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

[elaine amj]

@ariane37 Last time I had that chilli chocolate from AK, I picked it up at the end of the night and ended up bringing it home and having it at work a few days later. The perfect transportable snack that is super unique and very Disney-fied and adorable. Very surprised it isn't more popular - especially for DDP folks needing to burn snack credits (that's actually why I bought it in the first place lol!) Also surprised they don't make a plain milk chocolate version.

And I just cannot believe those Amorette cakes are such a disappointment for the price. And the supposed "high quality bakery" . Not to say they are bad - they are still yummy. But not a wow dessert when they should be (other than how adorable they look!)

Thank you for these awesome reviews. I *really* want to try the cheeseburger egg rolls.

I am still in shock at how good they are! I read the reviews - but wasn't expecting it to live up to them haha. The cheeseburger pods at Pandora are blah compared to these!

 

[elaine amj]

So where did I leave off?

After Epcot, DH asked to go back to Wine Bar George (its our latest obsession lol). He got his usual BLT ($12) and I ordered a Chicken Salad sandwich ($12). Total bill including AP discount and tip was $28.97. I only got 4% discount out of this batch of gift cards so my actual cost was $27.81.



This time he asked for the cheese sauce on the side and he preferred it that way. I also asked them to have a lighter hand with the salt on the fries and it was way better. Then, I asked for some of yesterday's aoili (from the steak frites) to dip my fries into. Mmmmmmm. So much better.

The chicken salad was lovely and interesting with the roasted tomatoes and salsa. I preferred yesterday's steak a bit more but this was definitely a nice sandwich - especially at the price point. I liked the chicken salad but it could use an oomph of flavor from something. Not as big a fan of salsa so maybe that is why I wasn't as crazy about it. DH likes salsa more and he really enjoyed his bites of my sandwich.

Still in the mood to pig out, we took a drive to Cafe D'Avignon, a new bakery that just opened on Sunset Walk in the new Margaritaville Resort. I had read stellar reviews and was highly hopeful for a bakery from NYC. I spent the bulk of my short trip in NYC trying breads and pastries from different bakeries and still swoon when thinking about them. Prices were Disney high but I was hopeful the quality would outshine it.

After drooling for some time over these:







We ended up deciding to bring back a baguette ($3.75) and half a loaf of their specialty cranberry pecan bread ($8) to share with our hosts (who also have other guests this week). It was a lot of bread for the 7 of us It was $12.63 and I will assign say $4 of that to our meal spending budget.



We ended up taking a nap first so didn't snack on these with everyone else until we were gathered in the kitchen as they finished up cooking dinner.

The baguette was good. But surprisingly, not as good as the baguette this morning from France! That shocked me. The cranberry pecan bread was also decent - but nowhere near swoon-worthy quality. So sad considering it was so expensive. I think I would have preferred a cinnamon raisin bread from the grocery store haha! This one was a bust for me.

 

[elaine amj]

After the bread, we left the crew at the house to enjoy their dinner while we set off for Disney Springs. I had DHS in the plans but worried it would be too cold and windy for Fantasmic. Plus, I was in a weird live music mood and figured Disney Springs would be the best choice.

We were still quite full when we arrived at 6:30pm so decided to wander around listening to music first. I soon discovered most live music doesn't start until 7/7:30pm. But it took some wandering to find some tunes. We listened to a few different bands and about 7:30pm we found ourselves outside Homecomin' where a duo were singing. So we parked ourselves on a bench and DH picked us up a portion of Morimoto's famous sticky ribs from their quick service window. $10 for 3 ribs, or $9.59 after AP discount. I was so excited to eat I didn't take a photo, so this is from Disney Food Blog.



3 meaty ribs make a decent sized portion. The sweet and spicy sauce is as incredible as always. It did suffer a bit from being on a steam table and was only mildly warm. Unlike the hot serving we had when we had it in the table service arm. Still, amazing option for quick service and about triple the portion and double the flavor of what we would have been given at the Festival of the Arts lol. It was lively enjoying this while listening to music and people watching.

After a while, we started getting pretty cold, even bundled up in our down winter coats (the wind was killer!). I started looking longingly at the patio heaters.

So we walked up to Homecomin' to see if we could get seated on their outdoor patio. They told me it would be an hour plus wait. Hard to hear that when we had been looking at empty patio tables for 30 mins. Oh well.

