Rise of the DDP Resistance January 12 - 21, 2020 - COMPLETED: Final day-final thoughts
- Thread starter nco91590
- Start date
AliceNDinah
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2017
Excellent reviews!
I am loving the first picture of the kids snuggled up, so sweet. The tiramisu looks amazing and your orange dress looks comfy and is a beautiful color on you.
Can't wait for more!!!
I am loving the first picture of the kids snuggled up, so sweet. The tiramisu looks amazing and your orange dress looks comfy and is a beautiful color on you.
Can't wait for more!!!
kastoney
Disney foodie served with a side of sarcasm
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
❤ ❤ ❤I woke up to find my babies all snuggled up. GAH! They are so cute.
We are so this family too. I usually pack some protein or granola bars so there is an option. Or better yet Casey downs whatever dessert we had left over from the night before
That is disappointing to hear. We haven't eaten here in a while but it was always a favorite. Casey and I always shared so that tells me the portions must have been pretty large before
Ok clearly the universe is trying to tell me to try this drink because this is like the 5th time I've heard its name in the last week and I had never even heard of it before.
That definitely does not look like a carbonara!
That does look like a really nice dinner. Sometimes there really is nothing better then just being able to walk somewhere without the hassle of transportation and just chill!
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Day 4: January 15, 2020 - Part 1: All the Star Wars shenanigans, Ogas Cantina, Docking Bay 7
I was really hoping to be further along in my DR/TR but we had a tummy bug AND a snowstorm hit our house toward the end of last week...so dealing with ALL.OF.THAT. Considering all the bugs/flu/respiratory viruses going around, we got off pretty easy. Thinking of Disney makes me feel better about being stuck in my house all weekend doing endless cleaning and laundry.
Ok, so I am admittedly NOT a huge Star Wars person. I did not grow up watching the movies and I don't think I've ever sat through any of them in their entirety. Since getting Disney+ we started watching The Mandalorian--which I actually enjoyed! Other than that, I don't have much interest in the franchise.
The Star Wars thing isn't my bag but Scott is a big fan and my kids are into it. I knew that I would have to do the whole "wake up before dawn on vacation to join an imaginary queue at an unknown time for a ride that I may or may not even get on"
At around 6:15 I got us all up and ready to go. We decided to walk from Beach Club to HS as we thought we could control the situation better and not have to rely on any transportation or run the risk of running late. We decided to leave our bags in the room to save time in the security lines. They only made me go through ONCE (
) and by 6:53am we were through the gates.
I was feeling pretty good about this whole Star Wars thing, until a giant man in a scooter and Yoda ears almost mowed my entire family down
(I cannot possibly insert enough eye rolls here).
Coffees were very much in order, so we went to the Starbucks on the main drag there, picked up coffees, croissants and apples for the kids, and waited for the clock to strike 7am. With the help of some very nice people in line with us, I managed to get through and at 7:04am we were assigned Boarding Group 95. I was having some app issues and the people ahead of us suggested to keep the app closed until 7am and then open it fresh to join the group. I don't know if that did the trick, but having thousands of people logging on to the same site at once might be too much for Disney IT to handle effectively. But we were pumped to have even gotten a BG assignment.
Ok, so we decided to head over to Toy Story Land as we've never been before. I LOVE that area! So cute and well done! It's a lot smaller than I expected, but very fun. We went to the alien saucers first and waited about 20 minutes. Spinny rides at 7:15am....yeesh.
Then we decided to wait in line for Toy Story Mania. My kids LOVED that ride! We all had very unbrag-worthy scores but had a blast. Next up, Rowan wanted to meet Darth Vader. Turns out, my son has a tinge of the Dark Side and really enjoys the baddies. Darth was cool and scary and to be honest, I was pumped to meet him lol. My kids were nervous.
Next we went over to Star Wars Land and I must say it is very impressive. We walked around the marketplace, got some fun souvenirs, saw the creatures in the cages. It was really neat.
It was only like, 9:30 at this point and we had time to kill before our 11am Slinky Dog Dash FP, so we decided to wait in the 60 min line for Smugglers Run
Alice and Scott got assigned Pilot, Rowan and I were Gunners and I'm not sure what the other roles were for the 2 people boarding with us, but I felt bad for them. Alice was kinda all over the place flying, Scott tried his best to right the ship so-to-speak, and Rowan was just blasting off rockets everywhere and I was just screaming. The two people were just like, yelling instructions at Alice as if she was going to be able to do anything about it. lol. The four of us had fun at least!
It was about time for SDD so we made our way BACK to Toy Story Land. We ended up having to split up because Alice refused to go on. Scott convinced a very hesitant Rowan (we may have even bribed him with tablet time after dinner) to ride with him. After the rode, Rowan's eyes were enormous and he said in a very serious way "I am all done with these scary roller coasters" hahaha! Fair enough little dude. I went on solo and I agree that is a pretty intense roller coaster and one of the best at WDW. Super fun though!!
I scored a 12pm Ogas Cantina reservation way back when. I knew there was a chance we had to stand, and was pretty sure Alice wouldn't even drink anything, but we decided to keep it anyway.
We actually ended up with a booth with another family of 4 and a cute couple that took a family pic for us! Thanks Childless Millennials! We ordered Blue Bantha for Alice, Hyperdrive for Rowan, Jet Juice for Scott and I ordered the Outer Rim. Alice HATED her milk. I tried it an it's like a sweet coconutty, citrus drink. She did like the cookie on top. Rowan very much enjoyed powerade AND sprite in one drink lol. Scott's Jet Juice was definitely the strongest and worth the $$. My drink tasted pretty good, but it had a foam on top that took up valuable drink real estate.
