Some Favorites at Beaches and Cream

By Nick 

On Episode 32 of The Disney Exchange Podcast, Lisa, Dave and I share our choices for a progressive dinner around the Epcot area resorts. For those who don't know, a progressive dinner is a group meal where each course is served at a different venue.

Both Dave and I chose to have our dessert at Beaches and Cream at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club, and that is because the ice cream and atmosphere is wonderful.



My wife, Barbie and I have eaten here many times through the years. I'm going to share some of our favorites, in no particular order.

The No Way Jose. Below is a photo of me encountering this absolutely delicious (especially if you like peanut butter) dessert for the first time!

 

 

What's in the No Way Jose?

1. 2 scoops Chocolate Ice Cream
2. 2 scoops Vanilla Ice Cream
3. 1/2 cup Jif Smooth Peanut Butter
4. 1/2 cup Hot Fudge Sauce
5. 1-2 tablespoons Peanut Butter Morsels
6. 1-2 tablespoons Chocolate Morsels
7. Reddi-Wip (or good quality) Whipped Cream
8. Cherry

Next, we have The Banana Split. Barbie doesn't even like bananas, but loves this.

 

This "Classic" consists of Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry ice cream, pineapple, strawberry and marshmallow toppings finished off with hot fudge, caramel, toasted almonds, whipped cream and a cherry.

 

Then there is the famous Kitchen Sink, which is, well...this.

 

Barbie and I have shared this monstrosity with our friends Kandi and John on a few occasions.

 

Here's a listing of what this amazing dessert includes:

• fudge topping, warmed
• butterscotch topping, warmed
•  peanut butter topping, warmed
• 1 medium banana, sliced in 1/2 –inch slices
• 1 cinnamon spice cupcake, quartered
• 1 angel food cupcake, quartered
• 2 4-oz. scoops vanilla ice cream
• 2 4-oz. scoops chocolate ice cream
• 2 4-oz. scoops strawberry ice cream
• 1 4-oz. scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream
• 1 4-oz. scoop coffee ice cream
• 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
•  marshmallow crème
•  strawberry topping
•  pineapple topping
• 1 14-oz can dairy whipped topping
• 1 brownie, quartered
• 1 regular-sized (2 ounce) candy bar, quartered
• 4 chocolate cookies (oreos-basically) with cream filling
• 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon dark and white chocolate shavings
• 1 tablespoon chocolate cookies with cream filling, crushed
• 1 tablespoon chopped jellied orange slice
• 1 tablespoon milk chocolate chip morsels
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter chip morsels
• 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
• 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
• 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries

But Beaches and Cream is more than just ice cream. They also have really tasty burgers, fries and onion rings.



Have you ever eaten at Beaches and Cream, and what did you have?

The Disney Exchange- Episode 32- Progressive Dining Around the Epcot Area Resorts

By Nick  

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

-The Disney Exchange is David Hodges, Lisa Green, and me, Nicholas Maglio  

-Main Topic: Progressive Dining Around the Epcot Area Resorts

-We start the show with a talk about how hot Walt Disney World is in the Summer, and Dave gives out a great tip to beat the heat; Don't stand out in the sun. You heard it here first folks, feel free to pass on this knowledge to friends and family.

-A progressive dinner is a group meal where each course is served at a different venue, and we did our first show on this topic back on episode 23, so please check that out as well. And then give episodes 1-22 a listen. And 24-31 too. Thanks!

-There is an argument a disagreement about which resorts should actually be considered Epcot area resorts, and Lisa points out her info is from the actual official Walt Disney World website.
Dave intends on putting in a formal petition to have it changed.

Reader/ listener poll:  Should Caribbean Beach be considered an Epcot Area Resort?

 Photo: David Hodges

-After several hours of arguing discussing we finally get to it, and focus on restaurants at Yacht and Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Swan and Dolphin.

-We each pick a different restaurant for a before dinner cocktail/ snack, an appetizer, Lisa has a soup/ salad course, an entree and a desert.

Me and the No Way Jose

-We describe each selection, and give the prices, adding up the entire meal including tip at the end. Guess who had the most expensive meal.

-We apologize to our box wine drinking listeners.

-Wheel of Distiny topic : The best queue to stand in at Walt Disney World in the heat.

Thank you for listening to The Disney Exchange: Your Scotch Whisky Headquarters.

You can find us on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange
Or email us at: info@thedisneyexchange 

The Cape May Cafe Breakfast Buffet

By Nick 

I love food, so naturally, I love a buffet. I also love characters, and like to "collect" them, meaning I like to get photos with characters in different attire.

So, knowing this, it's kind of surprising it's taken me this long to get the Beach Club Breakfast Buffet at the Cape May Cafe, inside the Beach Club in Walt Disney World, and it wasn't even planned!

My wife, Barbie, and I checked into the Beach Club Villas for one night, October 11th, before going on a 4 night cruise to the Bahamas on the Disney Dream. Upon check in, we learned our Magical Express pick up time to take us to Cape Canaveral wasn't until 1145 am on the 12th. We discussed what we should do with our time, and decided to just have a leisurely morning, rather than going to a park. I asked if there were any ADRs available for the Cape May Cafe's Breakfast Buffet, and there were not. We were told that there likely wouldn't be a problem getting a table if we came at opening, at 730am.

So, the next morning we approached the podium at about 720am, were given a pager, and within minutes, we were seated in a nice section near the back of The Cafe.

    

Within moments of being seated, our server, Adrienne, came over and took our beverage order. She was as delightful and friendly a Cast Member as we have had the pleasure to encounter.