We wandered off to listen to a really good guitar player. DH really enjoyed him earlier so we went back for a second set. Then when we walked back to check on our reservation, someone just vacated the giant comfy lounge chairs surrounding a lovely outdoor heater in Homecomin's waiting area outside. WIN! We chilled out there for the next 15 mins.

Then we finally got seated at their outdoor patio next to big heaters and right in front of the duo playing.

Perfect setting to enjoy splitting a portion of their $16 Thigh High Chicken Biscuits (with an extra portion of hot honey). DH is not usually a fan of chicken and biscuits but he raved about this in December and raved again that night. There are 3 of these so a large portion (forgot to take a pic until only one was left haha!) Mmmmmm. Just $18.34 after tip and AP discount ($17.60 after 4% gift card discount).





From here, we moved on to the Earl of Sandwich as I can't leave WDW without my Holiday Sandwich! We were pretty full after bread, ribs, and chicken biscuits but decided to just indulge and split a sandwich. $7.66 after AP discount ($7.35 after 4% gift card discount).



Sooooo good! Something so comforting about a holiday dinner in a sandwich. I am obsessed with this haha. Quintessential Disney for me (even though it isn't a Disney restaurant haha).

We picked up some free chocolate samples at Ghiradellis planning to bring them home. Then we decided we needed something sweet - and a square of chocolate while listening to a singer on the stage was the perfect sweet touch to end the night!



Daily total: $74.36
Running total after 7 days: $448.01

 

[elaine amj]

This was our last full day and again we were changing plans all over the place. We ended up deciding to go to the Magic Kingdom and had a blast just enjoying the Main St atmosphere and watching all the Main Street performances we usually miss.

Lunch was what I have been putting off all trip - a chilli cheese dog from Caseys! Did a rookie mistake and didn't ask for it with no side and it came with fries. Didn't want it, but ate it anyway. $12.24, no AP discount. $1.18 after 4% gift card discount. Forgot my photo again so this is from Disney Food Blog.



It was as good as I remembered. I don't get it - I have had chilli cheese dogs at several other places in the past 3 years and somehow Caseys tastes soooo much better. I'll be back!

Our big problem now is that absolutely nothing in MK appealed to DH for lunch. Ugh - he can be so picky! We checked out a bunch of menus but nada. Then I scored a walkup to Jungle Skippers Canteen but when he looked at the menu - again nothing appealed. He said he would have settled for one of the entrees for $25-30 but he was rather blah about it. Finally I decided not to bother spending quite a bit on something he didn't even really want. He said we would go back to the house and he would just have some toast.

But the sunshine felt so good - so I suggested we take the bus to Swan/Dolphin to eat at the pool bar there. I have had that on my bucket list for 5-6 years now. Then instead of napping in the house, we could chill in a lounge chair by the pool.

So that's what we did. Waited about 10-15 mins for the Swan bus and off we went. When we got to the Cabana Pool Bar, I was immediately enchanted. Especially when I saw this!



We loved curling up in this cozy cabana! The food was delicious. DH chose a calamari ($12) and a Mongolian Vegetable Bowl ($17). I shared about a quarter of his food and he ate the rest. The calamari wasn't the best we ever had (THAT was in Newport, RI) but a very good version of it. We would get it again. The setting made everything taste even better.



The Veggie Bowl hit the spot and DH enjoyed it.



Then our server brought us a delightful surprise. How did she know DH was asking for more chocolate?



DH said this surpassed Brown Derby's chocolate mousse. Really good! And we have no idea what this is called and it is not listed online. We were happy to find out we could use our Marriott egift cards anywhere in the Swan and Dolphin (including quick service) even when not staying there. The servers are generally confused but when they key it manually into their system like a credit card, it works just fine.

Our bill was around $33 and we liked our server so much we left a $10 tip. So $43 (actual $34.40 with 20% gift card discount).

 

[ariane37]

DH picked us up a portion of Morimoto's famous sticky ribs from their quick service window

I absolutely love their ribs and I am not a ribs person!
Nice call on relaxing at the Swan/Dolphin and the cabana area looks great

 

[elaine amj]

Well, this worked great when it was live - not so good at updates for the final 1.5 days of our trip lol! Hard to get back into this now that I am home. Ran out of time when I was there because I was busy using every scrap of spare time to put together a last minute March break trip! DH decided he had so much fun he wanted to bring DS17 lol. He talked about doing a father daughter trip with DD18 next week but finally decided it was too much traveling since we are heading to Niagara /TO this weekend.

