Second Time Lucky - Food Report - October/November 2015 – mainly DDP

[Guest]

I know lots of people like to see photos of the food, so I thought I would condense my trip report and make it into a food report, so those of you that are only interested in the food don't have to wade through pages of "what we did on our holidays"

If you want to read the full trip report it is here

Day 0 - Gatwick South Terminal - Giraffe dinner
DH had the Giraffe Burger (mixed leaves, tomato, smoky bacon, mature cheddar and special burger sauce) followed by the Baked Vanilla Cheesecake (ginger-snap biscuit base with rhubarb compote and mascarpone ice cream) and a bottle of London Pride. I had the Classic Burger (mixed leaves, tomato and special burger sauce) followed by the Steamed Lemon and Blueberry Pudding (lemon syrup, blueberry compote and very vanilla ice cream) and a Corona. DS had the kids’ Italian Pizza Bites followed by a Banana Split Sundae and a pineapple juice. I forgot to take photos of the food, but it was standard Giraffe fare. We had a 15% off voucher, the total bill was £49.10 and we paid £41.74. I can’t remember what we tipped, but we did leave a tip.

Day 1 - Gatwick North Terminal – Frankie and Benny’s breakfast
DH ordered a New England Breakfast with a pot of tea, I had French Toast with Bacon and peppermint tea (I did ask if they had decaf tea, they said they had, but it turned out it was Redbush tea which isn’t the same thing at all), DS had Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup and an apple juice. We had another 15% off voucher, the total bill was £29.55 and we paid £25.13. We also left a tip. Again no photos of the food, there will be some later, I promise.

Day 1 - Virgin in flight food
We got a mini pretzel snack, about 5 mini pretzels in a pack, and a drink. Lunch came about and hour and a half into the flight. DH and DS had the beef and beans, I had the chicken curry, but ended up swapping with DS. The beef and beans was tasty and DS said he liked the chicken curry, but still managed to polish off his ham sandwich from Boots later. Dessert was a Gu pudding (mango and passion fruit, I think) which was fine. A bit later on we got a mini fab lolly, these really are mini! We then got an “afternoon tea” which was either a chicken, bacon and chilli mayo wrap (DH) or a cheese and tomato wrap (DS and I). DS didn’t like his, so DH and I shared it.

Day 1 - City Walk – Panda Express - dinner
Having read quite a few favourable reviews we went to Panda Express. It was fine, good quality and value and tasty, but I’m not sure I’d rave over it. Maybe we were all too tired by this point to do it justice. We all had bowls which come with one entrée and one side, we all had Chow Mein (noodles) as our side, DH had Orange Chicken, I had Kung Pao Chicken and DS had a kids’ portion of Mushroom Chicken. We also had a side of Vegetable Spring Rolls which we don’t seem to have been charged for. DS got a soda included and DH and I shared a bottle of water. The bill came to $24.82.

Day 1 - Portofino Bay – Starbucks – quick stop for breakfast for next day
We caught the boat back to the Portofino Bay and called into Starbucks just before 8.00 pm to get some pastries for breakfast. DH had a cinnamon coffee slice, I had a chocolate croissant (pain au chocolat) and DS had a blueberry muffin. We also got a free cinnamon coffee slice as Starbucks was just about to close. This came to $12.22.  

Day 2 – Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous - lunch
We arrived at Circus McGurkus about 11.45 am and it was still pretty quiet. DH had a Cheeseburger with Fries, I ordered a Cheese Pizza and DS ordered a Pepperoni Pizza and we had half of each one each. DH and I shared a Sprite and DS had an orange juice. The food was OK, nothing to write home about, but we were hungry by now having got up so early so we polished it off. The bill was $32.43 including tax.

Day 2 – Portofino Bay – Gelateria – ice cream
We each had a cup with two scoops of ice cream. DH had Almond Toffee and Stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate pieces), I had Dulce de Leche and Chocolate and DS had Red Velvet Cookies and Chocolate. The ice cream was lovely but one scoop each would have been plenty really. We paid $15.94 including tax.

Day 2 – Outback Steakhouse, South Kirkman Road – dinner
We got to the Outback Steakhouse on South Kirkman Road (north of Universal) at about 6.10 pm. We had the bread service then DH had a 9 oz sirloin (medium) with grilled shrimp, fries and a Caesar salad and a Budweiser, I had a 6 oz sirloin (medium) with fries and a house salad with ranch dressing and a pink lemonade and DS had a kids’ cheeseburger with fruit and a pineapple juice. We were all feeling tired by now and although the steaks were delicious and we really enjoyed them, DS hit the wall halfway through his cheeseburger and so we didn’t stay for dessert. The total bill was $48.99 and we left an $8 tip as our server, Edward, had been great.

Day 3 – Universal Studios - Leaky Cauldron – breakfast
DH had the English Breakfast (farm fresh eggs, sausage links, black pudding, English bacon, baked beans, grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms and breakfast potatoes), I had the Pancake Breakfast (Three fluffy buttermilk pancakes, crisp bacon and link sausage with butter croissant) and DS had the Kids’ American Breakfast (fresh scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, crisp bacon, and link sausage with butter croissant). DH and I had hot tea and DS had an apple juice. The total bill was $47.26. It’s quick service in that you order at the counter, but then you are taken to a table and the food is brought out to you. We had a bit of banter with the servers who were looking for the people on the next table to us. Their food was ready but they had gone off to take photos, the server wondered if they were sitting under an invisiblity cloak. The food here was fine, of a similar standard to the Disney Bounty Platters.

