I haven't been this excited about my birthday since I turned 21! COMPLETE

[jabead]

Hello! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Barb.




For the first time ever I'm going to be at Disney World on my actual birthday, which is this Sunday, April 27th. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement. I'm looking forward to this birthday almost as much as when I turned 21...well, okay maybe not. But at least for this birthday I won't be kidnapped at midnight and taken to a bar in my pjs...or at least I hope not.

But anyway, I will be arriving at Disney World this Sunday morning, 4/27 and will be there for a week. Though I'll be traveling solo, I will be meeting up with some of my DIS buddies for several meals. I'll also be doing a few meals on my own, and for these I have changed my mind three or four times...and that was just in one week. Anyway, I plan to do a full dining report when I return home and perhaps, if time permits, I will post a few "live updates" while I'm there. Oh, and my kids have recently got me started on Instagram, so I've promised them I will post photos there during my trip. If you would also like to follow me on my Disney adventures next week, you can do so @jabead. I'd be happy to have you along!
​

 

[jabead]

Table of Contents


Day 1 - Sunday, April 27

Check-in at Wilderness Lodge - COMPLETE

Sunday Brunch at Raglan Road - COMPLETE

Birthday Dinner at California Grill - Part I - COMPLETE

Birthday Dinner at California Grill - Part II - COMPLETE


Day 2 - Monday, April 28

Breakfast from Roaring Fork - COMPLETE

Snack at Sunshine Seasons - COMPLETE

Lunch #1 at Epcot's Flower & Garden Food Booths - COMPLETE

Lunch #2 at San Angel Inn - COMPLETE

Happy Hour at Tutto Gusto - COMPLETE

Dinner at Jiko - COMPLETE


Day 3 - Tuesday, April 29

Breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe - COMPLETE

Lunch at The Plaza - COMPLETE

Dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse - COMPLETE


Day 4 - Wednesday, April 30

Breakfast at Kona Cafe - COMPLETE

Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern - COMPLETE

Dinner at Artist Point - COMPLETE

One Night Stay at Wilderness Lodge Club Level:




Old Faithful Club Part 1 - Afternoon Snacks & Refreshments - COMPLETE

Old Faithful Club Part 2 - Wine and Cheese Selections - COMPLETE

Old Faithful Club Part 3 - Cordials and Desserts - COMPLETE

Old Faithful Club Part 4 -Continental Breakfast - COMPLETE


Day 5 - Thursday, May 1

Check-in at the Boardwalk Inn - COMPLETE

Lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby - Part I - COMPLETE

Lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby - Part II - COMPLETE

A Visit to Starring Rolls Cafe - COMPLETE

Paula & Hunter's 10th Anniversary Dinner at California Grill - Part 1 - COMPLETE

Paula & Hunter's 10th Anniversary Dinner at California Grill - Part 2 - COMPLETE


Day 6 - Friday, May 2

A Visit to Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie - Part I - COMPLETE

A Visit to Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie - Part II - COMPLETE

Waiting out the rain at the Rose & Crown Pub - COMPLETE

Lunch at Le Cellier - COMPLETE

A Visit to L’Artisan des Glaces - COMPLETE

A Visit to Karamell-Kuche - COMPLETE

Dinner at Flying Fish Cafe - Part 1 - COMPLETE

Dinner at Flying Fish Cafe - Part 2 - COMPLETE

My First Ever Visit to Jellyrolls - COMPLETE


Day 7 - Saturday, May 3

Breakfast at Captain's Grille - COMPLETE

Lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe - Part 1 - COMPLETE

Lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe - Part 2 - COMPLETE

A Visit to the Boardwalk Bakery (A Tale of Two Napoleons) - COMPLETE

Dinner at Shula's - Part 1 - COMPLETE

Dinner at Shula's - Part 2 - COMPLETE


Day 8 - Sunday, May 4

One last Disney snack from the Boardwalk Bakery - COMPLETE

 

[disneymom06]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Such a great way to celebrate. I look forward to reading about your trip. Enjoy

 

[auntfrannie]

Happy Birthday Barb! Enjoy your day tomorrow. I went last year for my 50th birthday solo and LOVED it!

 

[farrahalex76]

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great trip. Can't wait to hear all about it. My birthday is the 29th, I wish I was in Disney. I'll have to wait until next month.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Happy Birthday for Sunday! Have a great trip - huge envy from me Can't wait for another amazing dining report :

 

[JintyB]

Happy Birthday Barb!



Hope you have a great trip

 

[Couchy]

Happy Birthday Barb.... So happy you are on your trip .

 

[jabead]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Such a great way to celebrate. I look forward to reading about your trip. Enjoy

Thanks and thank you for joining in!

Happy Birthday Barb! Enjoy your day tomorrow. I went last year for my 50th birthday solo and LOVED it!

