Flower and Garden, frisky giraffes, four kids and food galore! Spring 2019 Updated 8/25

[ariane37]

Joining in!

I am obsessed with Epcot in the spring. It's so beautiful.

Same here! Once we did F&G the first time there was no looking back and we haven't missed a year since!

Shawarma Chicken and Lamb platter from Tangierine Cafe

We've only eaten here once and I didn't have this (can't remember what I had) but this looks good! Have it on my list now.

I like that it's a quick service credit on the dining plan but if I were paying out of pocket I would probably be more inclined to visit Liberty Tree Tavern or The Plaza. The prices are pretty similar. I do LOVE the strawberry cupcake. It's my favorite cupcake on property.

I agree here. We don't really go for lunch but I understand the appeal; we also don't do the dining plan now that our boys are older so that part of the appeal is gone. The Plaza though is a great option whether on the plan or not! Food is delicious and prices are great; our boys love it and we end up doing it almost every trip they're with us

This also came with a literal backscratcher which my kids proceeded to argue over.

It's a rule, they HAVE to fight over things like that!

Next up, the safari and a particularly frisky giraffe.

Nice ++❤ lol! We had our 8 year old nephew at the Bronx Zoo earlier this summer and 2 Mongoose (mongeese?) were going at it while a 3rd watched. that was fun to see with him!

Justin had the Chicken Tikka Masala. It was very yummy according to him. He said it had the right amount of spice and lot of flavor.

This is my fave dish here! They have a great one over in Africa too in Harambe Market as well as a version on the Rose and Crown menu. I prefer the 2 in AK but just as an FYI for Justin lol.

Enjoying your report!

 

[poppinsmomof2]

Day 3: Animal Kingdom!

Hi Pandora!

View attachment 423015

We started our day taking a journey through the River of the Na'vi. Animal Kingdom had extra magic hours that morning so it was a walk on. After that more thrilling things were calling our names like Expedition Everest and Dinosaur for the big kids and Triceratop Spin for the little ones. We also had a Kevin spotting!

View attachment 423020

View attachment 423021

Enough already...The Boneyard was calling my kids names. It might literally be their favorite place on property.

View attachment 423022

Next up, the safari and a particularly frisky giraffe. I almost had to have the birds and bees talk with my kids after this ride. Zoom in at your own risk.

View attachment 423023

How about some lunch????

Animal Kingdom is blessed with food options. Satuli, Tusker House, Flametree, Tiffins, Nomad....all good. We are also fans of Yak and Yeti and that's where we ended up today. The atmosphere and food are both great.

Justin had the Chicken Tikka Masala. It was very yummy according to him. He said it had the right amount of spice and lot of flavor.

View attachment 423025

Because I like to maximize the dining plan, I had the Lobster Garlic Noodles. Menu Description: Lobster, shrimp, scallops, baby spinach, red peppers, shiitake mushrooms, tossed in zesty garlic stir-fry sauce. I really enjoyed this dish. It had wonderful flavor and lots of seafood.

View attachment 423028

For dessert, Justin had the Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

View attachment 423029

I went with the Fried Wontons.

View attachment 423030

Both were yummy. I kept making him swap desserts with me so I could have some of both. Wife of the year.

After that we were ready for some pool time....

View attachment 423124

We had plans to go back to Animal Kingdom that evening but once we got to the pool, it was all over for them. We did manage to head to Disney Springs where we grabbed a quick dinner at D-Lux.

Up Next: Magic Kingdom and ice cream for lunch!

I have heard wonderful things about the wontons at Yak & Yeti, but we haven't been able to try them out yet.

Pool time is always a much for my kiddos too!

 

[lauraleh]

Joining in!


I agree here. We don't really go for lunch but I understand the appeal; we also don't do the dining plan now that our boys are older so that part of the appeal is gone. The Plaza though is a great option whether on the plan or not! Food is delicious and prices are great; our boys love it and we end up doing it almost every trip they're with us

Nice ++❤ lol! We had our 8 year old nephew at the Bronx Zoo earlier this summer and 2 Mongoose (mongeese?) were going at it while a 3rd watched. that was fun to see with him!

This is my fave dish here! They have a great one over in Africa too in Harambe Market as well as a version on the Rose and Crown menu. I prefer the 2 in AK but just as an FYI for Justin lol.

