[Pictures and Memories] WDW 2022 Superlative Awards
I’ve been struggling to write a clear, comprehensive, sense-making report of our wild, wonderful time at Walt Disney World in November 2022. At this point, I believe our WDW trip report is too large and full of content to exist in a single post.
Throughout our trip, we came across many things worthy of special recognition. One goal of the trip was to go through my Disney dining bucket list, which gave us an opportunity to try some great food and drinks. That combined with hotel hopping gave us an awesome breadth of experiences to compare. For each category, we list our favorite item. In every case, we had multiple options to choose from, and we chose no more than 4 favorites. If we didn't mention it here in this post, it wasn't great like our faves! If this format goes over well, I might write similar posts for other long trips. Please enjoy our 2022 WDW superlative awards.
Food and Drink
Best bread service
1. Sanaa bread service (not complimentary):
The Sanaa bread service is kind of in a league of its own, with 5 different breads and 9 sauces to put on them. We loved all the breads and all the sauces, so much so that it’s hard to pick a favorite (maybe the garlic pickle??). It lives up to the hype.
2. California Grill bread service (complimentary):
The fluffy focaccia with its savory tomatoey condiment was a standout, and a nice addition to a pricey prix-fixe meal.
3. Jiko bread service (complimentary):
We were totally charmed by the giraffe bread, and we love a mound of butter with a little fancy salt on it.
Best margarita
A margarita is one of Ryan’s favorite cocktails - here are the ones we liked best!
1. La Cava Del Tequila - Dragones Top Shelf margarita:
We might be a little biased towards these because they gave us several as part of our La Cava Experience, but they were so good. If anyone wants to buy me a present, I’ll take a bottle of Casa Dragones please.
2. Pongu Pongu - Mo’ara Margarita:
Ryan was having a rough day at the Animal Kingdom, and this was just the kick he needed to get through the morning. Frozen, with boba - what could be better?
3. Sanaa - Malawi Mango Margarita:
Another frozen one, smooth and delightful and dangerous
Best frozen cocktail
Margaritas named in the previous section were not eligible for this award.
1. Daily Poutine - Arendelle Aqua slush:
It’s sparkly and blue! So good it’s no longer on the menu. I came out of the World of Disney store to find Ryan ordering one of these, and I can’t blame him for that.
2. Wine Bar George - Freaujolais and Frose:
Don’t call it “frijoles!” Everything about Wine Bar George lives up to the hype, including the freaujolais (frozen beaujolais) and frose (frozen rose). They're both fruity and refreshing, and you can't go wrong with either, even if you don't like wine that much.
3. Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace - Spikey Pineapple:
We made ours extra spikey with a float of spiced rum.
4. Kabuki Cafe - Sake Mist:
Coconut pineapple for us. We were surprised by how quickly this one disappeared.
Honorable mention: Sanaa - Mango Lassi. Not alcoholic, but delicious and refreshing. Pictured with the Malawi Mango Margarita above.
Best bloody mary
A bloody mary is Ryan’s brunch drink of choice and sometimes mine too. Our top two are pictured together below:
1. Homecomin’ - Proud Mary (pictured in the background):
Ryan’s favorite by far (Homecomin’ was probably Ryan’s favorite restaurant in general) - simple, no-frills, just right.
2. Homecomin’ - Southern Mary (pictured in the foreground): This one was for me. The fried green tomato was deep-fried to perfection, even though it didn’t hold up in the drink (so eat it right away!).
Best cocktail
1. Kat Saka’s Kettle - Spiked Cold Brew Black Caf:
I feel weird talking about how much I liked this cocktail of: cold brew coffee, chocolate liqueur, and cheese cream, topped with cocoa puffs. But it really gave us life on our first morning in the parks. I am making a beeline for Kat Saka's next time I'm in Hollywood Studios.
2. Enchanted Rose - Lavender Fog:
Intensely floral, it was like drinking a bubble bath but not weird or gross. This ranking likely does not reflect Ryan’s opinion on the drink.