As a side note, we scored round trip tix from Mon to Fri of crazy expensive March Break for $118 each round trip on Spirit for the 3 of us! Maybe I will like Spirit better after this? DS' girlfriend will also join us for a couple of days with no parks (she just wanted a cheap trip). So we will take DS17 to the parks for one day, then he will spend the next couple of days with his gf while we get couple time too. First time traveling with the gf (first time either kid has been dating!) so hope she is an easy traveler!

Back to my dining report...

So where did I leave off? Oh - after our awesome meal at the Swan's Cabana Beach Club, we found a quiet corner and chilled out on the pool loungers for an afternoon break. It did get a little cool as Dh insisted on a shadier spot than I wanted.

Then, it was time to head back to Epcot. We were running a wee bit short on time to get to the Voices of Liberty but if we brisk walked we would make it.

BUT...all of a sudden I spotted a sign for Jalapeno stuffed pretzels!! I have been looking EVERYWHERE for this with zero luck! I came to a full and complete stop and said we would skip the show haha.







So for $7.24 with no AP discount ($6.95 after 4% gift card discount), I got my vastly overpriced pretzel. It was a bit stale but the spicy cheesy goodness inside still made me happy. Next time I need to come when it opens for fresh pretzels!



Since I stopped, DH took full advantage and immediately headed across the street for Ample Hills Creamery where he was greeted by a 15 min line. I came over and said he was crazy but he said we might as well miss the show lol.

I forgot a photo, but his brownie sundae looked about the same as the first time. $10.64 with no AP discount ($10.22 after 4% gift card discount).



I wanted to make it to the Broadway show so I convinced him it was close enough to walk to the America Gardens Theatre before the ice cream melted. Spoiler: it is not close enough.

LOL! We ended up stopping at the Intl Gateway entrance where we found a bench so he could savor his ice cream We did make it in time to the Broadway show - which was awesome

After spending an hour or so in crazy crowded Epcot, we walked out to the Beach Club, took a Lyft to the Contemporary, then walked back to MK in time to snag a fireworks spot.

The plan was for me to get a spicy waffle sandwich before the fireworks but we decided it would be too stressful - those crowds were THICK!

So I waited until after the fireworks, left DH to snag spots for Once Upon A Time, and I took off for Sleepy Hollow. Surprisingly the line was only 5+ mins long and soon, I had this beauty in my hands.



Soooo good!! And surprisingly very spicy (But alright - not as good as the thigh high chicken biscuits at Homecomin). Very large, very filling portion. Again made a rookie mistake of not asking for no side. I ate about 3/4 of the chips (not a chip person) and we threw out the rest. $11.18 with no AP discount ($10.73 after 4% gift card discount).

Got into a huge debate with DH about whether it would be faster to leave right after OUAT that finished at 9pm or linger some more to let the 8pm fireworks crowds dissipate (park was open until 10pm). He always always insists on leaving right after fireworks and I loathe waiting in the 1+ hr bus/monorail line when I could be having fun.

I dragged him onto Its a Small World and smiled my way through it I love the endless details and only wish I was better at identifying the countries. He refused to take an additional 10 mins to use our Pooh FP so we left Fantasyland at 9:30pm.

Got to the Express monorail at 9:40 to a 40 min line, which was reasonably accurate. Then tram (yay no wait), then car. I hate MK's parking setup

DH still insists it would have been the same 40min line after fireworks but I think the monorail line would have been at least an hour. The debate rages on!!!

Daily total: $74.04
Running total after 8 days: $522.05

 

[elaine amj]

Final day! So sad

Wel, we debated at length at where to eat and what to do. A few days earlier someone on FB had posted about breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe and I loved the look of biscuits as their free bread service. I am obsessed with biscuits haha.

So eventually we decided on a 10:25am brunch at GFC. We would go to DHS about noon and leave by 3pm to go to the airport.

We showed up exactly at 10:25am. The CM couldn't find iur reservation at first and I never really figured out if he actually did or just made a new one. I didn't worry as DH got a text confirming we were in the system and that we should expect a table in 5 mins. It was busy and they were not taking walk-ins so I didn't stress about the wait and we took a stroll around the pretty restaurant before finally parking ourselves on a comfy couch in the lobby. After 20 mins I started wondering what was happening. DH asked and they just said it was busy. By 30 mins, I was downright upset. DH went up to find out what was happening and they dug a bit deeper.

Turns out they somehow moved our reservation to 11:30am! (Still don't see how that happened when the computer system had texted us saying we would be seated in 5 mins).

