Full Review: Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot’s Germany Pavilion

You may remember how much I love sitting in the Germany Pavilion at Epcot with a beer and some food, and people watching.  Its really a perfect spot for a break in the middle of the day, and I thought nothing could top that.  BUT WAIT!  Enter the Biergarten Restaurant in the Germany Pavilion at the Epcot World Showcase.

How pretty!  We went near Christmas time, so everything was decorated.

The Biergarten Restaurant is awesome.  Seriously.  I was admittedly skeptical, we rarely book a table service restaurant at Disney, particularly buffet service restaurants as we never feel like we eat enough to justify it.  However, I really really enjoyed Biergarten.  The restaurant is located in the back of the Germany Pavilion on the let hand side.  As you enter the restaurant, you are “transported into a traditional Bavarian village” where you enjoy your meal while listening to an Oompah Band.

Empty stage at Biergarten, entertainment hadn’t started yet

Dance floor at Biergarten

All the food is buffet style, and is, of course, of the German persuasion. There is also a selection of German beers, which you can order by the 1/2 liter or liter (we went with 1/2 liters). You also sit at communal tables – I think they seat about 8 people depending on where in the restaurant they are. We had a party of 4, another party of 2, and us at ours and no one was too interested in chatting beyond their individual parties (though I’m sure that varies, depending on if you order the 1/2 liter or liter of beer).  For those of you who might get nervous about this sort of thing, it wasn’t awkward at all.

Beer and menu – shaped like a beer stein!

Menu page 1 – Beer Selection

Menu page 2 – Wine Selection

So.  The food.  GUYS THE FOOD.  Okay, so this is a buffet style restaurant, and there are plenty of food options even for non-adventurous eaters.  I’m 99% positive the food pales in comparison to what you can get in Germany, but regardless, it still tastes pretty awesome, particularly for a buffet.  The buffet starts with a selection of cold items like potato salad, macaroni salad, sausage salad (I didn’t know sausage was considered a salad, but hey…), rolls and pretzel rolls (GET A PRETZEL ROLL).  Then hot items like a seasonal soup (ours was beer cheese, which I used as a dip for the pretzel roll), roast vegetables, sausage, pork schnitzel (my personal favorite), meatballs, a carving station, etc.  Finally, a variety of desserts like black forest cake and apple strudel, among other things.  Everything was great, I don’t think I tried anything I didn’t like, but my favorite was definitely the pork schnitzel.  Actually I liked it so much that I missed it when I got back and made it for dinner about a month later.

Plate of flood with salad, a pretzel roll, some potatoes, sausage

Variety of mustards and suaces

Carving station

Desserts

Sausage, sauerkraut, and Bratwurst

Rolls

Cold salad selections

Veggies and schnitzel

Chicken and baked mac and cheese

Another shot of the carving station

Variety of cold salads and meats

Apple strudel

There really isn’t too much to say about the entertainment, they’re pretty fun to watch and for most of the time you’re eating they’ll be sort of in the background.  You’re going to have a specific reservation time, and the band goes on at various times throughout the day, but you will get to see the entertainment regardless of your reservation time, so don’t worry about it.  There is a dance floor, but no one was dancing while we were there – maybe because it was lunch time.

Show times for entertainment (dont worry, you’ll see them!)

Band at Biergarten

Overall, the atmosphere of the restaurant is really great and fun.  It will run you $15 to $34.99 per adult for lunch and $35 to $59.99 per adult for dinner.  Pricing depends on time of year.  It was $34.99 for lunch when we were there in early December 2016.

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on the Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot?

After being a bit skeptical as its kind of pricey for lunch, and a buffet, I was pleasantly surprised!  Of course, the beers are pretty big, so that might have had something to do with it, but the food was good (again, for a buffet), there were plenty of options, and the atmosphere was really fun.  If you’re looking for table service at Epcot I recommend it for lunch as its cheaper than dinner, but overall it was a good time and I’d definitely go again on another trip!

Full Review: The Polite Pig at Disney Springs

We live somewhat locally to the Walt Disney World resort area (well, locally enough that we can drive).  I believe I’ve said this before, but on our final day we like to visit Disney Springs to do any last minute shopping, grab lunch, go for a walk, and buy some Sprinkles Cupcakes to home (thus preserving some of our vacation for longer).  We were recently in Orlando for MegaCon, which will be featured in an upcoming post, and made our way over to Disney for a few days as well.  On our way out, we stopped at The Polite Pig for lunch, which is a “modern BBQ outpost with Florida cuisine and an array of libations on tap,” according to disneyworld.disney.go.com.

“Rules” at the Polite Pig. We definitely said no to the dessert menu, though.

Sign for the Polite Pig and and some of the outdoor seating

The Polite Pig logo. He looks pretty classy.

It is actually a quick service BBQ restaurant that has a full bar (indoor and outdoor), with indoor and outdoor seating.  You place your order at the counter, they give you a pager, you go find a seat and they bring you your food at the table.  While we were there they also came around with samples of blondies and oatmeal cookies which were pretty great, although not great enough to make us actually purchase one.

