DDP not for me, we're going PREMIUM!

[amcjeep4life]

We were recently lucky enough to stay at the AKL for 6 glorious nights! We were there from 9-16 to 9-22, and chose to stay on the premium plan. The premium plan entitles you to 3 meals for each night of your stay. All meals use one credit, including CRT and the dinner shows. It was expensive, but after adding all the goodies we enjoyed, and the cost of our meals, we came out just short of calling it even. Oh well. One more round of mini-golf would have put us at just even, or even another 30 minutes on those stupid Sea-raycers. We all had a blast, and I would definitely do it again. This was my nieces first trip, and our second. We were last there in 2000, so I don't consider myself a regular visitor, although now we want to go back. We had a cruise planned as next year's vaction, but the DH and I are considering a trip to the world, just us! We'll have to see!

Anyway, on to what you are really here for, the food! We did quite a few TS places, but had lunch at several CS places, just to make up some time. I was very impressed with the food (mostly), the service (mostly), and the time we waited at each meal. When I found out we were going during free dining, I was a bit worried. But, we held straight to our course and were extremely happy. On to Day 1!:yay:

[amcjeep4life]

Well, we have arrived. The plane ride was a shocker for my nieces, but they got over it quickly. We pulled into AKL at about 12:30, having landed at MCO around 10:45. Not bad. We went to our room (bunk beds, yea!) and checked in. Did I mention we stayed concierge too? We scooted up to the lounge and had some snackies, including Chocolate milk, and brewed iced tea! I am in heaven, as I can drink this by the gallon. After getting all set, it was off to Epcot! Our original plan was to grab some luch at a CS place here, but since we snacked at the concierge, no one wanted to eat at almost 2:30 and ruin our dinner at........Le Cellier! :cool1: Our ADR was for 6:20, and we checked in at about 6 (it was raining). I met my first DISer in the waiting area. Hello kindakrazy2, AKA Sarah. In WDW less than 4 hours and already met a DISer, yea! My DH was amazed that there were other crazy LGMH-wearing people out there. Sort of made all those hours here on the boards a bit more tolerable in his eyes. Anyways, before I get on with the reviews, it occurs to me you might want to meet the cast of this show. Here goes.

Me: :eeyore: I'm almost 38. AKA Tonya, or honey. Depends on which other character you ask. Willing to try most anything, but not a fan of seafood.

DH: :stitch2: He's recently 37. AKA Uncle Billy, or honey. Again, depends on who you ask. Eats anything, and looks it too. :goodvibes

DNiece1: pluto: She is 12 1/2. AKA Samantha, or Sam. Used to be exclusively Sam, but she's getting older, and doesn't want to be a Sam. Teenagers (said with a cool Jamaican accent a la Sebastien). ;) She is a bit picky, and has a tendency to say she doesn't like things without trying them. I made her try several things this trip, including a roller coaster, that she now likes. Again, teenagers. :lmao: Doesn't like seafood at all.

DNiece2: :tink: She will be 11 in a month. AKA Emma or the goldfish :fish: Called the goldfish because her memory lasts about as long. Spent the whole week chasing after her stuff when she forgot it. She will try anything once. Hates raw onions, but personally I think she doesn't like them because her grandfather doesn't. She's eaten stuff at my house with onions and never said anything. But once she sees one, she freaks. Go figure. Also, doesn't like yellow cheese. Again, go figure.

Enough of this, let's get to the food!!!:banana:

We had an awesome server named Sean. He was very attentive, and brought us extra drinks immediately. He joked with the girls, and offered suggestions for ordering. Here is the meal:

Emma: had Sprite with her dinner
Shrimp cocktail She said it was a bit spicy, but it didn't catch up right away. Served with some kind of wasabi slaw. My DH said it was spicy too, but good.
Herb-crusted Prime Rib This thing was huge. I almost laughed when I saw it on her plate. She did her best, eating through about 90% of it. Which left a piece or two for the DH and I to try. Much yummy! Served with cream cheese mashed potatoes and fried onion pieces. All was quite good, and she really ate her way through it.
S'mores This was very cute. The marshmellow is covered in sprinkles and comes on a stick, high above the rest of the dessert. She just about knocked her soda over trying to get the marshmellow off the stick, so parents be warned!

Samantha: had Coke with every meal!
Ceasar salad Said the dressing was a bit weird, and didn't like the peppercorn-parmesan crisp that came with it. I tried both and thought it was good. I ate most of the crisp.
7 oz. Filet This was the recomendation of Sean, but she asked for it with the sauce on the side, which he then picked on her about. He told her she was boring, especally after ordering the ceasar salad. She also asked for her steak well done, which made him, and me, cringe! It came with cream cheese mashed potatoes, which were quite yummy. She ate all the steak, and loved the sauce. UB (Uncle Billy) told her to order things they way they were on the menu, since it's made to be that way. She actully did that for the rest of the trip.
Refused dessert! What can I say, not my kid! I tried to talk her into it, but she was full.

DH: had coke with this meal
Beefsteak tomato stack Sean also recommended this, and it looked good, if you like raw tomatoes. On of the few things I honestly hate. It was big slices of ripe beefsteak tomato with fresh mozzarella cheese, drizzled with a balsamic reduction. I think he may have licked the plate, so I guess it was good.
Mushroom Filet Came with a mushroom rissoto and fried parsnips. Ordered medium rare. Was good. He ate it all.
S'mores He liked it. Ate it all. Did not have any problems getting the marshmellow off the stick.

Me: had diet coke, as I was feeling a bit decafeinated.
Cheese Soup Like a bit of heaven in a bowl! Some people say it is too beer-y tasting, but I thought it was delicious! Was definitely made to dip the pretzel bread into!
Mushroom filet I ordered it rare. Personally, I kind of like it still begging for mercy. Sorry. I thought it needed more mushrooms, but overall the risotto was good. I love parsnips, so it's nice to see them used. I ate it all.
Creme Brulee They didn't have the maple one, just plain boring vanilla. But it was good. I managed to convince Sam to try it, and then she was a bit bummed not to have ordered dessert. Told her. :rotfl:

Overall, I was very happy with Le Cellier. Everyone liked their meals, and I got snaps from my youngest niece, who always wants to order steak. They were very happy to be considered adults in Disney. :cool1: We only waited about 15 minutes to be seated, and since we checked in 20 minutes early, I was pretty happy with that. The meal took about 90 minutes, and came in a timely manner. I can't see anything wrong with this place and will definitely return.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: and one half
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Cost: $186.42

[suzimar57]

excellent review of le cellier - can almost taste the food!

[Luv2Roam]

Great review! Loved reading it too!

Maybe you should call Emma "Dory", rather than Goldfish. :lmao:

[TigerKat]

Subscribing.....popcorn::

[Busymom85]

Great review so far. Looking forward to more. Thanks for posting.

[amcjeep4life]

Luv2roam, I never even thought of Dory! Maybe I should be the goldfish. Thanks all for joining in. Day 1 is in the bag, and we are on to Day 2! Ready here we go..........

[amcjeep4life]

Today is breakfast at the Polynesian. Ohanas to be exact. Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. I love Stitch. I have several dogs who should all be renamed Stitch. Anyway, today's breakfast will not be a breakdown like Le Cellier.

The breakfast interaction is awesome. The DH and I sat facing the room, so the kids had their backs to the middle. Then, when a character came, they just had to stand up in order to get a picture. Works well, and I read that here on the DIS! The first thing they bring out is a fruit dish. I love pineapple, and it was OK here. They also have some pastries as well. They were OK too. They have this juice called POG juice. It's Passion fruit, orange and guava. Mighty tasty if I do say so myself. I had 2 glasses, and the girls and the DH finished their first, and about half of their second. We also had sodas. Sorry, I don't drink coffee but need that caffeine rush in the morning. Any offended parents out there can take it up with the Awesome Auntie/Uncle Commision. Breakfast came out in a big skillet. There were scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, sausages and pancakes. They came around with a basket of Mickey waffles as well, so there was plenty to eat. You could also get extra of anything you wanted. I thought all the food was good, although I personally felt the scrambled eggs were a bit salty, everyone else liked them. I'm not a sausage fan (too used to eating homemade to want store made), but the girls and the DH both said it was good. The bacon was crispy and not too greasy. The potatoes were wedges of red-skin potatoes, still with skins on. Yum! The Mickey waffles were good, especially when doused in sufficient amounts of butter and syrup! :lmao: We saw Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto. The girls got to try their hand at autograph collecting, and were excited to see so many characters at breakfast. A friend had told them about standing in long lines to get autographs, so they weren't too keen on the idea, but we did several character meals that allowed them to get autographs without the lines. Thank you premium plan! Sam's favorite is Pluto, so she got her picture with him twice. They did the parade, which my girls were a little too "mature" to join in. Don't worry, I broke that habit pretty quick! :rotfl: Overall, I would say this was an awesome meal, and would do it again, especially if you are Stitch fans. He is so darn cute! The service was OK, nothing spectacular. She refilled our sodas and jiuce, and did ask if we wanted anything else to eat, but seemed very rushed. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't bad, just not as awesome as Sean was at Le Cellier.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3:
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: and one half
Yo-yo factor (would I come back)::yo-yo: ::yes::

