Premium Plan Mania - Mom and Son Eat the World

[texaslover]

So, I'm not really a huge eater. I don't ever order appetizers, meals, and desserts at one setting. DS is a typical 9 (now 10) year old who sometimes eats a horse and sometimes lives on root beer.

So, why premium? Because it was there! I want to experience everything Disney has to offer, including the restaurants. DH didn't want to go with us, he was sick of Disney vacations (imagine that :confused3 )! So, DS and I booked a week long mom-son trip and went BIG. We wanted to ride horses, and see fireworks, and eat in the castle, and parasail. We wanted to eat good sit down food instead of hamburgers and see some things we had never seen. So.....premium it was.

This is my food report with one big problem. No pictures. I am a terrible photographer and dropped my camera on the 2nd day. I am probably going to do a trip report too and will add some pics but the food was either dark or forgotton. Hope this is semi-helpful and entertaining anyway!

I'll put Day 1 in this post and then continue in new posts as needed.

Day 1

We arrived and were in a huge rush because we had a reservation at Chefs du France at 1:30. We were actually 10 minutes late but were seated fairly quickly.

I want to preface this by saying that I hadn't eaten since 6:30 a.m. and was feeling a bit woozy. Nothing sounded particularly good and I wish I would've made different choices. That said, the restaurant is beautiful and the service started off well. We gave our drink orders and I had a beer while DS had a Sprite.

It took quite awhile for the waiter to return but after our sprint through the park we were happy to sit and relax. I decided on the cheese plate for an appetizer because I love cheese. DS picked the kid's Cheese Puff Pastry.

An aside - DS was 9 on the trip which was one reason we did the premium. The child's price was very inexpensive. Of course, this posed a problem when he would have preferred an adult entree. We split a lot of things and he ate off my plate at times (while still ordering his kids choice and eating that too!). This worked out well except for the fact that I deferred to him on menu choices at times when I would have liked something different.

I was very disappointed with my cheese plate as it only had 3 types and they weren't very French in my limited experience. There was piece of baguette with it and that was it. I like my cheese plates with some nuts, fruits, something! DS didn't like the pastry either. When I took a bite it tasted fine but was a little greasy.

We waited a while for our entrees again. I got the Short Ribs with polenta and baby carrots because I heard they were good. DS had the incredibly original French chicken strips ;) . My ribs were very good and fell right off the bone. The polenta also had a great taste and the carrots were good as well. Of course DS liked the strips as they are the same as any other Disney restaurant.

At this point our drinks had not been re-filled and our waiter had not been back in 20 minutes at least. DS wanted ice cream but I was ready to go. I had to flag down our waiter and ask for the check. He was very confused as to why we didn't want dessert, after all it came with the plan. I was all, "Dude, we've been here 1.5 hours and I'm ready to GO!" I promised DS an eclair from the bakery and we waited another 15 minutes for our card to be charged.

All in all the food was ok and the service was terrible and we wouldn't go back.


Dinner

That night we ate at the Rose and Crown. I love that place and we have eaten there on all 6 of our trips!

We knew we would be leaving before Illuminations because it was our first night and we wanted to rest. So, being seated inside was fine for us.

I ordered a flight of beer to try and DS got a Sprite. For appetizers I had the Chicken and Leek Pie and DS had the Potato Leek Soup. Mine was very good but was served lukewarm to cool which wasn't what I expected. I think it would have been better heated with the cool greens underneath. That would have been a more interesting contrast and made the tart not as rubbery. DS liked the soup as he is a big fan of any soup without big chunky veggies.

For dinner I had the Fish and Chips and DS had the Macaroni and Cheese. I was surprised that he didn't get the Bangers as he loves sausage but he actually said he was tired and his stomach was a bit upset (just a little traveler's tummy as it turned out :)) I actually got the fish because my main reason for coming was dessert and I knew I wouldn't eat too much. It was good, not too greasy and the chips with vinegar were great. DS ate all the mac/cheese.

The service was very attentive and I eagerly order my favorite dessert in any Disney restaurant - the Sticky Toffee Pudding. DS had a bowl of ice cream. The pudding was absolutely amazing as always! It looks like a little bundt cake that is made of dense caramel flavoring. It is covered with butterscotch topping and a cream/vanilla sauce. It is out of this world!!!! My best friend is Welsh and I've had her mother's pudding - this is as good or better. Absolutely delicious! Can you tell I enjoyed it :lmao: ????

Next: Teppen Ito and crazy people trying to walk in to restaurants on New Year's Eve!

