Complete: ANOTHER long weekend?! Labor Day Weekend Dining Report - last update Yak & Yeti and AK

[pepperandchips]

Me again. Hi, I'm Melinda and I have a Disney problem. (Hiiiii Melinda). You may remember me from my dining report that I wrote about my long weekend trip I took about three weeks ago . Well you see, my annual pass is about to expire in late September and I am starting to feel the panic set in ahead of the few months I'll spend this fall without a Disney trip. So here I am, admitting that I have an addiction, and setting up a placeholder for a brand new dining report!

This time the cast of our eating ensemble is a little different. It's me (shocking to you, I'm sure) and my beautiful mother, Leslie. Missing from our usual travel clan is my partner R and my younger sister who both had commitments at home over Labor Day weekend.

Mom and I did a trip back in May for a long Memorial Day weekend - any time I get an extra day off at the office I am always trying to figure out how to turn it into an escape to Orlando. Leslie loves the dining, attractions, and fireworks almost as much as she loves the resort pools and the shopping!

So she makes a perfect travel buddy and just happened to be free this weekend. I found a great last-minute rate at the Walt Disney World Dolphin just last Friday (a week ahead of travel) and pulled the trigger on another short trip.

The crowd calendar predictions look a little crazy for Sunday, September 4, so what's a girl to do to avoid the masses? Well, I called (407)WDW-TOUR this morning, is what I did! I bet you thought I was going to say that I reserved California Grill for brunch, didn't ya?! The reservations CM couldn't believe that an opening for 2 on the 9:30 Keys to the Kingdom tour was available on such short notice. She even advised me to purchase a lottery ticket since I was so lucky. So that is the major highlight of the weekend for me.

We're trying (again) to do a more relaxed approach - I did go ahead and make as many Fastpasses as were practical, and we've snagged a couple of ADRs. (with less than 5 days 'til departure I'd call these last minute!) I've been craving pizza and trying not to eat it at home, so we've got an ADR at Via Napoli on Saturday for lunch, which we'll hit between Epcot attractions and maybe some world showcase beverages.

I was also able to pick up a pre-park opening Be Our Guest breakfast today and I've already selected entrees... we made the mistake of waiting in line upon arrival for our last experience at BOG (lunch) and I don't want to do that again! I'm mainly looking forward to this just to get those uncrowded park photos before checking in for our tour.

Well, that's it for our plans! prepare yourself for some re-reviews, as Leslie has already hinted at wanting to experience the amazing Citrico's bar service we enjoyed a few weeks ago. I've been brainstorming some new experiences we haven't had the opportunity to try yet (dinner at Captain's Grille, Bluezoo, Belle Vue Lounge, the new Flying Fish, 50s prime time) so keep an eye out for updates as to what we end up doing!

 

[dixonsontour]

Looking forward to this one

 

[fallonkendra]

Looking forward to hearing all about it!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Looking forward to your review! Have a great trip!

 

[suse66]

So fun! Can't wait to join in!

 

[DVC Katie]

Look forward to hearing all about it, have a great trip!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Yay! Can't wait!

 

[vettegirl]

Sounds like a blast!

 

[klacey1]

I loved your Universal TR! Excited to read this one I'll be on my own mother-daughter Disney/UO weekend in two weeks, so this'll help build excitement for me for sure!

 

[ariane37]

I'm in again! DH and I just returned yesterday and your last dining report had me craving Citricos, so we went there on arrival night Thinking I may try my hand at my own dining report! Awesome about getting in on the KTTK tour too, we did that in 2015 and loved it. Have a great trip; look forward to your reviews!

 

[DrunkJam]

Sounds fun...Looking forward to your reviews!

 

[pepperandchips]

A big WELCOME everyone to my Dining Report!


We're back and I've started writing.

Here is where we ate (spoiler alert!) and I will try to come back and link the posts.

Saturday 9/3 - Epcot snacks, Les Halles, Via Napoli, Morimoto Asia's forbidden lounge
Sunday 9/4 - Be Our Guest Breakfast, lunch from the Keys to the Kingdom Tour, snacks at The Fountain (Dolphin resort), Tambu Lounge, Trader Sam's
Monday 9/5 - Snacks at Animal Kingdom, lunch at Yak and Yeti

Can't wait to share!