Enjoying your report!

Thank you! I think we are skipping the dining plan this next trip. My kids have done *most* of the character meals and they are fine branching out these days. I'll put The Plaza on my list!

Mongeese totally made me laugh! How do you pluralize that?!

We've tried the Harambe Market version and loved it! We have also done Sanaa and that was delicious too. I think there was one at Food and Wine that he was just so so on. Haven't been to Rose and Crown though!

I have heard wonderful things about the wontons at Yak & Yeti, but we haven't been able to try them out yet.

Pool time is always a much for my kiddos too!

They are great! Not too sweet but still rich with the honey sauce and the cream cheese. Yum!

 

[lauraleh]

Update coming soon. Tonight. Hopefully.

Back to school has me like...

 

[queenofthehill]

Beautiful family. Loving your dining so far.

 

[lauraleh]

Beautiful family. Loving your dining so far.

Thank you! Welcome!

 

[lauraleh]

Joining in!

Yak and Yeti and those lobster garlic noodles are my AK go-to! I dream about them!

I missed your comment! Sorry!

They were really good! And had so much seafood!

 

[lauraleh]

I'm back! Whew. Life update first: It's been a crazy two weeks of back to school, birthday parties, hockey, soccer, etc.... Last week Justin, Anne Violet and I went to a passholder preview for Galaxy's Edge!!! SO FUN! In even more astonishing news, I remembered to take pictures of every.single.thing we ate. Miracles do happen. I'll add that on to the end of this trip so let's get rolling!

Day 4: Magic Kingdom

We started our day at Be Our Guest breakfast. In true Laura fashion, I forgot to take pictures of our food. It was decent breakfast food. We would NEVER go here if not on the dining plan. It's outrageous even by Disney standards. But let's be honest, this is what we came for...


Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with zero wait and lots of smiles. Sign me up!

Next I took the big kids to Splash and Big Thunder and Justin and the little girls met some princesses. We all came back together for one of our favorites, Tomorrowland Transit Authority. How long can they share a bench on the People Mover? I think I should totally recreate this one when they are teens.



After all this our kids needed a really good lunch.




It's vacation right? This is the ice cream sundae from Plaza Ice Cream Parlor with the hot fudge on the side. Kids are weird.

My lunch was equally as nutritious. But so cute! This is one of my favorite rice krispy designs they've ever made.



After this we met the most festive Minnie and Mickey ever and then headed back to the hotel for a break.



Dinner that night was Storybook Dining at Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge. We were really excited about this since it was a different type of character meal with more interesting food choices. They did a great job in here with the atmosphere. They added some lights and trees but it still feels very Wilderness Lodge. I didn't eat here when it was Artist Point though so I wasn't mourning anything. The presentation of the food was great and the whole experience really felt like an elevated character meal. Putting on my fireproof suit when I say this, but I wouldn't mind if they added more experiences like this. I felt like it was a blend of better food with a unique atmosphere. That's what I'm looking for at Disney.

Onto the meal...I started with a glass of wine. I'm pretty sure it was the Founder's Reserve Pinot Noir. It was great. I'm not a super picky wine drinker though. I don't like sweet wines at all but other than that I'm just a few steps (and dollars) above Two Buck Chuck. Justin had a cocktail. Knowing him it was probably the Enchanted Apple even though I probably suggested the Smoking Mirror. He likes girly drinks.

Meanwhile Snow White came and I think she almost stole our baby.



Seriously though, she was great! Very Snow White.

The appetizers were dropped off while she was visiting. The menu had changed recently before our trip so we got to try the famous Mushroom Bisque. Yum! I'm neither a mushroom hater or fanatic but this had wonderful flavor and was rich and creamy.



Next was the shrimp cocktail. It had a miso soy dressing on it. This was fine for shrimp cocktail. The sauce added a little spice. I have heard such strong opinions about it but it was good to me.



Last on the appetizer tier was a chicken terrine. This was not my thing. The kids loved the pickles and the crackers though.



By far, the star of the appetizer course was the mushroom bisque. The children's appetizer was adorable and fun. The little container was ranch to go with the veggies. Totally get the dirt as part of the presentation but Oreos? Who eats their veggies on a bed of crushed Oreos? Next was string cheese and then a little roll and some heavy cream in a jar that they shook and made their own butter. That was fun and Evelyn was very into it. Jude was into the Oreos.



