999 Meals, But There's Room for 1,000 - An April 2016 Dining Report - Complete/New DR Link - 10/16

[nco91590]

Sigh....Skippers Canteen looks like the BEST PLACE to sit and chill with a tropical cocktail (filled with booze of course) and just get away from the hustle and bustle of the park. It just seems like SUCH a missed opportunity.

 

[DisneyJo]

Loving the face paint, Casey is so cute. Plus how great you were at Disney so quickly

Your meal sounded great, I doubt we'll ever eat there as I like to have my ADR's all planned out!

 

[Mrsd]

The falafel looks great. Right up my alley. The best I've ever had was in Israel, but it doesn't bother me that nothing else will ever top that.

 

[ammmk6]

Yay! Love following your trip reports!

 

[gmccreary]

So glad I am not the only one to think this: Why on earth is Skipper's Canteen not serving alcohol?? Also, my hubby and son wouldn't eat any of the current choices, so no biggie, but how wrong is it that I am drawn to BoG if I'm going to have dinner in MK so I can have a stinking glass of wine with my meal?

Looking forward to more of this great review!!

 

[ariane37]

I love Miss Caseys face paint choice! Adorable

I SO want to try Skippers Canteen but nobody else is willing. I'd do apps/ dessert and your falafel and arepas look delish. Maybe I'll tell the boys to leave me alone for a bit and trek over there by myself in Nov......of course, that would sound much more inviting if they served alcohol

 

[tyandskyesmom]

My motto...everything tastes better on a tortilla...LOL

Love your dining reports!

 

[ArielSRL]

Joining in. I need to go back and read your previous DRs as well!

 

[Elevationist]

You're proud of me for making reservations and I'm proud of you for eating right and exercising. Something is not right in this equation.

What can I say, I'm an enabler... Especially where food is concerned!

Thanks to booking a cheap airfare the evening before our intended departure we decided to take a page out of the @Leshaface playbook and stay the night at the Hyatt at the Orlando Airport. Even better I had lots of Hyatt points so our stay was free. While it sucked to be so close yet so far away from Disney this worked out really well. Our flight had gotten in around 8, we were checked into the hotel by 8:30, yet still arrived at Disney before 9 the next morning. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Yasss! I do this all the time, stay my first night in a cheaper off-property hotel since I spent most of the day traveling anyhow. Then get up and go check into my Disney resort bright and early the next day, thus maximizing optimal DISNEY TIME! Well done, you!

Casey felt the need to channel her inner @Elevationist and get her face painted.

Of course she did!

After all that room service started to wear off so a snack was in order,

I love the Tinkerbell-inspired design she chose, I've been tempted by that one many times! Also, those are the same Minnie ears I'm wearing for the Princess 5K next year. Is it weird that I share a fashion sense with your child? (Rhetorical question, don't answer that.)

Once Jason was on his way from the race registration I was able to book us lunch at Skippers Canteen without a half an hour notice. I know a lot of people are down on this place because of the "adventurous" food, but for a family of of Jungle Cruise lovers who love to try new things it was right up our bote, um I mean alley.

I keep waffling on if I'm going to try and eat here in October! I can't make up my mind! I'm not a Jungle Cruise fan, and I'm not so sure about the food. I think part of me just wants to go because OMG NEW RESTAURANT.

After some quick googling this is apparently Ambasha Bread served with a honey-infused mustard-style dip. Having no idea what Am, Basha, or Ambasha are this tasted like some wheat bread but the honey was the real star of the dish. It was sweet with a hint of spice and some cinnamon undertones.

Oooooh. That sounds super yummy!

Per the menu this is a “typical Egyptian dish,” made of spiced ground beef, corkscrew pasta, Béchamel sauce, and broccoli on the side. While i'm not sure how much of a staple broccoli is on the Egyptian menu front the actual mac and cheese was quite good. It was loaded with ground beef that had a nutmeg flavor to it and had a lot of cheese sauce on top. It could have used a bit more cheese inside of it and wasn't the best of choice on an 80 degree day, but hit the spot none the less.

Gosh, that looks/sounds delicious. I would totally order this.

