Beers, Ears and Thirty Years - The Food, The Drinks and The Fun! COMPLETE!

[oh_darling]

Originally Posted by beck_loz

Great start, look forward to hearing more

See more...

Thank you! More coming right up x

Originally Posted by candycat75

Great start! Looking forward to all the veggie food pics.

See more...

Thanks! Ahh aawesome, are you veggie too? Will def be lots coming up! xxx

Originally Posted by theCMG

love the photo out of the window. Not enough car parks offer pulled pork IMO

edit actually that sounds dodgy. You know what I mean

See more...

Hahaha! I couldn't agree more! It should be mandatory haha! What a great view to wake up to every morning though But it did make us so hungry reading all the amazing food they were serving! Tough times x

[oh_darling]

Day 2 - Friday 20th April 2018

Our first full day! Benj didn’t sleep super well bless him, I woke up at about 2.30 which was a bit of a disaster but managed to fall back to sleep at til 5, then again til 7.30! So I actually did really well! Ben was awake about 6 I think, whatsapping our friends and I woke up to so many notifications from our groups haha!

We got dressed and ready



We then went down for brekkie about 8.30. There was a really great selection for breakfast which we weren’t really expecting so that was great! I only took one photo today, of my Mickey waffles but there will be more throughout the dining report! In a nutshell thpugh, each day there was fresh fruit, porridge, cereal, yoghurt, bagels, english muffins, scrambled eggs (some days with cheese! ) sausages or bacon, and a waffle maker with flavoured batter! Tea, coffee and fresh juice too, it was great!



It was busy at 8.30 but we figured most mornings we’d be at brekkie earlier than that so we weren’t too worried.

We then ordered an Uber to the TTC after a slight drama involving our WeSwap cards not working with Uber and trying to figure out how we could pay for Uber on the holiday! We eventually downloaded Uber to my phone and I paid for it with my Paypal so all good! For future ref though, you can’t use WeSwap cards with Uber!

So we mosied on over to the TTC first and got the monoral to Epcot. This was Ben’s idea, he thought it’d get us all excited for the parks and the fact that we were actually here. He was so right! It was amazing! Soooooo got us in the mood and such a nice start to the holiday

We were jelly of people getting off though! Boo We then did a full resort loop on the monorail, passed the Pav (<3) and got off at the Contemporary. I was super chuffed because we walked into the gift shop and I straightaway saw they had the rose gold Minnie ears, yay! The initial frenzy of them had died down but I’d thought it’d still be hard to find them, but they they were! I will say though that I felt the frenzy surrounding them meant Disney had rush made them because they really weren’t great quality Stitching all over the place and no 2 pairs that looked the same, the bows were all skewed! I managed to find a really nice pair so I was happy but it was crazy seeing them all next to each other and how different they were. I bought my ears and a pin for Benj’s birthday (I bought him a denim jacket he’s buying pins/patches for )

Ears on!



We then walked aalllllllll the way up the outside stairs to the top of the Contemporary a la Tim Tracker to see the beautiful veiws of MK from up there. This was such a lovely thing to do and I’d really recommend! A great way to see a different side of the parks.



Lots of photo ops!







Monorail wall!





We then monorailed to the Poly!

Another gratuitous rose gold ears shot I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself! They were just so beautiful!



We had a little wander round just soaking in the atmosphere of this beautiful resort. And then, it was Dole Whip time! We ordered two pineapple floats and sat out on the beautiful Trader Sam’s terrace to enjoy our treats.



Omg. So freakin good. It was mega hot too so they really hit the spot!

We got talking to a couple of native Floridians who were enjoying a portion of tuna poke nachos from Captain Cooks outside next to us! They were called Chad and Andrew and they were so so lovely! They made our day! They’d come to the Poly as it was Chad’s birthday and he wanted the poke nachos haha!

Such a perfect view



We then tried to head over to the GF via the walkway but there was a wedding taking place on the beach that we didn’t want to get in the way of so we hung around awkwardly for a bit ha before we were able to walk through. We went to see the beautiful Pavilion to see it for the first time since we got married and since it had its makeover! I got so emotional and just couldn’t stop crying oops, it was amazing to be back there and to have all the emotions of the day and the memories flooding back. We loved the new look too, but were glad we got it pre-makeover as it went better with our theme!











Once I’d managed to compose myself we went over to the main building and popped into the beautiful little shop where we bought a STUNNING print of the wedding pavilion which makes me so happy! I’ll add a photo once we’d framed it, it’s all safely wrapped up still! We got chatting to the CM at the desk who wanted to hear all about the wedding which was lovely, then she gave us badges for Ben’s birthday! THEN a fellow guest said congratulations to us and gave us two Mickey rice treats! WHAT A GREAT DAY! We weren’t sure if she was just being lovely or if she was trying to use up snack credits but either way we were so grateful We went and sat in the lobby of the GF for a little bit afterwards as we seize any opportunity to hang out in the lobby.