 

[pepperandchips]

Saturday, September 3: Epcot Snacks and Via Napoli

This culinary adventure began with an 8 hour drive from Atlanta (which normally takes 6 ) featuring Burger King chicken nuggets so we'll gloss over that part.

Upon arrival very late Friday night at the Disney World Dolphin, we joined a very long check in line and were issued a standard two queen unrenovated room on the second floor. Less than ideal, but we were completely exhausted so we collapsed into our heavenly beds and called it a night.

The next morning dawned bright but cloudy. The last of the Hurricane Hermine weather pattern was drifting through central Florida during our trip, so the morning of Saturday September Third was cooler than usual but very humid. We caught a friendship boat from the Swan/Dolphin to International Gateway and enjoyed a quiet walk through a sleepy world showcase.

We rode Soarin with a posted 45 minute wait - it actually ended up being a total of 45 minutes from when we joined the queue through when we left the exit, so it was a pleasant wait and we enjoyed the trivia game in the standby queue, which we had not previously experienced due to FP+. We were sorted into the far left section of the theater and will not make the mistake of not asking for the center section again - a "leaning" Eiffel Tower did not make for a breathtaking view of Paris.

After our trip around the world, we were starting to feel peckish and decided to cruise Sunshine Seasons for a snack. I'd read that someone else recently enjoyed the coconut macaroon here and with both my mom and I being coconutaholics, this seemed like a great option to try. We grabbed waters and one macaroon to split ($3.75).

This was great - lots of chewy coconut without being too dense and sprinkled throughout were a surprise dose of chocolate chips. The peak of the macaroon had a bit of gooey topping (cream of coconut possibly?) and then the whole treat was drizzed with chocolate. This was delicious but rather sweet and I am glad we shared it. It was a good combination of differing textures and I would definitely get this again.

As it was nearing noon, we decided an adult beverage was in order. Unfortunately my beloved Canada beer cart has been temporarily relocated while they refurbish its usual location and there are no draft beers currently available at the temporary spot. Not being a fan of Labatt Blue, we moved on to plan B - we kept walking and soon found ourselves at the France slush kiosk. We each selected a grand marnier orange slush. As it was starting to look rather grey outside and quite like rain, we took our slushes into Les Halles boulangerie to scope out a table (and a roof). I hit the food queue while Leslie selected a seat.

If you have not had the pleasure, the orange grand marnier slushes taste a lot like a creamsicle but have a potent boozy kick. They don't taste strong but I finished most of my slush before eating my French snacks and I felt the alcohol in this drink a bit.

For snacks, we followed a fellow DISer's recommendation and selected the raspberry lime macaron @suse66 had raved about from her trip.

As Suse said, this is snack heaven! It's like a French macaron had a baby with a key lime pie. While this was a bit pricy at $5.75 I recommend it as a splurge since it is pretty large for a macaron and has all those yummy fresh raspberries. It's not unusual for a small macaron at a bakery to run about $3.00 on its own, so while I don't think $5.75 is a great price, it's all relative.

We also ordered my favorite Poulet au Pistou for $9, which is a large sandwich made with chicken and pesto, topped with cheese, tomato, and onion. Served warm and toasty, this makes a great item to share.

We really enjoyed our snack and while doing so, the rain set in fairly heavily. We waited out the worst of it while in Les Halles and when it finally turned from pouring to drizzling we went to check out Impressions de France. Surprise!

Belle was meeting in the waiting area for the film. And there was no line at all! I talked to her for a few minutes and then got a photo. Mom had not seen the film before this trip so she really enjoyed it and we decided to shop in the French stores while we continued avoiding rain.

We had a Frozen fastpass that I was able to score at the last minute before our trip, so we decided to head that way once the rain stopped. We detoured for a frozen red stag lemonade at the Fife and Drum:

(not my photo, thank you Ally Jean Blog!)

We enjoyed this well enough and it was perfect to share, in my opinion. It was a little sweet for me and I was holding out for a beer from Gernany, but the lines were so long that I took a pass on the beer. Frozen was cute and my mom enjoyed seeing this for the first time. We sniffed all the Laila products before heading back for another ride on Soarin. We were just killing time before our 3:00 reservation at Via Napoli.

