Rise of the DDP Resistance January 12 - 21, 2020 - COMPLETED: Final day-final thoughts

Joining in! Loving your reviews! We're staying at BCV in August and planning on many of the same restaurants so this is great to read. Now that they let everyone down to the hub at MK so early, did you find the early breakfast (other than the delays!) a good move for photos? Wondering if it's worth dragging everyone up and out so early.
 
So much fun catching up on your report today -- loving it! Wine Bar George has shot to the top of my list as well. It's SO good and I'm really impressed by how hands-on George is. I'm also a big fan of the serenity cocktail at BlueZoo. So much so that "Serenity Now" (from Seinfeld) is a running joke when I'm getting cranky as that drink is proven to make everything better and we're usually staying in the Epcot resort area. The woman at Oga's sounds very eccentric. My guess is that she's very lonely but when she starts mentioning the kids it's probably time to go! I feel like there was a lot more I wanted to comment on but I'm forgetting it all now … I should have taken notes! Loving your report!
 
That happens to me all the time! I have tried rotating the original before posting to see if that helps but no luck

So annoying!!! Well, it's good to know it's not just me lol!

Well, that’s my kinda cocktail! The name of the gin is also delightful and makes me giggle in a juvenile manner.

HAHAHHA! I was blinded by the word "gin" must be because I would've been laughing at that too!

I LOVE when my husband removes the child while I finish my wine and pay the check. It’s as relaxing as those moments when you have an infant and get to go to the grocery alone.

It's the little things! I love a solo trip to the grocery store---better yet a solo trip to TARGET

Congrats on Wine Bar George and so sorry about the crappy beef at Raglan Road!

Yes! Crappy is the perfect word for it.

Oh that beautiful Ger's Bread Pudding. (It still looks good, even sideways, ha). Were you able to eat more this time? I remember you said you barely made a dent the last time you were there. Great report, keep it coming!!

There were a few of us going at it and because I didn't eat any of my entree, I was able to eat quite a bit of it! Soaked up some of the booze too!

Now that they let everyone down to the hub at MK so early, did you find the early breakfast (other than the delays!) a good move for photos? Wondering if it's worth dragging everyone up and out so early.

I would say that it's ONLY good for photos. It was definitely empty on Main Street and we got some great pics. I would not necessarily think that the early am breakfast guarantees you to get on any headliners as I was told. Getting up that early was tough and it took us a while to catch up from the early flight, early breakfast, early morning at DHS for the Star Wars stuff.

On a fun note - Happy National Margarita Day, Natalie!

GRACIAS!!!!!! You know, I didn't actually celebrate this year :( Something about a cold snowy day makes a margarita less appealing. But you know....EVERY DAY is Margarita Day!

So much so that "Serenity Now" (from Seinfeld) is a running joke when I'm getting cranky as that drink is proven to make everything better and we're usually staying in the Epcot resort area. The woman at Oga's sounds very eccentric. My guess is that she's very lonely but when she starts mentioning the kids it's probably time to go! I feel like there was a lot more I wanted to comment on but I'm forgetting it all now … I should have taken notes! Loving your report!

YES! Blue Zoo is a fantastic place to grab a quiet drink. I loved it in there. I thought the same thing about the Ogas lady....felt sorry for her and I'm sure she's harmless. But it just made the vibe weird.
 


Jock Lindsays. We ordered mojitos and an everything pretzel to snack on:
Right now Jock's is my all time favorite spot in DS! I've loved everything I've eaten there but only got the pretzel for the first time last month. I think I prefer the Everything Pretzel at Crew's Cup but the one at Jock's was still delish.

I keep trying to get to WBG and we keep not getting there!
 
Day 8 - Sunday, January 19 - California Grill Brunch and Nomad Lounge

Can I just say TGIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF. It's been kooky here at work, Alice has been sick and I'm just over here trying not to lose my dang mind. I'm a program manager for international programs so this whole Corona virus is making things um....challenging :) So now that I have a moment, I'm going to try and finish up my report for you guys. And I know you're all waiting for the main event---CALIFORNIA GRILL BRUUUUUUUUNCH 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂 🥂

I was also looking forward to this brunch for my entire trip and it really made me less bummed about our trip coming to an end. We all got dolled up to head to the Contemporary Resort. Steven and Renee came with and booked us Minnie van transportation which Alice was SUPER excited about. She had been begging me to take one all week.

