Laughing Lindsay

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Boatwright’s Dining Hall Review

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When my mom and I stayed in the princess rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside in December 2023, we had dinner at the table service restaurant, Boatwright’s Dining Hall, located at the resort. Here’s a review of that experience.

Boatwright's Dining Hall Review

Boatwright’s Dining Hall

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside is a moderate resort. It has a quick service food court as well as this table service, i.e. sit-down restaurant. It’s a southern cookery with a Louisiana bayou theme. In fact, there’s a hull of a boat suspended from the ceiling in the front of the restaurant! The dark lighting makes for a relaxing vibe. The fireplace adds to the calming atmosphere. Eating here after wandering around the large resort really makes it feel like you are in the southern US.

No Reservation

I recommend making an advanced dining reservation for 99% of the table service restaurants at Walt Disney World. However, I wasn’t sure if we would eat here or not. So, I didn’t make a reservation for this meal. Thankfully, they were able to accommodate us within 10 minutes of our arrival without any trouble. In fact, the restaurant didn’t look full. So, this may be one of the few restaurants that you can get into without a reservation pretty safely.

Dinner

My mom and I enjoyed the cornbread and Mickey-shaped butter we received upon sitting down. The cornbread is really sweet though. In fact, I saved some for the end of the meal as a makeshift dessert! It was good.

I wanted to embrace the whole vibe of this resort and restaurant. So, I selected the Taste of the Bayou entree. It’s technically an all you care to enjoy meal, but I was too full to ask for seconds of anything. First up, I tried the ribs. The BBQ was sweet and tasty. However, the meat was a little too fatty for my liking. Next, I tried the Cajun chicken. It had a nice breading (not overly crunchy, but a little crispy). It had a bit of a kick, but not too much. I enjoyed it. I also liked the smoked sausage. It was also a little spicy, but not overly so. Unfortunately, the barbecued beef brisket wasn’t for me. Again, the meat was fatty.

The sides were also plentiful here. The macaroni and cheese was good. Somewhat basic, but still good. The mashed potatoes were fine. I liked the green beans. They were a little salty without being too salty. The corn was fine but a little dry.

My mom got the prime rib. I was shocked with how big it was. It was easily a couple of serving sizes worth of meat! She enjoyed it thoroughly. The broccoli was basic and fine. She also liked the mashed potatoes.

Boatwright’s Dining Hall Overall

Basically, it was nice to have a relaxing dinner at our resort. The food was good, but not great. I wouldn’t recommend traveling over to the resort just to eat here. It’s good for someone already staying at the resort though if you don’t want the quick service or don’t have time to go over to Disney Springs.

My Favorite Winter Activities

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Now that the holidays are over, it’s officially wintertime! So, I thought I would share some of my favorite winter activities!

My Favorite Winter Activities

My Favorite Winter Activities

As most readers know by now, I live in southwestern Virginia. So, I get to fully experience all four seasons of the year! That’s actually one of the things I really like about living here. I love watching the seasons change, even spring when it brings all of the pollen. That being said, if you live somewhere warm, you might not be able to enjoy these things during the coldest months of the year.

I know that these cold months can drag by and be dreary. Hopefully, this will inspire someone out there to find something fun to do this season!

  • Watch it snow! Since we bought a house a few years ago, watching it snow has become one of my favorite things to do in winter! I love sitting at my kitchen table and looking out at our woods as the snow comes down. It’s so beautiful. I highly recommend everyone experiencing snow in the woods at some point. You could even book a trip to stay in a cabin somewhere where it snows!
  • Sip hot chocolate! Who doesn’t love hot chocolate? I really enjoy adding this to the bullet point above, but I will also drink it by itself. It’s a good way to warm up and enjoy something sweet.
  • Read a book. I love to read. Reading has been an escape for me for as long as I can remember. Curling up on the couch with a blanket and a book is the definition of winter comfort to me!
  • Watch a movie. Similar to reading on the couch, watching a movie underneath a blanket is also fun.
  • Make soup or a dessert. It’s great to warm up with a bowl of soup or chili. A warm cinnamon roll also hits the spot on a cold day.
  • Play in the snow. Am I an adult? Technically. However, nothing beats making snow angels after you shovel the stuff off of the porch.
  • Travel to someplace warm. In recent years, I discovered how pleasant the southern states can be in winter. I love visiting UO for Mardi Gras and Disney World for Festival of the Arts in winter.

What do you enjoy doing in the wintertime? You can view my favorite spring, summer, and fall activities here.

Character Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe Disneyland Review

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When my mom and I visited Disneyland last year, we booked the character breakfast at Storytellers Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. Seeing as how we are from the east coast, I booked us the earliest timeslot available and we were able to be some of the first people in the restaurant for the day!

Character Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe

Character Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe

You may recall from my Disneyland Hotel review that we stayed at the amazing Disneyland Hotel on this trip. That meant that this meal was just a quick walk over to Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. We opted to start our day by exploring the other two resorts in the morning since our park ticket for this day was for Oogie Boogie Bash. Following our adventure, we headed back to our resort and took a nap! So, it was a convenient option that gave us an excuse to explore more of the resort.

The Characters

On my May trip, I booked this restaurant for the brunch and enjoyed it very much. However, when I was there in May I missed seeing Pluto. This time, I was able to see all of the characters! In fact, Pluto came over a few times! So, it kind of made up for the last time I ate here.

My mom and I had a great time with the characters at this meal. Since we had an early reservation, we got some extra time with the characters as the rest of the restaurant was empty. I even got to dance with Chip at one point! The character interactions here are top notch!