Upon arrival at VN, we checked in and they oddly enough asked us at the podium if we were planning to use any discounts. I think it's tacky to ask this in advance of even seating a guest, but whatever. We have a Tables in Wonderland membership so I mentioned this and we waited for our table. I observed quite a number of families inquiring about the wait at the podium and everyone without a reservation was turned away. This was odd to me as it was that "off" time between 3:00 and 4:00 when business is slow. I understand the restaurant has to hold a certain number of tables for ADRs but the restaurant was as empty as I've ever seen it and the host station was turning away customers.

Anyway, we were seated soon enough in the "porch" side portion of the restaurant with a long wall of glass french doors. We'd never eaten in this room and I loved how it was sunny and quieter than the main dining room. Once again, we were asked at the start of the meal if we were using any discounts. I don't understand the need to ask this at the beginning of a meal, as I tend to think it affects the service. We started with a pitcher of white sangria ($25)

Which was light and refreshing. They were a little skimpy on the fruit this time, but I would still continue to order their sangria. I also think this is a good value given the price of drinks in Epcot.

For an appetizer we ordered the Insalata di Ceci ($13)

Which is described as chickpea fritters, arugula, scamorza, cherry tomato, onion, avocado, bacon, and mushrooms. "Chickpea fritters" is a little disingenuous as what we really got was a lovely salad served atop a cold, greasy, mealy chickpea rectangle. The salad portion was great but ironically I would have omitted the chickpea fritter. I would not order this again.

We also ordered the amazingly delicious Carciofi pizza in the individual size ($22). Sorry, I had been looking forward to this pizza so much that I forgot to take a picture of the whole pie so here is a picture of what was left when I remembered the photo!

I reviewed my photos from our April 2016 trip and I didn't get a picture of the whole pie on that visit either so apparently I have no pizza self-restraint (who can blame me?). This is white pizza, served topped with artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, and heaven's gift - truffle oil. You can see that Leslie also requested a side of marinara sauce which we dipped our pizza crust in and it is also scrumptious. I highly recommend this pizza as it has a very rich flavor but the nice light thin crust keeps it from being too heavy. I wish I had one right now as I write this!

Our service was adequate but nothing special and the meal with the TIW discount and gratuity included came to $61.92. One of the weird "perks" of being seated in the porch area was that we saw a couple come in the side door and help themselves to a table before being directed to the podium, where they were turned away. All in all, this was not our best Via Napoli experience but the pizza was superb and I am certain we will return.

The skies had cleared and it was time to bid farewell to Epcot. We enjoyed our stroll back to the International Gateway, ready for a rest.

Up next: the Forbidden Lounge at Morimoto Asia

 

[suse66]

Awesome start! That white pizza looks incredible and I love how you described the raspberry macaroon....perfect! Looking forward to reading more!

 

[klacey1]

That pizza looks delish!! I've never had the orange grand marnier slushy, but I've had the original and agree--it doesn't taste strong but you'll feel it a little bit!

 

[ariane37]

OMG so much looks good! First of all I've never tried the Grand Marnier slush because I always get the Grey Goose slush, but your description of it tasting like an orange ceamsiclemhas me thinking I might have to change it up next time
And those 2 snacks Especially the coconut macaroon from SS since I'm a huge coconut fan. More things to add to my list for November!
Love the story about the couple picking their own seat in VN too. Do your research and follow everyone else people!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Yum yum! Can't wait for more!

 

[pepperandchips]

Saturday 9/3 Continued: Morimoto Asia Forbidden Lounge

I can't resist posting some of my pictures from the friendship boat ride back to the Swolphin. It was simply gorgeous out. I bet you'd have never guessed that a tropical system had been pouring buckets just a few hours earlier

The Yacht Club was my first onsite resort and is probably still my favorite. Weelllll. Okay maybe Animal Kingdom Lodge, but I do love the YC.

Back "home" at our room in the Dolphin, this lovely birthday surprise awaited me (yes, I was still milking the birthday thing. Don't judge - it was only 3 weeks after my birthday)

This was birthday balloons, a card, a button, and a coupon for a free ice cream cone at the Fountain. We needed a rest but I was afraid to take a nap - I didn't want to repeat last trip where I woke up from my nap feeling worse than if I'd never taken one, so we just relaxed for a long while in the room. Eventually I convinced my mom to head with me to Disney Springs. The Dolphin's bus stop is undergoing refurbishment so we had to walk over to the Swan and use the bus there. Now, I didn't really mind but Leslie isn't big on the Disney buses. Usually if we drive on property I end up as the driver so I prefer to relax on the bus and let someone else take care of the transportation. The differing preferences between me and my mom just highlight that it really is an individual decision.

