Another Auld Lang Syne: The TCD Gang Rings in 2014 @ The Fort!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

So glad you enjoyed Biergarten!

 

You didn't say whether they had cheese soup ... or maybe I missed it.

 

We always do lunch there b/c of the price difference.  There's little difference in the buffet.  Actually we rarely have dinner out at WDW.

 

So glad you have another trip planned, but I'm still going into TCD TR withdrawal.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

As always great trip report and thanks for all the info, my wife picks on me a lot because I am on here a lot but when we find that next great thing she likes when we are there I always tell her to thank The Fiends. Hope to see you again for a longer visit sometime on one of our trips, we will be at the Fort over the 4th of July, just incase you are wondering around then.

 

You are right- even I learn new things from the Fiends.  The Biergarten recommendation was a good one.

 

I have no idea where I'll be July 4th this year.  I've been know to visit the Fort then.  But, there's several things up in the air with my girls at the moment.  Things will become clearer once they have their summer plans in place.

 

Great trip report TCD!

I actually laughed out loud about that German word grabassen I didn't know I understood German. Haha

I have those same feelings at a lot of Disney restaurants, we have a great time and enjoy it but those prices are rough.

WBI

 

Thanks for reading, Nick.

 

You busted me- I made up that grabassen word.  But that is definitely what those kids were doing.

 

I don't think I would have as much problem paying $200 for dinner if it was something spectacular.  But this wasn't spectacular.  It was good, but not that good.

 

So glad you enjoyed Biergarten!

 

You didn't say whether they had cheese soup ... or maybe I missed it.

 

We always do lunch there b/c of the price difference.  There's little difference in the buffet.  Actually we rarely have dinner out at WDW.

 

So glad you have another trip planned, but I'm still going into TCD TR withdrawal.

 

You're right.  I forgot to mention the cheese soup.  Yes they had it.  And I had two bowls of it, thank you very much.  Very dumb on my part to fill up on soup and pretzel rolls.  But, they were hard to resist.

 

As I understand it, the only thing they have at dinner that they don't have at lunch is the Saurbraten.  I'll take the $13. That's a big price difference.  Especially for my gang if you multiply it by 4 or 5.

 

Hopefully, you won't have long to feel the withdrawal effects.  Like less than a month before the next TR I hope.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm glad you liked Biergarten. 

 

If you recall, I (and others) did tell you to do a late lunch rather than dinner.  Had you done lunch, your bill would have been $120.83 before tip instead of $176.22....a savings of $55.39 for essentially the same food and experience. 

 

However, you may not have gotten Janica for a server.  And only you can decide if that was worth $55. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Everything about Biergarten is great except the price. Ouch! It hurt for 3, but 4 adults is way worse. Since Z is small for his age, he might be 9 for a couple of years. I'm already going to hell for the wood lie, so one more won't hurt. 

 

For the future... not sure if I mentioned this, and I should have, they will bring you samples of the biers. I was worried about what to pick, so our waitress offered. Having that much of something you don't like would stink. 

 

We had an older lady as a waitress. Jason will be jealous of you. 

 

Love the story about your professor! 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm glad you liked Biergarten. 

 

If you recall, I (and others) did tell you to do a late lunch rather than dinner.  Had you done lunch, your bill would have been $120.83 before tip instead of $176.22....a savings of $55.39 for essentially the same food and experience. 

 

However, you may not have gotten Janica for a server.  And only you can decide if that was worth $55. 

 

Wow.  I never did the math.  That's a huge difference.  Sorry to say it, Janica, but I'm going to lunch next time.

 

I'll probably get a server who looks like the witch from Snow White, but $55 is a lot of money.

 

And, I did remember you lunch advice.  In order to seal this deal, I had to agree to the dinner.  I don't think I'll get an objection out of anyone to a late lunch the next time we want to go.

 

Everything about Biergarten is great except the price. Ouch! It hurt for 3, but 4 adults is way worse. Since Z is small for his age, he might be 9 for a couple of years. I'm already going to hell for the wood lie, so one more won't hurt. 

