Trip Report April is a Beautiful Time for a Disney Trip

cgersic · Jul 31, 2023

Oh I just love your reporting and congratulations on the baby!! Happily following along!

joshsprincess921 · Jul 31, 2023

Congrats!!
I can't wait to hear more.

MagicalMaci · Aug 2, 2023

cgersic said:
Oh I just love your reporting and congratulations on the baby!! Happily following along!

Aww thank you!

joshsprincess921 said:
Congrats!!
I can't wait to hear more.

Thanks!

MagicalMaci · Aug 2, 2023

Day 2 Part 3 - When can we eat?!

I really wanted to try the Flower and Garden Festival Brunch Booth - Brunchcot so we headed over there. Only… it wasn’t going to be open for another hour

I knew my stamina wouldn’t allow me to loop all the way back over to the Test Track area today where it was so I had to write off that dream.

None of the booths would be open until 11am but I was getting hungry, so we decided to go over to The Land and ride Soarin’ before getting snacks from Sunshine Seasons.

We took it slow and enjoyed the topiaries along the way, and we even caught a proposal in front of the lion king one! So cute

we came across the butterfly garden and did a lap through there. I LOVE butterflies

and could have stayed in there longer but we had things to do! We ran into a few friends on the way out and were able to say hi again! I swear we took a group pic but again, I don’t seem to have it.

We road Soarin' which was wonderful as always. We had the perfect central seats without even having to ask! Then it was finally time for some food. Sunshine Seasons used to be such a good quick service spot before so many others upped their game, now it is a disappointment. I got the turtle brownie and it was super sweet, I didn’t hate it, it just wasn’t worth the hype.

MagicalMaci · Aug 4, 2023

Day 2 Part 4 - Festival time!

It was finally time to hit the Flower and Garden Festival and start checking things off the passport list. Our first stop was just outside the Land at this semi-booth where I got the fruit and cheese which was basic but tasty and the cookies and “cream” cup for the Garden Graze which was as honestly so good! It had such a rich chocolate flavor and was one of my favorite bites of the day.

Next up was Honey Bee-stro which is usually one of my favorites but was a little lackluster this year. The shake was delicious as always but I was getting overly sweeted out and needed some real food. We tried the new chicken and waffle dish but it was good but not great.

Chicken and Waffles: Crispy honey-brined chicken and honey sweet cornbread waffle with whipped honey butter and spicy honey

Honey-Peach Cobbler Freeze with streusel (Non-alcoholic)

Our friend got the short ribs from the impossible booth and seemed happy with it too. (They’ve been vegan in the past but aren’t anymore, they were doing the garden graze too!)

Boneless IMPOSSIBLE Korean Short Rib with cilantro-lime rice, Danmuji slaw, and kimchee mayonnaise

Next up was Pineapple Promenade for the fan favorite Violet Lemonade and with those impossible ribs they had already completed the Garden Graze since they’d been here for a week already and we got her completer prize which was I think a lime dole whip which she loved.

We enjoyed more topiaries along our walk into the World Showcase.

BigDis · Aug 7, 2023

I'm late, I'm here, I'm caught up and now I'm hungry after viewing all of your food pictures!

MagicalMaci · Aug 7, 2023

Day 2 Part 5 - A French Afternoon

We made it to the France pavilion where I finally got some solid savory food. This booth is always a win. That cheese croissant, yum!

Beignet Caramélisé, Fourré Crème Vanille, Glacé au Caramel Fleur de Sel: Caramelized beignet filled with vanilla cream and glazed with caramel fleur de sel

Daube de Boeuf à la Provençal, Compote de Tomate au Romarin Gnocchi à la Niçoise: Provençal-style braised beef, rosemary tomato, and niçoise gnocchi

Croissant au Fromage de Chèvre, Herbes et Ail Rôtie: Croissant with goat cheese, herbs, and roasted garlic

We had a return time for Remy and headed that way, but once we were in line for a few minutes, we stopped moving. We had a hard stop today because we had to get back to the Grand Floridian for one of the reasons we were here!

We gave it about 15 minutes before saying goodbye and ducking out. However, Jimmy's back hurt and I was exhausted so it took us forever to get back to the front of the park. I had to stop and take a few bench breaks because it was just hot and my body was working hard.

