Dining for our Unexpected Trip...July 27, 2019 through August 4, 2019

Thanks for this! I was very happy to see a review for Akershus breakfast. We are going for the princesses but it looks like the food will be pretty good too.
 
Teppan Edo

Initially we had an ADR at Via Napoli but due ti a disagreement in how we were "allowed" to order, we all decided we needed to leave and find something else....for details see my Trip Report titled "Why Not Make It Three".

There was quite a bit to choose from when I looked on the app for a replacement and when I mentioned this one they all jumped on it, as I expected they would...it's one of our collective favorites. So we headed over there...


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Do you know where we're headed? I'd love to give Tokyo Dining a shot but they are not going to have that so I was able to get a 3pm ADR at Teppan Edo...a family favorite.

We arrived and checked in. We were seated right away.

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First we ordered drinks. I had the Nigori Mimosa - Unfiltered Nigori Sake, Orange Juice, Grenadine, and Sparkling Water...

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It was very pretty and tasted really good. I also got water for after.

Cary got the Mojito - Mix of Rum, Sake, Simple Syrup, Fresh Limes, and Mint - Classic, Blood Orange, Blackberry and a coke (that he wasn't charged for). He enjoyed it.

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The kids both got soft drinks...not sure which. The salad was brought next.

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Which is just mixed greens with a ginger dressing. Tyler doesn't eat it but the rest of like it. It is a good starter for your meal!

Then the appetizers came out while the chef started the entrees. Skye ordered the Edamame-young soybean pods, served chilled.

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She loves Edamame! She takes then out of the pod and soaks them in soy sauce before eating them.

Tyler ordered the Wafu Ribs - pork ribs marinated with honey, soy, pineapple, and garlic... this is his go to here. They are not quite as good as they used to be...a little more fatty than they used to be but they are still good!

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Cary and I ordered the Assorted Tempura - shrimp and seasonal vegetables. I think it was one shrimp, one zucchini, one squash, and something else I cannot remember. It is all really good (although I usually have to share my shrimp with Skyler!). It is lightly battered and fried but not at all greasy. The dipping sauce is really good and lite.

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While we were eating, the chef was cooking! We have hibachi around here but it is either too expensive or at our favorite Japanese spot, the wait for a hibachi table is always outrageous so we don't ever seem to get there around here. So for us, this is a treat.

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He was not very personable or super talkative but he did all the tricks and made characters out of the vegetables...made one walk...LOL.

So Tyler and Cary both ordered their usual...Filet Mignon (which is no longer listed on the menu).

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Tyler's

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Cary's

Neither of them really eat the noodles and veggies though...they are all about the meat! Tyler does his medium rare and Cary does medium well. You are served as your meat is done so Tyler's is usually first. They both loved their steak as usual!

You are also served rice. It has changed over the years from white to beef fried. This time we got a choice. The kids prefer white sticky rice so that's what we all got. Since Tyler doesn't eat the salad or the noodles, I let him have my rice too.

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I ordered the Hotate - cold water ocean scallops served with garden salad, udon noodles, vegetables, and steamed white rice. I always want to branch out and try new things and this is one of the things I have wanted to try here. I love scallops (no one else does) but they can get rubbery if not cooked right (which is why I generally don't try to make them at home!) but these were perfect.

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They had a good sear on them and the flavor was great!

Skyler always gets some version of chicken (which she says is the best chicken ever!). Today is was the Nihonbashi - steak and chicken.

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This was a lot of food! It is not filet, it is sirloin but she has tasted both and likes them both. Surprisingly, the chicken is the longest to cook but she wont eat the steak until the chicken is done. But she came close to finishing it and she pulls out some noodles and will eat them...no veggies though.

The chef across from us was newish and was practicing tricks...he was missing a lot and dropping things and making a lot of noise. He played it out but his servers were running a lot. I will end up mentioning him again somewhere else in this report!

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For dessert Skye and Cary ordered the Mango Mousse Cake - mango-flavored sponge cake with a smooth flavorful mango mousse decorated with a tropical glaze.

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It was really good, moist cake with a mild mango taste...you would think it'd be overly mango but it is not...it is a really good balance.

Tyler had the Soft Serve Ice Cream - vanilla, green tea, or vanilla-green tea swirl...plain old vanilla.


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I ordered the Ginger Mousse Cake - layered sponge cake with ginger mousse and a ribbon of rich chocolate icing to top it off...again, it has a mild ginger taste that goes so well with the chocolate...I really liked this cake!