Total cost: $94.57

[amcjeep4life]

After the Polynesian, we headed to MGM, or whatever they are calling it. :rotfl2: There were EMH tonite, and we were planning on doing Fantasmic, so we planned a break after lunch. We hit a lot of stuff in the morning, then headed to our 12:40 ADR at 50's Prime Time. We checked in at 12:30, and were seated at 12:45. The girls were quite amused by the old decor and the shows on the TV, so were almost disappointed when we were seated. We were seated next to a nice couple from Indiana, maybe in their very early 50's. Auntie Claire was our server, and she was awesome. She managed to bounce a straw off the table and bonk Emma in the head. Emma was a bit put off, until I explained that it was part of the theme. Then they were OK with it. Their mom works part time as a waitress, and they hear her say how she needs to be so nice to the customers, so I think it was weird for them to have Auntie Claire be a bit brusque with them. But they were cool with it and really got into the swing of things once I explained that Auntie Claire was playing a part. The couple next to us were really into it too, and she took all our orders at the same time. The girls were amazed because she took 6 orders, appie, entree and dessert, without writing them down. This especially amazed the Goldfish! :lmao: Auntie Claire was really awesome, and explained the whole thing, and said what was included, and about how shakes could be your beverage, or your dessert. COOL! I ordered a Chocolate peanut butter shake for dessert, but the guy next to us ordered one as his beverage. When Auntie Claire brought it out, she asked who ordered it and I said I did! She accused me of trying to steal from our cousins, and told me if I didn't watch out, I'd end up in the corner! The girls were quite amused by this. So anyway, onto the food.

Emma: had a cherry spite in a special cup with a glow cube. Paid OOP for it.
Onion Rings Said they were good. Liked the horseradish sauce that came with them. Finished about half. Said she was getting full and wanted her entree.
Fried Chicken Came out with 3 pieces of chicken. Also had mashed potatoes and subbed green beans for the southern greens. Said the chicken tasted like KFC, which they love, so that was good. Asked for a box to take a piece of chicken back to the room.
Strawberry shake Said it was awesome, very thick, and way too big. They bring it out in a glass, which would be big enough, but there is about another glass full in the metal container that comes with it. Needless to say, she didn't finish it. We all tasted it, and it was very good. Well-flavored with out that fake strawberry taste.

Sam: Vanilla Coke
Onion rings She didn't quite finish them either. They were really big. She didn't like the sauce as much, and asked Auntie Claire for ketchup.
Fried Chicken Same thing, and she took a piece back to the room as well.
Vanilla Ice Cream Soda Not quite sure she knew what she was getting, I think she may have been expecting a float, but she liked it and finished it all.

Bill: Cherry Coke (and boy was it red and cherry flavored)
Onion Rings He said they were awesome. Liked the sauce, but mixed it up with ketchup. Ever see the shirt that says "I put ketchup an my ketchup"? That is my DH. I have managed to break him of dousing everything in it, but the ketchup monster still breaks out occasionally.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich My personal thought was "boring" but he said it was good. Grilled chicken on a roll with lettuce and tomato, woopie. To each his own.
Chocolate ice cream soda He said it was awesome and drank it all. I didn't even get offered a taste, so I guess it was good. :goodvibes

Me: Iced Tea, 4 glasses to be exact.
Herbed Fried Cheese Having been blessed with discovering the DIS before we went, I knew what to expect, and it wasn't mozzarella cheese! It was awesome. I dug each creamy bit out of it's golden shell and spread it on the crisp bread. Then I ate the fried shell part with just enough cheese left in there to make it taste great. Served with a bunch of red grapes, which were really good. Could make a meal if they served 2 or 3 pieces. Yum-o!
Pot Roast The meat was tender and very tasty. It is served over mashed potatoes, and the carrots and celery were served in little raw slivers over the top. A bit different, but very yummy. I admit, I did push a lot of the celery out of the way, but the carrots were great. I cleaned my plate, so I would like some dessert, thanks!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake I had read about a PBJ shake, but she specifically said chocolate, which could only make things better. And it was super yummy! I had to twist my own arm to finish it, just due to the size! And since DH didn't offer any of his soda, he wasn't offered any of my shake. I can't imagine having this with your meal and then trying to fit in dessert too.

We were all full, and kind of looking forward to a nap. Auntie Claire tried to airplane the guy next to us, but he wasn't having any of it. She did get the young boy at the next table over, and the girls laughed. I think they ate more than they normally would have after seeing that. I didn't see anyone get put in the corner, which was kind of a bummer, but still, it was definitely a fun meal, and very filling.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3:
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: ::yes::

Total cost: $136.44

[mrsksomeday]

Great thread!!! We are going to Le Cellier for the first time in November and I can't wait now!!

[MousekaMaddi]

(please dont feel like Im a stalker Mrs K.:lmao: I promise Im not!)
We R going to Le C for lunch in Nov too, I hope lunch is as yummy as the reviews about dinner sound, cuz we could ONLY get lunch ressies, so lunch it is!:wizard:

[Minniespal]

Brillant:thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

Great reviews - enjoying them very much!:thumbsup2

[amcjeep4life]

I'm going to try to fit in a review of dinner before I'm off to work. Luckily it was a buffet, so I think I'll be able to get it in.

Hollywood & Vine package with reserved Fantasmic Seating
This was a decent buffet. The food seemed good. We checked in at 5:50 for our 6 ADR, and waited about 15 minutes, so not bad overall. There is lots of outside waiting, but none inside. So, when your hot and sticky waiting for dinner, it does sort of put a damper on the meal. Our waitress gave the girls coloring pages, which I didn't really get. I mean, it's a buffet, you go right up for your food, no waiting. So why do they think kids need to be entertained here? Whatever. Sam said she wasn't really hungry, so was just going to have some salad. Whatever, just eat. Our first trip through the line I came back with prime rib, extra rare, fruit (mostly pineapple), mac & cheese, some potatoes, and corn. Everything was OK, just not great. It was all at a good temperature, just nothing that really sticks out in my mind. Sam ended up having 2 plates of salad, and some prime rib, then dessert too. Guess she was hungrier than she thought. Emma had 2 plates of prime rib and chicken nuggets. She can really eat. The DH says he can't remember exactly what he ate, but it was OK. Nothing jumps out as being awful, but nothing jumps out as great. Well, except the desserts. They were awesome. They had mini cherry cheesecakes, and chocolate cups filled with chocolate mousse, and passion fruit parfaits, and rice crispie treats! While they weren't the mickey shaped ones, they were still a decent sized hunk. I think they had the best dessert selection. Service was a bit lacking. At one point, we had 4 empty plates and 2 empty glasses on our table. It took her 2 reminders to get us extra drinks. She really appeared to be rushed, since I never lost her to the back room. She was always out front, just super busy. I'm wondering if she was covering extra tables or something because she never stood still. There was a table in her section that you could see were just super demending, so I'm thinking that since other tables, including us, were a bit quieter, we lost out in the service. Whatever. We got our seating paper signed, and headed out to do some stuff before heading to Fantasmic. Overall, not a bad place, but I might be inclined to try some place else before returning here. Interesting tid-bit, they share restrooms with 50's Prime Time. Cool, huh?

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3:
Service: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: :confused:

Total cost: $119.47

[my3disneygirls]

:thumbsup2

[PatsMom]

Great reviews. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[amcjeep4life]

Hello all, and thanks for joining in. I am reliving my moments, and it is making me want to go back soooo bad! The DH is currently debating next year's trip. We have booked a 7 day cruise on another ship, and he thinks he wants to make it a land & sea vaction at WDW instead. While I am not one to stand in his way if that's what he really wants, I need to make sure it IS what he really wants. So I'm giving him until New Year's to officially decide, that way he can't say I tricked him into going. So, think happy thoughts for me! 4 days at AKL and 3 days on the Wonder. Can do that! :woohoo: :yay:

[amcjeep4life]

Breakfast today is at Restaurantosaurus. Donald, Goofy, Mickey and Pluto all joined us. We had an ADR for 8, and got to the park around 7:40. They made us wait at the gate until they checked us in, then released us like a pack of wild animals to run for the restaurant. Then we had to put our name on the list and wait to be called. There was a Photopass photographer on the bridge by the Tree, so we had to stop and have pictures taken. I prepurchased my photo CD, so wanted all the pictures I could get. Besides, usually the DH and I have no pictures of the 2 of us together, so it was nice to take advantage of. We had the girls pose first, then us, so got awesome pictures for their mom, and for us. Yea!