[tluvstink]

Great start! I'm looking forward to reading more:goodvibes

Terri

[BabyPiglet]

Great reviews! No pictures needed. :)

[mom2fivecs]

Looking forward to more :cool1:

[TruBlu]

Great so far! :goodvibes

[sherry]

Thanks so much for sharing. The dessert at Rose and Crown sounds yummy.

[phabric]

Enjoyed your review. Will be looking for more.

[whogirl'smom]

Love that sticky toffee pudding! Looking forward to your next review.

[TigerKat]

Great so far!:thumbsup2

[Momof2princess]

Great start. Can't wait to read more:thumbsup2

[BoosGram]

Just a quick comment: if you like the caramel/butterscotch/vanilla kind of dessert thing, you might want to try the bread pudding at Raglan Road. Wow! Delicious!

[50 years Too!]

Enjoying your report so far.

Deb

[texaslover]

Day 2

It is New Year's Eve and we only made one reservation today because we had no idea how crowded or which park (if any) we wanted to do.

We ate at the POFQ food court for breakfast and the food was very good. We had the kid's Mickey waffles and the adult croissant breakfast sandwich. We split both and it was fresh, hot, and very filling!

We decided to go to Epcot in the morning and it was fairly quiet at first. Our reservation was at 1:00 at Teppen Edo. DS loves hibachi food and I love anything Japanese so this was a lunch we were looking forward to.

We were sat at a table with three couples of various ages, all who were very nice. We were able to chat throughout the meal with the people to our right and enjoyed their company very much.

I had a Diet Coke and DS had a Sprite. I almost got Saki but knew we were going to try to make it until midnight so I decided to hold off on the booze!

DS ordered the kids steak and I had the steak and shrimp. The chef put on a good show and had some cute Disney jokes to go along with the cooking. We had miso soup to start and then fried rice followed by the veggies and meat. We both enjoyed it very much. DS especially loved his steak and ate the whole thing. The dessert was some kind of ginger chocolate cake which I didn't like at all. DS got ice cream which was, you know, ice cream :thumbsup2 .

For dinner we ate at the POFQ after a few games of mini-golf (which was free on the premium plan!). We had nachos and a kid's hot dog. We both found the breakfast at the food court to be good but the lunch and dinner to be bad to ok. There was nothing I really loved. At some other hotels we've stayed at like the Riverside, Pop, and AKL we were always able to find one or two things that were really good. POFQ was just kinda bleh. It was definitely my fault for not booking a sit down meal for that night.


Let's see if this will work. Here is a picture of the walkway in the World Showcase as we tried to get out of the park at around 3:00 p.m. It was crazy!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd23b3127cceb58d4669c81500000026108AYuGjJu3ZNd

[Minniespal]

Excellent:thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

Wow, it was really packed!:scared1: Sad to hear about the food court at POFQ, we're staying there in Sept, but hopefully since we're going for F&W fest we won't need to eat while at the resort.;)

[texaslover]

Day 3

We stayed at MGM the night before until after midnight to ring in the new year so we slept late today!

We had a reservation at O"hana and loved the food. The frunch juice and coffee were excellent. We had a skillet with scrambled eggs, potatoes, biscuits, and bacon. The eggs were great, bacon good but need a little more crisp, potatoes good but bland, and we didn't eat the biscuit. They also brought around waffles which we love, love, love and they were yummy! Here is a pic of DS where you can see the food:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd22b3127cceb5b72bb7d04700000025138AYuGjJu3ZNd

Here is DS with Pluto. Pluto had grabbed a waffle and carried it in his mouth the rest of the time!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd22b3127cceb5b71fdbd03100000026108AYuGjJu3ZNd

And me with Stitch (ignore the double chin, I was cracking up!):

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd23b3127cceb58d42c5c8bb00000026108AYuGjJu3ZNd


We went on the Behind the Seeds tour in the afternoon and loved it. Very fun!


We had a reservation for the earliest show of Hoop de Doo (again on premium!). We had the front row center table! It was sooooo cool! DS absolutely loved this show and thought it was hilarious. The actors really interacted with him and he was in awe the whole time.

The food was very, very good. But, first things first. The beer is included in the price :thumbsup2 :worship: ! Holy cow! I ordered a beer and DS had a soda. The waitress brought the bread and honey butter and a salad. The salad was delicious and DS loved the bread. Then I had another beer :) . They brought around the main dishes: fried chicken, ribs, baked beans, and mashed potatoes. We loved the chicken and I am not a huge fried or bone fan. I ate one of the breasts and it was yummy. The ribs were ok, not much meat really. The mashed potatoes were great and beans were, well, beans. I'm not a huge fan but they tasted fine.