Menu behind the counter at the Polite Pig – it was actually this hard to see in real-life, but there were paper menus available for the visually challenged

Sauce bar at the Polite Pig

Because it was lunchtime, we decided to split a few things instead of ordering our own individual meals.  The menu isn’t too extensive, but has some great options on it.  We ordered the pork shoulder ($14), the mac and cheese ($6), and the hop salt pretzel ($10).  I found the menu to be pricy as the sides are à la carte, but since we were splitting all of this it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and trust me this was plenty of food.  We also didn’t have any alcoholic beverages on this trip (again, lunch, and we needed to drive home), which kept the cost down.

Pork shoulder, pretzels, beer cheese fondue (top left), IPA mustard (hard to see in the middle).

Better view of the beer cheese fondue and IPA mustard, plus some of the sauces from the sauce bar.  I’m not positive what these were, I found them un-remarkable.

Better view of the mac and cheese and one of the pretzels.

The Polite Pig actually doesn’t get great reviews on Yelp, although I think most of it is due to the food cost issue.  We actually really enjoyed everything we had, particularly the pork shoulder.  The Polite Pig has a “BBQ sauce” bar (… actually, its just dispensers, like ketchup/mustard dispensers, and paper cups), which has a variety of options you can see on the menu, but we found that the pork shoulder really didn’t need any sauces to make it enjoyable, it was actually very flavorful on its own.  We did dip the pretzel in each one of the sauces, and while good, they were nothing to write home about.  The pretzel itself comes with beer cheese fondue (a HUGE AMOUNT OF IT) and IPA mustard, both of which were incredibly tasty – so much so that I usually couldn’t decide which to dip my pretzel into.  Finally, the mac and cheese was REALLY GOOD GUYS.  Sometimes mac and cheese can be kinda flavorless, but I really enjoyed it.

A very tilted picture of the Polite Pig interior.

Outdoor bar seating at the Polite Pig

Lets talk about seating.  There is indoor and outdoor seating, and its a pretty big place, we didn’t have to wait long to find a table.  They seemed right on top of cleaning off the tables as soon as one party was done, so even though we had a minute of “table-hovering,” we still sat down at a clean table.  There is also a lot of bar seating available, or I suppose you could get your food to-go and sit somewhere outside at Disney Springs.  The only thing I’ll mention about this is the day we were there was really hot (around 95 degrees), and while there were still people sitting in the “patio” area as it was partially shaded, I don’t think this would be the best place to sit in the middle of August, which would cut out some of the seating options.

Taps at the bar

Taps behind the counter where you order food

I’ll also say that while we didn’t partake, the bar options certainly looked intriguing.  I don’t really like bourbon, but there is a bourbon bar with options ranging from $9 to $99.  I suppose if I liked bourbon this would entertain me more.  There are also a variety of beers (I really like Florida Cracker from Cigar City, you should give it a try if you can find it in your area or if you happen to go somewhere that has it), and cocktails on tap.  Again, you can see all of these options on their menu.

Polite Pig Merchandise!

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on the The Polite Pig in Disney Springs?

Well, I liked the Polite Pig. I thought it was a good option for lunch and we definitely got plenty of food, despite not ordering our own meals. We actually brought one of the pretzels home because it was too much (and BBQ is really heavy). I do think its pretty expensive given that you need to order the sides separately, but I would go back, possibly sit at the bar, and try some of the beers or cocktails.

And yeah, on a slightly unrelated note, if you can find Cigar City beers anywhere, definitely give them a try.

Full Review: Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, FL

And now for something completely different… Sort of.  Disney owns Star Wars so I suppose this counts.  This post is about Star Wars Celebration.

Star Wars Celebration at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL

If you’ve read any more than one of my posts you might have figured out that I really love Star Wars.  So much, that we went to the mecca of Star Wars in Orlando in April of this year.  Held at the Orange County Convention Center (this year, some years its in California, some in Europe), Star Wars Celebration is a 4-day convention of, you guessed it, Star Wars.

Giant Tie Fighter

BB-8 VW Bug

Nissan Rogue and Rogue One stuff

Rancor

AT-AT Walker

Lets talk about what you can do at Star Wars Celebration.   There are so many options… Walk the floor, go shopping, go to panels and events, visit the tattoo area, visit artists alley, get celebrity autographs and pictures…

“The only fight: against the dark side. Through the ages, I’ve seen evil take many forms. The Sith. The Empire. Today, it is the First Order.”

There was so much going on that this would be an incredibly long blog post if I were to talk about everything.  One day we were on out feet for roughly 16 hours straight.  I’m going to touch on a few things that were particularly fun and have particularly interesting pictures to share.  Essentially, let this be a guide for if you’re ever at a Con and come across any of these things.

“Utini!”

The R2-D2 Builders Club:

These guys and gals are so cool.  They build screen accurate, and not-so-screen accurate working R2-D2s and Mouse Droids.  They were all on display in their own room so you could see everyones creations.  They also host races, panels on droid building and droid building history, and are all around awesome.  While we didn’t make it to any of the panels this time around, we strolled through the Droid Builders Room with over 100 droids on display.  Really makes you want to try your hand at it (you know, if you didn’t live in a 2 bedroom apartment and had more room).

The 501st Legion of Stormtroopers:

The 501st Legion is an all-volunteer costuming organization that performs costumed charity and volunteer work.  The costumes are ridiculous.  At Celebration they had an area with some displays of costumes, helmets, photo-opportunity areas, and where a lot of the 501st hung out in costume.  It was so fun to see everyone in their costumes and to see the hard work everyone put in!