This is a buffet place. We ate in the room off to the right side when you first walk in. The characters came in there after going to the left side room first, so we got all our character interactions out of the way and then got to eat. It was nice. The characters seemed a bit more rushed here, but it was still nice. This place is bigger than Ohanas, so they must have to hustle a bit faster to get everyone in. Our server didn't rush us at all, and that was nice. She did a fairly good job, cleaned our plates away and brought us sodas when asked, but didn'y really go out of her way, and wasn't talkative. I don't mean the "Happy happy joy joy" kind of talkative, but just the explain things kind of talk. It was kind of "The buffet is over there, do you want a drink besides the OJ?" Maybe it was too early for her. The buffet was pretty good. They had this cheesy hashbrown casserole with onions and peppers that was awesome. They also offered it without the cheese on top, which Emma liked better, since the cheese was cheddar and jack, therefore orange. They had sausage gravy with biscuits, which was really good. They had all the regulars, like eggs and bacon and sausage. They also had oatmeal or cream of wheat or some such mushy concotion (ICK!). There was a seperate area with pastries and........Krispy Kreme donuts! Being a bit spoiled with getting warm Krispy Kremes about 15 minutes from my house, I have to say I'm not too fond of them cold. But the DH and the girls each had one and said they were good. The DH said he wished they had the creme filled ones, and not just jelly, but that was his only issue. They had this crumb coffee cake that was good, especially after dipping it into the maple syrup left on the plate from the pancakes. Overall, it was a nice meal, and we were able to get the jump on everyone else, and head right onto Dinosaur as the park opened at 9. They actually have a CM with a rope holding you hostage in the waiting area. It was kind of funny. Anyway, it was nice to see the characters, especially Donald, since that was the only place we saw him. We finished up at about 8:50 and headed out to the corral, then the DH and Emma rode Primeval Whirl twice in a row, without getting off. Then we headed in and rode Dinosaur twice. The girls didn't like it as much the second time, since they knew what was coming. I think if we had waited a few hours, it would have been a bit harder to remember where exactly that horned freak came out, which would have made the ride better. Oh well. So, here are the results

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: and one half
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: ::yes::

Total cost: $94.57

[amcjeep4life]

OK, so we stayed in DAK all day, and since there is a dismal selection of eateries there, we chose Flame Tree BBQ as our lunch place. Would have preferred Tusker House, but renovations, schmenovations.

Emma: had lemonade with her meal
Ribs meal The ribs were nicely done, tender, and seasoned well. We got some extra BBQ sauce, but she said there was enough one them. She didn't like the beans, and said the cornbread was good. Ate everything except the beans
Frozen Lemonade Interestingly enough, we had just grabbed a frozen lemonade from the stand near the Flights of Wonder Show. We all agreed that the one from there was way better. This was ok, but not as good as the one from the stand.

Sam: had Coke with her meal, big surprise!
Ribs meal Said everything was yummy, except the beans. Did take advantage of the extra BBQ sauce, and said they tasted good without it, but better with. Also said the cornbread was good. Ate everything except the beans.
Frozen lemonade Same thing, liked the one from the stand better.

Bill: had coke with his meal
Ribs meal Liked his ribs, although he did give half to me to trade for half my chicken. We did that on purpose. He used both kinds of BBQ, and said they both tasted very good. He also said the cornbread was yum, and said he didn't really like the beans, although he would eat them if he was really hungry. Ate everything, including about 1/2 his beans.
Key lime pie decent sized piece, served with a dollop of whipped cream. I think he was expecting a more meringue-like pie. He said it was very good, tart but not too. He ate it all, and I wasn't even offered a bite, so I guess it was good.

Me: had iced tea with my meal
1/2 Chicken meal I thought this was very good. It was tender, and the seasonings on the skin were definitely into the meat as well. I also thought the ribs were good. I had the white meat portion, and felt that the breast was a bit dry, but Bill said the dark meat was nice and moist. I am not one to take advantage of extra BBQ sauce, especially wearing a white shirt, so can't tell you how they were. They had a sweet and a smoky. I also wasn't a big fan of the beans. They are that southern style, and made with BBQ sauce. I prefer my sweeter Boston style baked beans. I also found that most of the beans were pretty smashed, resulting in a refried bean-like consistency, which freaked me out. Don't get me wrong, I like refried beans, but not with BBQ sauce. The cornbread was awesome, very moist with out butter, which I couldn't find anywhere. Both girls looked too, and said it would have been better with a bit of butter.
Frozen lemonade I much preferred the one from the stand. This one was a scary, bright yellow color that doesn't really occur in nature. When it melted, it left behind this weird foamy yellow stuff that tasted just a bit off. I just ate the part that was still frozen and it was OK, but I was bummed I didn't order the key lime pie.

Overall, considering the lack of places to eat at the Animal Kingdom, it was a decent lunch. Not being a fan of pizza myself, I chose to avoid Pizzafari, and cast my vote for Flame Tree. The DH and Emma agreed, so Sam lost the vote. It is a bit difficult to find seating, and the forks, sauces, napkins and such are on a cart near where you get your food. If it is windy, they will blow away. There also herds of scavanging birds everywhere, so don't leave food unattended, or it may just disappear. We saw several kids feeding the birds their corn muffins, which just made things worse! DON"T FEED THE BIRDS! It's not good for them anyway.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: would have been 4 if the beans were better
Service: :bounce: It doesn't really count, since the only one who even talked to us was the girl taking our orders. They were very busy, and not friendly or chatty.
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: :rolleyes: I'd go back, but only because there aren't that many places there to eat.

Total cost: $60.80

[my3disneygirls]

It's funny. I have yet to hear anyone like the beans at Flame Tree. What the heck do they do to them to make them so unappealing?

[John's Mom]

Enjoying your reviews! Thanks for posting.

[honeymo78]

I love reading Premium plan food reviews (are you doing a trip report too by any chance). Some days I feel like I'm the only one that buys a dining and recreation package.

[JPoppins]

We are staying at the AKL Concierge Level in November too, and we are going to be on the Premium Plan also!! I have read alot on The Dis that people feel it is too much food with the Premium Plan and everything offered in the Lounge. Did you feel it was too much?

And I am seriously loving your report!!

:goodvibes Keep it coming! :goodvibes

[annakris1973]

We were at Le Cellier the same time you were! We also met Sarah in the Lobby!!! AND Sean was also our server!!!!! Small little lime green world isn't it??? Enjoying the review!

[amcjeep4life]

It's funny. I have yet to hear anyone like the beans at Flame Tree. What the heck do they do to them to make them so unappealing?

I think it has to do with the smashed consistency that mine were. I happen to like beans, but want them to look like beans, not oatmeal. After all, we do eat with our eyes first! And they were also a bit dry, which sort of put me off as well. My grandmother was the queen of baked beans, and I guess I just can't be won over by anything of less quality than hers! :lmao:

We are staying at the AKL Concierge Level in November too, and we are going to be on the Premium Plan also!! I have read alot on The Dis that people feel it is too much food with the Premium Plan and everything offered in the Lounge. Did you feel it was too much?

And I am seriously loving your report!!

:goodvibes Keep it coming! :goodvibes

It is definitely a lot of food. However, we are pretty big eaters, so it was nice. We didn't eat a lot at the lounge, pretty much took advantage of them for the drinks, and some snacks. We didn't get to spend quite as much time at the lounge as we would have liked. I would love to see the lounge stay open a bit later, even an hour. Illuminations and Wishes were both at 9, and the lounge closes at 10. There is no way to get back to the resort if you are seeing the shows before the lounge closes. That would be my only gripe. They close too early. We also seemed to hit it at a change-over period pretty often. Just bad timing on our behalf. Otherwise it was awesome! The DH is really eager to go back next year, and he does want to do Concierge again and the Deluxe DDP this time.

We were at Le Cellier the same time you were! We also met Sarah in the Lobby!!! AND Sean was also our server!!!!! Small little lime green world isn't it??? Enjoying the review!

Sarah was so nice. And it was cool to point out to the girls that she was from Canada, and had come from very far away, just to eat in the same place we did. And Sean was awesome! Probably ties for the best server at WDW! His tie for first will be coming up in my next review. Unfortunately, I don't have time to do one right now, since it is a bit longer. The next meal, in my opinion, ties with Le Cellier for best meal of the trip, and John ties with Sean for best server. Want to know where it is? Guess you'll have to keep checking back!

[my3disneygirls]

I think it has to do with the smashed consistency that mine were. I happen to like beans, but want them to look like beans, not oatmeal. After all, we do eat with our eyes first! And they were also a bit dry, which sort of put me off as well. My grandmother was the queen of baked beans, and I guess I just can't be won over by anything of less quality than hers! :lmao:



Yum, dry bean porridge. I can see why no one likes the beans. They would be better off just opening up a can of Bush's baked beans.