 

For the future... not sure if I mentioned this, and I should have, they will bring you samples of the biers. I was worried about what to pick, so our waitress offered. Having that much of something you don't like would stink. 

 

We had an older lady as a waitress. Jason will be jealous of you. 

 

Love the story about your professor! 

 

Yeah, I think Z is going to be 9 for a long time.

 

I didn't know about the bier samples.  I may ask the next time- I liked mine fine, but I would be up for trying another.

 

Janica was much better looking than her picture suggests.  It's actually probably a good thing for Jason that y'all had the old hag.  Since you were there.

 

Shoot!  Your mentioning my professor reminded me of something else I meant to share.

 

Please stand by.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

Hopefully, you won't have long to feel the withdrawal effects.  Like less than a month before the next TR I hope.

 

 

:banana:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I forgot to mention an amazing coincidence that I discovered when I was writing that last update for this TR.

 

Remember the discussion about the new bat house at the Fort and the link to the bat housed they have at the University of Florida?

 

The link told us that the first of the UF bat houses was built when an old building called Johnson Hall burned in 1987.

 

And DIT just happened to be there.  Which I find highly suspicious.  But that's beside the point.

 

And, I was just telling y'all about how I used to go to the Rathskeller on campus with Dr. Kraft and pound down biers while not really learning much German.

 

In the course of our visits to UF with Twin #2 last year, I tried to find the Rathskeller.  But it's not there anymore, and nobody even remembered it.   I thought I knew where it was, but where I thought it was is a new building that I don't recognize.

 

Now I know why.

 

The Rathskeller was in Johnson Hall.

 

As a matter of fact, according to this 1987 Orlando Sentinel article, it was a grease fire in the Rathskeller that started the whole blaze:  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1987-12-08/news/0160390291_1_johnson-hall-uf-board-of-regents

 

Now I know what happened to it.

 

That sure was a different time compared to drinking alcohol on campus is viewed now.  And, I'm pretty sure professors don't go out drinking with their 18 and 19 year old students anymore either.

 

TCD

[wendinator 109]

The bier menu was presented:

 

 

I had no idea what to order. This whole fancy beer craze that is going on now is something that has snuck up on me.  Back in my day, if you wanted a foreign beer, it might be a Heineken.  Or a Lowenbrau.  Anyone remember Lowenbrau?  That's about as fancy as it got back in my big beer drinking days.  Now everywhere you look they serve craft beer.  I just mostly drink Bud Light.  I'm an animal.

 

I picked the Radeberger Pilsner.  And ordered the liter.  Go big or go home.

 

Thank you for the picture of the beer menu! I'm a fan of wheat beers, and apart from Blue Moon (known as Rickard's White in Canuckistan), I've found wheat beers hard to come by at the World so I was intrigued to see Shöfferhofer Weizen on the Biergarten menu. And I was even more curious when it said it was "one of Germany's most well-known wheat beers". I don't consider myself a connoisseur by any means, but I've had my fair share of wheat beers, and even had a few of them in Germany... but I've never heard of Shöfferhofer Weizen.

 

So I went to the website of my provincial government's monopolistic purveyor of alcohol and searched for one of Germany's most well-known wheat beers and found that they have 141 bottles available, most of which are 2+ hours away from where I live. Fortunately the three foreign companies who run a government-protected monopoly on beer sales have Shöfferhofer Weizen available much closer to home!

 

Was it on FF.net where I read about Beers and Ears? I can't remember now, but in addition to a very comprehensive list on their web site of beers available at the World, they also have companion apps available for both iOS and Android. Now all I need is to book a trip to try it out!

 

Prost!

[devores 382]

Really.  How sweet would that be?  Getting paid to ride Space Mountain 10 times in the FP+ line?

 

 

I have to come to the defense of my man, Devores.  He's a straight shooter.  So, if he says that it could have been testing, then maybe it was.  That's not what I thought I saw, but what do I know?  Maybe they were testing to see what an old man would do if some college kids were abusing the system right in front of him?

 

 

As I said above, Devores carries a lot of credibility with me, so I don't think he would intentionally try to mislead.  If this was really some kind of big secret, I would more expect him to not say anything.

