So while Skye and I napped and watched TV the boys caught a bus to Hollywood Studios (it was the closest) and then to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Our ADR at Jiko was for 7:40pm and they got there just about on time. They checked in and were seated right away. I have no idea where they were seated but their server was Omar. They ordered their cokes and Omar brought out the breads.
This is one of my favorite restaurants and I was sad to not be there but the boiys really loved it! They both ordered the Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin - with Mealie Pap, Chakalaka, Truffle Oil and Micro Cilantro.
And of course no pictures!
Tyler has had this before and we all loved it then. They both loved it this time. I am sure Ty only ate the meat but Cary tried some of the rest and said it was all good.
The also both ordered the Oak-Grilled Fliet Mignon-truffled pap, braai mealie, asparagus, hone-balsamic cipollini onions, maple-smoked peppadews, South African red wine sauce
I wasn't there to advise them to ask for mac & cheese instead of the veggies. I am again sure Tyler did not touch anything but the meat but Cary tried some of the veggies. He said they were ok...but they both raved about their steak! They each ordered them as they live them and they were perfect. Tyler even ate it witht he sauce!
For dessert they separated. One of them got the Malva Pudding - amarula creme, wild amarena cherries, toasted meringue and brandied cherry ice cream...I am guessing Cary...and the other got the no sugar added dessert. I have no idea what it was...probably cheesecake because that's usually the no sugar added choice.
Reportedly, they were both good.
I know, this is a bad review...but I wasn't there and neither of them is a good DISer.
Overall, they both loved their meal and Cary was glad I made him go. In fact he wanted to do it again on our summer trip but it did not happen.
They said their service was great and their cokes were always full. They were brought what is listed on the receipt as "friandise" which I had no idea what it was. I looked it up and apparently it is a French work for "candy"...I assume for their birthdays that just passed but I Have no idea what they were...and of course no pictures! Anyway, they came home raving about this meal.
I am quite sure we will be here again. It is an expensive meal but I think it's great on the dining plan. If we ever go out of pocket I think we might eat differently though. I cannot seem to get away from the filet but there are other cheaper dishes I always want to try and never do figuring I should enjoy the splurge while I can.
They were paying their bill at 9:33pm so it was kind of a long meal for just the two of them but they were happy with everything about it!
TOTAL = $181.46... TOTAL FOOD = $6097.26 USED 4 CREDITS ... USED 145 MEAL CREDITS
When they got back Cary informed me that somewhere along the way he lost his inhaler!!! He had no idea where and those things are not marked with any identification so even if he did locate it how would he know for sure it was his? So he had to call Walgreens and have them prepare an emergency pick up. It was too soon for another one so he had to pay for it. So of course I am irrationally mad that he lost it! $65.00 out of our vacation money is a lot of cash! Plus he now had to go out driving in the rental car on New Years Eve Eve in an area he has absolutely no knowledge of! He did not want to inconvenience anyone else so would not let anyone go with him...I think he was mad at himself for having to do this too. While he was gone, the Skye and I were getting a little hungry and Tyler can always eat so we walked over to Old Part Royale...poor substitute for Jiko but at least I was feeling better and I knew tomorrow would be a long day that I did not want to miss.
Both Skye and Tyler ordered the Penne Pasta with a bread stick (which is not longer on the menu). Ty got it with a chocolate chip cookie and on orange Fanta.
Skye got it with a sugar cookie with mickey head sprinkles and an apple juice.
This is basic Disney pasta...but they never met a noodle they didn't like so it was inhaled.
I got the Individual Pepperoni Pizza with an M&M sugar cookie and a blue powerade.
It was typical Disney pizza, which I like. I was very disappointed though because that was the only window open. It was 11pm and they are supposedly open until 12am but they closed everything except the pizza and pasta shoppe. I really wanted something different but I didn't have much choice. Very disappointing!
We found a table and took our time eating in the near empty venue. They were closing parts of it down. We did not want to eat outside because it was still really warm out and we like enjoying the food court. It was nice and quite at this time.