Anyhow, as we approached Disney Springs it was apparent that I was right to have made us ride the bus - both the lime deck and the orange deck were completely full and there was a huge line of cars waiting at the valet station. I don't know Disney Springs well enough to know where to park in the surface lots anyway (somehow I have always ended up over by Cirque even when my intended destination is the Marketplace) so I was glad to be dropped in Town Center at the new bus terminals. Our intention was to check out World of Disney and take advantage of the Tables in Wonderland 20% merchandise discount they had running through Labor Day. Well that place was a total ZOO I have never seen so many people clutching keychains and plush like they'd never see them anywhere else on property. Ironically the areas of the store where I consider the "good" stuff to be was like a ghost town - there was some really cool new star wars merch that I really liked. Google says this is not "new" exactly but I had not seen it before - it's like retro attraction posters of many of the Star Wars environs. I digress. We bought nothing but mom got a few things at Uniqlo and by that point we were just OVERWHELMED with the crowd.

I'd wanted to take my mom to Homecoming but neither of us was hungry enough for that amazing fried chicken platter, plus I was in a foul mood from the crazy behavior of the crowds. I remembered reading something online about late night offerings at Morimoto Asia in their "hidden" Forbidden Lounge, but I knew little else about it. We popped inside Morimoto where again guests without reservations were being turned away. DANG! I inquired about the Forbidden Lounge and was surprised to hear that we could just go upstairs and seat ourselves in the lounge. We like eating in lounges anyway so this was perfect

We found seats at an empty low top table for two. It was along the railing looking over the restaurant with a view down to the kitchen.

The decor here is really fabulous - I told my mom it was like eating inside a Z Gallerie (a home decor and furniture shop we have in some of our malls in Atlanta) and she said that was exactly what it was like. I really like the location of the forbidden lounge - overlooking the rest of the restaurant and having a vantage to see the action in the bar as well made for great people watching.

To start, I believe I had the Beijing Bourbon Tea featuring blood orange liqueur, Bulleit Bourbon, and house-made black tea. I say "I believe" because for some reason I can't find the current drink menu online and I don't think I got a photo, but this is definitely what I had.

This was perfect - I love bourbon and this was a fun way for me to experience a bourbon drink that wasn't just a run-of-the-mill old fashioned, manhattan, or bourbon mule that have gotten so popular recently. You could just taste a hint of the tea behind the bourbon-forward flavor. It was sweet but not overly so and it hit the spot perfectly to pair with the ambiance and melt away the stress from the crowded shopping experience we'd just endured.

Leslie's selection was the Morimoto Smash - Muddled Blackberries and Raspberries, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Thai Basil, Fresh Lemonade. This was very refreshing, and with my mom being more of a vodka fan, this was right up her alley. Neither drink was overly sweet but I was surprised that this one was fruity without being too sweet. I would call both drinks a hit.

To start, we ordered the chicken dumplings. It seems that the different menu offerings come from different kitchens (or at least different chef teams in the kitchen) because while the dumplings were the first thing we ordered, they were the last to arrive at our table. Before we got our drinks, we ordered the rest of our meal. We decided to share several things as the menu has quite a lot of tempting small plates. Despite the heat, I was in the mood for noodles and the various ramen dishes caught my eye. Leslie had been wanting sushi for the past week, so her eye went there. And we both wanted to try something from the dim sum and starters, so here were our final selections:

Spicy tuna roll - as with the pizza photo snafu I had earlier, we tucked into the sushi before I remembered my senses and took a picture. Let the number of remaining pieces be a testament to how good this was! I wasn't even in the mood for sushi at all but after I tasted the first bite, I ended up eating three pieces total. This was not your average spicy tuna roll - there was a deep brown umami flavor that I suspect points to the inclusion of sesame oil in the preparation of this roll. It was excellent and I would definitely order this again. R asked me if this was as good as California Grill's sushi - the sushi against which all sushi is judged for me. The Morimoto tuna roll was not on par with CG's Dragon Roll but it's not at all a fair comparison. If you compare this roll to CG's spicy tuna (from the brunch buffet) I would have to award the winner as... Morimoto! (It was also only like ten bucks, and I don't even like to think about the price of those rolls at Cali Grill)

Though they were the last to arrive at our table, I am sandwiching the chicken dumplings here in the middle of the meal review because they were entirely forgettable. Described as chicken, napa cabbage, and scallions, these were very cabbage-forward and tasted like freezer dumplings. I will not order these again. I also have no idea why it took so long to steam some stinking dumplings. We didn't even want these by the time they arrived - we each ate one, packed up the rest, and never got around to eating them because our mini fridge at the Dolphin froze them (irony for the freezer dumplings).

