We’ll Use Any Excuse To Go During the Holiday Season. Another food-focused trip report. 11/28-12/6 (Complete)

[mickey916]

12/1 - Resorts/Disney Springs Day Part 1​

We woke up this day with only one thing on our mind - beignets! Usually we get them on our arrival day but arrived way too late and the next two days were park days. We were excited to see that the new hot cocoa beignets were making their debut on December 1st and made our way to POFQ to be some of the first to try them.

Our plan was to get one order of the Hot Cocoa Beignets and one order of the regular beignets.

Here is what the poster of the Hot Cocoa Beignets looked like (Photo Courtesy of Disney Food Blog)

Here is what we received:

Not really the same thing. These were disappointing, not just in appearance but also in taste. There wasn’t enough hot cocoa powder to taste it, the amount of fudge drizzle was way too little, and the pipette of chocolate milk just made the insides really soggy. You really couldn’t taste chocolate milk. They even skimped on the little sprinkles. Definitely wasn’t executed well.

Luckily we had also ordered the regular beignets with chocolate sauce.

These were warm and delicious as always! So far we’ve tried two different specialty beignets, last year’s peppermint beignet and this year’s hot cocoa, both disappointing. From now on, we’ll stick to the OG beignets.

After our beignet breakfast, I took a picture of one of the French Quarter’s Christmas trees:

We then walked down to Port Orleans Riverside to see their tree as well:

We just love the POFQ/POR resorts. We walked off breakfast by walking along the Sassagoula and then drove to Disney Springs to begin the Christmas Tree Stroll and, of course, visit Gideon’s. We stopped by Gideon’s to see if there was a virtual queue and found a very long line. The CM said there was no VQ and that she estimated it to be a 1.5 hour wait. We decided to start the Christmas Tree Stroll and hope for a shorter line or VQ later.

We did the Stroll last year and I wasn’t sure if the trees would be the same this year. I was surprised that even though the trees had similar themes to last year, their decorations were a little different.

Annual Passholder Tree:

Haunted Mansion Tree:

Disney Vacation Club Tree (We really liked this one):

It looks like the newly resigned DVC Fort Wilderness Cabins are on there as an “ornament”.

The Encanto Tree:

Lion King Tree. We love the Simba topper to this tree.

Up next...we continue the Christmas Tree Stroll.

 

[jrmint427]

These were disappointing, not just in appearance but also in taste.

Not the same thing in picture at all! I wonder if they were running low on ingredients? Seems odd they wouldn’t come even close.

The CM said there was no VQ and that she estimated it to be a 1.5 hour wait.

I’m hoping you say the VQ was there later! I didn’t realize they would have it off when the line is that long. It was turned off when the wait was 25-30 min on our last trip but that wasn’t a bad wait.

 

[mickey916]

Not the same thing in picture at all! I wonder if they were running low on ingredients? Seems odd they wouldn’t come even close.

I’m hoping you say the VQ was there later! I didn’t realize they would have it off when the line is that long. It was turned off when the wait was 25-30 min on our last trip but that wasn’t a bad wait.

I saw many vloggers get the beignets later and they always looked like mine. Not sure why they didn't at least attempt to look like the photo.

Gideon's for some reason was hesitant to have the VQ. There were several times during the week that the line was at 1.5 hours and they were not having a VQ...I don't get it. We walked away a few times. I'm not waiting 1.5 hours for a cookie or even for a slice of cake, especially when they have the ability to have a VQ. You would think the other vendors at Disney Springs would be annoyed that Gideon's is monopolizing potential customers by keeping them in line for over an hour when they could be shopping at their stores and still buying Gideon's cookies with a VQ....I have more to come on our Gideon's experiences...

 

[jrmint427]

I saw many vloggers get the beignets later and they always looked like mine.

That’s so strange! It looks like they’re skimping on toppings and you don’t see that much of a difference too often with Disney food.

You would think the other vendors at Disney Springs would be annoyed that Gideon's is monopolizing potential customers by keeping them in line for over an hour when they could be shopping at their stores and still buying Gideon's cookies with a VQ....I have more to come on our Gideon's experiences...