Benj showing off his freebie! (which he couldn’t eat as it has gelatine in but it’s the thought that counts! )



We then wandered over to get the bus to Disney Springs and oh boy was it good to be back! We strolled around a bit taking it all in, then went into Sephora where I tried ALL THE NUDES on my hand and had some awesome help from the brilliant guys and girls who work there. I love matte liquid lipsticks and Kat Von D is my fave but I was after some new ones and they said if I wanted to buy a couple I could try them and BRING THEM BACK if they didn’t suit me! I was like, I’m sorry, what!? Bring makeup back to a store and get a full refund? They couldn’t believe we didn’t do that in the UK and I was so so excited! So I bought my two favourites and it was great because I could try them both over the enxt couple of days and then I ended up bringing one back so good! Game-changer!





And then it was lunchtime! Woooo! After MUCH deliberation (lots of online menu reading/vegetarian Disney forum reading/discussion etc) we went for the Polite Pig! Now, this is a BBQ restaurant so not the first place you’d think of for a vegetarian, but Ben had seen an online review of a girl on Veg Disney (an awesome FB group) who ordered a bunch of sides for her main and it all looked amazing! So we went in and ordered 4 ‘Market Sides’ to share, plus a beer for Benj and a cocktail for me. It came to approx. $45 so not cheap, but not bad for a lunch for 2 at Disney Springs with alcohol! We went and grabbed a really cute table outside which was so nice for people watching and it was lovely to be sat outside enjoying the ambiance of Disney Springs. Have I mentioned how much I love Disney Springs!?

And then our food arrived and it was so exciting, we got so much! And then I went inside to get condiments and it was double excitement because there was so many awesome housemade BBQ sauces to try! I got them all!

So our spread was as follows:

BBQ Cauliflower - Paprika Sour Cream and Candied Pepitas

Mac and Cheese - with Aged Cheddar and Breadcrumbs

Crispy Brussel Sprouts - with Whiskey-Caramel

Sweet Potato Tots - with Parmesan Cheese

I got a Polite Punch - Light Rum, Whiskey, Passion Fruit, Lime and Bitters and Benj got some sort of IPA.









Wow, everything was delicious! We were so impressed, it was all super hot and freshly cooked. It was also the perfect amount to share and made for a lovely lunch where we were full but not dying. My fave was the cauliflower and Ben liked the sprouts, and we both went mad for the tots! SO so good!

We did a bit more shopping and general browsing after lunch and then decided it was high time to sit back and relax with a cocktail or 2, our favourite thing to do in DS. We made our way over to Dockside Margs but tragically it was super busy and we couldn’t see 2 tables together, so after a bit of discussion we decided to go and see if we could get drinks at Homecomin’s Moonshine bar. We totally could! It wasn’t busy and I asked if we could get a table right out on the dock bit of the outside seating area which was so nice and peaceful!



We had a lovely waitress who was super chatty and talked us all through the history of moonshine which was so fun to learn about! We both ordered one of the on top MOonshines:

BLUE HOOCH - Blue Flame moonshine, lemon-infused moonshine, blue curaçao, house-made simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and a splash of Sprite®. Our strongest shine on tap (16-oz or 22-oz)



Which were as delicious as they sound! So delicious, in fact, that we ordered another round! We were just having such a lovely time with our beautiful waterside spot, enjoying a band playing nearby, that we weren’t ready for the afternoon to end.

Another photo of my ears…



We then Uber’ed back to the Comfort Inn (Ubers were usually no more than $13 by the way, from Disney Springs to our hotel which was great!) and got ready for our dinner at Bahama Breeze. We were super excited for this dinner, I’d pre-booked us a table at 8pm earlier on in the day so we strolled down I Drive at about 7.30. It took aaggggesss though and it was really hot so we decided we’d more than likely Uber back home afterwards! This was one of those occasions where we were trying to save money and be frugal but it was so hot and we knew we’d be full, plus we didn’t think it would cost a lot so not really worth worrying about! (It wasn’t - $7! Barg)

Once we got to Bahama Breeze it was absolutely heaving (Friday night!) so we were soooo glad we’d pre booked! We weren’t sure if we’d still have a wait though so we were prepared. We wandered up to the check in desk and were taken straight through the sea of people waiting to be seated, all the way to an AMAZING booth table by the window! I was so happy because I flippin love a booth table, plus it was amazing to be seated so quickly with the jet lag setting in and us both starting to feel a bit sleepy, it was good to know it wouldn’t be a late night!



