katiec786
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 29, 2019
Hi All!
I've been back from my trip about a week now and I've decided I've had quite enough of the real world thank you very much TAKE ME BACK TO DISNEY. Instead I thought I would leave my thoughts about all of our food!
We were in the world for 7 nights on the Dining Plan - I traveled with my best friend (DB) who is Gluten Free - she isn't coeliac, but has a 'severe sensitivity' as her doctor called it. She's not too concerned about dedicated fryers and cross-contamination, but if there is wheat in her food her body will know immediately! She was *blown away* by some of the items she had in the parks!
DAY ONE: Magic Kingdom
This was an easy one, we arrived around 5pm so after a few rides we went to Pinocchio's Village Haus and did a mobile order for chicken nuggets and fries, both GF and regular (for myself). I tried a bite of her GF nugget and honestly I could hardly tell a difference! The BBQ and Honey Mustard sauces were also a big hit, and there is nothing better than Disney Fries.
DAY TWO: Magic Kingdom & Contemporary
First of all, I am heartbroken that it costs $48 to ship Joffrey's internationally, as we both fell in love with the Mickey's 90th Birthday blend that was in our room at POFQ.
Breakfast was at Be Our Guest. We each had the Open Faced Brie Bacon and Poached Egg sandwich, mine on the regular croissant and hers on Millet bread. We both loved it, although the croissant isn't the easiest thing to deal with - I think I saw that originally it was served on a mini baguette, I would have preferred that! The pastries and fruit that came with it were tasty, a couple of the pastries went into a ziploc bag for a cheeky mid morning snack
DB got GF slices instead of pastries, I believe they were all Erin McKenna, a lemon, a chocolate and a banana nut, all DB-approved!
Lunch was a shameful Dole Whip and fries combo
but between a big breakfast and an early dinner we didn't want much! DB got a dole whip float, loved the ice cream but found the juice too sweet, I got the Dole Whip on a pineapple Upside Down cake and honestly am regretting I didn't get another before we came back home.
Dinner was AMAZING. We had a 6:30 reservation at California Grill - we asked about a window seat but they didn't have any, and actually we still had an amazing view from where we were seated, the sun was setting as we were finishing up and it was stunning. The bread service was a great start, DB couldn't get over how good her GF bread was ("oh my god it's still *WARM*"). We both had the Oak Fired Filet of Beef, mine came with sautéed spinach and an aged gouda mac and cheese, DB had the spinach and GF olive oil mashed potatoes. It was cooked perfectly and so tasty. Our server Jorge was great, the filet wasn't actually on the allergy menu but he was able to easily adjust it to make it safe for her. For dessert I had the recommended Valrhona Chocolate Cake - delicious but incredibly rich, I couldn't quite finish it all. DB had the Strawberry Creme Brûlée, there weren't a lot of things for her on the allergy menu but she really liked it.
We also popped over to Disney Springs that night and picked up a drink at Dockside Margaritas - if they have the blood orange available, get it frozen!
DAY THREE: Universal Studios & Epcot
I know, I know, we're traitors who dared to go off property!!
Breakfast was made up of snack credits at POFQ, we each just got a side order of breakfast potatoes and fruit - tasty but nothing to write home about.
Lunch was at The Three Broomsticks at Islands of Adventure. Again, fine, but nothing special, and it took a *long* time to order. I got the fish and chips, and DB got the roast chicken platter. Typically when you let the cashier know you have an allergy they are supposed to bring out a chef to talk to you about the menu, but we were told she was too busy, luckily the cashier knew a couple of items on the menu that were completely safe, so DB was confident. We also picked up a frozen Butterbeer on the way out to split, super sweet but cold and refreshing in the mid-afternoon heat!
Dinner was back in the Disney bubble - we stopped into La Cantina de San Angel before heading to IllumiNations. We both got the Tacos de Barbacoa and they were delicious, just the right amount of heat. I ordered a soda with mine and frankly the size was alarming. It was as big as my head!! If you can, split it with someone!!
DAY FOUR: Typhoon Lagoon and Magic Kingdom
We had a lazy morning, got a quick service credit breakfast at POFQ (GF waffles got a big thumbs up from DB, I got the Big Easy Breakfast purely because it's been years since I had a biscuit and it was yummy) before heading to Typhoon Lagoon. We just picked up snacks here (Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich and a fruit cup).
