. We met them at the Magic Kingdom later that evening and headed to Columbia Harbour House. I absolutely love this restaurant and it is definitively one of my favorite places to eat in the Magic Kingdom. We enjoy eating in the room that is above the walkway from Fantasyland to Liberty Square.

My Dad didn’t order anything here, since he was still full from Flame Tree Barbecue. I wasn’t too hungry, so I ordered the Kid’s Chicken Nuggets with Fries and Grapes:

I actually ended up sharing most of my fries and gave the majority of my grapes to Laura. We were planning on having ice cream later, so I needed to save room for that. The chicken nuggets were not very good – I’ve had better at McDonalds to be honest. I’m a big fan of the shrimp platter here, but I wasn’t hungry enough to order that.

Laura ordered the Lobster Roll - served with potato chips:

This is a new menu item and I was surprised to see this offered. Laura really enjoyed this; she thought there was more than enough lobster in it and said it had great flavor. She gave me a bite and I had to agree. I’ve never had a lobster roll before and I thought this was superb! (I might even like this better than my beloved shrimp platter )

My Mom ordered the Kid’s Tuna Sandwich with Grapes and a Cookie:

This is also a new menu item. She and my Dad normally share the regular tuna sandwich, so she thought the kid’s sandwich would be big enough for her…turns out that wasn’t the case. The regular sandwich is served on multigrain bread with lettuce and tomato, while this is plain tuna served on wheat bread. Not only was it small, but it was also pretty dry and bland.

If you read my previous dining review, I’m sure you know what Andrew ordered:

Kid’s Macaroni and Cheese with Fries and a Cookie
He absolutely loves this mac and cheese! The only problem: there isn’t enough! This is one of his favorite foods in all of Walt Disney World, so needless to say, Andrew was a very happy kid.

This meal receives a …

This definitely wasn’t the favorite meal of the trip. But I would blame it more on us than on CHH. Next time I will order the shrimp platter or the lobster roll (it was really good!) and my parents will definitely order the regular sized tuna sandwich. So, don’t let Barbossa scare you! You should definitely come here – just avoid the Kid’s tuna and chicken nuggets.

Next Up: Ice cream!

 

[Krissalee]

There is just something about thos onion rings at Flame Tree! I can't not order them!

 

[PrincessBetsy]

There is just something about thos onion rings at Flame Tree! I can't not order them!

I feel the same way! Too good to resist

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Day 4 – Time for Ice Cream!​

After going on a few of our favorite attractions, we decided it was time for some delicious ice cream. Where is the best place for a quick treat? The Plaza Ice Cream Parlour! We love getting our dessert here, then eating it down a side alley way on Main Street. It’s especially magical if you eat it while the Main Street Electrical Parade is on…

Just a word of warning: This place can get very busy right before the parade and right after. I would suggest heading in a little after the parade has started in order to minimize your waiting time.

I got a Plaza Sundae (hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry served in a waffle bowl) with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream:

Andrew had Cookies and Cream Ice Cream with Hot Fudge:

My Mom had Vanilla Ice Cream with Hot Fudge:

My Dad had a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Mouse Ears:

Unfortunately the ears disappeared before I could take a picture…

Laura ordered a Root Beer Float:

You can tell she was enjoying this!

Wow, I love ice cream. This is probably one of the best places to get a fantastic sundae for a decent price. The waffle bowls are freshly made right at the Plaza and are absolutely wonderful. Andrew and my Mom aren’t huge waffle bowl fans, so they just opted for the ice cream and hot fudge. No matter what you order you are definitely going to get something yummy!

The Plaza Ice Cream Parlour is always in my good books!

Coming up: Huge Cinnamon Buns

 

[emmysmommy]

It was a HUGE mistake to read your ice-cream review right now!!! Let's see 10:50 at night and now I'm craving something cold and sweet. Anyway... I'll get over that. I love, love, love Flame Tree - I swear I will never eat anywhere else for a meal while there. I think I may need to try some of those onion rings.

Oh, and the lobster roll looks like something to put on my list in the future. Just toooooo many choices for me!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

This was the wrong place to look when I'm feeling hungry - the ice cream sundaes look great, and now I really want those Flame Tree onion rings (even though I don't like onion rings that much).

 

[PrincessBetsy]

It was a HUGE mistake to read your ice-cream review right now!!! Let's see 10:50 at night and now I'm craving something cold and sweet. Anyway... I'll get over that. I love, love, love Flame Tree - I swear I will never eat anywhere else for a meal while there. I think I may need to try some of those onion rings.

Oh, and the lobster roll looks like something to put on my list in the future. Just toooooo many choices for me!

That's the problem with dining reviews: they are always going to make you hungry! I completely agree with you - way too many decisions when it comes to food choices.

This was the wrong place to look when I'm feeling hungry - the ice cream sundaes look great, and now I really want those Flame Tree onion rings (even though I don't like onion rings that much).

Haha, poor life decision indeed! The onion rings were so good; I could definitely go for some right now.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Day 5 – Main Street Breakfast​

Andrew, Laura, and I woke up early to go to the Magic Kingdom for park opening. My parents decided to stay at the resort, have breakfast at the food court (no pictures, sorry!), and do laundry. Even though we were at the park for opening, we weren’t rushing to any attractions. Nope, we were rushing to the Main Street Bakery! For what, you ask?