[familyS]

Thanks for taking the time to write reviews, looking forward to more :thumbsup2 .

[amcjeep4life]

Yum, dry bean porridge. I can see why no one likes the beans. They would be better off just opening up a can of Bush's baked beans.


I have to say, I personally would have been happier! The ones with onions (green can?) are about the only ones I eat, unless I take the time to make them myself!

[amcjeep4life]

OK, so here is the review of the restaurant that I think could give Le Cellier a run for the money. I can't get a consensus from everyone in our party as to which place was better. The vote keeps coming out 2/2. The problem with even numbered parties, I guess! :lmao: I think I may actually put this place in front of le Cellier, but it is a bit more difficult to get to. It took us about 20 minutes on the bus, then about a 10 minute walk to the restaurant. We had ADRs for 6:15, checked in at 6, and were seated at 6:10. Pretty good. Our waiter, John, was awesome. He had a slight Irish accent (did I just give it away?) and was very friendly. He was right on top of everything, and explained some of the menu choices to us. He is the only one who didn't ask if we were on the DDP. My personal vote for favorite restaurant this trip, and definitely tied for first with Le Cellier...........Raglan Road!

Emma: had Sprite
Drunk Chicken 3 beautiful pieces of boneless breast, each on a skewer. Marinated in a whiskey glaze and grilled. They were awesome! She only ate 2, and we took a piece to go, which I ate cold and found to be just soooo tasty. And a big portion too! I expected 2 pieces per serving. She said she would have eaten the 3rd piece, but was looking forward to her entree.
Serious Sirloin I mentioned before that Emma is a steak eater. She was happy to see this on the menu. It was served medium rare, just as she asked. It came with some braised cabbage and mashed potatoes. The steak also had a whiskey glaze on it, and was quite tasty, at least the piece I managed to snag before she wacked my fingers. She ate every bit of this, and then said she was too full for dessert.
Strawberry Pavlova I told her I would pick her a dessert that I thought she would like, and she said she'd try. My secret thought was that I'd get to eat some of her dessert, but she ended up eating every bit! It was quartered strawberries macerated in some type of alcohol. They were then put over a pavlova, which is a bit like a meringue, but not as tasty, and served with vanilla ice cream. I think it was a seasonal dessert, since I don't see it on the menu on-line. She ate it all, although she said she didn't really like the pavlova part. I tried it, and didn't find it all that great either. it just lacked something, but the strawberries and ice cream were really good. Once the pavlova was broken, it sucked up the juices from the strawberries and melted ice cream, then it tasted lots better. So, my reccomendation, break it open first and let it soak up the juice, then eat it.

Sam: had Coke, big surprise!
Drunk Chicken Also really liked it. Only ate 2 pieces, then put the third away for later. She did eat it too, after we got out of there and were walking through Downtown Disney. Said it was very good, and she would have ordered it for dinner, if they offered it.
Ceasar Salad with chicken Personally, I think she wimped out here, and got a poor choice of entree. I just couldn't talk her out of it, after she saw it on the menu, she refused to look any further. Oh well. She said it was very good. It came out in a silver serving bowl, placed inside a colander, so the presentation was quite cute. The croutons were big and she said they tasted awesome. SHe said the chicken in the salad tasted just like her appetizer, which she liked. As she said, "Plain grilled chicken in a salad is so yuck." She also liked the fact that the chicken was warm in the salad. She said the dressing was really good and garlicky. It was a big portion, and she ate pretty much the whole thing. I know there were no croutons or chicken pieces left, just some lettuce. I know she enjoyed it, but it just seemd like such a waste that she was eating salad! There were so many better things on the menu!
Strawberry Pavlova She also liked it, and broke her pavlova open first, then pushed it around to soak up the juice. Ate it all.

Bill: had Coke
Drunk Chicken I really tried to talk him into ordering something a little different, but he was being difficult. Sometimes I think that he forgets he's got a three in front of the age he acts. :rotfl: Whatever, big baby. He said it was good and he ate all three pieces.
Kevin's Heavenly Ham This man could eat ham every day and not complain, so I knew when I started looking up menus on-line that he would be ordering this dish. I didn't even point it out to him, he found it all on his own. It comes with mashed potatoes, and braised cabbage and leeks. He was going to ask to leave the cabbage out, since the only way he eats cabbage is deep fried in an eggroll. Now, I'm German, and all we eat is cabbage! That is one of the few things we disagree on, but sometimes, I just have to make some sort of cabbage dish for dinner. Then he sulks and I tell him to go to his mom's and see what she has. He usually shuts up then, since his mom is a terrible cook! Anyway, he forgot to ask John to take the cabbage out and ended up with it. He ate it and said it was really good. I guess that means he'll eat the cabbage dishes next time! The pieces of ham were more like a pork loin, smoked into ham. They were very tasty, and were glazed with Irish Mist. He really enjoyed it, ate it all, and was quite sad that there was no more.
Dunbrody Kiss If you like chocolate, this is for you! I wavered back and forth about it for dessert, but in the end was won over to the other side, but more on that later. I think it literally says in the menu "We take chocolate, add more chocolate, and then more chocolate, 'nuff said." Something along those lines anyway. It came out in a half ball, about 3-4 inches in diameter. It was chocolate cornflakes (or that's what it looked and tasted like), covered in chocolate mousse, and then the whole thing was covered in chocolate ganache. And just for good measure, it was drizzled with chocolate syrup. WOW! It was really awesome, but very rich. Everybody had a little taste, and said it was good. He actually managed to finish the whole thing, which I'm not sure I could have done. It was really, really good. But you really have to like chocolate!

Me: I had iced tea, which is black currant flavored. Took me a bit to figure out, and I did finally have to ask John what the flavor was. It was really good.
Colpuccino This is a soup version of colcannon. It is a creamy soup, blended with cabbage, potatoes and ham. Reminded me a bit of split pea soup, without the noxious green color.;) It was very delicious, and I would like to make it here at home. Bill did try some, and actually liked it. We both like split pea, so I can see why he thought this was good. It came with a puff pastry finger through the handle of the mug. It was cold, not sure if it was supposed to be. I think it would have been better warm. It had some cheese on it, and was good dunked into the soup. Personally, I would have put some garlic butter on it and served it warm with the soup, but that's just my opinion!
Paddy's Pork This was awesome! It was stuffed with sausage stuffing, and glazed with, I think, Irish mist. It was sooo good! It was served with braised cabbage and mashed potatoes. (Do you see a theme here yet?) It looked like the potatoes and cabbage were put into a mod, since they were perfectly round. Then the pork piece was put over it, and served with a bit of the glaze on top. It was a nice presentation, and looked yum-o! And the taste, wow! The pork was very tender, and just fell apart when you moved it. It was really very good, and I would order it again. I was a bit worried about the stuffing, since I can be a bit picky about sausage, but this was very mild, and blended in with the pork loin wonderfully. There was only about a 1 inch diameter portion of stuffing running through the center of the pork, so even if you didn't like it, there was still plenty of pork left after you pushed the stuffing out. And I did, just to try them individually. Yea, I'm weird like that.
Triple Pleasure I wavered back and forth with this dessert choice. When I originally looked up menus on-line, I was positive I was ordering the Dunbrody Kiss. Then we got there, and this was on the menu too. I am very glad I chose this, since it was totally awesome! It was white chocolate mousse, dark chocolate mousse, and tiramisu. They each came out in their own individual cup, a bit larger than a shot glass. The white chocolate mousse was good, and tasted like it had some very finely pureed ricotta cheese in it. It didn't have that heavy feeling like the mousse did. It was very good, whatever they did! The dark chocolate mousse was divine! I love chocolate, and the darker the better! This stuff was sooo good, I almost didn't want to share. Unfortunately, I was a bit stuffed, and mousse is so rich, I ended up leaving half of each cup. Which made everyone else pretty happy, as they scarfed them down like wild dogs! The tiramisu was also very good. Nothing overwhemingly better than any other tiramisu, but at least it was good tiramisu! The little lady fingers soaked in espresso were cut into small pieces to fit in the bottom of the cup, so they were definitely espresso-d! It was good, and together with the mousses, it just made for an awesome dessert chioce!

I know, everyone talks about the Ger's Bread and butter pudding, and up to a week before we left I was positive that I would have that. Then, I noticed someone mentioned something about raisins. BLECHHHH! I hate raisins with an absolute passion! And John said they were the golden raisins, which look even worse. Needless to say, no bread pudding for me! Sorry everyone, I bet it's good, without the raisins! Sounded yummy, and I'm glad someone put it here, and then I asked just to double check. I would have been quite bummed, and probably paying for my dessert OOP!