I agree! I’m surprised to hear that. The VQ seemed to work pretty well, you still wait 20+ minutes but they have a constant line with that so not sure why they wouldn’t use it. We won’t be waiting 1.5 hours in line either.

 

[mickey916]

12/1 Resorts/Disney Springs Part 2​

We continued walking around Disney Springs, taking in the decorations and Christmas Trees. For some reason, I love this wreath at Splitsville.

Here’s more of the trees:

Guardians of the Galaxy:

​

Disney+:

Star Wars:

Coco:

Minnie Mouse (this was another of our favorites):

We caught the last two songs of a high school band performing Christmas songs. They were quite good.

Once Upon a Toy Tree:

Frozen Tree: (this picture is actually from a later day, since the one from 12/1 had a lot of people sitting around the tree):

As we strolled around, every time we passed Gideon’s we checked the line…still at 1.5 hours with no Virtual Queue.

Up next…finishing up the Tree Stroll and a delicious lunch and snack.

 

[mickey916]

12/1 Resorts/Disney Springs Day Part 3

Princess and the Frog Tree:

Toy Story Tree (another of our favorites):

Disney Treasure Tree (that’s not really a tree):

Wish Tree:​

Town Center Tree:

Moana Tree:

​

Nightmare Before Christmas Tree:

​

After completing our Christmas Tree Stroll, it was time for lunch. We placed a mobile order at D-Luxe Burger for the Bacon & Blue Cheese burger and large fries to share.​

This is our first time trying the Bacon & Blue Cheese burger. It was so delicious! The fries were also really good! This is our second time at D-Luxe burger and both times we really enjoyed our meal! It is already on the list for our next trip.

After lunch, we decided to swing by Gideon’s again to check the line. It was still at 1.5 hours. We saw a manager and asked her when they were going to switch to a Virtual Queue. She said she had no plans to open it up at any time that day. It was about 1:30 at that point (which is significant later).

So, since we still had no interest in standing in a line that long, it was time for our plan B…dessert at the Ganachery.

 

[mickey916]

12/1 Resorts/Disney Springs Part 4​

Since we couldn’t get dessert at Gideon’s we decided to try the smore at the Ganachery, another first for us. However we discovered that as of Dec. 1st they were only offering the Peppermint Smore. As I mentioned before, DH isn’t a huge fan of peppermint. So, instead, we purchased the gingerbread pecan toffee.

It came in this cute little bag.

Here’s what it looked like:

We sat along the water behind Starbucks and ate the whole bag! It was delicious. It had a light gingerbread flavor. The toffee wasn’t too sticky and the pecan added an additional crunch.

It was now 2:00 and we continued our walk around Disney Springs. As we passed Gideon’s, we saw they were taking a Virtual Queue! Not a half hour earlier the manager said “We are not going to open it up today” and now it’s open. We started to wonder if we were just talking to some random guest in a Gideon’s tee shirt…lol. So, we put our name in and were told it would be a 45 minute wait.

We were called within 40 minutes to join the line and by 3:00 had our treats. We are not huge cookie fans but absolutely love their cake. It was our intention to just get the Peanut Butter Cup Cake and the two seasonal cookies. Unfortunately the Carrot Cake looked too good to pass up. So here’s what we ended up getting and eating throughout the week.

Peanut Butter Cold Brew:

I heard such great things about this and last time I got it I thought it was just okay. I tried it again this time “for science” and still think it’s just okay. I don’t get a lot of peanut butter flavor. I think I need to try Everglazed’s version for a comparison.

Kris Kringle’s Cookie: flavored White Chocolate Coffee Bean Cookie with Coconut, Caramel, and Vanilla Bean notes

I am not a big fan of white chocolate but I enjoyed this cookie more than I expected. I probably wouldn’t get it again but thought it tasted pretty good. My DH didn’t care for it at all so I got most of this one.

Cookie Vom Krampus: Triple Chocolate Cookie (which is really five kinds of chocolate) with the added bonus of cool and refreshing chopped Andes Mint

My DH preferred this one but, like me, probably wouldn’t get it again. I thought it was good but extremely rich. I could only eat a very small bite of it. DH got most of this one.


