Determining the reasons that certain restaurant advance dining reservations continue to be difficult to acquire can be perplexing. Often, the reasons directly relate to the high quality of a dining option. However, this sometimes fails to be true. Some restaurants reside off the beaten path leading to greater availability. Whereas a few restaurants have four times more seating than others. However, a consistently highly desired dining reservation would be Beaches and Cream Soda Shop.

The reason this dining location runs out of advance dining reservations will be obvious if you visit here. The table service dining space would be considered small compared to most dining options. When you combine that with the fact that people are drawn to the ice cream options here, reservations will disappear quickly.

If you are unfamiliar with the Beaches and Cream Soda Shop, this would be located at the Beach Club Resort. The actual dining location can be tricky to find since it is located on the poolside of this resort hotel. If you enter from the main entrance of the hotel lobby, you will need to walk past several other amenities of this resort hotel before then going outdoors to find Beaches and Cream.

My main objective of this trip to Beaches and Cream involved trying one of their new shakes. Dessert serves as the focus here. During my lunch at Beaches and Cream, I witnessed a few “Kitchen Sink” desserts being delivered. They used a “whole can of whipped cream.” Yes, “a whole can of whipped cream” was enjoyed by many. We chose not to get the infamous “Kitchen Sink” dessert here.

The food blogger’s dilemma for this day revolved around what to have for lunch before dessert. My dining companion for lunch, GooToYou!,  decided we should go with the Reuben Sandwich. Since I had three more dining reviews to do that day, I went with his suggestion to avoid thinking too much. The Reuben Sandwich costs $19.00. This comes with a side of fries. The fries look like steak-style fries so you can avoid the standard Disney fries at this place. The menu description told us to expect corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing with this sandwich. Also, the sandwich uses marbled rye bread.

So how was this sandwich? Well, I sadly report I enjoyed it more than the dessert later. The bread comes well grilled. Since I enjoy rye bread, this bread set a solid encouraging tone for this sandwich. The corned beef portion size exceeded my expectations. In fairness, my expectation for lunch here would have been low. The dressing balanced well with the bread, cheese, and sauerkraut. The classic style sandwich came with cheese melted creating some yummy creamy goodness.

However, the bread displays an inability to hold up to the purpose of containing the sandwich fillings. Almost immediately, a corner of the bread broke apart. The dressing failed to pair well with the corned beef though. If you got a bite of corned beef without the other components, that weakness appeared.

This sandwich presents something besides a basic burger and fries. That change of pace elevates this option. I would have preferred something besides a fried side item, however.  If you are someone who avoids these types of sandwiches due to the sauerkraut, I found the sauerkraut merely plays a supporting role in this act of sandwich theatre. Based on the limited menu here, this sandwich offers a slight diversion from the norm. I would not race here to order this sandwich again. Yet, if you find yourself here for a meal in advance of a highly anticipated dessert, this sandwich makes a good choice. So, I went to Beaches & Cream and all I got was a decent sandwich and a shake. Not sure Walt Disney World can market a shirt with that on it but it describes my lunch here.

Remember advance dining reservations can disappear quickly here. I set a MouseDining alert for Beaches and Cream. Then, I received several alerts before obtaining the time slot I wanted. My final reservation alert that I used appeared in my email inbox about 10 days before this meal. Good luck to you if your group wants to tackle the meals and desserts here. As always, eat like you mean it!