2023 RunDisney Dopey/Princess Dining Report (Completed 4/19, Baseline Tap House, Kimono's)

[Disneyhanna]

Hello all! Since I am a very slow trip report writer I am becoming more of a dining report writer these days. I feel like I am still recovering from a fantastic 9-night stay for Marathon Weekend where I completed my first Dopey Challenge, and in a few weeks I am back to run the Princess 10k with my best friend. So, I figured I'd combine these dining reports! WDW food changes all the time so I hope that some of these dishes are still available should you have an upcoming trip. Alrighty, on with the report!

For Marathon Weekend I did a few nights at the Dolphin followed by a week in a DVC studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge. For Princess, we will be doing one night at the Polynesian (a first for both of us!) followed by a stay at the Dolphin. So expect to see a variety of dining in this DR!

Travel Day - January 1st​

PGA Lounge, MSP Airport

First stop was the Priority Pass lounge at MSP airport, it's a quiet little lounge and you can choose to sit on the public restaurant side (Ike's) or on the lounge side. They give you a $15 food/beverage credit per person which is honestly preferable to the finger food I've had at the few other PP lounges I've tried. The airport was very quiet on this day, with the holiday being observed on a Monday, I'm sure very few people chose to travel on that Sunday.



Still decorated for Christmas! I had a comfy lounge chair next to an outlet all to myself. You can sit at the bar or at any of the tables or chairs and a waiter will come to you.



They serve a solid breakfast as well, after the $15 credit you're basically just paying gratuity, so it's a nice deal. Despite it being a little before 11AM I knew I'd get hungry during my flight so I got the turkey club which comes on a croissant and housemade chips.



This was absolutely massive, there were two huge slabs of turkey and I took one off and still only managed to eat half of it. The croissant was toasted and buttered, I was surprised at how good this was. Nice and crispy bacon as well. I think the mayo was horseradish mayo which I didn't mind even though I am not a fan of horseradish, it was very mild. The chips were crisp but a bit plain, overall this was way better than any grab and go sandwich you'd find at the airport.



Service was quick and my waitress was super friendly, when I left there were maybe a dozen people in the entire lounge. Super peaceful and I recommend checking this lounge out if you're ever going through MSP and have Priority Pass access!

I had an uneventful flight to Orlando, I do love that Delta offers sun chips now. The bag is so teeny and cute!



Katsura Grill

I left my room at the Dolphin a little after 7PM and the BoardWalk was very lively. I made it into Epcot just before 7:30 and immediately sought out some food. The line was very long at Katsura Grill but it sounded good and I was solo so I decided to wait for it.



The line was way out the door and moved pretty slowly. Overall I waited exactly 30 minutes to order. All of this was new to me, I got the violet sake, tempura shrimp udon, and a spicy tuna roll. I almost got the kids teriyaki chicken and shrimp instead of the roll but I decided on the roll at last minute.


Violet Sake (sake, purple pear, lime juice), $11
Shrimp Tempura Udon, $13
Spicy Tuna Roll, $10

I waited maybe seven minutes for my food, so most of the wait is to order. There was a table open so I beelined to it, of course I realized I forgot a spoon and napkins, downside of being solo is I don't feel comfortable leaving my food/drinks unattended so I just went without! Oh well!

I had the tempura shrimp first so they wouldn't get soggy, it comes with two so it actually feels like a pretty good value. There's nothing special about the udon or tempura, it's just like I'd get at home at an AYCE sushi joint. The broth was pretty plain but not too salty, I would get this again. It's a good sized portion and would probably be filling enough for a light eater, but I was quite hungry since lunch was eight hours ago!

The violet sake was a new favorite for me, it's on the sweeter side but not sickly sweet. I have never had sake before so it really didn't taste alcoholic to me at all, I'm sure it's 99% juice. The pear flavor is strong but not artificial, it reminds me of prickly pear flavored things. Very floral without being soapy, I loved this. It's obviously pre-mixed since they pour it from a jug but no complaints from me! I didn't really taste the citrus, pear/violet are the dominating flavors.

The spicy tuna roll was very average, it's a decent supermarket roll. The nice thing is they go through a lot of sushi so it hasn't been sitting around long enough for the rice to get hard. Nothing spicy about it but I have a high spice tolerance so never trust me!

Fuel, Dolphin Hotel

I stopped at Fuel at the Dolphin for a snack to bring back to the room, phew, just look at those yogurt prices. Bring your wallet!



The little single serve bags of chips were like $3 so I spent $7 on this slightly larger 4.25oz bag of chips. Just Disney math things. Funny enough, I saw this exact bag of chips at Marshall's today and it was $3. Ha!



These were not dreadful, they tasted a lot like pop chips to me. Not spicy but more flavorful than a plain chip.

And that's a wrap on Day One. I'll post another day right after this to get more into the WDW foods!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Epcot, January 2nd​

I went for a quick two mile run around the BoardWalk this morning after securing my Guardians boarding group, it's so fun to run around that area! I popped into the shower and was running a bit late so I mobile ordered from BoardWalk Deli so I could grab and go on my way to Epcot early entry. I click "I'm here" as I leave the Dolphin since it sometimes takes them a bit to have your order ready and it just sits on a shelf so you can be a bit late.


Side of Bacon, $2.99

This bacon was delicious, just like the Primo Piatto bacon from my last trip, Super crispy and almost like candy! I munched on this as I walked to Epcot. It comes with four large pieces so I think it's a great deal.


Greek Yogurt Parfait, $5.99

You can't tell from the picture but this was a massive parfait, easily twice the size of a single Greek yogurt cup. The granola was a surprise hit for me, I'm not the biggest granola person but it was a large portion and super crispy and fresh tasting. Lots of nuts, sweetened oat pieces, and there were fresh berries in the yogurt. The granola is packaged separately in the lid so you can leave it out or add in as much as you want when you're ready to eat it. A way better deal than the Chobani cup from Fuel, ha!