Peanut Butter Cup cake:

This never disappoints! The chocolate cake is moist and the peanut butter cup frosting is absolute perfection. We can’t come to Orlando without getting a slice of this deliciousness! The cakes are far superior to the cookies in our opinion.

Carrot Cake:

There was much discussion as we waited in line regarding getting two slices of cake, but just look at this beauty! We just had to give it a try. This too was phenomenal! The cream cheese icing was soooo good and the carrot cake was nicely spiced. These two cakes lasted us almost the whole week.

While we love Gideon’s and will always go there for the cake, I have to say it is a bit annoying that they let the line get so long before opening up the virtual queue. Having people stand in line for over an hour for cookies and cake is kinda ridiculous when they can just take your name on a virtual queue and you can shop and come back later. I really don’t get it. I am surprised that other stores aren’t complaining about it as it definitely cuts into their potential revenue to have people standing in line for that long when they could be shopping. There must be some rationale that I’m missing here.

Up next…dinner at another “first” for us…

 

[disneyAndi14]

The cake looks delicious! I really like the peanut butter cold brew, I’m not sure why, the peanut butter is very slight in the coffee. I love all the Christmas trees
Enjoying your report and all the food pictures, yum!

 

[mickey916]

The cake looks delicious! I really like the peanut butter cold brew, I’m not sure why, the peanut butter is very slight in the coffee. I love all the Christmas trees
Enjoying your report and all the food pictures, yum!

The cake is always delicious! Thank you!

 

[jrmint427]

As we passed Gideon’s, we saw they were taking a Virtual Queue!

WHATTT?? I was so invested in what was going to happen haha. I’m glad they opened it up!

Peanut Butter Cold Brew:

I really liked this but we didn’t taste much peanut butter until it was almost gone.

This never disappoints! The chocolate cake is moist and the peanut butter cup frosting is absolute perfection.

We will have to try cake next time - probably the peanut butter cup!

 

[mickey916]

WHATTT?? I was so invested in what was going to happen haha. I’m glad they opened it up!

Glad to see I'm keeping you in suspense! I'm glad they did too since if the line stayed that long, we wouldn't have gotten the cake.

I really liked this but we didn’t taste much peanut butter until it was almost gone.

I liked it but I too didn't get much peanut butter taste.

We will have to try cake next time - probably the peanut butter cup!

Definitely try the cake! They do a daily rotation that changes each month. If you follow Gideon's on instagram or sign up for emails they send out their cake schedule on the first of each month. We always plan which day we go to Disney Springs based on the cake offerings, lol!

 

[mickey916]

12/1 Resorts/Disney Springs Part 5​

After spending the day at Disney Springs, we returned to the hotel for a bit and then started to make dinner plans. I had originally booked the Boathouse but DH isn’t a seafood fan. The only thing that appealed to him on the menu was the burger and we knew we would be dining at D-Luxe burger for lunch so I canceled our ADR a few days in advance. Maybe someday we’ll finally dine at the Boathouse.

We planned to go back to Disney Springs for a quick service dinner and discussed our options. Nothing was appealing to us. Then, I had a brainstorm…why not try Capt. Cooks? We have never eaten there.

So we parked at the TTC and walked over to the Polynesian.

I just love the Christmas lights on the monorail.

Here is the Christmas tree at the Poly. It’s very pretty but kinda understated compared to the other Deluxe hotels. Also, there’s no gingerbread display at the Poly. I think that’s odd when most of the other deluxe hotels have some sort of display.

At Capt. Cook’s, we ordered the Pulled Pork Nachos to share.

These were very good. There was a variety of chips it seemed. It was very dark as we were seated outside so it was hard to see but we think there were wonton chips and kettle style chips. Either way, it was extremely good.

We also shared the Thai Coconut Meatballs. We have seen many vloggers rave about this dish so we figured it was worth a try.

These were absolutely scrumptious! I don’t really know how meatballs and rice can taste so good but we very much enjoyed this. It was one of the favorite things we ate the whole week! So much flavor! My DH wants me to try to make them at home.

Captain Cooks gets two very big thumbs up from us. It will be on our must-do list from now on.

After dinner we decided to sit on the beach for a bit and enjoy the view. After a while, we started to feel some sort of gnat biting us so we headed back to the hotel.