Nuff said. We enjoyed these in the side alley on Main Street. There is no better way to start your day. These were delicious as always, with lots of cinnamon and plenty of ooey gooey glaze.

All three of us have no problem rating them a…

Afterward we proceeded to blast each other on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (we get very competitive, ). We then took a ride in style down Main Street (old fashioned cars are legit) and had a chat with the Dapper Dans (love them! ). At this point we had to take our leave of the Magic Kingdom because we went to visit some family friends about an hour away. We had lunch with them at Perkins (no pics, sorry mates) and returned to the Magic Kingdom later that afternoon.

Coming Up: Polynesian snacks

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Day 5 – Snacks​

After visiting our friends, Laura, Andrew, and I went back to the Magic Kingdom, while my parents stayed at the resort and went on a bicycle ride around property. We met them at the Polynesian for the Torch Lighting Ceremony that evening. You should definitely check this out if you haven’t seen it before - it's fantastic.

Before the ceremony, we went to Captain Cooks to grab a bite to eat.

Chocolate Croissant:

Andrew really liked this. We recently found that this is also offered at the pastry shop in France.

I used to be a huge fan of the Polynesian chips. When Captain Cooks was renovated a few years ago they introduced these chips as a side option. Back then you would get sweet potato chips, fried wontons, and red and blue tortilla chips. Over the years they began taking things away: first it was the tortilla chips, then the sweet potato chips. Now you are left with this:

Polynesian Chips
Another thing I have noticed is the smaller portion size. Unfortunately, these were soggy, cold, and downright disgusting. They had obviously been sitting in a bin for a few hours, instead of being freshly fried. We took these back and asked if we could have fresher ones. However, the “new” chips were still not fresh, just fresher than the first batch. There is nothing worse than a soggy, stale chips… Blah.

Watch out, my friends. This receives a…

I have been telling myself to stop ordering these whenever we go to Captain Cooks, but I always succumb and think “this time they will be better.” Well, from now on I’m not going to give in (someone will have to remind me of this experience )

While we were ordering from Captain Cooks, my parents went down to the pool bar and ordered a Strawberry Daiquiri:

Since we were going to share this, my Mom ordered a virgin one. The cast member making it almost added rum, which I was all for . Despite the lack of rum, this drink was delicious! And it definitely made up for the sad Polynesian chips. This tasty drink gets a...

Up Next: Dinner in the Frontier

 

[wilma-bride]

Still really enjoying your reviews. Such a shame about the icky, stale chips at the Poly - they looked good. Hope you remember not to waste your time (and money) on them again.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Still really enjoying your reviews. Such a shame about the icky, stale chips at the Poly - they looked good. Hope you remember not to waste your time (and money) on them again.

Glad you like the reviews! I'm going to do all in power to not order those any more.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Day 5 – Frontierland Dinner​

Soon we were in the Magic Kingdom and had a hankering for dinner. Good thing Pecos Bill was in sight! Even though the burgers aren’t the best, we always have at least one meal here. The good thing about Pecos Bill is the toppings bar. It has everything: from the usual lettuce and tomatoes, to sautéed onions and mushrooms and cheese sauce.

Once we had ordered, it took a long time to get our food. Not sure why, but the service can be slow here. We also had to go back after to get some items they forgot (milk, applesauce, and grapes). While we were waiting we were lucky enough to witness a family freaking out behind us because their son didn’t know what to order. After blaming their son, they proceeded to change their order about 4 times (in raised voices)… I felt really bad for their son and for the cast member that had to deal with them. Ohs well… Onto the food!

Laura ordered the Chili:

She really enjoyed this! It had really good flavor and wasn’t too spicy. The portion size was a bit small though.

Father had a 1/3-Pound Cheeseburger with Corn:

The rest of us ordered the Kid’s Burgers:

My Mom had a hamburger with white milk, grapes, and applesauce; however they gave her fries (we had to go back for the applesauce). Andrew and I both had a cheeseburger with chocolate milk, fries, and a cookie. There really isn’t much difference between my Dad’s burger and ours, so I would definitely recommend getting the kid’s meal since you get 2 sides and a drink!

Here is a close-up of mine:

Here are our milks, water, and some pickles:

We love our pickles!

By the time we had all our food, visited the toppings bar, and found a seat, our burgers were cold. They are also overcooked and kind of hard. We knew this would probably happen, as it does every time. No matter, the fries were still good and I do like that cheese sauce. My Dad also liked his corn; it wasn’t the best corn he’s ever had, but it’s a nice change from the usual sides.

Overall, we give Pecos Bill a…

Coming up: Breakfast at Sunshine Seasons

 

[MickeyNicki]

I totally agree about Peco Bills...while the burgers are just so so I seem to get one there on every trip lol!

On the last few trips we ordered a few kids meals at TS locations..its just enough food and its pretty good!

 

[emmysmommy]

Now you're just crossing the line missy with the Main St. Bakery cinnamon rolls!! Oh sooo good!

I'd be willing to try that chili at Pecos Bill's but I really like it spicy so not sure if it would be a thumbs up?? Thanks for the tip regarding the kid burger.... I order a kid meal half the time at CS anyway.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Sorry to hear about the increasingly disappointing Polynesian chips. If you're up for a sweeter snack at Captain Cook's (besides a dole whip, of course ), I've recently seen pics of brand new cupcakes at the Polynesian. They look great, and the flavors (such as chocolate-macadamia, piña colada, and mango-passionfruit) are very reflective of Poly's awesome theme.