Resolutions

Normally I am not one to make resolutions, or bother with this "new year, new me" shit. I once made a resolution to stop swearing...within a few minutes several versions of the word "fuck" had escaped my mouth and from then on I never bothered.

This year, I am giving in. 

I am making a resolution. Or two. OK, three. 

I hope you are rolling your eyes at me as hard as I am right now.

My resolution, as I admitted, is three-pronged.

First, physicality. 

It is highly obvious that I am marginally overweight, despite my doctor telling me otherwise. I have an amazing holiday coming up that I would rather not look like a slightly melted marshmallow stuffed inside a pair of shorts for. So, I am pledging to you that I am going to lose weight. How much? I would like to lose around two and a half stone by December next year. I would like to have lost at least one and a half stone by the end of July, just before I go on holiday. This time I won't do it for six months, lose a stone, get bored then pile it all back on plus extra. I am going to enjoy my last few days of eating all the shit leftover from Christmas whilst I can!

How am I going to do it? Well, conveniently, in order to save for my holiday, pay my bills and survive, I will be living on £12 a week from 1st January. This means I can't necessarily buy all the shit I would usually snack on, or treat myself to the odd take out. I will be buying the same basic ingredients every single week until August - partly out of choice, mostly because I have to. I will also be using my dogs as an exercise tool, making the most out of the walks we go on. I am poor enough that I can't afford the gym, so I will be doing a home workout of some sorts every night after walking the dogs. This means a lot of planning, which I have started to do now so watch this space!

Second, mentality.

I have made no secret on here of my mental health struggles over the last few months. I have already started attempting to work on these, but it is going to be a long uphill battle to the finish line. So, I am pledging to you that I promise to do more of what makes me happy, and less of what doesn't. I am going to try and spend more time working on writing both my blog and my book which has been a great tool to channel my thoughts in to. 

I will try to stop taking on too much when I know I can't handle it; I will do the mental exercises that I have been set; I will try to stop getting stressed about the unknown; I will spend more time working on me. I have slowly learned to accept help when I know I need it, so I am going to continue working with that help to get myself back on the right track.

Third, eventuality.

I am a planner. A serious one at that. When I can't plan for something, or the plan doesn't come through it gives me anxiety. It makes me feel uneasy, on edge and unable to function properly. This is what I am dealing with at the moment. Essentially, this works happily, or not so, alongside mentality. My family have always joked that I am too much of a planner and I need to plan everything; I am a sucker for a list and I plan things down to the last second. In a situation like I am in now where it is impossible to plan for anything apart from tomorrow, I am pretty much useless. It would appear that this could be the main cause of my mental health issues at the moment, which hopefully will improve shortly. I need to get past this hurdle in my life. I am at a crossroads and I have no fucking clue where to go with it. I need to sell my house, but the market is slow. I need to save money, but I am paying stupid money a month on my house. I need to find a new house, but I can't do that until I sell this one. It is an endless cycle and even now typing this, I am feeling uneasy about everything. 

So, how does this fit in with resolutions? I need to plan slowly for any eventuality; keeping my options open but being prepared for anything that may come my way. I am being organised and trying to get my ducks in a row and I am sincerely hoping that I am going to be able to type this post bloody happier next year. 

2019 cannot come soon enough, I am so fucking done with this year! I am currently planning (shock) how to go about all of the above and look forward to sharing and whining with and at you next year. 

I still say resolutions are a pile of shit, but here we go! 

Reintroductions

Do you ever sit and wonder what you are doing with your life? Well that is me. Every. Single. Day. Ever since starting this blog over five years ago I wonder what the fuck I am doing. Not in a "I can't do this anymore" way (not all the time...) but more in an existential crisis after existential crisis way.

Well, I’m having one of those right now. Again. It’s been a while, my last one being at the end of my degree through sheer panic of not having a job, let alone not having a job using my degree. I am sure if you have been reading this for a while, you might remember that existential crisis. We will try to not talk about that, can we just pretend like it never happened?

