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Ale and Compass Breakfast Review at Walt Disney World

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When I took a quick 48 hours trip to Walt Disney World late last year, I decided to eat breakfast at Ale and Compass at Yacht Club Resort. I’d heard many people online call it the best breakfast value on property. So, I thought I would check it out for myself.

Ale and Compass

Ale and Compass

Prior to this trip, I had seen several Youtubers eat at Ale and Compass. They all gushed over the value of the buffet here. So, it had been on my list of places to try for a little while. Then, I booked this trip to enjoy the holidays at Disney and it seemed like the perfect time to try it. I wanted to see the gingerbread carousel at Beach Club, which is directly beside Yacht Club.

I stayed at All Star Sports (review to come) on this trip. I could have taken a Lyft directly to this resort. However, I had extra time and didn’t want to spend the money. So, I rode a bus to Hollywood Studios. Then, I took the Skyliner over to Epcot. Finally, it was a short walk over to the Yacht Club.

Breakfast

At Ale and Compass during breakfast, you can order an entree or a “continental enhancement” buffet with an entree. Given the rave reviews on the buffet’s value, I opted to try it this time. For $28, you get an entree, the buffet, and a drink! Everything on the buffet looked good and fresh. I loved the fruit available. The pineapple was juicy. The grapes were fresh as were the strawberries. I really enjoyed the deviled egg. The biscuit and gravy was surprisingly good as well. Not the best I’ve ever had, but it was some of the best I’ve had in Orlando. The pastry I selected was pretty good too. Unfortunately, the cinnamon roll didn’t wow me. I found it to be dried out and lacking much flavor.

For my entree, I went with the Dark Chocolate Waffles. It comes with dried cherry compote, espresso-mascarpone cream, and chocolate shavings. My waitress highly recommended it and I’d seen several people online like it. Admittedly, I’m not usually a cherry fan. However, these waffles were delicious! The combination of all of the flavors went together really well! I figured I’d end up removing the compote, but I didn’t. I truly enjoyed this dish. In fact, I don’t think you need the provided syrup. I also selected turkey bacon for my meat. It doesn’t look all that appetizing, but it was good too.

Is the Ale and Compass Breakfast a good value?

At $28, this is easily the cheapest buffet on property. However, as with all buffets, it can be a lot of food. I think it’s an excellent value for hungry folks. If I return again, I’ll probably just get those tasty dark chocolate waffles since I didn’t have the stomach space to eat them all. Then again, the waffles alone are $16, so an extra $12 for a plethora more options seems worth it. The biggest “minus” of eating here is the location. It would make a great breakfast on a Hollywood Studios or Epcot day. Plus, it fueled my resort decor sightseeing day.

So, have you ever eaten here?

Williamsburg Inn Holiday Tea Review

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Last week, I was able to experience the Williamsburg Inn Holiday Tea with my mom. Here’s a review of that event in case you are considering booking it.

Williamsburg Inn Holiday Tea

Williamsburg Inn Holiday Tea

When I was a child, my mom and I attended a Mother’s Day tea at a local historical place. My mom didn’t think we would enjoy it, but I loved it! Unfortunately, due to the lack of local offerings and financial restraints, I didn’t enjoy a formal tea again for the next 20 years! Thankfully, I find myself in a better situation than I grew up in and enjoy the experience of a seasonally themed tea every so often. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to discover the grand Williamsburg Inn hosts seasonal tea events.

As a guest of the CW resorts, we were able to book this holiday offering before the general public. My mom called and booked it on September 10th. She had to pre-pay to book the reservation. It was $72/each plus service charge and tax. In total, it cost $193.54 for the both of us to enjoy this holiday experience!

The Food

The savory course included: Turkey and Sage Bread Pudding with Lingonberry Jam, Yuletide Baked Virginia Ham and Gruyere Pinwheel, Roasted Chicken with Figgy Jam, Brie, and Cress, Onion Marmalade, Herbed Chevre Truffle, Cucumber Canapés with Fire Roasted Peppers, and Mushroom & Chestnut Bisque. I really enjoyed most of these items. My favorite was the pinwheel with the bread pudding in a close second. Neither of us enjoyed the truffle (we aren’t big goat cheese fans) or bisque (too salty). I thought it was a nice touch that the cucumber canapes were tree shaped! Overall, it was a great savory course.

The Scones Service included I’m Dreaming of a Sugar Laden Stollen Scones, Christmas Spiced Devonshire Cream, Orange Marmalade, and Lemon Curd. The scone was harder/crunchier than we are used to for scones. However, it tasted good. I loved the cream and lemon curd.

