Dining Wars: Drinking's Edge - An August 2018 Dining Report - Updated 2/18: Completed

On my birthday a few days earlier (did I mention it was my birthday) Jason had surprised us with tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Because if it's August in Disney World it is clearly almost Halloween.
What an awesome birthday surprise! I really amazes me how early Disney starts this party, but it does get you in the Halloween spirit even though October is far away.

Seriously though this was a big surprise as this is very uncharacteristic of him – as I usually do the surprising – and he’d even thought ahead and had bought a costume for Casey and snuck it into the suitcase.
Surprises are always the best when they are completely unexpected. And how thorough of him to sneak a costume into the suitcase.

As with the burger nothing amazing going on here, but it hit the cheesy spot and dunked perfectly in my soup. Speaking of which, Casey insisted she didn’t want any soup for herself but in true Casey form ended up eating at least half of it.
Glad you enjoyed all your food here, I liked the Plaza and I think it's one of the easier to get reservations and cheaper sit down options. I love dunking grilled cheese into tomato soup.

A bit of a fireworks fail, but at least we were seated and not surrounded by the masses and hello pumpkin waffle!
Aw that's too bad a lot of the view was obstructed, but those are one of my favorite firework shows and it doesn't really need to be viewed in front of the castle to enjoy.

We ended up getting a great spot in Frontierland to see the second parade and it was amazing. I won’t scare you with my horrible photos, but this was hands down the best parade any of us had seen.
This parade is definitely my favorite of all Disney parades. The song is so catchy it gets stuck in my head for hours. And the part where they use the shovels to create sparks is just so cool to me.

I want to do the Halloween party again. I really enjoyed it, but it down poured when I was there and a lot of stuff was cancelled or modified because of it.
 
What an awesome surprise!

Love that he brought a costume for Casey, I mean major points. My DH would be clueless!

I like the plaza, while not anything to write home about it’s pretty good an consistent.

Seems like you didn’t have crazy lines for trick or treating? I’ve heard mixed things on that front.

Love the fireworks story I mean typical right??

But I’m not sure you sold me on the party or not. It’s on the table for our August trip and i think Dillon would love it she LOVES dressing up all of a sudden, but just not sure she will be able to stay up that late enough to make it worth it....

For fun, all Dillon’s idea E0D2B004-029B-4C2E-80C7-AFF1ABE02E8C.jpeg
 
What a great surprise from Jason. Casey's costume is cute and love her face painting.

even funnier was Jason trying to take down the dinosaur? chicken? lizard? thing in front of us.
That is King Koopa from MArio Brothers....what can I say we indulge in drinking and driving (racing) Mario Brothers style. Funky Kong is my go to character I love his bandana and Funky attitude
 


Love your reports! As i was reading , i got that feeling of walking out of the Boardwalk and that wonderful smell of their lobby and fresh air with early morning humidity along with that anticipation of a great day ahead . Ahhhh , made my day!
 
I’m glad you enjoyed the party, sorry you lost a bag of candy! We are trying The Plaza this trip coming up before the DAH event. A burger and malt sounds good!
I'm guessing your meal should be coming up any day now. Can't wait to hear all about your trip.

What an awesome birthday surprise! I really amazes me how early Disney starts this party, but it does get you in the Halloween spirit even though October is far away.
It was truly a great surprise and a lot of fun, but for Halloween spirit I need some leaves a falling and a chill in the air :-)

Glad you enjoyed all your food here, I liked the Plaza and I think it's one of the easier to get reservations and cheaper sit down options. I love dunking grilled cheese into tomato soup.
We are big fans too! We hadn't gone in a while since they went back and forth on walkups/ADRs but now that we can go back to getting last minute reservations I'm sure we'll be back again soon.

The song is so catchy it gets stuck in my head for hours. And the part where they use the shovels to create sparks is just so cool to me.
The shovels were awesome. But also like nails on a chalkboard so the noise was a little hard for me to take.

Sounds like a great MNSSHP and Casey looked adorable! :-)
Thanks! It was a ton of fun and my girl had a blast.

Love that he brought a costume for Casey, I mean major points. My DH would be clueless!
I've definitely got a good one. Heck he even made her costume a few years ago!

Seems like you didn’t have crazy lines for trick or treating? I’ve heard mixed things on that front.
No we really didn't encounter lines anywhere. It was much less crowded than the Xmas party we'd done the year prior, but that was the first of the year.

But I’m not sure you sold me on the party or not. It’s on the table for our August trip and i think Dillon would love it she LOVES dressing up all of a sudden, but just not sure she will be able to stay up that late enough to make it worth it....