I have a job now that I’ve been in for over 3 years. But now I’ve come to a crossroads in life that I’ve never been in before. I’ve got little to no ties to where I am and what I’m doing and I’m desperate to do something new. 

Would I drop everything and ship myself and my dogs out to Orlando? Without a doubt. Shock. 

Do I feel like I’ve wasted my £50,000 piece of paper (whose location is currently unknown) that says I have a 2:1 in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies? Massively. 

Am I questioning all my life choices and wondering what the meaning of life is? Every day. 

Do I hate everything that I currently stand for and the mess I’m left to clear up? We’ve already covered that. 

So, what to do next? I imagine a good start would be to start providing answers and not asking a fuck ton of questions. Time to make some changes. Time to spontaneously burst into song that will change everything and my Prince Charming will come riding into the scene on horseback with the wind perfectly blowing his hair. I watch a lot of Disney movies. 

For the record, I don't need "saving" but who wouldn't want some weirdly hot prince to bolt out of nowhere, sing some random shit and be like "hey, marry me?". I'm looking at you, Prince Eric. There's an insight into my weird mind you didn't ask for. 

What’s the aim of this? I’m as unsure as you are. I’ve been doing this on and off for five years and for some reason over 60,000 of you have carried on reading. We’ve had some ups and we’ve had some massive downs. Now I want to break out into Jungle Cruise skipper puns and I imagine only a handful of you would get that reference. I want to say I’m normal but that would be lying. And I must not tell lies. Sorry. 

I’ve been through my fair share of shit. Someone somewhere has been sprinkling bad luck over people infrequently and then came to me and thought “fuck it” and dumped the whole bloody bucket on my head. Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of people have it worse and I know that but let me wallow in my self pity for a while. It makes me feel better. 

I’ve recently concluded that I’m like a slightly more modern day, slightly fatter Bridget Jones. Just without a Mark Darcy. Or anyone else pining for me. Unless you count my dogs when I go to work. But that’d be weird so don’t do that. 

This blog was always intended to be a real reflection of me. A true insight into the fuck ups and happier parts of my life. So that’s what it’s going to be. Yes, my content will be less family friendly, but then what person under the age of 14 is interested in reading the ramblings of a 25 year old nobody? 

People tell me I should take up YouTube. Well, let me tell you, I have a face for radio. Besides, I have the personality of a spoon and no one would want to watch me so you’re going to have to stick to that old fashioned habit of reading. 

So, let me reintroduce myself. 

Hello! I’m Danielle.

I am a 25 year old wannabe writer with little to no time to write, preferring (not really) to spend my time putting all my energy into my office job like almost everyone else in the world. I like Disney, Harry Potter and spending a shit ton of time watching films on a big screen in the dark on my own. Yes, I’m that person who goes to the cinema on their own. I love it - I don’t have to share my food or drink. Shout out to Cineworld for having Unlimited cards! Mine keeps me sane. 

I was engaged, now I’m not, and I have an incredible amount of strong opinions on cheating. I will make them known. And I’m not sorry. I currently have no interest in dating unless a guy comes along who could be “The One” not that he or it exists. I’m a firm believer that I need to learn to love me before I learn to love someone else again. I don’t like it when people tell me what to do with my life and I’m stubborn as fuck with an answer for everything. My mum is probably reading this thinking "I have been fucking telling you that for 25 years!"

I overindulge in anything to do with my dogs. I love them more than life. Yes, I am a crazy dog lady. Yes, they have their own Instagram. Yes, I am going to shamelessly plug it here.

I’m a not-so-secret fatty with a huge cheese (food) addiction that I need to sort out. Next year I am going on a multi-city American trip that I need to be at least 2 stone lighter for. What a mission. So I am sure I will post many a rant about how much I need to nibble on a block of cheese or eat my weight in salt and vinegar sticks throughout the first half of next year. 