At MK that night we had an ADR at Tony's Town Square before the Halloween party. This was fine, but probably the biggest let down of our trip. We weren't expecting stellar things based on reviews, but DB was really excited about their allergy menu as it's impossible to eat GF pasta out in the UK most of the time. We split the house salad as an appetiser which was actually really lovely, the bread was decent too. I had the chicken parmagiana - the chicken was tasty and a surprisingly big portion, but the spaghetti was a let down, it tasted like Heinz canned spaghetti I had as a kid. DB got the spaghetti and meatballs, the spaghetti was good although she thought they could have given more sauce, and the meatballs were fine but nothing she couldn't have made herself at home. We both got the chocolate hazelnut cake for dessert which was really tasty.
We shockingly didn't pick up any of the special party treats, although we loved the trick or treating! DB got a regular bag and an allergy bag (as most of the regular candy is safe for her) and when we went to exchange her allergy tokens they had a really great set up where they showed her a display of what was gluten safe, and she could either choose specific items or have a pre-prepared bag with a bit of everything - she went for the pre-prepared bag and was really happy with it, although if she could have she would have gone back for a bag full of the mini snickerdoodle cookies, they were great!
DAY FIVE: Poly and Animal Kingdom
This one had a bumpy start! We went to Kona Cafe for brunch, I had been there before years ago and DB liked the look of their allergy menu, although upon arriving she just really wasn't in the mood for eggs, and that was a lot of the options.
I had the Seven Seas Samoan and a Liliko'i Juice - it was good, a surprising amount of spice but the pulled pork was delicious! I had to forego the mustard greens as I'm allergic to mustard, I asked if they could just put any other kind of greens on instead, but evidently they didn't have any others! Bit surprising but not a major bummer, it was still tasty. DB made the brave choice of going for the Loco Moco - now bear in mind in the UK gravy is a very different thing! She knew it wasn't going to be like gravy at home, but neither of us were quite prepared - it was rice, chorizo gravy, a hamburger patty, and eggs any style. It was the weirdest combination, and she wasn't feeling stellar an hour later. Of course this was the hottest day of our trip and were headed to Animal Kingdom that afternoon (where there is little escape from the heat!) so it made for a rough afternoon.
When we got to AK we stopped into Nomad Lounge. DB got the Spice Trader Classic and I had the Hightower Rocks (both excellent, hightower is a little sweeter), and we split a chicken satay - again, delicious, the sauce was creamy and drizzled over the chicken. The showstopper was the Gluten Free Churros. GLUTEN FREE. DB has been on a mission for 3 years to find a GF Donut that is not "a cake in disguise" and she was over the moon with these, pretty sure they were the best GF thing she's ever eaten. They honestly were better than any churro I've had, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, drenched in cinnamon sugar. She was a fan of the Vanilla Crema sauce, I was surprisingly a fan of the Strawberry & Cayenne although be warned cos it's got a KICK.
We went to Satu'li Canteen for dinner and this fixed everything. DB got the chicken on mixed greens base, I went for the chicken/beef combo on the potato has base. Both were gorgeous. DB had been craving some hard core vegetables (she's mostly vegetarian when she's at home) and spent the entire meal saying YES THIS IS WHAT I WANTED THIS I GREAT.
That night we stopped by Scat Cat's Lounge for a drink (just got a beer but our server Lalonda was hilarious) and then finally picked up the famous Beignets from Sassagoula Floatworks - we got the seasonal Pumpkin Spice flavour (GF of course) and they were so delicious. Freshly made, warm and fluffy with just a little crisp on the outside, and the cinnamony coating was perfect, I think the regular icing sugar ones would have been a bit much for us!
DAY SIX: Epcot and Disney Springs
Breakfast was hilarious. We had an ADR at Garden Grill (hot tip - if you have a GG res before the park opens, they allow GG guests to ride Soarin' between 8:40 and 8:50, before anyone else is allowed into the park. We sat in the front row of the middle section and had the perfect view, in the only group allowed onto the ride.) We knew this was a "family style" meal so we didn't need to order anything besides drinks (the pog juice mimosa is delightful) but I could not believe that because DB is GF that meant I got an *entire sticky bun skillet* to myself!!! It was delicious but good lord! It's meant for at least 3-4 people! I barely made a dent in the poor thing. DB was brought a GF blueberry muffin which went down a treat. They also brought her a separate GF skillet, and we had our fill of mickey waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, and tasty tasty potato barrels.
