9/16-9/18: Hoop Dee Doo: A Solo Trip Review!

hereforthechurros

Here for the spring rolls too
Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Disclaimer: sadly no dining at Hoop de Doo dining actually happened on this trip. Classic false advertising to get you in the door ;) Plus it rhymed. But I can vouch for Hoop as being one of the best dining experiences on property from past trips :) Apparently someone thought I was trying to manipulate with the title. I was just trying to make a funny so I apologize for any confusion but as you can see, no ill will intended.

Welcome!
I am an annual pass holder who travels to the World often with my son and husband, but who has also braved two large family trips and lived to tell about it. We typically hit Disneyland once a year while visiting family on the west coast, but our heart is in WDW. Like most park goers, there's so much I miss as we rush from FP to FP or so many things we skip because of time or lack of interest from our high maintenance but lovable six year old. Over the years I've sort of kept a mental bank of the things I would do (read: Eat) if I was ever on a solo trip. And this past September, the stars aligned to make that a reality. I was able to book a last minute crazy cheap room at SSR and scored flights for $60 total. TOTAL! I would be silly not to go right? Luckily my husband thought the same. I had three full days and two nights to enjoy the World on my own. Plan #1 - eat as much as possible. Plan #2 - keep eating. This backfired at one point, but no regrets.

I love the independence of solo travel and do it often, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that being alone at WDW seemed a little daunting. All of my memories there have been made with my people, would I be able to make some on my own? With the help of Food & Wine festival the answer was, yes! Here's me and my one true love, the La Cava margarita.

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Pics are somewhat scattered as carrying food, eating and drinking on your own isn’t easy. Throw photography in the mix and I’m risking a spilled beverage. Not okay. Anyway, let's get started!
 
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Day one: Monday 9/16

Early flight in meant a whole day ahead. Quick stop to check-in at SSR and I was on a bus and to Epcot before noon. Having been up for 8 hours already I needed food and beer immediately. Which lead me straight to my first stop: Coastal Eats for the Pacifico True Striped Bass Tostada with Slaw and Fire-roasted Tomatillo Sauce and Mule Beer from Short’s Brewing. Picture from DisneyFoodBlog since I didn't take one:

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I was starving so my judgement may be skewed, but I enjoyed this. A little hard to eat as the crispy tostada shell shattered on the first bite, but the fish was a decent portion, the salsa was super acidic and bright and the purple cabbage slaw added great texture. The Moscow mule inspired beer was a disappointment. This is one of my fave US breweries, but the beer just read sweet with too much fake ginger flavor going on. Luckily for $4.50 it’s super small and hardly counts as a real drink, leaving opportunity to try other drinks! Leaving Coastal Eats on the way to my first FP I spotted the Chocolate Studio. I remember being interested in the liquid nitro chocolate almond truffle with whiskey caramel... so after reminding myself that I was on freaking vacation, with no one to stop me or whine about the next FP, I stopped to get one.

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And it was okay. I had to let it warm up a bit otherwise it was pretty flavorless. Once defrosted, a little of the chocolate and almond crumble flavors started to shine. The whiskey caramel was nothing more than just a sugary sauce and didn’t add depth. That being said I wouldn’t kick cold chocolate ice cream on a hot day out of bed. Pretty sure that’s how the saying goes. Next up, soarin' with Puddy.

After a few attractions I was ready for some more snackin’ round the world. Next stop, Flavors from Fire. I really like this setup because there are actual tables, someone grilling actual food on an actual grill, and all the menu items seem like winners. But I was here for the smoked corned beef. Crispy potatoes (chips, really) topped with a beer cheese fondue, cheese curds, smoked corned beef and pickled red onions. Pretty much bar food heaven. No pic but it's not an overly photogenic dish anyway. It was a large portion (like a good few ounces of meat) but the chips were really greasy so I ate the beef and cheese curds and was happy with that. The beef was the star and I wish I could just order that on a slider. The fondue tasted like real cheese which is always encouraging. Now it was time for a proper beverage. I popped into Canada and while the apple orchard theming was super charming, nothing on the menu tickled my fancy. I grabbed a Unibroue peach IPA (delicious btw) and kept moving.

Pursuing through the world about an hour later, I found myself in the American pavilion. At this point I wasn’t starving but I’m also never ever going to turn down a lobster roll. I’d read mixed reviews about this one from Hops & Barley so I scoped out the scene at the counter before ordering. All looked well so I took the $8.25 snack plunge. And it was legit. I’d say at least 2-3 ounces of lobster on a super buttery soft but toasted roll topped with the perfect amount of herbed lemony mayo. The lobster was good sized chunks not shreds like I’d feared. No onions or celery mucking things up. Everything just tasted quality and it was a good 5-6 bites of food. Possibly the best F&W item I tried. Picture from Ziggy Knows Disney since I was too busy eating to take one:


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Stuffed, I had one last stop to make for my beloved avocado margarita in Mexico. I ordered it from the same gorgeous Colombian I always do (hello Daniel!) and enjoyed it by the fountain in Mexico. Alone, in silence, just taking in the scene, with nowhere to be. And it was maximum bliss.