I have champagne taste on a lemonade budget. In almost every aspect of my life. I like to have a nice phone, a nice car and expensive makeup. I'm not all that fussed about clothes - I am a huge Primark fan, don't judge. I hate shopping. I am also a terrible, terrible girl. Stereotypes and all that. 

I like to write. I can probably write about almost anything if I had to. I am currently in the early stages of trying to write a novel. I also suffer from Writer's Block...it's a real issue sometimes and probably the most frustrating part of my life at the moment. 

I have a real personality flaw of always wanting to do the next thing. I wanted to walk before I could crawl. Some people see this as drive, some people see this as never being content with what I have. I would say I am a happy medium. I am extremely driven and once I set my mind to something, it is happening. However, I am pretty much never happy with something and trying to improve on it in some way. Take from that what you will. 

I am not a touchy-feely person. Don't randomly hug me, it'll freak me out. I'm like those lizards in a pet store with the sign "don't bang on the glass, it startles the animals". That's me. I don't deal with emotions well, whether that be mine or someone else's. If you are crying and upset about something, 9 times out of 10 I am the wrong person to come to. However, I will furiously protect those close to me. I am not someone you want to piss off. 

I have this weird complex about wanting to please everyone. I am never happy until someone tells me they're proud of me, or I can see my successes. I always want to be better than I am. I'd say this is the biggest stress of my life and I put it on myself...I have some serious issues sometimes.

Generally, I am a flawed person. But who isn't? I used to be one of those people who won't admit there is something wrong or that they aren't perfect. Now, I am fully aware I am a failure in my life at certain things - I have been cheated on more times than I care to share, I am slightly too overweight even if my doctor doesn't think so, I am pretty shit at taking criticism. But, I wouldn't be me if I was perfect. And that's OK. I say this as I rock backwards and forwards feeling sorry for myself and wishing I looked like a Victoria's Secret Model. 

So, that's me - warts and all. I hate that saying. Gross. 

Over and out! Ergh, why am I not cool? 

All I can hear right now in my head is my dad telling me to stop saying "fuck". This one's for you dad! He's going to bollock me if he ever reads this. 

Introducing the Doods!

If you follow my Instagram you might have seen two little pups introduced in February of this year! I have two now 1 year old Goldendoodles called Albus and Remus. And yes, they do have their own Instagram. 

Goldendoodles, often referred to as Doods, are a cross breed of a standard poodle and a golden retriever. They are very big dogs with even bigger hearts and they think they are small dogs! 

Originally, I was only going to have Albus. When I went to see them as puppies he was instantly drawn to me. We had many, many snuggles! 

And then something bad happened. I saw that one puppy was left. Me in my dog lover emotional state was devastated that no one had wanted him, so, naturally, along came Remus. 

They were born on 25th November 2017 in Aberystwyth and I find it so apt that my pups are Welshies! 

I bought them home in early February 2018. They are my babies and I have them to thank for pulling me through the last year. They have been my rock and often my reason for living. I love them with all my heart and I hope you will too! 

Below is a timeline of the boys first year!

February was full of introducing everyone to the new Doods. They were quite big, even for 12 week old puppies but looking back now, they seem so small. They loved a good lap cuddle with my grandparents. I didn't originally tell people I had gotten two until they had met everyone. I got my grandparents to sit with their eyes closed and handed each of them a puppy. I still remember the look on my Gramps' face when he saw there were two! They were introduced to the Fire Engine by my dad and I still can't believe that they dit in there. I am looking forward to trying to remake this photo, but I know they won't fit anymore.

In March they saw their first ever snow fall! It is really unlike the UK to get snow, especially in March so it was really interesting to see what they made of it. Turns out, they loved it! March also brought Easter and obviously the boys had their own eggs! 

The boys didn't take long to settle in and by April had really developed their own personalities. Albus was a little bit smaller than Remus so was trying to be the dominant dog. Remus is just extremely dopey - and still is!