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All in all, we love it here. We were glad we ended up here in the end. Everyone has something they love here and we all leave full! We have come here even off the dining plan. And yes, I know we ended up using that fourth credit...but it really wasn't about not using the credit, it was about that we did not need all that food! And had the manager at Via Napoli not been rude and condescending, we would have stayed but ordered differently and paid out of pocket. But in the end, we were all happy that we changed venues. And we will be back!

We were there just over an hour (seems like it should be a long meal but it is really efficient while not feeling rushed!). Our total was $258.05 but we used 4 credits...and it was well worth it!

OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1562.01
OVERALL TOTAL $1992.42
DDDP Credits used = 24
Snack Credits used =11
Mugs = 4
 
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Fife & Drum

We stopped at Fife and Drum for a snack. We got a Barq's® Root Beer Float - Barq's® Root Beer Float with Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream and Mint Leaves...

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And a I Am Groot...

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The tape was basically a pop tart with an edible decal. It was actually really good and fun! I don't remember flavor it was though. The float was a good float. We were there at about 7:52pm and spent $10.75 or 2 snack credits.

OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1572.76
OVERALL TOTAL $2003.17
DDDP Credits used = 24
Snack Credits used =13
Mugs = 4
 
Coral Reef

We had a dinner ADR at 8:55pm at COral Reef. Now I was nervous because every time we have had a reservation that was not at opening, we have had a crazy long wait to be seated so we headed in a little early and were told we probably would not be seated until closer to our ADR time. The kids are always worried that we will not get a "good" table so they are always on edge until we are seated. There are bad boot tables here with high backs that do alter your view so I get it but there are also some good tables that are not booths that have great views too. So about five minutes before our ADR time we were called in and led here...

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Needless to say, everyone was pleased.

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The restaurant was clearing out slowly so I assume we were in the last time slot for ADRs. We were not rushed at all but as people cleared out, no one else came in.

For drinks I ordered The Abyss - Skyy Vodka, Bacardi Superior Rum, Blue Curaçao, and Pineapple Juice. I don't remember much about it but i drank it so it must have been good...it was pretty, for sure!

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Cary ordered the Captain's Rum Runner - Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Blackberry Brandy, Créme de Banana, and Tropical Juices topped with a float of Plantation Original Dark Rum...which was definitely not as pretty but he liked it.

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Tyler ordered a Coke and Skye got the Watermelon Lemonade.

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We had decided to use three credits here because Skyler wasn't very hungry and there was plenty she could share if needed. The waiter, Sean, brought the rolls and butter...and everyone was thrilled...they were super soft and warm...so good!
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On to appetizers...Cary ordered the Shrimp Cocktail - Traditional Cocktail Sauce, Charred Lemon...and traditional in presentation, it was not. It was a really fun way to get a shrimp cocktail and we all enjoyed not having the shrimp already doused in sauce...the kids would never put sauce on a shrimp! There are only three of them so it is definitely an appetizer though! It was three nice sized, fresh, cold shrimp and the sauce was your traditional cocktail sauce with a bit of a wang to it! These three did not last long...

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Skyler ordered the Caesar Salad - Parmesan Cheese, Croutons as the mail portion of her meal. It was a decent size and nice and fresh and she enjoyed it.

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And Tyler ordered the "fried shrimp" as it is listed on my receipt. Is is not on the menu online but I believe is was a firecracker shrimp type thing and as opposed to the shrimp cocktail, this had a lot of shrimp and was plenty for us to share. It was a solid appetizer too.

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For entrees...Tyler ordered the "Top Sirloin Steak" as it is listed on the receipt. Again, it is not on the menu now. I don't know that is came with fries but if not, he asked to sub them for whatever did come with it. And Tyler has yet to find a Disney steak he does not like so he was all good!

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I ordered the Lobster Seafood Boil - Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, Corn, Potatoes, Ouzo-Garlic Butter, and Spiced Cioppino Broth (Substitutions Are Not Available). This was wonderful! All of it was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. Cary picked at it with me too. It was a lot of food. I do believe mine had mussels in place of the scallops though and has a crab claw too.

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Cary ordered the Oven-roasted Herb Chicken - Seasonal Vegetables, Curry Vinaigrette. It was a good dish. Nothing outstanding but nothing bad either. Skyler helped him with some of the chicken. They both enjoyed it enough.

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For dessert Cary ordered the Seasonal Cheesecake - shortbread Cookie, Fruit Compote. Isn't it pretty??? We all enjoyed this a lot!

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Tyler ordered the The Chocolate Wave - Warm Flourless Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Gelato...who's presentation has really gone down hill over the years but was just as good as ever!