Day 3 Complete:

25,014 steps
$126.34 food cost

 

[mickey916]

12/2 Animal Kingdom Part 1​

We chose to only visit three parks during our stay as this trip was more about holiday decor (and food) so this was our last park day. We purchased Genie+ for the day but again it was probably unnecessary. For our first LL I booked the Safari since we like to ride it first thing in the morning.

We arrived at the park just as it opened for regular admission and headed to Pandora. I had purchased an ILL for Flight of Passage for myself so we skipped the mad rush to that line and headed for the Navi River Journey instead. There was no wait.

After riding it was time for our LL for the Safari. However as we approached the ride the sign said it was only a 10 minute wait. I modified my LL for Festival of the Lion King and we hopped in the standby line. It ended up being about a 20 minute wait.

We saw a fair amount of animals on the safari.

Our tour guide wasn’t the best we’ve had…very robotic. But, to her defense, there must have been people behind us that were standing up a lot because she kept having to pause her narration and say “just a reminder folks please stay seated at all times.” I had the sense she couldn’t wait to get us off her vehicle. Can't say as I blame her.

After the Safari, we needed some sustenance and headed over to Kusafiri. We ordered the new breakfast totchos.

These were just okay. The whole thing needed to be a bit warmer. Also the cheese curds weren’t at all melty. They were very rubbery. Not bad but not amazing either.

We also wanted a sweet component so we ordered the guava and cheese danish.

This too was fine but nothing we’d get again. It was basically a cheese danish with a smidge of guava.

To drink I ordered the new Coconut Cold Brew.

Now this was delicious and something I would definitely get again!

After our breakfast it was time for our LL for the Festival of the Lion King.

We haven’t seen this show since 2010 but we enjoyed it very much. Not really sure it needed a LL or even what that gained us but we used it anyhow.

The tumble monkeys and the bird dancers were our favorite parts.

After the Lion King, we walked around Gorilla Falls for a while and then it was time for lunch. We decided to pick up something quick at the Eight Spoon Cafe. We shared the pulled pork jelly donut.

This was surprisingly delicious! The donut bun was soft and sweet. The jelly gave a nice touch of sweetness to the pulled pork and the slaw added a much needed crunch. We would definitely get this again.

We also shared an order of mac n cheese.

We opted not to get the pulled pork mac n cheese because we felt we already had pulled pork in our sandwich. That was probably a mistake. This mac n cheese was just okay. It was a bit dried out and only lukewarm. It was just before noon so it’s hard to imagine it had been sitting out a while but it certainly tasted that way. It was fine. Next time we’ll try it with pulled pork.

After lunch we walked around the Tree of Life as we waited for our check in time for the Caring for Giants tour.

Up next…a sweet treat before our elephant tour.

 

[mickey916]

12/2 Animal Kingdom Part 2​

Since we still had time before our tour check-in, we decided to share a sweet treat from Tamu Tamu Refreshments, the Pineapple Crisp Sundae: Pineapple Crisp Cake, Vanilla Ice Cream, Pineapple Caramel, Crispy Streusel Topping.

This was a very tasty treat! The cake was moist and delicious with nice pineapple flavor. We both felt this treat could rival the ‘Ohana bread pudding. So good!

Finally we checked in for our Caring for Giants tour. We were greeted by our tour guide and then headed backstage to board a bus to the elephant viewing area for us to take pictures and ask questions.

Unfortunately for us the tour was a little disappointing. We have previously taken the Up Close with Rhinos tour and that one was much better. The keepers on that tour seemed more knowledgeable and we even got to touch a rhino. We were so far away from the elephants and I didn’t have the sense that the tour guide was truly that knowledgeable. It really felt like we were just seeing elephants in the distance at a zoo. In fact, we had gone to the Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island last February on an usually warm day and gotten much closer to the elephants and far more information from the elephant’s caregiver at that zoo (and that wasn’t a special tour, just us walking by).

This is a picture I took with my iPhone camera zoomed in as far as possible. We were over 100 feet away. I wish I had a picture that showed how far away they really were.

This isn’t an overly expensive tour but I do think it could have been better for the money.

After our tour we used a LL for Expedition Everest and the Finding Nemo show. My DH really enjoyed the updated version of the show. We also made it just in time to catch a performance of the Feathered Friends in Flight. How is this for an action photo?

