Laughing Lindsay

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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.

Epcot Biergarten Restaurant Review

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October is quickly approaching and that means many people will celebrate Oktoberfest soon! Did you know that there is a buffet in Epcot where you can celebrate it all year long? I’m talking about Biergarten Restaurant! If you like lively entertainment and unique food, then keep reading for my review of this experience!

Biergarten Restaurant

Biergarten Restaurant

For a long time, my husband and I talked about trying this place out. However, it never worked out. Last October, we finally decided to make it happen! Biergarten Restaurant is the table service restaurant in the Germany pavilion at Epcot at Walt Disney World. It would be one table service credit to eat here. It’s currently $49/adult and $27/child to eat here. However, that price includes an all you care to enjoy buffet and some entertainment!

The Food

This was a completely new experience for us both since neither of us had tried German cuisine. So, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. The buffet featured a selection of sausages and other meats, making it a great option for meat lovers. There was also sauerkraut, as is mandatory for a German place. There was also a tasty beer cheese soup that paired well with pretzel rolls. I really liked the Nudel Gratin or macaroni and cheese! I also enjoyed the apple strudel! I tried the Black Forest Cake and discovered it wasn’t for me. My husband was thrilled to discover the fresh pineapple!

We aren’t big drinkers, but there appeared to be a good selection of alcoholic beverages to choose from. I thought it was a nice touch that our water was served in glass steins too.

The Entertainment

As I mentioned above, this place is always celebrating Oktoberfest! I really enjoyed the theme since it’s meant to look like you are eating in the middle of a Bavarian village! It was like being outside while enjoying the cool air conditioning (something that is vital in Orlando).

The tables surround a stage where a group of men come out periodically to perform! It was nice to have some live entertainment during our meal. We enjoyed seeing other people get up to dance. This is truly a lively meal. It’s not a quiet experience.

Is Biergarten Restaurant worth it?

Personally, this may have been a one and done for me. It wasn’t bad by any means. However, if I’m trying to get the most bang for my buck on the dining plan, I’m probably going to Garden Grill. Also, seeing as how we aren’t big drinkers, I think a quieter sit down meal would be more appropriate for me and my husband going forward. However, I think this place is perfect for lots of other folks.

Have you eaten here? Do you like it?

Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom Review

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Seeing as how tomorrow is July 4th, I thought I would finally post a Liberty Tree Tavern review!

Liberty Tree Tavern

Liberty Tree Tavern

I have had the pleasure of eating at this restaurant twice. The first time I went was a solo trip pre-pandemic. Then, I went again last year with my mom. I’ve enjoyed it both times. So, here’s a look at what you can expect at this table service (1 table service credit on the dining plan) restaurant in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World!

The Theme

For those who don’t know or can’t tell by the name, Liberty Tree Tavern is a colonial themed restaurant. It is located in the Liberty Square area of Magic Kingdom and fits right in with the theme of the area. It feels very similar to Colonial Williamsburg. In fact, each of the six dining rooms are themed after a founding father! This includes: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, and George Washington. It’s fun to look around the room for little nods to each person.

The Food

The menu has been simplified post-pandemic. Now, when you dine here, the only option is the all you care to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner that is served family style. Although, they do have a plant-based version of this meal as well as allergy-friendly versions as well. Thankfully, everything here is good. Granted, it is not anything groundbreaking or fancy. However, it will please lots of different folks.

First, you are served the Declaration Salad along with rolls. The rolls are very basic. I’m not big on salad dressings, but this one is pretty good. I also like the addition of the apples and cranberries in the salad. Next up is the Patriot’s Platter or the main meal. It consists of roasted turkey (it’s Thanksgiving, after all), pot roast, and oven-roasted pork. I really liked the turkey and pork.

The sides include mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, herbed stuffing, and macaroni and cheese. Honestly, I really liked all of the sides. We received green beans as the seasonal vegetable and they were ok. The other three sides were delicious though.

Lastly, we have the real star of this meal, the dessert! The Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake is amazing! It’s served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. While the whole meal is all you care to enjoy, you have to save room for this dessert! In fact, it’s so good that I used my picture of it as the image for this blog post seen above!

Should you eat at Liberty Tree Tavern?

While the food here is consistently good (which is saying something for theme parks), it’s not anything truly unique. Also, the price is $42/person. While that is expensive, it’s still not a good use of a table service dining credit. However, the food is good and there’s probably something for everyone to enjoy. It’s also a good place for history buffs to check out. If you are on a tight budget or don’t want much to eat, then you are better off skipping this one.

Have you ever dined at Liberty Tree? What did you think?

Rainforest Cafe Breakfast at Animal Kingdom Review

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Back in December, my mom and I visited Walt Disney World to celebrate the holidays. On our Animal Kingdom day we decided to try the Rainforest Cafe breakfast for the first time! Here’s a review of that experience.

