Christmas and New Years at WDW - "free dining"!!

[roxysmum123]

I haven't done a dining review for a while, and I'm hoping I know how to post pics now, but here we go!!

We were in WDW for 11 nights at Pop Century on the free dining promotion. It's AMAZING that we were able to get this for our Christmas and New Years stay. I warn you now, there's a good chance I've completely missed photographing some meals, and definitely a chance that I'll do this out of order, but I do promise to give as many reviews as I possibly can.

I will say, we will likely never book and pay for dining. This was our first time doing dining plan together and it just didn't really work for us. We felt too much pressure to shuffle meals around to make sure we used all our credits. That being said, we had nothing left over at the end of the vacation - so I feel like we used it fully. We will do it on a free dining promo again, but will book a room discount promo over free dining for sure. My husband is typically not a dessert person, and sometimes we can make meals out of a couple of appetizers, so it just doesn't work for us. As AP holders we've also got TIW so anything extra that isn't traditionally included in dining plan we used TIW on where we could.

ANYWAYS on to the foods!

 

[roxysmum123]

For our first meal there, we had reservations for Via Napoli with a Candlelight Processional Dining Package. We paid out of pocket for this, because it really didn't make sense to use 2 credits each for it. The dining package included appetizer, main, and dessert. You had pretty much free reign from the menu.

For our appetizers we had
[GALLERY=] [/GALLERY]
Mozzarella Caprese
vine-ripened tomato, fresh milk mozzarella

Salame e Provolone
dry cured sausage, imported provolone cheese

These were both....ok. Honestly, if these are the regular sizes, you tell me how thrilled you'd have been to have paid 9$ for them each. I'm really hoping this is just a portion for the dining package. The provolone also tasted closer to a hunk of parmesan to me, and they really were the saddest looking plates ever.

For our mains we both got pizza. Considering we usually split a pizza, this was our chance to get what we wanted and not just regular pepperoni.

Carciofi Pizza - Individual
white pizza - artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil



Piccante Pizza - Individual
tomato sauce, Italian spicy sausage, mozzarella

The white pizza was really good, I quite enjoyed it. The artichoke on it was something I've never had before and I found it both unique and delicious. My husbands pizza, on the other hand, was pretty disappointing. Even after he assaulted it with chilli flakes it was not spicy at all. He was seriously disappointed and barely ate one slice. Next time, we'll stick to our boring, but tasty, pepperoni.

The best part of the meal was dessert. We got

Coppa Brutti Ma Buoni
"ugly but good" amarena cherry and vanilla gelato sundae



Tiramisù
mascarpone cream, espresso coffee, lady fingers, and chocolate

Dessert made everything better. I love the ugly sundae and would go to Via just to order it. The tiramisu was a huge portion and really good.

Now, considering what we ordered and everything, I'm going to include the bill from this meal.....


This is why dining packages aren't always a great idea. We can often get out of Via for under 50$, so we darn near had a heart attack at this bill.

Would we eat at Via Napoli again? ABSOLUTELY
Will we go there for a dining package again? heck no

For us, it just wasn't worth it.

That being said, the candlelight processional was lovely and I'm so glad we got to see it finally. I would do a package for a 'high value' narrator, but on most nights I'd prob just take my chances lining up.

Up next.....Skippers Canteen!

 

[MiracleCream]

Following! Can’t wait to see all the yummy food over 11 days!

 

[suse66]

Looking forward to reading all about it. I feel the same way as you do with the DDP, paying OOP works so much better for us. I agree with your assessment of the appetizer plates but the desserts and your pizza look delicious!

 

[vettegirl]

Thanks for the VN review. We have yet to eat there and I enjoy hearing about all the different offerings

 

[DaisyNY]

Carciofi Pizza...my favorite at Via Napoli...have a reservation scheduled for our March trip!