TOTAL = $48.00(ish)... TOTAL FOOD = $6145.26 USED 3 CREDITS ... USED 148 MEAL CREDITS
After we were done eating, we filled out mugs again and took our bottled drinks back to the fridge for another time. Cary walked in shortly after we did and said Walgreens was easy to find and everyone was very nice. He also said the man he had met at the pool when we were sitting in the hot tub a couple of days ago was there. His wife had also lost a medication...but they knew where she lost it (on a ride). So he was there too...and he paid for Cary's script! He said Merry Christmas and sent him on his way! He just told him to pay it forward someday!!!! At first I didn't believe him but he swore that's what happened. Things like that don't happen to us...we have ZERO luck and good fortune! And he had his meds and gave me back the cash so what else can I think??? So there's even pixie dust outside of the bubble!
shortly after he got back we all settled down and fell asleep waiting on New Years Eve at Epcot!
The next morning was a very early one. We initially had an ADR for Captain's Grill for breakfast at 7:30am but decided to cancel that in the need to sleep 20 minutes longer! We were up getting ready by 6am. We caught a bus to Epcot at about 7:15am. We were in the briefing room at Test Track at 8:10am.
then we jumped in line for Mission : Space where Ty and I rode the chicken side and Skye and Cary rode the big kid side...it was a walk on on both sides!
I'm not sure where this was...
...maybe Soarin' because that was the next place we went. We had fast passes for 9:05am. We were directed all the way around the outside of The Land and around back and entered that way. Due the toe expected crowds that day they were making it a one way entrance/exit kind of a thing for people riding Soarin'. I did not even know that was possible but I was getting worried! At 9:10am we were asking to wait for the front row line. We were allowed to but not before he rolled his eyes at us.
After Soarin' we grabbed a breakfast snack at Seasons.
A Blueberry muffin for Skyler, a cinnamon roll for Tyler (big surprise right?), a cherry Danish for Cary and a Cranberry loaf for me. A large chocolate milk and three pops...they only have one size here because you can get refills. Everything was really fresh and good. We all enjoyed it!
TOTAL = $27.71... TOTAL FOOD = $6172.97 USED 3 CREDITS ... USED 148 MEAL CREDITS (used 8 snack credits here and we still have 55 left!)
Then we went back across Future World and did Mission : Space the same way but with our fast passes (10:25am - 11:25am) this time...and by now there were lines!
After that we took our time heading into the World Showcase. We may have done other things up there but I have no notes and no pictures and it's all starting to blend together!
I loved the giant Mickey head lights but not the bathroom set up!!!
The crowds didn't seem too bad but I was glad we had fast passes and ADRs because it was already seeming more crowded and hot than it had been in the last two weeks.
We started around World Showcase towards Canada.
See, already more people than before. Epcot is deceiving though because the walkways are able to handle so much more.
France had these ornaments set up around their fountain.
We checked in at Teppan Edo for our 12pm ADR at about 11:55am and as soon as we were given our buzzer and out butts hit the seat we were buzzed...what's the sense? Like they couldn't have been able to tell we would be called to be seated right away???
Anyway, we were seated at one end of the 8 seater table and another family of 4 was at the other end. Megumi S (who looked a lot like Tyler's girlfried except that Natalie is Chinese not Japanese) was our server. I don't remember our chef's name.
We ordered two cokes, a sprite and Cary ordered a Beer flight (that is not on the menu I see).
And of course, I don't know what they were! He enjoyed two of them a lot and the other was just ok. I tasted them but I am not a beer person so what do I know of good beer???
We were given a garden salad first...it was your basic salad.
For appetizers we ordered two orders of Assorted Tempura - shrimp, chicken and vegetables served with Japanese tempura dipping sauce...
...and two orders of Wafu Ribs - sake, soy sauce and ginger braised pork ribs.
The tempura is really good and not greasy at all. It is cooked in the back not of the grill obviously. It has a shrimp, a chicken, a zucchini, and some other veggie I cannot remember. Skye scanned a chicken and a shrimp, I got a shrimp and the zucchini, Cary snagged a chicken. Cary and Tyler also had the ribs. These are really good... I don't know what it is about them but they are tender and flavored well...they cleaned the bones and suggested that maybe next time we should all get the ribs!
While the chef is getting everything going we were brought the sukiyaki beef rice. It was very good but the kids were not happy...they like white rice not beef rice...I don't think either one ate it.