 

The way everyone was acting, though, I don't think it was a test.  I think it was just some kids screwing around.  As I said earlier, I've seen CM's giving each other small hook-ups before.  It's the way of the world.

 

I find it highly suspicious that your card is missing.  Who took it?  Did Disney send somebody to take it back when you weren't looking?  I am a conspiracy theorist, you know.

 

TCD

I cant reveal WHAT the test is, but it was testing. I know a few of the CMs who were part of the test.

 

Besides, if they were backdooring friends onto a ride, they would not use a track able system like child swap or the like. They would just let them through. I have gotten onto attractions through connections before and they just let you walk through. If they used a child swap to get them on, then the CM at the kiosk would enter +1 into the computer system which in turn gets tracked by the system. If they get caught doing that, its a reprimand. Much better to just walk them through with no traces. It is one of the perks of working for Disney.

 

The paper you saw was to let the other CMs know who the testers were so they didn't have to wait in line and could get as many tests in as they could. They did not use the MBs as the FP+ system was not what was being tested, so they didn't have FP+s. If they had given all of the testers (there are about 20 a day) FP+s for each ride, they would use up valuable FP+s that could go to guests.

 

I am signed up for a tester position but don't know what day I will have yet. You ride all of the major attractions at all of the parks multiple times during your shift. The testers get to dress as tourists but are being paid and have an agenda they must follow.

[kampfirekim 260]

 

 

If you recall, I (and others) did tell you to do a late lunch rather than dinner.  Had you done lunch, your bill would have been $120.83 before tip instead of $176.22...

 

 

Wow!  That's practically a steal!!  

 

The Biergarten used to be one of our fave places... until we were one of the idiots to forget to check if there had been a price increase since our previous visit.  :bugeyes:  The sticker shock is rough even when you're expecting it, as TCD just proved.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I meant to also mention that if you ever want to know the exact cost of a buffet, you can call Disney dining and ask. I've done that before just because we often travel over the holidays, and I don't want HUGE sticker shock. 

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Thanks for another great report TCD!

Its fun to live vicariously through the TCD clan.

[LONE-STAR 370]

Well done. We really like eating in Germany but we have skipped it the last 3 trips. That being said I did eat at the quick service in Germany this past trip and got the meatloaf sandwich and it was great. Went back 3 days later and had another.

[dvccamper 32]

I noticed the quote from in the article you referenced "I may have shocked some students but they came out in the end saying I can speak German." I'm guessing from your grabbassen comment that's not entirely true.

Thanks for the pictures of your dinner, but yet another WDW restaurant I won't be trying. I have a 12 year old who eats like a bird but I don't think she can pass for a 9 year old. So buffets are no longer in our Disney budget.

Awesome trip report though and looking forward to the next one which will be right around our trip. Enjoy!!

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

Great TR! And it even taught me a new word, grabbassen, turns out it is what I have been excelling in most of my life :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Thank you for the picture of the beer menu! I'm a fan of wheat beers, and apart from Blue Moon (known as Rickard's White in Canuckistan), I've found wheat beers hard to come by at the World so I was intrigued to see Shöfferhofer Weizen on the Biergarten menu. And I was even more curious when it said it was "one of Germany's most well-known wheat beers". I don't consider myself a connoisseur by any means, but I've had my fair share of wheat beers, and even had a few of them in Germany... but I've never heard of Shöfferhofer Weizen.

 

So I went to the website of my provincial government's monopolistic purveyor of alcohol and searched for one of Germany's most well-known wheat beers and found that they have 141 bottles available, most of which are 2+ hours away from where I live. Fortunately the three foreign companies who run a government-protected monopoly on beer sales have Shöfferhofer Weizen available much closer to home!

 

Was it on FF.net where I read about Beers and Ears? I can't remember now, but in addition to a very comprehensive list on their web site of beers available at the World, they also have companion apps available for both iOS and Android. Now all I need is to book a trip to try it out!

 

Prost!

 

What's this all about?  The government runs the beer sales in Canada?  I didn't know that.

 

No wonder I see so many Ontario plates around here.