 

[roxysmum123]

For Christmas Eve my husband had the genius idea to make sure we booked a sit-down meal somewhere. We were doing Magic Kingdom that day (I HAD to see the Christmas parade....it did not disappoint) and thought it would 1. be super busy and 2. have overrun counter service places. In order to avoid the crowds we booked lunch at Skippers Canteen. We weren't going to be using a dining credit and just wanted to get some appetizers. I had low expectations because our dinner here a few trips ago was a little lack-luster but I will say the appetizers are all total winners. We loved everything we got and will definitely come here again for a tapas-style meal and skip the entrees.



Orinoco Ida's Cachapas
And you thought our jokes were corny! House-made Corn Pancakes, Mojo-braised Pork, Black Bean Salad, and Avocado Cream

These were so, so good. I wish I could find somewhere closer to home that makes them like this.....they're a fork and knife kind of dish, so don't think you'll be picking them up like tacos but they are very enjoyable.



Falls Family Falafel
A secret recipe of Chickpeas, Garlic, Onions, Lemon Juice, and Herbs served with White Bean Dip and Tomato-Cucumber Salad

We won't complain about Falafels. They're yummy and the other 'stuff' on the plate went really well with them



S.E.A. Shu Mai
A legendary blend of Pork, Shrimp, Edamame Beans, and Spices wrapped in Gyoza Skin then steamed

Also really really good. Word to the wise though, don't pop one in your mouth without accounting for the fact that they're gonna be hot as heck right out of the steamer basket. Give them time to cool down!



In all, I think we spent 30$ for this and a couple of sodas and it was a heavenly break from the parks mid-day.


ALSO for dessert!! We went to get some Dole Whips and I found they now have Pineapple Upside Down Cake!!!


My absolute favourite Disney find in the last few trips. If the weather wasn't so cold later in our trip I would have had almost all of my snack credits used on these. And yes, you can use a SNACK CREDIT on this!!! It's as great as you're imagining, just get one.

 

[TigerKat]

Following along!!

 

[quandrea]

For Christmas Eve my husband had the genius idea to make sure we booked a sit-down meal somewhere. We were doing Magic Kingdom that day (I HAD to see the Christmas parade....it did not disappoint) and thought it would 1. be super busy and 2. have overrun counter service places. In order to avoid the crowds we booked lunch at Skippers Canteen. We weren't going to be using a dining credit and just wanted to get some appetizers. I had low expectations because our dinner here a few trips ago was a little lack-luster but I will say the appetizers are all total winners. We loved everything we got and will definitely come here again for a tapas-style meal and skip the entrees.
View attachment 295883


Orinoco Ida's Cachapas
And you thought our jokes were corny! House-made Corn Pancakes, Mojo-braised Pork, Black Bean Salad, and Avocado Cream

These were so, so good. I wish I could find somewhere closer to home that makes them like this.....they're a fork and knife kind of dish, so don't think you'll be picking them up like tacos but they are very enjoyable.

View attachment 295884

Falls Family Falafel
A secret recipe of Chickpeas, Garlic, Onions, Lemon Juice, and Herbs served with White Bean Dip and Tomato-Cucumber Salad

We won't complain about Falafels. They're yummy and the other 'stuff' on the plate went really well with them

View attachment 295885 View attachment 295886

S.E.A. Shu Mai
A legendary blend of Pork, Shrimp, Edamame Beans, and Spices wrapped in Gyoza Skin then steamed

Also really really good. Word to the wise though, don't pop one in your mouth without accounting for the fact that they're gonna be hot as heck right out of the steamer basket. Give them time to cool down!



In all, I think we spent 30$ for this and a couple of sodas and it was a heavenly break from the parks mid-day.


ALSO for dessert!! We went to get some Dole Whips and I found they now have Pineapple Upside Down Cake!!!
View attachment 295887

My absolute favourite Disney find in the last few trips. If the weather wasn't so cold later in our trip I would have had almost all of my snack credits used on these. And yes, you can use a SNACK CREDIT on this!!! It's as great as you're imagining, just get one.

I’m replicating this meal in April!