The Food

As you may recall, I gave the food at brunch here high marks. However, I don’t think I can say the same for breakfast. I tried several things from the buffet and most things were just ok. Nothing was outright bad, but I also didn’t find a single item that wowed me. My mom was also disappointed with the food here. Suffice it to say that I much prefer the brunch menu here and will probably only book it if I come back.

Is the character breakfast at Storytellers Cafe worth it?

According to Disneyland’s website, brunch and breakfast are now the same price of $52. I don’t recall if that’s what we paid for this meal or not. However, if given the choice, I would definitely go with brunch over breakfast. Breakfast wasn’t bad and I probably would have been happy if I had not experienced brunch first. So, if breakfast is your only option for eating here, then go for it. You will leave entertained and full.

Have you ever eaten here? Do you prefer breakfast or brunch?

Winter in Colonial Williamsburg Guide

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Last year, my husband and I took a last minute trip to experience winter in Colonial Williamsburg. For the purposes of this post, I am going to define winter as the months of January, February, and March. So, if you are looking to take a trip during the first quarter of the year, then this post is for you!

Winter in Colonial Williamsburg

Winter in Colonial Williamsburg

My husband and I visited Colonial Williamsburg in March last year, which is technically considered late winter here. They seem to begin their spring activities in early April. I didn’t realize when we initially planned our trip that it being March would have much of an impact on the trip. Nonetheless, I am glad we went and I was happy with the results.

Pros

  • Fewer people – We never encountered crowds on this trip. Coming from the theme parks, this was a breath of fresh air! We loved being able to walk around and see everything without feeling rushed by other people. It was also nice to just take a walk down the street as a couple without running into anyone. It made for a peaceful and romantic getaway.
  • Cheaper accommodations – I didn’t realize it when we booked this trip, but we actually got a pretty good deal on the tavern room we stayed in. However, when I looked at busier times of the year, the room looks to be more expensive. I can’t blame them as that’s exactly what other places do now. However, it is a nice perk of going during less crowded times.
  • Special events – They will host some additional events for Presidents Day, Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March). They also have some special homeschool days during the winter (and a few in September). It looks like they might also host some special Valentine’s Day meals at the taverns.

Cons

  • Fewer places open – Since there are fewer people visiting during this time of the year, there are fewer places open. For instance, not all of the taverns were open to eat at during our trip. Additionally, I don’t think all of the houses were options to stay in during our trip. There also seemed to be activities that weren’t available during this trip. We are planning to go back when it’s warmer so we can do the ghost tour, which isn’t offered during the colder months.
  • Weather – This was one of the colder trips I’ve taken. We stayed bundled up most of the time and were glad to enter the buildings to hear the people talk. If you plan to go this time of the year, I recommend taking a warm coat, gloves, scarves, and hats.

We enjoyed our trip to Colonial Williamsburg during the wintertime. Have you ever gone then? What was your experience like?

Winter in Orlando Theme Parks Guide

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I feel like I just started this seasonal theme parks guide series, but it’s my last post. I just did Christmas in the theme parks, so now it’s time for winter in Orlando theme parks! FYI: I will be considering January and February as winter for this post. As in, the period of time after the holidays but before the spring festivities start.

Winter in Orlando

Winter in Orlando

If you aren’t familiar with the theme parks, you probably wonder why I’m doing a separate post from the holidays guide. That’s because there’s a couple of months wherein the holidays are over but the parks are still open and have some special events! Typically, the crowds are smaller during this time of the year. So, the parks host special events to draw people in.

Winter in Disney

The Christmas decorations usually come down in January, around/after the marathon weekend. You enter the half of the year where the Magic Kingdom looks normal without any holiday decor. The majority of the parks are somewhat quiet and feature special After Hours events to entice people to visit. I plan to visit in February and attend an event at Magic Kingdom, so be on the lookout for a review of that experience. However, in previous years it was a great time to ride the rides with minimal waits.

The other big thing that happens in January and February in Walt Disney World is the Festival of the Arts at Epcot! You know from my Epcot Festival of the Arts Guide that I love this event and it’s my favorite seasonal event at Epcot. The weather is cooler, which makes it easier to enjoy the food around World Showcase. Plus, there’s lots of fun entertainment to enjoy. Festival of the Arts ends on February 19th and Flower and Garden begins February 28th this year! So, technically your winter trip could coincide with either or neither of these fun festivals!

Winter at Universal Orlando

Once again, we encounter another one of my favorite theme park events. This time, it’s at Universal Orlando resort and I’m talking about Mardi Gras. I posted a Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando guide previously, but suffice it to say it’s a fun time! The event begins the first weekend in February and goes until the beginning of April. Since it’s so long, I’m covering it in both winter and spring guides. I highly recommend riding on a float if you can. If not, enjoy catching some beads when you watch the parade.

Winter at SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld tries to draw in visitors during this time of the year with several limited time special activities. For instance, there’s an Inside Look event taking place over two weekends that offers a behind the scenes look at how the animals are taken care of at the park. Just for Kids Weekend takes places one weekend in January. There’s also an Elmo’s Birthday celebration lasting one whole week. Additionally, from February to May, they have the Seven Seas Food Festival! We enjoyed a few food items from it one time and think it’s good for any foodies in the area.

Where are you headed?

So, that’s an overview of what you can expect to experience in the Orlando theme parks in January and February. Are you visiting any of the parks this winter?

You can check out my other seasonal theme parks guides here: