You Used a Snack Credit on a COKE? - WDW, Universal, Sanibel - **COMPLETE**

[Guest]

Originally Posted by GopherLass

Thanks for humouring me!

If it's a 1 credit Epcot meal you're after - and everyone likes Italian - we really enjoyed our lunch at Via Napoli. I'd read mixed reviews, but our meal was delicious. Fun for kids, too.

Not that you asked...

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Actually we do have that one booked. We're looking for another 1 credit table service on an epcot day. We've got Rose & Crown plummed in but might have to do it twice

[Guest]

Originally Posted by LittleNoo

Actually we do have that one booked. We're looking for another 1 credit table service on an epcot day. We've got Rose & Crown plummed in but might have to do it twice

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I know what my DH would say to that - "Another chance to have an English pint - pulled by an English barman!"

The only other 1 credit meal we did at/around Epcot was Akershus. My DS LOVED the food (there was a lot of fish on the buffet; he adores fish) and I liked it, too (no fish for me, though). For a main I had the meatballs - they were tender and delicious. The desserts were a bit meh - but I'd go back.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by GopherLass

I know what my DH would say to that - "Another chance to have an English pint - pulled by an English barman!"

The only other 1 credit meal we did at/around Epcot was Akershus. My DS LOVED the food (there was a lot of fish on the buffet; he adores fish) and I liked it, too (no fish for me, though). For a main I had the meatballs - they were tender and delicious. The desserts were a bit meh - but I'd go back.

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The issue we have is an almost 12 yr old who will only eat beige food, pizza or ketchup, a testing 3 yr old with milk allergies and then a veggie MIL

[Guest]

I surrender!

[jemima2]

I have that song from the chicken tonight ad stuck in my head now...anyone else? No? ! ' i feel like chicken tonight...' and so on...😀 this is great thanks

[Guest]

Originally Posted by jemima2

I have that song from the chicken tonight ad stuck in my head now...anyone else? No? ! ' i feel like chicken tonight...' and so on...😀 this is great thanks

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Oh, jemima2 - that's exactly why I put the picture in the report - because as soon as I typed the words "chicken tonight" that's what I thought of!

Day 14 up momentarily...thanks so much for posting!

[Guest]

Day 14


Breakfast, Artist's Palette (Saratoga Springs)


We were up early (and nothing was open for breakfast at Disney Springs yet) - so we decided to share the Mickey waffles again up at Artist’s Palette.

They were still...fine. Bacon still delicious.

Pot of pineapple chunks gobbled up.


Yet another dining plan fail as we both just drank tap water.


I wish we found the other breakfast choices at Artist’s Palette more appealing - but almost everything else was “eggy”.


Lunch, Typhoon Tilly's (Typhoon Lagoon)


Today was Typhoon Lagoon day, and after we did Crush ‘n’ Gusher for the third or fourth time, Poot felt hungry. We broke one of the Dibb’s cardinal rules - and ate at the first place we came to.

I just let Poot pick out our lunch - there was nothing on the menu here that I was desperate to get. Is there food at Typhoon Lagoon that I should be desperate to get?


I think I mentioned in my last post that Poot has a weird pesto obsession, and indeed he chose the…

Turkey Pesto Sandwich - lettuce, tomato, pesto aioli, and Provolone with apple slices or house-made chips $9.99 (we used 1 QS credit)


I assumed that the house-made chips would be POTATO chips, but no - they were tortilla chips (bleurgh!). And just as I was about to ask to swap them for the apples, Poot’s grubby little paw shot out and took one. Too late!


Well, the sandwich was pretty good, once we hacked off half the bread. I like my sandwiches bread+MEAT+bread, but Disney seems to prefer BREAD+meat+BREAD. We’ll have to agree to disagree, Disney.


And - of course - the only tortilla chip Poot ate was the one he grabbed back at the counter. Because...tortilla chips...bleurgh!