Also, they put a basket of Irish Soda bread on the table, along with an "Irish Egg." It's a dollop of olive oil on a plate with a Guiness and sugar reduction in the middle. It does look like an egg, but it grossed my nieces out when they heard him call it that, and they wouldn't even try it. I tried to explain what it was, but they wouldn't listen. Oh well, more for me! It was very good, and really complemented the bread. The girls did try the bread, and liked it. I was happy there were no raisins there!

John was an awesome server! I would say he was as good as Sean from Le Cellier, just didn't give the girls quite as hard a time as Sean did. He brought sodas without being asked, checked on us repeatedly, and explained all the dishes, all with his slight Irish accent. Make me drool! I'm not sure if John's accent or the food caused the drool, but either was worth it! I loved this place, and want to go back. The only down side is really the distance from everything. We were going to Downtown Disney for the Cirque du Soleil show, otherwise I probably wouldn't have strayed this far from the resorts and parks. The DH and I are not nightclub people, so would not have ventured to Pleasure Island just to eat. If they could pick this place up and move it to one of the parks, I would guarantee to eat here everytime. But, unless I was going to DtD for something, it just seems a bit of a PiTA to get here for dinner. Which really bites, because this place was awesome! We didn't get to hear the music or see the dancers, since we had tickets for the late show of Cirque. I would definitely like to go back once to see them. That might make the trip worth it!

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3:
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: ::yes:: :bitelip: :hyper: :jumping1: in a heartbeat!

Total cost: $139.24 ($50 cheaper than Le Cellier, which may have been a consideration if I was paying OOP!)

[saffy]

Oh, I'm going to be staying at AKL concierge for our upcoming trip! Can you do me a favor and post what they had in the lounge at different parts of the day you went there?
What were the breakfasts like?

Of course, you probably had so much other food, you didn't need to go to the lounge too much!

[amcjeep4life]

Saffy,

You are right, we really didn't get to spend a lot of time in the concierge lounge. From what I remember, breakfast was continental; bagels, fruit, muffins, cereal, juice and some pastries. The morning we went there, they had hot tea, coffee, the espresso machine was going, they also had juices and milk in the little fridge, and frunch out on the counter. If we had been doing the regular DDP, it would have been a good place to round out your credits, but we didn't really use it since we had breakfast planned every day. They also offered snacks at different times during the day; goldfish crackers, dried fruit, pretzels, spiced nuts. They always had soda, iced tea, lemonade, chocolate and white milk, and coffee no matter what time you went. We went once for the appetizers, they had olives (like 4 different kinds), and some hot appetizers from Boma; mini bobotie, hummus and flatbread. Didn't really do it for us. And remember, there is a period between each time slot where there is NOTHING out. We seemed to hit it then quite a bit. We never got to experience the desserts, since we were never in the area for it. We actually used the lounge more for drinks than anything else. We would grab 2 sodas each, and put them in the mini fridge for later, since we often got back aftr the lounge closed at 10. Overall, we weren't that impressed, and I'm sure it has more to do with us being so busy and unable to use all the amenities offered. I loved the help I got from the concierge staff (Don was awesome!), but our next trip we will be skipping concierge, doing Deluxe DDP, and using the money saved to buy drinks, since that is all we really got out of it. Good luck with your trip, and plan some down time at the hotel. We are soo sorry we didn't have more time to spend there! And if you didn't sign up for the Sunrise Safari, I highly reccommend it!!!

[amcjeep4life]

I apologize to everyone for the delay in getting on with my reviews. It has been very crazy here!

Today was a late start for us. We had an 8:30 ADR at Boma for breakfast, and since we just needed to fall out of the elevator to make it, we didn't set the wakeup call until 7:45. Which was nice, since we woke up to rain. We checked in for out ADR at 8:32, guess that elevator took a bit longer than we thought. They gave us a pager, we walked around the corner to an empty bench, abd before our butts hit the wood, the pager was going off. Cool. We were seated, and told to wait for our server to order drinks. We waited, and waited, and waited. About 10 minutes later, after the girls went and got food, since they were just withering away with no food, our sever finally came. He was very rushed, took our orders, and came back with them right away. And that was pretty much the last we saw of him. Luckily, he had filled our glasses with OJ as well, so we made it through the meal without needing refills, but it seemed very annoying. The girls had the usual, pancakes, bacon, sausages, but I got brave. The corned beef bobotie was awesome! The breakfast potatoes were also quite tasty, and I had seconds of both. There was plenty of fresh fruit, and I had some pastries as well. Cinamon buns were yum-o! Overall, it was very good, and I wouldn't hesitate to eat here again. Just hope for a different server! Everything we ate was tasty, and hot, or cold, as required. Nothing too weird, which was good. Altogether, we were there about 30 minutes. We discussed our plans for the day, and headed back to the room to change into our bathing suits. And we headed off Blizzard Beach! Why not head to a water park when it's raining! I'll tell you next.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3:
Service: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: ::yes:: , with a different server

Total cost: $84.61

[amcjeep4life]

Despite the rain, we headed off to Blizzard Beach. If you're going to spend the day wet, why not do it on purpose? It was still 80 some degrees out, and it wasn't thundering and lightning, just drizzling enough to be annying if you wanted to stay dry. So the four of us, along with 6 other hardy souls, boarded the bus to BB. I don't recall anyone actually in the park when we got there at about 10:30, and they had been open since 10. We found a nice cabana with dry seats, parked our crap, and headed to the wave pool. I honestly hate water parks, the slides just feel so out of control, I'm always afraid my tube is going to pop out of the slide and I'm going to crash. Call me weird, but that's how I feel. Needless to say, the daredevils I was with had no such compunctions about any of the slides, so they headed out while I hung out in the lazy river, and read a book I brought under the cabana. When lunch time arrived, so did the starving hordes, so we were off to Lottawatta Lodge. There really aren't too many choices here for lunch, but the food was good here.

Emma: had Sprite
Originally ordered the chicken wrap with no tomatoes. When she got it, it had raw onions on it, and she freaked. I swapped my chicken basket with her, but kept the fries. She kept the chips.
Chicken Fingers She said they were good and hot. Three nice big pieces, and she ate them all. She ate most of her potato chips, and helped me to fininsh my fries. I think she used ranch dressing for her fingers.

Sam: Coke
Chicken fingers basket with fries She also liked them, and ate all of it. She said the fries were the best she'd had in WDW. She used BBQ sauce and ranch dressing to dip her fingers.

Bill: Coke
Double Cheeseburger Basket with fries He also got a side order of cheese sauce, to dip his fries in. He said the burger was good, and was depressed that they didn't have bacon for it. He also said the fries were good, but drowned them in ketchup, so how would he know?

Me: had Diet coke
Wanted that chicken finger basket in the worst way, but didn't want to listen to the 10 y/o whine she was hungry all day.
Chicken Wrap with chips Luckily, she had ordered it with no tomatoes, so I switched with her. It was surprisingly good, although the chicken needs some seasoning. I personally think the onions added a good flavor, and they put mayo on the wrap, which also added something extra. It is also on a tomato or veggie wrap, rather than a plain one, which may turn kids away. The wrap was orange, instead of white. I would have preferred green (spinach) to the tomato one. Inside was just what you expect, chicken, mayo, red onions, lettuce and cheese. Remember, no tomato! It was pretty big, and after eating it, I didn't finish my fries. They were very good, lightly battered in a seasoned crust, and salty. Could have been crispier, but I blame that on the crappy weather. Although by this time, the sun was sarting to peek out at us, and there were about 100 people or so in the park.
For dessert, we all got Mickey bars that we were able to pick up later. After lunch, we went back to finish up the slides the girls wanted to do while I hung out in the lazy river for about 6 laps. They joined me periodically, then dashed off again to throw their little bodies down a tube at high speeds. Good for them! We grabbed our Mickey Bars and headed to the bus stop. I have to say, these were the best ice cream bars I've had! The dark chocolate was superb, and a pleasant change from milk chocolate. The ice cream was very rich, and refreshing. The only thing that could make these better would be if they offered them in chocolate ice cream! Oh lord, I'm droolin! Overall, a good day, and a good lunch!

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: Honestly, for QS, it was good. Comparing it against other QS places, it deserved this.
Service: :bounce: :bounce: They just seemed so rushed. No one took the time to talk, just got your order and sent you along.
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: :rolleyes2 Yes, but only because there really isn't that many other places to go to.

Total cost: $48.76

[girli565]

The not liking yellow cheese thing is more common than you think! I have a good friend at work who hates yellow cheese. I think it's hilarious but I have weird food quirks too so I can't be one to judge. My food needs to be organized a specific way before I eat it. A meal like fajitas becomes a ceremony for me! :rotfl:

[amcjeep4life]

Girli, you sound just like my sister! She won't eat fajitas tho, hates peppers! But soup or stews need to be seperated out, meat, carrots, potatoes into little piles, then eaten in a certain order. SHe actually has divided plates so nothing touches. She's a bit weird. Not that you are, or maybe you are. :goodvibes After all, who defines normal, and why do I have to listen to them? Best of luck with your close trip! We are heading back next December too! :thumbsup2 Just haven't finalized a date!