Lunch was all about the Food & Wine Festival! What a great use of snack credits!! I had: Teriyaki Chicken Bun from Japan, Sweet and Spicy Shrimp from Australia, and Kalua Pulled Pork Slider from Hawaii (without the spicy mayo). They were all gorgeous, I think the slider *just* scraped ahead to be my favourite. DB was really pleased with the amount of GF choices, and had a hard time choosing! She had: Jerk Chicken and Plantain from the Caribbean Islands, Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans from Brazil, and the magical Pao de Queijo (cheese bread) also from Brazil. Her fave was actually using the cheese bread to scoop up the black beans - I tried a bit of the bread and it was so delicious!
By dinnertime we had left the parks and gone to Disney Springs to do our souvenir shopping, and we went to Blaze Pizza. This was a mixed bag - the pizzas were delicious (we chose to create our own, but the set toppings on the menus looked great too) but ordering was loud and chaotic, it was difficult to hear the staff and it felt like we were being rushed through (it wasn't particularly busy), and we were surprised that they charged DB an extra $2.50 on top of the dining credit to get a GF crust. In the end though it was really tasty, and we hadn't had a pizza all week so had been looking forward to it after hearing so much about it.
DAY SEVEN: Magic Kingdom
We had one last ADR at Crystal Palace on our final morning - DB was able to order GF waffles to be brought to the table and could get everything else she needed at the buffet - our server did say if she was concerned about cross contamination they could get fresh things from the back, which was good to know. I was a big fan of Pooh's Puffed French Toast, the breakfast lasagne looked terrifying and I couldn't quite make myself okay with the breakfast pizza situation, but everything else was standard breakfast buffet fair and tasty!
Hot Tip - if you are Gluten Free and planning on grabbing a meal at MCO, do it at the food court before check in! We thought there would be more options after security, but when we got through to our terminal there were a couple of fast food options (which we didn't want to risk before a flight, there was no way of knowing what kind of GF options they had), one sit down option had a single soup or salad to offer on the GF Meal, so we went to Outback Steakhouse - not our first choice but it did the job!
I've been back from my trip about a week now and I've decided I've had quite enough of the real world thank you very much TAKE ME BACK TO DISNEY. Instead I thought I would leave my thoughts about all of our food!
We were in the world for 7 nights on the Dining Plan - I traveled with my best friend (DB) who is Gluten Free - she isn't coeliac, but has a 'severe sensitivity' as her doctor called it. She's not too concerned about dedicated fryers and cross-contamination, but if there is wheat in her food her body will know immediately! She was *blown away* by some of the items she had in the parks!
DAY ONE: Magic Kingdom
This was an easy one, we arrived around 5pm so after a few rides we went to Pinocchio's Village Haus and did a mobile order for chicken nuggets and fries, both GF and regular (for myself). I tried a bite of her GF nugget and honestly I could hardly tell a difference! The BBQ and Honey Mustard sauces were also a big hit, and there is nothing better than Disney Fries.
DAY TWO: Magic Kingdom & Contemporary
First of all, I am heartbroken that it costs $48 to ship Joffrey's internationally, as we both fell in love with the Mickey's 90th Birthday blend that was in our room at POFQ.
Breakfast was at Be Our Guest. We each had the Open Faced Brie Bacon and Poached Egg sandwich, mine on the regular croissant and hers on Millet bread. We both loved it, although the croissant isn't the easiest thing to deal with - I think I saw that originally it was served on a mini baguette, I would have preferred that! The pastries and fruit that came with it were tasty, a couple of the pastries went into a ziploc bag for a cheeky mid morning snack
DB got GF slices instead of pastries, I believe they were all Erin McKenna, a lemon, a chocolate and a banana nut, all DB-approved!Lunch was a shameful Dole Whip and fries combo
but between a big breakfast and an early dinner we didn't want much! DB got a dole whip float, loved the ice cream but found the juice too sweet, I got the Dole Whip on a pineapple Upside Down cake and honestly am regretting I didn't get another before we came back home.Dinner was AMAZING. We had a 6:30 reservation at California Grill - we asked about a window seat but they didn't have any, and actually we still had an amazing view from where we were seated, the sun was setting as we were finishing up and it was stunning. The bread service was a great start, DB couldn't get over how good her GF bread was ("oh my god it's still *WARM*"). We both had the Oak Fired Filet of Beef, mine came with sautéed spinach and an aged gouda mac and cheese, DB had the spinach and GF olive oil mashed potatoes. It was cooked perfectly and so tasty. Our server Jorge was great, the filet wasn't actually on the allergy menu but he was able to easily adjust it to make it safe for her. For dessert I had the recommended Valrhona Chocolate Cake - delicious but incredibly rich, I couldn't quite finish it all. DB had the Strawberry Creme Brûlée, there weren't a lot of things for her on the allergy menu but she really liked it.