Last night at Citricos I had ordered Key lime pie for dessert. Poot had never tried it before - but he enjoyed it so much that he asked for it again at Typhoon Tilly’s.

It was good. Not as good as the pie at Citricos had been (this one was heavier), but still a nice change from the typical Disney puddings - with a good SMACK of tart lime flavour. Thumbs up!


I’m sure I don’t need to tell you by now that with our lunch Poot had tap water and I had a Diet Coke. We used one QS credit for the sandwich, chips (bleurgh!), pie and pop. Poot’s water was of course, free.



We had Hoop-Dee-Doo on the schedule tonight, but not until 8:30 PM. I wanted category one seats (only available on the DDP for the late show) and I figured that we’d both be good to stay up late by this point in the holiday. Stay tuned...


Dinner, Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue (Fort Wilderness)


Now I know that people get to Fort Wilderness a million ways - but I like to go from Magic Kingdom. It was strange - on the bus the recording was revving people up for the Christmas Party (on tonight) - but of course we were just using MK as a transfer point.


“Let’s get this Holiday Sleigh on its way...to the Magic Kingdom!”


We got to MK a little bit too soon to head straight over to the Fort, so after taking this snap...

…(I’d missed it the night of our party) we walked over to the Contemporary to check out the Gingerbread Castle.

Poot was set a challenge by one of the CMs...could he find all the “hidden Olafs” on the Castle?


Yes, he could - and the CM insisted on giving him an “I’m Celebrating” badge…

After checking out the pin board in Fantasia Gifts (sadly they were scrappers all) we went down to the marina and hopped the boat for Fort Wilderness. I LOVE that there is boat service between the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness/Wilderness Lodge.


I want to start my dinner report by saying that my parents took my brother and I to HDD as children. I had such fond memories of the show that I couldn’t wait to take my own son when he was old enough to enjoy it.


And I did. R.C. and I took Poot to Hoop in December 2012 - and had a great time (even paying OOP, which is saying something). The food wasn’t fancy, but it was hot and tasty - and the strawberry shortcake was crammed with fat, fresh berries. Yum. Poot enjoyed the silly show so much that I told him we could go back one day.


So here we were - back.


I want to start with some positives. I love the setting (at Fort Wilderness) - and it seems even more special to arrive by boat and then make your way up into the campground…


We were a bit early, so Poot asked if we could go to the Trading Post and...look for pins. And wow! does the Trading Post have pins...I wish I had taken a snap of the “pin cabinet” - it was HUGE! And it was locked up tight when we got there - but Poot worked his magic and before I knew it out came the key and HUNDREDS of pins were revealed. After all that, did Poot want to trade for any of them?

Sorry, kind Fort Wilderness lady…


The check-in system for Hoop seems a bit convoluted - and there was a lot of queueing to be done (all in SEPARATE lines). First we queued up to get a slip of paper, then we queued up for a photo, then we queued up to get our table assignment...


The photo op was new since our last visit - and I was excited for it.

To commemorate our trip out to Fort Wilderness, Poot and I were wearing the flannel shirts that we had doctored up in our kitchen a few weeks earlier.

Next time I’m going to make the letters bigger, but I was happy enough with our first try at DIY Disney fashion.


I was actually very glad we’d toted the flannels with us to Florida as - now that we were deep into November - the nights were getting cooler. We actually got a lot of wear out of our shirts, and it was fun to chat with other fans of abstruse Disney songs.

Can’t avoid it any longer...on to Hoop!


We were some of the last guests in the Hall, and it was pretty fun for Poot to walk through all the people and up to our table RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE STAGE.

I *thought* that the two-tops were at the front, but I hadn’t wanted to say anything just in case I was wrong. Poot was VERY excited to sit so close to the action. On the table when we arrived was a kettle of salad and a loaf of cornbread.

The salad was just iceberg lettuce with veg - but it all tasted clean and fresh - the tomatoes were still red and flavoursome (despite it being November). And that cornbread was YUMMY. It was soft and sweet and delicious - it didn’t even need the butter - and you remember how I feel about butter...

