We just won't tell anyone about the $80 brunch.. Mother/Daughter Nov 2017 Trip

[sarbear205]

This looks like so much fun! I hope I can take my mom on a mommy/daughter Disney trip when I get older!

 

[Vernie822]

Looking forward to more reviews

Welcome, and thank you for reading!

Following along!

Hey Raeven!! Thank you for joining!!

Hi Ashley! I've been wondering where you were, LOL! So great that you're back! Enjoying your report, and you're so lucky you could do a girls' trip with your mom. My mom & I only did one, back in November 2002. We had a blast, did a split stay at FW in a cabin (we had some hairy adventures driving around in a golf cart) and what was then known as the VWL! So fun! She's going to be 85 now, and I've been trying to convince her to come on another trip with my husband & I, but she said she doesn't want to do WDW in a wheelchair, which she'd have to do, as would never be able to walk it. Scooters are out of the question for her, too. Makes me sad, as I'd really like to do WDW with her one more time.

Hi Teresa!! I'm still here, I wish I would remember to check back in here more. Driving around FW in a golf cart sounds hilarious. I'm sure it would be so fun to take her along!!

What a fun trip to do with your mom! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you! It was seriously so much fun!

Joining in! I love me a good mother/daughter trip...especially when it involves food

Thanks for reading!! The food was most of the fun. We had a blast!

Phew! What a relief. I wasn't too behind.


sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.


Congratulations, nerd! That is exciting and exhausting all at once. Totally understood on the professional craziness, however.


Doesn't he know that money isn't real at WDW? At least that's what I tell myself... Otherwise I'd have a heart attack every time the bill comes.


Okay I'm gonna need these instructions because I have to do a whole routine of copying into Imgur and it requires a computer...


Yeah, this was disappointing to me too. It was somehow dry. Mac and cheese should not be dry!


Love Gertie, love the Christmas decorations, and love baseline taphouse!!!

this is a framer!!!


I loved this! I don't know if they have something similar at Aldi but they definitely do at trader joes. They're really good!

Uh huh. Mexico fooled you again too

So glad you're back! Excited to read more.

You're not far behind, but I am HAH! That TOT picture still kills me. I haven't been on it since and I probably will never get on it again. Until I have an 8 year old that wants to ride and his/her chicken mama forces herself on the ride and ends up with said picture again. Good to know on the Kati Pouches. I love TJ's and they have a really great frozen food selection.

Hey lady! I've been on hiatus too. Not having a trip planned was bumming me out. But now we're headed for a Jan 2019 trip so all is right with the world

That ToT picture....I am dying I have one of those from RnR a few years ago!! I'm making almost the same face lolol

Can't wait to follow along!

Hey Natalie!! That TOT picture seriously kills me. Ugh I so didn't want to do it but my poor mom gets back like every 3-4 years so I took one for the team and hated every second LOL. Glad you have another trip planned!!

Yay, welcome back, joining in, always love a good DR!

Yay!! Thank you!

Looking forward to hearing all about it!!

Thanks!!

Loving this so far. I am doing a Mother/Daughter trip with my daughter this coming November, so interested to see some of your adventures.

Aw, great!! It was so much fun to be there during FW and Christmas time.

Following along! Very excited to see your review on California Grill brunch. I have it booked for DH and I in October. Hopefully I’ll keep it!

It was SO worth the money and I wish I could do it every time! The Sunday-only thing is kind of a bummer as far as planning, but totally worth it if you ask me!!

 

[Vernie822]

This looks like so much fun! I hope I can take my mom on a mommy/daughter Disney trip when I get older!

It was so much fun! OF course I'm sure it's so fun to take your kids as a mom, but it was really fun to plan things and share the memories as adults!

 

[Vernie822]

DAY 2: Magic Kingdom

We started our first full day at MK. It's a little blurry looking back, but I know we left All Star Sports pretty early and headed in, knocking out a lot of rides first thing. By around 11 we were pretty hungry. We had a big dinner reservation later that evening so we decided to split something for lunch. Looking back, we ate a lot less than normal. Sometimes its so easy to eat everything in sight at WDW, but we split a lot and it made it a lot easier on our bellies.

My mom was SO EXCITED about the Christmas decor! I can't decide if I like fall or winter better, but the MK is so gorgeous all decorated.

Long live a travel buddy that will take photos without reluctance!!

We decided to do lunch at Pecos Bill. When the AP discounts were in full swing for the 45th, I was alllll over those restaurants. Pecos Bill had a 20% discount at that time, which is an awesome deal. We decided to split the fajita platter with a side of chips and queso. We did water to drink and with the 20% off, it was less than $20 - maybe around $14 - for the two of us to eat. We loaded up the toppings- guac, salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc., and went to town. I really like the chicken and all of the veggies in this meal. They give you plenty of food and we left satisfied but not stuffed.