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And I ordered what is on the receipt as "Cake Angel Food" (no sugar added) dessert that does not look like it is on the menu anymore...but I did not want to share...this was SO good...lightish...sweet even without sugar added...just a great dessert. Inevitably, i did share and everyone enjoyed it.

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We had a great time watching fish while we ate. The place really cleared out while we were there and we were one of only a few tables left in there by the time we were paying our bill.

I know this place gets a bad rap but we have been many times and every time we have been pleased. Sometimes the service is not as great as other places but that just saves me tip money. The food has always been to our liking. And you can't beat the aquarium to eat by. I would guess we will be back sooner or later. I struggle with Epcot dining though because there are SO many good places to dine! We were here about an hour and a half and out total was $202.66.

OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1775.42
OVERALL TOTAL $2205.83
DDDP Credits used = 27
Snack Credits used =13
Mugs = 4
 


Tuskerhouse

We had a 10:30am ADR at...

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We checked in and had to sit for a few minutes but it wasn't long. Once we were called we were taken into the main room, a few tables in.

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We met our waitress, Veronica. She was an older woman who seemed a bit overwhelmed already but she was kinda like your mom so she worked out well. We placed our drink orders and had to ask for straws when they came. We headed up to the buffet.

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These are Skyler's first trip...croissant, glazed donut holes, and a chocolate croissant...and Mickey Waffle, Tater Tots, Pancakes, a Simba Waffle under the pancakes, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs.

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Tyler's Donut Holes.

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Tyler's plate of Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, a Mickey Waffle and a Simba Waffle.

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My first plates (and I am not going to be able to tell you what it all was...a Simba Waffle, Sausage, Bacon, Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Grits, and for the rest your guess is as good as mine! And then Donut Holes, a fruit salad, cantaloupe and grapes, a tomato salad, a chocolate crossaint, and a cinnamon roll.

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Me, Cary, and Skyler had Jungle Juice.

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Cary's plate of tater tots, breakfast potatoes, some kind of omelet, and bacon.

Donald was the first around...

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I had ordered an African Bloody Mary for my drink also. It took a while getting there though so I was glad I had the Jungle Juice!

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It was very watered down...I don't mean that it was short on the booze but that it was a very thin drink...a lot of the Bloody Marys I have had have been a thicker, tomato juice type drink. This was more the feel of water. The flavor was ok, the bacon was good but it was not the best drink I had this trip and I don't think I'd order it again.

Cary ordered the Captain's Mai-Tai. It is not on the menu so I am not sure what it was made with here but he enjoyed it.

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Mickey came around next...

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Daisy was next around...

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And Goofy was last around...

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In here, we all had grabbed other plates but we were waiting on lunch to be out and shortly after Goofy was through, it was so we headed up some more.

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This was a Skyler Plate of Mac & Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Leg, Corn Dog Nuggets, and Green Beans.

Mickey stopped by again real quick!

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We each went up for more but i do not have any other pictures. This was a perfect time to be here. We got to enjoy Breakfast and Lunch (at the Breakfast price if we had been paying) and it was not super crowded. We saw some of the characters twice and they had tome to hand out a bit. This is normally a loud place but it was not too bad today.

We love Tuskerhouse for all meals (it is one of the few buffets we will go to for lunch and dinner). I find it difficult to pay out of pocket for buffets though so when not on a dining plan we tend not to come. All in all everything was fresh and full. Even when they started changing over to lunch the breakfast food was kept up for a bit. There is a lot to choose from here for regular plan people and the adventurous ones too.

We were there for about an hour and it did not need to have been that long but we had had a busy morning and were just enjoying our brunch.

Our total here was $186.91 or 4 dining credits.

OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1962.33
OVERALL TOTAL $2392.74
DDDP Credits used = 31
Snack Credits used =13
Mugs = 4
 
Pongu Pongu

We stopped at Pongu Pongu for a Night Blossom - Non-Alcoholic Specialty Beverage - layers of Apple and Desert Pear Limeade topped with Passion Fruit Boba Balls. We all love the boba balls! The total was $6.38 or 1 snack credit.

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OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1968.71
OVERALL TOTAL $2399.12
DDDP Credits used = 31
Snack Credits used =14
Mugs = 4
 
It's a gloomy rainy day here in South Jersey, so I happily spent all morning reading your dining reviews, and I am really enjoying them!
 


Eight Spoon Cafe

After hanging around at the base of the Tree we headed over for one of everyone's favorite snacks!