As food goes, this was the high point. If you only want good news stop reading now.


Our waiter stopped by to take our drinks order - and yep - water for Poot, Diet Coke for me. I appreciate that they still serve the drinks in jam jars, the theming here is really good.


One of the things that my DH appreciated about Hoop back in 2012 was the unlimited beer - but there are quite a few choices when it comes to the “included” drinks:


Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Root Beer, Sprite, Orange, Pink Lemonade, Iced Tea, Light Pomegranate Lemonade, Apple Juice, Milk, Chocolate Milk, Hot Tea, Coffee, Draft Bud Light, Draft Yuengling, Chardonnay, Rose, Sangria, and Merlot


So if you’re a sauce monkey, have a few Yuenglings - you won’t care what the food tastes like after that!

When the waiter came back with our drinks, I asked him if he could just bring us chicken later, since neither of us care for ribs - and I didn’t want ribs coming out to us only to go back into the kitchen bin. He was pretty put out to be asked - so it was probably good (for him!) that his gratuity was included tonight, eh? Seriously though, I try not to tick off my waiter until AFTER I have my food!


They’ve been staging Hoop for more than forty years, so everything was paced just right with the food and the show. Out came the Pioneer Hall Players (they arrived by stagecoach ) and the show began. Neither of us were “in” the show per se, but Poot was singled out briefly by Sixbits and instructed to “stay sober”. It was cute, people laughed - Poot was in ecstasy. Look at his face!

The evening alternates between acts of the show and breaks for dining. I like the show - it’s pure cone pone, but it’s delivered sincerely and really fun for kids.

It is SO far removed from anything in Poot’s experience that he just loves it. He’s told some of the jokes to me ten or twenty times since we’ve gotten back. I fully believe that provided you want to get into the spirit of the thing - you will enjoy yourself. But be aware: this is not an evening of existentialism and modern jazz. Black turtlenecks and Gauloises need not apply. You get the point.


I was happy enough with the show - but what about the food?


Here’s what your main meal consists of:


Fried Chicken

Smoked Barbecued Pork Ribs

Mashed Potatoes

Cowboy Beans

Seasonal Vegetables


Well, our grumpy waiter did remember to just bring us chicken. It looked like this:

You can see how dry this chicken was (what you can’t see was that it was also cold). I think if this had been the only “bad” thing we got - I would have asked to have some HOT chicken brought out from the kitchen, but once I tasted the side dishes, I just wrote it all off.


Mash, Beans, Seasonal Vegetables:

The mash was OK - it didn’t have much flavour, but it wasn’t lumpy. Frankly, though, ready-meal mash from Tesco (other mashes are available ) tastes better.


I prefer American-style baked beans to the English ones (no nasty tomato sauce) - so I was looking forward to these. Sadly, though the flavour was good - they were also cold.


On to the “seasonal vegetables”. Are you looking for the photo? Scroll up.


What’s that you say? “You said 'seasonal vegetables' - but that’s just tinned corn?”


You, my friend, are right. And it was cold.


Our waiter didn’t ask us how anything was, he just looked at the still-nearly-full serving dishes and said, “I guess you don’t want any more, huh?”


The show started back up again, but by now it was late, and Poot was pretty well done in.

As for me, I was starting to feel a little “off” (Nooooooo!) - and I wondered if I had gotten Poot’s lurgy at last. My eyes were starting to hurt and I felt achy. Frankly, I was ready to go, and I think if we had been sitting at the back of the Hall - we would have.

But as it was I didn’t want to make a spectacle - so we stayed in our seats for the “Strawberry Shortcake” song and the arrival of said pudding.

The shortcake had been the culinary high point of our last visit to Hoop, so I was looking forward to it. But, no! - the lovely, fat, fresh berries were now slimy, mushy tinned berries (I’ll eat my hat if they weren’t).