Day 3 – Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ, Conroy Road – dinner
We had planned to have an early dinner at Bubbalou’s Bodacious BBQ on Conroy Road, north of Universal (pretty near the Outback we went to yesterday). For those that haven’t been it’s fairly rough and ready, you order and pay at the counter then find a table and the food is brought to you on disposable plates. DH had a Spare Ribs Dinner (comes with 2 slices of garlic bread, coleslaw, beans and fries), I had a Baby Back Ribs Dinner (with the same sides) and we asked for an extra plate for DS. DS and I shared a huge lemonade and DH had an Orlando Brewery IPA. Total bill was $40.44 including tax and I had a bit of a mental arithmetic moment and paid a total of $47.00, so a $6.54 tip, which worked out at 17% (before tax). Not sure if this was way too much for what is in effect counter service, but we didn’t worry about it. The ribs were good and the beans were amazing, really tasty.

Day 3 – Portofino Bay - Starbucks – quick stop for breakfast for next day
When we got back to the hotel we nipped into Starbucks again for tomorrow’s breakfast. DH had a Washington Apple Pound Cake, I had a Blueberry Yoghurt Muffin and DS had a Pumpkin Scone. This was $10.64 including tax.

Day 4 – Universal Studios – Butterbeer
We shared a frozen Butterbeer (nice but really sweet, I couldn’t have managed a whole one).

Day 4 – Islands of Adventure – Three Broomsticks – lunch
DH had Fish and Chips (fresh North Atlantic cod battered and fried with chips and tartar sauce), I had the Shepherd’s Pie with Garden Salad (ground beef and lamb and vegetables crowned with potatoes) and DS had the Kids’ Fish and Chips. DH and I had the Pumpkin Fizz, very very sweet, probably better as a standalone drink rather than with a meal, we also both felt really thirsty later in spite of drinking lots of water. DS had an orange juice. Unlike the Leaky Cauldron we had to find our own table, not sure if this is just at lunch time. The total bill was $46.27 including tax. The food was pretty good, the shepherd’s pie (or should that be cottage pie) was a bit salty for my taste but fine.

Day 4 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara - dinner
We went down to the Mara at about 6.30 pm and picked up our resort refillable mugs (green for DH, red for me and purple for DS). We ordered dinner, DH had the African Stew (with Beef, Turkey, Ham, Carrots, Potatoes, Peas, Chickpeas, and Raisins served over Basmati Rice), I had the Chicken Pita (with Sun-dried Tomato Hummus, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Mixed Greens, and a Mint Yogurt Sauce) with fries, DS had the Pepperoni Flatbread. We had no problem at any QS restaurant ordering adult meals for DS even though he was a child on the dining plan. At this stage we weren’t great at switching desserts and/or drinks, although we did this a lot more later on in the trip. DH had a peanut butter brownie and a lemonade, I had a banana nut bread and a lemonade and DS had a giraffe cupcake and a strawberry milk We used our refillable mugs for drinks with dinner and the lemonade and strawberry milk went in the fridge in our room. This was 3 QS credits. They don’t seem to put the amount on the receipt if you are paying with dining plan credits, so I’m not sure how much this would have been but probably around $50. This was all really tasty, but too much really.

Day 5 – Magic Kingdom – Be Our Guest - breakfast
We had an 8.05 am ADR. We were given our rose and as we had pre-ordered on line we didn’t have to go to the ordering kiosks. They scanned my Magic Band for the DDP (3 x QS credits, cost approx. $61.50), gave us our receipt and we found a table in the West Wing. This was quite atmospheric, but DS decided he didn’t like it, so we sat elsewhere on our other visits. DH had the Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich (Poached Eggs, Applewood Bacon, Brie Cheese, and Arugula on a toasted Baguette served with Fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries) and a coffee. I had the Eggs Florentine (Puff Pastry Shell filled with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and fresh Spinach served with Country Ham, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, and a selection of pastries) and a milk. DS had the Crepes from the Kids’ Menu (stuffed with Yogurt, Fresh Berries, and Wildberry Foam served with a selection of pastries) and an apple juice. We found it quite odd that the number of pastries seems to be the same regardless of the size of the party, but there were plenty of them for 3. The best of these dishes was DH’s open-faced sandwich. The scrambled egg in the puff pastry shell on mine was very well cooked (hard) and in general the dishes were a bit on the lukewarm side, but still very tasty. We packed some of the pastries in a zip-lock bag for later.

Day 5 – Magic Kingdom – Pecos Bill’s - lunch
We had wanted to have lunch at the Tortuga Tavern, but it was closed today, so we ended up in Pecos Bill’s just before 1.00 pm. We used 2 x QS credits and ordered a Chicken Burrito, a Steak Fajita, 2 large lemonades and 2 portions of Churros to share between the 3 of us (approx. $45.50 including tax). DS decided to try one of the jalapeno peppers from the toppings bar, we hadn’t tried it ourselves and he ate a whole slice instead of a little bit and found it too hot. I cooled him down with sour cream and cheese from the toppings bar, but I don’t think he’ll be trying a jalapeno again in a hurry. We saved most of one of the lemonades for later (we decanted it into our sports bottle).