The first things done are the vegetables with udon noodles...they were very good however my kids (even Skye) don't like their veggies that way nor are the veggies served their veggies of choice. But that just means more for me. Skye pulled out some noodles but not a ton. Tyler just moved them over to the side of his plate waiting for the main reason for being there for him!
One of us, I think me, ordered the Asakusa - steak and shrimp.
Skye ordered the Tori - 8 oz boneless chicken breast
And the boys ordered the Filet Mignon - 6 oz. beef tenderloin steak
Everything was really good! Tyler even let Skye scam on some of his steak...but I think he scammed on some of her chicken too.
For dessert we ordered two Chocolate Ginger Cake - a layered cake with ginger flavored filling and a rich chocolate icing and two Green Tea Cheesecake - a creamy blend of cheese, eggs, & milk with Matcha Green Tea, topped with raspberry sauce
They were both really good. This is the one place Teppan Edo is lacking...desserts...there's not much to choose from. But these two are good...and different that what we would normally get.
We don't do hibachi at home...either they're not good or too expensive... so this is a real treat for us. This whole building is beautiful inside and out. The service is immaculate...always smiles and always fast to refill and clear away. Even the bathrooms are pretty!
Everything was so good and we were stuffed. We were checking out at 12:41pm so we were there a little under an hour but did not feel rushed at all. When they are finished cooking and serving they clean up and leave you to eat. Megumi was back here and there to make sure everyone's drinks were filled and anything not needed was taken away.
We have eaten lunch here a couple of times. At first I thought I wouldn't like sitting with other people I didn't know but because of the way it is set up, you really don't feel like you are sitting with people you don't know. We love Teppan Edo. Out of pocket, I'm not so sure if we'd go there though only because it is not cheap although the way my kids eat, we could probably share two meals because I could eat all the things they don't!
TOTAL = $216.89... TOTAL FOOD = $6389.86 USED 4 CREDITS ... USED 152 MEAL CREDITS
I'm at work this morning proud of myself for atting in only 3 minutes later than I wanted to and the system is down for another 2ish hours!!! SO I punched back out and here I am...
Yesterday was Homecoming for Tyler...his last one ever! I don't have my pics loaded yet but when I do I will post them. But guess what? After a 57 game (that equals 7 years!!!) losing streak for the Varsity Steelmen Football team, THEY WON!!!!!! It was a hard fought game though. And up until the last minute of the game it went back and forth. The other team was on a 32 game losing streak...so while it might have been a battle of two not very good teams, they were pretty evenly matched so the game play was actually great to watch! Usually the other team kills us and the lay is one sided but not this time...it was actually fun to watch. So yesterday was a fun and tiring day for us!
After lunch we explored the World Showcase some more.
It was starting to get a little more crowded back there. They were busy completing set ups for the evening entertainment all over.
Skyler finally got her henna...she loved these but I convinced her to wait until the end of our trip to get it because if she had gotten it sooner, it would be almost gone by the time we got home so whe wouldn't be able to show her friends and because with all the sweating and swimming we did, chances are good it would wear out quicker. So she did it today.
We seem to keep coming back to Japan???
We saw the American Adventure.
And some Country Bears.
And Mr. Smee...
We did see the movie in Chine and Canada. When we were waiting inside for the movie to begin in China I sat down on the back side of one of the blocks they have in there for seats. There was a big open space and I took one small part of it. My ribs were kinda sore and it was hot. SO a woman ( I could not understand what she said) was yelling at me for sitting there because her husband was coming back...at least I think that's what she said because about tem minutes later a man comes back and she says something to him and tells him to sit right behind me...him I could understand. He told her it's find, there's plenty of room...and there was otherwise I would not have sat there without asking if someone was sitting there first. And shortly after he came back, we were let into the theater. They were staying for the acrobat show that had been moved inside because of the stage set up for later. So anyway...whatever lady!
We had fast passes for Spaceship Earth between 2pm and 3pm but I don't think we actually used them. We had been on it already this trip so we just stayed in the World Showcase.
We has 6pm ADRs for La Hacienda de San Angel for dinner. We checked in about 27 minutes early and we waited about 10 minutes to be seated. I believe the first Illuminations show was at 6pm but it could have been 7pm.
We were one of the last seatings before their expensive New Year's Eve Party.