3. Homecomin’ - Pink Golfer:
This is the off-menu combination of the strawberry lemonade and sweet tea moonshine drinks on tap. Boozy and memorable, especially with the souvenir squeezy bottle.
Best potato dish
1. Cinderella’s Royal Table - Potato and cheese frittata:
This came with the beef tenderloin, and it was a real highlight. A light, fluffy, crispy cake ‘o potato.
2. Germany Food and Wine Festival Booth - Schinkennudeln (pictured top left):
Noodles gratin - creamy inside and crispy on top. Way better than everything else we got from this booth (I knew the apple strudel wasn't good and I got it anyway!!!!)
3. Boardwalk - Carne asada loaded fries:
A pre-dinner snack before Flying Fish - these were amazing!
Best deviled eggs
1. Homecomin’ - Church lady deviled eggs:
Because they look like a little church lady with a big hat! Nothing came close to these - the best by far.
2. Space 220 - Astro Deviled Eggs:
Okay, that said, these were pretty good. The jerky-like glazed bacon was a nice savory bite to go with.
Best charcuterie
1. Wine Bar George - The Big Board:
It’s obviously in a league of its own, and they’ll bring you more crackers in the unlikely event you run out. George doesn’t miss!
Honorable mention: Nomad Lounge:
The selections on this board were interesting and tasty, but it was disqualified because it did not come with enough crackers. The board overall was pretty small.
Best wings
1. Sci-Fi Dine In - Smoked Wings:
I like to think of these as the grown-up version of the big smoked turkey leg. Sticky, savory, with slaw (cronchy and refreshing against the rich, saucy wings).
Best egg roll
1. Adventureland Egg Roll Cart - Pastrami and Cheeseburger Egg Rolls:
These were both delicious! They came with mustard and Big Mac sauce. I wasn’t sure if I would like them, but they were such a nice steamy snack on a rainy day. Ryan didn’t love them like I did.
2. Joy of Tea - Pork Egg Rolls: Ryan really liked these, even after a long night of snacking! I forgot to snap a photo of these.
Best chips
1. Wine Bar George:
The potato chips that came with Ryan’s sandwich inspired our idea for a “superlative awards” post.
2. La Cava Del Tequila:
A crispy accompaniment for our tequila tasting. Light and crammable.
Best snack
1. America Food and Wine Booth - Hot Beef Sandwich: On our “snack around the world” evening in Epcot, I made a brief detour to the restrooms in America and came back to find Ryan had bought a sandwich. “Why did you buy that? Why would you buy food in this pavilion?” I asked, and he said it was the best thing he’d eaten in the parks all week. I was so baffled by this choice that I did not snap a photo! That's on me.
Best appetizer
This category is tough, because we ate a lot of great food that could conceivably go here. These are the best of the best.
1. California Grill - Cola-Braised Beef Wontons:
A rich and savory bite. The sauce is great. We are still talking about how good they were.
2. Space 220 - Buffalo Cauliflower:
Delightfully tangy and not too spicy, and substantial enough to feel like “their own thing,” not vegetarian wings.
3. Jiko - Braaied Wild Boar Tenderloin
I don’t usually order more meat to go with my meat, but it was a perfect appetizer. Recommended by the server!
Honorable Mention: Wine Bar George - Saganaki on Fire:
It’s literally cheese on fire!!! You will want to order it by itself, because it’s best while it’s still hot. Tolerate no distractions from the cheesy goodness.
Best Soup
1. Be Our Guest - French Onion Soup:
That gruyere was thick - beautiful when scooped up with a spoon.
2. Citricos - Corn Soup:
With little bits of popcorn in it!
3. Canada Food and Wine Booth - Beer Cheese Soup:
With a nice baguette to sop it up. It gets chilly enough in November to enjoy at the park.