Continued in the next post...

 

[lauraleh]

Storybook Dining at Artist Point dinner continued...



We had some characters drop by and they did some dancing in the center of the room too. I think I also remember the Evil Queen being announced. We met her at the end of the meal. Meanwhile, our entrees were delivered.

Justin had the Royal Prime Rib Roast. He wished he didn't. It was just fine. Not a stellar cut of meat in the least. He didn't care for the popover or the smoked carrots. I think he would have been happier with the roasted chicken but . You live and you learn.



This was the kid's prime rib. Evelyn and Jude both had it and ate it all. Sorry for the blurry picture.



I more wisely chose the Pork Shank. It was great. Fall off the bone tender and had so much flavor. I liked the mashed celery root that accompanied it as well. I shared with Justin (#sweetwife) and he agreed that mine was way better.



Finally we moved to the dessert portion of the meal. Like everything at the restaurant, the presentation on this was great. They really paid attention to details for this experience.

First up were the poison apples. These were the most forgettable for me. I can't even remember what they tasted like.



Next was the Miner's Treasure. These have sponge cakes, chocolate gems and berry panna cotta. This dessert was originally buttercream instead of the panna cotta and I heard lots of reports that it was way too sweet. I didn't feel that way so I'm going to say this was a change for the better.



Finally there was the gooseberry pie. This was pretty tart. It felt like a tart apple pie. The meringue on top is crunchy so that was a nice texture variation. These were probably my favorite of the three but I really liked them all.



As a parting gift, they gave us some maple popcorn and chocolate hearts. Again the presentation was wonderful. It came out in a smoking box and he scooped the popcorn on a plate. We didn't try the popcorn until the next day and it was a little chewy (our fault, not theirs). The chocolate hearts were still good though. I thought it was a nice touch to end the meal and it made the whole experience feel a little more special.






Finally, we met the Evil Queen. She was perfectly wicked. Besides the one entree, this meal was really good for us. I probably would give it a few years and then return again. I do hope to see more of these type of character meals in the future.

 

[lauraleh]

After a fun morning at Hollywood Studios, we headed to the Boardwalk for the Bon Voyage Brunch with Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Prince Eric and Ariel.



I didn't get pictures of the pastries but Evelyn used the serving skillet for a fun photo op. Rapunzel and Flynn are both always a fun meet and greet.

For entrees, the kids had both the flapjacks and the waffles.





I'm not sure I tasted these but Disney waffles are usually tasty.

Justin had Flynn's Feast: Two Eggs Your Way, Breakfast Potatoes, Bacon, Ham, Sausage. I don't think he was super impressed. I told him to order the steak. Maybe next time he will listen to his wife.



I had the Two Eggs Poached Underwater: Fennel Sausage, Sunday Gravy, Parmesan, Golden Polenta, Toasted Focaccia. I love every single ingredient in this and individually they were all good but together it felt a little one note. There was no texture variation.



Overall, this meal was fine. Nothing we need to rush back to but the character interaction was fun.

After this we took a break and then came back to Hollywood Studios and watched our favorite little Jedi in training battle Darth Vader.



We followed this up with a completely forgettable dinner at Backlot Express. No pictures but I'm sure we all know what a Disney quick service burger looks like.

Remember the 30th Anniversary? We tried this cute Sorcerer's Hat and it was delicious. If I remember correctly, there was lemon and swiss meringue buttercream. Two of my favorites.





It was a very successful day at Hollywood Studios!

 

[superme80]

Great report. Another mean Disney mom here! I make my kids share their snacks all the time!

 

[GovieMom]

I am so enjoying this wonderfully detailed account of your trip! Love the photos too; your kids are gorgeous! Looking forward to reading more; thanks for sharing with us.

 

[maiziezoe]

Great report! I love Jude's face in the picture with the Evil Queen. His face in all of the princess photos are really great, but that one is really funny. He is a cutie!

 

[Isabelle12345]

I love your report! Your family is adorable!
You did many of the ADRs I have booked for my trip so I am excited to hear what you thought!

 

[lauraleh]

I am so enjoying this wonderfully detailed account of your trip! Love the photos too; your kids are gorgeous! Looking forward to reading more; thanks for sharing with us.

Thank you! Welcome!