Kabuki Cafe

I have wanted to try the shaved ice from the Japan pavilion forever, and it was finally hot when I was there so it was finally time. There was a good sized line, that was the trend of these first few days. I have never experienced such long food lines at Epcot before, they really need more mobile order options.



Their menu was pretty different from the online menu so here's a picture.



I went with the kakigori with cherry and tangerine syrup. I only waited maybe 10 minutes so it moved pretty quickly despite wrapping around. I also added the condensed milk topping to my kakigori, and since it was around 12:30 I got a nigiri combo as well.


Kakigori with cherry, tangerine, and sweet milk topping, $7.50

The shave ice was a large portion, the ice is a bit more granular/hard than I prefer, I like my shave ice to be more soft and fluffy. It was still pretty good and not too icy like some shaved ice can be. There was plenty of syrup, and the sweet milk topping was a nice addition though I wish there was more throughout the dish instead of just on top. It almost tasted like white chocolate. The cherry syrup was pretty normal tasting, the tangerine was a bit more tart like sweet tarts. I finished the entire thing!


Nigiri Combo, $12

This was the same sushi they have at Katsura Grill, I should have known! It came with one piece of salmon nigiri, one tuna nigiri, and one cooked shrimp nigiri, along with four pieces of California roll. Again, pretty average grocery store sushi. I did have to wait for this as they were out and waiting on a refill from Katsura Grill. The CM said it would be 5-10 minutes and I ended up waiting more like 15-20 minutes, no big deal. The CM did stop allowing people to order sushi at one point and people were pretty annoyed since they waited to order too, and they do not have any other food options.

The salmon nigiri was my favorite (I always prefer salmon) and it was actually decent, obviously freshly made.

Les Vins des Chefs de France

I had heard many rave reviews about the Grand Marnier slushie from France so I had to track this down. I had trouble understanding the CM when ordering and he asked me a question and I guess I said yes, but I definitely did not order the drink I thought I did. Oops, my fault!


Orange Slush: Grand Marnier, Rum, Grey Goose Orange and Orange Juice, $14.75

I think this is just the smaller version of what I thought I was getting, without a Grand Marnier floater on top. The Le Geant Slush is the bigger version served in the fun cup with a floater, which is $19.95.

This was probably for the best as I really hated this. It was so tart, and I am not a big rum fan. I've never had Grand Marnier so I'm probably not a fan of that either. Let's be clear, I guess I really am not an alcohol fan . I forced my way through half of this before tossing it. Sorry! I really wished I had gotten a Frosé at this point!

Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie

It was time for a snack at this point, and I knew just what I wanted. I was carbo loading for Dopey after all, so time for some bread!



The line was to the door at Les Halles, which I had never experienced before. I only waited about 15 minutes total so again it moved pretty fast.



I got a half baguette and asked for butter of course!


Baguette - Half: Fresh from our oven, $2.25

I ended up putting this in my backpack for a while and enjoyed it a little while later on a bench on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Studios. The baguette is so fresh, crusty on the outside with the most delicious chewy interior. It just smells heavenly. Bread and butter, so simple, so delicious. The full sized baguette is only $3.50 but probably doesn't fit in a backpack! This is probably the best "value" on Disney property so if you've never had a Les Halles baguette, you're missing out!

 

[Disneyhanna]

I did a few rides in Hollywood Studios and then I was off to Magic Kingdom for the evening, I know they say to take it easy before Dopey but since I went down a few days early I guess I was determined to have a few busy park days before taking it easy.

Columbia Harbour House

I wasn't feeling typical MK theme park food, so I saw that CHH had a new seafood boil on the menu. It was around 7:30 before the 8:00 Enchantment so navigating MK was crazy! I mobile ordered and my food was ready almost immediately, CHH was basically empty since everyone was waiting for the fireworks.


New England Shrimp Boil: Shrimp, Potatoes, Corn, and Andouille Sausage cooked in a Spiced Broth served with warm Parker House Rolls, $15.99
Green Beans, $4.49

I'm not sure what possessed me to get a side of green beens but they were pretty sad and boiled. They were actually still fairly crisp, thankfully, but they definitely needed some butter and garlic. I ate every single one because I am stubborn and they were expensive!



I dumped my boil onto a plate so you could see the contents, this was actually quite fabulous for park food, and a good value. There were seven large shrimp, two baby red potatoes, and four large pieces of sausage. Then half an ear of corn and two rolls.

Okay I maybe need to take a star off because those were the hardest, driest rolls I've been served in my life! I'm not kidding when I say it couldn't be worse. The description says warm rolls which is hilarious.

But the corn was still crisp and not bad for yellow corn (I prefer the yellow/white mixed kind). The potatoes were perfect, the shrimp peeled very easily and were not overcooked, delicious. The sausage was maybe a teeny bit overcooked but still very flavorful and they had a nice bite to them. Sausage isn't my first protein choice but I really enjoyed these. The broth kept everything moist and was quite salty on its own, but meant the filings were well seasoned. Just a little hint of spice, but not spicy. Overall I loved this boil (minus the bread) and this felt like a pretty healthy, hearty meal for under $20. I hope it stays on the menu!

Frontierland Churro Cart

I didn't care to watch Enchantment but I was craving a sweet treat after my salty dinner. I ended up at the churro cart and decided to give the 50th Anniversary churro a try.



This is made with two short churros instead of one long churro.



The CM took my order and then made it to order, and handed to me and was like "have a nice night!" I had my gift card ready and was like but I haven't paid? And she smiled and repeated "have a nice night!" My first pixie dust in a long time!



Let's just say...I'm glad these were free .

