Disney Dining – Poutine from Epcot’s Refreshment Port

Posted on March 21, 2018 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Walt Disney World has offered guests the tasty Canadian dish, poutine, in various locations for quite some time now. Recently, it was added to the Refreshment Port in Epcot’s World Showcase, so I sent Joseph on a taste-testing mission. He was, of course, happy to oblige. We’ve ordered the delicious Croissant Doughnut from this little snack stand before and this new offering sounded like a great addition. If you’ve not heard of it before, poutine originated in Quebec in the 1950’s and consists of fries smothered in gravy and topped with cheese curds.

What makes the Refreshment Port’s poutine unusual is that the traditional brown gravy is replaced with the very popular Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, like the kind served at Le Cellier. Here’s what Joseph said about it…

Disney Dining – Poutine from Epcot’s Refreshment Port

by Joseph Green

It was delicious. Not too salty, very fresh, the fries were not soggy at all (and I expected them to be, at least a little). The serving size was generous and this would make excellent use of a snack credit on a Disney Dining Plan. The poutine is assembled to order, so the temperature is good and hot. The use of the cheese soup is genius. In fact, the combination of fries and soup alone would have been perfect. The cheese curds actually detracted from this version of poutine for me, although I know they’re supposed to be there. I don’t know if the curds were completely tasteless or just seemed that way because of the soup. They were also really rubbery – kind of like an overcooked scallop would be. I was expecting them to be more the consistency of feta cheese.

For six bucks, this was a good value. Grab your beer first, so the poutine is hot and fresh when you eat it. I recommend the Innis & Gunn from the UK Beer Cart. Pairs well with savory dishes.

I’m really enjoying trying new Disney foods and mom paying for it certainly helps my budget, so if there’s anything you’re interested in hearing about, leave it in the comments and I’ll add it to the list. I even remembered to take all the “required” pictures this time. Mom’s picky, but I’ll keep her.

Thanks for reading – Joe.

Disney College Program – Six Weeks In

Posted on March 20, 2018 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Two Weeks of Training

When we last discussed Joseph’s DCP (Disney College Program) experience, he had just gotten settled in at Chatham Square and was in training. Aside from the well-known and much-anticipated Traditions class, his early training mostly consisted of common new-hire on-boarding information, rules, procedures, safety and security protocol and the like. After the classroom instruction came on-the-job training. Since Joseph works in QSFB (Quick Service Food & Beverage), he learned everything from assembling meals to ringing up guests, preparing certain food items, cleaning, and trash disposal. After the first three weeks, he received training for additional responsibilities.

The Daily Routine

Joseph normally works six days a week and anywhere from 6 to 10+ hours per shift. When asked to come in early or stay late, Joseph always says yes. After the housing fees are deducted from his weekly paycheck, he makes enough to eat and pay his car note…with a little extra left over for fun.

Before Joseph applied, he’d done enough research to know that the DCP roles with the highest demand include custodial and QSFB. He also knew that because this semester was absolutely the best time for him to do the program, it was not the time to be picky. Applicants are surveyed and allowed to rate available roles from “no interest” to “high interest”. Joseph was completely fine with any job he’d be assigned as long as it was for the Spring 2018 program.

TIP: If this is not the case for you, do not indicate interest in anything you won’t be happy doing.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few DCP participants that are unprepared for their assigned role and cannot handle some of the responsibilities involved. Within the first three weeks, Joseph and I had both heard of several instances where a program participant self-terminated (quit and went home). Reasons for leaving varied, but most included things like boredom on the job, loneliness, too much time standing/walking, working too many hours, too few days off, and the inability to get along with coworkers or roommates. Some left for health reasons. Disney tries very hard to make requested medical accommodations, but many roles are still quite physically demanding.

The good news is that most of the DCP participants are thriving and thoroughly enjoying the role they were given – even if it initially fell short of their Disney “dream job”. Like most DCP-ers, Joseph has two sets of friends, his housing (Chatham Square) friends and his work (Harambe Market) friends. On his days off and on the days he’s not too exhausted after work, he spends time with these friends both in the parks and outside the Disney Bubble. Recently, he joined his Animal Kingdom coworkers for a charity bowling tournament. He also got to watch our favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals, beat Atlanta during spring training. Many days, he’s simply too tired to do anything but work, sleep, and maybe do a load of laundry.

So far, from this mom’s point of view, it seems the Disney College Program is a lot like life – how you deal with what comes your way makes all the difference. You can choose to be happy and make the most of this special time or you can focus on everything you don’t like. No two days are exactly the same and after you work hard, you can play hard (if you’re not too tired, that is). I was worried that once Joseph “saw how the sausage gets made”, some of the Disney magic might wear off for him, but that has not been the case at all. Even when he’s exhausted, he’s still loving this experience.

That’s what I know so far. Watch for more Disney College Program from a mom’s perspective and, after Joseph comes home, I’m sure he’ll share all the tips he’s learning right now. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best.

Disney Quick Service – D-Luxe Burger Review

Posted on March 9, 2018 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Disney Quick Service – D-Luxe Burger Review

-By Joseph Green

Photo Courtesy of David Hodges

I’m a burger guy. An aficionado of sorts. Unlike it’s cook-out cousin, the hot dog, burgers should be more than just a venue for excellent toppings. The texture and quality of the hamburger patty itself will make or break a burger for me. So important is the patty, I learned to make my Grandpa Williams’ secret burger recipe by the time I was sixteen, thus ensuring I can get a great burger anytime I want. A good burger cannot be undervalued and I look for new ones to try whenever I can.