Great report! I love Jude's face in the picture with the Evil Queen. His face in all of the princess photos are really great, but that one is really funny. He is a cutie!

Ha! He is a cutie! I do love that boy!

I love your report! Your family is adorable!
You did many of the ADRs I have booked for my trip so I am excited to hear what you thought!

You have given me inspiration to keep going! I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[lauraleh]

Day 6: Epcot!

Back to Epcot today! We were trying a new to us breakfast at Garden Grill. On a previous trip, we did the dinner and were just ehh about it. The food was fine but nothing stellar. We all LOVED the breakfast though. The character interaction was great. We saw each character multiple times.





Chip and Dale are always a fun meet and greet!


The food was also really great here. It's hard to mess up breakfast, right? But I really thought this one was fresh and hot and tasty. Come on... Mickey waffles with Nutella? What's not to love?



The cinnamon bun dish was yummy too! My kids are cinnamon roll snobs (only the best Trader Joe's in a can for them ) and they approved of this version!



Next up we meet a character that a certain baby girl was twinning with.



Penelope met Vanellope!



Baby girl took a nap while we looked at all the Flower and Garden stuff.


And we enjoyed some snacks from the food booths. It was a wonderfully relaxing afternoon!



And on our way out we got a great family photo. #nailedit

I'll be honest. I don't have a ton of food pictures from here on out. I'm not sure if you can tell from the photos but mama was TIRED and sick. I got a cold the last couple of days probably from sheer exhaustion. But I will finish up with the ones I do have! Thank you for hanging with me!

 

[lauraleh]

Day 7: Magic Kingdom

We had plans this day to go early and do some fun stuff but those plans got changed when we desperately needed some rest time! The kids just wanted to hang out at the pool and I just needed to sleep. It ended up being a great morning and just what everyone needed.



We had also moved from Caribbean Beach to Port Orleans Riverside and we enjoyed checking out our new location. Disney makes it incredibly easy to do a split stay. The only issue we had was our luggage transfer. Bell services at Caribbean Beach picked up around 7:30 AM and it was after 10:00 PM (!!!!!) before we got our bags at Port Orleans. Umm...not okay with kids that need to be in bed! But we made it and it's fine!



For lunch we ended up just grabbing a large pizza from the food court at Port Orleans Riverside. It was exactly what you would expect Disney quick service pizza to be like. Luckily though, my kids aren't pizza snobs so they were happy!





After a super relaxing morning, we headed to Magic Kingdom. It's a unique feeling these days to just head to a park and not have a specific agenda. It's a nice change! Look at those smiles!





We had dinner at Columbia Harbor House. No pictures. The food is pretty typical fast food seafood. We think it is one of the better quick service options at Magic Kingdom and we like to sit upstairs. Although the secret is out and it's not empty up there usually. During the lunch crowd, it's kind of tough to find a table.

We watched Happily Ever After. I love this show! My kids also love it. Hearing Jude yell "King Simba!" when his projection showed up on the castle is one of my favorite firework memories.



After that, Justin took the little girls back to the hotel and I closed down the Extra Magic Hours at the park with these two...



Until next trip Magic Kingdom...



Up next!!! The final day! And I officially finish my first dining report!!

 

[lauraleh]

Final day!

I have enjoyed revisiting my memories through this dining report. Thanks for reading and excusing my crazy delays in posting. Let's wrap this thing up!

We had a Flight of Passage fast pass this morning but first we had to drop off the bags. Look at all those helpers!



Then it was on to Animal Kingdom! We did a safari through Africa and walked one of the trails.



And then headed over to the beautiful Pandora! It really is such a stunning land. I just did the Wine and Dine half and loved running through Animal Kingdom.



Fast passes for Flight of Passage with these two monkeys!



And then lunch at Satuli Canteen. This quick service is the best on property for us. We love it! I am a fan of the rice/beef bowl and Justin loves the sweet potato/potato hash with chicken. We always do the two side sauces of green onion vinaigrette and what is basically ranch. Yum! I could go for one of them right now actually!



But finally our time has come to an end...



We headed back to Port Orleans and the Magical Express. It's always a little sad (sometimes a lot sad) to leave but I was ready to be back home and back to normal. We had a great trip and Anne Violet loved her first visit! Thank you for reading and I hope some of this was a little helpful!