The churros ain't Disneyland churros, that's for sure. They're not very fresh and no toppings can save that. The marshmallow topping and sprinkles are cute but it's like sugar on sugar. I think I still ate both of them because carbo loading . I'm not a fan of chocolate sauce with churros, blasphemous I know, I did try it and it's a basic thin chocolate sauce. The presentation is pretty cute but I'd skip these. But I'm so thankful for the sweet CM for the pixie dust, it made my night! I thought she was maybe giving them away since I ordered them during Enchantment and maybe they were closing up after, but it was still open when I passed by after the show. My lucky day!

 

[disneyAndi14]

There was a table open so I beelined to it, of course I realized I forgot a spoon and napkins, downside of being solo is I don't feel comfortable leaving my food/drinks unattended so I just went without! Oh well!

Hi
Joining in!
I had the same problem on my solo trip in December. I would get a table and not have napkins or silverware duh! I think it was because Andi always took care of that part while I got the food.
I’ve had the tempura shrimp noddle bowl there and thought it was decent
We also tried the shaved ice with condensed milk and enjoyed this. It was August when we tried so the ice was soft and melted quickly.
Sounds like a good start to your trip so far!
The seafood boil looks quite good for QS.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Hi
Joining in!
I had the same problem on my solo trip in December. I would get a table and not have napkins or silverware duh! I think it was because Andi always took care of that part while I got the food.
I’ve had the tempura shrimp noddle bowl there and thought it was decent
We also tried the shaved ice with condensed milk and enjoyed this. It was August when we tried so the ice was soft and melted quickly.
Sounds like a good start to your trip so far!
The seafood boil looks quite good for QS.

Welcome, Caroline! Usually I am pretty good about grabbing stuff I need but it was so chaotic with the holiday that I was so zeroed in on seeing an open table I forgot all else I think I will skip the sushi in the future but I would get the udon again, especially on a cold day. I definitely recommend the boil, sometimes it is hard to get protein in MK that is not a burger or chicken, ha!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I'm so sorry your Grand Mariner slushie was a disappointment. This is my go to drink at Epcot. I remember when I did the Princess 10K a few years ago. I headed back to Epcot after finishing and cleaning up to reward myself with this drink and the stand was down for the day. I literally sat on the ground and cried. (My first big race and several other not so great things had happened that left me feeling very let down instead of proud of my accomplishment but that's in the past.) I think they had an off day so maybe try again at Princess???

I'm originally from Minnesota and spent some (not so) quality time at the airport trying to get back to Virginia just after New Years. But I was in terminal 2 flying Southwest. No Priority restaurant/lounge for me.

BTW - CONGRATS on Dopey and going back for the 10K for Princess. You are amazing and inspiring!!!

 

[Disneyhanna]

I'm so sorry your Grand Mariner slushie was a disappointment. This is my go to drink at Epcot. I remember when I did the Princess 10K a few years ago. I headed back to Epcot after finishing and cleaning up to reward myself with this drink and the stand was down for the day. I literally sat on the ground and cried. (My first big race and several other not so great things had happened that left me feeling very let down instead of proud of my accomplishment but that's in the past.) I think they had an off day so maybe try again at Princess???

I'm originally from Minnesota and spent some (not so) quality time at the airport trying to get back to Virginia just after New Years. But I was in terminal 2 flying Southwest. No Priority restaurant/lounge for me.

BTW - CONGRATS on Dopey and going back for the 10K for Princess. You are amazing and inspiring!!!

I usually enjoy orange drinks so I was surprised! I am all for giving things a second try, it often takes me a few tries to warm up to things. I didn't realize you had to order the super-size to get the fun cup, with a few things lost in translation while ordering at first I wasn't even sure if the drink they gave me was alcoholic . Awww that would make me so upset too, emotions are always high after races without other factors in play! I cried when the hat shop at MK told me they weren't accepting any more hats for embroidery after I waited half an hour to drop it off so I'm with ya!

I used to fly terminal 2 a lot, not so much anymore but I did like how small it was. Plus their parking ramp is so convenient. Bummer on no lounge though, no free food/drink that way!

And thanks on the congratulations! Luckily I am taking Princess verrrrry easy. The worst part will be the wake up, I'm sure my body will be like "not again!!!!"

 

[Disneyhanna]

Hollywood Studios, January 3rd​

Joffrey's

Since I was at Epcot for evening hours the night before and didn't get back to my room until almost midnight, I had a bit of a later start this morning. I actually got up at 7:00 and then went back to sleep til 9:30 when I could make my next Genie+ I took advantage of the fact that you can typically scan into your LL two hours late so I let my 8:30 LL expire. I ended up running a little late and made it to my first LL in the nick of time, and then after I needed a coffee to kick start my day. Even though I drink decaf, I still need coffee! Joffrey's by Toy Story Land had no line, so of course I had to stop! Perks of having coffee at noon, I guess.



If you've read my DRs before, you know what I got. I never change!


Decaf Iced Caramel Latte, $6.09

This was pretty good, not as bad as some of the lattes I had last trip but not as creamy as at the Riviera. I asked for a cup of water to refill my water bottle and I think they just pour hot water over ice. So it was a cup of warm water with ice...lesson learned! Thankfully they still have the wonderful agave straws.

Fairfax Fare

I always try to enjoy new things on solo trips, so I looked through the mobile order options and landed on a bowl from Fairfax Fare. Kudos to Studios for having SO MANY mobile order options. Also if you want Woody's, order early. The lunch return windows were over 90 minutes out!



My mobile order was ready within minutes of clicking I'm here, it looked like they were made to order so the bowl doesn't get soggy. Seating on the other hand was a nightmare to find. It was quite sunny that day and so I was able to get a nice uncovered table on Sunset, but I had to move halfway through my meal as it just got so hot and I didn't feel like putting on sunscreen. Even though there are a ton of tables in this area it's pretty challenging to find a spot during peak meal times.


