Posh Noshing: the big 4-0 and the DXDP Update x 3 and completed 4.14

[elsbit]

Sullyfam- I am glad that you have found my reviews helpful! You will have a great time on your adults only trip! I am hoping to convince my husband to take one of those with me... maybe go on a cruise and happen to hit up Disney on the way. If you end up going to V&A, please make a post about it! I had a hard time finding very many posts on the experience and would love to read about yours. Thanks for reading.

 

[need2travel]

Jumping in to say I absolutely love your review! Thanks for taking the time to post!

 

[angelmav]

First, loving your reviews and pictures!

Second, have a question, do you not get charged a cancellation fee when changing your ADR's day of? Just curious how that works now.

 

[elsbit]

First, loving your reviews and pictures!

Second, have a question, do you not get charged a cancellation fee when changing your ADR's day of? Just curious how that works now.

I may have gone into the ap and moved the reservation to a day later in the week and then canceled it before that day to avoid the fee. I also may or may not have done this on a previous trip.....

 

[elsbit]

Dinner: 50’s Prime Time

We planned to share a meal at 50's Prime Time due to our remaining credits. Prior to our reservation, Mr. J had gone to ride the Rockin Roller coaster. I had opted not to go on this ride as I knew it would make me motion sick. The ride ended up having complications, which delayed his ability to ride and made him late to our reservation. We stayed in contact via text. I was seated before he arrived. The waiter gave me a hard time that Mr. J was making me wait so long. At this point, I had started to lose my voice and was extremely raspy and had difficulty loudly speaking. The waiter was making me feel awkward. I know they have a shtick they do, but this guy did not have a twinkle in his eye to make it funny and he kind of came across of mean, throwing my straw at me and complaining about stuff. Coupled with starting to get sick, it was just making me feel down. There was a waitress nearby who occasionally interacted with me as I waited and she did not make me feel that way. But I did watch her force a grown man to eat his vegetables. It was supposed to be funny, but the man commented that he was legitimately full, but she kept at him until he ate it, which I could tell ended up making him annoyed. It was weird. I ended up texting Mr. J photos of the menu so I could order for us, as it was taking him a really long time and I was starting to not like being there. I went ahead and ordered. The appetizer and drinks arrived before Mr. J did. I ordered a cherry diet coke and Mr. J ordered a vanilla coke (paid out of pocket for his drink).

Appetizer: Beer Battered Onion Rings $10.00

These were not that great. It should tell you something that we did not finish these. They were greasy and slightly overcooked. I was bummed that I could not taste the beer in the batter. I ordered them because the waiter recommended them for sharing. I should have gone with my instinct and ordered the fried cheese like I had wanted to, but the waiter said it wasn't that great for sharing. I later saw someone else get it, and it was shareable in my opinion. I mean it IS an appetizer after all. Mr. J arrived after I already started eating the appetizer.

Entree: Dad's Stuffed Pork Chop $27

This was the most expensive entree on the menu. I didn't choose it for that reason, but because it was made up of things I really liked. It had Gouda Cheese, Apples, and Herbs with Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, and Demi-glace Drizzle. I thought the carrots were great. There was maybe a couple of pieces of apple. It was decent, but I had kind of hoped it would be better. Mean waiter man said it was his favorite entree when I ordered it. There was plenty of meat to share, but not much to share in the way of veggies.

Dessert: Dad's Favorite Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cake À la Mode $10

Mr. J picked this dessert. I would have picked the warm apple crisp, but he does not really like to eat apples. I took few bites, but then stopped because it did not taste that good to me.
Mr. J thought it was fine. It reminded me of something that maybe sat in the freezer too long and had that freezer cardboard taste. Do you know what I am talking about? It was faint, but enough to make me not very excited by the dessert. It didn't compare to my favorite chocolate cake from Publix. I would not get this cake again.

Total Cost: $55.16

OOP Beverage: $5.11

I know 50's Prime Time is popular, but I don't plan to head back here.The food was mediocre and the humor (if you could call it that) was a total miss for me. I don't need to pay ridiculous money to be made to feel uncomfortable.


