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We had ourselves one heck of a year in 2023. Chef Adam received pictures from Walt Disney World, Vero Beach, Disney’s Hilton Head, and Disneyland. We probably ate at 20+ sit-down restaurants – sending over 100 images. Chef Adam, Merry Christmas to you, because we HAD to go to WDW one last time before the year was up and we had way more pictures to send. (Confused by this Chef Adam talk? Check out the original article here.)
The Plaza Restaurant
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Magic Kingdom
- Land: Main Street USA
- Date: 11/26/2023 – Lunch
This trip we welcomed back my mother-in-law, goes by GoGo, who had not traveled with us since March 2020 (pre-pandemic). What does that mean? More pictures of food! Although I tend not to try her meals, we do get to snap photos and send to Chef Adam.
We started our trip with a favorite of mine and GoGo’s – The Plaza. This time around, I literally ate a little from everyone’s plate. I’m not sure if everyone had a big breakfast or just weren’t hungry, but I was able to sample the following: Fried Chicken Sandwich, Loaded Fries, Kids Burger, Turkey Club Sandwich, and even had a little of the kids ice cream.
Another amazing meal at The Plaza for just under $100.
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Hollywood Studios
- Date: 11/26/2023 – Dinner
We made it back to Sci-Fi to end out the year. This time, hopefully our youngest wouldn’t fall asleep and can enjoy the classic films (or previews) that we’ve grown to love. My son Hunter was looking forward to this meal. He kept talking up this Lemon Pasta that he had in May when he visited with his girlfriend. When we arrived, we just saw a Pesto Pasta on the menu and assumed that’s what he was talking about. Turned out, we were wrong and he was not a fan.
I, on the other hand, tried a different salad – Citrus Chicken Salad. It was unique and just fine. The kids did their classic burgers and Lauren tried a burger this time around. We were both disappointed at the end of the meal – wishing they had the buffalo chicken salad back. But, again, we had a great time watching the previews in our decked out car. We spent just over $123.
Eight Spoon Cafe
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Animal Kingdom
- Date: 11/27/2023 – Lunch
I feel it’s my duty to report this “snack stand” that my son always visits when we eat “anywhere else” in Animal Kingdom. My, now 17-year-old, son Hunter loves Mac n’ Cheese and this is a stand dedicated to Mac ‘n Cheese. Often, he will get two orders and walk to wherever we decided to dine (Spoiler: it’s always Satu’li). The basic order of Mac n’ Cheese is just under $10.
Satu’li Canteen
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Animal Kingdom
- Land: Pandora
- Date: 11/27/2023 – Lunch
As mentioned above and in our original article (March 2023), we love the food at Satu’li. Let’s avoid the pleasantries and just take a look at those lovely pictures I sent Chef Adam. Meal is always around $40-50.
The Odyssey
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Epcot
- Date: 11/27/2023 – Snacks
The Odyssey manages to change each and every time we show up. Our last trip it was the Muppets Lab and we ended up eating wings and other goodies. This time around, we just had some Christmas themed treats. I wish I could recall their names, but we were too busy eating and I didn’t grab a picture of the menu board. Next time, I will do better. It also doesn’t help that everything looks blue because of the lighting. This is why I will stick to my day-job and make websites for a living – not rely solely on the income that comes in from sending pictures to Chef’s in West Virginia.
Sunshine Seasons
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Epcot
- Land: The Land
- Date: 11/28/2023 – Snacks
After a stop doing “Soarin’ Over California” and the holiday overlay of “Living with the Land”, we grabbed some snacks from Sunshine Seasons. Originally, I wasn’t going to get anything but Lainee was begging to try creme brulee for the first time. Along with a cupcake and chocolate mousse, we snacked up and headed on our way.
Steakhouse 71
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Hotel: Contemporary Resort
- Date: 11/29/2023 – Breakfast
As I write, I realized that we visited a lot of the same places in March…but that seemed like so long ago. With this visit, we were bringing GoGo to a place she has yet to visit – our favorite Steakhouse 71. We managed to go around and look at the pictures (again). This time, cast members took us around and showed us all types of details we might have missed in the photos.