Korean Barbecued Pork Belly Bowl: Braised Pork Belly tossed in Korean Barbecue Sauce topped with Korean Salad and Green Onions served on Mashed Potatoes in a Waffle Bowl, $14.79

The bowl is on the small side, but I found it to be the perfect portion size. The waffle is very thin and crisp and lightly sweet like an ice cream cone, it was a great vehicle for the toppings, just like a taco salad in a taco shell. The mashed potatoes were heavenly, I'm not the biggest mashed potato fan but these were fantastic, super creamy and buttery and while there were some red potato skins it was still very smooth. The slaw was warm and had a good crunch, the flavor is a lot like those ramen salads that people bring to pot lucks. Sort of a sesame Asian slaw.

The pork belly said Korean barbecue but I thought it was more of a teriyaki, it's more sweet and didn't really have any heat. The pork belly itself was on the meatier side rather than fatty, which some might prefer. I confess I like my pork belly to be more fat than meat, but I still enjoyed it. Overall the flavors of sweet and savory worked really well together and I highly recommend this dish. They also have a more traditional barbecue and a buffalo chicken version. This isn't the type of dish I would usually order (I'm more of a salad or cold lunch person) but I'm so glad I gave it a try! Overall it's a great sized portion for lunch since it's not so big, you can still have room for dessert or snacks after. It's a bit pricey for what it is but isn't that everything at WDW?

Bonus Publix Order (Instacart)

Since I was going to be at AKL for a week and really needed a case of water to save myself trips to the water fountain, I decided to give Instacart at WDW a try. I usually just fill my reusable water bottle but I wanted to bring water to the corrals for the races that I could just toss, and my room was far from the fountain at the resort. There are so many grocery options but I decided on Publix. I think the Target and Walmart prices may have been a bit better but I didn't take the time to compare. I had some discounts through one of my credit cards or I may have not done this as it is a bit pricey.

All of this plus a 24-pack of water was about $50 before tip. I believe Bell Services will also add a $5 handling fee to your room invoice. I put in my Instacart notes to pack the refrigerated items separately since bell services will store your food, and they also deliver it to your room. So after two tips, the handling fee, and my $15 discount, I spent a little over $60. Two bottled waters a day would add up to that so not terrible! I ordered this in the parks and had it brought to my room with my luggage a few hours later when I checked in.

Also FYI, the front desk will happily make change for tip $ for you, they just have the manager do it in the back!



Now, what did I really eat? The DVC studios have a toaster so I thought I would be having bagels or English muffins every day. They were BOGO free or I would have just gotten one, in the end I think I had half a bagel and one English muffin, oops. I think I grabbed some peanut butter when I was still at the Dolphin and used that. I ended up eating a banana before every race so that was a good purchase. I ate all the watermelon, the salad kit, the chips, and the yogurts. Those were great buys, super easy. I didn't end up eating the macaroni so I brought it home with me. The almond milk also went to waste, I brought some oatmeal packets with me and never had the time for those either. The strawberries mostly went to waste, they just weren't as convenient as the watermelon. I think I made it through 2/3 of the waters so overall I was glad I did the order!

Boma

I love Boma, both breakfast and dinner, and I made a lot of ADRs for it that I ended up cancelling. This evening I just joined the walk up list. It turns on and off, but for a party of 1 it should be pretty easy to always join the list. I joined the list at 6:18 (after it turned off but turned back on shortly after) and was quoted 40 minutes in the app, but my table was ready at 6:46. They give you about 10-15 minutes to return.

There were a ton of groups in the waiting area, so it was fairly busy. I was seated at a tiny table between larger tables and sat on the booth side, I was so close to the guy next to me that it was a little awkward. Luckily they were almost done and no one was seated after they left so it wasn't for too long. Coke products are included since it is a buffet.

There is a bit of a "line" at the buffet, but if you skip the first couple of sections you can usually just sneak into the soup/salad and dessert sections. There is so much to choose from, it is almost overwhelming.



Papaya avocado grapefruit salad: This was like a like guacamole with less salt, super fresh. The papaya was perfectly ripe, I haven't had a lot of papaya since it's not that easy to get quality papaya in MN. The grapefruit was grapefruit, nice and sour to offset the sweet mellowness of the papaya. This was delicious and an example of the more unique offerings you'll find at Boma.

Strip loin plus sambal: I asked for as rare as they had, a solid medium but I'll take it. The sambal sauce has a good kick, not too spicy for me but I'd skip if you're sensitive. I basically ate it like ketchup, I love spice! The strip loin is not fancy or super high quality or anything but it's still fairly flavorful and a solid buffet steak. If you're a meat person, I think you'll definitely like Boma, and if you're not, you'll still find plenty of options.

Coconut basmati rice: Oh my gosh, I will come back just for this. It's sweet like coconut milk, and has little toasted coconut flakes on top. I hate coconut flavored things but I love coconut milk and toasted coconut flakes, this was like dessert rice. Basmati isn't my favorite type of rice (I prefer shorter grain rice) but it lent itself super well to this dish and the grains are pretty separate (as opposed to mushy) and a bit crunchy. I know rice is exactly the type of thing you're supposed to avoid on a buffet but I couldn't help myself, it was so good. It reminds me of this delicious coconut rice I had on Cocoa Beach a few years back. I need to make this at home, so simple but so delicious.

Seafood gumbo: There are so many soup options and I have yet to try one I didn't like at Boma. This was almost cheesy, even though it looks kinda sad and mushy I enjoyed it. They need a plate bowl with little dividers so you can sample all the soups in one dish!