At this point I’d been going for about 12 hours straight so it was time to cool down and freshen up at the resort. Couple hours later and I was ready to go. Quick stop at MK then I hopped a boat to my evening destination: Wilderness Lodge. Ugh, I just really love this resort the most. The boat, the wooden walkways, the geyser, the lobby, the lounges. I’d never spent time in Territory Lounge so this was my first stop to catch some Monday Night Football and enjoy some dinner. The menu looked great but I settled on the mushroom soup and a Jai Alai. The soup definitely lived up to the hype! Sideways alert:

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After an hour or so I wandered out to Geyser Point to sit at the bar and watch the second half of the Monday Night Football game. I made friends with a nice guy over football. Kitchen was closing and I realized this was my last chance for food. All I'd had for the last five hours was a bowl of soup so I ordered the brisket dip. This would prove to be a mistake. It looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp since they started the Tron construction. Few bites and I was done. My new friend and I talked until they closed down and I headed back to SSR via Uber. In the middle of the night the brisket dip made a second appearance in the form of me waking from a dead sleep to throw up. Not the most pleasant way to end the longest day ever. This was the backfire I mentioned earlier. Would I be able to recover in time for the next day!?
 
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Day two: Not as long, I promise!

Things were MUCH more chill. I slept in, unpacked (just to repack the next day, ha), ironed a few things, then headed out around 2:00 pm to check-in at MK ahead of the MNSSHP. I hadn't eaten yet (thanks brisket dip) but knew I needed something to have the energy to hang until midnight. I wanted something light so I settled on a vegetable rice bowl from Pecos Bills which was perfect. Squash, black beans, and rice. Nothing too risky for my unsettled stomach, although I still couldn't finish it. Portions there are huge! Great value here if you want a lighter dish. Plus I wanted to save room for a WDW snack I have been chasing for years but have yet to try: the Cheshire Cat tail. However I would be foiled again as the stand closed at 3 pm and it was 3:15 pm. Just missed it. It has been closed every single time I have checked! Next time I guess...

From here I hit a few rides and grabbed a dole whip float before enjoying to calm of the Tiki Room. It was getting closer to party time so I made my way over to Cosmic Ray's to refill my water bottle (it's still hellishly hot in Orlando in September, now I know that) before getting in line for the main reason I attended MNSSHP: Constance's for Better or Worse wedding cake.
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Sideways pics drive me bonkers! Sorry! The line from Liberty Square popcorn cart was already snaking past the Christmas store so I hopped in line. 20 minutes later, I had my very own. It's served in a massive plastic shell which seemed wasteful. Once that was out of the way the treat is SO pretty. A perfect, miniature wedding cake with a hatchet dug into the top of it - SWOON! Digging in you'll first find some raspberry flavored pudding gelee whatnot that is very good, but there's a lot of it. The citrus cake is the real star and I wish the portion of that was larger. I couldn't finish it as it was pretty rich, but it was very tasty and so fun. Highly recommend picking one up!

Side note, anyone else ever spot these berries growing along the river at MK? What are they!?
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From here it was more rides, some trick or treating, some popcorn, but mainly just crowds crowds and more crowds. I caught some of the parade, but my view wasn't great. It was almost time for fireworks so I grabbed some cinnamon donut holes from Golden Oak ahead of dealing with the crush of the hub. I watched about 5-6 minutes of the new fireworks show before realizing it just wasn't for me. I was already on Main Street and it was roughly 10:30 pm when realized I just wanted to be in bed. So I hightailed it out of there ahead of the end of the fireworks and made it just in time for the SSR bus to pull up. I was back in the room eating my donuts within 20 minutes. The donut holes were crunchy, greasy and stale all at the same time by the way. Maybe they are better immediately out of the fryer? Word to the wise, if you order em' eat em' right away!

I'll admit this was a pretty lame food day, but I wanted to document as it seems every trip my "planning eyes" are always bigger than my "actually there stomach." Anyone else have this problem? Wish I was one of those people eating three course meals at signatures everyday, but I would combust.
 


Day 3: Last day already!? Also if anyone knows how I can correct the sideways photos please let me know and I'll edit right away. So annoying!

I had yet to hit AK or HS but really, I just wanted to go back to Epcot. So I did! I checked out around 10 am and was ready for breakfast at Epcot when I stumbled across the best breakfast I've had to date in the World: the Capirotada de Chocolate from the Mexico F&W kiosk. Here's what it looks like if you're laying on your side:

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It's a large square of cinnamon scented bread pudding completely doused in a chocolate creme anglaise "abuelita" sauce. Not too sweet, strong quality chocolate flavor... seriously perfect with the Joffrey's coffee I also grabbed. No way I was finishing this baby on my own so sadly about 1/3 of it went to waste... but man I am am still dreaming this. Who knew bread pudding was such a great way to start the day? I had my inklings, but scientific research proved it. Grab one and share it with someone you love ASAP.

