Onsite&Offsite Anniversary Adventures - Live-ish Dining Report with a Cheapskate Couple (COMPLETE)

elaine amj

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 26, 2012
After many years of coming to Disney with our kids, my DH and I decided to celebrate our anniversary this year with Annual Passes and a bunch of adult-only trips.

This is our first couple trip this year. I am hoping to keep our dining cost to around $700 for 8 days so we will see how we do as I also plan to splurge a bit. I am a cheapskate though so we will see if I manage to splurge. We plan to eat onsite with some offsite meals.

I will be moving slow as I am recovering from pneumonia. Been 4 weeks since the diagnosis and still dealing with fatigue. But improving every day :) Loving the fresh air and sunshine!

We are staying at a vacation rental near AK that our friends rent for 10 weeks every winter. They had an empty bedroom this week and were kind enough to offer it to us.

So last night, we spent $120 to treat the whole group (7 of us) to dinner delivered from Ford Garage near Margaritaville Resort. Our portion of the bill was $30. $13-15 for a gourmet burger is cheap compared to Disney prices lol! They were great burgers but suffered from being delivered and not eaten fresh.

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We also spent $23 at Aldi for groceries for breakfast.

Today, DH and I popped into Animal Kingdom to watch Festival of the Lion King and grab lunch. My plans were Satuli Canteen but I suggested Nomad Lounge on the way over. But since we were standing in front of Satuli, DH finally said he preferred to stay put and eat here. So we grabbed a table in the sun and he went in to line up and order. I would have mobile ordered - but can't use our gift card to pay and I like the 10% discount I got for my gift cards.

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Lunch was $25.54 (really $23 with my 10% gift card discount) at Satuli Canteen for a tofu noodle bowl and an adult-sized cheeseburger pod meal. No AP discount here.

I had wanted a cheaper kids meal but wasn't clear so DH got me the adult version for $11.49. DH's noodles were good and a hefty portion as always. I found my cheeseburger pods a little dry so added some relish. The pods themselves were good and authentic, just slightly dried out. I enjoyed them but wouldn't go out of my way next time.

He forgot to order the blueberry mousse dessert (we have had this before and it is amazing!) or the chocolate cake he wanted. So we said we would swing by Africa to get a Malva Cake Sundae. But ended up deciding to save our stomach room for Yak and Yeti tonight.
 
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Following along on the nicely detailed account of your trip. The pictures are great, so thank you for those! I absolutely agree about the cheeseburger pods at Satuli being dry. Mine were as well, and IMO tasted nothing like a McD (or any other) cheeseburger. Best of luck in your recovery (wishing you plenty of sunshine in the days ahead) and Happy Anniversary!
 
After a nice nap, we drove back to AK at 3pm. No line to park this time (at 10am this morning it took 10 mins to get to a spot) Got a last min FP to Its Tough to be a Bug which was fun.

We had another enjoyable meal at Yak and Yeti. We fell in love with the place a couple of trips ago and it is still a keeper.

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The famed Ahi Tuna Nachos was very fresh tasting. Basically an asian salad with a lot of fried wonton chips :) I enjoyed it but sadly DH wasn't as much of a fan. He said it was just ok. Unlikely to order again unless we are with other people.

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Next up was a Korean Beef Bowl. Basically a Korean Bibimbap. It is a specialty item on their seasonal menu. It was around $23ish.

Delicious! The beef was good and all the veggies were fresh and the sauce was delicious with a tiny spicy kick. We mixed the whole thing up together before we ate.Large shareable portion. We only ate about half the rice between the two of us (trying to eat healthy).

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Then we ordered a side of coconut shrimp ($7.99). It...was ok. We normally adore coconut shrimp but this was rather blah. I will remember not to order it again. I asked for some of the mayo/aoili from the Bibimbap and that helped.

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Finally - the star of the show. Cream cheese pineapple wontons ($10.99). As good as always!