They both started to suddenly look like dogs rather than puppies. They had outgrown their puppy harnesses and their puppy collars and were in their adult ones! They were six months old and growing very quickly. 

In June they had their first hair cut and they also doubled in size almost overnight! They met their new friend, Fudge, and had a puppy play date. At this point, both boys were still cuddling their teddies - I miss that!

In July, the boys developed a love for the sofa cushions and also sitting on the cuddle chair and watching the world go by. They had suddenly become aware that cars and people walk by the window and smile at them. 

In August, they had a holiday whilst I went to Florida. They had a brilliant time and even got used to going in the car!

At this point in September, the boys were desperate for a hair cut (and still haven't had one) so we got acquainted with the man bun! They also had a play date with Caesar! They are so good with dogs smaller than them and let Caesar jump all over them! As you can see, they were also pretty big!

They experienced their first Halloween in October. Naturally, they had their own costumes and pumpkin! They also had their first bath in a couple of months. Albus is somewhat fond of the bath - he will jump in their if he is too hot and have a nap. Remus, on the other hand, needs a bit of encouragement. 

By November the boys are pretty much fully grown. They weigh about 40kg each, give or take, and take up all the room in my bed at night. They have their own Christmas elf ready for December and have an annoying habit of walking mud around the kitchen. 

The boys first birthday was on 25th November. We had a cake, well they did, and party hats! They were not fussed as long as they could have a slice of cake for breakfast and dinner. Which they did.

Now, we are getting ready for their first Christmas with me and looking forward to another year! 

They are the most incredible pups who love nothing more than a snuggle. They have such good temperaments and I have definitely struck gold with them. I couldn't live without these two massive bundles of fluff being in my life every day, licking me half to death and giving me big hugs every single day. 

A Life Update: 6 Months On

It has been a while since I have done a life update. 

A year ago this week I completed on my new house. At the time, I was somewhat happily engaged and getting excited about making a house into a home. 

Fast forward one year, that house is on the market, you know the story about the relationship, I have two great dogs and I am looking towards to the next chapter.

Has that been smooth sailing? Far from it. 

That original transition from being in a relationship that I thought was it to being on my own in a massive house was difficult. I will be the first to say that I still find things difficult. I find it hard that I am so far away from the majority of my family who are all usually quite busy; I often feel isolated and lonely. I struggle on a daily basis with my mental health. Financially, things are hard. I am paying for the majority of my house on my own - my outgoings are not far off my whole salary. My ex pays for half the mortgage and council tax, but refuses to pay for anything else. Then he tells me he has no money and that this whole situation is my fault. I am not the one who cheated. 

But at the same time, I feel free. 

I can buy Christmas decorations that I want without someone controlling what the house looks like. I can wear Disney clothes if I want without someone telling me I can't leave the house with them on. I can sit and eat what I want without someone calling me fat. I can put a Mickey Mouse spoon holder in the kitchen because someone else hasn't put me down for wanting Disney in the house. I can let the dogs in the living room because someone isn't demanding that they are kept in the kitchen. I can come in from work and sit down for a little while because someone isn't sitting on their ass expecting dinner to be made as soon as I come in. I can relax on a Saturday because someone isn't refusing to do any housework. I can plan my weekends how I want because someone isn't demanding we do everything with their family and not mine. I can say no when my mental health isn't great because someone else isn't causing the problems. I have control over my own life because someone else hasn't. 

I look back over the last six months of being on my own and I see how far I have come. I have gotten over what happened and I have gotten over my ex. Yes, I still resent that he put me in this situation and blames me, telling me this is all my fault so I have no one else to blame. Yet, he had an easy life; never had to lift a finger, got his way on almost everything. His family were fantastic to me during the time we were together and we got on very well. They will, of course, support their family member, despite what he did and what he caused, and I am very aware and accepting of that. 