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Yep. Both my kids had their tablets for this brunch. Per my previous TR's, sometimes you just want your kids to sit at a table quietly while the grownups enjoy their meals and conversation. We had so much lovely family time together I didn't feel one smidge of guilt about it either. #KINDLESFORLIFE

We checked in swiftly and were on our way to California Grill. Sigh....you guys. It's so beautiful up there. What was even more gorge was the bar lined up with dozens of mimosas

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You can just keep 'em comin! Important to note that the mimosas were bottomless, but if you wanted something different, one alcoholic beverage was included with the meal plan. Scott and Steven ordered bloody marys--also worth noting that there is no longer the bloody mary bar as previously offered.

Here was the menu from our brunch. If you're not familiar with how this brunch works, it's an "all you care to enjoy" self serve stations as well as a plated entree. I've read that you can order multiple entrees as well, but we were so stuffed that we didn't ask to find out! Our server was awesome and gave us an overview of the stations, how it worked with the meal plan and made sure to keep drinks in our hands. I loved her. I *think* her name was Moe? Anyway, she tied with Giuseppe for best server of our trip.

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The kids plates weren't very exciting. Bagels, yogurt, cheese, chocolate croissant.

My first plate - look at how beautiful the lighting is! No filter on this bad boy. I had bacon and egg salad, cheese and salami, deviled eggs and the seasonal quiche. I am very fussy about my deviled eggs and these were DELISH. The bacon on top and aoli were fantastic additions and gave them tons of flavor. Much better than the Church Lady deviled eggs at Homecomin'. The salad was well dressed...not too much to make it soggy as can happen with pre-dressed buffet salads. I didn't love the quiche. It was a bit wet which I found unappealing.
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I was dying to try the orange bourbon baba:

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Ugh...this was so good. Buttery and fluffy cake with a warm caramel bourbon drizzle and nice cold ice cream. I had to stop myself from getting another! We had our entrees coming so I had to pace myself lol.

For entrees, Rowan wanted to try the Bison burger, Alice the chicken katsu (no veggies lol), Scott ordered the lobster benedict and I ordered the pineapple coconut french toast. We also ordered a side of bacon and sausage that is made in-house. BEHOLD:

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Rowan's burger was plain, so didn't photograph very well. I don't know what to say except everything was AMAZING. My french toast had a delicious cream cheese filling that toned down the sweetness of the pineapple. I am not usually a sweets for breakfast kind of gal, and this was perfection. Scott devoured his lobster benedict and maintains that it was the best he's ever had. Alice's chicken katsu, while it looks very boring and brown was the real stand out. I didn't expect it to be as delicious as it was--sweet and savory and the chicken had a lovely crunch.

Right around this time, @pepperandchips popped over with Mr. Chips to meet us!! Melinda and her husband are just as cute in real life. I didn't get a pic with her...so I guess we'll have to meet up again for the DIS!

Speaking of being cute:

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As if we hadn't eaten enough, we were brought a lovely plate of chocolates and macarons:

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This is the only shot I was able to get before my kids absolutely destroyed that plate lol.

CONT on next post:
 
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Day 8 - Sunday, January 19 - California Grill Brunch and Nomad Lounge (Cont.)

Look at my kids sticking their fingers in everything 🙄

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As you can see, we also got a round of their french pressed coffees to counteract the 3-4 mimosas lol. We paid our bills around 1pm and went back to BCV to change and rest before heading to Animal Kingdom for the afternoon/evening.

I could only get a Flights of Passage FP for Sunday night btwn 6-7pm. That worked because I couldn't imagine eating much for the rest of the day. At around 3:30, we hopped on the bus over to AK. Scott and I were a bit...drowsy still ;) so we stopped at Creature Comforts for a coffee and the kids were wanting a snack.

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Alice ordered this monstrous cupcake with probably a pound of frosting on top. Rowan wanted a dole whip, so after I scraped 90% of the frosting off and Alice was actually able to eat the cupcake, we went over to Africa to Tamu Tamu and to catch the Lion King Show. Moved to tears as per usual. That show is THE BEST.

Steven and Renee texted to let us know they were in Nomad lounge and to meet them for cocktails and poutine. YES PLEASE.

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We tried to get a table outside but they were all full. We did manage to get a great spot inside with plenty of room for us all to relax.

I ordered the Annapurna Zing: Bombay Sapphire Gin, Passion Fruit Purée, Mint, Simple Syrup, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer and a glowing Lotus Flower--sans the glowing lotus flower because they stopped putting those in there. Would have been nice to know that ahead of time..but it was still delicious.

Scott and Steven ordered a bottle of South African pinot noir that they were both VERY surprised about. Scott isn't a pinot noir kind of guy as they're usually really thin. But this one was full bodied with a lot of flavor and spice.