The manager came over as we were rather upset when we finally got seated. She offered to see what she could do about our FPs (more challenging as we were leaving for the airport in a few hours). Halfway through our meal, we flagged her over and told her not to worry about our FPs - we had decided not to rush through our food to gey to DHS and just relax and do our best to enjoy our meal.

This is what we got:

We asked about the complimentary bread service and this is what our server brought shortly afterwards:



The biscuits were super light and fluffy (not the crumbly texture of Homecomin') and it came with whipped butter so you coukd slather on spoonfuls lol. DH wasn't a huge fan (he's not much of a biscuits guy anyway) but I enjoyed them and asked for a second round.

For breakfast, I decided to go with the classic eggs benedict. I hemmed and hawed between that and the brioche french toast and the server told me I could get a side of french toast and get the best of both worlds. My understanding was that I would be swapping my tomato salad for the french toast. But everything came, including the tomato salad.



The eggs benedict was cooked beautifully and deserves the rave reviews. The french toast was more blah to me although I loved the vanilla bean sauce and our server happily brought me more (as u can tell, I like a lot of sauce!). Other than the sauce, I didn't find the french toast particularly interesting. It didn't even taste like fluffy brioche - almost like normal white bread. Nothing like the decadence of Tonga Toast

DH's salad was sooo good! I was impressed and the poached eggs were perfect. This place knows how to do their eggs! DH was a bit disappointed in the bacon as he is not a big fan of thick cut chewy bacon. He would have preferred it replaced with cheap, normal bacon cooked extra crispy. I like the thick cut bacon better

I was also rubbernecking a bit when I saw servers bringing meals to other tables. I was wowed by the size of the dishes - the chicken and waffles are gigantic. And the $9 kids Mickey pancake was huge - bigger than my head! Impressive.

Then our server brought us a fun surprise - a very cute vanilla cupcake!



Then the manager gave us an even nicer surprise and said she was buying us breakfast. We left a 20% tip for our server - $6 in cash. We ended up leaving feeling like we had a nice experience there and that we would go back in the future. I am glad we decided not to stress over FPs and just enjoy our meal.

Then we headed off for our last few hours in DHS before going to the airport.

Upon arrival, we found lines like we have never seen before. The Frontier check in line lasted a solid hour! Then another 45 mins to get through security (this one is normal though - I always allow an hour). We did our best and finally got to our section of the terminal.

It was time to check in to the Club at MCO - a lounge that is part of the Priority Pass program. DH has the Chase Sapphire Reserve which gives him and up to two guests free access to many lounges. But - the lounge was so full they had a waiting list (I did know this was a possibility). We ended up waiting for half an hour and finally got the text to enter the lounge 10 mins before we had to head to our gate.

So - we had to eat FAST!



They had salad, a couple of different soups, sandwiches, and a bruschetta-type thing. I particularly liked the tomato topping on the bruschetta. I also had a couple of small bowls of the Italian Wedding Soup (nothing gourmet and probably from a can but I was content).

We ate our free dinner so fast haha. We still made it to our flight in plenry of time thankfully. Since we were travelling with a wheelchair, my strategy was to be among the last to board so my wheelchair would be one of the first to be taken off. This worked perfectly!

Daily total: $6
Running total after 9 days: $528.05

 

[elaine amj]

So that is it - 9 days of Disney dining all complete. We didn't spend anywhere near what I budgeted - spending an average of just $65/day for the two of us (not counting Day 9 which was an anomaly). But we definitely had a tough time splurging, even when we tried really hard.

I really tried not to look at prices, especially when we bought snacks. But had a harder time not considering prices when ordering meals. We still felt pretty indulgent though - ordering many things we wouldn't normally order when OOP and extravagances like ordering another dish or dessert even though we were comfortably full and didn't need it (did I mention we are cheapskates?!) So many ridiculously priced $7-10 snacks and desserts that we normally wouldn't get.

So there is a case to be made for DDP for us. We eat like kings on the dining plan. That said, we felt we ate like queens with this splurgy OOP budget We were rarely overly stuffed and we fit in some healthy food too. It was also nice to skip meals when we weren't hungry and adjust when I wasn't feeling well. We often end up eating a wee bit too much on the last day with DDP lol. Or have to run around trying to figure out the best things to bring home with our snack credits.

That said, given our cheapskatey natures, I think that occasional DDP is still good for us. I have a blowout family trip with free dining at AS Music for this August and am debating between DDP and Deluxe DDP for one room of 3ppl to share between 5 of us. Leaning towards DDP with some OOP add-ons.