Then I asked for another beer :rolleyes1 . The waitress brought me back a pitcher and a fresh glass. Now that's service! So, that's what I had for dessert. Gotta save room for the important things you know.... DS had the strawberry shortcake and liked it. He doesn't care for whipped cream so he kinda scraped it off and ate mostly strawberries.

We really enjoyed this, both the food and the show. Totally worth the price in my opinion!

Here is a pic of DS at our table, he is leaning on the stage!:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8dd22b3127cceb5b71d53518800000025138AYuGjJu3ZNd

Later that night DS wanted to swim so I sat by the pool (it was freezing!) and eventually got us a cheeseburger meal to split. This was probably the best thing we ate from the food court and the chocolate cake that came with it was good too.

Tomorrow: Our parasailing is cancelled, Yak and Yeti, and Ragland Road

[Donald is #1]

We had miso soup to start and then fried rice followed by the veggies and meat. We both enjoyed it very much. DS especially loved his steak and ate the whole thing.

Wow, is fried rice an option at Teppan Edo now?

[texaslover]

Wow, is fried rice an option at Teppan Edo now?

The rice they make on the grill is fried rice. They add an egg or two, soy, onion, etc.

[Donald is #1]

The rice they make on the grill is fried rice. They add an egg or two, soy, onion, etc.

Awesome! All of the hibachi places around here have a fried rice option, but I didn't remember seeing it on the Teppan Edo menu.

[SomDayMyPrnceWillCom]

I had this same question about the fried rice and was told by another (in another post) that white rice (boiled or maybe sticky???) was the only thing offered and that fried rice wasn't an option. I hope that fried rice is offered when we go. This is our first dinner when we get there and I LOVE fried rice as opposed to white rice. Of course, it won't make or break our meal either way as I'm just looking forward to eating here.

[my3disneygirls]

Can't wait for more!:thumbsup2

[thomasclan85]

Regarding your meal at the Hoop de Doo show.......Is that the BREAD on that wooden slab? :scared1: Wow! Now THAT is my idea of a serving of bread! :lmao: Can you tell I love bread?? Great post! We were thinking of doing this when we go in December. Your post is making it very tempting. Thanks!

[texaslover]

Regarding your meal at the Hoop de Doo show.......Is that the BREAD on that wooden slab? :scared1: Wow! Now THAT is my idea of a serving of bread! :lmao: Can you tell I love bread?? Great post! We were thinking of doing this when we go in December. Your post is making it very tempting. Thanks!


Now that I look at the picture I remember it was cornbread! I didn't eat any because I was trying to save room. DS liked it though. And it was a huge slab.

[texaslover]

I had this same question about the fried rice and was told by another (in another post) that white rice (boiled or maybe sticky???) was the only thing offered and that fried rice wasn't an option. I hope that fried rice is offered when we go. This is our first dinner when we get there and I LOVE fried rice as opposed to white rice. Of course, it won't make or break our meal either way as I'm just looking forward to eating here.

Ok, since several people are questioning this I'm assuming I'm totally wrong. I thought that the chef did the typical rice, egg, etc. with the meal but after I looked at the menu I saw that it shows udon noodles. We love this type of meal and have been to at least 2 of these restaurants since our trip so I may be mixing them up. Don't even have a picture to refer to so assume that I am crazy and that you are getting noodles, not rice!

[thomasclan85]

Now that I look at the picture I remember it was cornbread! I didn't eat any because I was trying to save room. DS liked it though. And it was a huge slab.

Cornbread, biscuits, whatever........bread is bread is bread to me.:goodvibes Looks yummy!

[texaslover]

Ok, it's been awhile but I want to finish!

On Wednesday we were supposed to parasail in the morning but this was the day that had actual temps in the 20's.....in Florida :scared1: ! So, we decided to get to AK at rope drop to ride EE. It was cold! Anyway, got on, toured the park and decided to eat at Yak and Yeti. It wasn't crowded so we headed in soon after it opened and waited only a few minutes for a table.

I had Diet Coke and DS had Sprite. I ordered the Pot Stickers for an appetizer since I love any type, anywhere! I also ordered the Crispy Mahi-Mahi for reasons I can't really understand right now. I think I was not incredibly hungry and saving room for dinner and knew I wouldn't pig out on that, plus it seemed light with jasmine rice and veggies. DS got the chicken bites with fried rice.