 

[roxysmum123]

Todays post is CHRISTMAS! Christmas was considerably less busy than I thought it would be. It was a great experience and we will definitely do Christmas at Disney again. I think the park you choose can make or break your holiday at Disney experience. Yes, Magic Kingdom is the most decorated (in my opinion at least) however we knew the crowds would kill our buzz so we opted for Animal Kingdom. With the exception of Flights of Passage and Navi River (because....Pandora) all of the rides were quite reasonable and even the characters were able to be done easily enough.

For breakfast, we booked Tusker House. Since I don't do buffet photos, I'll share a decor photo with you. They had a lovely gingerbread house right near the buffet - one of my favourite parts of the trip was all the gingerbread houses.


The buffet was great and we really liked the character interactions. I will say, if you are looking at a trip during a holiday or peak season book a character meal or two if you can fit it into the budget - this will save you a ton of time in lineups for character greetings.

We also hit Starbucks to grab our holiday mug ornament and I had to take a pic of the Rivers of Light cupcake.....we didn't get one because the amount of icing totally intimidated me lol but it's so pretty!



For Christmas dinner we joined friends of ours at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. This is a favourite of ours, and I wouldn't exactly call it a "hidden gem" but since it's not in a park I think it's overlooked a lot. You'll find the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club (shocking, I know) and that's just an easy walk from either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. If you're going there from another resort, I'd take the bus to Hollywood Studios and walk over using the walkway, you won't have to access any bag check area that way. A few items were doubled up at the table, so I'll only post one pic of each even if it was one of two plates of the same thing.

For appetizers we had:

Lobster Bisque
Maine Lobster, Crème Fraîche, Preserved Lemon, Fine Herbes

This soup is really lovely, and I likely wouldn't order anything else for an appetizer here. That is....until I saw my friends......



French Onion Soup
Sourdough Crouton, Gruyére Cheese, Rich Onion Broth

Our next trip, I am totally getting this!! It looked amazing, and the amount of ooey gooey cheese coming out of it was enough to make my cheese-a-holic heart sing

The remaining members of our table got


Caesar Salad
Crisp Romaine, Parmigiano, Coppa Secca, and Focaccia Croutons

Hard to screw up a caesar salad, but if it's what you're looking for it'll do the trick! Their seasonal salads are lovely too

On to the mains!




12-oz Prime New York Strip Steak
Potato Gratin, Peppercorn-Brandy Sauce

My husbands choice. He really enjoyed it, but barely made a dent in it. However it did make for great leftovers later in the trip!




10-oz Black Angus Filet Mignon
Mashed Potatoes and Cabernet Wine Sauce

Two of us got this. Simple. Perfect.



14-oz Roast Prime Rib of Beef
Sweet Potato Casserole, Horseradish Cream, Au Jus

If there is prime rib on the menu, it is a guarantee that my friend will order it. She swapped out the sweet potato casserole for the beef-fat potatoes. For her, this is heaven on a plate and she very likely could have died happy right there at the table (mercifully, she didn't)

After a very filling meal, some of us managed to find room for dessert



The Yachtsman Sundae
Trio of Gelato and Amarena Cherries

I'm realizing now I got a terrible photo of this. If you're looking for something lighter this is a good choice, and it was really tasty. Our server was all about these cherries, so apparently they're imported from Italy? Which is a long way to go for cherries, and they were good, but not life changing. But if you're ever here and get this, know that those cherries are EXTRA special



Buche De Noel

As this was seasonal, there's no description left for this anymore, however it seemed quite appropriate to order one at Christmas dinner!

If you have to be away from home for the holidays, a steak dinner will help soothe your heart. This meal was amazing, shared with good friends, and a perfect way to celebrate the holiday for us.

 

[Texans_loyal]

that VN bill would've given me a heart attack! following along!

 

[elsbit]

Wow, those Via Napoli sure were skimpy. At the very least, they could have given an extra olive and pepper/tomato on that cheese and salami plate! I have visions of people trying to cut up the olive to share. ha ha. I am looking forward to your other reviews!