Salmon: This was nice and tender and not fishy, I believe it was smoked but cooked, and it had some peppers and other vegetables on it that helped keep it from drying out under the buffet lamps.

Mac and cheese: This is from the kids' section, it was delicious like Liberty Tree Tavern but just a little less creamy. Had to hold back from getting more of this.

And of course I had to go for another round! I brought my reusable water with me to leave on the table so the waiter knew I was still there, something to think about when you're solo! A sweater works well too.



As you can see I had a few repeats. Steak was a little closer to medium rare this time!

Sweet corn pudding with spinach and chakalaka jam: This wasn't super popular, but I thought I'd give it a try. It was very sweet like cornbread. A little grainy. The chakalaka is like a tomato salsa, more savory than sweet. Unique.

Sambal chicken corn chowder: This was so creamy with a hint of spice from the sambal, the corn still had a good crunch. I thought the soups looked rather unappetizing on this day but they were definitely still tasty, so don't judge all based on looks!

Green beans with golden raisins: Wow these were so much better than my sad watery green beans from CHH the night before! The flavors of all the foods were kind of blending together to me at this point but I think these were actually on the spicy side, so something to consider.

I had to cut myself off of rice after this, or I would have just kept eating it. Carbo loading!

Dessert next, of which they have endless quantities. I'm not a zebra dome fan (I don't like the taste of liquor) so I skipped them.



Passion fruit mousse: OMG this was fantastic, there's a little shortbread cookie base, and the mousse is both sweet and sour. This is a lot like the Satu'li Canteen mousse if you've had that. I knew I'd have to get another!

Banana bread pudding with vanilla sauce: There's no better way to describe this other than luscious, I didn't really taste any banana but it reminded me more of a soft French toast, I think I tasted apple. The sauce is a must!

I always like some fruit at the end of a meal, they had really great strawberries.



The mousse was almost too pretty to eat, I went back for another of course. I finished my meal around 8:00 and though the restaurant was still busy, there were less people waiting for their tables when I left. Dinner is $54 before tax/tip/discount. Overall I still recommend dinner. I will say some of the food wasn't quite as gourmet as I remembered, it could be they have scaled back a little or my taste has just slightly evolved since my last dinner here was December 2019.

There are plenty of options for both picky and more adventurous eaters. My mom hates spice and still loved dinner back in 2019. I probably tried like 25% of the buffet, there are so many options! It is definitely an expensive meal so while I wouldn't mind going twice in a trip, the cost keeps me from doing that. I do really enjoy buffets when solo dining since I can have my meal at my own pace. I promise no one will judge you for being solo, they are all too busy with their own parties. I also hate wasting food which is why I like the buffet option, so I can try a lot of things while solo. I'll review breakfast on my last day here!

And on my way back to my room I stopped at the resort shop for a sweet treat to take back to the room, these taffys were new and I enjoyed them throughout the trip. They're similar to now and laters if you've had those, much chewier than laffy taffy. I'd get them again, the bag was $6 with my AP discount.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Those bowls at Fairfax Faire must be new. I don't remember them from my trip last January. Something else new to try when I ever get back.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Those bowls at Fairfax Faire must be new. I don't remember them from my trip last January. Something else new to try when I ever get back.

I think they are, I don't remember seeing them before. A girl walking by saw mine and was like omg where did you get that?

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I think they are, I don't remember seeing them before. A girl walking by saw mine and was like omg where did you get that?

That sounds like something I would do. In fact, that's how I found out about Disney races. I was at Disney YEARS ago during Princess weekend (without knowing anything about it being Princess weekend.) I saw people walking in the parks with their medals and I went up to some and was like "Where did you get THOSE?" They told me about running the half marathon that morning. When I got home, I looked it up and set a goal for myself to do the Princess Half. I did the 10K one year and then 2 years later, did the half. And I will never do a half again. That is just too far for this fluffy old girl.

 

[Disneyhanna]

That sounds like something I would do. In fact, that's how I found out about Disney races. I was at Disney YEARS ago during Princess weekend (without knowing anything about it being Princess weekend.) I saw people walking in the parks with their medals and I went up to some and was like "Where did you get THOSE?" They told me about running the half marathon that morning. When I got home, I looked it up and set a goal for myself to do the Princess Half. I did the 10K one year and then 2 years later, did the half. And I will never do a half again. That is just too far for this fluffy old girl.

That is awesome! Congrats on achieving your goal! That reminds me of a guest when I was in line for Tower of Terror during the marathon, she was so impressed and asked if riding it was a requirement of the course I said, I wish!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Marathon Weekend Expo, January 4th​

Two days in one for this post because I was so busy with the race expo that dining took a backseat! I had to get up at 8:30 this day to join the virtual queue for the merch expo. My estimated callback was 11:40 so I decided to just get up and do a little work to get that out of the way since I was doing a half day that day. I think this is the day I had an English muffin or bagel, I don't think I went to the Mara for breakfast a single day on this trip! It was nice having the toaster/microwave even if I didn't use them much.

I left a little before 11 to head to ESPN Wide World of Sports, and took one of my yogurts with me to have as a snack when I got there while waiting for my group to be called. They do have plenty of food options there, like hot dogs and pretzels and typical stadium foods. Not really my thing but it's there!

Somehow I didn't end up leaving until 3pm because everything was so crazy and chaotic, believe me I'm not the person to miss meals, but when I am caught up in excitement it happens! I went back to AKL and did some more work and ate some chips and watermelon in my room, again I was glad to have done a grocery order.

Blaze Pizza

The 5K race was the next day so I decided on Blaze Pizza for dinner. Luckily I can eat pretty much anything before races, it's not a big issue for me. The bus arrived at Jambo at 5:28 and goes to Kidani before heading off to Disney Springs. I was dropped off at 5:55, I forgot how far AKL is from DS! I had a 2:25am alarm the next morning for the race so maybe this wasn't my best and brightest idea!

