Trip in Review (January 7th-14th)

This is my first WDW trip report. Ironically I did one for my DL trip, but never WDW, so here it goes.

First, I was not the one to plan and pay for the trip. I am among a family of 4: Me, my older sister and parents. Second, none of us realized that we booked part of it during the marathon week :blush: and on our 4th day we ended up getting caught up at the finish line for one of the races at EPCOT.

Day 1: Jet Blue flight majorly delayed But we ended up getting $300 in credit We arrived on the magical express, but due to our flight delay we wasted our first day at MK :( We rode the 7 Dwarves Mine Train coaster. It was ok, I enjoyed how swively and curvy it was, but do wish it was a tad longer. We dined at Kona Cafe. I ordered the famous Lapu Lapu non-alcoholic style and it was valid as a drink on the dining plan :thumbsup: I also enjoyed their coffee-rubbed pork chop, which believe me tastes nothing like coffee.

Day 2: Hollywood Studios-Enjoyed the new Star Wars stuff and Mama Melrose's for dinner. Very average food, the same as Tony's in MK in my opinion, but they make good pizza. Unfortunately, I did not make it past 9pm and went to bed early. However, my sister said the fireworks for Star Wars were spectacular, the best firework show in all of WDW. Also, from my preferred room balcony at All Star Music, I could see fireworks. Wasn't sure where they were coming from, but we assumed it was Disney doing practice runs for a potential new firework show at AK, the closest theme park to ASMu.

Day 3: A typical day at AK. My family personally isn't too impressed with this park overall as we don't care for the animals but we saw Festival of the Lion King which we haven't seen in awhile and it was wonderful. We ate at Yak and Yeti QS and I ordered beef teriyaki which came with rice. I thought it tasted good, but beware if you intend on paying out of pocket watch out for how much beef they give you. I honestly felt like they skimped my meal. It could of been my particular bowl, but you never know. Dinner was at BOG, our first time. Coming from someone who enjoys fine dining, this place was just ok. It certainly fits the bill for a dressier casual meal, but the food was average in my opinion. The French onion soup was made with chicken broth rather than traditional beef broth and melted provolone versus gruyere. Also, 3/4 of us ordered the steak medium rare, but all found ours extremely rare. I would recommend ordering "medium" for a true medium rare. Our waiter was very accomodating and we got a picture with the beast. Afterwards, we headed out to try Enchanted Tales with Belle. A must try if you've never done it! My family consists of all adults and we found it cool how they turn a mirror into a door and how you can meet Belle. I participated in the story as Felipe, the horse, and found the whole play easy. The CMs guide you step by step and in the end all the performers got a picture with Belle and a special Belle bookmark. Definitely worth a try!

Day 4: EPCOT-Not too much new stuff but we enjoyed the Pixar Short Festival screening next to Figment. Dinner at Chef's de France was enjoyed by all.

Day 5, 6: More HS and EPCOT. Dinner at EPCOT was at Rose and Crown Pub, a very under appreciated restaurant. I heard that the restaurant serves real cod while the QS outside only fries catfish or something (in case you were wondering why the fish and chips are more money at R&C). We ordered fish and chips and steak, all enjoyed. Because we timed our reservations correctly, we were able to go outside into their private balcony viewing area for Illuminations, very cool!

Day 7: Final day at MK. The QS lunch at BOG is a real winner! Although the sit down meal was not impressive, boy was the QS meal delicious! I had the croque monsieur which was the best sandwich I've ever had in my life. My dad and sister had the beef sandwich which they ate contently and my mom got the chicken nicoise. There was plenty of chicken and she didn't finish it. This may be one of the best QS locations in WDW, tying up with Columbia Harbor House. Very nice! Nothing else interesting happened, but we used up all of our snack credits for souvenirs for home. I will miss WDW and am already planning my next vacation

Thanks for reading!