More pics next post
I was really hoping to be further along in my DR/TR but we had a tummy bug AND a snowstorm hit our house toward the end of last week...so dealing with ALL.OF.THAT. Considering all the bugs/flu/respiratory viruses going around, we got off pretty easy. Thinking of Disney makes me feel better about being stuck in my house all weekend doing endless cleaning and laundry.
Ok, so I am admittedly NOT a huge Star Wars person. I did not grow up watching the movies and I don't think I've ever sat through any of them in their entirety. Since getting Disney+ we started watching The Mandalorian--which I actually enjoyed! Other than that, I don't have much interest in the franchise.
The Star Wars thing isn't my bag but Scott is a big fan and my kids are into it. I knew that I would have to do the whole "wake up before dawn on vacation to join an imaginary queue at an unknown time for a ride that I may or may not even get on"
At around 6:15 I got us all up and ready to go. We decided to walk from Beach Club to HS as we thought we could control the situation better and not have to rely on any transportation or run the risk of running late. We decided to leave our bags in the room to save time in the security lines. They only made me go through ONCE (
) and by 6:53am we were through the gates.I was feeling pretty good about this whole Star Wars thing, until a giant man in a scooter and Yoda ears almost mowed my entire family down
(I cannot possibly insert enough eye rolls here).Coffees were very much in order, so we went to the Starbucks on the main drag there, picked up coffees, croissants and apples for the kids, and waited for the clock to strike 7am. With the help of some very nice people in line with us, I managed to get through and at 7:04am we were assigned Boarding Group 95. I was having some app issues and the people ahead of us suggested to keep the app closed until 7am and then open it fresh to join the group. I don't know if that did the trick, but having thousands of people logging on to the same site at once might be too much for Disney IT to handle effectively. But we were pumped to have even gotten a BG assignment.
Ok, so we decided to head over to Toy Story Land as we've never been before. I LOVE that area! So cute and well done! It's a lot smaller than I expected, but very fun. We went to the alien saucers first and waited about 20 minutes. Spinny rides at 7:15am....yeesh.
Then we decided to wait in line for Toy Story Mania. My kids LOVED that ride! We all had very unbrag-worthy scores but had a blast. Next up, Rowan wanted to meet Darth Vader. Turns out, my son has a tinge of the Dark Side and really enjoys the baddies. Darth was cool and scary and to be honest, I was pumped to meet him lol. My kids were nervous.
Next we went over to Star Wars Land and I must say it is very impressive. We walked around the marketplace, got some fun souvenirs, saw the creatures in the cages. It was really neat.
It was only like, 9:30 at this point and we had time to kill before our 11am Slinky Dog Dash FP, so we decided to wait in the 60 min line for Smugglers Run
Alice and Scott got assigned Pilot, Rowan and I were Gunners and I'm not sure what the other roles were for the 2 people boarding with us, but I felt bad for them. Alice was kinda all over the place flying, Scott tried his best to right the ship so-to-speak, and Rowan was just blasting off rockets everywhere and I was just screaming. The two people were just like, yelling instructions at Alice as if she was going to be able to do anything about it. lol. The four of us had fun at least!
It was about time for SDD so we made our way BACK to Toy Story Land. We ended up having to split up because Alice refused to go on. Scott convinced a very hesitant Rowan (we may have even bribed him with tablet time after dinner) to ride with him. After the rode, Rowan's eyes were enormous and he said in a very serious way "I am all done with these scary roller coasters" hahaha! Fair enough little dude. I went on solo and I agree that is a pretty intense roller coaster and one of the best at WDW. Super fun though!!
I scored a 12pm Ogas Cantina reservation way back when. I knew there was a chance we had to stand, and was pretty sure Alice wouldn't even drink anything, but we decided to keep it anyway.
We actually ended up with a booth with another family of 4 and a cute couple that took a family pic for us! Thanks Childless Millennials! We ordered Blue Bantha for Alice, Hyperdrive for Rowan, Jet Juice for Scott and I ordered the Outer Rim. Alice HATED her milk. I tried it an it's like a sweet coconutty, citrus drink. She did like the cookie on top. Rowan very much enjoyed powerade AND sprite in one drink lol. Scott's Jet Juice was definitely the strongest and worth the $$. My drink tasted pretty good, but it had a foam on top that took up valuable drink real estate.
More pics next post
Last edited:
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Day 4: January 15, 2020 Part 1 (cont.)
So we were all happily enjoying our drinks (well everyone except Alice lol) when some weirdness happened. A single woman was sat in our booth. She had like, a crocodile dundee style outfit on and started talking to us like we were actually IN Batuu. And at first I was like "Is this lady like, part of the show?" She was telling us about the DJ and what songs came on next and it was clear this woman spent A LOT of time there. After exchanging glances with our table mates and our server, it became evident that this woman did NOT in fact work for WDW and was just REALLLLLY into Star Wars. And I was thinking to myself, "well, maybe she doesn't have much going on" and "cosplay is a thing around here, right?"
But then she started offering to buy my kids drinks and when we politely refused she said "it's ok...i'm not going to put anything in their drinks"
Um--ma'am, you done crossed the line.
Here is our receipt that we asked for about 6 seconds later:
Bye Oga's! You've been weird!
