Celebrating 50 Disney style! Complete w. cost breakdown and OOP vs DDP thoughts.

Hi Susan! It's been a whirlwind since we got home so I'm just checking into the DIS and can't believe you're on your last day already!!!!!!!!! Hope you're well and settling back into school.

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That watermelon salad looks oh so good! I kept racking my brain when we ate there trying to remember what you'd eaten that was so good and couldn't for the life of me remember. I then of course drowned my non-remembering sorrows in lots of naan ; )

By this point I was hot and feeling a bit peckish so I decided to wander over to Harambe Market and see what they had to offer. i decided to try the African milk tart which was a super yummy creamy coconut centre in a chocolate pastry shell, drizzled with dark chocolate. This was awesome!! Cold, creamy and not too sweet with lots of yummy coconut.
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I had no idea they served dessert in the market, just thought they had savory items. This looks oh so good and refreshing!

Soon this little beauty came out to the table....still warm from the oven and so soft and tender. It was pure cinnamon roll perfection!
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So jealous you had a warm and tender one (yes I'm still bitter ours was decidedly not)

I had to watch myself with these as I wanted to try the waffles as well. I really couldn't do justice to the waffles as I was getting so full. I ate about 2/3 of one, it was light and fluffy but sadly I just could not manage it all! There was at least enough food for two hungry people on my platter.
Did you try the waffles with the nutella sauce on it. Oh so good. Glad you enjoyed your meal, especially since there is no chance you could get your boys there ; )

knew I was dying to try the avocado margarita which I had heard so much about. I did a bit of a double take when I got my bill but hoped it would be worth it. The verdict? I liked it but I didn't love it....it was very creamy and not too sweet. I didn't find it overly strong and I did notice the jugs of premixes behind the bar, so I'm not sure if they are making them exactly to order as they did in the past. Still, it was cold and refreshing and I enjoyed it as I strolled through World Showcase.
I think you hit the nail on the head with the pre-made mixes. We ended up at San Angel for lunch one day and were very disappointed in the margarita. It was nowhere near as good as it had been in the past. Think it may be forever off my list now.

orges asked me if I would prefer still or sparkling water. I chose sparkling thinking they did their own house sparkling, only to find out it was San Pelligrino at $9/bottle! I would have liked to have been informed when he presented the options. Oh well!
I hate that too. We learned our lesson at a restaurant a few years back when they offered sparkling water and it was some fancy french stuff that was like $15. Since then its tap, tap, and tap for me.

After finishing my salad, it was time for Wishes! I went out to the observation platform and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my favourite fireworks. It makes me cry every time...I am such a sap! When I came back to the table my tofu roll had been delivered. This was absolutely delicious! The roll was composed of avocado, jicama, quinoa, silken tofu, truffle emulsion and topped with crispy fingerlings. Yum, yum, yum! I chose a glass of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy with my sushi.
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Yum, yum, yum!!!! I'm a sucker for all things tofu and truffle so this is right up my alley. Sadly I couldn't convince Jason to go for it on our visit. Think we ended up with some kind of flat bread that fell flat ; )

This was the perfect treat and a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend the afternoon. I would highly recommend it! The staff presented me with a beautiful rose on the way out in honour of my birthday celebration.
What a great afternoon. Looks like a fun and refined time! I've contemplated taking Casey one day just she and I but haven't bit the bullet yet. Think a kindergartner would like it?

I decided to go with two appetizers for my meal as I like to do. My waitress was so accommodating with this and paced the delivery really well. For my first appetizer I went with the signature Cobb salad. I asked for the dressing on the side and just tossed it myself. This was excellent. All the ingredients were very fresh and paired well together.
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Love the look of this salad. Tried my hardest but couldn't get Jason to go for HBD this time. Think we still need a bit more distance between our debacle of a visit.

