Monthly Archives: November 2018

Disney, Food Review

Saana – January 2, 2018

Possibly my favourite meal from our 2017 trip was at Saana, so it was a no-brainer for us to return there. We did the same thing we did on the previous trip, and made a late reservation for after the park closed. (Technically I think Animal Kingdom was open until 9pm that night, but we left after the early show of Rivers of Light and headed over to AKL for our 8pm reservation).

We arrived a little early to check in, around 7:40, but they were running behind and we were handed a pager. We found a bench to sit on, and then we waited. It was pretty much 8pm on the nose before we were called and led to a two-top table by a window. It would have been a fantastic spot to animal watch if it wasn’t already dark out…

First up were drinks. I kept it simple with a Coke, but Luke ordered a Kande Coconut Cooler – a refreshing combination of Starr African rum, coconut, vanilla ice cream and orange juice, $10.

 We knew exactly what we wanted to eat, and wasted no time ordering their Indian Style Bread Service –  Traditional Naan, Garlic Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha and Paneer Paratha with Red Chile Sambal, Cucumber Raita, Coriander Chutney, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Garlic Pickle, Spicy Jalapeno-lime pickle, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Tamarind Chutney, $16. There is one type of bread I don’t care for, but I can never remember which one it is so we just order them all (Luke likes all of them). I do wish they offered a coconut naan though, that’s my absolute favourite whenever I go to an Indian restaurant.

This was just as delicious as we remembered, and we really enjoyed taking our time trying out each bread with each dip – I even tried the super spicy ones. The hummus was much better than I remembered it being, but my favourite was probably the Tamarind Chutney – which isn’t a huge surprise, I eat that all the time with Vegetable Pakoras. Luke loves spicy, and his favourite was the Garlic Pickle.

For our main meal, we decided to share the Potje Inspired. I don’t see it on the menu, but they allowed us to choose 3 items (2 meat, 1 veg) for an additional cost – I don’t know if this has been discontinued or if you just need to ask for it. We were charged $37 for this. We actually ordered the exact same three items as we had the year before, the butter chicken, the chickpea wat and the braised beef. I somehow forgot to take pictures of any of it, we were hungry and started digging in as soon as it was brought to our table haha. So, here is a picture of what it looked like in 2017 when we ate there…

I love that chickpea Wat, it’s full of flavour, but isn’t too spicy. The butter chicken is ok, I’ve had better (we live in a neighbourhood that is predominantly Indian, so there are some amazing restaurants around us with incredible butter chicken, vindaloo, tikka masala, etc). The braised beef is tender and delicious.

This was another great meal at Saana, and it is one I’d have a difficult time skipping. Maybe next trip we’ll book an earlier supper so we can see the animals!

Tables in Wonderland original cost: $150                                                 Break Even Point Before this meal: $110.18                                         Savings this Meal: $12.60                                                                                   Total Until Breaking Even: $97.58

Predicted food budget: $2631.67 (does not include tip)       Estimated Cost of this meal: $98.52                                                         Actual Cost: $53.68                                                                               Over/Under: Under by $44.84                                                               Remaining: $2048.75

Disney, Travel

January 1, 2018 – Part Two

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Our Uber arrived, and off we went once again to Give Kids the World! Today we had opted to do a different task, and had signed up for Food Delivery (I think it had a different, cute name, but I don’t remember what it was now). We were early this day, and knew where we were going – hurray for us! We checked in for our 11am-2:30pm shift, and were directed on where to go. Once we arrived, we were given a run-down on what to do. This was a little more extensive than yesterday’s instructions (scoop ice cream, wash your hands, wear a hair net, keep the place/scoops/blenders clean, don’t eat the food, etc). Today we were stationed in a little room by the main dining hall, with some telephones and computer screens. The families staying at the Village are allotted a certain amount of dining credits for their week (much like the Disney dining plan), and they are allowed to use these credits for delivery (basically like room service). They would call, Luke or I would answer the phone, ask for their room number and their order, and everything would get punched into the computer. The order would print out on a receipt in the main kitchen, where the volunteers working there would prepare it. The receipt would also print in the room Luke and I were in, and it was our responsibility to gather the drinks requested (cans of pop, bottles of water, milk, juice, etc). Once the order was ready, someone from the kitchen would bring it over to us, and one of us had to go deliver it. Before starting our shift, a manager had made us do a short little training course to prove we knew how to drive a golf cart, and then provided us with site maps so we knew where to go.

We started our shift just as the lunch rush started, so it was actually steadily busy.  I really didn’t love this volunteer shift, I hate talking on the phone and every time I drive a golf cart I feel like I’m going to flip it (I know, I’m weird). Luke used to work at a golf course, so he was much more comfortable driving the cart, so I let him take most of the deliveries. I did enjoy seeing some of the painted fire hydrants around the village though, they are so adorable!

At 2:30, our shift was over and we were relieved by the next set of volunteers. We took our time walking back to the main building, taking some pictures of the village as we walked (since it was dark out when we left the night before).

We called an Uber, and had him drop us off at a Walmart close by. We wanted to pick up a few drinks/snacks to include in our welcome bags for our family, as well as a few things for ourselves to snack on. We figured we’d be there for an hour, maybe an hour and a half… that turned in to over three hours since we were enjoying looking at all of the unique things we don’t have in Canada. We went a little overboard on snacks for our friends and family, and I picked up some cute Disney souvenirs for a fraction of the cost in the parks (like a Mickey Mouse zip-up hoody for $24 – which does show up in later pictures on this trip!) We also picked up some alcohol (because that is sold in Walmart – crazy! Also the prices, so cheap!!