[amcjeep4life]

Tonight's dinner was at the Spirit of Aloha show. I know everyone says it is kind of cheesy, but I really enjoyed it. My nieces were mesmerized by the dancing, and I even found the "plot" to be decent. The food was awesome, and I would recommend it to anyone. I would also go back, but want to check out the Hoop de du next. They recommend checking in about 1 hour early. It was raining out, and I told the girls there was a chance the show would be cancelled due to the weather. But we put our Hawaiian outfits on and headed over to the Poly. After hiking about 10 miles to the show, we were turned around and headed back to the longhouse to check-in, due to the weather. May I just say the hike back was only about 5 miles, they really send you the long, round-about way to get there. We checked in, had our pictures taken, and snagged some seats to wait. After about 30 minutes, we were all herded down to the show to get seated. Because we were doing the premium plan, we were able to score Category 1 seating. :cool1: Evidently you are seated by when you booked, and since we booked at 178 days, we got pretty much the best seats in the house. We were in the center, the first 2 seats on either side of the table.:woohoo: The view was spectacular, not that there really seems to be awful seats, but we certainly couldn't have asked for better. When we were seated, the salad platter was already there. Our server came and got our drinks; lemonade, 2 cokes, and iced tea. The salad has a citrusy-sweet dressing that is some kind of mango poppy seed dressing. I didn't see any poppy seeds, but it was dark, and I wasn't really looking. There was also a loaf of pineapple-coconut bread that was to die for good! I wanted the whole loaf myself, and had to fight the girls off for another piece. Luckily, our server saw the fight and brought us another loaf. :lmao: There was butter there, but I can honestly say no one used it, so I couldn't tell you if it was plain or flavored butter. The bread really needed nothing to make it better. Also, there was a half pineapple, cut into sections. It was a cute presentation, and was hands down the best pineapple I ate the whole week. And I ate pineapple everywhere, since I love the stuff. The server also brought us some more pineapple, but then it was just in a silver trencher, no pineapple shell. Oh well, it still tasted awesome! I actually ate more pineapple than anything else, it was that good! The show sort of started and stopped while the food was being brought out, and it was cool. That way you weren't trying to eat and concentrate on the show. When the main platter was brought out, it was very impressive. Big quarters of chicken, ribs, rice and veggies. Yum! The chicken has a nice flavor to it, and wasn't dry at all. Bill and the girls said the ribs were really good, and did eat them all. I didn't have any, since I was trying to keep my shirt clean, and those ribs looked awfully messy! They did have handi-wipes on the table, so it was easy to wipe up after dinner. :) The veggies were a combination of broccoli, carrots, pea pods, and mushrooms. They were crisp-tender, and not mushy at all. Seasoned lightly, and still tasted like veggies, not salt! :thumbsup2 The rice had a good flavor too, abit sweet, but not overpowering. It was good, nothing super, nothing bad. Overall, I thought everything was good, and if you leave hungry, you are doing something wrong. If I thought I could have gotten away with it, I would have got about 4 loaves of bread and taken them home! Yes, they were that good! Pretty soon, the show starts again, and then dessert is announced. It is some Kiluea Chocolate Volcano, and I wasn't all that impressed. The girls liked it, and split mine, so I was able to finish off that second dish of pineapple our server brought us! :lmao: Bill liked it, and the girls thought it was awesome, but it has a raspberry syrup on it, and I hate the taste of fake raspberries. Must have just been me, since it looked like everyone at our table ate theirs and was happy. Oh well, to each their own. Soon after, our server told us if we wanted any more to eat or drink, we needed to let him know, since they were doing a last call before the show really started. We each got another drink, and that was the last we saw of him. He was very attentive, and had plenty of drinks brought out to us, often before we asked. And he told us to stop fighting over the bread, and brought us out another loaf without being asked. It was pretty funny actually. The second half of the show was totally awesome, and not to be missed. I see why they don't want the servers walking around interrupting it. Overall, the meal was good, the service was fantastic, and the show was well worth it.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3:
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: ::yes:: but I would like to try Hoop de Du first.

Total cost : $293.38

[girli565]

Girli, you sound just like my sister! She won't eat fajitas tho, hates peppers! But soup or stews need to be seperated out, meat, carrots, potatoes into little piles, then eaten in a certain order. SHe actually has divided plates so nothing touches. She's a bit weird. Not that you are, or maybe you are. :goodvibes After all, who defines normal, and why do I have to listen to them? Best of luck with your close trip! We are heading back next December too! :thumbsup2 Just haven't finalized a date!
Well, I'm not that into separating food but I do have to arrange a fajita my way or I can't eat it. The sour cream first then guacamole, then meat, cheese lettuce and salsa, lol. Burgers are kind of the same way.

Well if we're both going next december we will definitely have to have a DIS-meet!! And who says what is normal! I'm the most normal one in my family and I'm the weird on among my friends, lol, so what does that say!?

[saffy]

Thanks for answering about the CL. I know in thinking of our trip, we're already feeling like the CL coupled with the DDP is going to be too much food. I can only imagine that you didn't use it much with the Premium plan!

But, I appreciate your recollections of what was offered! We do plan to use it for breakfast and possibly to grab some sodas/water like you mentioned, so it sounds like that will work out well.

Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!

[amcjeep4life]

Today we were up at the crack of dawn. After all, that is how early you have to get up to do the Sunrise Safari! It was awesome! Simple words can not do any justice to the experience! We saw the baby giraffe, and actually waited for her to come right up to the vehicle. She was sooooo cute, and her and her mom just stood around for photo ops. It was unbelievable. I highly recomend that anyone staying concierge do this, and perhaps spring for concierge one night just to be able to do this. It was so wonderful, and I took over 125 photos of animals on the safari. The DH took over an hour of video, so that tells you how long you are out there. It was unbelievable, and I think the best event of the whole trip.

Anyway, breakfast is being served at Pizzafari temporarily while Tusker House in under renovations. We were told it was the same food, just eaten somewhere else. It was a buffet, and just for us. There were about 15 people on the safari, including a few younger children, one was about 3. I don't think he enjoyed the trip like the rest of us, what 3 year old wants to sit and look at animals for an hour, without moving or talking too loudly? Anyway, we ended up sitting with a family of four, with 2 boys, about 7 and 8 or so. They were very polite, and the youngest had tons of questions, since it was only their second day and evidently Emma was the first kid near his age he had a chance to talk to. Luckily, he was a bit of a daredevil, and Emma had him very excited to ride EE. His parents on the other hand looked a bit green. I think they were hoping Emma would make the ride sound terrible and he wouldn't want to ride it, but no such luck. We did bump into this family later, and the boy was very excited to tell Emma he rode and loved EE! Again, his dad wasn't so happy about it, but rode it and said he didn't like it. I guess the difference between 10 and 8 is that I sent her off to ride it alone, while me, the DH and Sam sat on what I foundly called "Pansy Rock." Think Pride Rock, but for wimps.:lmao: But back to breakfast. The chef came out and explained all the food, and what was in it. It was nice to know just what you were getting. There were some similar foods between here and the Breakfastosaurus buffet, but there were many foods different and much better. They had the same cheesy hashbrown casserole with peppers and onions, and eggs, and bacon. But then they had a big platter of pineapple glazed ham, and sausage pieces with peppers and onions. The DH ate about half the ham that was out. It wasn't slices so much as chunks, and the glaze had lots of crushed pineapple in it, and the DH said it was awesome. The girls liked it too, but I personally prefer my ham to taste like ham, not dessert. The sausage was good, not breakfast sausage but more like sweet Italian. The peppers and onions seemed a bit too well done for me, I like my veggies a bit more crisp. But it was very good, a bit spicier than normal breakfast sausage. There was also a fritatta with veggies and potatoes in it, which was really yummy. I had seconds. There was a nice assortment of pastries and fresh fruit as well. Overall, it was a nice breakfast, very quiet. The servers were very nice, and brought us juice and sodas, and even refilled them without prompting. They kept telling us to take our time, no rush. And it really felt like we were the only ones there. It was very relaxing, no people pushing to get to the buffet and jostling to get the last piece of whatever. I actually felt bad, since there seemed to be a lot of food left over. This is definitely something I want to do again. And since the location of the buffet will be different, I will have to do it again to see if the food is different, or at least that's the excuse I'll give the DH!

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: and one half
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: :cheer2: :yay: :cloud9: :love:

Total cost: well, it included the Sunrise Safari, so I din't really pay it just for food, but it was $220 for 4 Disney Adults.

