Taste of Disney

I was checked in and seated by 7:45 (so it took about 25 min. total from the time I reached the Wilderness Lodge boat dock). I hadn’t made an ADR since I had no idea how long it would take to get here, but that was definitely not a problem. The restaurant had just opened at 7:30 and there was only one other table occupied by two guests when I was seated.

Now the funny thing is, despite the fact that the rest of the restaurant was empty, I was seated at the table right next to the only other diners. Thankfully though, they were very nice and even offered their plates for pictures when they saw me photographing my own breakfast. Oh, but speaking of photos, an empty restaurant means no one at the buffet…a buffet filled with breakfast food just waiting to be photographed for my review. So let’s get started, shall we?

First from the pastries and breads station, there were assorted pastries and bagels. Also there was sliced bread for toast along with grape jelly, orange marmalade, and cream cheese…

Full-size (not the usual mini ones) muffins, both blueberry…

…and corn muffins.

An untouched pan full of warm cinnamon rolls…

Doughnut holes…

The cold cereals…Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, and Fruit Loops.

Fruit was plentiful, including bananas, applies, and oranges…

Slices of watermelon…

A big bowlful of beautiful, ripe strawberries…

Oranges and grapefruit slices…

Grapes and (I think) cottage cheese…

Citrus Quinoa Salad…

Strawberry and plain yogurt served in mason jars…

…and granola.

Salmon…

But Trail’s End had one more pleasant surprise in store for me and that was the check. The regular price of this all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast was only $15.99. This is quite inexpensive when you compare this to the Bounty Breakfast Platter which is available at many of WDW’s quick-service restaurants. The Bounty Platter usually includes scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, pancakes and a biscuit for $9.99. Add to that a cup of coffee and some juice (which are included in the buffet price) and you are getting very close to Trail’s End’s price of $15.99. Plus Trail’s End gives a 20% discount to Tables in Wonderland members, which brings the total cost including tax and tip to $16.51.

So Trail’s End is quite the hidden gem and I have Jeri (jerseytinkerbell) to thank for bringing it to my attention in her wonderful dining reports. In her latest dining report she reviewed Trail’s End dinner buffet and it sounds equally delicious. I might just have to follow her lead yet again and try having dinner there sometime. I should though mention that from what I’ve read, Trail’s End is not the easiest place to get to using Disney transportation…unless of course, you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge or the Contemporary. Then it’s an “easy peasy” boat ride from either resort or a 15 minute walk from the Wilderness. The lodge also has a bus that goes directly to Fort Wilderness, but I’m not sure if that runs in the morning.

So in conclusion, I highly recommend that you check out Trail’s End for breakfast if you are staying at Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, or the Contemporary. If you are staying elsewhere then you have to weigh the positives of having good food (and plenty of it) at a decent price against the inconvenience and time factor involved with getting to/from this location. Only you can decide if the positives outweigh the negatives.

When I left the restaurant at around 8:40 it was starting to get busier inside…