Panels:

We went to a bunch of panels.  Some better than others, but none of them disappointed.  While we couldn’t get into the larger panels, like the 40th Anniversary Panel (hosted by Warwick Davis, featuring Kathleen Kennedy), or The Last Jedi Panel (which had surprise guest Harrison Ford), we still went to as many as we could.  Well… We may have been able to get into those panels, but you had to wait overnight, sleeping on the conference center floor.   Warwick Davis (the guy who played Wicket the Ewok) was a fantastic and funny host.  The panels that particularly shined were Anthony Daniels:  40 Years with Theepio, where Warwick Davis and Anthony Daniels displayed a special type of chemistry.

Warwick Davis and Anthony Daniels

…Anthony Daniels as a C3PO Tape Dispenser

The Music of Rogue One:  Analysis with David Collins was one of the absolute coolest panels I have ever been to, David Collins completely broke down the score of Rogue One, talked about the themes of the score, its ties to John Williams original score – I learned so much.

One section of seating for a panel

Finally, the Heroines of Star Wars Panel, which featured Carrie Beck, Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka), and Tiya Sircar (Sabine) who spoke about the importance of female role models in Star Wars.  The best part of this was the sudden and surprise appearance by Daisy Ridley!  You never know whats going to happen!

Actually, at Celebration 2012, we had a surprise George Lucas appearance at the Star Wars Detours Panel – awesome!  Except no Star Wars Detours…

Daisy Ridley, Ashley Eckstein, Tiya Sircar, Dave Filloni, and Carrie Beck

Alright, that all being said, lets talk logistics.

I will fully admit, day one logistics were all around poor.  So poor that the company that was running the con, ReedPop, issued an apology.  We waited in a 2 hour, 2 mile long line outside in Florida in the sun to get into the building.  We assume this was because of security bringing everyone through one entrance, but by the time we got to the front they just waved us through metal detectors that didn’t even seem to be on.  Every single thing was a line.  There was a constant 2 hour line to get into the Official Celebration Store, lines for panels (even overnight lines), lines to get food… LINES EVERYWHERE.  While this is my main complaint, the convention was around 70,000 people, so I would have expected some lines, but would have preferred to not wait in the sun for 2 hours to get in the building.  The following days were better, while we still waited in line we were inside, and got on the floor much faster.

…Line.

Line.

LINE.

There were fast passes available to get into the Celebration Store, allowing you to skip the line, but you had to run over to the store as soon as you got in when the Con opened to get one.

Panel backsplash

For the large and medium sized panels, a wristband system was in place.  As soon as you enter the building you can choose 2 wristbands, allowing you entry into a given panel.  Once you get your wristband, you’re guaranteed a seat.  If you want a great seat you still need to get there early and queue.  If you’re okay with a mediocre seat, you can show up 5 minutes before the panel starts because you cant bear another minute of waiting in line, and walk right in.  This was done in an effort to mitigate giant lines for every single panel at all times of the day.  We got into a lot of panels, but also learned very quickly not to be picky.  For instance, we really wanted to go to Mark Hamill’s panel or the Carrie Fisher Tribute panel, but the wristbands were gone pretty fast, so we planned second and third choices.  I cant comment on the overnight campout lines because we didn’t participate, however, the 40th Anniversary Panel and the Last Jedi Panel were streamed on the convention center floor (… with some technical issues and some sound issues, but still).

Waiting for The Last Jedi Panel to start

While I would have loved to have attended the Last Jedi Panel, watching the trailer with thousands of other fans standing on the convention center floor, in my Rey cosplay, was a moment that is pretty special to me as a Star Wars fan.  The excitement was palpable.

Still waiting for the trailer!

Finally, I highly recommend leaving the convention for lunch instead of waiting at the food stands in the convention center.  There are 5734957430 hotels and restaurants near by, all of which will be less crowded.

Overall, I definitely recommend going to Star Wars Celebration if it comes back to Orlando.  But, you have to be willing to go with the flow.  No more panel wristbands?  Thats okay, you get to see surprise Daisy Ridley at a different panel.  Wait in a two hour line?  Look at the awesome costumes!  You’re going to have fun, regardless of the hiccups you may encounter.  Just enjoy it.

Full Review: The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

Despite the remarkably silly name (seriously I feel awkward typing it), The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort is a amazingly fun time, really for all ages.  Hoop Dee Doo, which I will now shorten to “HDD” for the remainder of this blog post, is a 2 hour dinner show featuring the “Pioneer Hall Players” with rousing Wild West dancing, singing, and vaudeville comedy.  Thats what it says on the website.  Seriously though, it really is fun, and the food is great.

The outside of Pioneer Hall, waiting for HDD to start

You get a nice commemorative picture near this sign with your group that will show up with your photo-pass

HDD is located at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort in Pioneer Hall.  I’ve written about Fort Wilderness in my post about Crockett’s Tavern, and again I recommend taking the very pretty boat ride from Magic Kingdom over to Fort Wilderness, and getting there early to either get a drink at Crockett’s Tavern, or walk the grounds of Fort Wilderness.  If you go that route, the only thing I recommend is leaving early, because the boat can get backed up right before HDD begins.