[amcjeep4life]

Today was a down day for us, meaning no real park time. We did do the Sunrise Safari, so you need a park entrance for that, but then we spent the day at differnt resorts doing some fun stuff included in the premium plan. We went to Fort Widerness, where the girls went horseback riding, by themselves with 2 guides. The ride was about an hour long, and they really had fun. The DH and I sat under a tree and enjoyed an hour alone. I read my book and he read his Mopar Muscle magazine. When the girls got back, we hopped a bus and went to the waterfront portion of Fort Wilderness and rented 2 Searaycers. Sam found out she could drive the boat with an adult at 12, so needless to say she started arguing with Bill about who was driving. I told her if she wanted to ride with me, I'd let her drive the whole time. I really didn't want to do this, since I hate boats, but if I didn't go, both girls wouldn't be able to go. So off we went. 45 minutes later, I was arguing with the girl about payment, and finally gave up. She insisted that we had to pay, I told her it was included with our package, and she said that I was looking for preferential treatment. Needless to say, when I went to the desk at AKL to clear the charges out, I reported her attitude with relish!:goodvibes Anyway, today we thought we would try the Trail's End Buffet for lunch. All I can say is.........bluchh! Nothing was good, it was barely warm, and there was very little selection. Desserts were nearly impossible to find, and what little they had was nasty. There was pasta that was getting crusty, and some sauce that tasted like Hunts straight from the can. Fried chicken wings, not even other pieces, just wings. They were OK, but I hate fighting for that little bit of meat. The pizza looked like something frozen that my DH eats for luch when he's broke and can't afford real pizza. There were some potato wedges with onions and peppers, but when I ate them, they had some type of vinegary sauce on them and they were disgusting. We all pretty much ended up eating salad, since it was about the only decent looking thing on the buffet. The other thing that bugged me was that nothing was labeled as to what it was. I know pizza and wings are fairly obvious, but I could see tags on top of the buffet, it just looked like no one bothered to put them up. I finally found a tray of cornbread covered over with a cloth near the desserts. That was really good, and I was bummed I didn't find it sooner, although no one could find butter to put on it. I think they had some choclate chip cookies and brownies out too, but they were also covered with cloths and you really had to try to find them. Overall, it was pretty nasty, if not down right disgusting. Our server tried to save the meal by bringing us big pitchers of iced tea, but it just couldn't revive this drowning ship. He was a big fan of football, and didn't really have too much to say when he realized we weren't. Just sort of put the last nail in the coffin.

Food: :jumping3: and that's only for the cornbread!
Service::bounce: :bounce: He tried, I give him credit. i think I was just too put off by the lousy food to give him the attention he needed from us to be nicer.
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: :crazy2: :scared: :sick: :eek: :scared1: HE*@ NO!

Total cost: $64.79

[amcjeep4life]

Diner this evening was at Boma. We were supposed to head to MK for Wishes, but it started raining during dinner, then the thunder and lightning came, so we took a vote and decided to hang out at the resort and play. So, having ADRs at Boma was a big plus, since we didn't have to go anywhere in the rain! Yea! :thumbsup2

I have to say, I know tons of people say that Boma is the best place ever, and they love it. I think the food was very good, if a bit different. Would I go out of my way to come here if I wasn't staying here? Honestly, probably not (And in the immortal words of Johnny Storm "Flame on!":lmao: ). Don't get me wrong, I thought everything was good, except for a few items that I tried just to be brave. But I'm not sure I would venture an hour out of my way from another resort to come here again. I guess it's a good thing I plan to go to AKL for any future trips! ;)

I found that the bacon potato chowder was awesome, proabably one of the best I've ever had. Now the mulligatawny, which I should have known better than to try, was nasty. I asked one of the chefs what was in it. And BTW, I think it's so neat that the chefs are right there to ask questions! Way cool! Any way, his response of "chicken and apples in a creamy curry sauce" should have scared me off right then. but he went on and on about how good it was, and that I just HAD to try it, so I did. And then I made everyone at the table try it , and we all agreed, total ICK. Actually went back for the bacon potato soup to get the taste out of my mouth. I know everyone has their own taste, but that was definitely not one of mine. I don't generally like the smell of curry, so I should have known better. the only thing I can say in my defense is that I took a very small portion, and tried it. Better than saying "ICK" and just walking away. But otherwise, everything was good, especially the prime rib with herb crust, the coca cola pork loin, and the potatoes with affritude. The girls ate some chicken nuggetts and said they were really good, and the fries were crispy despite being on a buffet, which impressed me. I knew it was going to be harder to get the grils to try new stuff here. Emma liked the potatoes and the prime rib. Sam thought the potatoes tasted funny. I think the cinnamon weirded her out, as it gives them that sweet flavor.

Now onto dessert. Since I still have my flame suit on, I will say, what is all the rave about those zebra domes? They were OK, but I wouldn't go back for them. Honestly, I'd probably skip them the next time around. And I even made everyone try one and the general consensus was that they were just OK. Personally, I thought the coconut tiramisu was to die for, and the girls liked the bowl of chocolate mousse way better than the mousse in the Zebra domes. They also had some pieces of what I thought was a type of cheesecake, but turned out to be more gelatin-like and really had no taste. That was really the only really bad dessert there, but the zebra domes just didn't do it for me. I would love to take the culinary tour one day, and then eat there that night. I think that would be cool, but at least with the chefs cooking right there you can ask questions. That made it really good, since the food is a bit different if you aren't prepared.

Our server tonite was tons better than our server for breakfast yesterday. SHe was right on top of refills and cleaning plates away. She was a bit chattier than some of the other buffet servers, and that really made it nice. And the place was pretty busy, it's not like she was slow so had time to chat. Overall, I liked the place. But like I said, would I go back if I wasn't staying there...........:confused: I just don't know.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: minus one for the kids perspective. They thought the food was too weird.
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: ::yes:: if I were staying at AKL, but :sad2: if I was staying some place else

Total cost: $129.43

[amcjeep4life]

Breakfast today was at CRT. When we booked the trip, I was fairly new to the whole Disney experience. I was told that I could book my ADRs at 180 days, and was given a date. But, since we stayed concierge, I was also told to submit a list of times and places and they would take care of it. So, the DH and I cruised the net, looking at menus and getting an idea of where we wnated to eat. I asked the girls if there was anyplace in particular they wanted to go, and Emma said she wanted to have tea with Cinderella in the castle. Needless to say, i found tea, but not with Cindy or in her castle. So I decided breakfast would be the next best thing. The DH was cool, said, "I hope Ariel is there in her sea-shells" (He's such a pig!) :lmao: So, we got our list together and sent it off. My ADRs were made at 180 days and we were happy. Then I happened to ask a question about Cirque, since we had tickets there, and was told that they were off the week we would be there, but that WDW would give us some bucks back to make up for it. Make up for missing Cirque? :scared1: Never! We have seen 5 different Cirque shows, and weren't going to miss this one. I immediately e-mailed the concierge, and asked to move the trip up one whole week, and could they just rebook the same ADRs, but a week earlier. OK, no problem, Cirque saved! :woohoo: Some of the times got moved a bit, but I didn't think anything of it. Then, I realized that CRT is like supposed to be impossible to get if you don't call right at 180 days, and here I was at about 160 and got it with no problems. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that we were there during the slow season, but I still think it's funny that the guide books tell you just how to get the ADRs, and that people plan their whole trip around it. Whatever. Is eating in the castle worth it? I thought so, but then again, I didn't have to trade 2 TS credits for my breakfast. All I know is that my niece still talks about it, and how her best friend was so jealous, because they have been going to WDW every year for the past 6 years and she's never got to eat in the castle. So, I personally think that made the whole trip worthwhile for my niece. And honestly, the food wasn't bad either.

When you are seated, every girl gets a wishing wand, and the boys get swords. Even Sam, at 12 was offered one, and took it too! I know she was trying to be so mature and cool, but the look in her eyes when she held that wand was priceless! You need to make sure to plan were everyone is sitting, since you will want to take pictures. We somehow mananged to get ourselves with the girls backs to the windows, so all the pictures were very dark. Thank goodness for digital, sicne I saw right away, and then we were able to ask the Princesses to sort of scoot over a bit and keep the sun behind the camera. But just think about where you are sitting when picture time comes. If we had a regular film camera, we wouldn't have the nice pictures, since we may not have realized the problem.