Day 5 – Disney Springs – Crossroads at the House of Blues - dinner
We had a 7.00 pm ADR at Crossroads at the House of Blues, way across the other side of Disney Springs from the bus stops. We were about 5 minutes late checking in but got seated pretty quickly. The receipt says we ordered at 7.21 pm. DH had Lobster Mac & Cheese (tender poached lobster meat in a rich creamy cheese sauce made from scratch and topped with crunchy panko bread crumbs). I had Buttermilk Fried Chicken (fried chicken marinated in buttermilk and Adobo spice served with housemade coleslaw and Red Rose garlic mashed potatoes). DS had a Hot Dog with a side of fruit. As this was table service DS had to order from the kids’ menu. DH and I each had a Raspberry Fizz as our DDP drink, and DH also had an Angry Orchard Cider, DS drank apple juice. For dessert DH had the Bourbon Bread Pudding, I had a Chocolate Ice Cream and DS had the Choc Chip Cookies. As we had ordered an alcoholic drink we got a bill with the total amount which was $86.17 including tax. We used 3 x TS credits and paid $20.97 which was a $14.55 tip and $6.42 for the cider. DH really enjoyed his meal, mine was very tasty but the chicken could have fed a family of four so I think I was a bit overfaced. DS enjoyed his, especially the cookies.

Day 6 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – breakfast
DH had a custard Danish pastry, I had a chocolate croissant (still can’t call it that, it will always be a pain au chocolat for me) and DS had a cinnamon roll. I used 1 x QS credit to pay for these (instead of 3 x Snack credits). DH and I used our mugs for coffee, I had the decaf coffee, but it wasn’t great so I think this was the only time I had it. We paid cash for a chocolate milk for DS.

Day 6 – EPCOT – Sunshine Seasons - lunch
Our original plan today had been to have lunch at the Biergarten and then wander around half of World Showcase. We had managed to snag a last minute reservation at 1900 Park Fare while were at Universal, so we had cancelled the Biergarten reservation and ate at Sunshine Seasons instead. We got 2 x Mongolian Beef with Vegetable Fried Rice, 1 x carrot cake cupcake, 1 x Craisins trail mix, 1 x orange juice for DS and 1 cappucino for DH and got an extra plate. We shared the beef and rice, DH and I shared the carrot cake and DS ate some of the trail mix. I drank water. This was 2 x QS credits and would have cost around $46 with tax. The Mongolian Beef was really tasty and we all enjoyed it, but two portions was plenty for the three of us.

Day 6 – Grand Floridian – Mizner Lounge - drinks
Our reservations at 1900 Park Fare was at 18.35 pm. We checked in for our reservation 15 minutes early. They told us that they were running 25 minutes late which was a bit annoying, so we took our pager and went up to the Mizner Lounge on the first floor to get a drink. The Mizner Lounge certainly wasn’t the cosiest or most welcoming place, especially with a 7 year old in tow, so we got our drinks and took them down to the ground floor and found a sofa. DH had a glass of red wine, I had a Mizner Cooler cocktail (St-Germain, Nolet’s Gin, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Soda Water, and Fresh Mint), delicious but a fair old kick to it, and DS had a pineapple juice. The bill was $30.40 (yes, really) and we left a $3 tip even though the bartender was very stand-offish. I’ve written in my notes that the Mizner Lounge had all the atmosphere of a mid-price conference hotel, so we got our drinks and took them down to the ground floor and found a sofa.

Day 6 - Grand Floridian - 1900 Park Fare - dinner
Our pager went off about 20 minutes after our ADR time and we went into the restaurant. Our server was Kimberley and she was very friendly and helpful. We ordered drinks, DH had a Samuel Adams Oktoberfest beer, I had a Sprite Zero and DS had an apple juice. Cinderella and Prince Charming were almost at our table so we waited for them and then went up to get starters. We met the ugly sisters and Mrs Tremayne and then went back to the buffet to get our mains and desserts. I’d like to say I was impressed with this meal, as we’d heard lots of good things about it, but to be honest we thought it was pretty average. The bill was $122.98 including tax, we paid $6.92 for the beer and left $20.78 tip, we used 3 x TS credits.

Day 7 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – breakfast
We all got up at 8.30 am and headed to The Mara for a quick breakfast. DH had banana nut bread again, I had a blueberry muffin and DS had a chocolate croissant. This was 3 x Snack credits and we used our refillable mugs for drinks.

Day 7 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Mama Melrose - lunch
We had booked the Fantasmic! package so were given our vouchers for Fantasmic! when we sat down. At Mama Melrose you have an appetiser (starter) and entrée (main) plus a shared dessert platter on the DDP. DH ordered the Crispy Calamari (topped with Grilled Peppers and Onions served with Dipping Sauces) followed by the Seafood Arrabbiata (Shrimp, Mussels, Calamari, Fish of the Day, and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti tossed with spicy Seafood Sauce). He had a root beer as his dining plan drink. I had the Fresh Mozzarella and Vine-ripened Tomatoes (Balsamic Drizzle, Olive Oil, and Sweet Basil Leaves) followed by the Charred Strip Steak (Five-Cheese Macaroni with Pancetta, Aged Balsamic-Shallot Butter, and a Chianti Wine Reduction) and a pomegranate lemonade. DS had the kids’ Vegetarian Minestrone Soup followed by the kids’ Spaghetti with Meatballs and House-made Marinara Sauce and an apple juice, he had ice cream with Mickey head sprinkles as his dessert. DS originally ordered the Mickey Check Meal with wholewheat spaghetti and meat sauce and the server talked him out of it, I think he would probably have preferred this to be honest. All the food was really good, our best DDP meal so far. Our dessert platter had miniature versions of the Amarettini Cheesecake (very rich), the Tiramisu (lovely) and the Cannoli Cake (a bit sickly). The bill came to $114.99 including tax, we used 3 x TS credits and left a $21.59 tip.