Seating options and pricing at HDD, as of 4.30.2017 from the Walt Disney World website

There are 3 seating times for HDD, 4:00pm, 6:15pm, and 8:30pm.  You’ll get the same show at each seating, and they are all priced the same.  There are tiers of pricing that are determined by where you are sitting.  You have a good view wherever you are, so its really up to you.  I will say that I actually prefer the balcony seating because there is only one row of tables up there, so there isn’t anyone in between you and the stage-action.  Also because I’m not very big on audience participation, and if you’re in the main floor category 1 seating area, you might get some of that.  I wont spoil it for you.

View of the stage from the balcony

View of the stage from Tier 2 seating

HDD, as I said, is a dinner show.  Its actually one of the longest running musical theater performances in the United States, which is kind of cool.  Its been running since 1974.  The show consists of 6 people with live musical accompaniment, who are a “traveling theater troupe” in the Wild West (get it, Pioneer Hall Players…?  Yeah.).  Since its a musical, there are plenty of songs, but also skits and jokes and some general funniness that will keep everyone in your family entertained.  At the end of the night, get ready to spin your checked napkin over your head and/or play a washboard with a spoon, because thats what you’re going to be doing, along with the rest of the audience.  You’ll have fun, really.  I know it sounds silly when you’re a 30 year old adult without any kids.  You should go anyway.

The HDD players, image courtesy disneyworld.go.com

Okay, but it does bother me a little bit that people are spinning their dirty napkins over their head and rubbing used spoons on washboards, but that might just be me.  Its still fun.  I guess thats just part of the spirit of the evening.

HDD Menu

Salad at HDD

Cornbread and butter at HDD

Moving on.  Lets talk about the food.  THE AMAZING FOOD.  I’m not kidding, it really is great.  Its all you can eat and you will be very excited about it being all you can eat.  Its also all you can drink, with choices of non-alcoholic drinks, wine, beer (bud light or yuengling, nothing that entertaining), and sangria.  Unfortunately the last time we were at HDD I was horrendously ill with some kind of flu/cold/disease, so I was woefully unable to partake, but they’ll bring you a pitcher of the alcoholic drinks if you ask.  They’re all served in mason jars.  Cute.

Beer at HDD

For food, you get this amazing selection of cornbread, salad, fried chicken, BBQ pork ribs, a seasonal veggie (its usually corn), mashed potatoes, beans, and strawberry shortcake.  We also got surprise mac-and-cheese last time, which was super exciting.  THE FRIED CHICKEN IS SO GOOD I DREAM ABOUT IT.  All of these are brought to your table in metal buckets that they will slam onto the table making an exceptionally loud noise that will scare the hell out of you if you’re not paying attention and are watching the show.  You can ask for seconds of anything you’d like.

Corn, beans, etc.

Corn, fried chicken, BBQ ribs, mashed potatoes

Mac and cheese

Mashed potatoes, corn, fried chicken, BBQ ribs

You probably shouldn’t fill up on cornbread or salad, but honestly they’re really REALLY good.

Strawberry shortcake, DOESN’T IT LOOK GOOD?!

The real show-stopper (hah, get it, because its a dinner show?  …I’m so sorry…), is the strawberry shortcake.  Its great.  SO GREAT.  The only thing that I wish is that you have a little bit more time to eat it.  Its served at the end of the night, because obviously its dessert, and you eventually need to leave and stop eating.  I eat really slow so this is sometimes an issue with dinner show type settings.  Regardless of this criticism, its still awesome.

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue?

I know, it has a silly name.  I know, you might feel stupid as a couple of adult 30 year olds going to a Disney dinner show.  And I know, all you can eat BBQ when there are some really awesome and creative restaurants at Disney combined with what is essentially shitty beer might sound less than tempting at first glance.

You should go anyway.  HDD is one of my favorite dinner experiences at Disney.  Its fun, even the silly singing is fun, the food is actually some of the better food I’ve had on property, and its just done right.

There is definitely a reason this is one of the longest running dinner theater shows in America.  When Disney does something for over 40 years, they definitely do it correctly.

Its also really fun if you go for any sort of life event, like a birthday or anniversary.  They will point it out, and its definitely a fun event to commemorate the occasion.

Full Review: Sprinkles Cupcakes at Disney Springs

Sprinkles Cupcakes is a California-based cupcake bakery chain that sells hands-down the best cupcake I have ever had in my life.  And there is one in Disney Springs.  And I’ve asked everyone I know to vote for a South Florida location.  Or possibly Boston, so we can have Sprinkles Cupcakes at our upcoming wedding.

Look at all the cupcakes!

One can only hope.

Sprinkles, if you’re listening, South Florida or Boston would be great.

Something about their frosting is ridiculous.  And the cake.  I think I’m drooling.

Frosting cupcakes at Sprinkles

Sprinkles has a rotating menu of cupcake flavors depending on day of the week and season.  I recommend the flagship flavor, the quintessential, the one and only Sprinkles Cupcake.  And actually all of the other flavors too.  Just go and get cupcakes.  So far we have sampled, the Sprinkles Cupcake, the carrot cake cupcake, the salty caramel cupcake, the black and white cupcake, the peppermint chocolate cupcake (during Christmas), and the vanilla cupcake, and probably others.  I’m not even sure.  They’re all amazing.