The Festive Sweets included: Ginger Snaps, Cranberry-Orange Bundt Cake, Peppermint Bark Tea Cookie, American Heritage Crunch Chocolate Cup, and Eggnog Cream Tart. The ginger snap had especially hard/crunch edges with a soft center with a nice ginger flavor. I enjoyed the bundt cake even though I don’t like orange much. I guess it was light on the orange. The chocolate cup was cute with its chocolate bear! The eggnog cream tart was more sweet than eggnog and that was preferable for us. The peppermint cookie was heavy on the peppermint.

The Beverages

As for the teas, we got to sample Warmer in the Winter and Herbal Bourbon Chestnut Tea. It was the perfect flavor for the cold weather. The spice was just right. It tasted great on its own but was elevated with some sugar (cubes).

Additionally, a glass of French Sparkling Wine or Sparkling Apple Cider was included. We sampled the sparkling wine but probably should have just gotten the apple cider since we aren’t big drinkers.

The Atmosphere

I love the Williamsburg Inn. I feel fancier just walking into this place. So, enjoying a meal here is a real treat. Then, add in the holiday decor and it’s amazing! It was a wonderful surprise to have live music being played during the meal as well. The entire experience was a beautiful way to spend an afternoon at the holidays. It was probably one of my favorite things we did on this trip.

Is the Williamsburg Inn Holiday Tea worth it?

This was my most expensive tea experience to date. Our local place charges about half the price. However, this was a more elevated food experience and there was live music. Also, it was on a busy Saturday in Colonial Williamsburg. I think this is great for people looking for a fancier experience or to try new foods. However, if you prefer simpler foods or a more casual atmosphere, you should probably consider somewhere else. You can look at my Colonial Williamsburg Food Guide for help in choosing another restaurant.

Santa’s Fireside Feast at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Review

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Last week, I visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg to experience Christmas Town for the first time. While there, my mom and I enjoyed Santa’s Fireside Feast! So, I thought I would do a little review on it.

Santa's Fireside Feast

Santa’s Fireside Feast

I know you’re wondering why my mom and I would book a Santa dinner. Well, it’s quite simple. Busch Gardens Williamsburg doesn’t do much in the way of special foods for the holidays. We were also concerned about long lines for food and being in the cold. So, an indoor sit down dinner sounded like a good idea to us.

We booked this meal as soon as the option was posted on the website, October 24th. We used my passholder discount, which came out to $40.50/each plus tax and fees. In total, it cost us $96.07 for the two of us to enjoy this meal since they added on a $6.49 service fee in addition to the taxes. So, what started out as a moderately expensive meal got even more expensive once we finally clicked purchase.

Sidenote: I feel like Busch Gardens/SeaWorld is the worst with pricing. They keep adding on service fees and other percentage merch fees.

The Food

With the exception of the Busch Gardens Williamsburg Food and Wine Festival Busch Gardens is not known for its food. However, this is supposed to be a holiday meal with Santa. So, the basic menu of Thanksgiving food sounded good to us. The menu consisted of carved turkey with gravy, chicken alfredo, carved ham with a brown sugar glaze, Trapper’s Smokehouse Chili, cornbread stuffing, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans with garlic, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, tossed salad, dinner rolls, Coca-Cola beverages and assorted desserts. The desserts included cookies and cupcakes.

My mom and I tried several items from the buffet. I think the chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and mac and cheese were the best options. They are very basic but they tasted good. The turkey was dry. The ham was just fine and not really worth the calories/fat in my opinion. The rolls were dry/hard, like maybe they let them sit out in the open too long. For a beverage, I initially selected the “fruit punch” expecting some sort of legitimate fruit juice or perhaps a mix they had made. Unfortunately, I was surprised with an overly sweet Hawaiian Punch. So, I went back for water.

As for desserts, I tried the red velvet cupcake and chocolate cupcake. The red velvet cupcake had a cream cheese frosting that was too much cream cheese for me. I like a blend of cream cheese and buttercream when I have cream cheese frosting. The chocolate was pretty good. Not amazing but not bad either.

Overall, I’d say the food was typical of what I expect from Busch Gardens parks. It won’t blow your socks off but everyone can find something to eat.

The Entertainment

The meal is centered around Santa being the host for this meal. It was a fun and unique treat to have Santa read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to the crowd. We also got to take a photo with him and received a 6″ x 8″ photo of it. While that wasn’t really necessary for us, I can see it being a huge perk for folks with children. You can see Santa while enjoying a meal. We also enjoyed the addition of the elves for some humor throughout the experience.

Was Santa’s Fireside Feast worth it?