The server will ask if you want the hot or cold plate. The cold plate involves yogurt and granola and other healthy things, which was a definite no at our table. The hot plate had bacon, eggs, sausage, hashbrown casserols, and french toast. It is brought out pre-plated, but you can ask for more of anything you like. They have some fresh fruit on the table, along with a basket of pastries. All the pastries were good, except for what i think was like gingerbread biscotti, maybe? It was bland and really didn't have any flavor, no one liked it. We pretty much ate everything else on the table waiting for our meal. Just after we got our meals, which involved maybe a 10 minute wait, they announced that all the princesses would be coming out. I gave the Dh the camera to get pictures of them all standing there, since they were sort of behind me. When I looked through the pictures, he had pictures of Jasmine, but no one else! I guess since Ariel wasn't there, he picked the next less-dressed Princess to gape at! I say again, what a pig! :lmao: So, we kept eating, and getting pictures and autographs from the Princesses. If you come here expecting to eat a peaceful meal, give up. Between the kids screaming that they wanted Cindy, or Belle, or whoever to come to them NOW! and the Princesses coming to the table, nothing was warm when we ate. It came out warm, since my first bite of hashbrown casserole just about burned my tongue, but until you actually get to eat without interruption it is definitely not warm anymore. But that is OK, since the reason you are there is the Princesses. We saw Cindy downstairs, and then Jasmine, who wiped my Dh's drool from her, Belle, Aurora, and the Fairy Godmother. Belle was awesome, and chatted the girls right up. She asked where we were from, and what kind of books the girls read, and even asked me some questions too. Now, B&tB is one of my all time favorite movies, so I admit even I was a bit atwitter at meeting Belle. I wish I had asked the DH to take my picture with her too, but I never even thought of it. Oh well, she was definitely one of the best characters we meet all week. But back to the food. It was all very tasty, just not really warm anymore by the time you get to it. The bacon was crisp as always, and the sausage wasn't bad, big fat links rather than scrawny little links. The french toast tastes like it is deepfried, and then served with this blueberry sauce. I really liked it. The eggs are eggs, scrambled and good. The hashbrown casserole was awesome, easily my favorite part of the meal. It was cheesy and had a crumb topping that was nice and crispy. All I know is, by the time we left, everyone had cleaned their plates, but no one had seconds. I think the girls were too excited by the Princesses to really eat, and I just wanted to get moving to somewhere where there were less screaming kids! The server was nice, but rushed. She explained the way things worked, got us our sodas, and was off. She did come back to get us another soda, told us the Princesses were coming out, and asked if we wanted anything else, so I give her credit. She was handling a bunch of tables and still got back to us 3 different times. Just not chatty. Which is OK, I had enough problems eating with the chatty Princesses without having to fit a chatty server in there! Overall, I thought it was a very nice meal, and the girls really enjoyed it.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3:
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: :confused: Yes, definitely for the kids experience, but I probably wouldn't go as an adult without kids. Especially since I did make it there once. Once may be enough.

Total cost: $152.83

[Angelrose]

Thanks for the update. I've been thinking of going to CRT for breakfast. Our son is all grown up and married, but I think I would like to see all the Princesses there all together.

[JPoppins]

I can't believe you changed your whole vacation by a week for Cirque! Is it really that good? I have never seen one live - saw one once on TV many, many years ago but that's it. We have our reservations ready to go and I am really looking forward to it.

Did the concierge handle that charge by the SeaRacer rentals? Was it taken off? We are also doing the Sunrise Safari and then going to go Parasailing and rent the SeaRacers and I want to be prepared just in case :goodvibes

[amcjeep4life]

JPoppins;

You are so lucky! You will be there over my birthday! :thumbsup2 And yes, the front desk actually took care of removing it, and was very apologetic for the attitude of the girl at the boats. He was on the phone with her superviser while I was there, and he also extended his apologies. I felt it was handled very well. And honestly, she was the only one, every where else we went was very understanding. And the sad thing is that when we checked in at the boats, the guy knew exactly what was going on, but when we got back, he had left and the new girl had no idea! But it only took about 5 minutes to clear it up, so it wasn't a biggie. Have an awesome trip, and think of me on the 17th! Yea right!

And yes, I was willing to change the vaction by that week for Cirque. I have seen them all on TV, except for La Nouba of course, and it just can't compare to seeing them live. And I am so glad we did, because the girls, who have never even seen one on TV, were absolutely awestruck and completely silent for the whole show. Sam said it was the best part of the whole trip. :love: And she is now looking for them on TV! They are bringing one to our area in April, and we may have to take both girls again. I may have created monsters! :cool1: If you get a chance, go see it! It is a nice, quiet night, since there really aren't many kids at it. Many people were dressed up very fancy, and we enjoyed our dinner at Raglan Road beforehand. Super high reccommendation from me! We are actually considering a trip to Vegas just to see the shows out there! How sad am I? Again, congrats on your nuptials! Have an awesome trip, and enjoy yourselves!!;)

[amcjeep4life]

We spent about 1/2 the day at the MK today, and were going to be there again tomorrow, so we decided to head out to Epcot around lunch. We went to see Illuminations, since today was a MNSSHP and the MK was closing a bit early. The Electric Umbrella, which proved to be a bit difficult for us to find:confused: , had a very nice selection. I wanted to head to Sunshine Seasons, but was outvoted. So, after getting lost in Innoventions (don't ask!:confused3 ) we headed in to the Electric Umbrella.

Emma: had Sprite
Chicken Strips meal w/ fries Again, 3 nice big pieces, crispy and hot! Fries were crisp and salty. Ate it all!

Sam, DH, and me: (Coke, Coke, and Iced Tea)
Bacon Double cheeseburgers w/ fries These were OK. The bacon was a nice addition. Sam ate about 2/3, I ate about 3/4, and Bill ate the whole thing. The fries were really good, salty and crisp. I really hate mushy fries. These again seemed to have some sort of batter on them, like the ones at BB.

we all had Cheesecake with Strawberries for dessert. The only other option as I recall was carrot cake, and cheesecake is no competition. The sauce, which had surprisingly large pieces of strawberries in it, came on the side, so you could add as much or as little as you liked. Needless to say, we all finished this!

The other cool thing was that the drinks were self-serve, so after we finished our first, we all went up and got about half a cup again to carry around. It was a bit tough to find a seat, but we send out Emma and Sam as scouts, then Sam comes back to help carry and tell us where they are. Usually the DH heads out to get napkins and condiments, while Sam and I carry to the table. It works pretty well, even if it means we are sending the 10 y/o to save a table, which I know is often frowned upon here at the DIS. But tough canookies. It makes it easier for us with the girls. We usually don't bother if it's just the 2 of us, but with kids it is definitely easier to have someone waiting.

Food: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: :jumping3: again, for QS it was really good. And I am not comparing it to TS restaurants, so don't think the food here was as good as CRT. But copmpared to other QS, it was good.
Service: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce::bounce: :bounce: The girl who took my order was probably one of the nicest QS CM's I met the whole trip., She smiled, and asked how we were enjoying our trip. She was actually NICE!

Yo-yo factor: :yo-yo: ::yes:: I'd still lke to try Sunshine Seasons, but wouldn't pass this place by given the opportunity to eat here again.

Total cost: $54.94

[JPoppins]

... and think of me on the 17th! Yea right!

:laughing: Actually, I will be thinking of you on the 17th! That is the day we are parasailing and renting the SeaRacers!! So when I am up at the front desk I will be thinking "I hope we don't get the same girl as amcjeep4life, and hey, I hope she's having an awesome birthday!!" :rotfl:

And guess what, the night we are seeing Cirque we are having dinner at Raglan Road too :goodvibes

We are going to the 9:00pm Cirque show and our dinner ADR is 7:00pm.

I have to go back and read your last post now :love:

[SkyGirl]

Subscribing.

I really enjoy your style of writing. Thanks for sharing.

[OKW Mom]

We were recently lucky enough to stay at the AKL for 6 glorious nights! We were there from 9-16 to 9-22, and chose to stay on the premium plan. The premium plan entitles you to 3 meals for each night of your stay. All meals use one credit, including CRT and the dinner shows. It was expensive, but after adding all the goodies we enjoyed, and the cost of our meals, we came out just short of calling it even. Oh well. One more round of mini-golf would have put us at just even, or even another 30 minutes on those stupid Sea-raycers. We all had a blast, and I would definitely do it again. This was my nieces first trip, and our second. We were last there in 2000, so I don't consider myself a regular visitor, although now we want to go back. We had a cruise planned as next year's vaction, but the DH and I are considering a trip to the world, just us! We'll have to see!

Anyway, on to what you are really here for, the food! We did quite a few TS places, but had lunch at several CS places, just to make up some time. I was very impressed with the food (mostly), the service (mostly), and the time we waited at each meal. When I found out we were going during free dining, I was a bit worried. But, we held straight to our course and were extremely happy. On to Day 1!:yay:

We are looking forward to going back to Narcoosie's and that took 2 credits on the 07' DDP.

We ate at Narcoosie's:thumbsup2 , Cinderella's Castle:rolleyes1 , Germany's Beirgarten (too late for show!:sad2: ), Maya Grill (never again :crowded: ).

We want the extra benefits of the Deluxe plan if the price is worth it.

[DLo]

Great reviews. I like your rating system - too cute.

[Tink rules]

Great reviews!!!

Thanks for reviewing the Premium for us... I did the old deluxe plan and loved it even though my mom thought it was too much food for her... and Cirque wasn't around then...

So... how about a family picture???? :)