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Eight Spoon Cafe is one of the kids' favorite for Baked Macaroni & Cheese. It used to be better though. It used to came "baked" in little black plastic ramekins with bread crumb topping. I think the serving size is bigger now but they were better before...however, they still love them! We only ordered two but they gave us three. Cary ordered the Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Shrimp and Sweet Chili Sauce.


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It was actually really good! The kids didn't like it but me and Cary did. The total was $16.69 or three snack credits (at 4:33pm).

We took our food over to Flame Tree's seating area to eat.

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There are so many fun places to sit over there!

OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1985.40
OVERALL TOTAL $2415.81
DDDP Credits used = 31
Snack Credits used =17
Mugs = 4
 
Trek Snacks

After, we stopped at what is listed on my receipt as "Trek Snacks" where we ordered a Mickey Pretzel with Cheese and a Frozen Orangeade.

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It did not take long for this to disappear. I happen to like the Orangeade better than lemonade. The total was $12.55 or two snack credits.

OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $1997.95
OVERALL TOTAL $2428.36
DDDP Credits used = 31
Snack Credits used =19
Mugs = 4
 
Mr Kamal's

We ordered the Mr. Kamal's Seasoned Fries available dipping sauces include saffron aioli, honey kimchi ketchup, and Tandoori honey mustard.

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We all seem to like different sauces with the fries. The seasoning on them is good in and of itself though.

We also got an order of Chicken Dumplings served with Ponzu.

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Unfortunately, this only comes with three of these but they are SSSSOOOO good! Even Tyler loves these. They are basically fried pot stickers and are really well made. We would get multiple orders of these but there are so many good little snacky type food stops here that we never want to spend more money on the same thing.

Our total here was $12.79 or two snack credits.


OOP TOTAL $430.41
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2010.74
OVERALL TOTAL $2441.15
DDDP Credits used = 31
Snack Credits used =21
Mugs = 4
 
Yak & Yeti

We had an 8:3-pm ADR at Yak & Yeti.

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So we checked in and had a small wait to be seated. When we were finally seated, we were put in the section right inside the door at a table next to the first wall. You are totally not IN the restaurant at this spot and really cannot even see all the very cool stuff inside. I totally dislike being seated on the outside of a restaurant or where there is no way to actually feel like a part of the action...so I was not super happy, but at this point we were just hungry and tired so we dealt with it.

We ordered drinks first. I had the Yak Attack - Mango Daiquiri, Don Q Cristal Rum and Wildberry Flavors...

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It was really good and went down quickly!

Cary had a drink that we do not remember (I only have the dining plan receipt not the itemized one). We don't see anything that looks like it. He was big on mojitos and mai tais but there are none of those on the current menu. So, it is whatever is was and he enjoyed it.

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We decided to get three meals and a kids meal here. Our waitress was tired and wanted to leave, we could tell. She tried to convince us that we wanted four adult meals...repeatedly. It was actually kind of annoying. We did not need that much food and the kids were not super into this kind of food (although they love this restaurant???).

So for appetizers we ordered Firecracker Shrimp - Crispy fried shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce, Asian slaw...

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Tyler actually really likes this. It's breaded shrimp with a firecracker sauce and it is really good...not too hot.

We also ordered Pork Egg Rolls - Chili plum dipping sauce. Egg rolls are a standard. All of us like these...but there are only three of them so we have to split them.

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And my personal favorite almost everywhere we go...Pork Pot Stickers - Pan seared or steamed, soy lime dipping sauce. Unfortunately, there are only five of them. So we split these too.

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For entree Tyler ordered Kobe Beef Burger - 10 oz. grilled American Kobe beef burger, sesame-soy mayonnaise, and crispy fries topped with choice of shiitake mushroom and scallion compote or Asian slaw.

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He orders it with just lettuce and other stuff on the side. He really likes this burger and this is his go to here.

I got a special that is not on the regular menu. I am not sure what it was...I think some kind of beef thing. I love anything wrapped in a tortilla so I really enjoyed this.

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Cary had the Sweet & Sour Chicken - Tempura chicken, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, pineapple...which he loved. There was a lot of food on that plate!

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And Skyler ordered a Kid's Chicken Fried Rice - choice of Two (2) Sides and choice Kid-size portion of Milk or Apple Juice. She chose broccoli and grapes as her sides and apple juice as her drink. it was a huge bowl of rice and she really likes it.

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We ended up bringing some of Cary's and Skyler's back with us we had so much!

For dessert we ordered two New York Cheesecakes - with mango and strawberry coulis, whipped topping.

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We all love this...it has the perfect balance of cheesecake and sweet. We took one home with us.

We also had a Fried Wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey-vanilla drizzle. We like this but not like others like it. But it was good and we ate it.

