The phone was what helped me! On my computer I can click to enlarge-ish, but not zoom. On my phone I was able to finally get right up in @Jeff_AZ’s face, then zoom in as much as I needed to finally find @feep.
I’m not going to lie, at one point I had my face about 2 inches from the computer screen checking the water and the bridge outside. And the life preserver was such a red herring!!
@Jeff_AZ Your family is next level adorable. Thank you so much for taking us along.
Special thanks to @feep and @alpha_foxtrot for the fun mini-game and not letting us take ourselves too seriously! You provided much needed smiles during an otherwise stressful work week. 
I love that everyone has now viewed my face on ultra zoom. Not self conscious about that at all… 
(I kid…mostly)
Side note, the reveal montage…I missed it both times it was posted previously, but SiL’s bagel looks amazing and now I really, really want one and I have none in the house, sad trombone.
My favorite is probably the Magic Carpet pic.
This was such a fun trip report! 
You have a beautiful family, and it looks like you and your wife are doing an outstanding job as parents. Like @galuchies_463555, it makes me long for the days when my kids were little! And what fantastic in-laws you have! So nice to see how much your kids love them. Thanks for taking the time to document your trip and take us along, I know it couldn’t have been easy to keep up with it. So glad you guys had a great time! Really looking forward to your final thoughts.
That is the one I missed
That was the hardest one. The idea early on was to use a joke along the lines that he was looking right at me. I ended up not going that route, but the photo was still fun.
Ultimately, I hope this gets everyone to go back and review @Jeff_AZ 's posts and really get see how much fun they had and see all the great photos he blessed us with. Well, maybe not the leg picture. That was the only picture that day for a while and I couldn’t figure out how in the world I was going to use it.
Doesn’t hurt that you were likely pushing a stroller or carrying a kid for many of those miles too. 
I think we were all spared by your lapse in imagination on that one.
I am so sorry, that is THE WORST! As a fellow Desert Rat, I commiserate fully. Especially as you’re entering the portion of the trip I like to call “I spent HOW MUCH at Disney?!?!?!”
Thank you @Jeff_AZ for throwing @feep for a loop with the leg photo!!! He was literally in panic mode like “How am I supposed to work with this picture?!”. I remember thinking “Snort… Good luck with that one! The gig is up!”
And just so we’re clear, this was all @feep’s doing. I was only aiding and abetting. I mean encouraging and supporting.
What’s funny is I was spending the afternoon upstairs in the AC portion of the house and got cold, so I went downstairs to the non-AC portion where it is 83 and actually felt quite comfortable. I think living in cold places traumatized me permanently.
PART 1
Table Service Restaurants
We loved almost all the restaurants we ate at, so I am going to rate them two ways: 1) each will get a “best of” award; 2) I will grant the rewards in order from least favorite to favorite overall experience. I have linked each restaurant to the corresponding post above where I begin describing our experience in more detail.
Best No-Reservation Meal: The Kitchen
Comments: Everything was good - calamari, Caesar salad, pasta, burnt ends mac & cheese, and desserts. But not exceptional. But it was so nice to be able to eat without waiting or having to get a reservation, and all downstairs from our room at HRH! This meal would have been a poor value under most circumstances, but given we were tired and hungry, it was a godsend.
Best Place to Lose a Tooth: Toothsome Chocolate Emporium
Comments: The food was good, but forgettable. I didn’t like the shakes - too rich! But it was such a relief to have a quiet lunch reservation away from the parks instead of waiting in huge lines for quick service, or alternatively struggling to get a coveted dinner reservation. My advice when at UOR: flip it! Table service lunch; quick service dinner. Overall, it was a good experience though. The theming was fun and everyone left satisfied with their meal. (P.S. In case you didn’t follow along, DD7 lost a tooth here. 
)
Best Ambiance: San Angel Inn
Comments: The food was good, but I’ve had much better Mexican cuisine. I ate a ton of chips and salsa - they were the best item served, IMO, but they were not of the (more authentic?) type I usually get in Phoenix area restaurants. The ribeye tacos were good but the cheese-to-ribeye ratio was too high - I couldn’t eat more than 2 little corn tortillas full before getting full. Our server was fantastic and sent for chocolate milk for our kiddos even though they don’t carry it. The setting of a Mexican fiesta at night is the best of any Disney restaurant (nay, any restaurant period), except Blue Bayou at Disneyland.
Best Burger: Sci Fi Dine-In
Comments: If you want a good burger, fries, and a shake, look no further. I think this was my favorite chocolate shake of the trip (and I had more than a few lol). The ambiance and theming is unique and fun. It wasn’t too dark, cold, noisy, quiet … not too much of anything. But really, that burger was much more delicious than it had any right to be.