And this was the view from our table ALONG THE WINDOWS!!!
So you know it's gonna be a good one. This was my only dining shafu. I did not want to eat here on New Year's Eve. I actually wanted LeCellier tonight but when our 180 days were there, LeCellier had nothing open. So I booked it for a day I could get it hoping I could change it when they opened and opted for La Hacienda just in case.. Well turns out LeCellier was also having a party and nothing opened so we stayed here. The plan was to see the first showing of Illuminations in case we did not make it until the last. We had no idea what to expect crowd wise plus I knew it was at the end of our trip and we might be tired. And I was hoping for the wonderful seats we got...I couldn't have been happier!
And I am really mad that I have no pictures form here because this is one of those places that does not get reviewed very often and even less than that, with good pictures! And they are hard to find on line too!
So Gina C was our server and she was there but not there...which is a good waitress in my book. SHe was there when needed but not in your face when you didn't. We ordered 2 sprites and 2 cokes, I had an Avocado Margarita - tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado, agave nectar, and fresh lime juice, served frozen with hibiscus Himalayan salt rim
and Cary had a La Hacienda Premium Tequila Flight - Casa Dragones Blanco, Clase Azul Reposado and Avion Reserva 44 Extra Anejo (that I don't have a picture of and I cannot find one either!).
The Avacado Margarita was good but odd. I have to say I am not a crazy margarita drinker though so take that for what it's worth. I do love an avocado though. I wasn't sure what to expect because, really, an avocado based drink, that just sounds weird! But it was good and I did not leave any behind. The tequila flight was a lot of tequila. Tequila and I are not the best of friends but we do get a long sometimes so it was fun to try the different kinds next to each other to see the differences...because really how many of us have multiple kinds of tequila in our liquor cabinet, right? Neither one of us are big drinkers so this was a treat.
For appetizers we had Agua Chile de Camaron - shrimp, lime juice, chile serrano, and cilantro. Served over a bed of guacamole; dairy free and gluten free which was basically like a shrimp cocktail, Mexican style. The shrimps were fresh and then citrusy flavor was there but not overpowering. Even the kids liked them. And I cannot find a picture.
We also had the Queso Fundido - melted cheese with chorizo, poblano and serrano peppers, avocado-tomatillo sauce, and flour tortillas
Which was really good but in my home cheese is always a winner. The only problem was the chorizo is mixed in with the cheese in tiny chunks and my freaks don't do that! They managed to eat around it a little but would have preferred it chorizoless...I don't know if they can do that or not but we didn't ask either way. The one thing I would have liked was more tortillas. And maybe they would have provided them if we had asked. Tortillas are on each and every shopping list at our house...EVERYTHING tastes better on a tortilla!
We also had the Pork Empanadas - corn dough empanadas stuffed with pork, and black beans; topped with mole sauce
which looked sort of like this picture...but with mole sauce on the side. These were good and Tyler was about to snag the whole thing. It was a decent sized empanada. The kids have had a thing for empanadas since the Hanna Montana episode where Rico's stand is selling Empanadas and he says it really funny so not every time the see an empanada they morph into Rico!
And we also had what was listed on my receipt as a "guac corn poblan" and I am not sure what it was. I don't see anything like it on the menu on allearsnet now and I am not finding any pics that look familiar. I think it was a corn cake type tortillay thing but don't quote me on that. and since I cannot remember it, I cannot tell you how it tasted or if we liked it or not. We were pleasantly surprised with how much we liked this meal overall so I am guessing that at least one or two of us enjoyed it but I can't say for sure.