Day 7 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios – ice creams
Our original plan was to get a QS meal before Fantasmic! (7.30 pm show), but none of us were feeling hungry after our large lunch. We used 3 x Snack credits for ice creams. DH and I had Mickey Head ice creams and DS had an orange and cream lolly.

Day 7 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – late supper
We were getting hungry by the time we got back to AKL so we went into the Mara and ordered 1 x Pepperoni Flatbread, switched the dessert for a butternut squash soup and switched the drink for a side of fries. This was plenty for the 3 of us as a late-ish supper. This would probably have been around $17 if we had paid cash, we used 1 x QS credit.

Day 8 – Perkins, 192 - breakfast
We drove from AKL along the 192 and had breakfast at Perkins. I had signed up on various restaurant websites the week before we left the UK and we had a 20% off voucher to use at Perkins. DH ordered the All American (two eggs, choice of two applewood smoked bacon strips or two sausage links and choice of hash browns, breakfast potatoes or tots, served with buttered toast), he chose scrambled eggs, sausage and breakfast potatoes, and coffee to drink. I ordered the Brioche French Toast Platter (two slices of thick-cut Brioche bread dipped in our signature French toast batter, grilled and topped with powdered sugar, served with two eggs and choice of two applewood smoked bacon strips or two sausage links), I chose scrambled eggs and bacon, and hot tea to drink. DS ordered the kids’ Silver Dollar Short Stack (three silver dollar pancakes with two bacon strips and seasonal fresh fruit) and milk to drink. Our server wasn’t the friendliest and she didn’t write anything down, which I imagine is fairly normal. However, when she brought the order it was wrong. She didn’t hang around when she brought the order and didn’t come back to see if everything was OK so we had to flag her down to point out what was wrong. She also didn’t bring us any iced water, even though every other table had iced water. Maybe we should have asked for it, but I don’t recall ever having to ask on previous trips to the US or Canada. The breakfasts were all hot and tasty, the French toast especially was delicious. My hot tea was pretty much as expected, hot-ish water in a flask with a separate teabag. We went up to the counter to pay, the bill came to around $22.50 once the discount had been applied (so would have been around $27.00 full price), they didn’t give us a receipt so I don’t know exactly. I left a $3.50 tip for the server and got the impression the cashier didn’t think this was enough, it worked out at about 13% of the full price and 15.5% of the discounted price, but to be honest she was grumpy and got our order wrong, so I didn’t think she deserved any more.

Day 8 – Kennedy Space Centre – Orbit Café - lunch
I had a migraine here, and had left my migraine medication in the hotel, so wasn’t really hungry. We had a quick late lunch at the Orbit Café. While we were in the queue DS was very kindly given a pizza by another family who had ordered too many. I ordered a kids’ chicken tender meal with an apple juice for DS to drink, and also a full fat, full caffeine Pepsi for me. DH ordered a hickory smoked pulled pork sandwich with fries and a coffee. I took the aspirin with the Pepsi (which is not something I would normally drink, as I avoid caffeine), and that and some food seemed to help a bit. We didn’t pay for the pizza, so the total bill was only $20.19 including tax.

Day 8 – Disney Springs – Raglan Road - dinner
We arrived about 20 minutes early for our ADR. We were taken to a table right in front of the stage and next to the “podium” where some of the dancers performed solo (podium probably isn’t the right word). There was live music when we got there and we also saw some Irish dancing. This was great to see but the live music particularly was very loud.
DH ordered the Bangers & Booz (Guinness & onion bangers on mash, topped with caramelized onions & beef stew) with a pink lemonade as his dining plan drink and a Guinness. I really wanted to order Kevin's Heavenly Ham (Irish mist glazed loin of bacon with savory cabbage, colcannon potatoes, parsley cream sauce and a raisin cider jus), but they didn’t have any left. I made a quick decision and changed my order to the Braised Be Beef (braised beef with horseradish mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and parsnip) and a pink lemonade. DS ordered the kids’ Atlantic Fish (fresh Atlantic fish deep fried in a crispy batter and choice of garden vegetables, fresh salad with ranch dressing, mashed potato, or Irish Chip), he had chips, and an apple juice. DH really enjoyed his sausages and DS tucked into his fish and chips. My beef came with two pieces of beef, the first one was delicious, really tender and full of flavour, the second one was tough as old boots, with lots of connective tissue, it basically didn’t look like such a nice piece and also I don’t think it had been cooked anywhere near long enough. I told the server and the manager came along and offered to bring out another piece. Unfortunately this was just as bad, so I gave up at this point, as the portions were so large I’d had enough anyway. As we were on the dining plan the only thing they could really do about the bill was to comp DH’s Guinness.
For dessert DH had the Trifle Sinful (raspberry jam Swiss roll layers with mixed berries & custard, topped with fresh cream and almonds), I had the Strawberry and Apple Crumble (fresh strawberry and apple crumble with vanilla ice cream and fresh cream) which was served in a jar and DS had the kids’ Chocookberry (ice cream with Cookies and berries smothered in a chocolate sauce). These were all really good. The total bill (with the Guinness) was $95.32. We left a $17.15 tip and didn’t have to pay for the Guinness.

Day 9 – Animal Kingdom – Tusker House - breakfast
Today we had an 8.05 am ADR at Tusker House. When we had booked this the park wasn’t due to open until 9.00 am. The park hours changed a few weeks before our trip and normal opening was now at 8.00 am. We did think about changing things round to keep this as a pre rope drop ADR, but it was too much faff.
We walked straight to Tusker House and checked in. The Photopass photos with Donald outside the restaurant are no longer happening. Donald is now one of the characters that come to the table. This means there are no Photopass photos at Tusker House, or at least none that we could see. We were called about 5 minutes after we arrived. Our server was Badr and he was great, the best Disney server we had had so far. He kept us topped up with jungle juice and kept us informed on where the characters were and when would be best to nip up to the buffet.
We really enjoyed this breakfast. DH tried all of the African inspired dishes and enjoyed them. I tried them but was less keen, I think it was more to do with the time of day rather than the food, so DS and I stuck to the more traditional items. DS especially liked the doughnut holes. The total bill was $83.04, we used 3 x TS credits and left a $14.03 tip.

Day 9 – Animal Kingdom – Dino-Bites – ice cream sundaes
We had planned to get lunch, but we weren’t really very hungry due to our large breakfast, so we went to the ice cream stand near Restaurantosaurus, I think it was called Dino-Bites. DH and I each had an old fashioned sundae and DS had a bugs sundae, with gummy bugs in it. These were just what was needed and we found a shady table to sit at too.

Day 9 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – late snack lunch
Having not had lunch in the park, we were a bit peckish, but also didn’t want to spoil our appetite for dinner. We shared a Chicken Pita with fries (switching our drink for another side of fries) and a Zebra cupcake in the Mara. This was one QS credit and would have been around $17 if we had paid for it.
At this point with 5 days left we still had 24 Snack credits and 20 QS credits remaining between 3 of us. We were really struggling to use all of our QS and Snack credits, so we decided that tomorrow we would eat breakfast in the Mara rather than going off site as we had originally planned.

Day 9 – Animal Kindgom Lodge – Sanaa - dinner
The walk from Jambo House to Kidani Village took about 10 minutes, we arrived, got our pager and went to the bar to get a drink. There was a bit of a wait at the bar and we were just about to get served when our pager went off, so we decided to order drinks at the table instead. DH had a Coconut Elixir as his dining plan drink, I had a No-jito and DS had milk, I think he had probably overdosed on jungle juice this morning. We also ordered two of the wine flights. DH had the Stellenbosch one (3 different pinotages) and I had the Johannesburg one (3 different cabernet sauvignons), but we each tried all 6.
We had the bread service and pickles/chutneys to start with. This wasn’t included on the dining plan but we had heard so much about it we had to try it. The chilli naan was a bit spicy even for us, and we like spicy food, but the other breads were delicious, as were the pickles/chutneys, DS enjoyed them too. For his entrée DH had the Potjie Inspired, he chose Spicy Durban Shrimp and Goan Seafood Curry with Five-Grain Pilaf. I also had the Potjie Inspired, I chose Butter Chicken and Lentil Dhal and Basmati Rice. DS had the kids’ Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice and Green Beans. These were all very tasty.
For dessert DH and I both had the Banana Cheesecake (Pistachio and Chocolate Sauce) and DS had the Peanut Butter Turtle (Eggless Peanut Butter Mousse and Banana Cake). The desserts were lovely but we were so full by now we didn’t do them justice. I think if we ate here again we would skip the bread service. The total bill was $144.36 including tax. We used 3 x TS credits, paid $50.04 for the wine flights and the bread service and left $27.11 tip.

Day 10 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – breakfast
DH had the Bounty Platter (Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuit, and small Mickey-shaped Waffle), DS and I both had the Mickey-Shaped Waffles (three small Mickey-shaped waffles with bacon). DS had a chocolate milk as his included drink and DH and I took bottles of water to take out with us. We used 3 x QS credits. This would have been around $33 with tax.

Day 10 – Boardwalk Pizza Window – lunch
We had no trouble parking at the Boardwalk, we just said we wanted to look around and have something to eat. We used 2 x QS credits to get a large Italian sausage, caramelised onion and red pepper pizza (this was the special that day), plus 2 pomegranate lemonades and 2 chocolate cakes. The pizza was enormous, 8 large slices so we didn’t manage the chocolate cake and took it back to AKL to put in the room fridge. We also got some cups of iced water to top up our sports bottles. It was really hot today and very humid which wasn’t very pleasant. Apologies for the pizza photo we had dived in before I took a photo, so three slices are missing. We never did get round to eating the chocolate cakes.

Day 10 – Wilderness Lodge – Whispering Canyon Café – dinner
We drove to Wilderness Lodge as the Disney transport seemed a bit of a faff and arrived about 10 minutes early for our ADR but got seated straight away. There was quite a lot of interaction, the kid at the next table spilt his drink and had to clean up the floor, the ketchup (30 or so bottles of it) made its way from table to table, and a man at the next but one table got put behind bars. DS enjoyed the banter but didn’t want to join in with the hobby horse riding.
DH and I ordered the All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Platter (Starting with Family-style Mixed Greens tossed in an Apple Vinaigrette Dressing and Fresh-baked Cornbread. Featuring Slow-smoked Pork Ribs, Barbecued Pulled Pork, Roasted Chicken, Oak-roasted Beef Strip Loin, and Western-style Sausage served with Seasonal Farm Fresh Vegetables, Mashed Yukon Potatoes, Corn on the Cobb, and Cowboy-style Baked Beans) and DS had a kids’ Cheeseburger, but also had some sausage and corn on the cob from our platter. DH had a Moosehead beer, I had a lemonade and DS had a chocolate shake which he didn’t really enjoy as it was quite sickly, so he had some water instead. We took our desserts to go, they were actually offering this to everyone when they took the dessert orders so I suspect they were trying to turn the tables over quickly. We were fine with this as we weren’t that hungry. DH and I both had Apple-Caramel Pie (fresh Granny Smith Apples, Sugar Cookie Crust, Streusel Topping, and Caramel Drizzle) and DH had the chocolate chip cookies. The total bill was $113.50 including tax. We used 3 x TS credits and paid $7.19 for the beer and left a $19.18 tip. They were a little slow bringing the bill considering they had brought our desserts to go.

Day 11 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Sci Fi Dine-In Theater - breakfast
Yet another early start as in my wisdom I had booked an 8.05 am ADR for the Sci Fi Dine-In Theater breakfast when it was announced, this was a trial I think, so not sure if it is still happening. This wasn’t the best value use of a TS credit, but as we hadn’t planned any signature meals we needed to use up our credits. We checked in for our ADR about 10 minutes early and had to wait a short while to be seated. The menu includes a plate of Sci-Fi Fresh Baked Pastries (Croissant, Double Chocolate Muffin, and Orange-glazed Cinnamon Bun) and then a choice of starter and main. DH and I both had the Yogurt Parfait with fresh Berries and House-made Granola as our starter, this was nice but very sweet, I would have preferred my yoghurt to be more on the tangy side. DS had the Seasonal fresh Fruit and Berries. For his main DH had the Steak and Eggs (Grilled Beef Tenderloin on Oven-roasted Tomato with Bacon and Cheddar Custard, Baby Spinach and Cheesy Horseradish Potatoes) and I had the Brioche French Toast (Macadamia-crusted Brioche French Toast with Mascarpone and fresh Berries), this was probably a bit of a mistake as it was very very sweet and so I didn’t manage to finish it. DS had the kids’ Traditional Breakfast (Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, and Breakfast Potatoes). Overall we enjoyed the experience and DS was glued to the screen, but it was a bit anti-social sitting in the car as a three. DS and I sat in the front, DH on his own in the middle row and then we had a hitch-hiking couple in the back. Our bill only shows the tip which was $10.97. We used 3 x TS credits and I think the bill would have been around $62 including tax.

Day 11 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Backlot Express - lunch
We used 2 x CS credits and got a Chili Dog with cheese and fries, with the chili on the side so DH and DS could share and a Grilled Vegetable Sandwich (Basil Asiago Artisan Bread, fresh Mushrooms, Red Peppers, Zucchini, Tomato, Watercress, Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto) with carrot sticks. We had two strawberry lemonade slushies as our drinks and switched desserts for another strawberry lemonade slushy and another side of fries to share. This was still more than enough for 3, DH and DS shared the hot dog, I shared the veg sandwich with DH and we all had some of the fries. We struggled to finish the slushies so we decanted what was left into our sports bottles for later.

Day 11 – Polynesian Village Resort – ‘Ohana - dinner
We caught an MK bus and then got on the monorail round to the Polynesian for our ADR at ‘Ohana. We were about 10 minutes late arriving and were seated about 10 minutes after we arrived. Our server was Donna and she was great. We really enjoyed the welcome bread and the salad, dumplings and chicken wings. The noodles were a bit too sweet for our taste. Donna asked if we wanted to have a bit more time before she started bringing the skewers which was nice. However at some point someone whisked away our salad, which would have been nice to have with the skewers. In hindsight I think we could have asked for more salad, it just seemed odd they took it away without asking. The skewer service was very good. We had steak first, big pieces, cooked medium to medium well and tender with a good flavour. Chicken came next, again this was well cooked. Shrimp came next, I took some and gave to DH, DS had been instructed to do the same but he didn’t. However Donna offered us more of whatever we wanted so DH had more shrimp. The bread pudding was amazing. I can’t remember what we had to drink and I didn’t make a note of it, but we all had soft drinks. The bill was $101.97 including tax, we used 3 x TS credits and left $20.39 tip.

Day 12 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – breakfast
We used 4 x Snack credits in the Mara for breakfast, DH had a custard Danish, I had a blueberry muffin and DS had an apple Danish and an orange juice. DH and I used our refillable mugs for drinks.

Day 12 – Magic Kingdom – Dole Whip
We shared a Dole Whip, really just to say we’d had one. It was nice and refreshing and we found some shade to sit in while we ate it. We used 1 x Snack credit.

Day 12 – Magic Kingdom – Be Our Guest - lunch
We sat in the room with the snowy windows, which I think is the ballroom. DH had the Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich (served warm on a Baguette with Horseradish Sour Cream and Pommes Frites), I had the Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style) (Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans Jardiniere) and DS had the Croque Monsieur (Grilled Sandwich of Carved Ham and Gruyere Cheese and Bechamel with Pommes Frites) without the béchamel sauce. All of these were really tasty and we all tucked in. My only tiny criticism would be that the pork was a bit too salty for my taste. DH and I both had the Lemon Meringue Cupcake (Vanilla Sponge Cake, Lemon Custard Filling and Flamed Meringue Icing). We were a bit surprised just how sweet these were, we would have expected to get a real tang from the lemon. Just another example of how much excess sugar seems to be added to food, even the salad dressings we had were really sweet. DS had the The Master's Cupcake (Chocolate Sponge Cake topped with Lumiere’s special “Grey Stuff”). DH had coffee, I had a soda and DS had the chocolate milk. We all really enjoyed this meal and it was lovely to be sitting down in the air-conditioning away from the heat and the hustle and bustle outside.