The menu touts these as a trip down the Amazon with Slow-cooked Beef, Black Beans, Tostones, and Queso Fresco. I'm not sure if it was the Amazon or not, but if this is what the land of the zika virus tastes like bring it on. The beef had a slight bbq like flavor and while a bit salty, the arepas themselves are like a really thick corn tortilla (but oh so much better) so they helped cut through the salt. The plantains were crispy and delicious and the beans were cooked perfectly.

Ooooh, you say this is an appetizer? Hmmm... Well, if I DO decide to give Skipper Canteen a try, I think you just made my menu selections for me!

 

[vettegirl]

Great Skippers Review! I really enjoyed it there and am also surprised how dead the place is. However I enjoy the peace and quiet. Great idea staying at the Hyatt, ;plus for free is a no brainer

 

[kastoney]

What a wonderful start to your trip! Room service, MK, face painting and a wonderful lunch!

Casey is so adorable! The excitement throughout her entire body was so adorable on Magical Express!!!

Looking forward to more installments!!

It was most definitely a great start to the trip. I'd think at some point the excitement of disney may wear off on Casey but thankfully not so far. Every trip she seems to get more and more excited about all that awaits her.

Wow- Skipper's Canteen looks really empty!! That's a shame that the menu seems to scare so many off. The same day only reservations is interesting - wonder if more spots will go that route. Your food all looks and sounds yummy. Except the tapioca balls in the slush. I would not enjoy texture in my beverage. And speaking of beverage, why on earth are they not serving alcohol?? All these apparent cost concerns and the answer is staring them in the face!!!

I was shocked at how empty it really was. Not sure if its the day of ADRs or the menu, but I'd eat here over a counter service any day of the week. Of course I'd love it if more spots would go the same day route ; )

Yeah the texture in the drink was definitely weird but good none the less. Glad to see you're on the alcohol bandwagon. If its ok in BoG not sure why they don't let the other table services do it too. Skippers is clearly prime for something up trader sam's alley, but even the fact that you pay like $60 to eat at Cinderella's Table and can't order a glass of wine is crazy to me.

Sigh....Skippers Canteen looks like the BEST PLACE to sit and chill with a tropical cocktail (filled with booze of course) and just get away from the hustle and bustle of the park. It just seems like SUCH a missed opportunity.

Woohoo for another one on the cocktail bandwagon. And you are right skippers is perfect for it, especially if they had some outside seating. I can think of nothing better than having a delicious cocktail, overlooking adventure land, and just people watching all day.

Loving the face paint, Casey is so cute. Plus how great you were at Disney so quickly

Your meal sounded great, I doubt we'll ever eat there as I like to have my ADR's all planned out!

Thanks, Casey is quite the cutie. I'll take all the credit for that one

You should definitely consider Skippers sometime. As i understand it is never hard to get a time the day of so you could just "plan" on eating there just not have a time until day of.

The falafel looks great. Right up my alley. The best I've ever had was in Israel, but it doesn't bother me that nothing else will ever top that.

I'm sure absolutely nothing could top a true middle eastern falafel.

Yay! Love following your trip reports!

Thanks so much. Hope you enjoy this one.

So glad I am not the only one to think this: Why on earth is Skipper's Canteen not serving alcohol?? Also, my hubby and son wouldn't eat any of the current choices, so no biggie, but how wrong is it that I am drawn to BoG if I'm going to have dinner in MK so I can have a stinking glass of wine with my meal?

Looking forward to more of this great review!!

And that is 3 on the alcohol bandwagon with me. Must tell Disney the results of my very scientific polling so they can change things right away

I'm with ya on BoG for the alcohol alone, but I'm just not a big fan of the food at dinner time (or the reservations I need in advance). Think on our next trip I'll just do a little pre-game at the hotel before heading over. Unless of course that Disney change goes my way.

I love Miss Caseys face paint choice! Adorable

I SO want to try Skippers Canteen but nobody else is willing. I'd do apps/ dessert and your falafel and arepas look delish. Maybe I'll tell the boys to leave me alone for a bit and trek over there by myself in Nov......of course, that would sound much more inviting if they served alcohol

She is pretty darn adorable and of course does not know it at all.

You should definitely send your crew elsewhere for lunch someday and try it out for yourself. I think it would be right up your alley. And who knows maybe the menu change will at least put mussels on the menu

My motto...everything tastes better on a tortilla...LOL

Love your dining reports!