Late Night Snack: Riverside Mill Food Court (POR)

After we returned to our resort, Mr. J went to bed and I stopped by the River Roost to listen to Yeha Bob play on the piano. I had a Mojito. I think after tip and everything it was close to $15. I decided to only get one drink since it was so costly. I was feeling a little peckish so I stopped by the food court and got a kids meal, which I paid for out of pocket. The meal came with cheese pizza, Nesquick chocolate milk, apple slices, and a packaged cookie. I like the pizza as it a flatbread and a little overly browned. I loved browned cheese! Since it was thin, it wasn't too filling for me. I think this cost about $7.00. I ate my cookie as I walked along the river, heading back to my room. I felt quite safe walking in the dark, along the river, munching on my cookie.

On my way back to my room, I saw this albino lizard hanging on the column. It looked more translucent in person. I took a photograph. It reminded me of my friend, who recently passed away and had albinism along with a very rare blood disorder. He was way too young to pass away. I like to think the lizard was his way of saying hi. Upon my return, I googled Albino Florida lizards and learned that it is likely a Mediterranean Gecko. This type of lizard is not native to the US, but stowed away in cargo crates and is now living in various states.

One more day left on our trip to write about!

 

[crazycatlady]

Thanks for the great reviews! I have Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen on my maybe-list for May and I appreciated the review.

 

[OasterP]

I may have gone into the ap and moved the reservation to a day later in the week and then canceled it before that day to avoid the fee. I also may or may not have done this on a previous trip.....

I totally realized I could do this on our first trip. I didn't have to do it on our last trip, but we definitely over booked our first, and learned that lesson.

And yeah on the 50's. I have a sense of humor, and am good with sarcasm, but somehow I don't think I'd love the humor in that place. Plus if someone tried to force feed me I'm fairly sure I'd poke them with a fork.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We had a great waiter the one and only time we visited 50s Prime Time, but the food was only so so.

 

[elsbit]

I totally realized I could do this on our first trip. I didn't have to do it on our last trip, but we definitely over booked our first, and learned that lesson.

And yeah on the 50's. I have a sense of humor, and am good with sarcasm, but somehow I don't think I'd love the humor in that place. Plus if someone tried to force feed me I'm fairly sure I'd poke them with a fork.

It is nice to be able to do this when you cannot bump your reservation time to a better time to suit your needs (i.e. we were hungry and tired earlier than our reservation made 6 months in advance anticipated).

@crazycatlady I forgot to mention that the waiters crack Jungle Cruise type jokes too while they are bringing you to the table and talking to you about the menu. Makes it a little more fun!

 

[elsbit]

Last Day

Breakfast: POR Riverside Mill Food Court

For breakfast, we each used a snack credit at our resort, POR, and used our refillable mugs to grab a drink to go before we drove over to the Magic Kingdom. I got a croissant. I enjoyed my croissant as we walked back to our car along the river one last time. It was a good combination of lightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Mr. J grabbed an overnight nutella oatmeal, which he ate cold. I did not take a picture of his snack breakfast. He ate it while he drove and said it was good.

Lunch: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe

Our lunch was included with our Keys of the Kingdom Tour, so we did not use any credits. Before our tour began, we were given a menu to look at and pick what we wanted to eat and drink in advance. Then, when we arrived at PB, we had tables reserved with our names. There was a little buffet table set up in the room, just for our group. It had toppings such as sour cream, salsa, cheese, etc. I opted to go up and add some more items to my salad, such as salsa, sour cream, and cheese. The photograph below does not include those toppings. I was very pleasantly surprised by how good my salad was! I got the Southwest Chicken Salad-Mixed Greens topped with Seasoned Chicken, Roasted Corn and Bean Salsa, Tomatoes and Tortilla Crisps ($12.99). I got a Diet coke with my meal. I would get this meal again.

Mr. J got the Fajitas Platter ($14.99), which was served with Pork Carnitas and Seasoned Chicken with Yellow Rice, Beans, Fajita Vegetables and Flour Tortillas. He added toppings from the toppings bar and got a Sprite. He said he liked his dish.

Snack Credit: Sunshine Tree Terrace

After our tour ended, we went to get 2 Citrus Swirls. We both really did not like these, as the orange part tasted like cheap OJ. You know the kind that comes concentrated in little freezer can? We both agreed we would not get these again. I think these were close to $5.00 each. Even though it was not remotely hot out, these did not retain their shape because of the OJ. They melted very quickly, so the struggle was real with this one. I can't imagine how these would hold up in the Florida summer heat.

After Magic Kingdom, we headed over to Animal Kingdom that afternoon, as we had a FOP fast pass and I wanted Mr. J to see Pandora at night.