For our enterees we decided to order a Parrillada La Hacienda (serves 2) - Mixed grill offering New York strip, half a chicken al pastor, chorizos and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas; gluten free
And a Parrillada - Del Mar(serves 2) - Mixed grill offering shrimp, fish, scallops and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsas; gluten free
that come with
Now this meal was a toss up. I was concerned going into it with the kids because Tyler likes tacos but he likes TACOS...like ground beef, lettuce, cheese on a soft flour or hard corn shell. She likes tortilla chips and flour tortillas with cheese. And not much else. Well this is not taco bell or what I make at home. Tyler likes steak and pork and some fish just depending on how it's cooked. Skye does some meat but in small quantities and some fish (as you can see salmon is her thing!). Neither will touch the beans. Skye might try the rice if I catch her on a good day otherwise if it's not white neither is eating it. And in most cases, sauces and extras on top of things they do like will cause them to not like it. Now, don't get me wrong...they don't actually know if they like it or not in reality because in most cases, they have never tried it. And believe me, if I can get them to try something, in most cases they find it's not so bad or they even LIKE it. So it's the getting them to try that is my struggle. But I will say that Skyler loved the chicken and the fish and a scallop and tasted the rice, Tyler scammed most of the steak and some of the fish and a scallop Skye might have allowed him some of her chicken. I got the beans to myself and a lot of the rice. I tasted everything and it was all really good. My favorite was probably the scallops and the steak...but I love Mexican style beans so I'm good that no one else with try them (and Cary only eats a little of them). The veggies were really good too. My least favorite was probably the chorizo but it still wasn't bad, just something we don't really eat at home...some of them may have been left but not many. Again, we could have used more tortillas.
For dessert we ordered the Empanadade manzana - puff pastry filled with sauteed caramel apples, served with dulce de leche ice cream and cajeta (caramel sauce)
Kinda like an apple pie...it was very good and so was the caramel sauce on the ice cream.
A Mousse de Chocolate - chocolate mousse and almond brittle candy
It was very lighet and the whipped cream even made it lighter...Tyler really liked this.
we also had popcorn Ice Cream...
Which was odd. I think we ended up picking the pop corn off and eating it alone...it just didn't wotk with the ice cream for us (although wee like the Dad's sundae at 50s and it had caramel corn on it so???) but the seasoning (I forget what it is but we do own a bottle of it at home for watermelon) really went well with the ice cream. I would have never though!
And our last dessert was Nieves -traditional Mexican sorbets. I also don't have a picture of them. They were basic sorbets.
Our view for Illuminations was awesome and they do dim the lights and pipe in the music. We didn't have any one pushing up by our table trying to get to the window or anything like that (we did have bad things happen on the patio at Rose & Crown one year!).
Even though they were waiting to close down so they could re-open for their party, we were not being rushed out of there at all. The building is beautiful and the views are good even if you're not up against the windows.
We were leaving at 7:20pm so we were in there about an hour and twenty minutes. It was very relaxing actually (maybe that was all the tequila though).
After al, I was glad this is where we ended up tonight. If we had been able to book LeCellier we would not have seen Illuminations at dinner and that was part of the festive atmosphere of the evening.
I think we really enjoyed out meal here tonight. I don't know that La Hacienda will make the cut every time but I am sure this will not be the last time we eat here. The problem is that with our family, it could go either way depending on people's moods. And there are so many other places that I KNOW we will all like that it makes it hard to pick one that is iffy. Tonight it worked out well. I know this will surprise you but I somehow do not have the receipt with the dining plan total on it and did not write it manually on the top of the out of pocket receipt. The margarita and tequila flight were 54.85!!!
TOTAL = $210.00ish... TOTAL FOOD = $6599.86 USED 4 CREDITS ... USED 152 MEAL CREDITS
It's been years since we did Whispering Canyon but after reading this I want to go back. I'm sorry you missed your favorite meal but I'm sure the rest was needed. We've only done Teppan Edo once but my youngest is dying to go back. It was a fun meal, but with so many choices in Epcot it hasn't made the cut in awhile. I really want to try La Hacienda de San Angel after reading this. We ate there counter service but I want to try the restaurant. My youngest is hooked on the henna too. Last trip she got it in Morroco and they touched it up in Africa for free.
Your dinner at Hacienda was such a nice treat! That was a great view of Illuminations! I also like the star lantern things in there, I want some for my house.
I really want to do the henna on our upcoming trip...I'm taking my mother-in-law in May and my own mom next October, I bet I can get them to do it too
Jiko sounds really good too. I'd like to do that one in May as well. We love Whispering Canyon, and that gigantosaurus coke jar your son got made me laugh!! I'll bet my DH would get one too...we need to plan a dinner there soon, lol!