This trip did show us the advantages of offsite though. I was an onsite all the way girl for all these years but this time, we enjoyed offsite. DH said driving to the parks and Disney Springs was smooth and easy and it was nice not having to wait for buses. Except MK. I loathed parking there. What a horrible hassle.

I should add that I had fully expected to eat more offsite since it is rare for us to have a rental car. It would likely have been slightly cheaper to do so. I had planned Bahama Breeze, Longhorn Steakhouse, Cici's Pizza, and even cooking at home one night. But DH really likes the magic of onsite dining and things always taste better to him at Disney lol. Plus most offsite places are available to us locally anyway (although it is rare for us to eat out at home). Anyway, I like seeing DH enjoy himself so we ended up primarily eating onsite, which is why I eventually edited the thread title.

Our next trip for March Break will be offsite again. So OOP. Plus we will be on a tighter budget as we have DS17 and his girlfriend. She also doesn't want to spend much so I am being mindful of that. I am budgeting $25pp/day so even more strict budget than this trip. March Break will be Cici's Pizza, Happy Hour at Bahama Breeze and some quick service mixed in. Since QS averages $10-$15 per meal, I think $25/day is reasonable without being insanely restrictive. I am also giving DS the $20 Starbucks gift card we have for treats for the two of them and plan to take all four of us to TRex for the Chocolate Extinction ice cream for a fun treat for the kids

 

[tweetylori]

Your whole report has been awesome! So glad you finally got your hotdog! Can't believe you scored a FREE breakfast at Grand Floridian. That's terrific! And you are so right. The way they poach eggs is truly magical. I'm so impressed by how little you managed to spend...you GO girl!

 

[elaine amj]

Your whole report has been awesome! So glad you finally got your hotdog! Can't believe you scored a FREE breakfast at Grand Floridian. That's terrific! And you are so right. The way they poach eggs is truly magical. I'm so impressed by how little you managed to spend...you GO girl!

I was ridiculously happy over that $12 hot dog haha - definitely not a cheapskate meal. Glad I managed to loosen myself enough to get all the snacks I have been drooling over for ages - Tonga Toast, chilli cheese hot dog, spicy chicken waffles, cheeseburger spring rolls, jalapeno stuffed pretzels...mmmm.

Tell me - what is it about Disney that makes these treats so much more exciting than the culinary delights of perfectly cooked Eggs Benedict and Thigh High Chicken Biscuits? I enjoyed the latter thoroughly and will definitely go back for more - but I would have come home satisfied without eating them but would have been sad leaving without some of the Disney snacks I have been lusting over.

 

[tweetylori]

I was ridiculously happy over that $12 hot dog haha - definitely not a cheapskate meal. Glad I managed to loosen myself enough to get all the snacks I have been drooling over for ages - Tonga Toast, chilli cheese hot dog, spicy chicken waffles, cheeseburger spring rolls, jalapeno stuffed pretzels...mmmm.

Tell me - what is it about Disney that makes these treats so much more exciting than the culinary delights of perfectly cooked Eggs Benedict and Thigh High Chicken Biscuits? I enjoyed the latter thoroughly and will definitely go back for more - but I would have come home satisfied without eating them but would have been sad leaving without some of the Disney snacks I have been lusting over.

There's no rhyme or reason to it. It's all about what invokes those cravings, and going for it!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Great report! Hope you do one for your other trips as well

 

[DaisyNY]

Great report...we have Homecoming reservations for our April trip and those thigh-high biscuits are on my radar!

 

[elaine amj]

There's no rhyme or reason to it. It's all about what invokes those cravings, and going for it!

When it comes to Disney, we are all about indulging!

Great report! Hope you do one for your other trips as well

I was impressed how easy it was to keep up with it when I did it live. I have extensive reports of prior trips with DDP but this is the first OOP trip I wrote a dining report for

Great report...we have Homecoming reservations for our April trip and those thigh-high biscuits are on my radar!

We are officially obsessed. When I talk Homecomin' all my DD talks about is having those thigh high chicken biscuits again. Its too bad they don't have an entree version for DDP users.

 

[DrunkJam]

Thank you for your awesome reporting, I have loved reading it. Definitely things there I am looking forward to trying.

 

[elaine amj]

Thank you for your awesome reporting, I have loved reading it. Definitely things there I am looking forward to trying.

Glad u enjoyed it! It sure was fun trying so many new things and going back to old favourites.

