Happily Adventures After | Home of HAA Disney

Hey Howdy HAA Everyone (yup we’re trying it!). Welcome back to the Happily Adventures After blog. Thanks for coming back for more of the Week in the World!

In today’s post, we are talking about our evening at Disney Springs I really love going to Disney Springs . Something about the ambiance is just so relaxing and lovely. 

We had such a fun evening in Disney Springs after our relaxing day at Reunion Resort (please see that post) and their own, on property Waterpark in. This post will be split into 2 different posts; one focusing on Terralina Crafted Italian in Disney Springs and the other, our Disney Springs shopping and treat’s experience. First up, Terralina Crafted Italian restaurant review!

We were able to snag a last minute dining reservation for Terralina Crafted Italian restaurant around 5pm. My cousin LOVES Italian food, so Italian food would be it.

We were very excited for this meal and being able to wear our pretty dresses that we brought. As we headed out of the Resort for the evening, we made sure we had everything to spend a lovely evening down at Disney Springs. 

Orange Garage or Bust!

The way we drive also leads us to the Orange Garage parking structure. I know it’s weird to have a favourite parking area but this is for sure my favourite. Can’t tell you why, but it is. 

As we approached the parking, nearly missing the turn and instead going into Typhoon Lagoon (swift turn thanks to my mom), we were settled on Parking Level 3. This was perfect as we only had to go down 1 level for security, and a short elevator or stair climb down to the main entrance at Disney Springs West Side. 

Riding the elevators down, we promptly emerged in Disney Springs! Entering the West Side, we were greeted with some 2010’s Disney Channel star hits (Bridgit Mendler’s Ready or Not), making the mood even better than I could ask. My family and I) sang along as we walked the corridor to get into the main space of the West Side, turning right at the AMC, Salt and Straw and Summer House on the Lake (I will be visiting Summer House on the Lake on the next trip… that is a must!) to venture over to dinner.

Italian Cuisine by the Waterside

Quickly making our way through Disney Springs to The Landing, with no time to spare, we our way to our reservation. Passing over the bridge that connects the West Side to the Landing, I reminded myself that I needed to stop at Jofferee’s Coffee when we were done dinner (yup, I never did. I even said it aloud to my family to make sure we went, but I forgot).  Approaching Terralina, I didn’t realize we were right beside Paddlefish, which is somewhere my parents and I have dinned before. I highly recommend this restaurant if you enjoy seafood! 

We were about 15 minutes late to our 5:15pm reservation at Terralina Crafted Italian, which was OK by Walt Disney World standards (you have a 15 minute grace period). After we checked in with the hostess inside of the restaurant, we waited maybe 5 minutes until we were seated. Our hostess sat us right beside the windows to see out on Lake Buena Vista, which was lovely as we thought about sitting outside, however, we needed the air conditioning. Our views were lovely, setting the atmosphere as we dinned.

Once seated, our server promptly greeted us and asked us for our drink order. We quickly looked over the menu, and choose the following drinks;

• Strawberry – Basil Refresher (Strawberry, Fresh Basil, Lemonade) $10 USD/$14.10 CDN plus tax
• Spectacular Grapefruit Soda $5 USD/ $7.05 CDN plus tax
• Soft Drink: Lemonade $4 USD/ $5.64 CDN plus tax
  • This was purchased as an additional drink as I did not realize my Strawberry- Basil Refresher was not refillable (totally OK!), and needed an additional drink with dinnerLimoncello Mojito $16.50 USD/ $23.27 CDN plus tax 
  • This was my cousin’s drink the night. I didn’t taste it but she said it was quite good.