I have enjoyed reading your trip report! We are headed to the world 12/27-1/3, so I've been taking notes Looking forward to reading the remainder of this report and your July quick service report
After dinner we headed out to explore New Years Eve at Epcot. We walked through the World Showcase. It was getting more and more crowded especially inside each pavilion. Probably the most crowded was Italy...there was a rocking celebration going on over there! You could see and hear their pavilion all the way across the water! It was still early (as far as NYE goes) and there was not people issues yet. Everyone was happy and having fun. At some point we decided we were tired and we had seen all we needed to. Tyler probably would have stayed out but that wasn't happening alone on NYE at Epcot...just too much tempting fate there! He didn't put up much of a fight though.
We slowly took our time heading up front. There wasn't a ling for Spaceship Earth so we jumped on there one last time. We looked around in the end for a while but there were quite a bit of people in there so we didn't play or hang out too long.
We grabbed some pics on the way up...
We got back to the room and the kids went to the quiet pool right outside for a bit. Cary and I (well, mostly me!) started packing up. We took down our Christmas tree, packed up everything except what we needed for the next day and for the way home. We threw away anything that we hadn't eaten that wouldn't make the trip home, which was unfortunately a lot of desserts. We munched on some too.
We had a lot to do tomorrow. Our plan was to be on the road early evening...let's see if that worked out for us???
The next morning (January 1, 2016) we slept in a little. When we got up we all showered and I starting packing away our things we would need for the ride home and stuffing the rest into full bags. We loaded up the rental car that we were leaving right where it was for the day. We left our tree. It was on it's last legs and we did n't want to lug it home...the kids were in favor of more leg room.
We walked around Caribbean Beach and little and took it all in for the last time.
There was a pirate cruise in the works.
We filled out mugs and headed for a bus to our first destination for the day.
We walked around towards our lunch ADR since everything had changed so much since we'd been here last. There was a ton of construction still. A lot of very closed off walk ways. It looked huge and like it might be beautiful when it's completed but right now, it was odd. We looked around a little on our way...mostly at the kiosks along the way but we all wanted more time to look around more.
We arrived at T-Rex early and they hadn't even opened up yet so we had to sit around and wait. We looked in the store and the kids played in the Dig site...they were the only ones there for a little while.
OK...I need to finish this one up so I can start the next one so I'm gonna try for that today.
Like I said we had to wait a little bit for T-Rex to be open so we hung out.
We didn't go far and soon enough our buzzer went off and we were being seated for our 11am ADR in the ICE ROOM! It is very "cool" in there!
Our waitress was Megan M. She was decent...kinda felt like she was in a hurry in anticipation of what she was expecting for the afternoon. We were brought waters for all of us and we ordered our drinks (diet coke and 2 cokes, Skye just wanted water). Once drinks were brought back we places our orders and Skye and Tyler went to look around and take pictures.
For appetizers Cary and I ordered the Colosso Nachos...start at the summit of this delicious colossal heap of tortilla chips topped with Cheddar cheese, black beans, pico de gallo, green onions; serves two...
These were really good! Lots of food and just what a huge plate of nachos should be!
Skyler ordered the Chicken T-Rexadillas...chicken, red bell peppers, green onions, Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses grilled in flour tortillas. Served with pico de gallo and T-REX avocado cream sauce...with JUST cheese! And all the toppings on the side (and the pic is not mine, hers was just the quesadillas).
She loves a cheese quesadilla so she and Tyler split these...and Cary and I used her toppings on our nachos!
Tyler ordered the Mega Mozzarella...Seared Mozzarella with marinara and mozzarella fingers.
At first he was weirded out by the melted mozzarella but once I convinced him it was just a smooshed stick, he and Skye scarfed it all down. Again, Tyler is a mozzarella stick freak so these did not go to waste!
For entrees, Cary ordered the Boneyard Buffet...Fire-roasted Rotisserie Chicken and slow-roasted St. Louis style spare ribs served with waffle fries and coleslaw.
This was really good and a lot of food! The ribs were falling off the bone tender and the chicken was moist. Skye scammed on some of the chicken. He liked the coleslaw (I don't do coleslaw usually so I cannot confirm that or not) and the waffle fried were hot and crispy on the outside and soft like a mashed potato in the inside. Everyone liked the waffle fries!