Fajita platter with barbacoa beef and chicken, yellow rice, fajita vegetables, beans, and tortilla $14.99


Seriously, guac for D A Y S !!!

The queso here was a white queso and it was totally worth the extra $1 or so to load up our nachos!

I mean, that's plenty of food for two!

I know we hit a bunch of rides that morning. I like to do at least one MK day where we're full on touring, and another day/half day where we can just take it easy. This was our "touring" day where we squeezed in just about everything.

So my mom is OBSESSED... Obsessed is an understatement.. with ceramic Christmas trees. She has, I'm not kidding you, 40 of them in the house. They started from my Dad's mother's collection and just branched out from there. My dad will seriously hunt at garage sales and secondhand stores to give them to her as Christmas gifts because she loves them so much. She lines the living room with them and calls it her Forest... she even has place cards with each of their names. The one she got from Goodwill is Willy.. the one she got from Salvation Army is Sally. I cannot make this up you guys. It's like a big joke but she seriously is obsessed with them so when I saw this on the Disney Store website I knew she'd have to have it......

So of course we tracked one down ASAP and ordered it to be shipped to her house!!! I am actually regretting not getting one myself, LOL!

We headed to the Grand Floridian via boat, checked out the gingerbread house (she loved that too!) and some of the shops. Actually Big Top was busy so I think we actually ordered the ceramic tree from the gift shop at the GF.

By the time we got to dinner, we were starving! We didn't do many trips back to the room this trip, but we had packed nice tops and shoes in our bags to change into for dinner. That night we were having dinner at Narcoossee's, which is one of my absolute favorite places to have dinner at WDW. I think a lot of people just kind of give it a pass, but it is always really hard for me to choose between Narcoossee's and California Grill. I was torn between the two for this trip, but since I was able to get a CG brunch, we decided to do Narcoossee's for dinner.

My mom and I both love seafood so it was kind of a no brainer!

We started off with some of their bread and sea salted butter, which is delicious. We knew we'd be sharing an entree but decided to share two apps as well. We were hungry and since we were sharing, we had plenty of room to try other things! We also each had a glass of wine. I am pretty sure I had the Conundrum White Blend (one of my go-to wines at WDW) and my mom had a sparkling Moscato.

The first thing we tried was a fall salad, which had goat cheese, pear, pomegranate, and a pumpkin seed dressing. I don't remember seeing it on the menu the first time I was there, so it may have been seasonal. It was absolutely outstanding. I love pomegranate arils and goat cheese. The pumpkin seed dressing was just a vinaigrette but it accented the rest of the salad really nicely. The salad overall wasn't too sweet. The picture I have is a half portion, they split it in the kitchen for us which was so nice!

Crispy Rhode Island Calamari - Peppadew-Banana Pepper-Olive Relish and Tomato Coulis $16

We also decided to try the calamari, which was out of this world. I loved the peppers that came along with it. I can't remember if it had a dipping sauce or not- I generally love a nice aioli with calamari, but the peppers here added some nice flavor and texture.

For dinner, we split the shrimp garganelle pasta. I absolutely love this dish. The creamy sauce is just so divine and the shrimp are plump and delicious. Again this picture is a half portion, so it was plenty alongside the appetizers! This is another half portion since they split it in the kitchen.

Wild Caught Shrimp Garganelle Pasta: Wild Gulf Shrimp, savoy spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes, basil pistou, comte cheese, and chardonnay-garlic cream $39

Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Bacon and Lemon - $11

Because we were on vacation we decided to add a side of the brussels sprouts to share. We both love brussels sprouts, but these were just OK. They weren't a miss, but they weren't anything to rave about. They had shallots and bacon mixed in. It was like something I'd make at home so I wasn't thrilled with them but they were a nice addition. I think most of these got left behind because we had to save room for.... DESSERT!!!

Almond Crusted Cheesecake w/ Cherry Lambert Sauce - $12

I can't and shan't go to Narcoossee's without devouring a piece of this cheesecake. I almost told my mom she would have to get her own, lol. But we were plenty full and this is light enough that when sharing, it was the perfect sweet ending to our meal. I love getting a forkful of the cherries then going for some of the cheesecake. It is seriously outstanding and one of the few WDW desserts I dream about regularly!

Neither of us had seen HEA, so after our meal we caught a boat back to MK to watch the show. We were pretty far back on Main Street and couldn't see a ton, but it was one of the few opportunities we'd have to see the show on this trip, so I'm glad we watched it. I LOVE these fireworks, man!