Yak and Yeti was $52.98 (actually $47.68 because I bought Landrys gift cards at a 10% discount from Sams Club) because we had a $20 bonus card (have to spend $50 to use this) plus a small discount from our Annual Pass (10% off entrees only - weird!). Our actual bill would have been $72.86.

We will be back again later this week for more deliciousness. Overall, we love this place.

Today, the pace was amazingly fast and even taking our time over three courses, we were out 1hr 15 mins later. We were seated with our Landry's card (no ADR) within 3 mins and our server showed up promptly and frequently. The last few Disney meals we had in December (bigger group of 5) took 2-3 HOURS for 3 courses. So we ended up with time to watch the Street Band in Discovery Island which was fun.
 
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Following along on the nicely detailed account of your trip. The pictures are great, so thank you for those! I absolutely agree about the cheeseburger pods at Satuli being dry. Mine were as well, and IMO tasted nothing like a McD (or any other) cheeseburger. Best of luck in your recovery (wishing you plenty of sunshine in the days ahead) and Happy Anniversary!

Glad I wasn't the only one to think so. Needs more relish and ketchup! Now I am tempted to get a Big Mac haha.

Following along. Looking forward to reading more
Awesome start, can't wait to read more and see more great pics!

WELCOME!

First time I have tried to do this live and I like it.
 
Not dining related but it sure is nice to do a chilled out, relaxed trip for once. Normally I am go go go with every min tightly scheduled. I still have a schedule but we are moving at strolling place with almost no hard and fast must-dos. We have had annual passes at other places before and I have never quite relaxed like this. Its nice :)

Worried DH and I may run out of things to do...but we will see :) We have been coming for 10 years now and are always eager to return.

Anyway, running total for the last two days is $76.

Tomorrow it's time for the chilli cheese dog at Casey's I have been dreaming of since I had it in 2017. Will it live up to my memories? And where will DH choose to eat? (He tries hard to eat healthy)
 
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I am loving the photos! We're leaving for WDW at the end of this month, and I am drooling over the pineapple wontons at Yak & Yeti. Tip for you: Y&Y has the absolute BEST burger ever. Never thought I'd order something like that there, but oh my gosh, it was incredible and I can't wait to get it (and the wontons!) again. Hope you're feeling better each day!
 
Today we woke up a little later than planned so I skipped rope drop plans at MK. Instead, we headed off to the Polynesian for the famous Tonga Toast I haven't had yet :) Thankfully had no problems parking at the Poly since our plans were just for Captain Cooks so no ADR.

DH ordered the Avocado Toast breakfast for $11.29 and I got Tonga Toast for $9.29. Total of $21.92 or $19.73 after my 10% gift card discount. We completely forgot to ask about AP discount, even though I was looking at my AP card. Duh!

We chose to sit in the sunshine over at Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace right by a little waterfall with a view of the boat dock.

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Then we got our food :)
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Here is the avocado toast. DH liked it and with the egg, it was quite filling. He has trouble with things with many layers. He is recovering from nasal cancer and has trouble opening his jaws wide. He still likes to order sandwiches and burgers though. He happily deconstructed this and ate it layer by layer. A little expensive considering he eats avocado toast all the time at home but the egg adds more heft and better value for $11.29.

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And Tonga Toast!! Mmmm...this was as good as they say! Would definitely order this again. Like eating a puffy, airy sugar doughnut. The sourdough adds a pleasing sour note and the bananas add an extra flavor that works with everything else. My only complaint is the extremely thick coating of sugar. I scraped most of it off and next time, will ask for no sugar if possible.
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We missed our Pooh FP for this and it was worth it. Lovely breakfast in a fantastic setting.
 
I am loving the photos! We're leaving for WDW at the end of this month, and I am drooling over the pineapple wontons at Yak & Yeti. Tip for you: Y&Y has the absolute BEST burger ever. Never thought I'd order something like that there, but oh my gosh, it was incredible and I can't wait to get it (and the wontons!) again. Hope you're feeling better each day!