Animal Kingdom Snacks:

While at AK, Mr. J got a Mickey Ice Cream Bar as he had always wanted to try one (not pictured). I got a Frozen Chai Tea, which I have had before. It is very delicious and my go-to AK snack and is found at the Royal Anandapur Tea Company. My only complaint this time, was that the paper straw almost immediately disintegrated and would not effectively allow the liquid to be sucked. It was very frustrating, as I prefer to use straws. I ended up giving up and sipping it from the cup itself, which is not my preferred method for frozen drinks against my teeth. I didn't document how much these snacks cost.

Later, I just could not resist getting a Dole Whip with Rum while Mr. J rode Expedition Everest. I watched some music and dancers while I enjoyed my treat. To be honest, I question how much rum was in my drink, as I could not taste it at all. This was out of pocket as it had alcohol.

*I love that I can see the dancers jumping in midair in this picture!

After Pandora at night, we headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our late dinner reservation at Jiko. While we waited for our reservation time, we stopped at the food court to spend our final snack credits, which I did not photograph or document our costs.

• Zebra Domes- 1 credit got me 4 domes, which I took home to my family. I felt like this was a great use of credits.
• Disney Gummy Candies- I took these home to my kids. It was a package of Lion King gummies.
• Violet Cupcake- Mr. J got his mom a cupcake decorated with frosted violet flowers. I think he also got one more snack here, but I cannot remember what it was.

This reminds me that we also used snack credits in Epcot earlier on our trip. We used 3 credits at the Karamell-Kuche in Germany. Mr. J got a slice of caramel chocolate pineapple and some caramel popcorn, while I got a caramel apple.

Next Up... Dinner at Jiko

 

[elsbit]

Dinner: Jiko

We arrived early to our reservation, but had to wait awhile past our time, as they were surprisingly booked up for a not busy time of year. At this point, I had almost completely lost my voice and Mr. J was a grump. I am not sure if he was a grump because our dinner was after 8 PM, which would have been a reasonable 7 PM our time, because he wanted to get on the road, or if he had the end of the vacation blues. I didn't ask, despite it being very noticeable. I had eaten here before and really liked it. I had also had Mr. J look at the menu before I made the reservation and he was fine with going there. However, when we got there, he harumphed at the menu, calling it too strange for his tastes and made a comment how he was tired of eating steak and lobster. When he made that statement, I started laughing. He realized how he sounded and laughed too at the absurdity of his comment (And mind you, we had not been eating steak and lobster the entire trip at all! ha ha). At this point, I knew he probably wasn't going to enjoy himself and it would not be the food's fault. Ho hum. I decided that I was not going to let him get me down, nor was getting sick going to ruin my last vacation meal. I spent a lot of the meal laughing at Mr. J, which probably annoyed him more, but I had to laugh at his grumpiness in order to not get grumpy myself.

We were given complimentary rolls and tea. Mr. J didn't really like the rolls. I cannot remember what the herb was, it may have been cardamon.

I got a class of African wine. It was $14.00. Mr. J got a drink that was around $12, but I do not recall what it was. It is pictured in the background.

Mr. J's appetizer was the Taste of Africa, which was African-inspired Dips, Pappadum, Sesame Fatir, House-made Flax Seed Naan. $15.00

Mr. J let me sample this. It was good! I only sampled a little of each one, but I would get this again. I think my kids and husband would really enjoy it. I liked the bread that is the first one in the picture with the black flecks and the first dip. Mr. J liked the last dip the most.

My appetizer was the Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin served with Mealie Pap,
Chakalaka, Herb-smoked Oil, and Micro Cilantro- $19.00

I ordered this because I had enjoyed this with my family on a previous trip. The flavor was great, but I felt the meat was a little tougher this time. Still definitely worth getting. Mr. J declined tasting it. I think because it was boar and his grumpy mindset was that it was too wild to try. *shrugs*

Because my voice was shot, I decided to get some soup to warm my throat. I was expecting savory for some reason, instead, this soup was sweet. The soup is presented with the nuts/seeds, and fruit in the corner of the bowl and the server poured the squash soup over it. It wasn't that the soup tasted bad by any means, but it wasn't a flavor profile that I would want to get again based on my personal tastes.