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While we were finishing up, they were cleaning up and putting chairs on tables. We were not rushed exactly, but we did feel like our waitress was ready for us to leave. And we don't usually linger over a meal. In fact, we were there just under an hour.

We felt our service was a bit worse than we usually get here. We don't usually dine this late here so maybe that's normal for Yak & Yeti late at night. We still love it here and this is probably our favorite table service meal at Animal Kingdom.

Our total here was $176.18 or 3 table service meals, and $10.42 out of pocket. I am sure we will be back!

OOP TOTAL $440.83
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2186.92
OVERALL TOTAL $2627.75
DDDP Credits used = 34
Snack Credits used =21
Mugs = 4
 
We love Yak & Yeti too, though it would have bugged me to have them closing up the restaurant around me while I was eating. Wiping down tables and other less obvious stuff is fine, but if they are going to take ADRs that late they shouldn't start putting chairs on tables while people are still having dinner! At any rate, all your AK snacks and your Y&Y food looked yummy :)
 
Garden Grill

to be our 4 park day. We knew before hand, it probably was not going to happen due to the way some things ended up being scheduled that we wanted to do.

We started with packing up as we would be moving this night. We brought everything to the car and then headed out.

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Our first stop was a nearly empty Epcot for a pre-park opening breakfast.

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We headed right over to The Land.

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We checked in, were handed a pager and handed it right back! We were taken to our table.

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We met our waitress and she took our drink orders. She also left the Seasonal Fresh Fruit (which is never enough so we asked for more right away!)...

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...it was fresh and cold, just as it should be. She also brought the Chip's Sticky Bun Bake (that Tyler can finish by himself so we asked for another one for the rest of us!)...

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Which was warm and soft with plenty of icing. For a drink I ordered a water and a Mimosa - Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco with Orange Juice or Passion-Orange-Guava Juice.

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The Mimosa was great! Everyone else just got POG juice, apple juice and a Coke.

Dale was around before the hot food arrived.

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Our waitress (Kristen G) dropped off a plate of salsa, ketchup, syrup and nutella.

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And then our platter of Fluffy Scrambled Eggs, Hash Brown-style Potato Barrels,Thick-sliced Bacon and Sausage Links, and Mickey-shaped Waffles arrived.

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All of this was hot and fresh and we all eat all of this. Food wise, this isn't fancy but it is all the stuff we actually eat...so this is one place that we don't have to worry that someone is not going to like something.

Chip was next to visit.

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Mickey was next...

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Then Pluto...

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Skye always loved that Pluto has to sign on his nose when she was little...LOL.

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We hung out a bit longer and we got more of the waffles, bacon, and tots.

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Even Panama likes it here...

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Then Dale snuck up behind Tyler and scared him...LOL!

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He hung out a little longer...

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Not really sure what's going on here???

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Skye likes to gut her Mickey Waffles...

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Then Mickey and Pluto came around and goofing off...

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The scene we were passing...

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We finally found we were full. We were there about 40 minutes end to end. We have only recently started going here...we have only been a couple of times. Breakfast is the only meal that really appeals to us here so we have not been to lunch or dinner. I don't know if this is something we'd do if we were not in the dining plan though. It is pricey for what it is...although if you can get a pre-park opening slot early in the rotation, it does put you at a prime location for making Soarin' with little to no wait...so maybe if all the stars aligned and it worked for what we needed/wanted. The cost was $173.33 but we used 4 dining credits.

OOP TOTAL $440.83
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2360.25
OVERALL TOTAL $2801.08
DDDP Credits used = 38
Snack Credits used =21
Mugs = 4
 
As always everything looks yummy. I may have said this before but I cannot believe how big the kids are. However they still look the same as they did when little:lovestruc
 
As always everything looks yummy. I may have said this before but I cannot believe how big the kids are. However they still look the same as they did when little:lovestruc

I know!!! I am even thrown when i look back at old reports and see them and am like "when did that happen?"... LOL
 
Westward Ho

We ended up at Westward Ho for drinks. Cary got the Joffrey's Coffee™ Cold Brew with Premium Flavored Syrups - Caramel.

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And the rest of us shared the Minute Maid® Frozen Lemonade Slushy.


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Both were for what they were. Cary's wasn't overly caramel flavored but it was enough. It was about 12:11pm and we spent $9.89...or 2 snack credits.