We also ordered the Tiffins Bread Service, fish tacos and poutine. I didn't get pics because we were all busy chatting...but here are some pics I found online:

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The bread service was the best of the three appetizers, with the fish tacos being on the meager side. Two very small pieces of fish in two very small tortillas. The poutine, sadly, was not very good at all. VERY dry with not nearly enough gravy. I live pretty close to Canada, so I know a thing or two about poutine. This was like, meat on fries with a couple cheese curds. For the price of all three apps, I would say that Nomad is great for the ambiance and a cocktail or two...but I don't think I would go back hungry 😬

After our snacks it was about time for Flights of Passage which was mind-blowingly awesome. Both kids chickened out initially, but then Alice went RUNNING back in to the room and hopped right on the banshee. Rowan remained steadfast in his resolve to not go on any more thrill rides. The staff was great about getting me a rider swap and I was on the next ride. Absolutely breathtaking. Loved it.

Around 8, we were all ready to head back to the room and relax. What an amazing day.

Up next: Our last day in MK and drinks around the monorail!
 


What a great day - you hit two of my all-time faves. Isn't that brunch just the best?? I wish they'd expand to offer on Saturdays too - the demand certainly seems to be there. Philosophically I like that they change the menu often but I was so bummed they got rid of the fried chicken and waffle dish - that is probably in the top 10 of dishes I've ever had anywhere. But good to know the new dishes are worthy too. I have a reservation in May and can't wait. Such a hard reservation to get!
 
My french toast had a delicious cream cheese filling that toned down the sweetness of the pineapple. I am not usually a sweets for breakfast kind of gal, and this was perfection.

Ooo that sounds good.

Speaking of being cute:

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I love this picture, your necklace is really cute!

The poutine, sadly, was not very good at all.

We had a slightly different one without meat in Sep and I agree it was disappointing.
 
That’s a great dining day, two of my favorite dining experiences of all time at WDW. That brunch menu looks great and I love your choices. We gave the kid a phone to watch shows when he was finished eating, no shame in that game.

Scott and I were a bit...drowsy still ;) so we stopped at Creature Comforts for a coffee and the kids were wanting a snack.
Oh, the same day hangover...yes, I am familiar with it. The brunch induced it one time and another time, the pool bar margaritas at Beach Club were the culprit. Pretty sure both required a nap...
 
What was even more gorge was the bar lined up with dozens of mimosas
That was like the first thing I saw when we walked in and I was like, "Mama's here babies"!
I am very fussy about my deviled eggs and these were DELISH.
Aren't they?? I will say I had the deviled eggs app at The Edison and thought they were super good too.
I was dying to try the orange bourbon baba:
Ugh you are making me really want to go back! I didn't know this existed there until we went and I too had to nix seconds lol. Delicious!
My french toast had a delicious cream cheese filling that toned down the sweetness of the pineapple. I am not usually a sweets for breakfast kind of gal,
See and I'm a 100% sweets for breakfast kind of gal so this would be perfect for me. Although it wasn't on the menu when we went so I got the steak and eggs which was divine.
Right around this time, @pepperandchips popped over with Mr. Chips to meet us!! Melinda and her husband are just as cute in real life. I didn't get a pic with her...so I guess we'll have to meet up again for the DIS!
:love:
That worked because I couldn't imagine eating much for the rest of the day
Ha ha right? The day we went we had FF dinner booked and cancelled during brunch. Ended up going to the TOTWL later and then Geyser Point and both were perfect.
The bread service was the best of the three appetizers,
Yes I love that too!
For the price of all three apps, I would say that Nomad is great for the ambiance and a cocktail or two...but I don't think I would go back hungry 😬
I admit I just order and don't look at prices, but I do like everything we've gotten here. My kids love the sliders and I finally tried the churros which were great; I've had the poutine a few times and it's always good but it never looked like the one in that picture!
 
Oh wow that brunch looked amazing! And I totally agree with you that Nomad's Lounge is great for drinking but not for eating. Glad you didn't waste your money on the sliders like we did.
 
Day 9 - Monday, January 20 - Final full day and final thoughts

It was our final full day which was pretty great timing because right after we left a cold front came through and I heard it was FREEZING down there. I was actually pretty happy for the cooler temps and to not hear anyone complain of the heat. We decided to finish out the trip at MK and even though it was crazy packed for MLK day, we managed to hit up a few rides before we met our friends for a monorail cocktail tour!

Sailed right on Pirates and waited a bit for the Jungle Cruise.

Y'all--can you believe one of these boats sank last week?!?!?!?

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Carousel

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Then we went over for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. Standard chicken nuggies and fried fish. It was good. We had the whole upstairs to ourselves which was DELIGHTFUL. After 9 days in Disney you really start to cherish moments when nobody is around lol.

Over to the tea cups and dumbo

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We then popped over to Big Top Souvenirs

Y'all--can you believe this place caught fire?!?