You can order Blaze at DS from the Blaze Pizza app which is fantastic. You miss the 10% AP discount but I'm not waiting in the long line to order to save a few bucks. I ordered at 6:15 and was about $14 for a build your own pizza. My pizza was ready at the pick up area at 6:30 despite it being pretty busy, I highly recommend using their app!



I know some people like a simple pie...me, I want a bit of everything! That's why the uninvited toppings are such a great deal. There was a Blaze on my college campus so I went all the time, but now it's about 25minutes away from where I am so I don't get there too often.

Yum, this pizza looked so good. Someone else on my bus back to AKL had Blaze too lol! The app lets you add customizations so I said extra jalapeños and mushrooms please, and they delivered.



The bus left DS at 6:43 and I was dropped off at Jambo (first, before Kidani) at 7:04. I walked by Boma on the way to my room and omg, it smelled soooo good. I was definitely very hungry at this point.



I ate all but one slice of my pizza and had more watermelon along with my Caesar salad kit, while watching some criminal minds. Love being able to chrome cast and the TV is huge! The microwave also came in handy, as well as the disposable microwavable plates and bowls. I didn't get to bed until about 9:30pm this night, so the 2:25am alarm was going to be rough. But the pizza was worth it!

5K and Epcot, January 5th​

It was so hot and humid for the 5K, at 3AM it was already in the 70s. It was funny, shortly after my alarm I heard an alarm go off in a room nearby. Race weekends are something else!

Since this was a short race, I just brought a banana to eat while waiting for the race to start. I knew I'd be done before 7am so I didn't need much for breakfast. The race was fine, definitely my least favorite distance for runDisney events but it went without a hitch! They give you a little box of snacks after the race so I had a tiny bag of pretzels with the plastic cheese dip while on the bus back to AKL.

Okay, onto real WDW food now!

Connections Eatery

I went to Connections Eatery right when they opened at 10:30 for lunch. The line was short so I just waited instead of doing mobile order, only a few people were ahead of me. I had to try the Liege Waffle of course!


Liege Waffle: Brioche Dough with Pearl Sugar, Strawberries, Whipped Cream, Chocolate Sauce, $5.49

I had heard good things about this waffle, the whipped cream is very light and tasty, the waffle itself is quite dense and bread-y tasting, which makes sense since it's brioche dough. The waffle itself was not too sweet which I liked, it had a sweet crust with crunch edges that was excellent. Far better than the soggy waffles you sometimes get in these types of desserts. I had no trouble polishing off the whole thing, you could share but you'll probably want your own!

The Mara

I didn't have Genie+ and wasn't feeling like doing the Future World rides so I headed back to AKL. It sprinkled a bit this day, so the dreary weather was making me a bit tired. I decided to mobile order lunch at the Mara since they had some new dishes.

I also saw that they still have the delicious Minute Maid frozen lemonades, those were my #1 treat as a kid!



One thing I noticed this trip is the Mara isn't very fast. It took 10 minutes for my order to be ready even though it wasn't very busy. They also use a CM with a table and serve everything on trays, so it's not a grab and go like at Primo Piatto, I'm not a huge fan of this.


Chermoula-spiced Shrimp Bowl: Grilled Shrimp, Pilau Rice, Kale Slaw, Cucumber-Tomato Salad, and Chermoula Sour Cream, $14.49

I took this back to my room, it was actually very enjoyable! There were lots of large shrimp, the spice has a kick isn't anything crazy, maybe medium salsa spice level. I added some pickled jalapeños from the condiment bar of course. This was a really fresh tasting dish, the rice was way more flavorful than plain white rice and the salads were great, overall it was a good lunch portion and light enough that I didn't need a nap after. The shrimp were served cold which I thought was interesting, given the rice was warm. All the salads were cold as well, so everything ends up being a bit cold, my only minor complaint. If you've ever had Naf Naf Grill this reminded me of that!

Sanaa

For dinner I did Sanaa to go, I actually placed my mobile order early in the morning since I knew I wanted it right at 5:00 when they opened. You didn't need to order as early as I did, but I'd say place your order by early afternoon if you want the 5:00 window. By 4:00 the window was moved out to 5:30 already. It did not let me click I'm here, prepare my order until 5:00 on the dot (when restaurants are already open they usually let you click the button 5 minutes early similar to scanning in real for lightning lanes).

I walked over from Jambo to Kidani which took just under eight minutes. It was about 5:20 at this point and the mobile orders windows were now out to 6:50! You just go to the check-in desk and they get your food, mine was already ready and bagged up to go!

Since the park buses always stop at Kidani then Jambo, I hopped on the first park bus I saw at Kidani and was back to Jambo in 3.5 minutes (I timed it).

I ordered the kids' butter chicken meal, bread service, and the 50th chocolate mousse dessert. I knew it would be way too much food for me but that's how it goes on solo trips! I've already had the bread service before and enjoyed it, so I knew I couldn't skip it.

I chose rice and macaroni and cheese for my sides, along with apple juice. It came in this well packaged to-go container.


Kids' Butter Chicken: Served with choice of two (2) Selections and choice of Small Lowfat Milk, Small Dasani® Water, or Small Minute Maid® Apple Juice, $12

I plated the meal and microwaved it for a bit since I didn't eat right away when I got back to my room. You can see how good of a portion size it is since this is a normal sized plate!



I really enjoyed this, I haven't had a ton of Indian food but I thought this was a solid meal for $12. The butter chicken is a bit creamy, sweet, and savory at the same time. Not really spicy heat-wise, it's quite mild. There was a ton of chicken in this, I wouldn't be surprised if this was almost as big as the adult portion. I would have been fine with just this and the dessert! The macaroni was the same as at Boma, similar to Liberty Tree and so delicious and creamy. The basmati rice is nothing special, I think I said it already but it's not my favorite type of rice since it's on the drier side.