My second favorite part of the meal was the Tonkotsu Ramen - rich pork broth, egg noodles, roasted pork, woodear mushroom, pickled ginger. This was very delicious and comforting. I could not stop eating this even as I was getting full. I loved the rich pork flavor, but the roasted pork served in the ramen is pork belly, so beware of the texture. I get squeamish with textures (for example, I can't eat flan or scallops or jello without squishing it through my teeth) so I had to separate the fat from the pork belly before I could eat the pork because boiled pork fat (no matter how deliciously roasty flavored) is on my texture no-no list. I still recommend this and would order it again if I wasn't lured away by one of the other many delicious looking choices.

Is that angels I hear singing? May I present the piece de resistance of this meal: the Morimoto Spare Rib Appetizer - 3 pork ribs, cilantro, hoisin sweet chili glaze. These were absolutely scrumptious. Oh man my mouth is watering just thinking about these. I think they are roasted and then deep fried as they have an incredible crunch but are absolutely fall off the bone tender. I admit I ate about 2/3 of these on my own. It looks like these are also served at the Street Food take away shop so I will definitely investigate that option on my next visit to Disney Springs.

Overall Morimoto Asia Forbidden Lounge was the sleeper hit of the trip for me - I did not expect to like this meal this much. My low expectations actually make no sense as I have heard almost universal praise for the establishment but I guess it took experiencing the deliciousness for myself to truly believe that the restaurant lived up to its hype. I loved the lounge vibe so I am not sure if I would make a reservation next time or just take my chances on the lounge again. Either way, I definitely plan to return!

Up next: Be Our Guest pre-park-opening breakfast and the Keys to the Kingdom Tour!

 

[pepperandchips]

Sunday 9/4: Be Our Guest Pre-Park-Opening Breakfast and Keys to the Kingdom Tour

Once again, we arose to a grey morning. It was time for the second of the two ADRs I'd made the week prior - Be Our Guest Breakfast! I'd snagged an 8:10 reservation for two when I saw it pop up on the app the Monday before we departed. The park was set to open at 9:00 so I was looking forward to the "empty park" pictures and getting a Disney breakfast in ahead of our 9:15 meeting time for the Keys to the Kingdom tour.

Since the bus situation was already less than ideal and our breakfast was important to me, we took an Uber from the front door of the Dolphin to the Contemporary Resort and walked from the Contemporary to the MK. The ride took 10 minutes and the cost for UberX was $7.05.

Upon arriving at the park I wondered what all these people were doing in my "empty" park?! I guess it is not as difficult as it once was to get a pre-park-opening reservation. I was also a little taken aback by the Halloween decorations even though I knew to expect them. They are lovely but it just seems so early for the gorgeous Autumn touches. We actually had plenty of time before our tour so I made my mom stop at a couple of photopass photographers.

Definitely fewer folks than are normally mobbing the hub, but I have gotten similar shots mid-morning in June. This one was really special to me though:

No people and NO CRANE!! If only the cloud cover had cooperated I'd have this hanging in my living room.

We made our way back to New Fantasyland and noticed the sky was gorgeous facing the other direction.

Now that's what I paid the big bucks for this breakfast in order to capture! We felt special and took our time between the carousel and BOG check in so that we could soak up the feeling of being alone in our own park.

Finally we decided it was time to get down to business and checked in. I'd made sure to pre-order this time and had selected the croque madame and the open faced bacon sandwich. I really would have ordered the cronut or something different to have two really diverse options but I could not justify $24 for a cronut.

After confirming our order selections and paying, we found a seat in the West Wing at a six-top table with another couple who were really lovely and just the right dining companions - we have a few words of conversation but then we each ate our meals in peace. Of course we could have taken the six person table to ourselves but that just doesn't seem very magical.