MagicalMaci · Aug 20, 2023

Day 2 Part 6 - Time for Some Glam
We were supposed to head over to the Boardwalk/Beach Club after for maternity photos there and then back to Epcot for dinner at Le Cellier but our bodies were ROUGH. I asked out friend if she was okay if we bailed on dinner and she totally was, so then I asked my photographer if we could do the shoot at Grand Floridian after all because honestly trying to go anywhere or do anything today was just not gonna happen. She said of course and we were all set!

We got lunch at the GF quick service on our way back to the room and it was so disappointing. Just a lame excuse for a quick service at a resort with other such wonderful food. Wasn't even worth a photo.

After getting settled and eating Jimmy went off to find an adult bevvie to give us some girl time for hair and makeup, but the good bars weren’t open yet so he ended up at the pool bar with a disappointing Long Island. He then made his way to Enchanted Rose and was much happier with his fancy cocktail and stayed out until my hair and makeup was done!!

Stacie and I had a great time catching up and gossiping while she made me glamorous! Jimmy said I didn’t look like myself when he got back and it made me super self conscious

but in reality the hair was a little overdone cause as soon as you step outside in Florida the humidity gets ya and I looked normal again in no time

Jimmy went to do his hair and Stacie decided she would give him some extra Florida proof hold as well cause she’s just that great! (https://www.stacieotto.com/ if you ever are in need of these types of services, tell her I sent you!)

We said our goodbyes as our photographer arrived and she was also wonderful! I had scouted her for the wedding but we ended up with someone else but I KNEW she was the one for these photos and she did not disappoint. We hit so many locations and she brought the wardrobe with her and it wasn’t something I’d ever pick for myself but was perfect against the GF backdrops. We did out behind our room, the lobby of our building, the fountain and by the Grand, with the Monorail and in Enchanted Rose to wrap up. I got so many compliments as we walked around and felt like such a princess

MagicalMaci · Aug 20, 2023

Day 2 Part 7 - Where shall we have dinner?

So we did cancel the Le Cellier reservation but since we were looking so good, we still wanted to have a nice meal. We opened the WDW app and saw where we could get a reservation or join a wait list. I thought Cali Grill would be great but it would be a long time before we were able to eat there and we were exhausted but then Citricos popped up and we liked the idea of nice and close and I’ve had great bites in the lounge but hadn’t eaten in the restaurant since the remodel.

We got changed in our room and headed back out into the main building. We got a drink at the bar while we waited for our table to be ready. I loved the mocktail list and got an old fashioned orange float which was delightful.

We were taken to our table and oh man all the appetizers here just all sound so good so we decide to get multiple apps and split an entree instead of vice versa. The corn soup was my fave from last time but I got a bite of burnt popcorn this time and it turned me off but Jimmy still enjoyed it. The duck was great as always.

Smoked Duck Breast
Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta, Celeriac Purée and Duck Confit

Sweet Corn Bisque
Pickled Fennel, Popcorn and Fennel Oil

For our entrée we did the guava short ribs and they are so so good. I don’t know what it is about Disney and short ribs, but they know what’s up. We also got a surprise, we could see the fireworks from our table! I love fireworks so it was so cool

Guava-barbecued Short Ribs
Aged Cheddar Creamy Grits, Roasted Poblano, Curtido Slaw, and Brussels Sprouts

Normally I love mac and cheese so we had gotten that enhancement, but this was hard pressed to get the Mac and cheese title. First, it was green. Second, it was soupy. It was gross

we got the cauliflower instead which was so tasty! I love when I get to try good plant based things at Disney!

Truffle Macaroni & Cheese
House-made Gnocchetti, Summer Black Truffles, Sottocenere al Tartufo and Tarragon

Smoked Cauliflower
Green Curry, Chili Crunch, and Citrus Crème Fraîche (Plant-based)

While we were pretty full they have some amazing desserts here so we both got one! I got the chocolate cake that they said was for the 50th but stuck around and jimmy got the tart. The chocolate was just as good as I remembered it and so beautiful!

Chocolate Torte
Chocolate Financier, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Morello Cherries, and Vanilla Mascarpone Cream

Blackberry Tartelette
Lemon Bavarian and Blackberry Mousse enrobed in Glaçage with Candied Violet

We were stuffed and thankful we only had a short walk back to our room. It was pretty late and the restaurant was clearing out. We got back to the room and went to bed.

k8einwdw · Aug 20, 2023

Your maternity photos are gorgeous!

cgersic · Aug 21, 2023

Wow!! Your maternity photos are just amazing and the food looks so scrumptious!