Next up was the bread service.


Indian-style Bread Service Five Breads and with all Nine Accompaniments - Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha, or Paneer Paratha. Accompaniments - Cucumber Raita, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, or Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle, $21

My breads were a bit soggy since they sat for a bit in my room, but the microwave came in handy! The sauces are packaged separately, I lined them up based on the menu so it was sort of fun figuring out which was which. I will say, I really only like the three naans, the other two breads were too greasy for me. Luckily there was more than enough naan for just me!

Of the dips, my favorites were the hummus, sambal, and coriander chutney. The garlic pickle was too much for me, with whole pieces of garlic. I would say none of the dips are really standout, and it works a bit better in the restaurant setting rather than out of a takeout box in the room. Lots of the dips are a bit spicy but there are several sweet dips for the spice-averse. I think they're listed in order of spiciness? Or at least, when you order in the restaurant, they serve them in order of spiciness for this reason.

Overall I recommend trying the bread service for fun especially if you are dining in the restaurant, but it's nothing groundbreaking.

Dessert time!


African Triple Chocolate Mousse: Dark Chocolate from Ghana, Milk Chocolate from Madagascar, Blonde Chocolate, Chocolate Almond Biscuit, and Strawberries, $9

Oooh, I wish I could have sen this plated, it got a little shaken up in transport. The biscuits were AMAZING, they were so buttery and rich and nutty like the inside of a candy bar, hints of caramel and nuttiness. I could eat just these biscuits. Sort of like the inside of a butterfinger but not as dry?

There were fresh strawberries, sprinkles, as well as strawberry jam. The white chocolate mousse was so interesting, it's faintly chocolate tasting like vanilla pudding. It was a bit like a thick jello in that it kept its shape pretty well. I don't love white chocolate but the flavor was more pudding than white chocolate so I enjoyed it, very mild.

You can't see it but below the white chocolate mousse there is a bar of dark chocolate mousse with a very thin milk chocolate shell. The mousse was definitely more bitter like dark chocolate, and it had a thin brownie type base. Overall this was very enjoyable and had lots of flavors going on, and is definitely meant to be shared. I couldn't quite finish half and kept it in the fridge to enjoy throughout my trip.

I am glad Sanaa has a to go option for dinner and hope it stays around!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I love the bread service at Sanaa.
The shrimp meal and kids butter chicken both look very good!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Off to a great start! Totally agree that the baguette in France is criminally underrated and hidden gem. But sssshhh...we don't need the lines to get any longer! Also agree that Sanaa to go is an incredible addition. Also a big fan of that coriander chutney!

 

[Disneyhanna]

I love the bread service at Sanaa.
The shrimp meal and kids butter chicken both look very good!

Yes lots of great food at AKL! I love being able to get kids' meals on mobile order, such a good deal.

Off to a great start! Totally agree that the baguette in France is criminally underrated and hidden gem. But sssshhh...we don't need the lines to get any longer! Also agree that Sanaa to go is an incredible addition. Also a big fan of that coriander chutney!

I am wishing I had a baguette right now! We have a lot of bakeries but none of them come close to the chewiness of the Les Halles baguettes. AKL food is so delicious, maybe not for everyone but a nice change from theme park food.

 

[Disneyhanna]

10K and Hollywood Studios, January 6th​

Another 2:25AM wake up call for the 10K race, the weather was much cooler on this day and I had a fabulous time. If you are looking to do your first runDisney race, the 10k courses are the best since the time limit means the photo lines are a bit shorter, and there are more of them, and over half the race is park/resort running. Another banana for breakfast this morning before the race. I had the bagels and English muffins in my room but I found I just couldn't stomach the idea of either before 3AM.

Woody's Lunch Box

I somehow made it back to AKL post race and cleaned up and made it to Hollywood Studios in time for early entry, which had just started. I did Runaway Railway with minimum wait and then headed to breakfast since I did not have Genie+ and the ride lines were already too long. In my past trips the Woody's Lunch Box area has been heavily guarded by CMs to ensure only those with orders entered the area to sit down, not the case on this trip.

The mobile order was returning about 20 minutes out at that time but I refreshed a bit and was able to get an immediate window. I clicked I'm here and my food was ready in a few minutes. I got my favorite kids' meal, so cheap and the perfect size for breakfast!


Kids' Breakfast Bowl: Potato Barrels smothered in Smoked Brisket Country Gravy, Scrambled Eggs and a sprinkling of Green Onions served with a Cuties® Mandarin and Potato Barrels with your choice of Beverage, $5.99.

I always get extra tots and cuties as my sides. I mix the tots into my breakfast bowl as I go as there is plenty of gravy to go around. This is actually a solid portion size for those that don't want to eat a lunch-sized breakfast. Nothing too fancy but the tots are crispy and I enjoy the eggs and gravy! With added hot sauce, of course.

I actually thought I was ordering a Nesquick milk and not a chocolate milk here, talk about disappointment!

Since I was at Woody's pretty early I had no trouble getting a table, but by the time I was ready to leave it was filled up. I overheard an older woman trying to find a table for her group, I could tell she was getting frustrated and quite frankly going a bit "Karen" on her family LOL! So I got her attention and stood up and told her she was welcome to my table, I was ready to leave. She was so grateful, as I left I could hear her excitedly telling her family "I didn't even ask her, she called me over!" So that was my good deed of the day.