I have recently removed his family from my Facebook page, despite a few people telling me I should keep them. I decided that to move on, this was something I needed to do for me. I am not living my life for someone else anymore, I am living it for me. 

I have had people ask me if I am dating at the moment. The answer is no. I did try for a while but I have decided to take some time for myself and to learn to be on my own. I also would not want to bring someone else into this mess. It wouldn't be fair to them or to me. 

I have lived on my own in this house now longer than I lived with my ex. Living on your own is very liberating. I have never seen it as something daunting as a lot of people do. I have my own space, with my own belongings how I want them. You learn to enjoy your own company and the smaller things in life. I love sitting on my sofa, lighting my candles and having a snuggle with my boys. 

I am looking forward now to getting rid of the house. It will be a long journey, as it has been so far. The house has been on the market for six months and has recently been taken off, to be put back on in January. I am hoping to have it sold before summer next year so I can be in a new house for my holiday next year. I am really looking forward to not having to have any ties to him or his family so I can move on to this next chapter in my life. 

So for anyone in this, or a similar, situation. Keep treading water because one day you will float. 

I have a lot to look forward to over the next year, so hopefully my next life update will be a happier one! 

Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' Dinner Review

Homecomin' is one of the newer restaurants located in the expansion and overhaul of Disney Springs, formally Downtown Disney. Homecomin' is at the Landing section of Disney Springs opposite Morimoto Asia. 

Homecomin' is 1 Table Service Credit on the Disney Dining Plan. 

When you arrive, you check in outside with a Cast Member. We arrived very soggy and in ponchos because it appeared that we chose the rainy evening to walk from our boat dock to the opposite side of Disney Springs! When you check in, you will be told that you will receive a text when your table is ready. As we have UK phones that were on flight mode and only worked on wifi, we were told to just hang around under the cover of the restaurant and we would be called once our table was ready.

We were then called inside as our table was ready. However, we were then told to sit down on the indoor seats whilst our table was prepared. I was just glad to get out of the rain at this point! We were waiting all of a few minutes before the Manager came over to apologise for the delay. Within less than a minute after this we were then being taken to our table.   

Homecomin' has the option of sitting inside or outside on a covered veranda. We were lucky enough to be seated outside and next to the netted windows which had a stunning view of the Springs. 

We had a lovely server who was so nice to us. We also had a manager come and personally check on us throughout our meal and check everything was OK with the allergy menu and the options. I cannot fault the service here at all.

The menu reminds me of southern home-style food. I was spoiled for choice and couldn't choose between a few of the dishes. I asked on Twitter for recommendations of what to go for and went with the most popular option. 

I ordered the fried chicken and donuts. I swapped out the original side for mac and cheese because I had heard so many good things about it that I couldn't leave without trying it. Normally, I really struggle putting sweet and savoury foods together so I was a bit skeptical at first. But my, wasn't I surprised?! The chicken was amazing, there was so much of it that I couldn't finish it. The donuts were coated in brown sugar and the maple syrup tasted like "real" syrup I had in Canada and not out of a bottle. The mac and cheese was in a league of its own. It was packed with stringy, delicious cheese and is way bigger than it looked. I couldn't stop eating this to the point where I had to force myself to stop! 

When the dessert menu was passed round I almost had to say no, until I saw the chocolate cake! I expected a small slice with a little bit of ice cream. Then I remembered that we are in America and no portions are small!

I am fussy with my chocolate cake. I like a real chocolate fudge cake and for it to be moist, not dry. Well, this one really hit the spot. The cake, despite being massive, was lovely and moist and the ice cream, we were told, was made in Winter Park in Orlando! It was so good, but I had to put some in a box to take back to the hotel. 

We were pleasantly surprised by Homecomin'. I knew I would like it, but I didn't know I would like it as much as I did! Being sat outside was great and to watch the sun set from the veranda was really nice paired with our food. 

