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Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner Review

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I’ve just returned from another solo trip to Disneyland where I got to experience the new Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner! So, here’s a review of that experience.

Clarabelle's Enchanted Halloween Dinner

Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner

Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner is the newest seasonal character dinner meal at Disneyland Resort. It’s held at Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian Hotel during dinner only. During the morning hours right now, you can experience Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Brunch or Breakfast, which I was lucky enough to do last year. You can click that link to read my review of that meal.

I will start by saying that this turned into a really long meal. For whatever reason, they were running behind schedule. I wasn’t seated until 20 minutes after my reservation time. An hour later, I had seen only two characters! It took right at two hours to see everyone! I don’t know that I’ve had a character meal last that long since they are usually pushing you out the door. However, I did notice several people approaching the characters before they came to their table. If you are reading this, please don’t do that. The whole point of a character meal is that the characters come to your table while you are eating.

The Characters

The best part of this meal has to be the special characters! Let’s start with the fact that it’s headliner is Clarabelle Cow! I actually had never met her, so it was exciting to finally meet her. Also, I’m a sucker for Donald. So, I am happy to see Disneyland adding more Donald to the character meals. Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto are also at this meal.

Plus, I loved that the characters are wearing Halloween costumes! It was the perfect way to begin my Halloween trip to Disneyland!

The Food

Given the high price tag for this meal, I appreciated the various food options here. The standout items to me were the lobster ravioli and pumpkin bread pudding. The ravioli was the only thing I went back for for seconds. The salmon was also pretty good as were the mashed potatoes. The apple cider pork chop didn’t have as much of an apple cider flavor as I was hoping for. The chicken was a little dry. The vegetable medley was good but basic. The pumpkin cookie was fine. I actually liked the bat macaron. It features a peanut butter cream that I really liked. The chocolate cake thing was meh for me. A little one note.

Overall, it’s an elevated buffet meal. I think there’s something for everyone at this meal.

Is Clarabelle’s Enchanted Halloween Dinner worth it?

It costs $79 per adult, plus tax and gratuity to eat this meal (Kids are $42). So, it’s a really expensive meal. Plus, this experience ended up running long. So, I think those are important pieces of information to know before declaring this meal worth it or not. Personally, I enjoyed the food and loved meeting the characters in their unique costumes. So, it was worth it for me. However, it’s definitely a budget buster and time suck. I can see other folks determining it’s not worth it.

Dollywood Aunt Granny’s Restaurant Review

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Earlier this summer, my mom and I ate at Aunt Granny’s Restaurant while visiting Dollywood. As per usual, I thought I would provide a quick review of that experience.

Aunt Granny's Restaurant

Aunt Granny’s Restaurant

The most popular restaurant at Dollywood is Aunt Granny’s Restaurant. That’s because it’s an all you care to enjoy family style meal full of homecooked food! As of June 2025, it’s $27.99/adult before discounts, making it a pretty good deal as far as theme park dining goes.

Note: Prior to Covid, it was a buffet. However, it’s now all you care to eat served family style.

Also, fun fact: It’s named Aunt Granny’s because Dolly Parton has helped raise her nieces and nephews. So, they called her Aunt Granny. Eating here is supposed to be like visiting Aunt Granny Dolly’s.

The Main Course

The meal begins with drinks and cheddar biscuits! It was a hot day, so I got water. It was good, particularly if you are regular Walt Disney World visitor. No swamp water here. The cheddar biscuits were good and we were sad we weren’t hungry enough to eat them all.

For the main course, you are able to select three mains. My mom and I decided on herb baked chicken, fried chicken, and southern fried catfish. Unfortunately, we were both disappointed with the baked chicken as it was dry. However, the fried chicken was much better. The fried catfish was the surprise hit for me. I really enjoyed it.

The Sides

You are able to select four sides for the table to share. We went with carrots, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. The corn pudding was easily our least favorite. The mashed potatoes were our favorite. The carrots were pretty good also with the honey and herbs. The macaroni and cheese was good, but somewhat basic. Overall, the sides were tasty and filling.