Spice Route-inspired Squash Soup-$12.00- Out of pocket because I wanted a more expensive appetizer covered on the plan.
Calabaza, Ginger, Pumpkin Seeds, Apple Chips, Sumac-scented Crème Fraîche

Entree-I went with the same dish I had on my previous trip to Jiko, the West African Koki Corn. This is a vegan dish. It has mushrooms, avocado, poblano-tomatillo Puree, & Roasted REd Pepper Sauce- $30. I LOVED this dish last time. This time, I felt it was a little dry. It has a lot of great flavors and is very light.

Mr. J got the Elk with Celery Root Puree, Hibiscus candied apples, turnip atjar, and lemon-elk jus. $49.00

My husband had previously gotten this dish, which I had sampled. I knew it was delicious, as even my kid liked it. Mr. J ended up not really wanting to eat it, equating it to Bambi. Weird considering he had been eating beef and lamb on this trip. I don't know why he even ordered it then, as he could have gotten something much tamer. The server noticed he wasn't eating his dish and tried really hard to make him happy, but he was grumpy and difficult to please. He wasn't rude, but just really grumpy about everything. She was really nice to him. She ended up giving him some free macaroni and cheese to go with his dish, which was worth $14.00.

Dessert- At this point, I knew we needed to get out of there because Mr. J was DONE. We got our desserts to go, which I fed to my family the next day. I do not have any photos of the dessert since they were packaged up for us to take with, and then mine got all banged around. Our desserts were $11.00 each.

Kilimanjaro (me)
Tanzanian Chocolate Mousse, Pistachio Financier, Pink Peppercorn Meringue, Cacao Nib Crunch, Spiced Pineapple

Safari Sunset (Mr. J)
Carrot Cake, Cornbread Calamansi and Lemon Cremeux, Kenyan Coffee Streusel, Citrus Gel, Valrhona Dulcey Mousse, Candied Carrots

My Total before Tax: $74
Plus, $12 OOP soup

Mr. J's Before tax total: $87

I would eat there again, just not with Mr. J. I do question if I had put this at the beginning of our trip, if he would have had a more enjoyable time. I really don't think it was the restaurants fault. Sometimes when you are grumpy, nothing satisfies you.

The next morning as we finished our drive home, we saw a rainbow. A nicer end to our fun trip.

Last Post, a summary of our Deluxe Experience.

 

[elsbit]

The Wrap Up

Cost Breakdown:

Cost of the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan at $116.25 a day X 5 days X 2 Adults= $1162.50

Bear in mind, that for a few of the meals that I mentioned, I did not have Mr. J.’s receipts, but knew what he ordered from the photographs and was able to come up with the pre-tax amount. Therefore, my calculation of the total amount spent will actually be a little lower than what it actually cost, since the tax is missing (and I am too lazy to calculate the Florida tax).

Meals: $1304.24 (missing some tax$$)

Mugs: $37.98 (w/o tax)

Snacks: To make this easy, I am just going to say $5 a snack X 20 snacks, even though, I believe most of our snacks were over $5= $100 (w/o tax)

Our Total: $1,442.22

Savings: $280 (not counting some taxes and higher snack costs)


This was my 2nd time doing the Deluxe Dining Plan and the 2nd time I have come out ahead. Mr. J had never stayed on property before, so this was his first time using a plan at all. He was very impressed by what we were allowed to order, how much it saved us, and the quality of food.

Now I will say this, we did opt to pay for some things out of pocket. This was by choice, not by necessity. I could have easily used my snack credits at the Festival of Arts instead of opting to pay with a gift card. Also, we chose to stack our credits to eat at 2 TS restaurants, which typically resulted in 2 meals a day with some snacks thrown in. We preferred this way of eating. We used some breakfast meals simply as a fast pass tool to ride 7 Dwarves and Frozen. There were a couple of meals that we did not order any alcohol, but for the most part, took advantage of that being included.

For those who say it is too much food, I have found that at most of the 2 TS restaurants, portions are smaller, which make it easier to have an app, entrée, and dessert. I also stopped when I was full and we did take dessert with us a couple of times. While we were not wasteful, we did not always clean our plates (I’m talking about you Rice Pudding!). We did share a couple of meals, like at BOG and 50s Prime Time.

Realistically, we did not get all the value out of the mugs, as we did not hang at the resorts. We used them a few times. That said, the mug gets used at home, so I feel like I get worth out of the mug itself, rather than the beverages.

We did not purposely choose to eat more expensive items. For example, one may argue that my vegetarian/vegan dish at Jiko was not a wise option at $30 when I could have gotten something much more costly. However, we ate what we felt like and were not tethered to trying to eat the most expensive items. Mr. J was really excited that he could order Surf and Turf and the largest portion of King Crab legs and it be covered by the plan.