Skye ordered the Kid's Rocky's Pasta...Rocksy's Pasta - Tossed with Alfredo, butter or marinara sauce...with butter and parmesan. When it came out it was a double order with a double order of waffle fries. We we using an adult credit for her but hadn't mentioned that to Megan but apparently she noticed and made sure Skye got an adult sized portion. Skye had no problem with that (and neither did Tyler) because noodles in our family DO NOT EVER go to waste! Tyler helped her finish them. She loved the little garlic breads on the side of her plate. Everything was doubled.
Tyler got the Neanderthal New Your Strip... Charbroiled New York strip steak topped with steak butter and served with red skinned mashed potatoes and your choice of a side. He got waffle fries as his side...twice...he wasn't interested in a salad and oddly enough Skyler wasn't either so he just got double fries.
He ate it all and said it was good. It probably wasn't as good as some of his other steaks but at home we don't do much steak so he was pleased!
I had the Paleozoic Chicken Sandwich...grilled chicken, lettuce, bacon, pepper jack cheese, avocado, tomato and lemon aioli.
I love this sandwich. I think this is the only entrée I have ever had here. My only complaint is that it's hard to eat...that pizza crust is so stuffed everything falls out when you bite it...but that's where waffle fries come in handy! I think I was only able to eat about half of this though and Cary tasted it and enjoyed it but didn't have room for more after his meal!
For dessert, we decided on the Chocolate Extinction... A gigantic portion of chocolate fudge cake served with ice cream, creamy whipped topping drizzled with fudge and caramel sauces and sprinkled with Butterfinger crumbs. Enough for four! No, it doesn't...it would serve much more than four...especially after the huge meal we just had!
The brownies were VERY choclolat-y and the ice cream was a very good compliment to them...without the ice cream or a huge glass of ice cold milk, I don't know how much brownie I could have eaten!
We ended up leaving a little on the plate. But we tried to finish it...Tyler is a big fan of Man VS. Food so it is always his quest!
All in all, we love T-Rex. It is not gourmet or high end dining but it is a lot of good food in a very cool atmosphere. We have a couple of Rainforest Cafes near us so we don't generally do Rainforest in Disney but T-Rex is different enough to entice us back. Unfortunatly, our Rainforest's are getting a bit run down and at least one of them got rid of the fist tanks...which is a huge part of the uniqueness of the place so I don't know how much we will frequent but there is always Disney if we change our minds.
I would safely say, if it fits, we will visit T-Rex again...the problem is with all the new stuff in Disney Springs, I donno how soon that will be.
We were leaving at around 12:06pm so not a long lunch but a little longer for us than usual. I think we just wanted to enjoy our last day as much as possible!
TOTAL = $173.89... TOTAL FOOD = $6773.75 USED 4 CREDITS ... USED 156 MEAL CREDITS
After lunch we walked around Disney Springs a little. It was a mess so it was hard to tell where we were or what anything was. There were a lot of construction barriers and narrow walk ways. It wasn't very crowded yet but it was hard to navigate.
When it was time to head out, we actually went to where the old bus stops were but aren't anymore. Then we decided to go visit Port Orleans French Quarter on our way to our next destination. So we headed to the boat dock. There were some musicians with large instruments heading onto the boat to one of the other hotels for the evening. We waited a little bit but we were in no hurry so it was ok. This was a nice part of having a car to get home. I mean, we had a tentative schedule but it was flexable since we did not have to catch a Tragical Express to a plane.
Immediately upon getting off the boat, Cary asked why we didn't stay here? Well, at the time of booking, we were 5...so it would have had to have been Riverside. While I would never turn down ANY Disney hotel, I like Caribbean Beach better than Riverside. But also, Free Dining wasn't offered at Port Orleans and that was much more important than which hotel I was sleeping in. But needless to say, POFQ will be on my list for future trips some day. Cary also found that NY Eve Party House sitting alone on a ledge so adopted it.
We stopped in Sassagoula Food Court for a Smart Water, 2 bottles of Coke, and a bottle of Cranberry Juice. We used 4 of our snack credits. I don't have to total but I am guessing around $16.00.
TOTAL = $16.00... TOTAL FOOD = $6789.75 USED 0 CREDITS ... USED 156 MEAL CREDITS
We headed to the bus stop to wait for a bus to Hollywood Studios. There was a little bit of a wait again but eventually we were on our way.