Really? I don't quote know if I can order a burger here. But based on your recommendations, we just might :)

Following along...those wontons are amazing!

They really are!
 
DH wanted a treat at MK. He has been wanting a Mickey ice cream bar so we hunted down a cart :)

It couldn't take his e-gift card so he used his regular CC. $6 with no AP or gift card discount. Happy hubby, happy life :)

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Better than the Mickey bars I bought at the grocery store recently. Somehow it tastes better at Disney haha!

We were headed to Its a Small World but ended up ducking into the Hall of Presidents on a whim. Haven't seen this in ages!
 
Had a nice, slow paced morning at MK. We havent done the Hall of Presidents in years and history-loving and museum-loving DH and I really enjoyed it. After that, we had to race across to Under the Sea to use our FPs. Made it in the final minute of our 15 min grace period. Such a lovely romantic ride. After that, we headed to our FP date with Buzz...but the FP line was crowded for some reason. So we bailed on our FP and sauntered over to the Carrousel of Progress to find out there is a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.

I was starting to feel really exhausted by this point, so I half-snoozed through the show enjoying DH's shoulder and the familiar show.

I decided I better have a healthier lunch so I sadly said goodbye to my dreams of the chilli cheese dog. After some debate of offsite/onsite, we finally decided to return to Captain Cook's for lunch. I can get chicken noodle soup anywhere but the menu here was more appealing to DH than anything at MK. I thought I might find something healthier and less expensive offsite but didn't find anything other than Panera Bread. I find Panera a bit overpriced so we decided to have our overpriced meal sprinkled with pixie dust.

Took the Express Monorail and walked from the TTC. Bad decision as it was a longer walk than expected - maybe 7-8 mins? Practically all the way at the other end of the resort. Would have been just as fast to take the resort monorail and sit semi-patiently through a stop at the Contemporary and the TTC before getting off at the 2nd floor of the Poly's Ceremonial House. Normally I like walking but DH doesn't as much plus he already has to push me all day. It's all good though - next time we will just take the resort monorail.

I was hoping DH would choose the more interesting Thai Coconut Meatballs, but since I really needed to eat healthy, he got the Superfoods Salad ($9.99) to split with me.

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It was REALLY good! The kale was a little tough, but that is the nature of kale. It was chock-ful of healthy ingredients that were very fresh. DH was surprised at how much he liked the vinaigrette (he doesn't usually like them). I have a vague memory that this might be the same vinaigrette I loved so much at Ohanas a few years ago! It was so lovely and made the salad taste great!

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The chicken noodle soup ($4.99) was wayyyy better than the Campbell's stuff I was expecting. Lots of chicken pieces and lovely and light. Surprisingly not reliant on only salt to flavor it, it felt far healthier than the other options and was very soothing.

Total bill was $15.96 ($14.36 after my 10% gift card discount) with no AP discounts offered. We left satisfied and really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere (again we sat at Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace). So glad we came here instead of Panera - pixie dust makes everything taste better :)
 
I was still pretty tired out today so we scrapped our plans to eat around the World at the Festival of the Arts booths. Instead, I booked us dinner at Sebastian's Bistro at the Caribbean Beach Resort - partly because of its proximity to the Skyliner and the Intl Gateway entrance to Epcot.

Our first time at this resort and it is beautiful. A bit spread out though but I reminded DH it is rather like Saratoga Springs where we stayed happily three years ago.

Back to Sebastian's - I loved the light decor and the nod to that adorable crab. (the Little Mermaid is my favourite Disney movie - I was obsessed with it when it came out and I still love Ariel to this day).

I asked to be seated on the blue side by the windows and they accommodated the request. The menu is so pretty.