I tried something different for a change: Walt’s Hash. It was actually really good – although I do clutch my chest when I realized I paid $18 for breakfast. The kids loaded up with waffles and pancakes – as you should do when you are at WDW.
This was the most expensive breakfast yet – $100.
50’s Prime Time Cafe
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Hollywood Studios
- Land: Echo Lake
- Date: 11/29/2023 – Dinner
Somehow we managed to sneak a reservation into another popular sit-down in Hollywood Studios. We arrived at 7:30 PM and the park was soon shutting down for their new Jollywood Nights party. Over the years, I’ve started to really enjoy 50’s Prime Time. The servers have been consistently good – a mixture of hassling my children and also nice. The food has been really good – as long as I don’t order the fried chicken (my stomach just doesn’t settle well with this meal). So, I decided to get the Pot Roast. Hunter decided with the chicken and I just made sure not to sample. The meatloaf is always a hit – even though Lauren said the last time she got it it was cold. Oh, we topped it off with the famous P&B shake….which is the best!
The meal was a little pricey – $130 – but was a nice way to end the night.
Liberty Tree Tavern
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Magic Kingdom
- Land: Liberty Square
- Date: 11/30/2023 – Lunch
It’s funny – we’ve had reservations for Liberty Tree Tavern so many times when GoGo was traveling with us, but for some reason, we would always cancel. Finally, we tried it during a trip where she didn’t come and we loved the meal. So much, I told Lauren to get us a reservation this trip so we could eat again.
And this is what happens when time passes and you forget how expensive a meal at Liberty Tree can be for a party of five.
The food is absolutely amazing and perfect for the holidays. You get turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, etc… All you care to enjoy. But that comes with a cost. For the family of five, we ended up paying almost $250 for this lunch. Ouch.
I told Lauren that she MUST remind me next time that I DO NOT want to eat there that bad.
But, honestly, I will probably eat there again next year.
Nine Dragons
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Epcot
- Land: China – World Showcase
- Date: 12/01/2023 – Lunch
We were soon done with our last trip to Walt Disney World in 2023 and had our last sit-down with one of Lauren’s favorites – Nine Dragons. We ate here back in March, if I recall, and I also stated that I prefer the Quick Service next door. This remains the same, but I will tell you, the service this trip was exceptional. Lots of coffee and water refilling.
This trip, I tried the noodles instead of rice. I won’t do that again. Their noodles are long and thin. I was hoping for the spaghetti style noodles that our Chinese restaurants serve back home. Besides the noodles, our table was filled with rice and Honey Chicken – lots of it. That seemed to be the favorite for the crew…and I cleaned the plates of anyone that couldn’t handle their chicken.
Our meal cost around $110, with the 20% DVC discount negated by the party of 6 18% gratuity.
Docking Bay 7
- Resort: Walt Disney World
- Park: Hollywood Studios
- Land: Galaxy’s Edge
- Date: 12/01/2023 – Dinner
We were heading out in the AM and everyone was hungry. My last request was to just hang out at Hollywood Studios and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. That’s exactly what we did. Right before everything started to shut down, we scrambled to get our mobile orders in to Docking Bay 7, the ABC Commissary, and Backlot Express. Each one of us ran to the different parts of the park to grab our food. I wanted a Ronto Wrap (something the kids and I made on May the Fourth this year from our Disney Cookbook). I managed to run to Docking Bay 7 just in time to get my wrap, snap a picture, and meet up with the family to eat at the Backlot Express.
On the way, we dropped into the Commissary as the doors locked to grab Lauren’s gluten free burger. In the end, we had some burgers and fries from Backlot and I helped finished up everyone’s meal – even before we could grab photos (although we do have a video floating around somewhere on our computer).
More Pictures Coming in 2024
Right now we have a few trips planned and we will be able to make reservations soon. My goal is to always try some new places and if not, try some new meals. Let’s see how many pictures we can send to Chef Adam in 2024…and if he will finally get annoyed. Probably not. Food pictures are the best.
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