Kids were starting to get hungry so we went over to Docking Bay 7 for lunch. Scott ordered the Yobashrimp Noodle Salad, I ordered the Roasted Endorian Tip-Yip Salad and the kids each got the fried Endorian tip-yip youngling meal. I ordered one of each of the desserts and Scott and I ordered Takodana Quenchers. Seating is pretty limited here and we ended up sitting/standing outside at a large concrete slab. It was pretty annoying but the food was good. I really enjoyed my salad which was essentially mixed greens with roasted chicken and pumpkin seeds and ranch dressing. Scott's noodle bowl was really good and the kids enjoyed their lunch. Our drinks were fine--a little weak to be honest. The kids liked the Batu-bon which was chocolate cake with a coffee custard mousse but did NOT like the Oi-Pi Puff. Which is fine because I actually preferred that dessert over the chocolate one. I really enjoyed the tangy passionfruit curd and I love a cream puff!
I lifted every single photo from the interwebs because, I was standing while eating for most of this meal and dealing with increasingly whiny children. In fairness to them, it was about 1pm and we had been up for like 7hrs. It was also VERY hot and sunny.
Ok, gotta get back to work! Coming up next will be the rest of our HS day and Biergarten.
So we were all happily enjoying our drinks (well everyone except Alice lol) when some weirdness happened. A single woman was sat in our booth. She had like, a crocodile dundee style outfit on and started talking to us like we were actually IN Batuu. And at first I was like "Is this lady like, part of the show?" She was telling us about the DJ and what songs came on next and it was clear this woman spent A LOT of time there. After exchanging glances with our table mates and our server, it became evident that this woman did NOT in fact work for WDW and was just REALLLLLY into Star Wars. And I was thinking to myself, "well, maybe she doesn't have much going on" and "cosplay is a thing around here, right?"
But then she started offering to buy my kids drinks and when we politely refused she said "it's ok...i'm not going to put anything in their drinks"
Um--ma'am, you done crossed the line.
Here is our receipt that we asked for about 6 seconds later:
Bye Oga's! You've been weird!
Kids were starting to get hungry so we went over to Docking Bay 7 for lunch. Scott ordered the Yobashrimp Noodle Salad, I ordered the Roasted Endorian Tip-Yip Salad and the kids each got the fried Endorian tip-yip youngling meal. I ordered one of each of the desserts and Scott and I ordered Takodana Quenchers. Seating is pretty limited here and we ended up sitting/standing outside at a large concrete slab. It was pretty annoying but the food was good. I really enjoyed my salad which was essentially mixed greens with roasted chicken and pumpkin seeds and ranch dressing. Scott's noodle bowl was really good and the kids enjoyed their lunch. Our drinks were fine--a little weak to be honest. The kids liked the Batu-bon which was chocolate cake with a coffee custard mousse but did NOT like the Oi-Pi Puff. Which is fine because I actually preferred that dessert over the chocolate one. I really enjoyed the tangy passionfruit curd and I love a cream puff!
I lifted every single photo from the interwebs because, I was standing while eating for most of this meal and dealing with increasingly whiny children. In fairness to them, it was about 1pm and we had been up for like 7hrs. It was also VERY hot and sunny.
Ok, gotta get back to work! Coming up next will be the rest of our HS day and Biergarten.
ariane37
Dis veteran
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
OMG that should have been your report title !
All kidding no asideI agree that was weird and uncomfortable in a giggling sort of way??? I understand lots of singles who love Disney as much as I do are there and I appreciate making conversation with people around us but.......as you said she done crossed it!
I am also a complete non-SW fan and have never seen a movie but yes GE is impressive! Haven't eaten anything there yet though. We had Oga's reservations when we went for the AP preview but had finished touring the land before our reservation time so never went.
Planning to do the ROTR early morning dance in July!
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Thank you! I love that dress. It's super light and it's made of quick dry material. Toad & Co is the brand. I recommend them for travel and for warm climates.
Oh I LOVE an Aperol Spritz. They are so refreshing. Aperol is a dry, grapfruity aperitif mixed with prosecco and a "splash" (kay, prob supposed to be more than a splash") of club soda. They're not super strong so they are the perfect summer drink. You're welcome
LOL that would have made a good title! We chatted with her quite a bit before the Hansel and Gretel-ish comments but she then started to like, dominate our family time which started to get annoying.
I'm excited for you to experience it! I have to say, even as a non-Star Wars person, I really appreciated how amazing that ride is. You'll love it!
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Day 4: January 15, 2020 Part 1 (Cont. cont.) - Rest of our HS day
Man. This was a LONG day. I'm exhausted just reviewing it lol.
I should add that before we met Darth, we zipped over to sign the kids up for Jedi Training, which is in the Indiana Jones gift shop area over by Prime Time Cafe. Took a minute for us to find it actually. We were there around 10:30, and they signed the kids up for the 3:30pm show. We were instructed to have the kids back to that same area by 3pm.
After we had our lunch, it was about time for our droid building reservation and almost time to make the light saber. There was no way we were going to have each kid build a droid AND a light saber, so we decided to split the kids up. Rowan wanted to build the droid and Alice wanted to help build Scott's light saber. Yes....you read that correctly lol. Scott was all about making himself a light saber and had actually planned on it for the last 2 trips and never made it back over to HS to build one. So he was determined.
I'm holding $100 worth of plastic parts here lol. You basically pick the type of droid you want--an R2 or a round BB-8 style. Then they give you the guide that tell you which parts you need to pick from the assembly line. They have all different colors to choose from. Rowan went for the orange which I thought was cool. After you have your pieces, you walk over and a CM helps you put it together.
It's was a cute thing to do and Rowan still plays with it quite a bit. Once they box up your droid, you can bring it outside and they have a little area where all the kids take theirs out to play with. It's basically a pen of little kids ramming $100 robots at each other lol. It was fun to watch. I found a little section in the shade to sit as we had to wait for Scott and Alice to finish up their light sabers.
While we were in there, I got the text that our BG was assigned btwn 2:30-4:30pm. SWEET.
At this point it was around 2:30pm and still no sign of Alice and Scott and he wasn't answering his phone. I was getting antsy because we needed to get over to the Jedi training area. We put the droid back in it's giant box and started lugging it around GE looking for where you make the light sabers. Fun fact, there are no signs in English anywhere and I didn't have a free hand to get the app out to "translate" anything. I was hot, tired and cranky dragging this giant bag with a droid inside of it. We walked around in circles and finally asked a CM who was nice and pointed us to a building where you can't get let in without a reservation. I decided to head over to the Jedi training with Rowan and hope Scott and Alice made it there by 3pm.
Did I mention I was hot and cranky?
We made it over to training right at 3pm. The CMs assured me that the training would conclude at 4pm and we would have plenty of time to make our RoTR BG, so that was a relief. But Scott was still not answering his phone and I was a sweaty, tired mess at this point. FINALLY at like 3:15, Scott was running over to us and they let Alice join the training group. The light saber making took longer than he expected and his phone was on silent......
In my very dramatic way I told Scott that I didn't think I would be able to make it much longer and wanted to go back to the room. I was super annoyed at him, and the droid I was carrying and he he very calmly said "Go grab a drink and I'll send the droid back to our room". He is a GENIUS sometimes.
I dragged myself to Oasis Canteen and ordered the Long Lost Island.
The guy took one look at me and just started dumping booze into this drink lololol. It was SO strong but just what the Dr ordered. The Jedis started marching to the stage just in time for me to take a well deserved swig.
If you couldn't tell, the kids were SUPER into Jedi training! This show was so fun to watch....could have been the drink, but I really enjoyed it!
After the show, Scott was like "Ok--should we leave" and I was like NO WAY. We are GOING to go on that ride if it kills us all. We had come way too far to turn back lol.
Refreshed and renewed (and a little buzzed) from my cocktail, we trudged back over to GE and joined our boarding group. We waited in the queue about 45 minutes before we got to the first portion of the ride.
You guys...this ride is like nothing I've ever been on. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but you really feel like you've been captured and are running from Storm Troopers. I have to say, as much of a PITA it is to be up before dawn and in a park for almost 12hrs waiting to go on, it's worth it. I'm glad we committed ourselves to going on it. It was worth the sweat and breakdowns lol.
Coming up: Day 4, Part 2 - Biergarten and drinks at Rose and Crown
Man. This was a LONG day. I'm exhausted just reviewing it lol.
I should add that before we met Darth, we zipped over to sign the kids up for Jedi Training, which is in the Indiana Jones gift shop area over by Prime Time Cafe. Took a minute for us to find it actually. We were there around 10:30, and they signed the kids up for the 3:30pm show. We were instructed to have the kids back to that same area by 3pm.
After we had our lunch, it was about time for our droid building reservation and almost time to make the light saber. There was no way we were going to have each kid build a droid AND a light saber, so we decided to split the kids up. Rowan wanted to build the droid and Alice wanted to help build Scott's light saber. Yes....you read that correctly lol. Scott was all about making himself a light saber and had actually planned on it for the last 2 trips and never made it back over to HS to build one. So he was determined.
I'm holding $100 worth of plastic parts here lol. You basically pick the type of droid you want--an R2 or a round BB-8 style. Then they give you the guide that tell you which parts you need to pick from the assembly line. They have all different colors to choose from. Rowan went for the orange which I thought was cool. After you have your pieces, you walk over and a CM helps you put it together.
It's was a cute thing to do and Rowan still plays with it quite a bit. Once they box up your droid, you can bring it outside and they have a little area where all the kids take theirs out to play with. It's basically a pen of little kids ramming $100 robots at each other lol. It was fun to watch. I found a little section in the shade to sit as we had to wait for Scott and Alice to finish up their light sabers.
While we were in there, I got the text that our BG was assigned btwn 2:30-4:30pm. SWEET.
At this point it was around 2:30pm and still no sign of Alice and Scott and he wasn't answering his phone. I was getting antsy because we needed to get over to the Jedi training area. We put the droid back in it's giant box and started lugging it around GE looking for where you make the light sabers. Fun fact, there are no signs in English anywhere and I didn't have a free hand to get the app out to "translate" anything. I was hot, tired and cranky dragging this giant bag with a droid inside of it. We walked around in circles and finally asked a CM who was nice and pointed us to a building where you can't get let in without a reservation. I decided to head over to the Jedi training with Rowan and hope Scott and Alice made it there by 3pm.
Did I mention I was hot and cranky?
We made it over to training right at 3pm. The CMs assured me that the training would conclude at 4pm and we would have plenty of time to make our RoTR BG, so that was a relief. But Scott was still not answering his phone and I was a sweaty, tired mess at this point. FINALLY at like 3:15, Scott was running over to us and they let Alice join the training group. The light saber making took longer than he expected and his phone was on silent......
In my very dramatic way I told Scott that I didn't think I would be able to make it much longer and wanted to go back to the room. I was super annoyed at him, and the droid I was carrying and he he very calmly said "Go grab a drink and I'll send the droid back to our room". He is a GENIUS sometimes.
I dragged myself to Oasis Canteen and ordered the Long Lost Island.
The guy took one look at me and just started dumping booze into this drink lololol. It was SO strong but just what the Dr ordered. The Jedis started marching to the stage just in time for me to take a well deserved swig.
If you couldn't tell, the kids were SUPER into Jedi training! This show was so fun to watch....could have been the drink, but I really enjoyed it!
After the show, Scott was like "Ok--should we leave" and I was like NO WAY. We are GOING to go on that ride if it kills us all. We had come way too far to turn back lol.
Refreshed and renewed (and a little buzzed) from my cocktail, we trudged back over to GE and joined our boarding group. We waited in the queue about 45 minutes before we got to the first portion of the ride.
You guys...this ride is like nothing I've ever been on. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but you really feel like you've been captured and are running from Storm Troopers. I have to say, as much of a PITA it is to be up before dawn and in a park for almost 12hrs waiting to go on, it's worth it. I'm glad we committed ourselves to going on it. It was worth the sweat and breakdowns lol.
Coming up: Day 4, Part 2 - Biergarten and drinks at Rose and Crown
Niki Andiokno
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2003
I just got all caught up. Good report so far, even though you sadly had a few food missteps. Yet doesn't one stuff drink make it all better? I love Disney bartenders.
ThreeBoyMama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2014
Oh I LOVE an Aperol Spritz. They are so refreshing. Aperol is a dry, grapfruity aperitif mixed with prosecco and a "splash" (kay, prob supposed to be more than a splash") of club soda. They're not super strong so they are the perfect summer drink. You're welcome
I need this in my life. Bless you.
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
I think Disney bartenders are trained to keep an eye out for us parents in the struggle! Thanks for joining
I love reading your reviews!I'll need you to update me on what you think. I like my drinks on the dry not-so-sweet side and an Aperol Spritz fits the bill nicely!
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Day 4: January 15 Part 2 - Biergarten and Rose and Crown
The family was super pumped after Rise of the Resistance and I was just super proud of all of us for hanging in there all day to ride it. There were definitely times where we could have given up but we persevered!
Our touring style has always been to get up early, have lunch in the parks, head back to the pool by 1pm and chill for a few hours before going to dinner. This was by far the longest day I've ever spent in the parks.
By 5:15 we were on the Ferry headed back to the Beach Club. We had a 7pm reservation at Biergarten and we all needed to shower and freshen up. I couldn't believe it....but we were all looking forward to leaving the room to go have dinner in World Showcase.
I know that most people sleep on Biergarten. There are so many places to eat in World Showcase but for some reason, I've always really enjoyed eating here. I think it's a combination of the theming, the oompah band and the fact it's a buffet and I know even Alice will find something to eat here. The food is pretty solid. They have a great salad section which is where I load up. I love the cold mac salad, pickles, beets, etc. Although it's technically German food, it's not exotic food by any means. It's your standard meat and potatoes and we always have had a nice meal.
We were seated with two nice couples who seemed pretty cool, but to be honest, Scott and I were too busy getting food for the kids to really chat. I know some people are turned off by sitting with strangers, but it doesn't bother me. I always feel bad for people having to share a table with my rowdy kids, but they were behaving fairly well despite being tired from such a long day.
Scott ordered a Becks and for some unknown reason I was wanting a white wine. German wines always tend to be on the sweeter side, but I decided to roll the dice on the Pinot Gris on the menu. It was OK.....tasted more like a sauvignon blanc but not as dry. Very fruit forward and just a touch on the sweet side. I should have ordered the Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen, but I must not have been feeling bubbles that night.
Scott and I went through the buffet line for the kids first. Alice mainly ate rolls cubed cheddar, nudelgratin (mac and cheese), and some chicken. Rowan on the other hand, had a pile of meat and potatoes. Lol. He couldn't believe he could just pick whatever he wanted. This is my plate--a bit of the cheese soup which was OK. A bit too rich but I dipped my pretzel roll in it. Mac salad, pickles and a yummy garden salad with dill dressing.
I didn't get a pic of my second plate full of meat and potatoes and green beans, but I really enjoyed the potato dumplings amd swedish meatballs. Unfortunately, I thought the hand carved pork loin was pretty dry. I loaded up on the hunters sauce to try and choke it down, but ended up only having a few bites.
The kids loaded up on desserts--an apple struedel, cookies and the chocolate blackforest cake. The waiter made me get the bavarian cheesecake and I'm glad I did. It was really delicious. Light and fluffy with a really delicious raspberry sauce. After that I was literally stuffed to the gills. The band started to play and I watched my kids dance around for a bit and then Alice insisted I dance with her...so I did. Rowan is embarrassed easily but he even liked doing the chicken dance.
Our friends from TX were also down in Disney and wanted to meet up with us. We ended up spending quite a bit of time with them on this vacation. They love food and wine so they are the perfect friends for us! We shall refer to them as Steve and Renee henceforth. After we rolled out of Biergarten, we went to meet up with them over at the Rose and Crown. They were nice enough to have a couple ciders waiting for us
We got the kids a few light-ups for the firework show so they were happy to just hang out while we caught up with our friends. We were having a blast waiting for the new fireworks show. We grabbed another round but this time we got a gin and tonic which was delightful.
You may know from my previous reports that IllumiNations is one of my most favorite things in the world. It makes me cry almost every time. Especially in our world, a message of peace and togetherness is super meaningful to me. You may not like what I'm going to say...but I did NOT like Epcot Forever. It was very "meh". Although the guys decided that driving the jet ski with the kite attached would be the best job ever lol.
It was the longest day ever and we all were ready to go to bed right after the fireworks. The guys had a fishing excursion in the morning so Renee and I were planning to take the kids for a leisurely stroll around World Showcase in the morning and meet up with the guys later.
Next: Champs all around and Ale and Compass dinner
The family was super pumped after Rise of the Resistance and I was just super proud of all of us for hanging in there all day to ride it. There were definitely times where we could have given up but we persevered!
Our touring style has always been to get up early, have lunch in the parks, head back to the pool by 1pm and chill for a few hours before going to dinner. This was by far the longest day I've ever spent in the parks.