OOP TOTAL $440.83
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2370.14
OVERALL TOTAL $2810.97
DDDP Credits used = 38
Snack Credits used =23
Mugs = 4
 
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano

We hopped on a bus to Hollywood studios. Remember how beautiful the weather was before? Not so much now. It had become rainy and windy. So we waled from the bus drop off, through the entrance, all the way back to lunch...in the pouring rain! We finally arrived just on time (1:45pm ADR) and of course there were a ton of people sitting all over waiting to be seated...so we were not happy at the thought of standing around forever. But we had time to take our wet ponchos off and go to the bathroom before our buzzer went off. I'm not sure if people showed up early because of the rain or if they were walk ups hoping to get seated of people ended up cancelling due to the weather or what but we were seated withing less than 10 minutes.

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We were seated along the back wall, where we usually are. We all like it back there, you get to see everything from there.


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Our waitress was Barbara and she was a nice lady that was kinda mom-like. She was very friendly and helpful. She took our drink orders and brought bread.

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The kids love this rolls...but they wish they had the option of butter not dipping oil...not that any went un-eaten!

For drinks I ordered the Pina CoLAVA...which i do not see on the current menu and Cary had the Captain' Mai-Tai (which is not on the current menu either!).


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Skyler had a lemonade and Ty had a coke. For appetizers we were all kind of sharing...except for Cary, he didn't share his but he shared ours!

Skye ordered the Margherita Flatbread - Fresh Vine-ripened Tomatoes, Mozzarella, House-made Marinara Sauce, Fresh Basil, and drizzled with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

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She picks the basil off but she's weird. Everyone loves the flatbread here. When we pay out of pocket These are sometimes entrees.

I ordered the Carne d'Italia Flatbread - with Pepperoni, House-made Sausage, Pancetta, and Spicy Marinara Sauce.

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Which the guys really enjoy.

Cary had the House-made Italian Meatball - with Marinara, Fresh Ricotta, and Basil.

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And he said it was super! He cleaned his plate with a roll once the ball was gone.

Tyler ordered the Crispy Calamari - Served with Sottaceto Misto, Spicy Aïoli, and Charred Lemon...

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At the time, this was listed as "for 2" but she said it was fine for him to order. And frankly, if we had been paying out of pocket and planned this appetizer to be for two, it was a little on the small side so I may have been disappointed. But it was plenty for the amount of food we were ordering! Anyway, this is one of Tyler's go-tos here. It is always good.

For entree I ordered the Charred Strip Steak - Four-Cheese Macaroni with Pancetta, Aged Balsamic-Shallot Butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction

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It was really good, done medium rare. The mac & cheese is a "grown up" mac & cheese and pairs will with the sauce. I enjoyed it.

Cary ordered the Spaghetti and Meatballs - with House-made Marinara, garnished with Pecorino Romano Cheese and Parsley...which bought him another shot at the meatballs!

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They are the same meatballs from the appetizer so he was happy. He enjoyed his meal.

Skyler ordered the Chicken Penne Alfredo with the chicken on the side. I do not see it on the menu anymore though.

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She has ordered this the last couple of times we have been here. She eats it all but for some reason will not get the chicken IN the alfredo. This time the chicken was better seasoned than prior visits...and it was warm, it has been cold before. Otherwise she loved thie alfredo so she practically licks the bowl!

Tyler got his usual of Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana - Breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce topped with Melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti.

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He loves this and it is what he always gets. The steak lover in him wavers but the chicken parm always wins...even the time when his goal was to eat steak at all meals! It is a lot of food too.

For dessert I ordered the Traditional Cannoli - House-made creamy Cannoli Filling with a hint of Citrus and dusted with Cocoa Powder...which I love!

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Skyler got the Dessert Sampler - Miniature versions of Mama’s favorite Desserts...Lemon Cheesecake topped with Passion Fruit Pearls, Valencia Blood Orange Cake, and Tiramisù. She loves being able to try different desserts...she likes the lemon cheesecake the best, then the blood orange and didn't like the tiramisu much...but she is still developing her taste for coffee...LOL.

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Cary ordered the Tiramisú - layers of Mascarpone and Espresso soaked Lady Fingers topped with Cocoa Powder and Whipped Cream. It was a different presentation than the one in the sampler but he enjoyed them both.





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Tyler got the old stand-by of Cheesecake - A No Sugar Added Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce and topped with Whipped Cream...which is always a good option for us!

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All in all, we really love Mama Melrose. It is probably our favorite all around meal at Hollywood Studios, not that there are a lot of options at this point but it is still a good, solid choice for us. We were there just under an hour. Our waitress was efficient and friendly. She kept refills of water and soft drinks coming and food was paced well for us. We have been here both on and off the dining plan. We have used anywhere from two to four credits here and have never had a problem doing that. I am sure we will be back. Our total was $229.86 or 4 credits.