We also popped over to Disney Springs that night and picked up a drink at Dockside Margaritas - if they have the blood orange available, get it frozen!
DAY THREE: Universal Studios & Epcot
I know, I know, we're traitors who dared to go off property!!
Breakfast was made up of snack credits at POFQ, we each just got a side order of breakfast potatoes and fruit - tasty but nothing to write home about.
Lunch was at The Three Broomsticks at Islands of Adventure. Again, fine, but nothing special, and it took a *long* time to order. I got the fish and chips, and DB got the roast chicken platter. Typically when you let the cashier know you have an allergy they are supposed to bring out a chef to talk to you about the menu, but we were told she was too busy, luckily the cashier knew a couple of items on the menu that were completely safe, so DB was confident. We also picked up a frozen Butterbeer on the way out to split, super sweet but cold and refreshing in the mid-afternoon heat!
Dinner was back in the Disney bubble - we stopped into La Cantina de San Angel before heading to IllumiNations. We both got the Tacos de Barbacoa and they were delicious, just the right amount of heat. I ordered a soda with mine and frankly the size was alarming. It was as big as my head!! If you can, split it with someone!!
DAY FOUR: Typhoon Lagoon and Magic Kingdom
We had a lazy morning, got a quick service credit breakfast at POFQ (GF waffles got a big thumbs up from DB, I got the Big Easy Breakfast purely because it's been years since I had a biscuit and it was yummy) before heading to Typhoon Lagoon. We just picked up snacks here (Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich and a fruit cup).
At MK that night we had an ADR at Tony's Town Square before the Halloween party. This was fine, but probably the biggest let down of our trip. We weren't expecting stellar things based on reviews, but DB was really excited about their allergy menu as it's impossible to eat GF pasta out in the UK most of the time. We split the house salad as an appetiser which was actually really lovely, the bread was decent too. I had the chicken parmagiana - the chicken was tasty and a surprisingly big portion, but the spaghetti was a let down, it tasted like Heinz canned spaghetti I had as a kid. DB got the spaghetti and meatballs, the spaghetti was good although she thought they could have given more sauce, and the meatballs were fine but nothing she couldn't have made herself at home. We both got the chocolate hazelnut cake for dessert which was really tasty.
We shockingly didn't pick up any of the special party treats, although we loved the trick or treating! DB got a regular bag and an allergy bag (as most of the regular candy is safe for her) and when we went to exchange her allergy tokens they had a really great set up where they showed her a display of what was gluten safe, and she could either choose specific items or have a pre-prepared bag with a bit of everything - she went for the pre-prepared bag and was really happy with it, although if she could have she would have gone back for a bag full of the mini snickerdoodle cookies, they were great!
DAY FIVE: Poly and Animal Kingdom
This one had a bumpy start! We went to Kona Cafe for brunch, I had been there before years ago and DB liked the look of their allergy menu, although upon arriving she just really wasn't in the mood for eggs, and that was a lot of the options.
I had the Seven Seas Samoan and a Liliko'i Juice - it was good, a surprising amount of spice but the pulled pork was delicious! I had to forego the mustard greens as I'm allergic to mustard, I asked if they could just put any other kind of greens on instead, but evidently they didn't have any others! Bit surprising but not a major bummer, it was still tasty. DB made the brave choice of going for the Loco Moco - now bear in mind in the UK gravy is a very different thing! She knew it wasn't going to be like gravy at home, but neither of us were quite prepared - it was rice, chorizo gravy, a hamburger patty, and eggs any style. It was the weirdest combination, and she wasn't feeling stellar an hour later. Of course this was the hottest day of our trip and were headed to Animal Kingdom that afternoon (where there is little escape from the heat!) so it made for a rough afternoon.