Best Salad
1. Hollywood Brown Derby - Cobb Salad:
Ryan wanted to eat this and I ordered it and made him get something else, and I ate almost all the salad and I’m still sorry about it. We’ll just have to go back.
2. Citricos - Strawberry Salad:
Ryan didn’t love it like I did, but I thought it was bright, not too sweet, and practically perfect in every way.
Best steak
Ryan ate steak at every opportunity. These were his favorites.
1. California Grill - Oak-Fired Filet of Beef
2. Citricos - New York Strip
Honorable Mention: Canada Food and Wine Booth - Filet Mignon:
2 perfect bites of steak!
Best entree
1. Homecomin’ - Hallelujah Biscuit:
I recreated this at home for Ryan’s birthday.
2. Jiko - Short Ribs:
Ryan was very sad that he didn’t eat any of these. I can confirm: they were worth being sad about.
3. Flying Fish - Potato-Wrapped Red Snapper:
I really wanted to eat this, and I spent a long time thinking about it, and when I finally ate it, it actually lived up to all my hopes and dreams.
Best birthday dessert
If you wear a birthday button and specify that it’s your birthday when you check in for your dining reservation, you might get a complimentary dessert! They’re usually small and simple enough that it’d be okay if everyone suddenly decided it was their birthday and tried to claim one. These were the most delightful birthday desserts:
1. Homecomin’ - Hummingbird Cake:
This one takes the cake (heh heh) because it was a full-sized piece of cake. Was that a grape soda reduction on the side what even was that?
2. California Grill - confetti Cake:
You expect funfetti-style cake to be overly sweet but this one wasn’t.
3. Citrico’s - Truffles:
One was passion fruit and the other was key lime. So tasty! A memorable couple of bites.
Best cookie
1. Gideon’s Bakehouse:
I might be biased because we got waved past the virtual queue thanks to my birthday button. But these cookies are extremely my kind of thing. Somewhat reminiscent of Levain Bakery, if you’re familiar, in size and heft, but the technique of rolling the cookies in chocolate chips (or whatever delicious seasonal topping) takes these over the top. The pistachio toffee chocolate chip cookie lives up to its sophisticated reputation. I can’t look at their menu because it changes so often and I’ll feel FOMO.
Honorable mention: Beach Club - Gingerbread Shingle:
It was a good gingerbread cookie: spicy and dipped in chocolate. It was lovely to see the gingerbread carousel and eat something that resembled a piece of it. It’s wrapped in plastic, so there’s kind of a ceiling on how good it is, but it felt special when I ate it.
Best dessert
1. Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party - Butterscotch Pudding:
Ryan’s not a sweets person, but even he kept talking about this one. Easily the best thing at the dessert buffet.
2. Sanaa - Serradura:
This dessert delivers on complexity and depth. Coincidentally, it also contains butterscotch pudding. WDW has butterscotch pudding on lock apparently.
Best bar
1. Enchanted Rose:
The snacks were generously-sized - I kept digging in to the mug of beef jerky and saying “hey, there’s so much jerky here!” The lavender fog cocktail and sunny margarita, from their signature cocktails, were both lovely, and they whipped up a mean extra-dirty martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives!
2. Citricos Lounge:
Sergio treated us like royalty and made us feel so special at this bar. The only complaint I have was that the orange blossom martini was boozy, but I drank it anyway. Doesn’t hurt that the lounge serves Citrico’s whole menu, which is fabulous.
3. Abracadabar:
We loved the decor and vibe at Abracadabar, and the drinks were tasty too. We spent so much time just staring at the magical artifacts on the walls.
Honorable mention: Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace:
Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is not on this list because it was too hard to get into! We settled for the Tiki Terrace, where the service and music were both excellent. The server put a glow cube in my pearl cup, both of which you can take home!
Honorable mention 2: Jellyrolls:
We had a ridiculously good time at Jellyrolls, and we stayed long enough to watch all 4 pianists cycle through. The performers were so talented and entertaining, and the free popcorn went great with the cold beer.