The “cake” was a little bit better than the one we had at Garden Grill, but the fruit tasted just the same. SO disappointing!


By now I was ready for the entertainment to be over, but that was the part of the evening that Poot had enjoyed - he had woken up when the Shortcake song started and was ready to participate in the show’s finale. I liked this bit - every family got a washboard to play and all the kids were led around the Hall in a sort of washboard conga line. Very cute.

There were a few kids at the table next to ours (but they only got only one washboard) so after he had a quick play I asked Poot to give the washboard to one of the kids - and he got to do the conga line (Sorry, Poot! I didn’t know about the conga…). The parents thanked us so effusively you’d have thought we’d given them a car. The pater familias tried to do some sort of complicated jive fist bump-handshake-thing with Poot, but per usual, Poot’s efforts were less “street” and more Baymax.

Oh, well...


At last the show was over - time to agitate the gravel.


Had we paid out-of-pocket, our night at HDD would have set us back $140. Instead we paid with 4 TS credits.


As we walked out the door of the Hall, Poot said to me, “Mother, that was a funny show, but for the same number of credits we could have eaten at Citricos again!”.


Yes, I know...


Here’s why I REALLY wish the food had been better that night. I love the IDEA of Hoop - it’s one of the only things left from Disney World’s beginnings (it’s actually the same age as your humble author!) and to me it really represents what Disney used to be. Not synergistic marketing but something ELSE - something that is completely unconnected to a Disney film, or a third-party intellectual property.


Hoop stands alone. It doesn’t shill for the next Disney movie (I’m looking at you, “One Man’s Dream”!) - it doesn’t even make you exit through a gift shop. But so many of the non-show elements let the side down (the food, the poor organisation, the food, the surly waitstaff, the food, the buses...).

Tiny rant over…


When it rains it pours...so unlike our last visit to Hoop, when there were buses waiting outside that took you to your own little “resort area” (so ours stopped at Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk and the Swolphin) - tonight all the buses went to Magic Kingdom. On a party night. Just after the fireworks had finished. Sigh.


2littleboys, if you're reading this - I hope I've done you justice!


If you would like to read about our non-food adventures for Day 14 (and find out about the time my DH broke Aquatica!) - the main trippie post for today is HERE.

[daftmum]

Thank you for sharing I'm loving your honesty and your wit. I've got some great ideas for our trip next year. My dd is very much like your Poot. Unfortunately my ds (and dh) prefer plainer meat and 2 veg type meals. Maybe dd and I should do some signatures whilst the boys go for burgers 😉

[2littleboys]

haha, Im reading!

Totally done it justice, you have just made me relive my worst Disney nightmare

The standard of food was just so poor, I would never consider doing it again! So glad to finally have found someone who feels the same, I think you and I could be lifelong friends

[Guest]

Originally Posted by daftmum

Thank you for sharing I'm loving your honesty and your wit. I've got some great ideas for our trip next year. My dd is very much like your Poot. Unfortunately my ds (and dh) prefer plainer meat and 2 veg type meals. Maybe dd and I should do some signatures whilst the boys go for burgers 😉

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Why not have a girls' day out? A lovely meal and maybe a visit to the spa!

Thanks so much for the kind remarks - I'm glad to hear you're finding something to enjoy/help.

Originally Posted by 2littleboys

haha, Im reading!

Totally done it justice, you have just made me relive my worst Disney nightmare

The standard of food was just so poor, I would never consider doing it again! So glad to finally have found someone who feels the same, I think you and I could be lifelong friends

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A Celtic family and a Rangers family friends? First time for everything!


I really struggled to write that post - I think there are people out there who enjoy tearing something down, but I'm not one of them...

It was just SO disappointing (because the food at Hoop used to be GOOD) - and what was meant to be a special mother-and-son night...wasn't. I REALLY felt bad for big families paying OOP.

And I don't drink - so I couldn't even dull the pain with booze...