Day 12 – Pirate’s and Pals Cruise - snacks
We weren’t overly impressed with the snacks to be honest, there were some tortilla chips and salsa, some small packs of pretzels and cheesy popcorn, some packs of apple slices, some chocolate cake and a variety of ice creams. I think we’d have preferred a few more savoury options.

Day 12 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – late night snacks
We hadn’t really expected to need anything after the cruise, but we felt like we hadn’t had anything particularly “healthy” to eat. DH had an oaty flapjack cookie, I had a pot of hummus and vegetables and DS got some apple slices. For some bizarre reason these were served with a pot of caramel. I have no idea why something sweet that contains plenty of natural sugar needs to have another pot of sugar on the side? We used 3 x snack credits to pay for these and took them back to our room.

Day 13 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – breakfast
DH had the Bounty Platter (Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, Bacon, Sausage, Biscuit, and small Mickey-shaped Waffle), with a chocolate milk and also had coffee in his refillable mug. I had the Mickey-shaped Waffles (three small Mickey-shaped Waffles with Bacon) and a chocolate milk and also had iced water in my refillable mug. DS had the adult Bounty Platter and an apple juice. We used 3 x QS credits, this would have cost around $37 including tax.

Day 13 – EPCOT – Akershus - lunch
We had Photopass pictures taken with Belle and then sat down and our server took our order. DH and I ordered pomegranate lemonade and DS had an apple juice. DH and I were struggling to decide between the beef sandwich and the meatballs so we ordered one of each and shared them. DH ordered the Slow-cooked Beef Sandwich (with Roasted Shallot Mayonnaise, Munster Cheese, Roasted Red Pepper, Arugula, and Fried Onions), I ordered the Traditional Kjøttkake (Norwegian Meatballs served with Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and Lingonberry Sauce) and DS ordered the kids’ Pizza topped with Mozzarella. I had thought about upgrading DS’s park tickets so he would have the adult dining plan as he is quite an adventurous eater, but in the end decided as we had quite a few buffet type meals booked and he could order adult meals in QS that we wouldn’t bother. It is quite disappointing though how repetitive and uninteresting the kids’ meals are.
There was no sign of the princesses so we went up to the appetizer buffet. I had a mix of different salads and cheeses, DS had mainly meat and cheese and DH had everything, mostly fish. The appetizers were good and the entrées here were really tasty, especially the beef sandwich. While we were eating the princesses came around, Cinderella was first, then Snow White and then Sleeping Beauty (we think, she had blonde hair and a pink dress, sorry, with a boy we aren’t that well up on the different princesses, at first we thought she was Rapunzel, but I think she was Sleeping Beauty). Dessert was a sharing platter of a rice cream (a bit like rice pudding), a chocolate mousse and an apple tart. The apple tart was the best of the three, really crisp pastry. The bill came to $127.77 including tax and we left $19.43 tip.

Day 13 – EPCOT – Food and Wine stalls
We wanted to start in Greece, which I think was set up somewhere between Future World and the World Showcase. We had spotted it earlier in the day, but in the dark we completely failed to find it, so we just decided to skip it and carry on. Our first stop was Patagonia for the Beef Empanada, we shared this and all enjoyed it. Next stop was Australia where we got 2 portions of the Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies, this was delicious. We carried on around to China and had a Beijing Roasted Duck in a Steamed Bun with Hoisin Sauce, DS wasn’t keen on this one so DH and I shared it, it was nice but I think I’d have preferred a thinner pancake rather than the bun. Next stop was Germany, DH queued up for a beer and I got a Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll which DS demolished, only allowing DH and I a tiny taste. DH got a Braufactum Progusta IPA beer fr $6.75, he enjoyed this but thought it was a bit on the small side for the price. Our final stop was at the Funnel Cake stand where we shared a Funnel Cake with icing sugar. In total we used 6 x Snack Credits. I’m sure we would have tried more different things if we’d had two separate days in World Showcase, but the torrential rain on our first EPCOT day meant we didn’t do this.

Day 14 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – breakfast
DH had the banana nut bread and DS and I both had chocolate croissants. This was 3 x Snack credits and we paid $2.76 for a strawberry milk for DS. I drank water and DH had coffee using the refillable mugs.

Day 14 – Animal Kingdom – Yak & Yeti Local Food Café and Restaurantosaurus - lunch
DH and I fancied something from the Yak & Yeti Local Food Café and DS wasn’t keen, so I queued up at Yak & Yeti while DH took DS round to Restaurantosaurus. I told them to get a table and said I would meet them there. I ordered a Teriyaki Beef Bowl (Marinated Beef, Carrots, Snap Peas, Mushrooms in Sweet Teriyaki Sauce with White Rice) with two frozen lemonades (one as the dessert and one instead of a drink) for DH and I to share, this was 1 x QS credit and would have cost around $19 including tax. DH got a Macaroni & Cheese Hot Dog (Creamy Macaroni and Cheese and tasty Bacon Bits top our delicious Hot Dog served in a fresh Bun with your choice of Apple Slices or French Fries) with fries and without the Mac & Cheese (DS eats pretty much anything, but hates Mac & Cheese), a cheesecake and an apple juice. This was also 1 x QS credit and would have cost around $18.50 including tax.
I carried the food from Yak & Yeti on the tray around to Restaurantosaurus. As I got there DH and DS were just collecting their food from the counter. We found a table and a mother and (grown up) daughter next to us gave DS the bucket and spade as they had ordered a kids’ meal. The Teriyaki Beef was really tasty, the hot dog was a hot dog. We liked the frozen lemonades, but I think we preferred the slushies we’d had earlier in the week.