The Dessert

Finally, everyone is allowed to select a dessert. During our visit, they had 9 different options! Our server was nice enough to entertain my specific questions about the different desserts before I made my selection. Being the family’s baker, I can be pretty picky about my desserts. Haha! My mom and I both ended up picking the dirt pudding. It was light, sweet, and the perfect option for a warm day as it didn’t sit on the stomach heavily. It was also great for our chocolate fix.

Is Aunt Granny’s worth it?

Theme park food is expensive. However, all you care to eat for $27.99 (before tips/taxes/discount) is pretty good! Plus, most of the food was really good. It was also nice to sit down in the air conditioning since the festival food booths required you to sit outside in the heat. This place often has a wait and I think it’s easy to see why. It’s reasonably priced for what you get. Plus, it’s better than most other theme park food.

Have you ever eaten here?

Disney World Quick Service Breakfast

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When visiting a theme park, most people prefer to have a small and quick bite to eat in the morning. So, I thought I would highlight the best Disney World quick service breakfast options to help people make the most of their time and money!

Disney World Quick Service Breakfast

Disney World Quick Service Breakfast

While some folks may look forward to a leisurely start to their vacation days, lots of folks prefer to grab something quick while visiting theme parks. So, I thought I would highlight my favorite places to grab a quick bite to eat in the morning when visiting Walt Disney World from the parks to the resorts!

Resorts

For the most part, the quick service breakfast options at the resorts are the same. However, to me, it’s not a Disney trip without some Mickey waffles! So, I like to grab a Waffle Bounty Platter to get a waffle along with some protein (usually eggs and meat). The post image above is actually my breakfast at Disney’s All Star Sports from December 2024. It even came with some tots! It was very filling and tasted fresh. It didn’t contain any new flavor combinations, but that’s not what these breakfast options are all about anyways. They are perfect for getting to the parks quickly or getting to the airport in a timely fashion!

Magic Kingdom

Typically, on a park day, I will eat a little something in the room while I’m getting ready (such as a granola bar). Then, I will eat a bigger late breakfast or early lunch in the parks. Unfortunately, Magic Kingdom is not known for a plethora of food options. In the before times, I loved to eat breakfast at Be Our Guest. However, that’s no longer an option. RIP quick service Be Our Guest.

Nowadays, lots of folks like to grab a warm cinnamon roll at Gaston’s Tavern, a big Mickey waffle with various toppings at Sleepy Hollow, or a breakfast sandwich at Main Street Bakery. I think you should go with whatever suits your fancy.

Epcot Quick Service Breakfast

It used to be much harder to find breakfast in this park since World Showcase didn’t used to open prior to 11 AM. However, now I pretty much always get breakfast in France! If you are looking for a good use of a quick service dining credit on the dining plan, I would suggest getting a crepe and adult beverage from the crepe stand. Otherwise, I love to head to Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie for a breakfast sandwich croissant that’s tasty and relatively cheap by Disney standards.

Hollywood Studios

I think there are two great options for a quick breakfast at Hollywood Studios. Depending on who I’m with and my mood dictates which one I’ll choose. My husband and I enjoy Ronto Roasters in Galaxy’s Edge for a Ronto Wrap. I’ve also been known to grab a kids meal at Woody’s Lunch Box for breakfast or lunch. I also like picking up the seasonal lunch box tarts here.

Animal Kingdom

Usually, at Animal Kingdom I will grab a breakfast sandwich at Creature Comforts (the park’s Starbucks) as I walk in. However, I’ve also eaten a Pongu Lumpia (the first slide in my old Instagram post seen below) from Pongu Pongu in Pandora for breakfast. Sometime, I want to try Satu’li Canteen for breakfast though. I’ve had lunch there a few times and really enjoyed it. So, I’m sure the breakfast is good too.

Disney Springs

Disney Springs tends to be more of a place for lunch or dinner. However, you can find breakfast here too. I’ve had Earl of Sandwich several times at Disney World and Disneyland. It never disappoints. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew would be a great option for breakfast here too.