For fun, all Dillon’s idea
e0d2b004-029b-4c2e-80c7-aff1abe02e8c-jpeg.377510
Oh my goodness they are precious!!! And too funny we were just watching Maleficent on Monday

Casey loves to dress up too so she enjoyed the party, but it is definitely a long night and may be more worth it once they get a bit bigger.

That is King Koopa from MArio Brothers....what can I say we indulge in drinking and driving (racing) Mario Brothers style. Funky Kong is my go to character I love his bandana and Funky attitude
You are way more informed than me. Casey even has a couple of Mario games but I've never even played the. That is what she has Jason for :P

Love your reports! As i was reading , i got that feeling of walking out of the Boardwalk and that wonderful smell of their lobby and fresh air with early morning humidity along with that anticipation of a great day ahead . Ahhhh , made my day!
You just made my day as you transported me to the Boardwalk. Such a wonderful place.

I always love your reports, this one is no exception! I have taken notes for our fall planning as well!
Wow, thanks so much, I truly appreciate you following along.
 


No we really didn't encounter lines anywhere. It was much less crowded than the Xmas party we'd done the year prior, but that was the first of the year.

Interesting and something to consider!

Oh my goodness they are precious!!! And too funny we were just watching Maleficent on Monday

Casey loves to dress up too so she enjoyed the party, but it is definitely a long night and may be more worth it once they get a bit bigger.

Thanks, I guess I haven’t posted a picture of Dillon in a long while. Haven’t done a trip report in forever, i think last one she wasn’t even 2! Why do they get so big so quick!!!!

Yeah I think skipping it for now would be best, I mean Dillon will be 5, but I’m still not sure she will last long enough to mke it worth it.

We haven’t watch Malificent yet, need to get on that!
 
Brilliant birthday surprise! Kudos to your lovely hubby for remembering a costume into the bargain:worship:
I should have put "play" in quotes as it was part of her theater camp and the kids wrote their own play based on video games. But I'm sure it will be on broadway any day now :P
:rotfl::rotfl:Well I'm sure you'll get us all "mates rates" once it hits Broadway and we can have the Dismeet of the century while watching your gorgeous girl strut her stuff on stage :thumbsup2
 
Oh how fun! We love the Halloween party. It’s my girls’ favorite memories.
We will be there for the first one this “fall.”
 
Because if it's August in Disney World it is clearly almost Halloween.
Disney... finding ways to make you part with your money year round. :laughing:

and he’d even thought ahead and had bought a costume for Casey and snuck it into the suitcase.
:thumbsup2

This picture is amazing!!! And even more impressive - you knew where to look for the camera... something I continue to struggle with. :sad2:

though even funnier was Jason trying to take down the dinosaur? chicken? lizard? thing in front of us.
:rotfl: The jury is out on that one.

OMG your shirt!!!!!!! :thumbsup2
 
Because I didn’t know we were going to the party, I knew zip, zero, zilch, about what to expect so lower your expectations now as you will see no rare characters or any of those cool magic shots.
Don't worry, I had been planning our party night for weeks and I still couldn't figure it all out.

t had been a while since we’d been to The Plaza but as with past visits we enjoyed the food. Its nothing fancy, but hits the spot and offers solid food at (mostly) reasonable prices.
I've eaten at The Plaza three times and it's always been decent. It's my go-to table service in MK.

And we realized why we were able to get a seat at Sleepy Hollow.
Yeah, not so great view, but I appreciate having a seat. Had you just walked out to the Hub from there, you would have bumped into me...along with the rest of the masses!

We ended up getting a great spot in Frontierland to see the second parade and it was amazing. I won’t scare you with my horrible photos, but this was hands down the best parade any of us had seen.
This is where I watched the second parade from too, I was near Pecos Bill's. Darn, we should have tried to say hello. I thought about sending you a FB message but my night kind of went to heck as you will read in my TR.

Overall we really enjoyed the party. I think this was the 2nd or 3rd of the season and it really wasn’t too crowded at all.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the crowds. I found it too much, but I've been comparing things to my first awesome party in 2010, so I don't think anything will top that.
 
Thanks, I guess I haven’t posted a picture of Dillon in a long while. Haven’t done a trip report in forever, i think last one she wasn’t even 2! Why do they get so big so quick!!!!

Yeah I think skipping it for now would be best, I mean Dillon will be 5, but I’m still not sure she will last long enough to mke it worth it.
They certainly do get big way to fast. Dillon was like 3 in my brain, not getting ready to be 5.

Brilliant birthday surprise! Kudos to your lovely hubby for remembering a costume into the bargain:worship:
He got big kudos for that one. He is generally the least decisive human on the planet so for him to not only do this but plan ahead was definitely unexpected.