Looking back, Narcoossee's was one of the best meals of our trip. We ate a lot of good things, but as far as portions, variety of things we tried, and overall satisfaction with our food, this was great. To top it off, Narcoossee's had a 20% AP discount at the time, so I want to say our entire meal was less than $100, which was awesome for a signature meal for two considering all that we ordered!

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[pepperandchips]

Wow! Your meal at Narcoossee's looks amazing!!! I have seen other reviews of those calamari and everyone seems to love them. I love banana peppers with calamari so this is really convincing me I need to find time for a dinner there. Plus I reeeeeeeeally want to try that cheesecake! Do they have a bar you can sit at at nighttime? I remember it being in a weird place but I always feel super awkward if we take a table and only order apps and desserts which sound like they are the best parts of this menu!

YUM!

 

[Vernie822]

Wow! Your meal at Narcoossee's looks amazing!!! I have seen other reviews of those calamari and everyone seems to love them. I love banana peppers with calamari so this is really convincing me I need to find time for a dinner there. Plus I reeeeeeeeally want to try that cheesecake! Do they have a bar you can sit at at nighttime? I remember it being in a weird place but I always feel super awkward if we take a table and only order apps and desserts which sound like they are the best parts of this menu!

YUM!

Yes!!! I can't believe you haven't been there yet, it's great! They do have a bar, I am pretty sure you can order their full menu there but I could be wrong. That cheesecake alone is worth the go. I would totally go to the bar just for the apps and dessert.

 

[cadien]

I would have ordered both that salad and that calamari. You and your mother travel like my own mom and I! I know we've had more than one $80 brunch.

 

[Vernie822]

DAY 3: EPCOT/HS

Good lord, I am awful at updating LOL! Back to day 3...

We started our day at Epcot, with an early breakfast at... Garden Grill! I was tempted to cancel the night before because we aren't huge breakfast eaters, but my mom loves Chip & Dale and I love tater tots, er, potato barrels, so we figured we'd give it a try.

We arrived pretty early for what I think was an 8:15 ADR. There ended up being EMH from 8-9 AM, which I feel like is a total no-no to schedule a breakfast during EMH, but it was one of the only days it worked with our schedule. And I think once I realized there were EMH, it was too late!

I thought they'd be picky about letting us in early, and we'd just get let in with everyone else, but surprisingly they let us in around 7:45 with the other early breakfast crowd! I didn't expect that at all.

My mom, in true Donna fashion, high-tailed it to Soarin. I was nearly left in the dust, and thank goodness I run often because that woman was moving fast. We were the first people in line for Soarin'.... exhibit A:

The timestamp on my photo is 7:57 AM, so that was pretty quick!

We were super happy to grab a ride on Soarin' that day since we didn't have a FP.

We headed to Garden Grill to check in. We were seated instantly - the restaurant was not busy at all. The restaurant is oddly circular, so we actually shared a booth with a party of 8. The booth was like a semi-circle, so my mom sat at one end, I sat next to her, and then I was directly next to the kids in the party next to us. I could've eaten off of their plates if I wanted to (fortunately for our neighbors I kept my hands out of their skillets).

We both ordered coffee and water, and a POG juice to wash it all down. I love that stuff.

They start you off with a bunch of fresh fruit, including strawberries, blueberries, melon, grapes, and pineapple.

My mom really enjoyed this! I don't like melon and I find that strawberries have a funky taste when they've been pre-cut and sitting there forever, so I think I just had some grapes and pineapple.

This breakfast also includes the best thing since sliced bread... Chip's STICKY. BUN. BAKE. Yes, a STICKY BUN BAKE. I am not big on cinnamon rolls but this was a game changer! The outside was nice and crisp and the inside was soft and flaky. Perfectly done and not overly sweet.

I'd be LYING if I said we didn't wrap the remnants in a napkin and save it for later! I think we snacked on it over the next few days!

Next up we were brought our main skillet, including eggs, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffles, and "potato barrels".. is tater tot a patented word or something!? We were given syrup, ketchup, and salsa on the side. No more of that hazelnut goodness I'd heard about previously.. darn.

Seriously, those tots were SO hot and crispy! I ate a bunch of them! Everything else was just the usual, which was good. It was a nice variety of healthy and indulgent, and the perfect way to start our day.

We used my AP for a discount, which was 20% at the time. I think that brought it to ~$53 for the two of us.

The character interaction here was great. They were dressed in adorable little Farmer outfits! Mickey and the Chipmunks each came around twice.

Overall, this was a really great breakfast. I am excited to do it again sometime. I think it's a great option to start your day at Epcot, especially with World Showcase not opening until 11. I was worried we'd be too full for F&W that afternoon, but I think we were OK!