Best Disney World Quick Service Breakfast Options

So, there you have my go-to Disney World quick service breakfast picks! What are your favorites?

Medieval Times Myrtle Beach Dinner Show Review

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I recently took a trip to South Carolina with my mom. While there, my mom requested we see a dinner show, so I suggested Medieval Times Myrtle Beach since she had never done the experience. This is a review of that dinner.

Medieval Times Myrtle Beach

Medieval Times Myrtle Beach

My mom is a big fan of dinner shows. That’s why I’ve been able to review all of the dinner shows in Pigeon Forge: Pirates Voyage Pigeon Forge Dinner Show Review, Hatfield and McCoy Dinner Feud Show Review, and Dolly Parton Stampede Christmas Dinner Show Review. So, when we started planning our trip to South Carolina, my mom requested that we do a dinner show one night. Since she had done the Pirates show in Pigeon Forge, she wanted to try something different. That left Medieval Times Myrtle Beach Dinner and Tournament!

For those who are unaware, this is a chain of dinner shows that transport guests back to Medieval Spain! I visited one back in 2017 at BlogHer in Orlando, Florida. However, last year they updated the story. So, this was our first time seeing this story, but my second time visiting Medieval Times.

The Food

I think most people attending one of these dinner shows knows that you are mainly coming for the show. However, you want good food too. It appears that either the menus has been updated slightly since 2017 or perhaps they just use different spices in MB versus Orlando. Either way, it’s tasty and you still aren’t given utensils!

The meal begins with a tomato bisque soup that you drink. Then, you receive a slice of garlic bread to finish off the soup. Our waitress called it dragon’s blood soup and dragon scales! I have no idea why. That’s just what she said when she passed it out. Both items were tasty enough.

Next up is the main meal consisting of a roasted half chicken, sweet buttered corn on the cob, and a herb-basted potato. I recall eating a nice half chicken in 2017, but don’t recall a whole lot of spice. Rather, it was a basic chicken. This 2025 version had a good amount of seasoning on it. That made it more interesting than a regular piece of chicken, however I could see it being a little spicy for some folks. The herb-basted potato seemed to have more spice than I recalled having in Orlando as well. The corn on the cob was much the same as anywhere else. It was good.

Lastly, there’s the “Dessert of the Castle”. I honestly don’t remember what the dessert was in 2017, but this time it’s a mini eclair. Being used to the big turnovers (and pudding) offered in Pigeon Forge, I was a little surprised by how dainty the eclair was. It was a sweet little way to end the meal.

The Show

As I stated above, the vast majority of people attend these things for the show. I will admit that I didn’t catch it was a two hour long show. I felt that it was a little long, personally. However, the show was very entertaining. The horses are beautiful. The pageantry was awesome. Who doesn’t love some sword fighting and jousting?! I won’t give away any spoilers here, but it was neat to be assigned a knight to cheer on with your assigned section. We were team Black and White. Being able to identify with a team and cheer them on is the basis for pretty much all of these dinner shows. So, I imagine that aspect won’t be going anywhere.

This version’s story begins in peacetime, but these times are never peaceful for long. I mean times of rest and merriment don’t necessarily make for a good tournament, do they? However, I will admit that sometimes the story didn’t seem to make sense. As in, people would return when I thought they had been dealt with? It’s unclear how that type of thing happens. Regardless, you are mostly there for the horses and fighting.

Is Medieval Times Myrtle Beach worth it?

The regular rate for this dinner show is $72.95/adult. My mom and I pre-booked it using a coupon and got it down to $57.76/each. So, I highly recommend keeping an eye out for coupons to save some serious money. With food costs being what they are and the staff needing to be trained, I think the costs are fair. None of these dinner shows are cheap. This one seems to offer the most upgrade options. If we return to a Medieval Times, we might consider doing one of the upgraded packages to get a better seat and/or slice of cake!

Have you ever dined at the Medieval Times Myrtle Beach?

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?