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And I guess Haunted Mansion was closed for a day or two? Seriously--what is happening down there? Bad juju must be. Need to burn a giant sage stick and walk it through the park.

Alice got a mickey rice krispie treat and Rowan ordered a blue slushie and a caramel apple. I guess he just needed MORE sugar lol. They cut it up for us behind the counter and we went outside to enjoy the sun and our treats. Then this guy showed up!

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The crowds were really reaching a fevered pitch, so we decided to meet up with our NY friends that were in town for the dance competition as well as Steven and Renee for some drinks around the monorail. We started at Enchanted Rose which is actually a beautiful bar. I can appreciate how visually stunning the colors and fabrics are, and still feel like GF is an odd resort to house a B&B themed bar. I also loved Mizners so that adds to my somewhat negative feelings about it. I don't remember the cocktail I got here, but I remember it was tasty and strong and also very expensive lol.

Important note: The entire lounge isn't open or serving food until 5:00pm so seating can be limited in the part that is open (the green room that leads to the veranda and the main bar area)

We hopped on the monorail and went over for Palomas at Outer Rim lounge at the Contemporary. These were very good and very strong. Did not have the addition of sour mix as the one I had at Crews Cup. Feeling pretty buzzed, we went over to Poly for Lapu Lapus and some grub. We had a bunch of leftover kids meal credits so we took the kids outside for trivia and the guys went to Captain Cooks to grab a couple of pizzas-Hawaiian and Traditional as well as an order of the pulled pork nachos which were DELISH. I don't know if it was because I was tipsy or what, but all the food here tasted REALLY good lol. Our friends all wanted to go to Trader Sam's but at that point I realized that if I had one more cocktail I wasn't sure that I would be able to actually pack up our suitcases. We called an Uber and went back to the hotel to try and get ourselves all packed up for our 6am ride on the Tragical Express.

I went to BC Marketplace and burned through like 25 snack credits getting all kinds of candy and treats for people in the office and our neighbors for getting our mail.

The flight home was uneventful and we were home safely in NY Tuesday afternoon.



FINAL THOUGHTS:

Ok, so I have had some time to reflect on this trip and although it was a really great one, I am not in a big rush to go back. Maybe it was because it was so busy...or maybe because the food was just not very good and the DDP just didn't work for us? Usually I'm looking to book my next Disney vacation as soon as I get back. But this trip felt a little different. It was just way too crowded. I'm happy to wait for another few years for them to add more rides to spread out the hordes of people and hoping they up their restaurant game.

I say all this, but I'm sure that in 6 mo I will be back on the "I NEED TO GET BACK TO DISNEY" train.

Here's what I would do differently food-wise:

**I would NOT do the DDP

**I would only book ADR's for 2 sit down dinners and the California Grill Brunch. The rest of my meals would be in the lounges on my own schedule. Scott and I realized that we would be happy with a cheeseboard and a couple apps for dinners. Our kids are non-adventurous eaters, so kids menu food is fine for them and the lounges typically serve them. I would happily have paid out of pocket for the 2 ice creams/snacks a day my kids wanted.

**I would also make sure I had breakfast items (cereal, milk, fruit etc) and bottled waters delivered to the hotel. We wasted a ton of meals and snacks on pastries and granola bars.

I think this approach would have served us better as I did NOT enjoy rushing to make an ADR only to not enjoy my meal. I would rather just be on my own schedule. It might be the ages of my kids or just the way we eat that makes the difference for us. There were lots of last minute reservation options on MDE when we needed them too.

Thanks to everyone for following along! I appreciate all the comments and kind words and I hope you all have a magical time on your next WDW vacation!
 
This was an awesome write up- Thanks for sharing your dining and Disney adventures! California Grill brunch remains our favorite dining experience and seeing your pics there took me back to that happy place!
 
"Ok, so I have had some time to reflect on this trip and although it was a really great one, I am not in a big rush to go back. Maybe it was because it was so busy...or maybe because the food was just not very good and the DDP just didn't work for us? Usually I'm looking to book my next Disney vacation as soon as I get back. But this trip felt a little different. It was just way too crowded. I'm happy to wait for another few years for them to add more rides to spread out the hordes of people and hoping they up their restaurant game."

I felt exactly the same way when we got home from our January trip.
 
That’s a great dining day, two of my favorite dining experiences of all time at WDW. That brunch menu looks great and I love your choices. We gave the kid a phone to watch shows when he was finished eating, no shame in that game.


Oh, the same day hangover...yes, I am familiar with it. The brunch induced it one time and another time, the pool bar margaritas at Beach Club were the culprit. Pretty sure both required a nap...

You ladies Disney like I do. Love it! 😆
 

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