Photo Courtesy of David Hodges

Photo Courtesy of David Hodges

When I saw D-Luxe Burger on the list of reviews my mom asked me to write, I was excited. I should mention that Hades would have to be feeling pretty chilly for my mom to order a burger at Walt Disney World, but she knew I’d be up to the task! I had received a D-Luxe Burger coupon in my Disney College Program welcome materials that would get me a meal for about $10. Feeling thrifty and very hungry, I headed to Disney Springs. The D-Luxe menu is narrow – it’s a hamburger stand (although you can get a buffalo chicken sandwich if you don’t want beef and a veggie burger if you’re going meatless). I spotted what I wanted right away – The El Diablo Burger. It was described as, “Chorizo and Signature Blend Beef, Fried Banana Peppers, Pepper Jack, Lettuce, Tomato, Grilled Onion and Chipotle Mayonnaise”. The meat combination sounded delicious and the toppings were meant to compliment. Of course I ordered a side of fries and a beer.

Here’s the scoop

The burger was cooked exactly right – not too rare, not overdone or dry. The toppings were fresh and added just the right zip to kick the patty up a notch. The fries were just the way I like them – crisp on the outside (not crunchy) and tender on the inside. Not greasy, not too dry either. Washed down with the cold beer, I was one happy guy!

When I got home, I texted Mom my review and the pictures I took…oops! Mom told me to take certain pictures for these reviews. I’m supposed to take a picture of the restaurant, the menu, the food I order, and me with the food. All I had to show from my dinner at D-Lux Burger was three burger pics. Honestly though, isn’t that an excellent testimony in and of itself? The food was so delicious, I scarfed it down and forgot everything else. (Thank you, Mr. David Hodges for coming up with some pictures Mom could use!)

D-Lux Burger…if you’re looking for a hamburger done right at Walt Disney World, I recommend it.

runDisney Training Tips (While Expecting)

Posted on March 6, 2018 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

What do you do if you’re registered for runDisney events and then find out you’re pregnant? I just found out the answer and I’m here today to share everything I learned!

Megan’s Top 7 runDisney Training Tips (While Expecting)

by Megan Edwards

Listen to your doctor – First and most importantly…your doctor has to be onboard or it’s a no-go. I was already running for a couple of years and was training for four future races when I found out Grant and I were expecting. My doctor has enthusiastically encouraged me to continue running as long as everything is progressing normally. She’s a firm believer that fitness = easier delivery. I’m all for that!
Listen to your body – I was expecting changes in a nebulous non-specific way and at first, everything was great. Then I began to suffer from nearly daily morning sickness, but could usually shake it off with some crackers or dry toast. I started being better prepared and kept something by the bed to munch on first thing in the morning, which really helped. When lower back pain and/or abdominal ligament pain started bothering me while running, I added plenty of walk breaks as necessary. Sometimes I shortened a run, but never cancelled one…which brings me to…
Stick to the plan – There were plenty of days when I was so tired after work, I just wanted to go home and go to sleep. On those days it took a lot to talk myself into going to the gym. I never once regretted going and always felt much more energetic after a workout. I’m not going to lie – making excuses and indulging in the occasional pity-party was almost too tempting to resist, but I did it and you can too.
Comfort takes practice – Changes happened so fast leading up to the Fairy Tale Challenge (I was exactly 20 weeks along for the races), I had a hard time figuring out how to be comfortable. I ordered knit belly bands and while they’d feel great on short runs, they’d feel hot and restrictive on long run days. I started having to pay close attention to my running form to minimize lower back issues. As race weekend approached, I finally decided on KT Tape as the best solution and it worked unbelievably well! I followed YouTube tutorials for taping both under my baby bump and lower back – made all the difference in the world. Try different things and when you find what works best for you, go with it!
Find running wear through trial and error – Without going into too much detail here, almost all my usual running wear got uncomfortable as the weeks passed. Running capris that felt great when I put them on would cut into my waist after a couple of miles. I needed different running bras and roomier shirts. I sometimes wore too many layers on cold days and got overheated before I realized what was happening. When I found a super-comfortable running skirt at the very last minute while checking out the booths at the runDisney race expo, it was a miracle! I hadn’t been so comfortable in months. Keep searching, try lots of different things, and don’t give up.
Fuel and hydration are more important than ever – It’s hard when you feel nauseous to keep sipping water, but staying hydrated while pregnant is critical even if you’re not running in warm weather. Prior to the Fairy Tale Challenge, I ran both a 10K and half-marathon at home. Avoiding heavy foods before a run was imperative (I used to enjoy a big breakfast!). I found that eating something like a Cliff Bar about an hour before race-time worked well (and stayed down). I also took a couple of packets of GU Energy Gel along with me, then alternated between PowerAde and water along the race course. In my case, low blood sugar brought nausea on quickly, so preparing ahead of time to avoid that was important. Disney passed out Sport Beans on the half-marathon course. They were delicious and provided a welcome boost of energy.
Making magical memories is worth the effort – I wouldn’t change a thing! My mom and my brother had both completed runDisney events before I had the chance to join in the fun. I’ll be a mom myself before I do my next runDisney races, which made this such a special time for me. The volunteers on the race course, the Disney characters, the cheering spectators – it was all exactly as I hoped it would be. Running down Main Street U.S.A. in the early morning light was unforgettable and hearing the announcer call out my name as I crossed the finish line made me feel like a rock star. I’m looking forward to telling my daughter someday how she was with me when I took on the Fairy Tale Challenge and we completed it together.