By 5:15 we were on the Ferry headed back to the Beach Club. We had a 7pm reservation at Biergarten and we all needed to shower and freshen up. I couldn't believe it....but we were all looking forward to leaving the room to go have dinner in World Showcase.
I know that most people sleep on Biergarten. There are so many places to eat in World Showcase but for some reason, I've always really enjoyed eating here. I think it's a combination of the theming, the oompah band and the fact it's a buffet and I know even Alice will find something to eat here. The food is pretty solid. They have a great salad section which is where I load up. I love the cold mac salad, pickles, beets, etc. Although it's technically German food, it's not exotic food by any means. It's your standard meat and potatoes and we always have had a nice meal.
We were seated with two nice couples who seemed pretty cool, but to be honest, Scott and I were too busy getting food for the kids to really chat. I know some people are turned off by sitting with strangers, but it doesn't bother me. I always feel bad for people having to share a table with my rowdy kids, but they were behaving fairly well despite being tired from such a long day.
Scott ordered a Becks and for some unknown reason I was wanting a white wine. German wines always tend to be on the sweeter side, but I decided to roll the dice on the Pinot Gris on the menu. It was OK.....tasted more like a sauvignon blanc but not as dry. Very fruit forward and just a touch on the sweet side. I should have ordered the Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen, but I must not have been feeling bubbles that night.
Scott and I went through the buffet line for the kids first. Alice mainly ate rolls cubed cheddar, nudelgratin (mac and cheese), and some chicken. Rowan on the other hand, had a pile of meat and potatoes. Lol. He couldn't believe he could just pick whatever he wanted. This is my plate--a bit of the cheese soup which was OK. A bit too rich but I dipped my pretzel roll in it. Mac salad, pickles and a yummy garden salad with dill dressing.
I didn't get a pic of my second plate full of meat and potatoes and green beans, but I really enjoyed the potato dumplings amd swedish meatballs. Unfortunately, I thought the hand carved pork loin was pretty dry. I loaded up on the hunters sauce to try and choke it down, but ended up only having a few bites.
The kids loaded up on desserts--an apple struedel, cookies and the chocolate blackforest cake. The waiter made me get the bavarian cheesecake and I'm glad I did. It was really delicious. Light and fluffy with a really delicious raspberry sauce. After that I was literally stuffed to the gills. The band started to play and I watched my kids dance around for a bit and then Alice insisted I dance with her...so I did. Rowan is embarrassed easily but he even liked doing the chicken dance.
Our friends from TX were also down in Disney and wanted to meet up with us. We ended up spending quite a bit of time with them on this vacation. They love food and wine so they are the perfect friends for us! We shall refer to them as Steve and Renee henceforth. After we rolled out of Biergarten, we went to meet up with them over at the Rose and Crown. They were nice enough to have a couple ciders waiting for us
We got the kids a few light-ups for the firework show so they were happy to just hang out while we caught up with our friends. We were having a blast waiting for the new fireworks show. We grabbed another round but this time we got a gin and tonic which was delightful.
You may know from my previous reports that IllumiNations is one of my most favorite things in the world. It makes me cry almost every time. Especially in our world, a message of peace and togetherness is super meaningful to me. You may not like what I'm going to say...but I did NOT like Epcot Forever. It was very "meh". Although the guys decided that driving the jet ski with the kite attached would be the best job ever lol.
It was the longest day ever and we all were ready to go to bed right after the fireworks. The guys had a fishing excursion in the morning so Renee and I were planning to take the kids for a leisurely stroll around World Showcase in the morning and meet up with the guys later.
Next: Champs all around and Ale and Compass dinner
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2008
Reading about your day makes me exhausted for you. Rise of the Resistance is well worth that chaos though.
The lady at Oga's was a bit too into it. I mean, my husband & I love Star Wars & I even have a $100 droid but that is a bit much.
Its been years since we did Biergarten but looks like a solid choice with the children and desires for a meal! And to close out the night with ciders with friends - hopefully that made up for the lack of love of Epcot Forever.
The lady at Oga's was a bit too into it. I mean, my husband & I love Star Wars & I even have a $100 droid but that is a bit much.
Its been years since we did Biergarten but looks like a solid choice with the children and desires for a meal! And to close out the night with ciders with friends - hopefully that made up for the lack of love of Epcot Forever.
tweetylori
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2004
I totally agree with you about how Illuminations has always made me feel. Your reaction to Epcot Forever actually makes me feel better for having missed it due to it being so COLD out when we were just there. Enjoying your report and pics!
sullyfam
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2015
We had a similar day at HS on 1/31 where we waited all day to ride Rise of the Resistance. We were boarding group 58 and didn't ride until 6:30 p.m. (after being in the park at 6:30 a.m.) It was a LOOOOONG day even without kids so I can't imagine. You are troupers for heading to WS and doing dinner and drinks afterwards! We haven't been back to Biergarten in several years as my husband/kids weren't huge fans of the buffet offerings. You are making me want to try it again though!
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Everything you said here is 10000% accurate lol. The light saber was even more. My husband wouldn't even tell me how much it was lol.
I mean Disney fireworks are all pretty great. But in comparison to IllumiNations, it just lacked personality if that makes any sense? Could have been a fireworks display at any amusement park in the country....KWIM?
There's no way we could have made it to 6:30pm lol. We actually lucked out to not have any ride breakdowns (or emotional breakdowns) while we were there.
I mean, Biergarten is NOT high brow food and won't like, knock anyone's socks off. But it's just a solid fun dinner experience in my opinion
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Day 5: January 16, 2020 - Champs Champion, Crews Cup and Ale and Compass
Happy Valentine's Day and more importantly, happy Friday!