 

[alltwelve]

Following along- that's smart to do a meal of just apps like at Skipper Canteen; kinda breaks up how each meal goes and is easier on the wallet!

Great pics!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Great reviews! OMG, I was like whaaattt??? at your appetizer pics at Via Napoli! I thought maybe you guys had started eating them already before you snapped the pic. Geeze. For that price they should be totally embarrassed to serve that! I love the Carciofi pizza though. That's a slice of heaven for me. Love your idea to have just apps as a meal at Skipper Canteen. Think I'm going to do that next trip. Can't wait to read the rest of your reviews!

 

[roxysmum123]

Boxing Day - December 26

I'll do today in 2 parts, because today was a pretty hefty food day. I have no idea why we were so ambitious, but alas here we go.

We had a reasonably early reservation at Be Our Guest for breakfast. We really enjoy the breakfast here but lets be honest, there's no way I'm paying 25$ for it out of pocket. The only way to get out of here for less than that is to order a kids meal at $14. This is a pretty fixed price event, you choose your main, it includes a beverage, and a tray of pastries to be shared at the table. If we were doing OOP, we absolutely would not be doing this reservation. HOWEVER it is an amazing use of a quick service credit - yes its quick service! - and if you are on the dining plan this'll be a good idea for at least one meal of the trip.

The pastries plate looked a little like this for 2 ppl


There was a regular croissant, a chocolate croissant type pastry, cinnamon roll, chocolate muffin and berry muffin....those muffins are the 'two-bite' sized. I like the chocolate croissant and the cinnamon roll personally, but there's likely something here for everyone.

My husband got...

Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich*
Poached Eggs, Applewood Bacon, Brie Cheese, and Arugula on a Croissant served with Fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries.

He really liked it, and its the choice he made last time as well. The plate is certainly prettier than what I got, which was...



Croque Madame*
Open-faced Ham Sandwich topped with a Fried Egg, Gruyere Cheese, and Béchamel served with Fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries.

Not the type of thing I would typically order, and does not photograph well at all, but it was very good and I would definitely order it again if we were to ever come back.

I get the hype around BOG, I really do, but honestly its a very pretty cafeteria. For quick service it is fantastic, I feel like I'd be disappointed in the space for a sit down meal - especially if they make the move to being 'signature' like the rumour I recently saw. All that being said though, their lunches are probably one of my fave meals on property - quick service or table service.

For lunch..ish...we went for tea at the Grand Floridian. We've done this once before and really love it, we will definitely be doing it again soon. It's a really great way to take a mid-day break from the parks and the food will definitely tide you over till dinner. The tea you choose your dessert option and tea - everything else is fairly set and standard. You can, of course, select more amped up tea choices though such as the tea that includes Caviar to the tune of up to 175$/2 guests. We kept it simple, and cheap, with the Bedfordshire tea

The Bedfordshire Tea – $35 Per Person
1st Course: Medley of Finger Sandwiches accompanied with Berries, Cheese, and Lavosh
2nd Course: Buttery Scone and Jam Tart
Finale: Choice of Dessert House-made Pastries, Strawberries and Crème, or English Trifle
Accompanied by your choice of Tea


The tea I chose was
Princess Breakfast Tea – A sweet custom blend of South South African organic Rooibos flavored with vanilla bean and a hint of strawberries. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and naturally decaffeinated.

Very lovely, didn't need to add anything to it.

Then your food items are presented on a traditional tiered serving dish


As you can see, our dessert choices were trifle and strawberries and cream

For the sandwiches we enjoyed

Clockwise from 12:00
Curried chicken salad
Egg salad
Poached pear
Onion tart
Goat cheese and sundried tomato (I think?)
Cucumber

I stole a few off my husbands plate. The onion tart is ridiculously good and I wish someone would come make me the curry chicken salad every day for work.