Oga's Cantina

I met up with a group of running friends at Oga's, I think this was my 3rd or 4th trip to Oga's. I'm the first to admit I'm not a Star Wars fan, but it's still a neat place to check out. I am not a fan of the tables since they're so awkward, we were a group of eight and they stuck us in a little nook where there was a small area to set drinks along the wall but essentially we had to stand in a circle holding our drinks to chat. The small group on the other side next to us quickly left, there was really no room for two parties and we just took over their vacant space since there wasn't another group placed there.

I try a new drink every time I go, today I got the Outer Rim which is a margarita.


The Outer Rim: Patrón Silver Tequila, Stirrings Pomegranate Liqueur, Lime Juice, Pure Cane Sugar, with Black Salt and Exotic Fruit Purée, $19

Here is me posing with my drink! Note the race t shirt, medal, and Dopey hat



This was fine, I said I'm not a huge drinker and I'm more of a sipper, so if I didn't pay so much for this I probably wouldn't have finished it. I liked the passionfruit foam on top since it was nice and sweet and tart, which cuts the alcohol a bit. The drink wasn't overly strong but in my experience the drinks at Oga's taste stronger than many of the other premixed drinks in the parks. I don't think I got much pomegranate flavor from this, I'd try something else before getting this again as it was a bit plain.

Via Napoli

I end up on a weird eating schedule when on solo trips, as shown by my getting up at 2:25AM only to have breakfast at almost 9 and then my next meal being close to 6PM!

I met up with running friends again (the theme of the rest of the trip) for a 5:15 Via Napoli reservation. They did not have mobile check-in, so there was a pretty long line to check in outside the restaurant. We made it to the front around 5:20 and were seated a little before 5:30.

This was my second time at Via Napoli, the first time I shared a large pizza and this time I wanted to try their pasta since I had Blaze Pizza a few nights ago. I was quite hungry at this point so I ordered the calamari, which came around 5:50, so fairly quickly.


Calamari Fritti: fried calamari rings, spicy tomato sauce, $23

I don't think the sauce itself was spicy, but they add red pepper flakes on top. Just regular marinara, plenty of salt, sometimes marinara is too bland but this was fine. The calamari itself had a nice thin, crisp batter. The calamari rings were on the large side, some were quite thick but not too chewy. I like the tentacle pieces usually but this was all rings. Not the best calamari I've had but still quite good, I would order this again. Huge portion too so easily sharable with a group!

The pizzas and pastas are made in separate kitchens and the CMs will tell you that the food will come out as it's ready. The pizzas came just after 6:00, here is my friend's Margherita pizza, everyone enjoyed their pizzas!


Margherita 10" Individual tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, $21

They are a good size for one, maybe with a slice leftover, it would be a bit small to share just an individual pizza but with an appetizer you could definitely split one. Crazy enough if you do the individual pizza this is one of the cheaper meals at WDW, even better if you're a party of 2 and split the large (and you'll probably have leftovers).

My fettuccini with shrimp came about five minutes later, no problem since I was happily eating calamari. Maybe too much calamari lol!


Fettucine via Napoli: fettucine pasta tossed in a parmesan cream sauces, added shrimp, $37

The shrimp were very good, they were huge and obviously cooked from raw instead of just thawed precooked shrimp that Disney often serves. I think there were six of them, so I thought it was worth the add on charge.

The noodles were clearly homemade, thin and not gummy. I will say I'm a bit of a weirdo and honestly prefer regular boxed pasta to homemade. Sometime about homemade pasta is very starchy and eggy to me, give me bronze cut dried pasta from Aldi all day long! The sauce was pretty thin so that is my one ding on this dish, it's not as creamy or cheesy as your typical fettuccini Laredo. Still, I enjoyed it and would get it again if I had a hankering for pasta. The portion looks pretty big in the picture but it was on the smaller side for Disney non-signature portion sizes, I think I was able to finish most of it. Or maybe I was just really hungry from the race, hard to tell!

I was a little hesitant to order pasta since a lot of reviews said it is too bland, and while this wasn't the most flavorful fettuccini I've had, with a half marathon the next day bland was good. It wasn't flavorless by any means, but was definitely more" noodle with a hint of sauce" than many are probably used to. It's probably to let the noodles themselves shine a bit more, which make sense.

Overall a great meal at Via Napoli! Service was maybe a tad slow, it took a while to get our receipt, but we also were all running the next morning so we were probably a bit more in a hurry to get back to our resorts than most groups. While Via Napoli isn't a must do for me, I would be happy to go back!

 

[Counting Stars]

Another great report! Following! I have never tried Via Napoli- their pizza looks really crust heavy but many people really give it high marks. Might have to try it sometime... although your pasta dish and calamari look more appetizing. I find your comments very helpful, thanks for taking the time.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Another great report! Following! I have never tried Via Napoli- their pizza looks really crust heavy but many people really give it high marks. Might have to try it sometime... although your pasta dish and calamari look more appetizing. I find your comments very helpful, thanks for taking the time.

I think the large pizza has a better crust: toppings ratio. Here is my large pizza from 2019, I don't think it has changed much:

I looked back at my old TR notes and the large was listed as 20" back then, which if you do the math is 4x the amount of pizzas as a 10" pizza and it's only 50% more expensive! I thought it was a pretty standard Neapolitan pizza. I see mostly rave reviews too and while it's a solid pizza option, where I live Neapolitan pizza is on every block and so it's not a novelty for me. I think people like it because it's still "plain" enough to be kid-friendly while a little elevated for the more adult palates.

If you're from a smaller town or just don't have the option of Neapolitan pizza at home, I can see why it would be more of a treat! We really enjoyed the QS pizza at Primo Piatto this past November, which is more of a flatbread style.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Every time I got to Via Napoli I say I am going to try the pasta but then can't resist a pizza. But your pasta looked good (although I would do without the shrimp.) Also - how do you do a 10k with only a banana??? I always had to do a bagel with peanut butter before. And for the half, I had to do stinger gummies like every mile or so.