Sprinkles Cupcake

In order of amazingness, here are my rankings:

1.  Sprinkles Cupcake
2.  Carrot Cake Cupcake (this is the only time I have ever rated something with carrot cake second)
3.  Salty Caramel Cupcake
4.  Peppermint Chocolate Cupcake
5.  Black and White Cupcake
6.  Vanilla Cupcake

Carrot Cake Cupcake

Peppermint Chocolate Cupcake

But really they’re all pretty much tied.  The cupcakes come in 2 sizes, large and these adorable mini cupcakes, so you can try 2 flavors.  Or three.  Or four.

 

Mini Sprinkles Cupcake, look at how cute it is!

In addition to cupcakes, Sprinkles also sells cupcake sandwiches (a scoop of ice cream between two halves of a cupcake or two cookies), shakes and floats, sundaes, cookies, and ice cream.

And frosting shots.  Yes, that is just a cup of frosting for $1.50.

Sprinkles Menu

We have gotten one of the cookies and some ice cream, and admittedly they were somewhat unmemorable next to the cupcakes.

Salted caramel cupcake, vanilla cupcake, peanut butter cup ice cream

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on Sprinkles Cupcakes at Disney Springs?

GO. TO. SPRINKLES.

What we like to do is arrive at Disney.  Go to Disney Springs.  Get some drinks and a snack at Hangar Bar.  Get two mini cupcakes at Sprinkles.  Then head to Epcot.

On the day we leave we get two cupcakes in a to-go box (which they will happily do, and give you an instruction sheet for how best to care for your cupcakes), and save them for dessert the next day when we’re sad we’re not at Disney.  Its awesome.

Sprinkles To-Go Box

Sprinkles Cupcakes in their to-go box

 

 

Full Review: La Cava del Tequila in the World Showcase at Epcot

This is really more of a snack/drink post, as that is what La Cava del Tequila sells.  Located in the Mexico Pavilion in the World Showcase at Epcot, La Cava del Tequila is a must try.

Pyramid in the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot – There are entrances to the left and right.

Depending on your Epcot strategy, you can walk from the front gate of Epcot to the gigantic lake, and take either a right or left into the World Showcase.  If you take a left, you walk into the Mexico Pavilion.  If you take a right, you’ll hit the Canada Pavilion first.  While the Canada Pavilion does have a kiosk serving one of the best rated beers in the world according to Beer Advocate, La Fin du Monde by Unibroue, I recommend going left to Mexico and ending at Canada.  This is partially because the Canada Pavilion is otherwise boring, with the exception of the 360 video featuring Canada’s own Martin Short. If you’re into Martin Short, thats fun…?

Martin Short is everywhere – O Canada!

Anyway.

Once you take the recommended left hand turn into the World Showcase, you’re greeted with the gigantic mesoamerican pyramid that is the main focus of the area.  The Mexico Pavilion actually has a huge amount of food and drink choices.  Outside the pyramid there is La Cantina de San Angel, a quick-service spot right on the water with tacos, nachos, etc.  We’ve gotten nachos from here before and while they are definitely gigantic, I didn’t think they were anything to write home about.  They were the type with liquid cheese, canned jalapeños, etc.  There is also a sit-down restaurant outside the pyramid, La Hacienda de San Angel, which we have always wanted to try but never have because we always end up at La Cava del Tequila.  Inside the pyramid, there is another sit-down restaurant, The San Angel Inn, that overlooks the Gran Fiesta Tour (or the Mexico boat ride as most people call it).  If you’re there during the Food and Wine Festival, that means you get to sit and eat your lunch or dinner while watching drunken adults get really overly excited on the boat ride.  They will probably wave.  Excitedly.

Sign for La Cava del Tequila

The final food/drink option is La Cava del Tequila, located inside the pyramid on your right as you come in.  You’ll know you found it due to the giant line of people standing outside.  These people are waiting for drinks to go.  Skip all of them and walk up to the host or hostess and ask for a table.  If there are two of you, you’ll probably get in and sit faster than all those people waiting in line.  I’ve seen parties of 8 get seated in 20 minutes during the Food and Wine Festival when there was a line of at least 50 people reaching outside the pyramid.

 

Food and some drinks at La Cava del Tequila

Open seats!!

La Cava del Tequila sells, obviously, a lot of different tequilas.  They also have margaritas. What most people don’t know is that they also serve some food options to go with your tequila-based beverage of choice.

Behind the bar at Cava del Tequila

We have sampled two margaritas.  The Passion Fruit (tequila, ginger liqueur, passion fruit, mango nectar, fresh lime juice, topped with mango foam, served on the rocks with a Tajín chili powder rim) and the Hibiscus (tequila, hibiscus juice, fresh lemon juice, agave nectar, elderflower liquor and pomegranate liquor served on the rocks with a hibiscus salt rim).

Hibiscus margarita at La Cava del Tequila – $14.75

I’m going to be honest.  I hate tequila.  I had a very bad and also incredibly stereotypical experience in college with a bottle of Jose Cuervo where two friends of mine and I drunkenly yelled “YOU’RE AWESOME” “NO, YOU’RE AWESOME-ER” for 20 minutes before all simultaneously puking from said tequila.  Regardless of this ridiculous memory,  I love the Hibiscus Margarita.  Mainly, because you cant taste the tequila, and the flavors work really well together between the bitterness of the tequila and the sweetness/tartness of the hibiscus and pomegranate.  The only thing that I prefer about the Passion Fruit Margarita is the chili powder rim.

