Well hey everyone!!
Welcome to Day 5 of our May/June 2025 trip down to Walt Disney World. As per usual, Day 5? It’s ALIVE!!!
Today, we try out some new restaurants, new pools, new drinks.
ANNND more friends are here!!!!!
Renee. John. We even get a glimpse of the Pittmans!!! Epic stuff.
It’s a roller coaster of a day so I wanna get right to it but before I do, I wanted to remind y’all to check out Myles’s vlog. Kid has been killing it on the YouTubes. Here’s his vlog covering today:
And even though I am hardly in that video, I still enjoy it.
So you know it’s good.
Alright let’s get on with it. Day 5. Annnnnd go.
Our 2025 “Celebrating Everything” Walt Disney World Trip: Day 5
Day 5 began early.
Well, hold on. Let me rephrase.
Day 5 began early. For some of us. These guys were up at like 6AM today.
On account of Myles, Owen, Hannah, and Mia were heading over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the morning without us.
Wild.
Get it? Because Animal Kingdom? Jokes?
I should mention I have ZERO pictures from their time at Animal Kingdom since none of them uploaded photos to the shared album. So.
Blame them.
Nickie and Larissa, meanwhile, also woke up with the kids so they could take care of a little errand.
They went for a little morning walk and then headed over to the Polynesian’s Great Ceremonial House to get some coffee and order up an Uber to bring them back to Old Key West.
Oh the errand? It was this.
Yeah so. On their arrival night, the Falzones were kind of in it because Mia had left her sweatshirt in the Uber on the way to Old Key West. Mia was in deep doo that night.
If I had my druthers that night, I would have looked at Mia and said, “Uber? More like….
…ber.”
But I didn’t. I didn’t have my druthers.
And anyway, that was then and this is now. Larissa and Nickie procured the sweatshirt and all was well. Nicely done, ladies. You are the heroes of the day.
Back at the room, it wasn’t like I was sleeping in or anything guys. I was up at 7:15 soez I could get a run in. Originally, my plan was to just head over to the fitness center but when Nickie was out for her walk this morning, she sent me this:
And since it was so early, the heat hadn’t really set in so an outdoor run it was gonna be. I put on my headphones, strapped my phone to my arm, and headed out. And yeah, you guys, it was a pretty stellar morning out there today.
I really do love running around Disney property early in the morning. Not only is it a cooler time of day, but I love being able to explore with hardly anyone out there. And in case you’re wondering, the answer is yes. Yes I was listening to Disney music during my run.
Nothing gets me PUMPED like Dick Van Dyke.
This is a really nice running path too. It takes you not only through the Polynesian, but also extends over to the Grand Floridian.
And to be fair, I definitely found it difficult to actually stay on the path. Whoops. Dead end.
But that helped to extend the track a little bit AND it’s sometimes fun to run when you’re not 100% sure where you’re gonna end up.
So I was kind of off and on the legit path throughout the run. Regardless of where I was, it was pretty all over.
OK OK, let’s head back to the Poly.
I was back at Tokelau by 8:05 so I think I clocked about a 40-minute run. I was so happy, I took a picture of this light.
Oh, you don’t like this lamp? What’s the matter? Is it not turtley enough for you?
Boy, am I glad I got a run in this morning. Because we were planning on EATING this morning. We had a just-us-parents brunch situation happening. And guys? We were looking goooooood.
Like, photoshoot-in-the-Polynesian-lobby good.
WERK.
Let’s get that Uber.
Brunch today was over at the BoardWalk Inn, which on any given day, could make a strong case for my favorite Disney resort.
I mean, oof this view.
And THIS view. Rawr-town.
Right ok. So brunch today was at Cake Bake Shop, which is a newer restaurant at Disney. I mean, definitely new to us.
So pretty, right? Here, take a look at the menu.
This restaurant raised some concern in the usually totally chill and non-reactionary Disney community (har-har) when their menus first came out due to the prices being pretty high and what not. And actually, they did bring the prices down a little bit after that initial reaction but still? They are serving $22 slices of cake.