I think it was totally worth it at $40/each. However, once you add in the taxes and fees, the value becomes a little more debatable. Although, my mom seemed to really enjoy this meal. The food was basic but there’s something for everyone. We got to sit down in a heated room for a meal instead of roaming around the park. Plus, it felt truly festive eating here. So, if you are debating it, I think it depends heavily on your budget. You can definitely grab something to eat for much cheaper around the park and probably be happy.

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch at Disneyland Review

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Last month, I was able to experience the limited time Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch character meal at Disneyland Hotel! Here’s a review of that experience to help others decide if this meal is worth the high cost.

Goofy's Kitchen Halloween Brunch

Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch

Last year, I was lucky enough to visit this character buffet meal at Disneyland Hotel on two occasions. I first visited last year for breakfast and then again in the fall last year for dinner. You can click those links to see what the restaurant is like for regular dining. One of my complaints about last year’s fall trip to Disneyland was that they announced things too late and we missed doing any seasonal special dining. Thankfully, this year my trip was later and I was able to enjoy this one.

The Characters

This is the second year that Disneyland has hosted a special Halloween overlay at this restaurant. Last year, the characters wore their costumes from the previous year (2022). This year they are wearing last year’s (2023) costumes. I don’t know if they plan to continue rotating in the previous year’s costumes or not, but I like that I could finally get a photo with the characters with their special costumes. Last year, I managed to meet only Minnie in her costume. So, I was tickled to meet Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie in last year’s costumes!

I only wish they included Donald Duck at Disneyland character meals! Nonetheless, I enjoyed meeting the characters in their special Halloween costumes! They were adorable!

The Food

Having previously enjoyed breakfast here, I was excited to sample the brunch this time. I was happy to find a selection of typical breakfast foods (like Mickey waffles) as well as some more lunch time items. I was very happy to find some butternut squash ravioli! That’s the kind of food I was hoping to have over at Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch. I was equally happy to see a selection of pumpkin and apple desserts here. I wish they had shared some of those treats with the other meal though. Also, many of the desserts had an artificial flavor to them. So, that was a tad disappointing but not overly surprising.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with the overall selection and quality of food available here. There’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Is Goofy’s Kitchen Halloween Brunch worth it?

Priced at $65/adult and $36/child, this is a pricey meal. Plus, they automatically added gratuity to my meal here. So, it’s definitely not a cheap experience. However, it was nice to get some seasonal foods and meet the characters in their Halloween costumes. I think it’s worth it if you have the budget for it and enjoy Halloween.

Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch at Disneyland Review

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I’ve just returned from another lovely solo Disneyland trip and this time I got to try the all new Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian Hotel! So, if you are wondering if this pricey meal is worth it or not, keep reading!

Mickey's Autumn Adventures Brunch

Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch

As I stated above, this is an all-new character meal offering at Disneyland. It’s a fall spin on the regular Storytellers Cafe character meal. Having previously done the regular Storytellers Cafe Character Breakfast last year and the Storytellers Cafe Character Brunch, I opted to do the brunch since I preferred that meal over breakfast last time. I also managed to book it on my Disney California Adventure day, since the hotel has its own entrance into the park.

The Characters

I’ll start with a look at the adorable new costumes the characters are wearing! Each one has a fall look that goes perfectly with the theme. I love how over the top with pumpkins Minnie’s outfit is! Mickey’s outfit is also amazing! It felt like the characters were ready to go to a pumpkin patch or apple orchard in their outfits. I liked that Pluto even got a new pumpkin shaped name tag on his collar. Overall, I was impressed with the costumes and it was a great way to kick off the fall season for me!

The Food

Last time I ate breakfast at this restaurant, I missed the additional options that eating brunch brings. So, I decided to return for brunch this time. Previously, when I ate brunch here, I was able to order some additional items from the kitchen in addition to visiting the buffet. This time, that wasn’t the case. Instead, the buffet was filled with both breakfast and lunch items.

Honestly, the food available was very similar to what I had last year at the regular meal. I was disappointed in the lack of seasonal items. Where’s the pumpkin or apple items? It seems like such a missed opportunity to do something special with the autumn theme and instead put out regular foods.

The food itself was fine. I know everyone says the food here is upgraded over Goofy’s Kitchen and it probably is. However, I also noticed a good bit of overlap between restaurants this time. The BBQ chicken tasted just like the BBQ chicken I had at Goofy’s Kitchen last year. Both restaurants had the beignets/donuts too. I enjoyed the fish and vegetables, but they were both available with slight variations at Goofy’s Kitchen this time too.

Overall, the food was fine. Nothing to get too excited over.

Is Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch worth it?

This is a pricey meal. It’s $65/adult and $36/child. If you are looking for some fall foods, I’d say to look elsewhere. However, if you want to see the characters in some unique fall outfits, then this is the perfect meal for you. You are paying for the fall themed outfits here and not so much the food.