Queso blanco from La Cava del Tequila.  Comes with chips, queso, and 2 cups of salsa.  $9.00

You should also definitely get the queso blanco (warm white nacho cheese with pico de gallo sauce and tortilla chips).  You’re going to be super tempted to get the trio (tortilla chips served with salsa, queso, and guacamole).  But, know that the queso blanco actually comes with salsa as well.  The only thing you’re going to miss is the guacamole, and you probably wont miss it that much.  This is seriously a GIANT AMOUNT of chips, salsa, and queso.  Guys, this is the perfect compliment to that margarita you’re drinking. Its amazing.  Just trust me.

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on La Cava del Tequila in the World Showcase at Epcot?

Go.  Seriously.  Just go.  Sit inside, skip the line of people waiting for margaritas to go.  You’ll have a much better time and its a nice break from the sun and the people.  I will say its usually full of adults and couples, I’m assuming that kids are not a fan of sitting in what is essentially a tequila cave watching their parents drink a margarita.  So, if you are an adult or couple, DEFINITELY go.

Snackin’ Around Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Backlot Express

Hollywood Studios, as many of you may know, is going through a bit of a transitional period.  Here is a somewhat recent article from the Orlando Sentinel describing some of the changes.  Essentially though, Hollywood Studio’s is becoming more and more Star Wars-ey by the day.  Not that that’s a bad thing.

Backlot Express Menu

Backlot Express Menu

Backlot Express, the old standby of a quick service restaurant near the Jedi Training Academy and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, is still around, but recently went through a menu overhaul.  While the food is pretty standard, it has gotten a bit of a Star Wars theme, featuring items such as the Royal Guard Burger (1/3 lb Chargrilled Angus Beef Burger, topped with Barbecued Brisket, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato and a Pickle on a Dark Bun served with Carrot Sticks or French Fries – I’m not really sure I get Royal Guard from that, but whatever), and the Dark Side Chicken and Waffles (Darth Vader Waffles topped with Chicken Breast Nuggets served with Maple Syrup, this one makes a little more sense).  You can also get the really cool souvenir steins that are pictured in the menu above.

Chicken Fingers and Fries with various dipping sauces from Backlot Express.  Sorry about the napkin on the left, I think I ate a chicken nugget before I took the picture and then didn’t want to touch my phone.

Because I have a thing where I absolutely need to get chicken fingers and fries at least once at Disney, we got the Chicken Breast Nuggets – 8 Pieces served with your choice of Carrot Sticks or French Fries ($9.49), and split it.  Honestly, chicken fingers and fries are a pretty standard item that doesn’t change much from park to park.  The serving size is decent, and its a solid choice for picky adults or children.  What I like most about Backlot Express is that there is a larger-than-is standard amount of sauces to dip your fries and/or chicken breast nuggets in (including ketchup, yellow mustard, honey mustard, ranch dressing, and BBQ sauce), and the location/theming.  Also, through a little bit of Disney “pixie dust” we got that cool little light up Millennium Falcon that I was super excited about all day.

Outdoor seating at Backlot Express

I especially like to sit and be able to watch part of the Jedi Training Academy, or just sit in the shadow of a looming AT-AT while I eat my lunch.  Either way, its a pretty great location.  They have also recently added this cool seating area which is pretty great for people watching.

AT-AT and Jedi Training Academy Stage near Star Tours and Backlot Express

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on Backlot Express at Hollywood Studios?

I do completely recommend giving Backlot Express a shot if you’re looking for a quick service lunch or dinner at Hollywood Studios.  However, I’m a bit biased because I actually prefer Backlot Express over any of the other quick service food options at Hollywood Studios.  For example, I inexplicably hate ABC Commissary for really no reason, so generally I choose Backlot Express for any quick service dining needs I have.  The Star Wars theming helps with this, because I absolutely love Star Wars.  But overall, the food you’re getting at Backlot Express is pretty standard, there is plenty of seating and the location is great.  So overall, recommended!

On another note, I do also enjoy the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Hollywood Studios and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a sit down restaurant!

Disney Full Review: Star Wars Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party

Before I even start this review, I’m going to say that I highly and fully recommend the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  As long as you like Star Wars.  And I guess if you’re indifferent but you really like dessert.

Star Wars!!

The dessert party costs $69.00 per adult and $39.00 per child (tax and gratuity are included in the cost) and comes with unlimited dessert and savory snacks, unlimited alcohol/non-alcoholic beverages, a souvenir Chewbacca Stein, and reserved viewing for the Star Wars fireworks show.

Star Wars A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party:  Lanyard with map of included events.  You can access all of these areas throughout the day without paying to enter the dessert party, but some of these areas will be closed off during the dessert party.

The location of the dessert party portion of the evening is inside the Star Wars Launch Bay.  The tables are all standing cocktail tables.  You can wander around the Launch Bay during the party, and there are costumes and props from the movies throughout the area, as well as a few costume characters.  Stormtroopers walked around randomly (we thought they could be a bit more interactive), and there were Jawas that were a bit more interactive in one of the rooms.  There are a few rooms to choose from in regards to tables, the “funnest” room is probably the one where the Jawas hang out, which is partially patterned to look like the Mos Eisley Cantina, but if you want a place to sit try to get there a little early and find a table near one of the benches along the wall.  There are also storm troopers that walk around the area during the party, though we wished they had a little more interaction.  The highlight of character interaction during the dessert party was definitely the Jawas, so make sure you seek them out.

Dessert buffet table and standing cocktail tables before the dessert party started.  In the back (behind the employees) is the bar/drink area.  In the very right hand corner of the picture is the frozen nutella serving area.  Its easy to miss but make sure you make your way over to it!

Jawa at the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party

Lets talk about the drinks.  Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available.  Of the alcoholic drink options, all were honestly very meh.  I tried all of them, and my favorite thing to do was mix the overly-acidic watermelon lemonade drink with the non-alcoholic but very much overly sweet “Jettison Juice”.  The line for drinks can get LONG, there is only 1 bar and bartender, but they try and mitigate a rush for the bar upon entry by handing out drinks as soon as you walk in.  On another note, we tipped the bartender and he gave us one of the strongest drinks I have ever had.  You will also want to get a drink before you head outside for the fireworks (they’ll give you a warning) as there are no drinks available outside.  Plus you can stick the cup in your Chewbacca stein for some added outdoor fun.

Non-alcoholic drinks.  There was also coffee, tea, and soda available.  The menu is hard to read (it was dark in there), but it says “Jettison Juice:  Passion Orange Guava Juice with mango syrup.  Lunar Lemonade:  Watermelon Lemonade.  Soft Drinks.  Water.”

Alcoholic drink menu:  I liked the Cosmic Citrus Twist the best, but it was better once I added “Jettison Juice” to it.  Swamp Milk was definitely interesting, but I got the impression it wasn’t very well liked because the bartender gave me a small sample to try before I committed.

And onto the food!  We had actually done a similar dessert party during Star Wars Weekends a few years ago, and my main complaint was that there was TOO MUCH dessert (I know, I know, weird complaint, but it seriously ended up making me sick from all the sugar).  There is, of course, a gigantic variety of desserts to try. But there are also some savory snack options like hummus, “lightsaber” olive and cheese sabers, fruit, etc.  I managed to make a meal out of it and skip anything substantial for dinner.  My top recommendation for dessert is the blue milk panna cotta (seriously I dream about it, I must have had 4, at least). If you read other reviews they will most definitely also touch on the bread pudding, which was good but a little too sweet with the addition of candy to it, and the frozen nutella.  The bread pudding is self serve and has toppings available like cookie or brownie crumbles, fresh berries, whipped cream, vanilla sauce, and chocolate sauce.   But guys.  Get the frozen nutella.  Its amazing.  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but its basically whipped nutella (so not that heavy) that is flash frozen with liquid nitrogen, and you can top it with raspberry or chocolate sauce.  Seriously.  Get it.  Seriously.  It also looks disgusting in the picture I took so I’m skipping that one.

Buffet table at the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party

Frozen Nutella

Hummus, Olive Tapenade, Flat Bread, Watermelon “Lightsabers”

A variety of Desserts

More desserts!

Bread pudding

When you book the dessert party you will get a reservation time of 6:30 or 6:45pm (probably, I didn’t check every date), depending on the timing of the fireworks show, which will start around 7:45 or 8:00pm.  The fireworks show is 14 minutes long, and about 15 minutes before hand you will be led (by stormtroopers!) outside to a reserved viewing area where you will be given your (empty) souvenir Chewbacca stein.  There is no seating in the reserved viewing area.  We were close to the end of the line of people and still had a great view of the fireworks/show, even though I’m only about 5’1 on a good day.  The fireworks show is one of the coolest things I have ever seen at Disney, and makes use of projection effects, lasers, music, and fireworks.  Its seriously awesome.

Blue Milk panna cotta, bread pudding with whipped cream

Darth Vader cupcake (chocolate peanut butter)

Blue milk panna cotta, stormtrooper shortbread cookie, “lightsaber” with grapes, and a BB-8 lemon cupcake

Movie props in the Launch Bay

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on “A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

If you’re a fan of Star Wars, you should consider this experience.  Even if you’re not a giant fan of Star Wars, its definitely a cool experience.  I guess if you HATE Star Wars I wouldn’t recommend it.  Overall, the food is great, especially considering the addition of savory items and fruit, the drinks are not that great but free, and the fireworks are amazing.  Overall, I’m really glad we did it, and we would certainly consider booking another reservation on an upcoming trip.

I’ll also add this slightly related tip:  If you or someone in your party has the Disney Chase Visa card there is a Star Wars character meet and greet in the Launch Bay daily from 11:00am to 4:00pm.  We happened upon it by chance and met Kylo Ren with absolutely no line, which was really cool.  You also get free photo downloads.  Keep an eye out while you’re there.

Snackin’ Around Disney’s Epcot: Germany Pavilion

The Germany Pavilion in the World Showcase at Epcot is one my favorite places to take a break, sit, and people watch.  I love to sit by the fountain with a beer and a bratwurst.

The Germany Pavilion at Epcot.  Photo Courtesy: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/08/a-world-showcase-of-unforgettable-shopping-at-epcot-germany-pavilion/ 

While the Germany Pavilion is known for the buffet style Biergarten Restaurant (which is also awesome), there is a great quick service food option in the back of the Pavilion on the right hand side, called Sommerfest.  The menu isn’t large, but the food you get is plentiful.  We usually get an Oktoberfest, a Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen, and a Bratwurst that we split.  The bratwurst is served on a freshly baked Roll with Sauerkraut and House-made Paprika Chips, and is about $10.00.  We skip the sauerkraut because neither of us are fans.

Bratwurst from Sommerfest sans sauerkraut with 2 pink grapefruit hefeweizens.

Highly recommended is the Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen, while that might not sound appetizing to some of you, I promise this 50/50 blend of Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen and carbonated juice is refreshing and light, and a perfect beer to sip along with the bratwurst that you totally need to get.

Okay, sometimes we get 2.  Its a lot of food.

So Drinking Ever After, what are your thoughts on Sommerfest at the Germany Pavilion in Epcot?

We try to go to Sommerfest and sit and people watch at least once per trip, if not twice. We have a tendency to try to do everything during a trip, which means we get tired pretty easily. We make it a point to have this downtime at Epcot to sit and take everything in. Even if you dont decide to stick around in the Germany Pavilion, do yourself a favor and get a Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen for your walk around the World Showcase!

Disney Full Review: Pop Century

Oh value resorts at Walt Disney World, and the love/hate relationship we have.  We have stayed at Disney’s Pop Century a multitude of times, the price per night is usually around $100 (sometimes less, sometimes more), so if we’re going for a weekend trip we usually stay there due to its relative cheapness.  Pop Century is one of the newer value hotels (with Art of Animation being the newest), and is patterned after “decades” of entertainment from the 1950’s through the 1990’s.

From the parking lot at Disney’s Pop Century Resort

All of the value resorts are, very decidedly, Disney.  In a somewhat in-your-face, sometimes creepy, way.

Giant “Lady and the Tramp” statue at Disney’s Pop Century.  Looming over you.

Pop Century has everything you need in a bare-bones sort of way compared to the moderate resorts.  It has a gift shop, quick service cafeteria, a few pools (no water slides), an outdoor pool bar (no inside bars), an arcade, and a running trail.  So, if you’re looking for a trip and do not want/need any of the “frills” you get at a moderate, you cant go wrong with one of the values.

The rooms are your standard hotel rooms.  They have beds, a sink, a shower, a toilet, a refrigerator, a phone, a TV…  You’ll be comfortable while you’re sleeping and be able to shower.  Still no digital clock though, which annoys me.

Disney’s Pop Century Room

Disney’s Pop Century Bathroom

I reviewed a moderate resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, here.  There are a few things you might want to know about Pop Century before you book.

Pop Century Gift Shop

Pop Century Cafeteria Seating

Pop Century Cafeteria

The resort boasts a pretty big gift shop and a really big cafeteria with a lot of seating.  The gift shop has everything you need, including toiletries/etc.  The cafeteria serves your standard fare.  There is no sit-down restaurant option at Pop Century, but if you’re just going to your room to sleep that shouldn’t bother you.   Since there is only one cafeteria option there is no way to defer some of the guests anywhere else, so the cafeteria is particularly busy, especially so in the mornings with everyone trying to grab breakfast before they head to the parks.  You can see part of the gift shop, some of the cafeteria seating, and the cafeteria in the pictures above.  These were taken at an off-time, so everything was pretty empty.

I believe this is the “Hippy Dippy” Pool at Pop Century.  Very themed.

The pools are pools.  You wont find the water slides or water parks that you might find at one of the moderates or deluxe hotels.  But, if you’re looking to swim or for a mid-day break they’re large and have life guards.

Pop Century bus waiting area.

The busses are just as prompt as any hotel, but if you’re waiting in line there is no shade or seating without giving up your spot.  If the people around you are nice and willing to hold your place you might be able to talk them into letting you sit in the shade.  There are monitors that tell you the arrival time of busses, and we found them very accurate.

Walkway from Pop Century to Art of Animation in the morning.

My favorite area of Pop Century is the walkway over to Art of Animation, which crosses over a river.  There are two seating areas over to either side right before the bridge, and I like to grab coffee in the morning and sit over there, away from the business of the cafeteria.  Its very quiet and peaceful.  I think they’re smoking areas but they did not seem very well traveled.

The very quiet seating area near the walkway to Art of Animation.

So, Drinking Ever After, do you recommend Pop Century?

Yes, depending on the type of vacation you’re looking for.  Overall, the value of a value resort is great.  If you’re looking to go to the parks and use the room to sleep and shower you’re not going to be disappointed in what you’re getting.  If you like to hang around the hotel at all, I recommend a moderate resort.

I will say that there are a few cons to Pop Century (and I’m assuming any value resort).  Due to its relative friendliness in price per night, school groups usually stay at value resorts.  This adds to the business and nosiness of the resort.  The value resorts are gigantic, so at park close with everyone leaving at the same time, you’ll be waiting in line for a bus for a long, long time.  Be ready to stand if you’re able.  The lines were definitely longer than any of the moderates I’ve stayed at and I’m assuming its because the values are both busier due to the prevalence of school groups and their overall size.  It can be difficult to find a quiet, adult, place to relax after you’re back from the parks, because there is only one pool bar.