And that’s not like some special cake they offer. All the cake slices are $22.
Wild times we are living in right now.
So yeah, let’s check out Cake Bake and see if these prices are warranted or not.
I will say, this place is legit gorgeous inside.
And like as I mentioned, we were celebrating everything on this trip. The servers obviously got the memo.
They even reminded us of the fact we were neglecting our children.
Here is another look at the menu, this time inside-wise.
And since we all were really in love with ourselves today, it was decided the world needed more pictures of us.
Look at Tony and Larissa! Looking all good and what not.
In the fal-ZONE those two.
Sorry gah. That was terrible.
Also terrible? My Mike Wazowski impersonation.
Tony is so funny with the picture taking.
Here is an actual picture of me and Nickie.
STOP that.
There. That’s….better? Nickie tho. Looking like a snack.
We started with some Acqua Panna Bottled Water. Which, like…got its own ice bucket.
OKAY Acqua Panna. I see you.
And of course we got some coffee.
I also started by saying “Bloody Mary” three times into the mirror facing me. And look what appeared!!
The urban legends were right!
That right there is the Cake Bake Bloody Mary – made with Ketel One vodka, Tomato Juice, Worcestershire Sauce, Horseradish, Crystal Hot Sauce, Salt, and Pepper and garnished with Gambino’s Spicy Pickled Asparagus, Celery, Olive, and Lemon. And both Tony and I ordered one.
To be completely honest, I wasn’t actually going to start with a Bloody today as I had an Espresso Martini in mind but when the waiter explained to me that both the Crystal Hot Sauce and the Gambino’s Pickled Asparagus were both nods to New Orleans, I was sucked right in.
And yeah, thing was delicious. Also? Don’t even worry on account of I planned my drinks out accordingly. Coffee and Bloody to start. Beer during the meal. Espresso Martini for dessert.
Yeah I kind of know what I’m doing.
Nickie and Larissa went with the JCB No 21 Brut.
Look – here are both drinks making friends with each other.
We also got some breakfast appetizers to start. Which, I have said before, is like the best thing ever. It feels like breakfast appetizers kind of just hit mainstream but like – what have we all been waiting for? Society really needs to move faster on these things.
We ordered the Cinnamon Toast Brioche Bites, which are made with Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, and European Bitter and served with a side of Cream Cheese Frosting.
And we got a Blueberry Crumb Cake to split.
And this was where the first cracks started to show in the breakfast. We each tried a Brioche Bite but, as you might be able to see in the picture above, they were incredibly overcooked. You could kind of tell these would be great if cooked properly but eh. As prepared, these were def not good. We ended up sending them back, which we honestly don’t do a lot.
I will say the Blueberry Crumb Cake was fantastic. Very flavorful and moist.
Which isn’t the best word. Moist. But that’s what it was. So deal with it.
Hey its time for more al-al-al-al-al-alcohol.
Nickie and Larissa ordered some – brace yourselves for a shock – white wine.
I, meanwhile, saw on the menu they had this exclusive Cake Bake Shop Raspberry Sparkling Cake Ale.
Man, you know I got that.
And this thing was REAL good. It was light and refreshing…with more of a raspberry finish than like in-your-face raspberry flavor. And it was super bubbly. In fact, they should call this thing “the champagne of beers.”
That’s not taken, right?
For my main (and I think Tony got this as well?), I went with the Croque Madame (Country bread, French ham, Gruyere cheese, Maille Dijon mustard, and bechamel sauce).
Here it is, untouched and pure.
And here it is as God intended it. Covered in runny, delicious egg. This was served with an arugula salad (dressed with a lemon vinaigrette and topped with Parmesan cheese).
Oof, this was incredible stuff. Like, so fluffy and hammy and eggy and mustardy. Spoiler alert – I do have some complaints coming up about Cake Bake but this sandwich deffo wasn’t one of them.
Larissa ordered the Eggs Benedict, which was like normal eggs benedict stuff (ham, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, some chives) but it was served on a toasted croissant instead of an English Muffin. Which is kind of a game changer.