MagicalMaci · Aug 22, 2023

Day 3 Part 1 - Some Solo Time

The boys were up early today to golf and had a great time, I had planned to sleep in a bit but between Jimmy getting up and getting ready and trying to get a Tron VQ time, I couldn’t fall back asleep so ended up getting ready for the day and hopping on a Monorail! Once again I got a pretty low boarding group for the VQ. This would unfortunately cause an issue again today. This morning was Monorail Orange!

I made it at the end of Early Entry and my friend was one of the first people in the park today so she was already on her way out to go shopping at the resorts but we met at the Town Square Theater for some Mickey time!

I headed into the park and she headed out (but I’d see her again soon, it was a girls morning!) I went shopping along Main Street USA looking for a new bag and ultimately did find one that was the perfect size I was looking for, and then I honestly still haven’t used it to this day

At some point I stopped at the guest experience umbrellas because our boarding group time was coming up quick and asked them about returning past our time since the boys had a true reservation conflict with golf and they said we were out of luck. Their advice was to let the boarding group expire for everyone, and try again at the 1pm window.

MagicalMaci · Aug 22, 2023

Day 3 Part 2 - Cinderella Castle
Anyone else just never get tired of taking photos of Cinderella Castle? I made my way up Main Street USA to the Castle and stopped at a few photographers along the way.

I just just a bit of time before I needed to head to the Poly for brunch so i wanted to do a little more shopping and I got a quick spin on Peter Pan and tried to get some cute pregnancy pics with the princesses, but the lighting is honestly just terrible in there so I don't like how they turned out. The selection of baby stuff for sale was so underwhelming, I didn’t get anything!

I wound up on an empty Monorail Blue to make my way to the Polynesian for brunch at Kona Café.

k8einwdw · Aug 22, 2023

MagicalMaci said:
The selection of baby stuff for sale was so underwhelming, I didn’t get anything!

There is so little baby and toddler stuff, and it seems like it’s the same few items every time we go!

MagicalMaci · Aug 22, 2023

k8einwdw said:
Your maternity photos are gorgeous!

Thank you!

cgersic said:
Wow!! Your maternity photos are just amazing and the food looks so scrumptious!

Thank you! I'd definitely go back for that food

k8einwdw said:
There is so little baby and toddler stuff, and it seems like it’s the same few items every time we go!

I'm glad it wasn't just me!

erstwo · Aug 28, 2023

MagicalMaci said:
The selection of baby stuff for sale was so underwhelming, I didn’t get anything!

Never fear - you will soon own 90% of the children's things at Disney! I can remember shopping with my little ones at Disney and thinking "we got the same thing except the Stitch version (or Aurora version, or Jasmine version, etc.) last trip!"

We had it all!

MagicalMaci · Aug 30, 2023

Day 3 Part 3 - Kona Cafe
I arrived at the Polynesian to meet my friends and we were quickly sat at a table in the back corner of Kona Cafe which was perfect to me. We were hungry so we quickly ordered while we caught up.

I got the Moana Smoothie which was really good and of course liliko’i juice had to be ordered as well. We all went for sweet breakfast carbs and as always, they lived up to expectations at Kona Cafe. We had Tonga Toast, French Toast, and Macadamia Nut Pancakes. My family has been staying at the Poly since I was little, so Kona Cafe always is one of my favorites and brings back good memories. Their breakfast is iconic and delicious!

Moana Smoothie
Watermelon, Cherry, and Guava

Tonga Toast
Banana-stuffed Sourdough French Toast rolled in Cinnamon-Sugar, served with a Strawberry Compote, and with your choice of Ham, Spiced Ham, Bacon, or Sausage
Side note- Tonga Toast looks pretty ugly. It could use some fresh strawberries or something to garnish.

French Toast
with Caramel-Banana Sauce and your choice of Ham, Spiced Ham, Bacon, or Sausage

Macadamia Nut Pancakes
with Macadamia Nut Butter, Pineapple Sauce, and your choice of Ham, Spiced Ham, Bacon, or Sausage

I was exhausted at this point so I chose to head back to the hotel for a nap while the girls headed back to MK. We thought the boys would be done around noon and let them know the Tron issue via text, but they were having so much fun they weren’t checking their phones and totally missed it. Since they hadn’t been to the park today, they had to go tap in to try for the 1pm boarding group, but they were taking their time and enjoying golf! Jimmy got back to the room around 12:40pm maybe? Riding Tron was why Jimmy was here mostly so he booked it over to MK, tapped in just after 1, and was able to get a boarding group for later that evening. He came back and I think we both napped before heading out for a night in the park.