We always enjoy this show. We also toured the Maharaja Jungle Trek. Unfortunately there were no tigers to be seen. I used my ILL for Flight of Passage and then we grabbed a LL for the Safari. This time we saw a lot less animals but we did get to see the hippos out and about.

I have to say though that this was a really fun ride. The CM was great and interacted so well with the group. There were some really funny people joking around with her and it was a blast. She even said it was the most fun she had had with a group on the Safari. Big difference from our morning safari.

We then caught a showing of It’s Tough to Be a Bug. I remembered to sit forward this time, as I hate being “zapped”.

The sun had finally set and we got some beautiful photos of the lighted Christmas decor and got to watch the holiday projections on the Tree of Life.

For dinner I had booked a 6:15 ADR at Yak n Yeti. We decided to share the Ahi Tuna Nachos with chicken instead of tuna, since my DH doesn’t eat Ahi tuna.

This was absolutely delicious! I now get the hype and I’m so glad someone mentioned on Facebook that you can sub in chicken. So very good!

We also shared the honey chicken. This was very fresh and tasty.

This was our second time eating at Yak n Yeti and it was excellent again. The service was great and the food was top notch. After our meal, the park was closed so we started to make our way out. I stopped to take this cool picture at Dinoland on the way.

As we were stopped to take the picture, a CM yelled “excuse me” over to us. I thought for sure we were going to be in trouble for not heading right out of the park. But, no, when we responded, “Yes?”, she said, “would you guys like some free popcorn?” and handed us a box! It’s funny, we’ve NEVER bought Disney popcorn and were just saying earlier in the day that we should try it sometime.

Free Disney popcorn has got to be the best popcorn of all! A great way to end our Animal Kingdom day.

Day 4 complete
25,380 steps
$117.62 food cost

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great AK day! Thanks for the tip about the Yak and Yeti nachos! My daughter won’t eat the tuna ones but would definitely try the chicken as a substitute!
I love the pork nachos at Captain Cooks so delicious
I will have to try the meatballs one of these trips!

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

12/2 Animal Kingdom Part 2​

For dinner I had booked a 6:15 ADR at Yak n Yeti. We decided to share the Ahi Tuna Nachos with chicken instead of tuna, since my DH doesn’t eat Ahi tuna.

This was absolutely delicious! I now get the hype and I’m so glad someone mentioned on Facebook that you can sub in chicken. So very good!

We also shared the honey chicken. This was very fresh and tasty.

This was our second time eating at Yak n Yeti and it was excellent again. The service was great and the food was top notch.

Ah! Now you have me second guessing cancelling our Y&Y reservation in favor of Jiko! We have Tiffins though the day before. Guess we will figure out if it was worth it!

 

[mickey916]

Great AK day! Thanks for the tip about the Yak and Yeti nachos! My daughter won’t eat the tuna ones but would definitely try the chicken as a substitute!
I love the pork nachos at Captain Cooks so delicious
I will have to try the meatballs one of these trips!

Definitely order the chicken "ahi tuna" nachos..really delicious and the meatballs are a must try too! I was thinking you'd be disappointed though that we didn't ride Dinosaur! It just makes my DH way too motion sick and I was already riding Everest (actually twice) and Flight of Passage without him.

 

[mickey916]

12/3 Resort Hopping Part 1​

Our quest today was to see as many resorts as we could to check out holiday decor.

We made our way to the TTC to park and took the ferry over to the MK. From there we took the boat to the Wilderness Lodge.

We started with breakfast at the Roaring Fork and bought this huge Grizzly Bear Claw.

This plate was one of those oval platters and we included the fork to give some sense of the massiveness of this treat. We found it in a warming cabinet and it was nicely heated. This was very tasty but also really heavy. We finished it but decided next time we need at least one or two more people to share it with. It weighed heavily in our bellies for many hours.

After our big treat, we headed to the lobby for pictures. I just love the Wilderness Lodge. It is so beautiful!

We happened to catch the geyser which is now going off about 10 minutes prior to the hour.

We then took the boat back to the Magic Kingdom.

We walked over to the Contemporary to take pictures of their Gingerbread display.