Now, Nickie.
Nickie ordered the Belgian Waffles.
The menu lists this as being served with Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Vermont Maple Syrup, and Pink Vanilla Buttercream.
As you can see in that picture, we had Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, and Vermont Maple Syrup. And some butter actually. Bonus butter.
When our server brought the food, there was no Pink Vanilla Buttercream. And when Nickie asked about it, she was informed they were out.
Now.
This may not seem a huge deal, but that buttercream is literally like why people order this dish. And I have to think our server knew this. So it’s just kind of odd they didn’t mention this when Nickie placed her order or at least before they brought it out to see if she wanted anything else.
The server did ask at this point, when we all already had our food, if she wanted something else but I mean, at that point…what was the you know…point?
Now, here I am. A nearly 50-year old man complaining about a dearth of Pink Vanilla Buttercream.
Look what you’ve done to me, Cake Bake Shop.
Moving on tho.
Dessert time.
As I mentioned earlier, we had a drink plan for this meal and now? It was time for dessert drinks. And we ordered up a round of Black Swans, Cake Bake Shop’s espresso martini.
That beauty up there is made with espresso, Ketel One vodka, St. George NOLA coffee liqueur, Five Farms Irish cream liqueur, and vanilla simple syrup.
And yeah, it was good. But…I will say. This thing has been HYPED on social media as like the best espresso martini ever. And while it was very pretty and it did taste good (don’t get me wrong, it tasted good), I don’t even think this ended up being the best espresso martini I had on this trip.
Still though. I’d order it again.
OK so glitter is a big part of the whole Cake Bake experience. And no, I don’t mean the Mariah Carey-led masterpiece of cinema.
So before dessert, our waiter came over carrying a stuffed dragon. He told us the story of Brulee (his dragon…pay attention), who he said lights all the candles and spreads glitter around the restaurant or something? I’m not 100% sure on account of I was very focused on whether he was giving us a stuffed animal.
He wasn’t.
However, you can order your own Brulee here.
Only like 60 bucks.
Anyway though, he told us that story and then brought out some glitter and sprinkled it into our hands.
And said we should make a wish before blowing it out of our hands.
I wished for world peace.
I bet Nickie wished for pink vanilla buttercream.
After that magical scene, our dessert came. And I mean, this place is the Cake Bake Shop. So our expectations were pretty high. For dessert, we got two cakes for the table to split –
The Cookie Dough Cake. Vanilla cake with Callebaut miniature chocolate chips. Filled with Callebaut Belgian chocolate ganache and chocolate chip cookie dough. Topped with vanilla buttercream and miniature Fleur de Sel chocolate chip cookies.
And…
The Lemon Blueberry Cake. Lemon zest cake with fresh blueberries, filled with lemon curd and lemon buttercream. Topped with lemon buttercream and fresh blueberries.
And yeah, these things were glittery.
They were pretty good, too. Were they like the best cakes I have ever had? No. But they were still good. Out of the two, I enjoyed the Cookie Dough Cake better than the Lemon Blueberry. The frosting was actually VERY good. The cake was…fine enough. It was cake. So I mean. It def wasn’t bad.
Oh and lest ye forget – each of those cake slices were 22 bucks. 44 dollars worth of cake right there.
We were honestly kind of stuffed after a few bites so we asked for the rest of the cake to-go. And guys? Look at this bag. Fancy pantsy.
At this point, we also got the bill. Now, if you recall, we sent back those Brioche Bites because they were way overcooked. We each tried one, but sent the rest back. And because of that, our expectation was they would have just taken it off the bill.
Instead though? They only took half the order off the bill since we had all tried it prior to sending it back.
…
Look. Technically, this was fine to do, right? I mean, they took off what we sent back. But I mean, we sent it back because they were burnt. So obviously, even the bites we had we didn’t enjoy, yet they charged us for them. It just felt kind of weird to like turn off a whole table for like 12 bucks.
So how was the overall experience at Cake Bake Shop?