When we got to AK we stopped into Nomad Lounge. DB got the Spice Trader Classic and I had the Hightower Rocks (both excellent, hightower is a little sweeter), and we split a chicken satay - again, delicious, the sauce was creamy and drizzled over the chicken. The showstopper was the Gluten Free Churros. GLUTEN FREE. DB has been on a mission for 3 years to find a GF Donut that is not "a cake in disguise" and she was over the moon with these, pretty sure they were the best GF thing she's ever eaten. They honestly were better than any churro I've had, perfectly crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, drenched in cinnamon sugar. She was a fan of the Vanilla Crema sauce, I was surprisingly a fan of the Strawberry & Cayenne although be warned cos it's got a KICK.
We went to Satu'li Canteen for dinner and this fixed everything. DB got the chicken on mixed greens base, I went for the chicken/beef combo on the potato has base. Both were gorgeous. DB had been craving some hard core vegetables (she's mostly vegetarian when she's at home) and spent the entire meal saying YES THIS IS WHAT I WANTED THIS I GREAT.
That night we stopped by Scat Cat's Lounge for a drink (just got a beer but our server Lalonda was hilarious) and then finally picked up the famous Beignets from Sassagoula Floatworks - we got the seasonal Pumpkin Spice flavour (GF of course) and they were so delicious. Freshly made, warm and fluffy with just a little crisp on the outside, and the cinnamony coating was perfect, I think the regular icing sugar ones would have been a bit much for us!
DAY SIX: Epcot and Disney Springs
Breakfast was hilarious. We had an ADR at Garden Grill (hot tip - if you have a GG res before the park opens, they allow GG guests to ride Soarin' between 8:40 and 8:50, before anyone else is allowed into the park. We sat in the front row of the middle section and had the perfect view, in the only group allowed onto the ride.) We knew this was a "family style" meal so we didn't need to order anything besides drinks (the pog juice mimosa is delightful) but I could not believe that because DB is GF that meant I got an *entire sticky bun skillet* to myself!!! It was delicious but good lord! It's meant for at least 3-4 people! I barely made a dent in the poor thing. DB was brought a GF blueberry muffin which went down a treat. They also brought her a separate GF skillet, and we had our fill of mickey waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, and tasty tasty potato barrels.
Lunch was all about the Food & Wine Festival! What a great use of snack credits!! I had: Teriyaki Chicken Bun from Japan, Sweet and Spicy Shrimp from Australia, and Kalua Pulled Pork Slider from Hawaii (without the spicy mayo). They were all gorgeous, I think the slider *just* scraped ahead to be my favourite. DB was really pleased with the amount of GF choices, and had a hard time choosing! She had: Jerk Chicken and Plantain from the Caribbean Islands, Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans from Brazil, and the magical Pao de Queijo (cheese bread) also from Brazil. Her fave was actually using the cheese bread to scoop up the black beans - I tried a bit of the bread and it was so delicious!
By dinnertime we had left the parks and gone to Disney Springs to do our souvenir shopping, and we went to Blaze Pizza. This was a mixed bag - the pizzas were delicious (we chose to create our own, but the set toppings on the menus looked great too) but ordering was loud and chaotic, it was difficult to hear the staff and it felt like we were being rushed through (it wasn't particularly busy), and we were surprised that they charged DB an extra $2.50 on top of the dining credit to get a GF crust. In the end though it was really tasty, and we hadn't had a pizza all week so had been looking forward to it after hearing so much about it.
DAY SEVEN: Magic Kingdom
We had one last ADR at Crystal Palace on our final morning - DB was able to order GF waffles to be brought to the table and could get everything else she needed at the buffet - our server did say if she was concerned about cross contamination they could get fresh things from the back, which was good to know. I was a big fan of Pooh's Puffed French Toast, the breakfast lasagne looked terrifying and I couldn't quite make myself okay with the breakfast pizza situation, but everything else was standard breakfast buffet fair and tasty!
Hot Tip - if you are Gluten Free and planning on grabbing a meal at MCO, do it at the food court before check in! We thought there would be more options after security, but when we got through to our terminal there were a couple of fast food options (which we didn't want to risk before a flight, there was no way of knowing what kind of GF options they had), one sit down option had a single soup or salad to offer on the GF Meal, so we went to Outback Steakhouse - not our first choice but it did the job!