I enjoyed this experience because it allowed me try foods without worrying that I would dislike them and feel I wasted my money. I am an inexperienced seafood eater, so I enjoyed trying new things and finding that I like seafood. I enjoyed eating at nicer places because I prefer that type of food more than at quick service places. I work full-time and have 3 kids, one of which is a 1.5 year old who is constantly into everything. For me to have 5 days where I did not need to cook anything, got to be catered to, and did not have to tend to children during mealtime made it all the more worthwhile using the indulgent Deluxe Dining plan. Also, I know myself, if I were paying out of pocket, I would feel way too guilty spending $70 on crab or steak. I would talk myself out of eating a lot of food because of the cost. Using the plan makes me feel more comfortable doing that (I know that does not make sense to some, but it works for me).

We are planning a December family trip, in which my oldest child will now be a Disney adult, but my littlest one will be free. It is a split stay, so we will likely do the DxDP for the first half and then pay out of pocket the 2nd half because we are trying Club Level. and plan to eat at less places, and possibly off property. I am working on the math involved before I commit to the plan, as well as which restaurants to eat at on plan vs off plan. It is likely that my oldest and I will share many meals to stretch the credits. When my other kids become Disney Adults, I will have to continue to do the math to make sure it is a good price point for us and that the food amounts make sense, as I fully recognize that one day it likely will not if I have all Disney adults. But for now it works and I enjoy it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first food report and a big thanks to those who took the time to comment because it encouraged me to continue to write it.

 

[Haygar2]

Sad to see it end. I enjoyed reading it. I am really excited to try the Deluxe plan on our trip. I'm happy you had a great time. Bummer Mr J. was feeling a tad grumpy on the last day. Good for you for not letting it get you grumpy, too. I know when my husband gets that way, I get snarly right back. Maybe it's different with hubby's than friends. LOL

 

[elsbit]

@Haygar2 To be honest, if I had been with my husband, I probably would have been snappish with him, had he acted that way. I would be the grumpy one more than my DH. ha ha. I knew going into this trip, that my friend and I are very different folks in some ways and that I was going to let stuff roll off my back in that regard. Where have you planned to dine at for your trip? You should do a report!

 

[alex9179]

What a fun read! Thanks for taking the time to document it because I know these things are a commitment.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Great report, thanks for sharing! Glad things didn't end on a grumpy note

 

[Haygar2]

@Haygar2 To be honest, if I had been with my husband, I probably would have been snappish with him, had he acted that way. I would be the grumpy one more than my DH. ha ha. I knew going into this trip, that my friend and I are very different folks in some ways and that I was going to let stuff roll off my back in that regard. Where have you planned to dine at for your trip? You should do a report!

It's hard not to give it right back. My son was being a tad bit grumpy last night and I was proud of myself because I wanted to snap back. But I didn't. Yay me!! I will do a report. I did one 2 years ago for our last trip. It was fun. We are eating at: California Grill brunch, Early Morning Magic at Hollywood studios breakfast, Sci-fi, Raglan Road, Garden Grill breakfast, Cape May dinner, BOG breakfast, Yak & Yeti, Trattoria al Forno breakfast, and Flying Fish. We have 2 rooms booked. Us in one and our children in the other. They are 16 and 20. They have the regular Dining plan. We have deluxe. So we have 40 TS to share and 10 QS.

 

[elsbit]

@Haygar2... Oooh I like the way you dine and set up your room reservations to get the most out of it! I look forward to reading your report. Also, kudos on not being snappish with your son. Kids can be so trying, especially a teenager!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I loved your report! Hopefully you’ll consider another one in Dec. I’ve never done the dining plan but have been considering it lately. I need to “do the math” as long as I’m studying menus and dreaming of what to eat. Bummer your last dinner at Jiko was a bit dampened by grumpiness. I’ve been the grumpy one before - no criticism of your friend... it happens. I haven’t had a chance to try Paddlefish - May have to add that to the list.

 

[elsbit]

@2xcited2sleep It is always nice to know there are other studying the menus as well while trip planning. My husband laughs at me and thinks I am a dork with all of my planning, but after every trip acknowledges that my research made for good times, as well as good food. I am still trying to figure out what my December plans will be. I wish I knew park hours now to help plan!