OOP TOTAL $440.83
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2600.00
OVERALL TOTAL $3040.83
DDDP Credits used = 42
Snack Credits used =23
Mugs = 4
 
Narcoossee

So we finally arrived at Narcoossee for our ADR, checked in and were called in shortly.

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We were seated on the ground floor but away from the windows.

We were given our menus and brought our bread and butter by our waitress, Patty.

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The kids love this bread...it might be their favorite!

Shortly after we were seated Happily Ever After Started.

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Since this was a full day of eating and we had six credits left we were ordering only three meals here.

So for appetizers we ordered the Slow-poached and Chilled Shrimp - Citrus Rémoulade, Frisée Salad, Pickled Shallots.

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We all like this. Skye has ordered this before and she likes the shrimp but NOT in the sauce. Cary and I like the whole thing.

I ordered the Barbecue-grilled Shrimp and Grits - wild Florida Shrimp with Barbecue Sauce, Low Country Grits, Cherrywood-smoked Bacon, and Pickled Green Tomato Chow-chow.

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Cary tried some of the shrimp but it was too "hot" for him. I enjoyed it but i needed the grits with the shrimp. The shrimp was VERY spicy...so the grits calmed it down some. I actually really liked it when all together though.

And Tyler and Cary ordered the Crispy Rhode Island Calamari - Peppadew-Banana Pepper-Olive Relish, Tomato Coulis.

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This is Tyler's stand by here...at least since the one time when he ordered the cheese plate to make us try all the "weird" cheese. But these are really good and probably my favorite calamari in The World. Everything as fresh and very good.

Cary and Tyler both ordered the Grilled Grass Fed Filet Mignon - Yukon Gold Mash, Roasted Carrots, Cipollini Onions, Red Wine-Oxtail Reduction.

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Cary ordered his medium well and at the time it was served with a seasonal vegetable (which looks like zucchini and squash with potato). He really enjoyed it. His filet was butterflied to make sure it cooked right. Everything went together great.

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Tyler's was medium rare and he ordered fried instead of the vegetables. He loved his. It looks plain but that filet had so much flavor! He was pleased.

Skye and I ordered the Surf & Turf with choice of Cold Water Lobster Tail or Pan-seared Scallops - 6-oz Sirloin Steak with Yukon Gold Mash, Roasted Carrots, and Cipollini Onions. Upgrade to a Filet Mignon or New York Strip for an additional 19.00 (Upgrade not eligible on the Disney Dining Plan). BUT, at the time, this was a filet and it was not an upgrade and it was included on the dining plan. Also, the lobster tail was butter poached.


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We ordered it medium rare. It was perfect. Both the filet and lobster were perfect. Skye and Cary loved the mashed potatoes. Everything was really good!

For dessert, for me, there is only one choice here...Almond-crusted Cheesecake - with Lambert Cherry Sauce!

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This is close to my favorite dessert on property. Everyone else likes it too. It has changed over the years and has gotten smaller...but it is still really good! We practically licked the plate!

Tyler always gets the Narcoossee’s Candy Bar - Dark Chocolate-Mocha Bar with House-made Guanaja Chocolate Gelato.

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And he always wishes he had a nice big glass of cold milk to drink with it! It is super rich and chocolate-y ... but it is also really good!

Cary ordered the Banana Cream Tart - with Salted Caramel and Whipped Cream.

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Which was an odd choice for him because he is not usually a banana kind of guy, But he enjoyed it. It was not overly banana-y. I loved it though...i AM a banana-y kind of girl!

Our ADR was for 8:45pm and we were there for about an hour and a half. It did start to empty out a bit as we were eating but we never felt rushed. Everything was really good and we still love Narcoossees. It is in a constant battle with California Grill for our favorite signature dining venue. They are two very different experiences in our opinion, so maybe we're ok with having two favorites. We have not gone here out of pocket but we might at some point. We had no problem with only ordering three meals and sharing and there was plenty of food, especially after our big, three meal day. Our total here was $285.29 or our last six dining credits.

OOP TOTAL $440.83
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2885.29
OVERALL TOTAL $3325.32
DDDP Credits used = 48
Snack Credits used =23
Mugs = 4
 
Gasparilla's Grill

But before we went to the car we stopped at Gasparilla's Grill to spend the rest of our snack credits.

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We grabbed a Mickey Brownie, An ALmond Tart, a Chocolate Torsade, three Mickey Crisped Rice bars, and two strawberry milks.