Best restaurant
1. Homecomin’:
We are already planning for our next trip, and another trip to Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is very high on our list of must-do-again things. We gotta refill our moonshine squeezy bottle after all!
2. California Grill:
You can’t beat the view, and the food delivers.
3. Sanaa:
Once again, incredible view, great food. Not every seat in the house has a great view of the savanna (we were pretty far away from the big windows), but the bread service makes up for that.
The Resort
Best hotel room
1. Yacht Club:
We stayed at 4 different hotels, and the king bed room at the Yacht Club was the best by far. Best use of space, best bed, least noise.
Best thrill ride
1. Epcot - Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind:
I paid to ride this twice (“September” and “One Way or Another” FYI) and I don’t regret it. Guardians is the only Marvel property we really enjoy. The coaster is splendid, smooth, and thrilling.
2. Animal Kingdom - Expedition Everest:
I rode this twice also (once at night!), and even though the yeti has probably never worked, it’s still a commanding thrill ride, even considering how few thrill rides live at Disney.
3. Hollywood Studios - Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster:
A classic. I remember when it was new. It was awesome then. I’m kind of baffled that they haven’t revamped this with a different band, but I guess Aerosmith is inoffensive (?) enough to be universally appealing? How many Gen-Zs know Aerosmith? (Fun fact: I won their greatest hits album from a local radio station when I was a kid).
4. Animal Kingdom - Flight of Passage
This ride makes the list even though it made me motion sick. Ryan thought it was exhilarating and I did too, even though I felt like I was…too close to the screen?
Honorable Mention: Animal Kingdom - Dinosaur: This ride is genuinely scary! It’s always been at least a little scary! Kudos to Disney for making a ride that still gets me a little, to this day. “They’re not going to make it! They’re not going to make it!”
Best dark ride
1. Hollywood Studios - Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway:
Another thing that I demanded to ride twice. I even demanded to ride it first, I was so excited about it. We’re still singing “Nothing Can Stop Us Now”.
2. Epcot - Spaceship Earth:
It was Ryan’s first time thanking the Phoenicians. I was so excited to show him this ride (“It’s about the history of communication!!! You’ll love it!!!” I said, hoping I wouldn’t regret it), and it lived up to my praise.
3. Epcot - Frozen Ever After:
Please observe Ryan’s expression of childlike wonder in the above photo.
4. Animal Kingdom - Na’vi River Journey: How many times did I ride this? Yes, twice! A ride doesn’t have to be physically thrilling to be stunning and emotionally stirring. I especially like the little animals jumping around on top of the plans, where you see the silhouettes of their lil feets.
Best Show
1. Hollywood Studios - Frozen Sing-Along: The performers kill it! Would love to come back and do this again when everyone in the audience doesn’t apparently have COVID and nobody is singing.
2. Hollywood Studios - Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular:
I am curious as to why they are still using a film camera as a prop, but it’s kinda cute. I really respect that they sell beer right in the theater.
3. Magic Kingdom - Carousel of Progress: I hyped this up to Ryan as well, but when we actually saw it, I knew it was going to be for the reason god intended: so Ryan could nap. I’m still tickled by this show, and I think the format is still really cool. It’s kind of hilarious how the final scene predicted the anti-Star-Trek-vision of voice interfaces (i.e. extremely fallible with obnoxious consequences), and as such, even though the show is from what, the ‘60s? The “future” scene is weirdly relevant to today (I understand that they refreshed the scene aesthetically recently).
Honorable Mention: Animal Kingdom - It’s Tough to be a Bug
This is actually my least favorite Disney attraction of all time. It is a sensory assault. Did I make this up or did the back of the seat actually “sting” you at one point? Like it stabbed you with something or shocked you? Because I remember that happening the very first time I saw this show. Ryan was determined to experience it, so we went together, and I sat with my 3D glasses mostly off, holding my mask over my nose, on the edge of my seat. He thought it was hilarious, both my reaction and the show itself.