Best Breakfast: Ale & Compass
Comments: The Mickey waffles were better than I expected and everyone loved them. The caramel apple French toast was also a hit. Table service breakfast is a great idea for an Epcot day or otherwise when you have a late start. I’m sure the Mickey waffles are the same you get anywhere (though I thought the mini size was better than the big ones at Contempo Cafe) but they are reasonably priced, and the other entrees are really good. If you’re staying in the area, it’s a superb option.
Best Experience: Teppan Edo
Comments: The soup, salad, entrees, and sides were all good, the best being the lobster tail. But it was the least flavorful filet of the trip. I actually (shudder) dipped it in sauce. I was disappointed that there was no fried rice - only steamed rice and udon noodles. However, I was completely satisfied in my meal, and whatever was lacking food-wise was completely made up for by the atmosphere, the entertainment of the food preparation, and the welcoming nature of Japanese culture and cuisine. Overall I prefer my local teppan restaurant, but I will probably find myself back here again.
Best Fried Chicken: Olivia’s
Comments: This award is a little bit cheating because I loved the fried chicken from Homecomin’ and Chicken Guy about as much, but I think Olivia’s, as served, was just a hair better than the other two. However, it was best served with the gravy, which I didn’t expect since I usually don’t like gravy. I was not in the best condition for this meal, having gotten nauseated from the bus ride over. But I was completely satisfied by the meal regardless. Biscuits, milk shake, beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls were all great. It’s out of the way, but it was a fun little excursion.
Best Dessert: Rainforest Cafe
Comments: This was one of our favorite overall meals of the trip. Other than dessert, no one element was best. But the atmosphere, service (our server, Elysse, was a riot!), appetizers, kids’ meals, entrees, and sides were all in the top third of our meals. 
The kids ate more this night than any other. But even if not of that were the case, I would still come back for the Volcano Sundae. I love brownies, I love ice cream, I love chocolate - what can I say? I’m easy to please.
Best Theming: Be Our Guest
Comments: If we hadn’t been sopping wet, we would have enjoyed our experience at Be Our Guest much more. The french bread (DD4’s favorite!) was fantastic, as was the lobster bisque. The filet mignon was better than any I’ve ever had at a Disney restaurant (though not as good as the third party restaurants). The desserts were fun, if not particularly satisfying. But the kids were completely smitten by Beast, his castle, and the experience of painting their dessert. It will be a long time before we forget that meal. However, I think it was a “one and done” until quick service lunch is back - the food for QS used to be great and much cheaper.
Best Appetizer: Sanaa
Comments: The bread service is simply to die for. I can’t give any higher praise for the five naan varieties and nine dipping sauces (ok, I didn’t try the yogurt one, but the rest were fantastic). I could eat it for every meal. The butter chicken was also delicious. We shouldn’t have bothered with any other entrees because it was that good. And of course, seeing animals out the window (albeit not at a window table) and later walking out on the savanna is a unique experience.
Best Sides: Homecomin’
Comments: Everything about this meal was good. The fried chicken was probably the best recipe of the trip - so hard to compare to others. Certainly of the chicken that was served without sauce or gravy, this was the best one. But the real star of the show was the sides - starting with the absolutely unbeatable mac and cheese. I love mac and cheese with baked cheese on the top, and that was only one reason this one was so good. I wish I was eating it right now. 
The hush puppies were also good, though my kids were disappointed - too complicated. The donuts and cheese biscuits were also good though unexpectedly dry. This restaurant is a must do if you like southern food.
Best Meal: The Boathouse
Comments: Overall, this meal was the best. The filet and lobster tail was the very best of the whole trip - every bite was delectable. The rolls were served with a delectable honey butter. The sweet potato and mac and cheese sides were very good. The macadamia turtle pie dessert was one of my favorites this trip. DW’s coconut shrimp was outstanding. The service was good and we were served quickly, which was welcome. The ambiance was nice, though my only complaint was that we weren’t more secluded from families and children for our date, but we don’t really care about that kind of stuff.
I was going to demand a recount when you said Rainforest got best dessert…your pie from date night should’ve won on looks alone. …but, since it won Best Meal I guess I’ll keep quiet. 
Thanks for summarizing all the major meals!!
I almost never go to DS, but I think I’m going to have to go to Boathouse based on your recommendation and that pie. Sounds amazingly delicious!
I forgot Ale & Compass so I slipped that one in there.