The scone plate comes with a scone, raspberry tart (amazing), lemon curd, clotted cream, and apricot preserves. It's very good, I really enjoy it. The scones have raisins in them, which I hate, but I love these. So that's saying something for their scone-game I think

Finally, I had the berry trifle


The tea is one of my favourite ways to spend an afternoon at WDW. If you have time, consider skipping the parks for a bit and slowing down and savouring a few hours of your vacation - no lineups!

 

[roxysmum123]

For dinner we went to O'hana. I have avoided this meal for years, and frequently have been known to refer to it as "the trough". I think it's a crazy amount of food for a pretty crazy price tag and the quality couldn't possibly be there to justify it. It's noisy, interrupts my meals at Kona, and just all out not my thing.

I was wrong.

We loved our meal here. I don't think we'll be rushing back BUT I also wouldn't hesitate to tell people to try it and really did enjoy my time here. We had one of the best servers we got all trip here, and the coconut races and other such events were not nearly as obnoxious as I'd assumed they would be. The food was all good, plentiful (that was never a concern though, haha), and well prepared. I just got a few pics, but here they are.


If they sold this bread and the bread you get at Kona at a gift shop, those would be my souvenirs.



The salad was really good. Honestly any salad at Disney is a good salad...by the time you get infront of some greens your gut is usually begging for a vegetable so I always make sure to load up.



Noodles, veggies, wings, pot stickers. I could have just ate this and been happy.

Also included was chicken, steak, peel and eat shrimp, and bread pudding. I have pictures of none of this, but believe me it was there. All were tasty, even the bread pudding which I typically don't try.

Afterwards, we moseyed downstairs to Trader Sams. We got....a few drinks......but the only one that was photo ready (apparently) was...

Nautilus
Barbancourt Pango Rhum, Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Combier Crème de Pêche de Vigne Liqueur, Tropical Juices, and Falernum. Served in a souvenir Nautilus

This was just over the top. So. Much. Booze. But it was really good, and of course my husband had to get the souvenir Nautilus so now we have one sitting on our dresser at home...sadly no alcohol in it.

Photo-free but the other drinks we got and can recommend are:

Poinsetta Punch
Myers Original Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Cranberry Juice, and Falernum with a splash of Lemon Juice

Polynesian Pearl
RumChata Cream Liqueur, Grand Marnier, and Cinnamon with Tropical Juices. The Pearl is yours to keep!

HippopotoMai-Tai
Coruba Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Orange Curaçao, Orgeat (Almond), Organic Agave Nectar, and fresh Lime Juice. Served in a souvenir Tiki Glass

Cheers!

 

[fallonkendra]

Joining in! I have many of the same feelings on the dining plan as you do - I felt like it was too much food, and I honestly like just ordering appetizers sometimes.

Those appetizers from Via Napoli look so sad. The pizza looks good though! We've only ate there once, and had the worst service we've ever had at Disney, so we haven't been rushing to go back.

I love the look of the desserts at the Grand Floridian tea room! So pretty!

That souvenir Nautilus is one of the only Trader Sam's souvenir mugs we're missing... maybe next trip!

 

[roxysmum123]

Alright, it is BEYOND time I get this done! I have a trip coming up and I can't leave this with loose ends before starting my next one!!

At this point, I don't remember what day things happened, lol. However I will do my best to cluster them by day/activity.

We went to Mexico to grab a QS lunch - the lines were getting to be in the 'intolerable' range with all the folks who got Disney trips for Christmas showing up, and those coming in for New Years Eve. The lineups here were astounding and I encountered my most hated people.....the ones that will stand in line for 20 mins, in front of you, and then get to the register and not know what they want. YOU HAD 20 MINS TO FIGURE THIS OUT!!! This is the easiest way to send me into vacation-rage....I just can't handle when people do this.

Anyway, the seating area was FULL but we were delighted to realize that during lunchtime you can actually go into La Hacienda to get a table there for your QS lunch - if you didn't know about this, you're welcome! It's a great respite from the heat and the crowds and almost feels civilized vs hovering staring diners down while waiting for their tables to clear.

We split two items.