It was another beautiful day (can you believe I had NO rain during my trip?)
I can't believe that cause there is no chance we can even remotely say the same thing. #HurricaneHermine

After enjoying some time travelling through history and riding through Tomorrowland . I had a long awaited meet up with Disney diner extraordinaire Kari (@kastoney) and her beautiful family!
It was so great to meet you too! Glad our meeting by the pooper finally worked out ; )

Boy, Kari got around on her trip lol! As simple as danish is, Disney danish is the BEST danish :love:
Can't wait to see where your best meal was!
I'm a DIS meet slut, what can I say ; )

After enjoying my salad, the Falafel was brought out. These were bursting with flavour and paired so well with the white bean dip and vegetable salad. My meal was very well paced and while I only wanted water to drink in the heat, Christina offered to bring a dish of lemons to flavour it.
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So happy to hear you enjoyed these as much as we did We ended up eating her later in our trip and had another amazing meal. May have been our favorite lunch of the trip!
 
Hmm, I wonder if Christina is the server that had the table next to ours when we were there last month? She was hysterical and very, very attentive to that table - I say "that" table because it was incredibly empty in there during our lunch and it appeared that was her only table. Would you say she was.........50's, with the possibility of late 40's? Our server was certainly attentive and did his best with the jokes, but this server I mention was just awesome :goodvibes And that's great you stopped in GS to let them know about her! I actually wanted to do that a couple times this last trip but sadly I never did. Next time I feel I want to I have to make it a point to definitely do it, those fantastic CM's deserve it!
 
Hi Susan! It's been a whirlwind since we got home so I'm just checking into the DIS and can't believe you're on your last day already!!!!!!!!! Hope you're well and settling back into school.

That watermelon salad looks oh so good! I kept racking my brain when we ate there trying to remember what you'd eaten that was so good and couldn't for the life of me remember. I then of course drowned my non-remembering sorrows in lots of naan ; )

I had no idea they served dessert in the market, just thought they had savory items. This looks oh so good and refreshing!

So jealous you had a warm and tender one (yes I'm still bitter ours was decidedly not)

Did you try the waffles with the nutella sauce on it. Oh so good. Glad you enjoyed your meal, especially since there is no chance you could get your boys there ; )

I think you hit the nail on the head with the pre-made mixes. We ended up at San Angel for lunch one day and were very disappointed in the margarita. It was nowhere near as good as it had been in the past. Think it may be forever off my list now.

I hate that too. We learned our lesson at a restaurant a few years back when they offered sparkling water and it was some fancy french stuff that was like $15. Since then its tap, tap, and tap for me.

Yum, yum, yum!!!! I'm a sucker for all things tofu and truffle so this is right up my alley. Sadly I couldn't convince Jason to go for it on our visit. Think we ended up with some kind of flat bread that fell flat ; )

What a great afternoon. Looks like a fun and refined time! I've contemplated taking Casey one day just she and I but haven't bit the bullet yet. Think a kindergartner would like it?

Love the look of this salad. Tried my hardest but couldn't get Jason to go for HBD this time. Think we still need a bit more distance between our debacle of a visit.

I can't believe that cause there is no chance we can even remotely say the same thing. #HurricaneHermine

It was so great to meet you too! Glad our meeting by the pooper finally worked out ; )

I'm a DIS meet slut, what can I say ; )

So happy to hear you enjoyed these as much as we did We ended up eating her later in our trip and had another amazing meal. May have been our favorite lunch of the trip!

Hi Kari! Yes, back into the craziness that is kindergarten! We have 27 awesome little people so are very busy but it's a lot of fun! Definitely put the salad sampler on your must do list for your next Sanaa lunch. I'll be going for the bread service....

I loved the whole character breakfast experience. It's been so many years since we did this so it was fun and the food was yummy. No nutella sauce for me as I am allergic to tree nuts but the warm and tender cinnamon roll more than made up for it.

I've certainly learned my lesson with sparkling water......tap all the way from now on. Hopefully you can convince Jason to try the tofu roll on another trip. It is really good!