*No, I didn’t buy this, but $3 wine?! Seriously?!

I grabbed the necessities for making Mimosas on the wedding morning, as well as some plastic Disney Princess cups to drink them out of. #Fancy – but they looked cute in our getting ready pictures! (Sneak peek of more wedding pics)

Finally, 3 hours and over $400 later, we made our way out of Walmart pushing an overflowing shopping cart -oops! We knew we couldn’t fit everything into a regular Uber/Lyft, so we decided to stop being cheapskates and ordered the Uber XL (or whatever it’s called)…naturally a 15-person van pulled up for us hahaha. Luke and I just looked at each and laughed, shrugged and said “at least all of our stuff will fit in it”.

By this point, we were behind schedule, so when we pulled up at our hotel for the night, I immediately grabbed a luggage cart for our insane amount of Walmart purchases and a bell services attendant came over to assist. I explained that we were checking in for the night, but we had a dining reservation we were running late for, so we would come grab our stuff after we ate (we also hadn’t ate since our expensive sandwiches that morning, so we were hungry!).  This wasn’t an issue at all, and we headed off to our ADR – 1900 Park Fare!

For some reason, we also had a reservation at California Grill that night, so we headed straight there after finishing up at 1900 Park Fare.

Once we finished our second meal, we headed back to the Grand Floridian to finally check in for a few hours of sleep. I’m a little sad we didn’t have much time to really the room, but it was the most comfortable bed we’ve ever slept in on Disney property. The room was also huge by hotel standards, and it was only a studio (not a 1-bedroom or anything).

                               The view from our room was pretty great!

As great as this room was, I don’t think we’ll ever pay to stay here. It’s very expensive, and – unpopular opinion – it felt a little uppity for us. The night we were there, it was over $800 – we stayed there for free. When you book a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding and set up a room block, the bride and groom are given a free night in any resort of their choice once they hit a certain number of confirmed room nights. We knew we’d never be able to afford to stay at the Grand on our own, so we were quick to choose this as our freebie.

Fitbit Steps: 7670

Disney, Food Review

California Grill – January 1, 2018

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We had it in our heads that we needed to watch the fireworks at least once from the 15th floor observation deck at the Contemporary Grill, and this was the only place to squeeze in a reservation. We knew we wouldn’t be hungry after eating at a buffet but we figured we would go grab a drink and an appetizer or dessert.

We finished up at 1900 Park Fare later than we thought we would, and headed straight for the monorail. As we arrived at the Contemporary, we heard the first fireworks go off, so we hustled over to the check-in counter for the Cali Grill and they quickly put us into the private elevator leading to the restaurant. While in the elevator, a cast member told us that as soon as we arrived at the restaurant, we should head directly outside and our table would be waiting for us once Happily Ever After was finished.

We took her advice and headed out onto the observation deck. We had missed less than 5 minutes of the 18 minute long show, and we knew we’d be seeing it later in the week so we weren’t upset. It was also a pretty cold night, especially up that high with the wind blowing , so the deck wasn’t crowded at all and we had no issues finding a great spot to watch despite being late. Most people were huddled inside, not brave enough to come out into the cold for a better view.  It was a great view though, and we enjoyed Happily Ever After for our first (of many viewings on this trip). I honestly only took two or three pictures, I wanted to just enjoy the show.

Once the fireworks had ended, we made our way back inside, where our table was ready for us. We knew we weren’t hungry at all, so we decided to share an appetizer, eat quickly and allow them to turn over our table to another couple who would spend more money than us.

Like ordered a drink as well, the Blackberry Lemonade- which doesn’t appear to be on the menu any longer, and I didn’t get a picture of the description. It was $13, and Luke didn’t love it. The stir stick was cute though with its little monorail! 

We wanted to share an appetizer, but there wasn’t much on the menu that appealed to a picky eater like myself. We ultimately ended up ordering the Pepperoni Pizza -House-made Pepperoni, Tomato Conserva, Fontina, Asiago, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Basil-Oregano Pistou, $16.

I did not like this at all.  I tend to like wood-oven pizza, but this had too much char on it, it tasted more burnt than anything else. I also hated the basil-oregano pistou (which is weird, because I tend to like the flavours of both of those herbs) – but I have no idea what a pistou is so maybe that’s the part I didn’t like?

Our server did bring us a basket of bread, and I did eat some of that. I enjoyed the fancy butter haha. I love bread, and I’m not difficult to please with that stuff…

Our total bill came to $29.19 after saving $1.60 on our pizza with my annual pass.

I know there are so many huge fans of California Grill out there, but I wasn’t overly impressed. Although, I do recognize that we did not give it a fair shot, neither one of us ordered a steak (or an entree of any kind for that matter). We actually have reservations for the brunch there on our trip next May, where we will be sure to show up nice and hungry and be able to give this restaurant another chance.

No TIW – blackout day

Predicted food budget: $2631.67 (does not include tip)       Estimated Cost of this meal: $60.71                                                          Actual Cost: $29.19 (before tip)                                                    Over/Under: Under by $31.52                                                                         Remaining: $2189.46