Thanks. Love the way you think!

Joining in. I need to go back and read your previous DRs as well!

Thanks for coming along on the journey. Hope you enjoy.

Yasss! I do this all the time, stay my first night in a cheaper off-property hotel since I spent most of the day traveling anyhow. Then get up and go check into my Disney resort bright and early the next day, thus maximizing optimal DISNEY TIME! Well done, you!

Yep, worked out so well. Looks like we are going to do the same thing on our next trip too thanks to the $59 flights I just booked us! Debating staying at the Hyatt again or if the savings are enough that we just head straight to the poly.

I love the Tinkerbell-inspired design she chose, I've been tempted by that one many times! Also, those are the same Minnie ears I'm wearing for the Princess 5K next year. Is it weird that I share a fashion sense with your child? (Rhetorical question, don't answer that.)

I'm so glad she finally went with Tinkerbell. She wanted the frozen one for the 1000th time but thankfully I was able to sway her. As I'm sure you gather Im so over Frozen and just in time for the new ride to open.

Biting my tongue not to answer your fashion sense question and...........its................so....................hard

I keep waffling on if I'm going to try and eat here in October! I can't make up my mind! I'm not a Jungle Cruise fan, and I'm not so sure about the food. I think part of me just wants to go because OMG NEW RESTAURANT.

Id definitely give it a whirl over a counter service if you can. Jungle cruise fan or not, its a ton of fun. AND ITS NEW!!!!!!!!!

Great Skippers Review! I really enjoyed it there and am also surprised how dead the place is. However I enjoy the peace and quiet. Great idea staying at the Hyatt, ;plus for free is a no brainer

Yeah the peace and quiet was definitely appreciated, I just hope it doesn't make them change it up any. Except for the lack of alcohol its pretty darn perfect.

 

[bbak30]

Yayyy! Another trip report. Can't wait to hear about all the yummy things you all will eat!

 

[toomuchtv]

I totally want that drink that Casey got. Can't wait to read more!

 

[ALEXandFAB]

FOOD!

I'm in

 

[LindseyJo22]

Once Jason was on his way from the race registration I was able to book us lunch at Skippers Canteen without a half an hour notice. I know a lot of people are down on this place because of the "adventurous" food, but for a family of of Jungle Cruise lovers who love to try new things it was right up our bote, um I mean alley.

Awesome! I've heard rumors they're changing the menu, and I will be very sad if it happens before I get to eat there :/

It was loaded with ground beef that had a nutmeg flavor to it and had a lot of cheese sauce on top. It could have used a bit more cheese inside of it and wasn't the best of choice on an 80 degree day, but hit the spot none the less.

This sounds quite tasty! Though not exactly what I'd probably order on a summer trip.

As none of the entrees jumped out at me I elected to get two apps for us to share. The first was the Falls Falafel.

Now these sound great - I love falafel, and an appetizer portion would be great!

My other choice was the House Made Arepas.

The other thing on this menu that makes me happy. When we lived in Raleigh, there was a local place that made arepas and I have yet to find them in most other places. I love love love them! Glad to hear they were good Can't wait to read more!

 

[Wood Nymph]

You make the scary food at Skippers Canteen sound not so scary. I would definitely order the appetizers that you had. They look good.

Do you think you will ever stay at the Hyatt again? It looks like a nice hotel.

 

[partyof2]

Hi Kari!

I'm really looking forward to your report; you're eating at a lot of my favourites

Great to see a rare review of Skippers' Canteen. Personally I think the inability to book in advance has contributed more to the restaurant being so quiet rather than the perceived exotic menu.

 

[momof3princes]

Skipper's Canteen always looks great to me. Especially the appetizers...although I think I will avoid the egg drop "tastes like the ocean" soup
Love how excited Casey gets to be at Disney and love the sparkly face paint. Boy moms LOVE anything sparkly since there is none in their lives

 

[suse66]

Love the review of Skippers! That falafel looks right up my alley! Definitely going to have to have a meal here in August....I think I need a longer trip!

 

[NJlauren]

Ahhhh!!!' I'm so late to this party!!!! I'm here and hungry for some food porn!