I made pasta carbonara last night and felt compelled to take a pic and show you guys what I'm used to- As you can see there is not really a "sauce" as the egg and cheese mixture sticks to the pasta.
Let's get back to my report! Alright, so following the longest day of my life, Scott had to get up early again to go fishing with Steve. The two of them bonded in TX over their love of fishing and they get together with my dad and some of their other buddies every year for a week-long trip. Of course they had to fish in Disney so equipped with Bloody Marys from room service, they went out at 7am to fish World Showcase Lagoon.
The kids and I slept in and planned to head over to World Showcase with Renee for a leisurely morning and meet up with the guys around lunch time. I had a couple late afternoon FPs over at Magic Kingdom and dinner at the hotel. So basically nothing to rush around for which was very much welcomed at this point.
First stop: Les Halles. Shouldn't every day start with a glass of bubbly? I ordered the Brioche Chocolat (which is basically a nutella stuffed donut) Rowan ordered the Eclair, Alice ordere thhe Duo mousse (chocolate and white chocolate mousse). I liked mine the least out of the bunch. It tasted a bit dry and stale unfortunately. But that's what I get for not eating creme brulee at 10am. Lesson learned!
After a chocolately breakfast, we started to walk around World Showcase, popping in and out of shops having a great time. They had some Festival of the Arts photo ops set up here and there so we jumped in a few
We were over in America and hopped in the "Washington Crossing the Delaware" painting when people were laughing at us. I looked behind me and saw that Rowan was pretending to throw up over the side of the boat
For such a little guy he's got excellent comedic timing.
The kids were dying to get their faces painted in Africa and we had some time to kill....
The guys met up with us and we went to La Cantina de San Angel for lunch. The kids ordered beef tacos, I ordered Nachos and a margarita and I forgot what Scott ordered. This was a tasty lunch as usual. I don't know why we always end up having lunch here, but we do lol. I don't even like Mexican food all that much. Maybe it's the margaritas??
The four of us split up from Renee and Steven and went over to MK for a couple of hours. Then the kids started getting hot and cranky and the face paint was already sliding off their faces so we decided to head back to the hotel for a swim before our dinner at Ale and Compass.
Our reservation was at 7:15, and around 5:30 we mosied over to Crews Cup to meet up with Steve and Renee for pre-dinner drinks. A delightful cheeseboard was waiting for us along with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for the guys and the Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut Rose for us gals
Ugh I'm so gauche! But honestly, it's not every day you get to enjoy such an amazing bottle of bubbles! I felt the need to capture this rare moment. Steve is a very successful doctor so they have the means to enjoy $100-$200 bottles of wine at happy hour....and we're just happy to be along for the ride
You may all remember from my previous DR that I loved Captain's Grill. I thought the food was really good, we had great service, it was right in our hotel. I mean, it checked a bunch of boxes for us. I heard mixed reviews about Ale and Compass but the menu looked good to me and I was excited to check it out.
Some people call the decor at Ale and Compass cold and generic. I actually really like the blue-grey color scheme. Feels modern and sleek. I don't think that every Disney restaurant has to be themed within an inch of it's life and I appreciated the subdued atmosphere.
We still had wine/champs to polish off and they were nice enough to cork the bottles to bring over to A&C. We started out with a few appetizers: Oven-Roasted Meatballs, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake and the Roasted "Buffalo-style" Cauliflower. The oven-roasted meatballs were just OK. The meat was a little chewy and didn't have a ton of flavor. The tomato sauce was nice tho. The crab cake is essentially the same recipe from Captain's Grill which was always a favorite of mine. LOTS of lump crab meat, not a ton of filler. Delicious corn and tomato salad and the sauce was perfectly tangy and citrusy.
The real stand-out here was the buffalo style cauliflower. I can't believe I am saying that either guys. I've been VERY skeptical about this whole cauliflower food imposter trend of the last couple years. But these were SO GOOD. Now, Scott is originally from Buffalo, NY... and even he loved them.
We ordered dinner and another bottle of some expensive red wine and I ordered a margarita on the rocks which was delightful! I was feeling pretty tipsy at this point so I was thinking that pasta would help soak up all the booze. I ordered Pappardelle Pasta with Chicken with Spinach, Sautéed Mushrooms, Rebel Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic Cream, and Citrus Gremolata, Scott ordered the NY Strip, the kids Grilled Chicken and mac and cheese for Alice and the steak and sweet potatoes for Rowan.
It was a great meal with amazing company. I don't remember a great deal from it to be honest lolol but I remember really liking the pasta and not really liking the 12 layer chocolate cake. I remembered thinking that the spongecake was tough and chewy.
Ale and Compass is a great place if you're staying in the BC/YC/Boardwalk area. I don't know if I would travel a long way to eat here, but we had some really solid dishes and great service. It was the perfect dinner choice for all of us that night!
I took the kids back to the room while Scott, Steven and Renee went over to Martha's Vineyard to finish the bottle of cab from dinner. I was ready to take my contacts out and call it a night!
Up next: EPCOT and grownups night out at Il Mulino
Happy Valentine's Day and more importantly, happy Friday!
I made pasta carbonara last night and felt compelled to take a pic and show you guys what I'm used to- As you can see there is not really a "sauce" as the egg and cheese mixture sticks to the pasta.
Let's get back to my report! Alright, so following the longest day of my life, Scott had to get up early again to go fishing with Steve. The two of them bonded in TX over their love of fishing and they get together with my dad and some of their other buddies every year for a week-long trip. Of course they had to fish in Disney so equipped with Bloody Marys from room service, they went out at 7am to fish World Showcase Lagoon.