Our pastry tray came at the same time as our breakfast entrees. This surprised me as I thought for some reason it was an appetizer. We had a croissant, a chocolate chip croissant, a bran muffin with some dried fruit in it (disappointing since this looked like chocolate!), a blueberry mini muffin, and a cinnamon roll danish. I tasted the cinnamon roll danish but we had come prepared with a zip top bag and took the rest with us to enjoy later.

The open faced bacon sandwich (Poached Eggs, Applewood Bacon, Brie Cheese, and Arugula on a toasted Baguette served with Fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries) was solidly good but not rave-worthy great. The eggs were cooked perfectly for me but unfortunately were no longer hot. I preferred this disassembled with the brie toast separate from the arugula/egg/bacon part. My mom really enjoyed the crisp bacon. The fruit was also surprisingly ripe and good.

The croque madame (Open-faced Ham Sandwich topped with a Fried Egg, Gruyere Cheese, and Béchamel served with Fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries) was definitely my favorite of the two entrees. This had a great flavor and the Bechamel sauce really edged this one to the top over the open faced bacon sandwich. Some of the bechamel definitely ended up on the baguette sandwich as well

Overall I enjoyed the Be Our Guest breakfast experience but I would probably not pay $24 each for it again. I *might* consider paying for two kids' meals in order to get the early entry.

The weather was trying to clear after our breakfast and we high tailed it back over to Main Street to check in for our tour. We had been warned several times not to be late and we checked in just before the 9:15 deadline.

Upon arrival we were given name badges, listening devices, a complimentary bottle of water, and a menu from which to select lunch. I wish I had snapped a photo! I remember there were choices of chicken fingers, the pork banh mi sandwich, a chicken sandwich, a sausage sandwich, veggie burger, caesar salad, and maybe something else. I did not see a standard burger but maybe I just wasn't looking well enough. I flipped over the back and saw an entree Leslie had been eagerly awaiting since the last time she'd had it -- CORN DOG NUGGETS! The "flip side" of the menu also had a hot dog and a couple of other kid's meal looking items.

We really enjoyed the tour - I won't go into too much detail since this is meant to be a dining review, not a trip report, but we got a private jungle cruise with some information about how the Jungle Cruise was built and is maintained, a backstage tour of the parade production areas, some in depth information about the windows on Main Street, saw the backside of water... well, of the backside of Splash Mountain, and then stopped for lunch.

I ordered the buffalo dipped chicken fingers. You probably can't tell but this was a surprisingly large portion - maybe 6 chicken fingers? I could not finish them. They were pretty good and they were piping hot as for some reason everyone else's meals were awaiting them on the tables but mine wasn't ready yet. No worries, I had plenty of time to eat.

Our entree selections each came with a boat of these kettle chips. These weren't as fresh and crispy as I've had at other locations on property but it was extremely humid out on our tour day so that probably has something to do with it. I had so much chicken I wasn't able to put much of a dent in my chips.

And Leslie's very wise choice of the corn dog nuggets! This was a massive portion - I have no idea how many of these you get at Casey's Corner if you order them but there were a zillion of these things in my mom's lunch. We could have split just this and some chips and both of us would have been full. Of course we finished these, but it did take some effort.

Given that this meal was included with our tour I think it was a fine offering. I loved the corn dog nuggets (and we all know how Leslie felt about them even prior to this trip) and I can see why they have such a following. The chicken fingers were good but not something I'd go out of my way to find again. If these entrees were any indication, I truly don't understand the bad rap Disney gets for its quick service.

Up next: afternoon snack at the Fountain, followed by the Tambu Lounge and Trader Sam's!

 

[ariane37]

It is weird seeing the Halloween/fall decor up so early, isn't it? In 2014 we did the first MNSSHP on Labor Day. It was about 110 degrees; we'd been in MK the day before with no decorations and then walked in for the party, dripping with sweat - and it's fall! LOL and up here in NY it is NEVER anywhere close to 110 degrees on Halloween nor when you see different colored leaves, so it totally threw me off!

Glad you enjoyed the tour. DH and I did it last year and enjoyed it, but lunch then was at CHH. Think I might prefer that as much as I love Casey's hot dog nuggets........and we did BOG PPO breakfast this past January. Like you we thought it was ok, and that was before the latest price hike so $19.99/meal, but wouldn't pay that much again. DH ordered a kids meal because he's not a breakfast eater and man, was it small lol!