I think the soaps at Basin are just the cutest and make for great gifts!

MagicalMaci · Aug 31, 2023

Day 3 Part 4 - Dinner with the Beast

We headed back into Magic Kingdom a little before our early dinner reservation and met up with our friends for the evening! It was a beautiful day.

We had some time so we got some great group Photopass shots to commemorate our meetup and I loved how they turned out.

We made it over to Be Our Guest and checked in for our reservation. There was a bit of a wait and if we wanted to dine in the Ballroom it would be an additional 45 minute wait, which we didn't want to do and Jimmy wanted to dine in the West Wing anyway. He'd never eaten here before and it had been many years now since I had been there so the menu was new for me.

We were sat and gosh darn is it dark in the West Wing. I get it, it's the theme, but the older I get the more light I need to read menus you know?

Look, I feel like I need to preface the rest of this update with the fact that I had a horrible meal here. I try not to be too negative on these things but this stuff was downright inedible to me in some cases and I'm still sour about it 4 months later.

It took a few mins for a server to greet us but she was friendly once she arrived. We placed our order and then the bread arrived. The bread was so dry. It wasn't very warm so we asked if they could maybe bring a new basket because it didn't feel fresh. Well, we learned that they get a ton of complaints about the bread here because it's vegan. 1) There's no reason to serve vegan bread to everyone. 2) Being vegan is not a reason that food is bad. There's TONS of great vegan food, bread and baked goods out there. This was just Disney being cheap on the bread service.

Next came the appetizers. Jimmy ordered the escargot, I ordered the French onion soup, and others at our table of six got the salad and the potato leek soup. The French onion soup was sooo salty. It had a nice cheese pull and looked beautiful, but I couldn't eat more than two bites. I thought being pregnant was just making my tastebuds weird and was super apologetic to the server when I asked about getting something else. I ended up getting the potato leek soup instead after everyone said it was good. It was more like a cheesy leek sauce poured over potato chips and delicious. After dinner I learned Jimmy's escargot was also super salty and not good, but he just doesn't complain.

Mixed Greens Salad
Goat Cheese Mousse and Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing

Potato-Leek Soup
Truffle Potato Chips and Charred Leek Fondue

Escargot de Bourgogne
Baked in Garlic-Herb Butter with Baguette

MagicalMaci · Aug 31, 2023

Day 3 Part 4b - Dinner & Dessert

Next came the entrees. I'd heard great things about the pork chop here so that's what I ordered because I had to get steak medium-well while pregnant which is not my preferred. Most of the table got the steak, and one friend is vegetarian so she got the only option they had on the menu that was plant based.

Vadouvan-spiced Vegetables
Crispy Corn Cake with Vadouvan-coconut jus

Duroc Pork Chop
double-smoked bacon, sweet potato lyonnaise, and dijon mustard

Again, my dish was so salty it was inedible. I thought I was losing my mind but multiple other people tried it and agreed that it was salty. It was GROSS. The filet seemed to make people happy so I ended up getting that and it was fine, but I was just so over being here at this point. The sauce for the steak was really good though, too bad the menu has already changed and it's something else now. The vegan dish has also changed which is hopefully for the better because I know it was not impressive.

Center-cut Filet Mignon
Yukon Gold Potato Puree and Smoked Tomato Bearnaise Sauce

Since it's a prix fixe menu, we had dessert as well. These were all tasty, but for such an expensive meal, you want something nicer. Do you remember the gorgeous dessert we had at Citricos the night prior? Yeah, we did too. This was forgettable.

Plant based dessert Vanilla Cake with Lemon Curd with Fresh Berries and Strawberry Meringue

Dessert Trio: Lemon Jam Macaron;
Chocolate Tart Grey Stuff, Crisp Pearls, and White Chocolate Wafer; Dark Chocolate Truffle filled with Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier Ganache

The Beast “visit” was also forgettable. He comes and goes so fast it’s near impossible to get a photo. I much prefer when you got to meet him after dinner.

k8einwdw · Sep 1, 2023

We haven’t been to Be Our Guest since they switched over to Prix Fixe, and it looks like we’re not missing out. What a bummer. Their QS breakfast and lunch used to be sooo good.