It was…good. I loved my Croque Madame, my Bloody Mary, and that Raspberry Beer. I liked The Black Swan and the cake was fine. The Brioche Bites were overcooked, but I imagine they are pretty good when cooked correctly. And the place is beautiful.
But look, this place is pricey. And for the price you pay there, you kind of expect the service to be top-notch. Between the whole thing with the buttercream and the bill issue, it just didn’t hit like we expected it to. It’s a very Instagrammable place but I don’t think we will be in a rush to go back, honestly.
Who knows though? It’s still a relatively new location so maybe it’s still going through some growing pains. And not the good kind with Alan Thicke.
But let’s move on.
And hey guys look – the kids actually did send another picture from Animal Kingdom.
Wild.
After we exited Cake Bake, we ordered up an Uber to take us back to the Polynesian. And I don’t fully remember how the conversation started, but our Uber driver ended up telling us a story about the goldfish her daughter won at a fair or something – a goldfish named Rick James – that she taught how to do tricks.
She said she didn’t like the fish at first, but grew to love it and when he died, she was sad.
And this girl could tell a story, man. I was legit ENTHRALLED. We laughed, we cried. We made it back to the Poly.
The four of us quickly got changed and headed down to the Cove Pool, near the new Island Tower.
And the four of us quickly ordered drinks. Because today? We were destined to get messy.
What time is it?
It’s Mai Tai-me.
OK so. Get excited. Because we have MORE FRIENDS for you. It’s Renee and John, you guys! They came down to Florida for a few days from MA, so we get to spend today and tomorrow with them!
WHAT??
They grabbed a seat at the newly opened Wailulu Bar & Grill.
And soon after, we all joined them. For good times.
And since I was there, I ordered this Banana Old-Fashioned thing I’ve been hearing so much about.
Thing was made with Michter’s Single Barrel Rye Whiskey, Tempus Fugit Spirits Crème de Banane, Appleton Estate 8 yr Reserve Rum, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram Liqueur, and Angostura Bitters.
Yeah, lots of stuff going on in there. And this one def lived up to the hype. SO good. In fact, it was SO good Tony ended up having more than one.
Bananas.
Cheers to a day we won’t remember.
In fact, let’s fast-forward so we can keep this party going.
Also, let’s do that because I have no pictures from the next two hours.
The best. That’s what I am.
Let me see if I can paint a mental picture.
We went back to our room and got changed.
…
…
Didn’t it feel like you were there? Total immersion. It’s what I do.
During that time tho? Renee and John did put our names in at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto and Tiki Bar which was exciting because it had the word “bar” in it.
We got the notification at around 4:30 that our table was ready so we headed on down. And if you haven’t been to Trader Sam’s before, like, look at this place you guys.
And this place is all like interactive and what not. Depending on the drink you order, different things happen throughout the bar. It’s super fun. And if there’s one thing I have been waiting for them to make drinking, it’s fun.
Ooh, let’s play spot the difference.
Ready?
OK, picture 1:
Now, picture 2:
…
Take your time.
Did you figure it out yet?
That’s right. John’s waving in the first picture.
But yeah, this place has all kinds of fun tiki-style drinks. And they have them in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. Which is nice.
For those lame-o’s that don’t drink.
Like Owen!
I am sorry but I don’t have pictures of everyone’s drinks tonight. Trader Sam’s? More like Trader Sucks, amirite.
But I did get a picture of my drink. And also Tony’s. On account of we got a drink for two.
We’re romantical like that.
We split the Uh-oa, which btw is a drink they recommend for two OR MORE. So, don’t go judging.
The Uh-oa is made with Plantation Original Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Orange, Passion Fruit, Guava, Pineapple, and Grapefruit Juices, Falernum, Cinnamon, and fresh Lime Juice.
But it’s not the ingredients that make this drink the amazing thing it is.
When they bring you the drink, everyone in the restaurant chants (both cast members and guests) and there is like a big rainstorm and the Uh-Oa animatronic (originally from the Tiki Room when it was “under new management”) comes to life and tries to place a curse on the bar. The drink comes out on fire and as the drinkers, we need to give a sacrifice (I think?) by throwing cinnamon into the drink until the fire goes out.