We were directed to the buffet, where we were told by Adrienne that the most popular items were, not surprisingly, the Mickey Waffles, Chorizo and Four Cheese Scrambled Eggs, and french toast with banana caramel sauce.



I tried a bit of all of the above mentioned, along with a few other selections. The eggs were indeed delicious, as was the french toast. And you really can't go wrong with Mickey waffles, which went really well with a strawberry sauce and whipped cream. The sausage was very good, the bacon, well, it is typical Disney buffet bacon.



I also had a bagel with smoked salmon and pastrami style smoked salmon, which was very tasty. There is also Capers, Onions, Lemons, Tomatoes to add to this if you are so inclined.



Other cold offerings include Sliced Salami, Capicola, a selection of cheeses, hard-boiled Eggs, Low-fat Cottage Cheese, Apple Sauce, Healthy Grain Fruit Salad, Diced Pineapple, Diced Cantaloupe, Diced Watermelon, Orange Slices, Grapefruit, Strawberries, Apple Walnut Spinach Salad, Low-fat Strawberry Yogurt and Low-fat Vanilla Honey Yogurt, Macerated Fresh Mixed Berries, House made Granola and assorted cereals.

Along with the hot items I mention above, there are Scrambled Eggs, Frittata, Stewed Roma Tomatoes, Breakfast Potatoes Hand-carved Glazed Ham, Seasonal Vegetables, Hollandaise Sauce, Creamy Cheddar Grits, Biscuits with Home-style Sausage Gravy, Hot Oatmeal and Hot Apple Quinoa Cereal.

Of course, what would a character buffet be without characters?

Donald, Goofy, and Minnie Mouse, ready for a swim in the nearby Stormalong Bay, make their rounds while you dine.



 

As the morning went on, the Cape May Cafe did fill up, so while we are lucky to have gotten a table easily, if this is a character buffet you would like to visit, I highly advise you make Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) at 6 months out.

This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer. 

Stormalong Bay, Worth the Stay at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort

By Nick

My wife and I have been Disney Vacation Club members since 2007, when we bought a small resale contract, and have added on with small point purchases periodically since. We have a very small 30 point contract at the Beach Club Villas, which we acquired directly from Disney. I essentially added this small contract because of it's great pool, Stormalong Bay, which is only accessible for guests at the Yacht and Beach Club.

What makes Stormalong Bay such a great pool? Well, for one, it's more like a water park than just an ordinary pool. It's 3 acres consisting of 795,000 gallons of water and several different aquatic experiences which can be enjoyed by every member of the family.

The pools are sand bottomed, but, as the currents and people move the swirling silica around, it tends to bunch, so you may find clumps in one area, and none in others.
Speaking of swirling, one fun feature, located by the end of the massive water slide (more on that in a minute) is a whirlpool. Hop, well, float in, and throw your legs up, and jets will have you going in circles!

On to that slide. Climb to the top of the replica shipwreck, and take a ride down the 230 foot long slide, which is one of the highest on Walt Disney World property. Get there early, the lines get very long as the day wears on and the heat beats down!

My favorite part of Stormalong Bay is the lazy river. I can spend hours just floating around here, until my wife has to insist we leave due to excessive pruning! I've read that you can rent tubes. I'm not sure where from, as I have always just found tubes floating unattended at all hours of the day!

There are bridges that connect different areas of the complex, and it's a great place to view the surrounding area, offering great views of the entire Boardwalk area as well.

For kids, and kids of all ages, there are pool parties held each day. For young ones, there are sandy beaches for them to play on, with a gentle slope into a wading pool.

For grownups, looking for an adult beverage, Hurricane Hanna's Waterside Bar and Grill offers great views with your beer and signature cocktails and frozen beverages.

They also offer Bar Appetizers and Entress.

After a meal and drink or 3, you can soak in the quit and fairly hidden hot tub, or find a secluded spot under a waterfall.

As mentioned above, Stormalong Bay is accessible to Yacht and Beach Club guests only, and there is actually a Cast Member located at the entrance checking Magic Bands. Hours change depending on the season.

Also, as was the case on our recent trip, portions may be closed for refurbishment. Disney should notify you if this is the case.

Potions of this article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Diva and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

Wordless Wednesday: The Friendship Boats in Walt Disney World

Photos by Nick and Barbie

Choosing Your Walt Disney World Resort by Room Picture!

by Shendl

I was browsing through the resort room pictures on the Walt Disney World Website and it got me thinking…..If money was not an object and you had to choose your resort based on a room picture without knowing anything else about the resort besides the name, which would you choose?
I will be quite interested to see the answers. I was quite surprised by my choice!

Can you guess which room belongs to which resort? Answers at the bottom, no peeking!

 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

  

7.

8.

 

9.

10.

 

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

1. All Star Movies
2. All Star Music
3. Yacht Club
4. Wilderness Lodge
5. Animal Kingdom Lodge
6. Port Orleans Riverside
7. Beach Club 
8. Port Orleans French Quarter
9. Boardwalk Inn
10. Pop Century
11. Caribbean Beach
12. Grand Floridian
13. Contemporary Resort
14. Coronado Springs
15. Polynesian 
16. All Start Sports
17. Art of Animation Little Mermaid Standard Room

My favourite room by just looking at the pictures was the Boardwalk Inn Resort.  That choice surprised me! I have always wanted to stay at the Wilderness Lodge because of the other things the resort has to offer and because of how it looks, I never gave the rooms much thought!

Which Resort Room appeals to you?

(All room Photographs are from https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ except for the Caribbean Beach Room Picture which is from http://www.disneycaribbeanbeach.com/)