Casey’s Corner

 is a staple for many Disney World visitors.

And it’s certainly long been a staple for us here at the DFB! You may recall when we took on the challenge of sampling all of the spot’s Specialty Hot Dogs, which included the Chili-Cheese Dog. Though the specialty dogs themselves have seen their fair share of changes (especially thanks to the new monthly rotation of Featured Hot Dogs for 2017), the Chili-Cheese Hot Dog has remained a solid standby.

But even standbys can change, and you’re about to see how this one has, too.

Our story begins when Plastic Cheese was removed from Counter Service locations all over Disney World. And while this isn’t exactly “news” anymore, we’re still seeing — and, frankly, emotionally processing — the effects of that change.

One of those changes, as you might anticipate, occurred with the Chili-Cheese Hot Dog at Casey’s. And I’d been kiiiiind of putting off this review because — SPOILER ALERT — I figured, right off the bat (Casey’s baseball pun not intended… much), that my enjoyment would likely be diminished.

The Plastic Cheese was replaced by finely shredded cheddar when the disappearance occurred.

As far as shredded cheese goes, there’s plenty of it.  When I dug into the dog, I realized that there was actually more cheese than chili. The chili, which hasn’t changed, was fairly overwhelmed.

Unlike our ready-to-run plastic cheese, the shredded doesn’t do a great job of melting, so it tended to clump on the top.  Fortunately, the Casey’s hot dog itself is still tasty as ever. And…cheese is still cheese. Even if it is sub-optimal.

We ordered the regular dog (as opposed to the Foot long), which costs $10.79 and comes with a heaping side of fries.

Of note is the potato roll that is used on the regular-length dogs.

It was tasty, but not entirely up to the task of taming the toppings.  The footlong version of the Chili-Cheese Hot Dog is $12.29 and comes on a traditional roll.

I mean, sure, I still enjoyed my hot dog, as it’s hard to argue with classic combo of chili, cheese, and a hot dog. But, boy, did I feel the absence of my plastic cheese… to absolutely no one’s surprise.

Here’s the thing: we’ve been keeping tabs on this whole sitch, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t continue to fill you in on the status of Plastic Cheese. Because, lo and behold, we have definitely taken notice of its return here and there among certain items in the parks. For instance, currently you can enjoy Plastic Cheese on at least THREE French Fry dishes around the World: the Loaded Plaza Fries at The Plaza Restaurant, the (outstanding!!) French Fries with Pulled Pork and Cheese at Flame Tree Barbecue, and the Chili Cheese Fries at Restaurantosaurus. (Oddly, it is NOT found on top of the Chili Cheese DOG at Restaurantosaurus, just the fries. That’s weird, right?)

As you can see, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of rhyme or reason to it. But you can count on one thing, at least: whenever and wherever we DO spot it, we’ll be letting you know right here. Signing off from Casey’s!

Is Casey’s Corner a must-do for you?  Let us know in the comments!