Casey would love the tea. They do a kids version with dark tea (chocolate milk) and child friendly sammies. Although with Casey's palate, I am sure she would enjoy all the regular options too. :)

If you do make it back to HBD, the salad is awesome. So glad I went for the dressing on the side as my pet peeve is overdressed salads. The crab cakes were excellent as well.

Poor you with all that rain! We always say that if we bring our "magic ponchos" (bought for our first trip in 2009) it won't rain. 5 trips in and they have never been used!

Will be going to Skippers again for sure....terrific food and service!

So nice to meet you! I am definitely planning on a return trip next summer, possibly with the twins and we are looking at the Poly. Perhaps the stars will align again!
 
Hmm, I wonder if Christina is the server that had the table next to ours when we were there last month? She was hysterical and very, very attentive to that table - I say "that" table because it was incredibly empty in there during our lunch and it appeared that was her only table. Would you say she was.........50's, with the possibility of late 40's? Our server was certainly attentive and did his best with the jokes, but this server I mention was just awesome :goodvibes And that's great you stopped in GS to let them know about her! I actually wanted to do that a couple times this last trip but sadly I never did. Next time I feel I want to I have to make it a point to definitely do it, those fantastic CM's deserve it!
I would say that is her, probably late 40ish. Dark blonde/light brown hair and slim? She was wonderful! With so much negativity and complaining, I always like to find a way to spread some positive light. :)
 


Thursday totals:
Boardwalk Bakery ~ Cheese danish $3.29
Skippers Canteen ~ Baladi salad and falafel $17.50
Boardwalk Joe's ~ Superfruit Margarita $10.89

After an awesome morning at MK I headed back to the Boardwalk to wait for the Tragical Depress. What better way to drown the departure sorrows than with a Superfruit Margarita? I picked this little darling up at Boardwalk Joe's and enjoyed it sitting out on the verandah overlooking the village green and looking out at Crescent Lake.

Final thoughts on my trip.......

Best breakfast item: Almond Croissant from Bellevue Lounge
Best snack: Raspberry Macaroon from Les Halles
Best adult bevvie: Pepper's Ghost cocktail from AbracadaBar
Best TS: Skipper's Canteen

Cost breakdown:
Food cost OOP:$228.35
Beverages: $126.39
Special event (Gardenview Tea) $51.34

OOP vs DDP comparison: The DDP would have cost me $254.80 for the 4 nights and not allowed me to eat the way I prefer to. As I chose 2 signatures, I would not have had enough TS credits to cover my meals (I would have needed 7 TS and I only used 2 QS as I prefer TS meals). While my savings $ wise was only $26.45 the flexibility to eat where and how I want to was invaluable. OOP is a winner for me yet again.

For all of you who have been following along and commenting, thank you for being part of my review. It's been so fun reliving my birthday trip and I am glad you were here to share in it! :)
 


Thursday totals:
Boardwalk Bakery ~ Cheese danish $3.29
Skippers Canteen ~ Baladi salad and falafel $17.50
Boardwalk Joe's ~ Superfruit Margarita $10.89

After an awesome morning at MK I headed back to the Boardwalk to wait for the Tragical Depress. What better way to drown the departure sorrows than with a Superfruit Margarita? I picked this little darling up at Boardwalk Joe's and enjoyed it sitting out on the verandah overlooking the village green and looking out at Crescent Lake.

Final thoughts on my trip.......

Best breakfast item: Almond Croissant from Bellevue Lounge
Best snack: Raspberry Macaroon from Les Halles
Best adult bevvie: Pepper's Ghost cocktail from AbracadaBar
Best TS: Skipper's Canteen

Cost breakdown:
Food cost OOP:$228.35
Beverages: $126.39
Special event (Gardenview Tea) $51.34

OOP vs DDP comparison: The DDP would have cost me $254.80 for the 4 nights and not allowed me to eat the way I prefer to. As I chose 2 signatures, I would not have had enough TS credits to cover my meals (I would have needed 7 TS and I only used 2 QS as I prefer TS meals). While my savings $ wise was only $26.45 the flexibility to eat where and how I want to was invaluable. OOP is a winner for me yet again.