The kids and I slept in and planned to head over to World Showcase with Renee for a leisurely morning and meet up with the guys around lunch time. I had a couple late afternoon FPs over at Magic Kingdom and dinner at the hotel. So basically nothing to rush around for which was very much welcomed at this point.
First stop: Les Halles. Shouldn't every day start with a glass of bubbly? I ordered the Brioche Chocolat (which is basically a nutella stuffed donut) Rowan ordered the Eclair, Alice ordere thhe Duo mousse (chocolate and white chocolate mousse). I liked mine the least out of the bunch. It tasted a bit dry and stale unfortunately. But that's what I get for not eating creme brulee at 10am. Lesson learned!
After a chocolately breakfast, we started to walk around World Showcase, popping in and out of shops having a great time. They had some Festival of the Arts photo ops set up here and there so we jumped in a few
We were over in America and hopped in the "Washington Crossing the Delaware" painting when people were laughing at us. I looked behind me and saw that Rowan was pretending to throw up over the side of the boat
For such a little guy he's got excellent comedic timing.The kids were dying to get their faces painted in Africa and we had some time to kill....
The guys met up with us and we went to La Cantina de San Angel for lunch. The kids ordered beef tacos, I ordered Nachos and a margarita and I forgot what Scott ordered. This was a tasty lunch as usual. I don't know why we always end up having lunch here, but we do lol. I don't even like Mexican food all that much. Maybe it's the margaritas??
The four of us split up from Renee and Steven and went over to MK for a couple of hours. Then the kids started getting hot and cranky and the face paint was already sliding off their faces so we decided to head back to the hotel for a swim before our dinner at Ale and Compass.
Our reservation was at 7:15, and around 5:30 we mosied over to Crews Cup to meet up with Steve and Renee for pre-dinner drinks. A delightful cheeseboard was waiting for us along with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for the guys and the Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut Rose for us gals
Ugh I'm so gauche! But honestly, it's not every day you get to enjoy such an amazing bottle of bubbles! I felt the need to capture this rare moment. Steve is a very successful doctor so they have the means to enjoy $100-$200 bottles of wine at happy hour....and we're just happy to be along for the ride
You may all remember from my previous DR that I loved Captain's Grill. I thought the food was really good, we had great service, it was right in our hotel. I mean, it checked a bunch of boxes for us. I heard mixed reviews about Ale and Compass but the menu looked good to me and I was excited to check it out.
Some people call the decor at Ale and Compass cold and generic. I actually really like the blue-grey color scheme. Feels modern and sleek. I don't think that every Disney restaurant has to be themed within an inch of it's life and I appreciated the subdued atmosphere.
We still had wine/champs to polish off and they were nice enough to cork the bottles to bring over to A&C. We started out with a few appetizers: Oven-Roasted Meatballs, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake and the Roasted "Buffalo-style" Cauliflower. The oven-roasted meatballs were just OK. The meat was a little chewy and didn't have a ton of flavor. The tomato sauce was nice tho. The crab cake is essentially the same recipe from Captain's Grill which was always a favorite of mine. LOTS of lump crab meat, not a ton of filler. Delicious corn and tomato salad and the sauce was perfectly tangy and citrusy.
The real stand-out here was the buffalo style cauliflower. I can't believe I am saying that either guys. I've been VERY skeptical about this whole cauliflower food imposter trend of the last couple years. But these were SO GOOD. Now, Scott is originally from Buffalo, NY... and even he loved them.
We ordered dinner and another bottle of some expensive red wine and I ordered a margarita on the rocks which was delightful! I was feeling pretty tipsy at this point so I was thinking that pasta would help soak up all the booze. I ordered Pappardelle Pasta with Chicken with Spinach, Sautéed Mushrooms, Rebel Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic Cream, and Citrus Gremolata, Scott ordered the NY Strip, the kids Grilled Chicken and mac and cheese for Alice and the steak and sweet potatoes for Rowan.
It was a great meal with amazing company. I don't remember a great deal from it to be honest lolol but I remember really liking the pasta and not really liking the 12 layer chocolate cake. I remembered thinking that the spongecake was tough and chewy.
Ale and Compass is a great place if you're staying in the BC/YC/Boardwalk area. I don't know if I would travel a long way to eat here, but we had some really solid dishes and great service. It was the perfect dinner choice for all of us that night!
I took the kids back to the room while Scott, Steven and Renee went over to Martha's Vineyard to finish the bottle of cab from dinner. I was ready to take my contacts out and call it a night!
Up next: EPCOT and grownups night out at Il Mulino
Last edited:
AliceNDinah
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2017
You are such an entertaining writer! Please write a book
LOVE all your pictures, especially the painted kids and the "Washington Crossing The Delaware", Rowan is hilarious! Oh and a special shout out to your carbonara from last night, yum.
Every day should definitely start with bubbly and crème brulee, no argument here.
Looking forward to more, and I already know I'll be sad when it all ends. Kind of like going on a "real" vacation, ha.
LOVE all your pictures, especially the painted kids and the "Washington Crossing The Delaware", Rowan is hilarious! Oh and a special shout out to your carbonara from last night, yum.
Every day should definitely start with bubbly and crème brulee, no argument here.
Looking forward to more, and I already know I'll be sad when it all ends. Kind of like going on a "real" vacation, ha.
mickey916
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2009
Oh my goodness! That is hilarious!We were over in America and hopped in the "Washington Crossing the Delaware" painting when people were laughing at us. I looked behind me and saw that Rowan was pretending to throw up over the side of the boat
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