Thanks Fran...and I'm lovin' the solo thing!

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great trip. Can't wait to hear all about it. My birthday is the 29th, I wish I was in Disney. I'll have to wait until next month.

Thank you Farrah and thanks for following me on Instagram.

Happy Birthday for Sunday! Have a great trip - huge envy from me Can't wait for another amazing dining report :

Thank you, my birthday yesterday was awesome!

Happy Birthday Barb!



Hope you have a great trip

Thanks Jeanette! And thanks for sending me the live update from London. I'll get it posted to the (not so) Live Thread sometime next week after I return home.

Happy Birthday Barb.... So happy you are on your trip .

Thanks Beth, I just wish I would have been able to see you yesterday...it would have been icing on the (birthday) cake. Oh well, I guess I will just have to wait until October.



And I'll try to get back later and post some highlight pics from my birthday yesterday. But now I'm off to Epcot with Paula and Hunter!

 

[marryfrmtx]

Happy Birthday Barb!!! I hope that it is magical. I might have to have my kids set me up with an Instagram account so I can follow along. I did a solo trip about 8 years a go and had a great time.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Happy happy belated birthday. I hope yesterday was magical for you. Can't wait to read all about it.

 

[jabead]

Happy Birthday Barb.... So happy you are on your trip .

Yay!! I guess I won't have to wait until October after all. See you on Friday, Beth!

Happy Birthday Barb!!! I hope that it is magical. I might have to have my kids set me up with an Instagram account so I can follow along. I did a solo trip about 8 years a go and had a great time.

Thank you! I'd be happy to have you, as I seem to be able to post photos to Instagram more on the fly so have done several live updates there during my first 2 days.

Happy happy belated birthday. I hope yesterday was magical for you. Can't wait to read all about it.

Thanks Niki! I'll be in touch again after this trip and a busy month of May, which includes my son's high school graduation. I'm looking forward to meeting up with you in October.

 

[jabead]

My first two days have been pretty much a whirlwind of eating, of which I'll show you just a few photos to whet your appetite and get an idea of what there is to come.


My first meal was Sunday Brunch at Downtown Disney's Raglan Road. This concluded with this delicious dessert...




Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding




Then for my birthday dinner I met up with Paula (smile4stamps) and her DH Hunter at my favorite restaurant, California Grill.





Here I received this complimentary birthday dessert...



Seasonal Tasting
Florida Citrus: Nectar of Spiced Orange and Pomegranate, Grapefruit Cupcake, with Cream Cheese Icing, Bittersweet Orange Crème Brûlée, and Citrus Almond Crescents




Then yesterday I headed to Epcot with Paula and Hunter and we did some snacking, which for me started with this from Sunshine Seasons...




Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding



We also checked out a few of the Flower & Garden food booths, including this one...






Smoked Beef Brisket with Collard Greens and Jalapeno Corn Bread



Last night, Paula, Hunter and I headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge to have dinner with Brenda (emmysmommy) and her DH, Michael, at Jiko...





To start our meal, Paula and Hunter ordered the Jiko Taste of Africa for us all to share...



Breads: Pappadam, Poppy Seed, and Naan






Dips: Bhuna Masala, Sagh Dahl, Moroccan Chermoula, and Kalamata Hummus



Today is a solo day for me, as the others are going to Animal Kingdom but I opted to head in a different direction. So stay tuned to see where that might be. ​

 

[Linda67]

Just found the thread so now I can follow along

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Happy Birthday! Looks like you are having a wonderful time and eating some good looking food.

 

[Couchy]

Barb- those pictures are making me hungry How was the creme brulee at CA Grill, sounds interesting

 

[jabead]

Hello everyone!

I'm just back from another fantastic trip to Disney World and have much to share with you. I borrowed my son's new camera for the trip and had lots of fun taking tons of photos. He gave me a crash course on how to use it the day before I left, and then I ended up forgetting most of what he taught me. So I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos on the first day or two, as I learned by trial and error...but I promise that I do eventually get the hang of it and take some great photos.

I also apologize for doing such a poor job of live updating while I was there. I found it much easier to post photos on Instagram so I ended up concentrating my efforts there. Those of you who followed me on Instagram already have an idea of the places that I will be reviewing in my report, but for those of you who didn't I have updated my Table of Contents (post 2 on page 1) so you know exactly what you are getting yourself into if you choose to follow along...which I hope you will.

Ok, so fasten your seat belts folks 'cause this Disney Dining ride is about to take off and though it starts out a bit bumpy, from then on it should be smoooooth sailing.

 

[JintyB]

Welcome back Barb. Looking forward to your reviews

 

[tdashgirl]

Followed you over from Paula's postings! Looking forward to seeing more yummy food!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Welcome home - can't wait for the start