Strolling through the lands my next stop was the pomegranate beer from Brewer's Collection. Oy, this was just a sugar bomb. I was hoping it would be tart like a sour but instead was just too cloyingly sweet. I still drank it because I'm not a savage, but I would not order it again. Also did you know that Hanson has a brewery and that one of their beers is featured at F&W this year?

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LOL. I didn't try it and I regret it now. That name alone is pretty great. Next stop, Belgium. This stand wasn't really on my radar but the promise of smoked gouda mashed potatoes was too much to pass up. This is a very small serving of mashed potatoes covered with more of a beer braised meat sauce than chunks of braised beef. Really tasty though. I could actually taste the gouda which was yummy, and while the little bit of beef I had was really tender, the sauce tasted mostly of carrots with a faint beer backbone. Not sure if a heartier helping would have helped, but for like $5.50 it was a good snack. Picture from DisneyFoodBlog is pretty accurate:

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Next I stopped at the Pub in UK for a proper beer and to cool down. Gotta love the Pub. Most realistic place to drink in the World in my opinion.

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Final F&W stop was next. Good reviews on the SPAM hash had me intrigued. It's something I've never tried and figured now was as good of a time as any. And I learned that SPAM is really soft. And paired with super soft potatoes it was a little unnerving. I would have loved for the SPAM or potatoes to have been crisped up but the teriyaki sauce it was in was very good as was the spicy mayo. It just desperately needed some texture. Still, worth a try!

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With only a few hours before ME, I hopped over to Disney Springs to do a little shopping and relax before the madness of MCO. Once there I realized I had no idea where I wanted to go! I wasn't hungry enough for a meal, but I did want a cold drink and a place to sit down for a while. I strolled by Wine Bar George and it was empty so I popped in and took a seat at the bar. At this point it was about 3:00 pm and I was so hot and sweaty and just unkempt in my park clothes. The only other people there were locals that were dressed up for their late lunch dates. I felt extremely out of place, but too late now! So word to the wise, it's a little more high end than your typically WDW restaurant. I ordered their rose on tap and an order of the burrata with grilled bread.

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Both were excellent and the perfect food on a super hot day. Highly recomend this dish with the soft burrata and fresh tomatoes. The bartender and I chatted and she was saying that it was about to rain. Sure enough, a few minutes later a storm rolled in across the water. By that point I had already paid so I ran out of there but where to go? I had another full hour to kill so I ran into the closest place I could think of, my beloved Homecomin. Their bar was empty so I took a seat and ordered a beer to sip. I wasn't hungry but I also knew I wouldn't have much of a chance to eat until the next day (late flight + awful MCO options near my gate) so the bartender twisted my arm and I ordered a side of Mac and cheese.

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It's just so good every time. The cheesy baked top layer is everything. I only managed a few bites but it was worth it. Back to SSR and onto the ME and home around 1 am.

All in all I really enjoyed my solo touring and I'm so glad I did it. I did everything I wanted to and nothing I didn't. It gave me time to slow WAY down and enjoy all of the surroundings. I was surprised by how many times I found myself just watching families, and tearing up from the pure joy coming from both kids and adults. Little dreams coming true everywhere I looked. I don't see any more solo WDW trips in my future because I just love going so much with my family, but I do recommend trying it once!
 
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I enjoyed your review and see nothing wrong with the title! You explained the intention behind it :-) I admire people who travel solo. It’s intriguing to me but I feel like I’d be lonely watching everyone with their families and / or friends. Glad you enjoyed yourself!
 
Thanks for the heads up on several eateries and fairs I've never been to as well as up to date info on some I've enjoyed in the past. Still haven't had the burrata at WBG so good to hear it's worthy.
Sounds like you really enjoyed your solo trip :cool:.

PS- it's a dining review/trip report- I get the word play w/i the title.
 


Thanks for taking the time to review. I have gone solo 3 times now with another trip planned for next year . I like the freedom of it but sometimes miss having someone to share it with ( especially when I want to try all this of food and don’t want to waste it )
 
Sounds like great deals on flights and the room so it was definitely meant to be. Glad you had a chance to go at your own pace and soak in the magic. I'm definitely the same in terms of planning being much more ambitious than actual stomach capacity.
 
I enjoyed your report! I did a solo trip last fall and I have to say that the best part may have been unpacking my little carry-on suitcase and realizing that I didn't have to deal with anyone else's belongings for a few days! LOL! Isn't that just the best???
 
I enjoyed your report! I did a solo trip last fall and I have to say that the best part may have been unpacking my little carry-on suitcase and realizing that I didn't have to deal with anyone else's belongings for a few days! LOL! Isn't that just the best???
It seriously is! Everything is just so easy solo.
 

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