Trip Report And When it's Time to Find Home. We know the Way!! Aue Aue

Good Morning all my Disney loving friends! We just hit the road and our first destination is Charlotte, NC. However, before I get ahead of myself, it is our normal crew, myself, Deighton (I turn the big 5 0 this year), Den my husband and our 3 kids. Hunter who is 20 and is now bartending... Camden 13 still an avid lacrosse player and fisherman and the youngest Brinley, 9 for now but on August 10 she will turn 10 in Disney World.

Here is a brief schedule of the next 2 weeks. As I stated earlier we will arriving in Charlotte, NC around 4 pm today. We have reservations at a southern BBQ restaurant (let the feeding frenzy begin). Tomorrow, we leave early to get to Savannah Georgia as soon as possible. We have a lot that we want to do here but the weather is not showing that it is going to cooperate. Hopefully the weather man is as wrong in Savannah as they are in
Pittsburgh!

After a night in Savannah, we are headed to Disney Springs for 2 days. We have reservations in Disney Springs and this is when we will do some resort hopping. Then it is home to The Boardwalk for 9 nights with a seven day hopper. Then back to Charlotte to meet up with my brother and his family. Then sadly home and back to the grind! I will post more details shortly!

Thanks for following and thanks to all of you who take the time to do Trip Reports! You have no idea how much it keeps me going

 

[littleroo]

@littleroo -- thank you for a great TR! I think a big part of your family vacation "experience" was that despite the varying ages in the group, everyone was pretty much on the same page. That made for some fun times, without individuals being too selective of the daily attractions, etc. You all seemed to "roll" with what each day offered.

And what a treat for Brin to be able to celebrate her 10th birthday at WDW!!!

Thanks @MinnieM123 I appreciate you following and participating You are just the sweetest person. I look forward to your next trip report as well!

We definitely learned years ago not to push it in the heat or rain or when exhaustion sets in. Losing a few hours is better than losing a few days. Also, I am aware of how lucky we are to go every 2 years and the length of time that we get to go away for. I, try to instill this in the kids, as well. I am happy to report besides Hunters severe sunburn and mild eye allergies ( he didn't bring extra contacts or saline), and Cam's mild sunburn, we were all and continue to be healthy!!

 

[Swissmiss]

Glad you got home safely; thanks so much for taking the time to write your TR.

We picked up our cats this afternoon (one of them has glaucoma so it easier to board them than to find someone who is willing to come get scratched twice a day giving her eye drops).

 

[littleroo]

Glad you got home safely; thanks so much for taking the time to write your TR.

We picked up our cats this afternoon (one of them has glaucoma so it easier to board them than to find someone who is willing to come get scratched twice a day giving her eye drops).

Lol! We understand! Den's mom watched the cats and the house. Thanks for following. I look forward to seeing how close we were at times.

 

[93boomer]

So happy you got to stop again in Charlotte! You made good time getting home! Thanks for sharing your adventures.I enjoyed them tremendously!

 

[littleroo]

So happy you got to stop again in Charlotte! You made good time getting home! Thanks for sharing your adventures.I enjoyed them tremendously!

Thank you so much for following! I am super excited for your trip in little over a month. You really should at least write a summary of your adventures. I would really enjoy reading it!!

For now, it is time to get ready for work!

 

[littleroo]

One of the big takeaways for us this trip is how much we really enjoyed the Disney lounges. The menus are limited in the lounges, but the items that are there, are delicious and reasonably priced. We found out, a little too late, that you can order off the menu in the restaurant that attaches to the lounge, too.

For example, we really enjoy the Crew Cup which, for us, is a little hidden gem. It has great food and service, plus it is rarely busy. We really enjoy the charcuterie board, sliders, and truffle fries. The Yachtsman Steakhouse is right next door. We could have ordered off of that menu, as well.

I remember writing this last trip, too, but sitting at the bar is where to be. The service is spectacular and you can order whatever you wish and split things!

I think you all know by now that we really enjoy table service meals and always have been. I am not being negative but wow has the quality and size of the food gone down while prices were sky high. We saw the prices going in so we were not blind by any means but we were throughly disappointed in many meals. More on that later...

Happy Monday everyone!! I am off today and have lots of unpacking and laundry to do as worked the last 2 days.

 

[Bullseye1967]

Thanks @MinnieM123 I appreciate you following and participating You are just the sweetest person. I look forward to your next trip report as well!

We definitely learned years ago not to push it in the heat or rain or when exhaustion sets in. Losing a few hours is better than losing a few days. Also, I am aware of how lucky we are to go every 2 years and the length of time that we get to go away for. I, try to instill this in the kids, as well. I am happy to report besides Hunters severe sunburn and mild eye allergies ( he didn't bring extra contacts or saline), and Cam's mild sunburn, we were all and continue to be healthy!!

FYI the resort gift shops sell saline. Been there done that with my kids.

 

[littleroo]

FYI the resort gift shops sell saline. Been there done that with my kids.

Thanks!! We found it right away at the gift shop at the Hilton Buena Vista. Thanks for following!!

 

[littleroo]

We definitely missed out on canceling reservations at The Boathouse, Via Napoli and La Hacienda. The Boathouse was canceled for 2 reasons. First, we had already spent so much time in Disney Springs at the beginning of the trip. Second, the buses at The Boardwalk were running extremely, slow and times were completely inaccurate. The nights that we canceled all 3 reservations, we just couldn't deal with the heat at that time of day.

Restaurants that are definitely off the list, number 1) Paddlefish- the food and acoustics was terrible. The service was great! It truly had the feel of kids cafeteria that got completely out of control. I have never experienced anything like it! I did have a conversation with management and was made fairly whole. They really wanted us to give them another try but there was no way that I was wasting one more minute of precious Disney vacation in there!