I would definitely recommend Homecomin' for older families. I didn't see a huge amount of younger children in there and I can't comment much on the menu, but it would also be a good dinner location for a family. I'd also recommend seeing if you can be sat outside, it really did make a difference to our experience and felt more peaceful than indoors. 

Have you been to Homecomin'? 

Tony's Town Square Restaurant Dinner Review

Tony's is an Italian restaurant themed to Lady and the Tramp by the main entrance to the Magic Kingdom. It is a lovely restaurant, with three options for seating; inside the main restaurant, in the conservatory or on the balcony. The balcony is a great place to be seated if you want to watch the parade come by at 14:00. You can always ask to be seated in a particular area, you may just have to wait a little extra.

Tony's is a Table Service restaurant and is 1 Table Service Credit on the Disney Dining Plan. As with most table service restaurants, reservations open up 180 days before. Although I highly recommend getting a reservation at the 180 day mark just to be safe, it is not uncommon to find reservations closer to the time, even on the same day. They also accept walk ins, but you may have to wait longer for a table.

The restaurant itself is lovely and blends in perfectly with the Town Square Theatre style. Outside the main restaurant in the concrete by the balcony you can find the paw prints of Lady and Tramp in a heart. You may have to move a few strollers out the way, but they are there! 

As Disney is keen on Halloween, the decorations were up. All the buildings were beautifully decorated in autumnal colours of orange and deep reds. The front of Tony's was equally decorated in these colours and matched the remainder of the building.  

Check in for the restaurant is in an entrance to the left of the Town Square Theatre where you can meet Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell. There are a couple of seats there for you to wait, as well as a large container of water that you can help yourself to.

We were seated in the conservatory and I much preferred it to being sat in the main restaurant where I have been seated before. It is much lighter and you can see right on to Main Street, another ideal seating location if you are there for lunch to watch the parade. 

The menu is delightfully Italian with multiple pasta dishes. They also have an extensive allergy menu which caters for most allergies. 

Before your main meals come out, your drinks will arrive followed by a complimentary bread service with olive oil. The bread, I believe, is a sourdough which is gorgeous. They also provide a separate gluten free bread with individual dipping oils. 

I ordered the Chicken Parmigana, a favourite of mine. The chicken itself was massive; extremely thick, moist and coated in golden breadcrumbs. The sauce was lovely and rich, but not too chunky. The pasta was spaghetti with holes in it...that is all I can describe it as. I have never seen it here in the UK, but it didn't feel as heavy as a huge bowl of spaghetti normally is. As with most the restaurants, the portion was massive. 

Another menu favourite is the trio which has a "small" portion of the parmigana, meatball and alfredo pasta. Most of my family had this and said it was lovely. 

For dessert I ordered the Cannoli. I love the cannoli's in Disney. You get two in a portion and they are coated on the edges with chocolate flakes which adds a nice flavour. The shells they are in are nice and crisp and equally as tasty. I definitely recommend just picking them up and going for it; cutting them makes them disappear on to the floor! 

Overall, Tony's was a huge success with my family and everyone loved their meals. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and our server was great. She dealt with the allergy on our table fantastically and even explained to my Grampy about how the steak is cooked and which part it is in order for him to decide how he wanted it cooked. 

Our reservation was for around 18:00. This is probably the best time to get a reservation for dinner, most people are still out in the parks, it is still light outside and still very warm in August. It is nice to split the evening up a little with a nice hearty meal. You may come out of it needing a nap though! 

Rainforest Cafe Animal Kingdom Lunch Review

The Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom is located outside of the park, just past bag check. You do not need a park ticket to go to this restaurant if you are going on your last day or you don't have a ticket for Animal Kingdom. 

All guests can get there by jumping on a Disney World bus or driving to the Animal Kingdom. If it is open, there is a bag check on the left-hand side which is quieter than the other lines and takes you right to the entrance of the restaurant. 

The Rainforest Cafe is 1 Table Service Credit on the Disney Dining Plan. 