Or something like that.
It’s muy interactive.
Then after all that? You get to drink it.
And look lovingly into each other’s eyes.
But yeah, those are all the pics I have from Trader Sam’s, but it was a real fun time. To be fair, we only spent about an hour there since we had to head out for dinner.
Look at my pretty wife tho.
She’s the prettiest. I swear Tony meant nothing, baby. He was just a…
Awkward.
The wheels on the bus go round and round…
Oh wait. Right. Why were we on the bus?
Because dinner tonight was in Disney Springs. Which means walking by (and also through) a bunch o’shops before getting to actual dinner.
Including a Lily Pulitzer store.
This mannequin looked so familiar.
Oh shoot. Wait. That’s Larissa.
But onto dinner, right? And dinner tonight was at an old favorite – The Boathouse!
There it is, off in the distance.
Beckoning. Calling to us with its oysters like the song of the siren.
But first, we had to meet back up with John and Renee. Since they had their car at the Polynesian, they drove over and stopped off at Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar for a drink.
So we walked over and met up with them for a little bit before heading back for dinner. We actually didn’t end up having a drink there or anything.
I know, surprising.
But let’s get on with dinner, eh?
The Boathouse. This has long been one of my favorite restaurants at Walt Disney World. It’s just a whole vibe, this place.
I love that picture is from when we walked through the door and it was taken at 6:52.
And then? These rolls were on our table at 6:58.
Those rolls are fire emoji.
I also, of course, ordered a Grey Goose martini, dirty WITH blue cheese stuffed olives.
Look at this girl.
Myles went with a signature Boathouse cocktail – the Duck Duck Razz (SKYY Raspberry Vodka, Blue Curacao, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup). And it comes with a cute little duck on the top, which I think makes this drink really fun for the kids.
Nickie also ordered a signature Boathouse cocktail – the Blueberry Lemonade (Stoli Blueberi, Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka, Homemade Lemonade, Fresh Blueberries.
And she pulled a signature Nickie movie and did not like her drink. So she made Myles drink it. On account of being 21, he’ll drink anything.
As long its fruit-flavored.
21.
After the drinks, Nickie gave me a wedgie.
Oh, sorry. That’s how I say “we split a wedge salad.”
This wedge was, eh. It was fine. It was lettuce. It was bacon. It was blue cheese. It was tomatoes. But it was more a salad, hold the wedge. Know what I mean?
You know what was pretty frakkin great tho? These situations.
Oysters on the half shell.
Oyster power.
And these weren’t just any old oyster. These right here are Lucky Dux oysters. The cool thing about these guys is they are grown and harvested in Duxbury, MA but they’re exclusive to the Boathouse. Obviously, we have to get these every time we come here. Not only are we from MA, but literally Larissa grew up in Duxbury.
Yeah, Larissa. The Lily Pulitzer mannequin.
We also ordered some, um, Beef Carpaccio. Which, did at one point, fill this plate.
But this was what it looked like by the time it got down to me. But I was glad it did make it down there. On account of this shizz was delicious.
Dig it.
I am. I’m sorry about that last one.
Oh also?? While we were heading to Disney Springs and having dinner, MORE AWESOME PEOPLE showed up at Walt Disney World. The Pittmans (Steph, Mikey, Sophia, and Scarlett) were in Disney World!!!1111
And they were ALSO staying at the Polynesian. So exciting, right?
But we aren’t officially gonna see them until tomorrow morning. Tonight, they were having dinner back at the Poly, at Kona Café.
Look at these guys. Having dinner and all that.
Love those guys.
Meanwhile, back at the Boathouse…
The entrée decision is always difficult here. I mean, obvs, seafood is a top contender being that it’s the Boathouse. But I mean, their steaks are pretty great. On account of they are Gibsons Heritage Steaks, yo.
But you know the best answer?