Tacos de Pollo
Seasoned Chicken, Homemade Corn Tortillas, Mexican Rice, Refried Black Beans and Red Salsa

$12.50



I really enjoyed these, I love tacos so I knew I wouldn't go wrong here.

Also

Nachos
Tortilla Chips topped with Ground Beef, Nacho Cheese, Tomatoes, Jalapeños, Beans and Sour Cream




These surprised me! I liked them a lot more than I thought I would. I don't usually like the plastic cheese, but it worked here. We split this and I'd definitely go back and get it again. Also, the amount of people that ordered this with no meat or beans were astounding.


We also went to do the Festival of the Holidays booths and got a few treats to split.


Sauerbraten, Red Cabbage and Spätzle – $6.00, DDP Snack Eligible - Bavaria Holiday Kitchen

I really liked this, but I'm a sucker for anything with spatzle. Was definitely filling!

• German Artisan Cheese Plate: German ButterKase with Ham, Mushroom Brie with Pretzel Crostini and Tillamook Cheddar – $5.25, DDP Snack Eligible - Also Bavaria Snack Kitchen

This was OK. Honestly I was second guessing our purchase of a few pieces of cheese, but if it's what youre in the mood for this would fit the bill.

• Fusilli di Gragnano alla Carbonara: Fusilli Pasta in a Creamy Parmesan Sauce with Pancetta and Onions – $7.00, DDP Snack Eligible - Tuscany Holiday Kitchen

It was ok - definitely wouldn't get it if it was actually hot there. But for a holiday season treat, it was good!


Once we made our way back to Pop Century - I saw this cupcake in the fridge and couldn't possibly pass it up. It was more delicious just because of how adorable it was. If you don't love frosting, it wouldn't be for you, but if you're all about the sugary goodness you'll be in Mickey Santa Heaven




Next up will be Art of Animation QS dinner, and a little bit of Nomad Lounge!

 

[roxysmum123]

Lunchtime at Animal Kingdom had us visiting Nomad Lounge in lieu of going for a more traditional QS option like Satuli. I'm definitely glad we went here, even though we didn't order much, and we look forward to making an actual meal of it next time. This is a prime people-watching spot and a great place to escape the sun - if you're waiting out a FOP Fastpass entry time, this is a great place to do it!

Their drink menu was impressive, with way more options than you'd typically find in a Disney lounge. That being said, I was disappointed in my choice and plan on making a better choice next time I'm at Nomad.

Jenn's Tattoo
Ketel One Vodka, Watermelon, Hibiscus, and Lime Juice

I had high expectations for this, though I'm not sure why or how. It was way too sweet for me and had a candy-like taste to it. However, I must admit visually it was very appealing. I won't order it again, but if you like sweeter drinks this'll be right up your alley.

To eat, I only really wanted dessert for some reason. And, well, vacation. So I got...
Churros
Vanilla Crema, Chili-Strawberry

$9.00



I can not wait to get these again. They were delightful, not too sweet, and not to heavy. The sauces were great also, and next time I want to make a meal out of dessert I'll definitely get these again.


After leaving Animal Kingdom we went over to Art of Animation - the best part of staying at Pop is you really get two QS options. We also loved the AoA Christmas decor - in all it's 70's goodness


I got my stand-by fave at the AoA quick service
Surf and Surf Burger
Crab Cake, Fried Popcorn Shrimp, Tomato, Lettuce, Cajun Remoulade on a Brioche Bun with choice of two sides

$13.29



As you can see, I did fries and coleslaw as my sides. This sandwich can not be beat, and for the price its fantastic. The crab cake has a surprisingly low amount of filler and the fried shrimp adds decent texture as well.

Since my cupcake last night clearly wasn't enough, I went with another one here.

Really, I can't get enough of Disney cupcakes - they're terrible for you but they make up for it by being great for the soul.

If you've lasted this long, THANK YOU - thanks for your interest and for your patience! I have about 5 meals to go and some odds and sods to share as well - hoping to get this wrapped up before my Disney Springs weekend in August!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

I'm hungry just reading your report!