 

I cant reveal WHAT the test is, but it was testing. I know a few of the CMs who were part of the test.

 

Besides, if they were backdooring friends onto a ride, they would not use a track able system like child swap or the like. They would just let them through. I have gotten onto attractions through connections before and they just let you walk through. If they used a child swap to get them on, then the CM at the kiosk would enter +1 into the computer system which in turn gets tracked by the system. If they get caught doing that, its a reprimand. Much better to just walk them through with no traces. It is one of the perks of working for Disney.

 

The paper you saw was to let the other CMs know who the testers were so they didn't have to wait in line and could get as many tests in as they could. They did not use the MBs as the FP+ system was not what was being tested, so they didn't have FP+s. If they had given all of the testers (there are about 20 a day) FP+s for each ride, they would use up valuable FP+s that could go to guests.

 

I am signed up for a tester position but don't know what day I will have yet. You ride all of the major attractions at all of the parks multiple times during your shift. The testers get to dress as tourists but are being paid and have an agenda they must follow.

 

Hmmm?  Some big secret test?  And it's not for FP+?  Must be something for the Memory Maker thing.  Were they testing the ride photos?  They should hire me for that.  I have endless funny poses.

 

Since you keep rising up the ranks, it won't be long before you're running things there.  When you're in charge, please do not start running secret tests when there are major malfunctions occurring with another new initiative.  It might cause some guests to not have the experience they were anticipating.  Thanks in advance.

 

Wow!  That's practically a steal!!  

 

The Biergarten used to be one of our fave places... until we were one of the idiots to forget to check if there had been a price increase since our previous visit.   :bugeyes:  The sticker shock is rough even when you're expecting it, as TCD just proved.

 

I meant to make the observation that our Biergarten visit was more expensive than our 'Ohana visit last year in January.  No way is Biergarten worth paying more for than 'Ohana. (No offense to Janica.)

 

I meant to also mention that if you ever want to know the exact cost of a buffet, you can call Disney dining and ask. I've done that before just because we often travel over the holidays, and I don't want HUGE sticker shock. 

 

Well, that's nice.

 

What would be nicer is if they would just put the danged price on their website.  And, I'd like to know when the lower prices are charged.  I might need smelling salts if I show up on the day they're charging $59.99 a head.

 

Thanks for another great report TCD!

Its fun to live vicariously through the TCD clan.

 

Well, thanks, Aaron.

 

In turn, I'm enjoying your current TR.  And I hope that anyone who is looking for a good TR to read will look it up too.

 

Well done. We really like eating in Germany but we have skipped it the last 3 trips. That being said I did eat at the quick service in Germany this past trip and got the meatloaf sandwich and it was great. Went back 3 days later and had another.

 

That meatloaf sandwich is relatively new.  I haven't tried it yet.  They had one at the carving station on the buffet too.  That isn't the kind of meatloaf that I'm familiar with.  I should have given it a try.

 

I guess you liked it?  I may stop by and give it a try.

 

I noticed the quote from in the article you referenced "I may have shocked some students but they came out in the end saying I can speak German." I'm guessing from your grabbassen comment that's not entirely true.

Thanks for the pictures of your dinner, but yet another WDW restaurant I won't be trying. I have a 12 year old who eats like a bird but I don't think she can pass for a 9 year old. So buffets are no longer in our Disney budget.

Awesome trip report though and looking forward to the next one which will be right around our trip. Enjoy!!

 

Yeah, I wouldn't say that I can speak German.  But I do know several useful phrases.  And, if I think long enough, I can kind of understand it.

 

Even if you were paying kid prices, $18 for a kid to eat at Disney is a bit steep, isn't it?  But, the thing is, that place was packed.

 

Great TR! And it even taught me a new word, grabbassen, turns out it is what I have been excelling in most of my life :)

 

Yeah, I've partaken in a bit of that myself too.

 

That's how I knew what those German kids were doing.  That's one neat thing about Epcot- you can see that people is people.  Even if they speak another language.

 

TCD

[wendinator 109]

What's this all about?  The government runs the beer sales in Canada?  I didn't know that.