Rainforest Cafe Breakfast

Rainforest Cafe Breakfast

Walt Disney World has two Rainforest Cafe locations on property. There’s the one at Disney Springs with the erupting volcano outside. However, it’s only open for lunch and dinner. Then, there’s this one at Animal Kingdom. It’s technically situated just outside the park but can be accessed from either outside or inside the park. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

The Theme

For those who don’t know, this is a chain restaurant that is highly themed to a rainforest. It has lots of animatronic animals around every corner. Since we ate here during the holiday season, I thought it was cute that they had put Santa Claus hats on some of the animals. It made it feel more jolly.

The real draw here is the thunderstorm that darkens the entire restaurant and has lots of loud storm/animal noises every 20-30 minutes! Personally, I think it fits right in at Animal Kingdom. It’s a fun theme that is perfect for any animal lover. Plus, it’s significantly cheaper than eating the character breakfast at Tusker House in the park. However, it’s still not exactly cheap or quiet. So, just know that going in.

The Food

My mom ordered the Tonga Toast meal. I was expecting something more akin to the Tonga Toast at Kona Cafe or Captain Cook’s at the Polynesian Resort. However, this was a basic cinnamon French toast. It is served with fruit and your choice of breakfast meat. Considering it costs $6 more than the quick service Captain Cook’s, I was personally disappointed in this dish. They really should call it something else to lower expectations. Overall, it was a fine breakfast dish but not what we expected.

I chose the Banana Fosters Pancakes. The pancakes come with caramelized bananas and pecans. It was delicious! You don’t need any syrup here! It also came with some potatoes and eggs. Unfortunately, the potatoes were overdone and hard. The eggs were fine. I definitely left this meal with a sugar rush.

Is Rainforest Cafe worth it?

I think my mom really enjoyed the animals and the theme was neat. The thunderstorm was added entertainment. However, the food was just ok and overpriced. It gave us a nice place to sit in the dark, out of the hot sun. I think for the price, I’d rather eat quick service breakfast at a resort. This might be a one and done for us. It was a cool experience, but not necessarily worth repeating.

Have you ever eaten Rainforest Cafe breakfast?

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at Epcot Review

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On my most recent visit (February 2024) to Walt Disney World, my mom and I ate at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria at Epcot one night. So, here’s my review of that experience.

Via Napoli Ristorante Review

Via Napoli Ristorante

Pizza is a very common meal that most people enjoy. As such, I’ve seen lots of lists featuring the best pizza at Walt Disney World. Nearly every single one lists Via Napoli Ristorante at or near the top of the list. I’ve been meaning to try it for several years. In fact, I had a history of booking this restaurant 60 days out and then cancelling it for various reasons. However, this time I finally ate here to see if it’s the best pizza!

Technically, Via Napoli is an Italian restaurant with lots of food choices. However, everyone goes here for the pizza. At the front of the restaurant are wood-burning ovens that cook the pizzas. So, it gives the pizza a crispy crust that you don’t get at many other places. The ovens are the centerpiece of the restaurant and it’s fun to watch the pizzas being made.

Dining Plan

If you want Disney Dining Plan tips, you can check out my post on it. That being said, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this restaurant when on the dining plan as it wasn’t the best use of credit. However, it’s a place we’ve been wanting to try for a long time and we made better use of our other credits. For one table service credit, we were able to select an individual pizza, a drink, and a dessert.

The Pizza

I went with the Margherita Pizza as I wanted to try the traditional pizza here. It’s in the image above. It had a really crispy bottom, a tasty tomato sauce, perfect mozzarella, and a little bit of basil on top. It was a pretty good pizza. Personally, I don’t care for smokey or burnt things. So, the crust was a bit of a miss for me personally. The rest of it was good. I’m very fortunate to have a couple of independent Italians restaurants where I live. As such, this pizza wasn’t as good as the pizza I can get locally. If you only have chain pizza locations, then you are in for a treat!

My mom went with the Meat Lover Pizza. It featured a generous amount of pepperoni, ham, and sausage! Her pizza is the first image in my Instagram post below. My mom seemed to like her pizza. The crust was a little too hard for her and she didn’t eat the end pieces. However, she demolished the toppings.

Drinks and Desserts

Since we were on the dining plan, we also got drinks and desserts. We aren’t big alcohol drinkers, so we were tired of the alcohol by this point in the trip. I got a Shirley Temple, which was sweet and delicious! My mom got a Strawberry Acqua Fresca. It was a light yet sweet drink.

For dessert, I again went with a classic. I chose the tiramisu. It was a very light dessert with lots of mascarpone cream. The lady fingers were pretty dry though. Also, there was way too much cocoa powder on top for me. I actually blew some of it off. After that, it was a nice dessert.

My mom went with the gelato. She couldn’t decide on which flavor, so the amazing cast member was nice enough to bring her a small scoop of all three options: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry! That was a nice touch. She enjoyed it a lot.

Is Via Napoli Ristorante worth it?

I found Via Napoli Ristorante to be a unique place where most people can find something to eat. I think the quality of the ingredients used makes its pizza some of the best on property. However, to me it’s still expensive pizza. It’s not a great use of dining credit though. Your best bang for your buck here is to order one of the bigger pizzas to split and pay cash. I think this may be a one and done experience for me, but I don’t regret it. It was a good meal that I enjoyed with my mom.

Have you ever eaten here? Is this your go-to restaurant at Epcot?