While additionally looking through the drink menu, we were quickly able to see any starters, or Antipasti here, and Salads listed as “From the Garden”, that we wanted. We ordered the following;

• Mussels (Disney lists this as “Spicy Lemon-Tomato broth Mussels”) for $18 USD/$25.38 CDN plus tax
• Calamari Fritti (Disney list this as “Pickled Vegetables, Chili-Sage Aioli) for $18 USD/$25.38 CDN plus tax
• Caesar Salad (Disney lists this as “Croutons, Parmesan, Garlic Anchovy Dressing) for $10 USD/$14.10 CDN plus tax
• Terralina Crafter Italian Salad (Disney lists this includes: Romaine, Bocconcini, Shaved Parmesan, Fennel, Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion, Salami, Pepperoncini, Red Wine Vinaigrette) for $18 USD/$25.38 CDN plus tax  

Our drinks quickly arrived,our server took our dinner order; 

• Seafood Fettuccini (Listed as Fresh Mussels, Shrimp, Fish, Spicy Lemon-Tomato Broth, Grilled Baguette) for $36 USD/$50.76 CDN plus Tax
• Shrimp Scampi Fettuccini (Listed as Lemon Chardonnay Butter Sauce, Sun-dried Tomato, Parsley, Toasted Garlic) $33 USD/ $46.53 CDN plus tax
• Wild Mushroom Risotto (Truffle, shaved Parmesan, Balsamic Glaze) for $29/$40.89 CDN plus tax

I will admit we did order a lot of food. We generally do not eat this much however, there are some rules when in Disney which are;

• Calories don’t count
• Get as much food as you like because this is fun
• Enjoy yourself and taste whatever you want!

Dining at Dusk

Our starters and salads were quickly delivered. We began tasting the menu items, which tasted good, not great (recurring theme here). The Caesar Salad was a normal and standard Ceaser, and the Calamari Fritti the same. The service provided by the staff delivering our food and server was again good, but not great. The Mussels, my mom and cousin said were very good. My moms Terralina Crafter Italian Salad was very good she said. 

Our entrees then arrived shortly after, with our bread for the table. This bread  was a standard bread service; nothing overly special. Our entrees were again, good not great. My mom, who ordered Wild Mushroom Risotto, said that she could and does make a better Risotto.

My cousin’s Seafood Fettuccini was good, however it needed parmesan cheese. I want to start off my saying she adores cheese, and it is usually on everything she eats that she can. We asked our server for a lot of cheese (more than normal), to which our server said OK be right back. It not only took us 15 minutes to get 1 small item of cheese, but quite a few rounds of her coming back for it. She also had to bring out another cheese as my cousin requested “a lot and more than normal”. Her dinner was good but again nothing overly special. 

The lack of attentiveness, speed of delivery and listening from the servers was something I noticed from a few tables. I will give the staff the benefit of the doubt here, however, it was not a busy time to eat. Simple requests such as “no cheese on the burger” or “add parmesan please” were not met, as I watched a family have to send a burger back 2 times for their child to have a hamburger (no cheese) after the servers continued to bring one back out with cheese. It may have been a one off (like Universal Studios Orlando was during our trip) which is completely understandable. This is just something to note about the service.

I ordered the Shrimp Scampi Fettuccini. I really liked this dish. I thought it was the highlight of our meal. I do not get this often, and was pleasantly surprised with my meal. I would highly recommend this if you are dining here.

During our meal, we sat and enjoyed the view of the water. Some of us went for walks outside to see Seven Seas Lagoon just as we waited. I think this was the best part of the meal. 

Once completed, we received the bill for our total dining experience. With our 10% WDW Annual Pass Discount, we paid $190.20 USD/ $268.19 CDN before a tip.

Cost Breakdown:

• Total for Meal without Tax or Discount $197.50 USD/$278.48 CDN
• Total for Meal With Discount: $177.75 USD/ $250.63 CDN
• Total for Meal With Tax: $190.20 USD/ $268.19 CDN

Even with the exchange rate being as high as it was, I do not, in any reason think this meal is nearly worth $200 USD/$275 CDN. This was an equivalent to a Carrabba’s chain meal. I really do think that it was overpriced for what we paid, as did my family. It was something that was a nice treat, but did not warrant the cost. I think the same meal at something like Carrabba’s or even a local restaurant would have been half of the price and the same or better meal quality. 

Well, that is it for Part 1 of our Disney Springs Adventure in this Week in the World series. We can’t wait to have you pack for Part 2; our shopping and treats adventure! 

I hope you have an incredible day. See Ya Real Soon!

London

Reminders

Note: Tax in the Walt Disney World area is an additional 7% on your bill

Note: The Canadian Exchange rate quoted above is 1.41 CDN on 1 USD. This is what we paid at the time, not including credit card fees added, if applicable.