 

No wonder I see so many Ontario plates around here.

 

It's different from province to province, but in Ontario it basically breaks down like this.

 

There is a government-owned company called the LCBO that is pretty much the only place you can buy wine, liquor, spirits and beer.

 

There is a separate company called The Beer Store (I kid you not), that only sells beer. It is owned by 3 private companies - InBev, Molson and Sapporo. It is not government owned, though most Ontarians don't know this.

 

There are minor exceptions¹, but in general, if you want to buy booze in Ontario, you either get it from the LCBO or the Beer Store.

 

¹You can buy craft beer directly from the brewer, you can buy wine directly from the winery, and you can buy some Canadian wines from a chain of stores called the Wine Rack.

[kampfirekim 260]

 

I meant to make the observation that our Biergarten visit was more expensive than our 'Ohana visit last year in January.  No way is Biergarten worth paying more for than 'Ohana. (No offense to Janica.)

 

TCD

 

 

Truth.   I do like the Biergarten but I agree... no way should it be priced that high.   It is a good experience, albeit, average fare.  I've had better locally.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It's different from province to province, but in Ontario it basically breaks down like this.

 

There is a government-owned company called the LCBO that is pretty much the only place you can buy wine, liquor, spirits and beer.

 

There is a separate company called The Beer Store (I kid you not), that only sells beer. It is owned by 3 private companies - InBev, Molson and Sapporo. It is not government owned, though most Ontarians don't know this.

 

There are minor exceptions¹, but in general, if you want to buy booze in Ontario, you either get it from the LCBO or the Beer Store.

 

¹You can buy craft beer directly from the brewer, you can buy wine directly from the winery, and you can buy some Canadian wines from a chain of stores called the Wine Rack.

 

When I lived in the province of New Jersey, we had to purchase our beer at a government run liquor store.  Which was very inconvenient.  Of course, I didn't purchase much beer as I was 17 when I escaped from there.  I do remember how my acquaintances could use an older sibling or friend's license to purchase beer, as it had never occurred to the provincial government to put photos on licenses.  I'm sure that has all changed now that they have a competent and uncorrupt governor running the show.

 

It was quite a shock when I arrived in Florida to find that every grocery store, gas station, convenience store, and some churches, I think, sell beer.

 

Truth.   I do like the Biergarten but I agree... no way should it be priced that high.   It is a good experience, albeit, average fare.  I've had better locally.

 

That is pretty much the case with every restaurant at WDW.  Better food and better prices can be found right outside the gates.  But, not true about the fried chicken from Trail's End.  That's the best!

 

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

 

That is pretty much the case with every restaurant at WDW.  Better food and better prices can be found right outside the gates.  But, not true about the fried chicken from Trail's End.  That's the best!

 

TCD

  

 

True True True!!!  And Ohana's. Yum. Has always been worth it.  Yum.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You people are nuts. 

 

Hawaiian Shirts vs. Dirndls. 

 

Need I say more?? 

[kampfirekim 260]

Looks like you said it all and once again.. I concur.

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

I meant no offense to Devores. I'm just jealous cause, actually, this tester job...getting PAID to ride rides in Disney World...sounds like an absolute dream to me! 

 

The picture of your receipt from dinner is why I'm a fan of the dining plan. I'd rather pay a little more up front than worry about sticker shock on my vacation. 

 

Thanks for another fun ride. :-)

[jjbescher 17]

I definitely look at the prices of the Buffets before I go.  My trip in August we were schedule to go to Chef Mickey's for Breakfast and I went the night before to check out the price.  When we went in the morning it actually ended up being cheaper.  I was very happy to see that.  I think I saved close to $50 that morning for 4 adults and 3 children.

 

The Wheat Beer in Germany was good.  I actually finished a Liter of it and I am not a huge drinker.  Normally 1 or 2 beers gets me buzzed. and I was definitely buzzed after the liter of beer.  There are a few items on the Dinner menu that are NOT on the lunch menu, but Pretzel bread is.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

But, I wouldn't be surprised to see more hashtags around WDW.

 

TCD

 

Told you so:

 

 

TCD