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When DH saw the menu, he was curious about the Caribbean Pull Apart Rolls. I was surprised as he rarely asks for bread (the theme here is eating healthy). We looked at some reviews and the photos looked great so that was a definite yes.
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Here is the fluffy, airy inside.
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Here's the inside. These were sooo good! Light and airy and buttery a little like a croissant but fluffier inside. At $12 for 4 rolls, it was a bit pricey but we loved it. We would definitely order it again, even if we were there on the regular dining plan. Worth paying OOP to add this on and I am too cheap to say that lightly.

The Jerk oil was good with a slight spice. The guava butter was yummy and the onion jam is as good as every onion jam I have had - we happily ate every bit of it.

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Next up was the Vegetable Curry for DH. He enjoyed it but said it didn't wow him and he wouldn't go out of his way to order it again. Still, he was looking for a healthy option and this checked off the boxes and was tasty. I tried some and it was good, but I agree with his assessment.

Still working the healthy angle, I got a Black Bean Soup. This was soooo good. (I have been in a black bean mood lately lol). I loved the combination of flavors and relished every spoonful. It was a decent enough portion to leave me feeling satisfied. I would get this again if I can resist trying something else.

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Next up - the warm chocolate pudding cake. We debated this vs a molten cake at the Festival of the Arts but DH was swayed by the Disney's Food Blog's glowing review of its chocolatey goodness.

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The cake was very moist and the centre was meltey dark chocolate loveliness. Like a lava cake. BUT - for $10 it was a pathetically small portion. That is a regular size teacup - not even a large coffee mug like I expected. While it tasted good, it wasn't good enough to be worth $10 for that tiny portion.

Our bill was $58.85 after tip and a 10% annual pass discount (actual $52.96 after 10% gift card discount).

We really enjoyed our meal here. We already have it earmarked for a return visit on another trip. We had such a relaxing time and just relished it. My only "complaint" would be that the meal flew threw so quickly my head was spinning. I didn't want a 3 hour meal but the rolls appeared almost immediately. And before I was quite done the rolls, the entrees appeared. Then dessert showed up 2 mins after we ordered it. Even lingering afterwards and eating slowly, we were out of there in 45 mins. Just a wee bit too fast paced. Oh well - better than the 2-3 hr meals we had in December on the deluxe plan. I was worn out after every meal.

After this, we drove over closer to the Skyliner and hopped on for a ride to Epcot. It really does take a little while...but at least we didn't have to walk and could just chill on the skyliner. And I love that we get off right at the Intl Gateway.

We strolled through Epcot checking out the food booths and ended up getting a Taiyaki for me for $5.75 ($5.18 with 10% gift card discount). No AP discount available.

It was really good! (I do like red beans although I don't eat it frequently). Different tasting though and might be an acquired taste for some folks. The cream cheese frosting helps a lot with that ;) Large portion so it made a good sized dessert that didn't feel too unhealthy lol.

We caught the last song of the 6:45pm set at the America Gardens Theatre so that was a nice backdrop.

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After that, we decided to watch the American Adventure. It has been 6 years since our last viewing of this and I was delighted to see they updated the end a little. We really enjoyed it.

Left the park about 8:15 to take the Skyliner back and head home. The Skyliner is a super romantic way to travel at night :)

Stopped by Walmart on the way home to buy wine and beer for our hosts.

Running total after 3 days: $174.23
 
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Today, we skipped breakfast and took our hosts to the Sweet Tomatoes buffet for lunch. We had a birthday meal for free and 20% off everyone else so it was $31.95 for 4 of us for a filling, healthy lunch. Our portion for the 2 of us was just $8.31. Cheap meal for sure!

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Not my photos.

The highlights were the cream of mushroom soup (REALLY good!) and the garlic bread. We all had a lot of soup - so many different kinds it was fun to attempt to try as many as possible. I surprisingly also really liked the Parker House rolls with delish honey butter. The baked potatoes were perfectly cooked and fluffy. The brownies were nice and fudgy with a crusty exterior.
 
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I love Sweet Tomatoes. Always craving vegetables after a week of vacation eating and we don't have Sweet Tomatoes anywhere near home.
 

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