For all of you who have been following along and commenting, thank you for being part of my review. It's been so fun reliving my birthday trip and I am glad you were here to share in it! :)

Thanks for sharing your report and your thoughts on DDP vs OOP. I have been going back and forth on it. I am primarily a QS eater, but I still think DDP would be way too much food for me. Sometimes I eat kids meals, or sometimes I eat leftovers. I think I'm probably going to go with OOP again.
 
Great report, and I loved your breakdown of OOP vs. DDP! We used the dining plan last time, and it worked for us and saved us money, but I didn't like being limited to only one table service meal per day, so our next trip will be OOP :)
 
Enjoyed following along! I agree with you on the DDP. We did get it a few times when our kids were younger but, even if we didn't have TiW now, we wouldn't get the DP anymore. We prefer eating the way we want and we feel NOT having it gives us more freedom :thumbsup2
So happy you had such a wonderful birthday trip!
 
What a great report! Thank you so much for sharing.

Thanks Melinda! I love your reports as well and am looking forward to hearing more about your adventures!

Catching up!!

Hope you have fun on your F&W trip, Lori!

Loved your reviews so much! Sorry that it's over. Thanks for taking the time. :)

You're welcome, always fun to relive dining adventures!

Thanks for sharing your report and your thoughts on DDP vs OOP. I have been going back and forth on it. I am primarily a QS eater, but I still think DDP would be way too much food for me. Sometimes I eat kids meals, or sometimes I eat leftovers. I think I'm probably going to go with OOP again.

Thank you for joining in! I love the flexibility of going OOP and I always save money, even when on a family trip. It's great to have options. :)

Thanks for sharing your reviews and thoughts on the different meals, I really enjoyed it.

You're welcome, loved your report too!

Great report. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, glad to have you along!

Great report, and I loved your breakdown of OOP vs. DDP! We used the dining plan last time, and it worked for us and saved us money, but I didn't like being limited to only one table service meal per day, so our next trip will be OOP :)

Are you going back in January? I am thinking of trying to squeeze in a long weekend in January if I can find good flights.

Awesome report! Have a magical year!!

Thank you so much! I'm certainly hoping to do another trip next summer. :)

Enjoyed following along! I agree with you on the DDP. We did get it a few times when our kids were younger but, even if we didn't have TiW now, we wouldn't get the DP anymore. We prefer eating the way we want and we feel NOT having it gives us more freedom :thumbsup2
So happy you had such a wonderful birthday trip!

Thanks so much, it really was the perfect way to celebrate my 50th! We did the DDP when our boys were younger too but it just doesn't work for us anymore. I'm glad there are lots of options for how people like to eat.
 
I couldn't remember if I'd seen your report here before or not, but when you told me on my PTR that you'd be to the tea at the GF I came right on over here to read up :))

For my dessert, I enjoyed the strawberries with cream. This was almost too pretty to eat! I did devour it though and it was delicious.

This is the thing I'm most excited about :) It is very pretty indeed and looks delicious, as did everything else. Though like I said I hope that they let me sub in something else for the egg sandwich. Also, I'm not sure my DD will want the adult sandwiches or the kid ones...and even for those she might want all the same ones lol
 
Great report! Loved all the pics and your cute outfits. Referring to the shuttle as the Tragical Depress is funny - and super cute. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate people who actually finish their trip reports and don't make them drag on for months & months. That's hard to find on here anymore. Oh, and someday I want to do a solo trip.
 
Great report! Loved all the pics and your cute outfits. Referring to the shuttle as the Tragical Depress is funny - and super cute. Thanks for sharing. I appreciate people who actually finish their trip reports and don't make them drag on for months & months. That's hard to find on here anymore. Oh, and someday I want to do a solo trip.
Thanks for the kind words! I loved writing that report, such a nice way to relieve happy memories! You should definitely do a solo trip one day. I loved mine so much last year, I booked another one for this summer, except for longer! :)
 

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