:rotfl::rotfl:Well I'm sure you'll get us all "mates rates" once it hits Broadway and we can have the Dismeet of the century while watching your gorgeous girl strut her stuff on stage :thumbsup2
Brilliant. And I'm sure previews will be in London so we can catch you there too :P

Grim grinning ghosts come out to steal your caaaandy
:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: Should have known those spirits would be conspiring against me

Oh how fun! We love the Halloween party. It’s my girls’ favorite memories.
We will be there for the first one this “fall.”
We really enjoyed ourselves too. Though be sure to pack your fans for "fall" :-)

Disney... finding ways to make you part with your money year round. :laughing:
I know right? At this point I'm surprised Halloween isn't starting in July and they don't milk Christmas parties until February :P

This picture is amazing!!! And even more impressive - you knew where to look for the camera... something I continue to struggle with. :sad2:
Jason and Casey seem to know where every single one is and always do something with it. This and dinosaur are about the only ones I know where they are.

OMG your shirt!!!!!!! :thumbsup2
Yeah I don't have much Disney gear but picked this up earlier in the week for the party! I'm sure I'll be rockin' it some more next month
I am SO doing this in May and we are SO riding Splash together! Give Casey a huge :thanks: hug from me; my boys will be ever so thrilled next time we ride this and their mom does this for the picture :thumbsup2:thumbsup2
I will certainly do that. I wish she was coming in May because she would love to spend some quality time with you :hug:

Don't worry, I had been planning our party night for weeks and I still couldn't figure it all out.
I wish we'd at least known where some of the cool magic shots were. Or knew there were holes in the doom buggy so I didn't loose all my candy :scared1:

Yeah, not so great view, but I appreciate having a seat. Had you just walked out to the Hub from there, you would have bumped into me...along with the rest of the masses!
We almost headed that way but then remembered the masses. I have no tolerance for crowds

This is where I watched the second parade from too, I was near Pecos Bill's. Darn, we should have tried to say hello. I thought about sending you a FB message but my night kind of went to heck as you will read in my TR.
Oh man, we must have just missed you. We were across from the shooting gallery or whatever that is now in Fronterland so we were super close.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the crowds. I found it too much, but I've been comparing things to my first awesome party in 2010, so I don't think anything will top that.
I'm sure compared to 2010 they have increased the crowd size. All I had it to compare to was a 2017 Christmas party and the crowds were definitely less then that.
 
Jason had surprised us with tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Because if it's August in Disney World it is clearly almost Halloween.

That Jason! What a good guy ::yes::

and he’d even thought ahead and had bought a costume for Casey and snuck it into the suitcase.

Your work here is done :goodvibes

It had been a while since we’d been to The Plaza but as with past visits we enjoyed the food. Its nothing fancy, but hits the spot and offers solid food at (mostly) reasonable prices.

We love The Plaza. It's basically the perfect WDW restaurant…good,but not so good that you can't get an ADR, and not too expensive :thumbsup2

After dinner the party was kicking into full gear, but first Casey needed one last thing to make her costume perfect.

Awesome!

From there we hit up Big thunder and then got our splash on. Casey didn’t want to do splash as like @ariane37 with her bangs, she was afraid of messing up her face paint so……

:rotfl2: Isn't there a law against this, or something? Next thing she'll be playing in an old refrigerator sitting by the curb with the doors still on :scared1:

We then took a couple of turns through space and of course got some Haunted Mansion in where I had the biggest fail of the trip. I had put our candy bags on the floor of the doom buggy and as we turned to go backwards heard a horrific noise. The candy was falling!!!! I didn’t realize the buggy didn’t close completely and out of our vehicle went an entire bag of candy. Casey of course ensured I knew this was my candy bag.

Oh no :sad: Your sacrificial candy to the Happiest Haunts? I'm sure they appreciated it :worship:
 
That Jason! What a good guy ::yes::
I think I'll keep him :-)

We love The Plaza. It's basically the perfect WDW restaurant…good,but not so good that you can't get an ADR, and not too expensive :thumbsup2
You said it perfectly. We stopped coming for a while when they went through that whole ADR/no-ADR debacle but we are back in now!!!

:rotfl2: Isn't there a law against this, or something? Next thing she'll be playing in an old refrigerator sitting by the curb with the doors still on :scared1:
You say that like its something she shouldn't be doing :P

Oh no :sad: Your sacrificial candy to the Happiest Haunts? I'm sure they appreciated it :worship:
They better have because I surely did not!
 
Episode XV: Attack of the Counter Service

After our late night we let Casey sleep until 10:30 the next morning but not wanting to miss our precious Flight of Passage fast pass we decided to uber to Animal Kingdom. This good idea started looking even better when our driver took us to what I thought was a secret back entrance to Animal Kingdom. Turns out he just had no idea where he was going and we were at some kind of gardening center on the backside of Animal Kingdom. I was a little too worried to take pictures, but we eventually ended up in the right place after our harrowing adventure….