Personal
Biggest mistakes we made
1. Hotel Hopping: 4! We stayed in 4 different hotels. What started as a well-intentioned move to increase variety and minimize time spent on buses turned into a nightmare of unpacking and repacking. It would maybe have been okay if we hadn’t thrown another hotel in the mix because our plans were disrupted by Hurricane Nicole. But it wasn’t okay, it was terrible, and we have now decided that we will never hotel hop on subsequent trips.
2. Churros at Pecos Bill’s:
The whole vacation, Ryan kept asking about where he could get a churro and where he could get a corn dog. I told him, “Ryan, you can only get those at Disneyland. Don’t try to get those here. It won’t be worth it. It’s not the same,” because it’s true - Disneyland has the most phenomenal corn dogs and churros. Both of these things are terribly hard to find at Disney World. There are corn dog nuggets at Casey’s Corner (this does not count in our opinion, because it needs a stick to qualify). There are churros at Nomad Lounge that I hear are pretty good. And then there are the churros at Pecos Bill’s. Ryan saw the sign and made a beeline for the counter. There are no words to describe the disappointment he felt when he ate those cold, dry sticks of sugary styrofoam.
Honorable Mention: Rope Dropping:
We didn’t intend to rope drop, but we did it a couple of times because I was pretty strict about getting us up on time in the mornings and leaving buffer in case we missed the bus. Each time we got held at the rope, we didn’t end up waiting very long. But the parks were not very crowded, in general, during early entry or right at opening time. I think it helped our touring, but Ryan wasn’t a fan.
Our favorite experiences
1. La Cava Experience:
La Cava Experience is a private tequila seminar and tasting with an instructor who is extraordinarily well-versed in tequila. Our guide, Hilda, was in fact from Tequila, Mexico, and taught us a lot about how tequila is made, types of tequila, and how to taste tequila. We now unfortunately have a taste for expensive tequila.
2. Spa day at the Grand Floridian: Ryan remarked offhand that he’d love a pedicure, so I got to work seeing what I could book for us on our non-park-day. We went to the Grand Floridian Spa, which was gorgeous inside and incredibly relaxing. I bet the first day of our next Disney World trip will involve pedicures at a Disney resort spa.
3. Jellyrolls: I feel like people aren’t talking about Jellyrolls enough. We went in ready for a good time but with low expectations, and the performers blew us away.
Best Surprises
1. Macaw storm:
We walked up to the macaw show as it was starting, and we were in prime position for the macaws to fly right over our heads! It felt magical. It was the single most memorable moment of the whole trip.
2. Filming in the parks: We noticed they were filming the Disney Holiday Special while we were in the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom! At night in the Magic Kingdom, they set off extra fireworks before the regular fireworks, and there was a big crowd of people clustered off very close to the castle. The next morning in the Animal Kingdom, cast members were waving us on in Pandora, asking us not to linger by the live set surrounded by light umbrellas.
Most overrated
1. ‘Ohana noodles
Oh god. Where to begin with these. It didn’t help that the Polynesian Resort was absolutely packed that night with a million families with small children all trying to get dinner. We figured out (it was not easy) how to slide in to the Tambu lounge to get ourselves a little bowl o’ noodles. They were way too sweet - totally unbalanced, and overall bland, and kind of gummy like they’d been overcooked. Ryan actually put soy sauce on his to try and salvage them, which helped a little.
2. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Okay, so Ryan saw the line for this at rope drop, extending over the bridge into the UK. He was infuriated. “How can anything be that good” he grumbled. I rode it by myself first and thought it was adorable. Ryan eventually relented and rode it, but he said Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was better (I agree for what it’s worth).
That's it!
This concludes our (inaugural) 2022 WDW Superlative Awards. I hope you enjoyed reading through our high points (and a couple low points too). Up next, I'm planning a critical review and our full trip report, which may or may not each come out in more than one part. Thank you for reading as always!