Day 14 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Boma - dinner
We all enjoyed this meal, although I would have liked there to have been a meat curry of some sort, DH liked the seafood one. The selection of salads was great and I had quite a few of them as a starter, the white bean hummus and the eggplant (aubergine) and feta salad were great. I thought the zebra domes were a little bit sickly but DH and DS liked them. I seemed to be going up and down to the buffet at different times to DH and DS so I’ve only got photos of their dessert plates. Our server Victor was a bit grumpy but not enough to make a difference. I had another No-jito but had to pay for this one, at Sanaa it was included on the dining plan, DH had a Tusker Kenyan lager and we both had pomegranate lemonade as our dining plan drink, DS had an apple juice. We used 3 x TS credits and paid $12.77 including tax for the drinks and left a $33.28 tip. I didn’t make a note of the total bill but I think it was $121.35.

Day 15 – Magi Kingdom – Be Our Guest – breakfast
We sat in the ballroom again, this time the Christmas tree had been put up and we got a table quite near to it. DH had the Eggs Florentine (Puff Pastry Shell filled with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and fresh Spinach served with Country Ham, Roasted Plum Tomatoes) and a selection of pastries. I had the Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich (Poached Eggs, Applewood Bacon, Brie Cheese, and Arugula on a toasted Baguette served with Fresh Fruit) and a selection of pastries. DS had the Croissant Doughnut (Fried Doughnut topped with Banana-Caramel Sauce, Pastry Crème, and Chocolate Ganache served with fresh Fruit) and a selection of pastries. We saved some of the pastries for later. DH had coffee and DS and I both had milk. We used 3 x QS credits, and now just had 2 left for lunch. This would have cost around $70 including tax. I preferred the open-faced sandwich to the eggs Florentine I had had last week.

Day 15 – Magic Kingdom – Plaza Ice Cream Parlour – ice cream sundaes
We still had 6 x Snack credits left, so we decided that an ice cream was in order. We went to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlour. DH and I had All-American Sundaes (Old-fashioned Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream with Hot Fudge, Peanut Butter Drizzle, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry), DS had the The "Plaza" Ice Cream Sundae (Hot Fudge, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry served in a freshly made Waffle Bowl with your choice of two hand-scoops of Ice Cream), he chose Mint Choc Chip and Cookies & Cream. These were quite sickly, probably the hot fudge and the peanut butter drizzle, and even though all the tables outside had umbrellas there was surprisingly little shade. We used 3 x Snack credits, these would have cost just over $17 including tax. We used the last 3 x Snack credits for sweets to take home.

Day 15 – Animal Kingdom Lodge – Mara – late lunch
DH had the Angus Bacon Cheeseburger with fries and DS and I shared a Pepperoni Flatbread. DH and I used our refillable mugs, DS had an orange juice and we swapped the other drink for a side of fries. We swapped the desserts for a bag of Trail Mix and a bag of gummy characters. We used our final 2 x QS credits. This would have cost around $36 including tax. So in the end we did manage to use all of our credits, but did throw away the two chocolate cakes we got from the Boardwalk Pizza Window. I have to say though that we didn’t always finish our meals at the table service restaurants and we also had far more sugar / sweet things than we would normally eat.

Day 15 – MCO – Outback Steakhouse – dinner
We decided to go to Outback to get something to eat as we weren’t sure we would like the plane food. DH and I both had a 9 oz sirloin with a baked potato, we’d have preferred a smaller steak, but this was the smallest, unless we wanted a fillet steak. DH had a Samuel Adams lager and I had a pink lemonade. DS had grilled cheese (a cheese toastie to you and me) and vegetables (broccoli, courgettes and carrots) and a pineapple juice, I think by this point he was really craving his 5 a day. We didn’t really do this justice as I think we were still quite full from lunch, and in hindsight DH and I should have shared. The bill was $55.36 including tax and we left $10 tip.

Final thoughts
I'm not sure we would do the DDP again if we went again. I think if we were staying onsite we would look for a free nights offer instead. I certainly wouldn't pay for DDP. It was an awful lot of food and we found having table service reservations pretty much every day meant we always felt under a bit of pressure to get to the next reservation. I think as a family we would prefer to go with the flow a bit and also try more of the offsite restaurants. I know we could have booked some 2 credit meals and had fewer reservations in total but I honestly don't think we'd have done the meals justice, we just never seemed to be very hungry.

[Sparksy72]

What a great report! 😊

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

What a great report! 😊

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Thank you. I wasn't great at remembering to take photos of everything, especially snacks and QS. Tbh I had never been one for taking photos of food in restaurants until this trip.

[eeyore]

Great report thanks for sharing

[Guest]

Originally Posted by eeyore

Great report thanks for sharing

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Thank you

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing - great food pics

[Sweets]

I love food reports. Thanks for sharing.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Sweets

I love food reports. Thanks for sharing.

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thank you

[tomjoe]

really enjoyed this report
I'm off in the kitchen now to see what food I can find

[beegnjasmum]

Excellent reading and so much detail. Thank you for sharing your experience. ☺