I was able to score fast passes for two for Toy Story and Rockin' Roller Coaster for almost the exact time frames. We were a little early yet so we walked through some of the shops towards the Fantasmic Theater for a while.
We gave the kids any items we were carrying and the set off for Toy Story while Cary and I headed to Aerosmith.
I'm afraid my rock & roll days are well past! LOL
We met up with the kids as they were almost o us after their ride and we headed to visit some Jawas.
I am surprised the boy was not having withdrawls!
Skyler loved the Jawas and trading with them! She never had an interest in Star Wars before...now she wants to see them all...you know, in all her free time!
Mission for the park accomplished, we headed out.
We got to our stop and no one else was there...which could be good or it could be bad. This time it was good. We waited only a few minutes and got on to an empty bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge.
We arrived a short time later at Animal Kingdom Lodge and headed downstairs to our 5pm ADR at Boma.
There were a lot of people around waiting and we were a little bit early. So we hit the restrooms and sat down for about 5 minutes before our buzzer buzzed...which was a relief because there was a family fight about to break out in the waiting area!
We were seated along the windows in the back where the walking path to the Mara is...nice view.
Our waiter was Allison and she was nice. She took our drink orders and we headed up. We love Boma...it is one of the few dinner buffets we DO like...breakfast I can do for a buffet but we find the lunch and dinner buffets lacking. I do not have any pictures of food form here...it's so hard at a buffet! We all ate a tom and enjoyed everything. Tyler has his own personal chocolate chip cookie eating competition every time we eat here with himself so he had a ton of those. I have to say while I like Zebra Domes, I am not crazy about them. The lines for the carving station got a bit long at times but the rest of the pods were not bad at all. We were leaving there within about 45 minutes. Allison charged Skye as a child...I don't know why, she should have had it down that she was an adult. She also brought us to go cups for the drinks left in our glasses.
I know we will be back to Boma...breakfast and/or dinner. Breakfast is a little hard to get to but it is worth it!
TOTAL = $151.19... TOTAL FOOD = $6940.94 USED 04CREDITS ... USED 160 MEAL CREDITS
So the plan at this point was to jump in our rental car and head north. BUT...we hadn't had enough. And we had a TON of snack credits to use still! And we did not get to experience much of Disney Springs. So we caught a bus to Hollywood Studios...
...and then to Caribbean Beach.
We piled into the car and headed to The Springs. MISTAKE! This is why I do not drive in Disney...it was crazy...not so much cars but the construction really made it slow going the closer to the parking garage we got!
And the garage we had to park in was on the opposite side from the one place we knew we wanted to be. I do like that there are electronic signs telling you where there is an open spot so you don't have to drive around all day looking. So we get out spot and head out. It's dark now and CRAZY CROWDED!!!! Like, this is the most crowded we have seen anywhere this whole trip!!! I imagine it was a combination of factors though...people, New Years Day, and construction barriers. It was hard to tell where you were going. It was hard to stay with your family. It was hard to keep track of your short daughter! This was not enjoyable at all! ANd I know what to expect and planned for crowds...but this was the last place and time I expected them. We have been to The World on New Years Day before (arrival day twice!) but never had we seen it like this!!!
I have no pictures. I had decided to leave the big camera in the car and it was just too crazy to even think about stopping for a pic with a phone! We headed towards Goofy's Candy Company. On the way Cary picked up a $7.50 Corona at Dockside Margaritas. Once we arrived, we got three 16oz glacier freezes (3 snack credits)...and set about shopping for snack credit purchases. I kid you not, we had most of them left. The cashier had to ring up three separate purchases because I guess they can only do so many snack credits at a time. We walked out of there with 5 large bags of snacks!
We looked around World of Disney and Once Upon a Toy and maybe a few other places and then headed back to the garage. OMG! it was worse now! I couldn't believe the crowds!!!! I was afraid of losing Skyler!!!! We had to walk through in a single file line holding onto something from the person in front of us. Couldn't look around and take in the sights, couldn't enjoy the night, nothing!
We finally made it back to our car and found places for the bags in the trunk and headed off north...sad to say goodbye to our wonderful Christmas In The World!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