I had been to the Rainforest Cafe a good 10 years ago and none of us liked it, so we originally had low expectations of the restaurant. Luckily, we were proved wrong!

Check in is located just inside the main entrance in an elephant booth, which I love! Once you have checked in, you are free to roam the shop until your safari party is called. 

I was sat right next to this little guy, who is in need of a little TLC! 

Our table was just inside the main entrance in a little corner, which was lovely. I had the view of the aquarium for the whole meal and took great pleasure in watching all the fish swim around! 

The menu is very varied, with many options. They also have an allergy menu which the chef will come out and explain to those who require it. You are able to have anything on the main menu on the Dining Plan which is great for those who love a big meal!

I ordered the chicken parmigana which, in my opinion, is the best one on property. The picture doesn't do it justice of how big it is! There are two huge chicken escalopes, a pile of tagliatelle which shavings of cheese on top and a wedge of garlic bread. It is amazing! The chicken is thin and crispy, with a huge amount of melted cheese and marinara sauce. The garlic bread is great and nice to dip in the sauce. The pasta with the sauce is also delicious! 

I will always remember the first time I went to Rainforest Cafe and we saw someone order the Volcano and all the servers would shout it out! When our server said that two people can share it on the Dining Plan, I knew what I was having!

In true Rainforest Cafe fashion, our server arrived shouting "volcaaaaano!" which had me in fits of giggles. The dessert is huge, as you can see. There are three massive wedges of chocolate brownie, with a mountain of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, topped with chocolate sauce and a sparkly thing! It is amazing! The brownies are nice and rich and gooey and work well with the ice cream. I shared this with my sister and we didn't even finish it, so I would say this could serve three people easily! 

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience here. The food is so good with an atmosphere to match. We had a really good time with our server who was fantastic. This restaurant is great for families with little ones, or big kids alike! I'd like to try the one in Disney Springs to see if there is any difference between the two. 

What has been your favourite experience at the Rainforest Cafe? 

Rose and Crown Dinner Review

The Rose and Crown is in World Showcase at Epcot. Located at the United Kingdom pavilion, the Rose and Crown serves traditional British food. 

All guests can jump on a Disney World bus or drive over to Epcot. Walk through Future World and go to the left of World Showcase, towards the Canada pavilion. The UK pavilion is the next one along. 

The Rose and Crown Dining Room, note that this is not the pub, is 1 Table Service Credit.

Check in is located outside the under the archway. A Cast Member will give you a "buzzer" which will light up and vibrate when your table is ready. Whilst you wait you can visit the shops at the front of the pavilion. 

You can sit either inside or outside for your meal. I much prefer to sit outside and it is always worth asking. If you have a reservation around 19:30, definitely ask to sit outside because you can sit and watch IllumiNations from the restaurant. The outside seating area is under cover and can be used in the Florida rain.

The menu is quite British but there also isn't many options. They do have a separate allergy menu. 

In traditional British fashion, I ordered the masala chicken. Now, I have a lot to say about this. The chicken is a thigh cut, I think. There isn't a huge amount of white meat on it, there is a lot of the red meat. If you are a chicken snob like me and you aren't a massive fan of the red meat then you might have a hard time with this. I do find it weird that they chuck the vegetables in with the curry. When I had this last year they were separate on the side. The sauce is nice, with no spice to it but not too bad. The naan bread is also good and served slightly warm. It didn't seem as nice as when I had it back in 2017, but it wasn't bad.

Other people in my party had the fish and chips, which looked incredible.

Now, let's talk dessert. When I went in 2017 I had the jaffa tarts which were the best dessert I had in my whole trip. They have changed the dessert menu. I was very disappointed. 

I ordered the lemon scone with a berry compote. First off, and I will say this now, these flavours just did not go well together. I have never had a lemon scone before, always a plain one. This would have been so much nicer if the scone would have been plain! The berry compote was very sour and I didn't like it much. I ended up eating the top bit of scone with the cream and leaving the rest.