Both I and Owen and Hannah and Myles decided to do some splitsies situations. Each twosome split a 14 oz. 75 Day Aged Gibsons Grassfed Australian Boneless Ribeye, with a side of roasted potatoes…
…and a 16 oz. Gulf Lobster Tail, also with roasted potatoes? And asparagus too tho.
Which like, I don’t know. Everybody is always like, “asparagus this” and “asparagus that” but I don’t get the hype. Right? There’s totally asparagus hype. And it’s incredibly unwarranted. Not only is the flavor craptown but it’s like so hard to eat.
Asparagus? More like Ass-paragus. Amirite?
That lobster tail though. It was real good. I of course prefer Maine lobster literally every time but this tail was prepared really well. It didn’t taste overly tough, as gulf lobster sometimes can and it actually some sweetness to it, which also is sort of a rarity when it comes to gulf.
The steak, on the other hand, kind of disappointed. It wasn’t necessarily bad but it didn’t really wow me either. It was a ribeye so I was expecting a lot of flavor out of that situation and it under delivered a little bit. Again, not bad at all but not great, either.
Oh and we got some macaroni and cheese to share.
Which was yumtown.
I mean, look how much Tony is enjoying it.
I paired my meal with a Dockside Haze, a 7% Hazy IPA out of Florida Avenue Brewing Co.
Really nice beer. Love me a hazy IPA.
Some folks (ahem Nickie and Larissa cough cough) also ordered a bottle of Jordan.
After we finished up with our entrees, our waitress brought out some hot towels and lemons.
I thought the lemons were for washing up, but Tony corrected me by showing me they were for Marlon Brando impersonations.
Tony was having a good time. Is the point of all this.
At this point, the kids asked if they could head over to Gideon’s for some cookies and cold brew. We still had to pay the bill so we asked if they could pick up some cookies for all of us to share while we waited for the check. And of course I asked them to pick me up a Peanut Butter Cold Brew.
On account of it’s the best cold brew ever.
The waitress, though? She wasn’t having that. We were using our dining plan credits for this meal and she insisted we get dessert.
I mean…
So we ordered the signature Boathouse Signature S’Mores Baked Alaska for the table (Graham Cracker Crust, Rocky Road Ice Cream, Toasted Marshmallows & Meringue, Milk Chocolate).
Larissa for scale.
Nickie also wanted to try the Caramel Apple Bread Pudding (Butter Pecan Caramel Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream).
Both were lovely. But we were stuffed.
The waitress though? She still wasn’t having it. She insisted we take TWO 21-Layer Chocolate Cakes to-go. I don’t have a picture of these but yeah, they were as large as one might imagine.
Also something I didn’t have a picture of? The scotch (pretty sure it was Lagavulin) I got to go. Because why stop drinking now?
Aw we also at this point got a picture from the Pittmans. They were down on the beach at the Polynesian catching the “Happily Ever After” fireworks.
I also have this picture. Which kind of perfectly captured how we were feeling at this point.
Like I said, the kids were over at Gideon’s so we went over to meet them after leaving the Boathouse.
And I got my Peanut Butter Cold Brew!!
I for some reason chugged my scotch before starting to drink this, but thing was still magical. Made with Oat Milk Cold Brew and a Dark Roasted Peanut Blend, sweetened with Maple Syrup. I mean, I have said it before but I will say it again – thing tastes like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in liquid form.
They also got cookies. But I didn’t partake at this point. I was legit about to burst. But no worries. I am pretty sure we like pick at these things for the rest of the trip so you’ll see em soon enough.
So long as you come back for the rest of the posts.
Please come back.
I crave validation.
After all this, though, we hopped on the bus and headed on home. I will say, it was a pretty wild ride back. I think Tony sang the first four words of “Happily Ever After” on loop and tried to do some pull-ups on the handrail.
The couple sitting across from us was impressed.
And yeah, that’s pretty much Day 5.
And get ready for Day 6 you guys. Because it’s EPCOT day. And it’s not only EPCOT day. But it’s EPCOT day after a full day of drinking. So, it’s something.
Stay tuned!
Previous post – Day 4!
Next post – Day 6!
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