This one is actually our least favorite of all the gingerbread displays. Just not our style I guess.

I took a picture of one of the inside trees.

But the real beauty at the Contemporary is their outdoor tree.

We walked back to the Magic Kingdom and then took the walking path over to the Grand Floridian. The lobby was very busy!

I like the red decor on this year’s gingerbread house over the 50th one last year. So pretty!

The tree is also very impressive with its birdcages and 12 days of Christmas theme.

Another gorgeous resort!

Up next…move over Grizzly Bear Claw, we need a snack.

 

[mickey916]

12/3 Resort Hopping Part 2​

We still weren’t very hungry but I’ve been dying to try the macaroni & cheese at Gasparilla Island Grill. I’ve seen so many vloggers rave about it. It was so busy that there were no mobile order slots for over an hour out so we had to get it the old-fashioned way. It was very busy and very confusing. It looked like your typical food court type area where you would get your food and then pay for it at the register but there was a sign saying to go to the register first. So, we did. We placed our order for just a side of mac n cheese and two drinks. We were given a sign with a number on it and then told to take a seat. A server brought our mac n cheese to the table after a little wait.

My goodness this was sooooo good! It was creamy and cheesy and delightful. I figured it was probably over-hyped, but it wasn’t! I think my number one is still the loaded mac n cheese at Steakhouse 71 Lounge but this one is very good! I wish we had room in our bellies for a full order.
After our snack, we walked back to the Magic Kingdom. We love the walkway from Grand Flo to MK. We took the ferry back to the TTC and decided to hit the All Star Resorts to look at their decor.

All Star Sports:

All Star Music:

All Star Movies:

We wanted to try a snack at the All Stars but needed to save room for dinner.

Up next…dinner at ‘Ohana.

 

[mickey916]

12/3 Resort Hopping Part 3​

As anyone who has read my previous reports can attest, we simply can’t come to Disney and not eat at ‘Ohana. It is our absolute favorite.

We drove to the Poly, checked in and were seated at the same table as our trip in December of 2022. It is a perfect table overlooking the pool with Cinderella Castle in the distance. It was an MVMCP night so we were way too early to see any fireworks but it’s still a great view.

Our server brought over the delicious pineapple coconut bread with honey butter and salad.

We love both of these but always try to pace ourselves not to fill up too much on salad and bread.

Very quickly our server brought out our platter of sides: potstickers, seasonal veggie (broccoli), noodles, and wings.

This is the reason we come here so much. DH’s favorites are the potstickers and noodles. Mine are the wings and noodles. I don’t know why the noodles are so good but every time I eat them I fall in love all over again.

Our server brought over the steak and shrimp.

We find the quality of the steak to be hit or miss. Sometimes it melts in your mouth, other times it is chewy and tough. This time it was all chewy. We could’ve asked for more to try to get a better batch but we were fine without it. We each only had a few bites of the steak.

My shrimp photo came out super blurry, so here’s my shrimp photo from this past May.

While this picture is definitely clearer, I got way more shrimp this year and they were all mine since DH doesn’t really eat shrimp. They are always very tasty!

Our server also brought us grilled chicken thighs with chimichurri sauce.

I really enjoy the chicken thighs. They are perfectly cooked and the chimichurri sauce adds a nice garlicky flavor. My DH isn’t a big “on the bone” fan so he likes them but he prefers the steak (when it’s good).

Our server asked if we wanted refills and we asked for another platter of sides but told him he could leave off the broccoli. The broccoli tasted fine but it’s broccoli…so here’s our refill:

We ate most but not all of this. It was a lot of food!

Lastly, our server brought us the ‘Ohana bread pudding.

This was the smallest portion we’ve received. It’s strange how inconsistent it is. It was fine however since we were both very full. It was just enough to let us experience its deliciousness without feeling sick.

Overall, we enjoyed this meal a lot but not as much as previous times. Not sure if it was the grizzly bear claw still weighing heavily on us or the mediocre steak or perhaps the service, which was fine but not as good as previous visits. ‘Ohana still is a must do for us though and I’m already planning on booking an ADR for April (but no grizzly bear claws that morning).

Up next…visiting one more resort before calling it a night…