 

[DKNHM]

I loved your report! Thank you for sharing your vacation (with us on disboards)! If you go to Disney and eat at Disney QS, TS, or carts you are NOT a cheapskate! There must be magic in the Disney air that makes everything Disney (food, rides, crowds, motels) so much better. I can't wait to go back, and we were just there in November.

 

[disneegrl4eva]

great report...i have a question though...you keep mentioning getting a discount when you used your gift cards...What gift card did you use? I didn't know you could get discounts by using them

 

[elaine amj]

I loved your report! Thank you for sharing your vacation (with us on disboards)! If you go to Disney and eat at Disney QS, TS, or carts you are NOT a cheapskate! There must be magic in the Disney air that makes everything Disney (food, rides, crowds, motels) so much better. I can't wait to go back, and we were just there in November.

Haha...we are such crazy cheapskates but Disney makes us just open our wallets over and over again! DH truly feels all that magical pixiedust everywhere.

great report...i have a question though...you keep mentioning getting a discount when you used your gift cards...What gift card did you use? I didn't know you could get discounts by using them

I buy discounted Disney gift cards which I then turn around to use to pay for vacation packages or anything onsite at Disney.

I generally buy mine from Meijer (a local grocery store) when they offer a 10% rewards back for gift cards. Lately I have started the whole thing where I:

- click through a cashback website like ebates or Mr Rebates to Raise.com (1-5%)
- buy discounted Walmart gift cards from Raise.com (1-2%)
- click through a cashback website like ebates or Mr Rebates to Sams Club.com (1-2%)
- buy discounted Disney gift cards from Samsclub.com (4%)

If all the stars align, I can get about 13% discount on my Disney gift cards. Of course deals come and go so I try to pay attention.

Last year I got about $2k in gift cards at 10% off - so $200 in savings. This year I am working on $5k or so gift cards so hope to end up saving about $500 or more.

 

[armerida]

This was our last full day and again we were changing plans all over the place. We ended up deciding to go to the Magic Kingdom and had a blast just enjoying the Main St atmosphere and watching all the Main Street performances we usually miss.

Lunch was what I have been putting off all trip - a chilli cheese dog from Caseys! Did a rookie mistake and didn't ask for it with no side and it came with fries. Didn't want it, but ate it anyway. $12.24, no AP discount. $1.18 after 4% gift card discount. Forgot my photo again so this is from Disney Food Blog.

View attachment 472343

It was as good as I remembered. I don't get it - I have had chilli cheese dogs at several other places in the past 3 years and somehow Caseys tastes soooo much better. I'll be back!

Our big problem now is that absolutely nothing in MK appealed to DH for lunch. Ugh - he can be so picky! We checked out a bunch of menus but nada. Then I scored a walkup to Jungle Skippers Canteen but when he looked at the menu - again nothing appealed. He said he would have settled for one of the entrees for $25-30 but he was rather blah about it. Finally I decided not to bother spending quite a bit on something he didn't even really want. He said we would go back to the house and he would just have some toast.

But the sunshine felt so good - so I suggested we take the bus to Swan/Dolphin to eat at the pool bar there. I have had that on my bucket list for 5-6 years now. Then instead of napping in the house, we could chill in a lounge chair by the pool.

So that's what we did. Waited about 10-15 mins for the Swan bus and off we went. When we got to the Cabana Pool Bar, I was immediately enchanted. Especially when I saw this!

View attachment 472358

We loved curling up in this cozy cabana! The food was delicious. DH chose a calamari ($12) and a Mongolian Vegetable Bowl ($17). I shared about a quarter of his food and he ate the rest. The calamari wasn't the best we ever had (THAT was in Newport, RI) but a very good version of it. We would get it again. The setting made everything taste even better.

View attachment 472359

The Veggie Bowl hit the spot and DH enjoyed it.

View attachment 472360

Then our server brought us a delightful surprise. How did she know DH was asking for more chocolate?

View attachment 472361

DH said this surpassed Brown Derby's chocolate mousse. Really good! And we have no idea what this is called and it is not listed online. We were happy to find out we could use our Marriott egift cards anywhere in the Swan and Dolphin (including quick service) even when not staying there. The servers are generally confused but when they key it manually into their system like a credit card, it works just fine.

Our bill was around $33 and we liked our server so much we left a $10 tip. So $43 (actual $34.40 with 20% gift card discount).

@elaine amj Sorry this is such a late post - wondering about that cabana - is there a charge to use them? Thinking of booking Swan/Dolphin for August since our original resort will be closed. Thanks!