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There was not many people there (it was 10:48pm) so it was pretty quiet. One thing about the counter service places at the deluxe hotels it that they generally, from what we've seen, don't have much to offer. Our total here was $37.19 or 8 snack credits.

OOP TOTAL $440.83
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2922.48
OVERALL TOTAL $3362.51
DDDP Credits used = 48
Snack Credits used =32
Mugs = 4
 
Last edited:
House of Blues Bayou Brunch

We packed up the car and headed over to Disney Springs. We always feel like we don't spend enough time there...well, we did this trip and we really enjoyed it ... (Skyler's idea of a good place to move to is across the street from Disney Springs so we can dine and hang out there everyday...good thing there are not apartments right across the street...but she did find some very close...LOL). We had a brunch ADR at a new breakfast offering...and we had never been inside at all so it was totally new to us! We parked and worked our way over to The House of Blues Bayou Brunch. This was either the first or second day they were offering this...we were excited to be in at the beginning. We arrive a couple of minutes early and we were seated in a booth (which is bad for buffet dining) in the main room (or I assume it is the main room because that is where there was a stage???). We were given the menu.

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We ordered drinks...just the regular soft drinks and juice. And we were shown the buffet in the back room...which was kind of weird but it worked.

So I don't have any pictures of the buffet area but it was in the next room and it was basically an area the size of a small room that I assume normally holds tables with buffet tables along all the walls covered with hot and cold items. We were some of the first in there so it was not crowded at all so I should have taken a pic or two.

Skye's first plates...

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A waffle and scrambled eggs, and caesar salad, mashed garlic potatoes and rice.

Tyler's...

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Scrambled eggs, Fried Chicken, and a Waffle.

Cary's...

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Scrambled eggs, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Peel and Eat Shrimp, Fried Catfish, Ceasar Salad, Fried Chicken, Cocktail Sauce.

Mine...

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Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Grapes, Honeydew, Caesar Salad, Candied Bacon, Corn Muffin with whipped Butter, peel and eat shrimp, a tomato medley that i cannot remember.

Another of my plates...


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These were some kind of build your own street tacos. They had a lot of different options. I think these were pork and chicken but I am not sure and I couldn't tell you exactly what is on them. I really enjoyed them, but I think i have confessed my love for anything wrapped in a tortilla before so there you go! LOL

We all had more plates, I think i gave up taking pics of them since they were in and out so often. We all enjoyed it and it was not super expensive as most Disney buffets are. The venue is awesome with a lot to look at everywhere. Somewhere in here the band came out and played zydeco. It was cool and it wasn't s loud that you couldn't hear the person next to you.

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Tyler and Skyler and Henry...don't know how he got the privileged of coming to brunch today!

Here's a dessert plate someone came back with...

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Watermelon, Raspberry cheesecake, chocolate frosted donuts, Bread Pudding with caramel sauce and mango cake...I think this mush have been mine because I am the only one who loves bread pudding. Everything was good and very fresh.

This one is obviously Skyler's...


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Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew, Oreo frosted donut, raspberry cheesecake, and a pecan tart. She enjoyed it all, but what's not to like?

Tyler's plate...

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Croissant, Chocolate Cake, and Glazed Donuts...he liked it all.

Even the bathroom was cool!

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I could have sworn I had more pictures of the venue and the band but they don't seem to be here. If they turn up I'll add them.

We were here for about an hour. Our waitress, Christy, was around but not annoyingly so. Our drinks were replaced before they were empty. The food was good, fresh and plenty. Fortunately we were in at the beginning of this brunch and it is always all out and great at first, before things stat getting cut back. I have not heard anything about this brunch lately so I am not even sure if it still exists but I hope it does, we would go back. We were one of the first seatings of the day so gradually there got to be more and more people but tables were spread out well so we did not feel like we were right on top of anyone. Our total out of pocket was $157.62 and we got s free gift from the gift shop next door. It was 11:46am when she keyed our receipt.

When we stepped outside it was raining.

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We checked out the gift shop to get our free gift and because we had never actually gone into it before...

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We had to show our receipt and certificate and then the cast member went in the back and got out gift...all pre-boxed. We didn't even know what it was exactly. We guessed it was a cup but there did not offer a sample so you could see it. The guy was kinda grumpy actually. I don't have a pic at this point in my pics so not sure if there is one and I am not sure where it ended up in this house so if it turns up, I'll post it.

OOP TOTAL $598.45
Mugs total = $80.90
DDDP TOTAL $2922.48
OVERALL TOTAL $3520.13
DDDP Credits used = 48
Snack Credits used =32
Mugs = 4
 

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