…and to Flight of Passage by the skin of our 15 minute grace period teeth.


Hungry since it was now noon and we hadn’t eaten since 4 the previous day we made a rare decision to mobile order some counter service from a restaurant we’d never eaten at before: Satuli Canteen.

Mobile order worked like a charm and before too long this was in our presence.

Jason went with the Combination Grilled Beef & Chicken Bowl on top of whole grains and rice with the creamy herb dressing.
This was unquestionably the best counter service meal to have ever graced our lips (cause you know I was stealin’ some of this). The beef in particular had a great garlic flavor and was cooked to a perfect medium rare. His rice was a bit overcooked and the dressing didn’t have a ton of flavor, but that steak was so good it eclipsed those issues.

I went in the total opposite direction and got the Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu Bowl on the red & sweet potato hash topped with the charred onion chimichurri.

I’m sure I’ll get panned for this one, but I have what I acknowledge is an unnatural love of tofu and this did not disappoint. The tofu had a slight spice to it and was fried goodness on the outside and creamy on the inside. The hash and onion sauce were definitely the way to go, all that was missing was some of Jason’s beef.

We even let Casey order her own food…mainly so we could try it!

We, I mean she, got the cheeseburger pods and like everyone else has said these do taste just like a McDonalds Cheeseburger. I generally detest fast food and McDonalds is at the top of that heap, but despite not having stepped foot in a McDonalds in over 30 years that nostalgic taste came right back.

Of course we wouldn’t be us without some carbonated beverages to wash it all down.

Jason got an I-4 IPA and me the Mo'ara High Country Ale. I didn’t care for the IPA, but the ale had a slight spice and some good hoppiness to it. And for $10 for 22 oz these were a relative Disney steal.

I am so glad we tried Satuli Canteen. Counter Service is a rarity in our Disney repertoire, but if they keep making counter service this good we may be changing our tune.

After lunch Casey wanted to do a little shopping, which thankfully for my wallet turned into a hat modeling photoshoot instead.




She did of course find a way to spend some money getting her hair braided though…

Success….

Usually Casey will keep this in for a week or two before they fall out, but this little girl convinced me to let her rock this until after Thanksgiving! 3 months later!! Only the promise of Christmas was enough to get it out of her hair.

Feeling like we’d accomplished little at this point we eventually hung with a bunch bugs, cruised through the Jurassic period, climbed Mt. Everest, and even thwarted some poachers on safari before some ominous clouds moved in.

Having our priorities Jason made a beeline for Nomads Lounge while I waited with Casey to get some Henna put on.

We hung out in Nomads though the rain where I of course enjoyed my Annapurna Zings…

Jason his Tempting Tigress….

And Casey her Lilly Gorille with a side of Henna.


We were also a tad bit hungry so we also got some Smoked Pork Ribs with Sweet Soy-glaze, Toasted Sesame.

These were nicely charred on the outside, but tender on the inside and it had some unique flavor from what I can imagine are some African or Indian spices. There was also a bit of lime on it which added a nice brightness.

I think Casey was a fan.

In a bit of a side rant at least 3 large parties came in while we were here and decided that sitting in areas made for 4 or 5 people with 10 was somehow acceptable. They took seats from other areas leaving some with no seating. I get wanting to sit with your party, but clearly this bar isn’t configured to fit large parties. Even our server commented that this happens daily and it messes with the servers as some end up with no patrons as they literally have tables with no chairs. End rant.

After a successful food, drink, and fun day in my favorite park we eventually headed back to the hotel for yet another attempt at the pool. Oh and because I know you are counting with our Tables in Wonderland card we saved $10.80 at Nomads.

Up next, our traditional last supper
 
After our late night we let Casey sleep until 10:30 the next morning
I don't think my girls have EVER slept that late!

This good idea started looking even better when our driver took us to what I thought was a secret back entrance to Animal Kingdom. Turns out he just had no idea where he was going and we were at some kind of gardening center on the backside of Animal Kingdom. I was a little too worried to take pictures, but we eventually ended up in the right place after our harrowing adventur
Yikes!

Mobile order worked like a charm and before too long this was in our presence.
This is on my must do this trip!


We, I mean she, got the cheeseburger pods and like everyone else has said these do taste just like a McDonalds Cheeseburger. I generally detest fast food and McDonalds is at the top of that heap, but despite not having stepped foot in a McDonalds in over 30 years that nostalgic taste came right back.
I can't even remember the last time I had McDonalds! But I do want to try these!

Usually Casey will keep this in for a week or two before they fall out, but this little girl convinced me to let her rock this until after Thanksgiving! 3 months later!! Only the promise of Christmas was enough to get it out of her hair.
Wait, so did she have that in for her school picture?
 

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