2)Hollywood Brown Derby- this is hard for to to type. My beloved Brown Derby It is going to take a whole lot of convincing from all of you to get me back there. Service was arrogant. He, who's name I remember, obviously, did not like waiting on children or families. The food is over priced and my chicken mole tasted like it came out of a cafeteria. Den's salad was half the size and the veggies looked dated. RIP Brown Derby

To be cont..

 

[MinnieM123]

2)Hollywood Brown Derby- this is hard for to to type. My beloved Brown Derby It is going to take a whole lot of convincing from all of you to get me back there. Service was arrogant. He, who's name I remember, obviously, did not like waiting on children or families. The food is over priced and my chicken mole tasted like it came out of a cafeteria. Den's salad was half the size and the veggies looked dated. RIP Brown Derby

Server made it clear that he didn't like waiting on children? (Didn't human resources mention to this guy in his interview, that it's Disney -- and there are lots of KIDS?!!!! ) Sorry to hear that even the food wasn't as good this time. And those PRICES they charge?!

 

[littleroo]

Server made it clear that he didn't like waiting on children? (Didn't human resources mention to this guy in his interview, that it's Disney -- and there are lots of KIDS?!!!! ) Sorry to hear that even the food wasn't as good this time. And those PRICES they charge?!

Exactly!! I definitely don’t mind paying the prices but I expect the service and quality of food to match the price. There was definitely a new learning curve this trip!

 

[littleroo]

Cont...

I do want to say, especially, being in the restaurant world, that most places, I would give a second chance. Every place and every person has an off day. However, have you ever had an experience that goes so wrong that you just can't go back? Paddlefish is a never go back. Brown Derby is a probably won't go back. One of the reasons I say Brown Derby is not a giant loss...

50s Prime Time Cafe- we all love this place for various reasons but mostly because of the high quality of simple food. Of course, the kids love the milkshakes as well as the atmosphere. This restaurant definitely checks all the boxes of what we are looking for in Hollywood Studios. Fun fact, Hunter spilled and broke a glass of water on our second visit. He was taking the elbows off the table very seriosly and the server came by...whosh, he took his arms off table and down went the water glass. We all apologized profusely but the irony is so Hunter.

 

[rshell68]

However, have you ever had an experience that goes so wrong that you just can't go back?

Cracker Barrel....

 

[littleroo]

Cracker Barrel....

Do tell... there is a local restaurant here that is fabulous and I loved for years. The pizza is my favorite around. However, 4 plus years ago, Hunter got a canlzone with a few dead beetles in it!! We went back this summer for the first time!

 

[pkkurz]

We have a Cracker Barrel location that we refuse to go to also. We will drive across town to visit another location.

 

[luvinthemajik]

We have a Cracker Barrel location that we refuse to go to also. We will drive across town to visit another location.

We do the same thing here, only 1 in our city, but 12 miles away, all the difference and worth the drive

 

[littleroo]

We have a Cracker Barrel location that we refuse to go to also. We will drive across town to visit another location.

We do the same thing here, only 1 in our city, but 12 miles away, all the difference and worth the drive

What is this Cracker Barrel issue?? Or should I ask?? I have not been to one in a long time because our location is severely understaffed and we don't really ever go out for breakfast.

 

[pkkurz]

What is this Cracker Barrel issue?? Or should I ask?? I have not been to one in a long time because our location is severely understaffed and we don't really ever go out for breakfast.

Mostly horrible service. The location that we no longer visit has a manager that has been there for years. Treats her employees like dogs. Drama queen on steroids.

 

[littleroo]

The Flying Fish still remains number one to us. The food is incredible and the bartenders are phenomenal! Even the servers and hostesses are amazing. We are very excited because the strip steak at The Flying Fish is spectacular and has one of the most amazing crusts! Well one of the servers told us, secretly, what kind of rub it is and where to buy it. It is actually a very interesting process. We made it 3 nights ago and it was darn close to Flying Fish! It has my mouth watering just thinking about it!

Yes, I ordered it on 2 separate occasions. Den ordered it once. If you zoom in on the picture of the potatoes, it
is a mille feuille (1,000 layer) potato cake. It is also unbelievable and we will be recreating it this weekend. The bernaise and green beans are delicious as well.

Our second favorite is the mussels. I don't have a description of it but I do have pictures. This was the perfect snack if we were not that hungry.

Can you see the roe on top? It is a great combination with the mussels.

Last but not least our newest foodie find...

IBERICO HAM!!!! This is true indulgence but very reasonably priced at The Flying Fish and at Jaleo. If you haven't had it, give it try! It is so delicate, different and delicious. That is actually where I am off to next...my search for iberico ham. It is our 15th anniversary today and I want to surprise Den with it.

The kids first day of school was also yesterday! Where does the time go???

 

[rshell68]

Do tell... there is a local restaurant here that is fabulous and I loved for years. The pizza is my favorite around. However, 4 plus years ago, Hunter got a canlzone with a few dead beetles in it!! We went back this summer for the first time!

Dead bugs!!

Took my very pregnant daughter to Cracker Barrel by her house in Indianapolis. All the poor thing wanted was pancakes and Mama Bear was going to get them for her LOL They sat us and waitress proceeded to full out ignore us! Taking care of everyone around us. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've left a restaurant before ordering. Hence Cracker Barrel boycott (which my husband hates because he loves Cracker Barrel)

Bright side though we found an even better breakfast place just up the road and we now make it a point to eat there when we visit.

End of Karen rant