Next, we had a Meet and Greet on our schedule:

We did a lot of rides that afternoon in Epcot, and squeezed in some time in the countries. We watched Voices of Liberty to cool off, and they were amazing. I don't stop in and watch them often enough!

Around 2:30 we decided we were hungry again, and snacked around F&W for lunch.

First up, we tried the Warm Goat Cheese Pudding in France.

Moelleux au Fromage de Chèvre et Épinards: Warm Goat Cheese Pudding with Spinach (GF) – $4.25, DDP Snack Eligible


We both love goat cheese! This was interesting, a little too egg-y for my taste, but it was still good. Not my favorite thing at the festival, but it wasn't bad. The eggy pudding went nicely with the tanginess of the goat cheese.

We also tried the Creme Brulee:

Crème Brûlée à la Confiture de Framboises: Crème Brûlée with Housemade Rasberry Jam (GF) – $4.25, DDP Snack Eligible

The Creme Brulee was delicious, although the combination of the two was like a pudding overload! It was different with the jam inside. I liked it, but it wasn't outstanding and not too different than the regular version sold inside at the bakery!

Next, we tried the Potato Pancake in Scotland.​

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• Fresh Potato Pancake with Scottish Smoked Salmon and Herbed Sour Cream – $5.25, DDP Snack Eligible​

This was delicious! That herbed sour cream took it up a notch. The salmon was a little mushy for my liking but it was a great choice overall.

My mom is obsessed with rum in her Dole Whips, so we had to try one of those at the Refreshment Port:

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  Pineapple DOLE Whip Soft-Serve Ice Cream with Bacardi Coconut Rum — $9.25​

We circled back towards the Chocolate Studio and tried one of my favorite things from 2015. The Liquid Nitro Almond Truffle from the Chocolate Studio!

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel (GF) – $4.75, DDP Snack Eligible

This is seriously SO good! Perfect amount of chocolate, caramel, and crunch. I loved it again and my mom did, too!

We made one final stop at the Wine and Dine Studio for a Trio of Cheese.

It was hot, so this may not have been the best choice, but it was worth it.

Trio of Artisan Cheese – $5.25, DDP Snack Eligible​

• Fromager Affirois de Excellence served with toasted Baguette​
• Point Reyes Original Blue served with Apricot Jam​
• Point Reyes Toma served with Honey​

I also had the Meiomi Rosé, California – $5.00

The Rosé was fine, but nothing special. I really enjoyed each of the cheeses though, especially the blue.

Next, we headed to Hollywood Studios that evening to check out the entertainment!

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[pepperandchips]

That is beyond odd that you had to share a booth with a huge party. I didn't realize that was a possibility... I'm not sure even the amazing cinnamon bun would be worth sitting with strangers! Haha

Breakfast looks like it was so good. I agree with you about that goat cheese thing - it was definitely too eggy for me.

Looks like a super yummy Epcot day!

 

[kastoney]

My mom, in true Donna fashion, high-tailed it to Soarin. I was nearly left in the dust, and thank goodness I run often because that woman was moving fast. We were the first people in line for Soarin'.... exhibit A:

Man, she is fast!

he restaurant is oddly circular, so we actually shared a booth with a party of 8. The booth was like a semi-circle, so my mom sat at one end, I sat next to her, and then I was directly next to the kids in the party next to us. I could've eaten off of their plates if I wanted to (fortunately for our neighbors I kept my hands out of their skillets).

That is really weird. I've never heard of anyone having to share a booth anywhere except at Biergarten. I'm not sure I would have liked that except of course if they also paid my bill

I'd be LYING if I said we didn't wrap the remnants in a napkin and save it for later! I think we snacked on it over the next few days!

So glad you loved this. I need to get back to garden grill and try it first thing. We had a late breakfast reservation a few years back and unfortunately by that point it had been sitting under a heat lamp too long and was not soft inside at all.

Love your shirt!

Moelleux au Fromage de Chèvre et Épinards: Warm Goat Cheese Pudding with Spinach (GF) – $4.25, DDP Snack Eligible


We both love goat cheese! This was interesting, a little too egg-y for my taste, but it was still good. Not my favorite thing at the festival, but it wasn't bad. The eggy pudding went nicely with the tanginess of the goat cheese.

I though the exact same thing. It was so eggy you lost the goat cheesey

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel (GF) – $4.75, DDP Snack Eligible

This is seriously SO good! Perfect amount of chocolate, caramel, and crunch. I loved it again and my mom did, too!

Yum! One of our favorites last year too

 

[Ruth B]

Joining in