Someone else in my party had the candy bar. This was essentially a Mars bar. I would have had this, but I don't like caramel and it had a layer of it inside. But it looks really nice!

The pub inside is always very busy. You have to walk through the pub to get to the toilets. The pub itself is a highlight on the drink around the world challenge, which I love. However, there was a group of guys in there on a stag party who were clearly very drunk. As I walked towards the bathroom they thought it was appropriate to stroke my leg. Safe to say I was not all that pleased with that. I promptly turned around and went to the restrooms across the street by the shops. 

Overall, my experience at Rose and Crown this year was not as good as it was last year. I feel like the change in the dessert menu was pretty pants and didn't have many options on it. The main food was nice and it wasn't a bad meal but I wouldn't say it was one of my top restaurants. 

If you are going to go to Rose and Crown for dinner as a family or a couple, don't walk through the pub to go to the toilets. It is worth noting that there is only one toilet in the women's so just walk out the main entrance to the restrooms across the road. 

I am really disappointed that this wasn't as good as it has been in the past. I would say give this one a miss for a while. I am hoping it gets better again soon. 

Skipper Canteen Dinner Review

Skipper Canteen is one of the newer restaurants located in Adventureland in Magic Kingdom. The restaurant is themed to the Jungle Cruise and is the canteen that the Skippers visit to eat. 

Disney Resort guests can get to Skipper Canteen through a Disney World bus. Those driving will head to Magic Kingdom, park at the Ticket and Transportation Centre and hop on either the bus, monorail or ferry to head over the the Magic Kingdom. 

Check in is located outside the restaurant under a canopy where there are a few rocking chairs and sofas to sit on whilst you wait for your table.

The menu is quite varied and has African/oriental twists on their dishes. They also have an extensive allergy menu that provides a lot of options. 

The restaurant is split into different sections. We were sat in the main room which is themed amazingly!

In the far side, you can even see storage of some decorations from the December overlay of the Jingle Cruise!

The menu itself is even themed and you can see Trader Sam and the rhino scene signed off by Skipper Will, complete with a coffee ring!

The service itself is so similar to the Jungle Cruise with some brilliant puns and that Skipper nature!

I ordered the Tastes Like Chicken...Because It Is! It is a (massive) fried chicken breast served with seasonal vegetables, jasmine rice and an amazing chilli glaze. The chicken, as you can see, is huge! It is cooked to perfection and isn't dry. It works so well with the sauce which reminds me a little of a slightly bitter tasting sweet chilli sauce. It works very well with the chicken and the rice. I would recommend this!

For dessert I ordered the Quick Sand. This is a jasmine rice pudding served with a lemon curd, meringue and a biscuit-y wafer. The rice pudding is so good! Unlike traditional rice pudding we get here in the UK, it is served cold.  But wow, it tasted so good! The slight taste of jasmine with the cream was so nice. The lemon curd cut it very nicely and added a sour taste. The biscuit was really nice and I definitely ate it before I touched the rest of my dessert. 

Once I finished my food, I had a quick walk around the restaurant. 

I got a good tickle when I found the barrel of backside of water at the far end of the main dining room. I ended up saying the part from the ride, quite loudly which gave a couple of the Skippers a laugh. 

By the time we had finished our meal, the restaurant was pretty much empty. We originally had a reservation at 19:00, but had to change it to 20:00 due to a massive storm separating our group. We were able to amend our reservation on the My Disney Experience app quite easily.

I just managed to catch the finale of Happily Ever After over the top of the main entrance when we walked out!

This was a new restaurant for me this year and I really enjoyed it. The food was a bit different to what you can get in other restaurants and the theming makes it really unique. I enjoy the puns on the Jungle Cruise so really liked how it transferred over to the restaurant and I was giggling pretty much any time our server spoke to us. 

I would recommend Skipper Canteen, especially if you like the Jungle Cruise! The food is great and added something a little different to our experience.

Have you been to the Skipper Canteen?