I think of Bahama Breeze as being one of the nicer mid-range restaurants on I-Drive so we were excited for a slightly more formal meal. Drinks first, I wasn’t feeling wine and faniced a lovely fruity cocktail, so plumped for a


PINEAPPLE-COCONUT MARTINI - Cruzan Coconut Rum, pineapple juice, grenadine, garnished with rum-infused golden pineapple.



This was so insanely delicious and I was so happy with my choice! I believe Benj got another IPA but I don’t have a note of it, apologies! He was all over the IPAs this holiday though!



We also ordered a starter of guac and chips to share. This was amazing! A nice sensible portion too - I was going to get starter then main, the full shebang, but neither of us were really hungry enough so we made the very sensible decision to share a little something while we decided on our mains.

GUAC 'N CHIPS - Homemade guacamole with crispy corn tortilla and plantain chips.

I don’t think either of us were enamoured with the plaintain chips though ha!



Then for mains I was torn between my favourite coconut shrimp, and getting a dish I’d seen online before we left and thought sounded incredible but was a bit nervous to order in case it disappointed (I have such high expectations for food hahah!) in the end I opted to try the new dish eeekkkk and I’m insanely happy to report it DID NOT DISAPPPOINT!

This, my friends, is CARIBBEAN-STYLE LOBSTER MAC & CHEESE - Lightly fried lobster tail with griddled Bahamian mac & cheese. Served with roasted bell pepper sauce, homemade chimichurri and green beans.





I KNOW RIGHT!? Oh my goodness gracious me it was amazing. Super hot and crisp, freshly fried LOBSTER, beautifully cheesy griddle mac and cheese with an amazing char crust, and a rich sauce to top it all over. I was a very happy Libby and basically spent the next 15 or so minutes smiling manically while trying not to get full. But full I did get, and our lovely server packed up basically all the mac and cheese for me (I figured the lobster wouldn’t keep as well so focused on that and the beans!) Honestly though guys, I was so impressed with this meal. I’ve honestly never had such an incredibly, complimentary combination of flavours in a dish before. Heaven!

While I was losing my, ahem, stuff, on one side of the table, Benj was over on the other side also loving life with his choice:

JACKFRUIT TACOS Flour tortillas filled with jackfruit, jicama-mango slaw, corn and black bean salsa, tortilla strips and Sriracha aioli.





He opted for 3 rather than 2 (obvs) and was super happy with his choice. This dish was actually the reason we decided to eat at BB so there was a lot resting on it but again, it didn’t disappoint! I tried a bite of taco and it was beautiful, super tender jackfruit and lovely spicy, fruity flavours.

After we managed to put away what we could of these mountains of food, we hit a sudden tiredness wall and basically needed to be home and in bed about 20 minutes ago. We asked for the bill and paid up, and I ordered an Uber at the same time. Dinner was $52 and we left a $10 tip. Pretty good for such a delicious meal! Due to the aforementioned tiredness wall, we got straight into bed when we got back to our rool and fell asleep, even though it was only about 9.45! We had a BIG DAY ahead of us though and had to be up early (even earlier for me as you’ll see in the next installment! ) so it was all good!

Approx. food spends:

Dinner: $62
Lunch: $45
Dole Whips: $11

= $118

Drinks at Shine bar: roughly $40 but came out of Ben’s birthday money, woo!

[Connies Mummy]

Really enjoying reading your report ,Libby, looking forward to the next instalment. I am also now looking forward to my dinner your pics have made me so hungry!

[Goldia]

The resort hopping and looking around sounds fun. Might try the walk up to the top of the contemporary when we go for brunch in August.

I'm glad you managed to get a dole whip fix, yummy! Then off to disney springs, polite pig seems like the perfect spot for a veggie!

I'm not surprised you were a bit worn out at the end, a fab non park day!

[disneypars]

Another fabulous foodie day. Great to know you can now ADR for Bahamas Breeze.

[SquishTheWhale]

What a lovely first day! I've totally taken a note of that lobster mac dish at Bahama Breeze- if I can resist the coconut shrimp next time!

I'm also impressed with how nice you look in all your photos. I totally look a frizzy and sweaty mess in every Orlando photo of me. Hair care secrets please lol.

[MissFortune]

Food looks great, I always love it when stuff not only lives up to expectations but smashes them.

You look very beautiful in your rose gold ear selfies. So happy and your skin so glowy!

[Zomax25]

Just stumbled across your food report. Thanks for sharing. It all looked amazing!

[Ycryan]

Aw fantastic updates, really enjoying reading along. x

[eleele]

Mmmm those tacos look so fresh and delicious.

What a lovely day you had, how perfectly romantic to be able to re-visit the wedding pavilion.

Those rose gold ears look fab!