The food was ok. I'll be honest, nowhere near our local Pei Wei which is a fast food version of PF Changs. Not even as good as our delivery service. However, it is different and a good change of pace from burgers, etc. So, I'd probably eat there again but maybe not order seafood. Something safer like Honey Chicken or Sweet and Sour would probably be better.

That night we were going to Cirque so we had an ADR for Ragland Road beforehand. This is a fav of ours so we were excited. DS was especially glad to sit down since he bought out the Lego store and wanted to put together some of his stuff. I got a flight of beer to try. I liked each one (was familiar with each) and when I finished the sampler picked a pint of my favorite. The beer was cold and so were the mugs, perfect.

I knew that dessert was what I was saving for so I got the seared beef salad and chicken and leek pie. DS got the Dalkey Duo kids meal which was sausage battered (like pigs in a blanket). The beef salad was very good with thinly sliced beef drizzled with horseradish sauce on greens with a few crispy onion strings. It was very light and tasty.

DS liked his meal except some of the sausages were greasy. He picked out the good ones and enjoyed the mustard dip with them. The waitress came back to tell me that they were out of chicken/leek pie. Huh :confused3 ? Ok, I ordered the It's Not Bleedin Chowder. I have had it before and enjoyed it and it was still good. The seafood was fresh and the sauce wasn't too rich. I just picked the seafood out because I was still excited about dessert!

For dessert I ordered Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding. It is so amazing! Wonderful butterscotch and vanilla sauce. It is just incredible, best bread pudding I have ever had! DS had the ice cream with butterscotch sauce and liked it as well.

Dessert was definitely the best part of the meal and filled me up. I will come back here again and again for the bread pudding. I have had the Fish and Chips and they are good too. We really love this place for the atmosphere and calm environment.

Here is DS in front of EE when it was 24 degrees, crazy in FL!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8da00b3127cceb78e6121550200000010138AYuGjJu3ZNd

[Disney owl]

great reviews thanks

[jedi jen]

Enjoyed your reviews and your son is precious.

Hey, I am from Texas too.:goodvibes

[SunnieRN]

Loving your report!! I'm a newbie to Texas. How fun that you and your son could spend new years together at WDW!!!
Looking forward to more!!

[texaslover]

I refuse to give up on this - I will finish!

On the 5th day of the trip we had an ADR for Crystal Palace at 9:00 a.m. We have been here before and liked the breakfast plus it is DS's favorite meal. We only waited 5 or so minutes and were led to our table. I love watching the little ones meet the characters, it's one of the main reasons I still book character meals. DS is a good sport but it's not like he's in awe anymore. I will get teary eyed if a 2 or 3 year old screams "Pooh!" and runs for a hug.

The breakfast was good and filling. I had a bagel, the frittata (which was excellent with lots of veggies), the breakfast lasagna (yummy but a little goes a long way), fruit, bacon, and, of course Mickey waffles :thumbsup2 .

DS had scrambled eggs, danish, waffles, fruit, and load of bacon. We saw all the characters and DS got pics. I think the restaurant is just beautiful and a relaxing place to eat.

Mid-day we had a reservation for horseback riding so we stopped at Trails End at Fort Wilderness. It was mid afternoon by this time and they still had a buffet so we did that since it was on the plan. DS was more impressed by this than I was. I knew we had a big meal tonight so only had salad, a cup of gumbo type soup, and one piece of fried chicken which was good, not greasy. DS had chicken, mashed potatoes, BBQ beef, and a slice of pizza with some fruit. He also went back and got some cake and pudding for dessert.

I would give this about a 5. Nothing was bad, nothing was great. The soup was the best thing but I wouldn't pay the buffet price to eat soup and salad if I wasn't on a dining plan. The staff were very nice and refilled our soft drinks and water many times. I also got a beer to go afterwards which I thought was cool. You could carry it all around Ft. Wilderness so DS ran around the playground again while I drank it.

That evening we had the meal I was looking forward to - Cali Grill! It was a late 8:00 p.m. reservation and we were seated at a window table overlooking the MK almost immediately. It was fabulous! The view is out of this world. We immediately order drinks (wine for me, Sprite for DS) and went outside to look at the view. It was cold!!!!

I wanted sushi but, with the dining plan, they didn't give many of the choices. I had a sushi roll that was good but not any better than one of my local restaurants. DS had the salad because it was the only choice so I ate a bit of his.

For an entree I had the scallops with risotto and mushrooms. This was very good and the scallops were perfectly cooked. The risotto was yummy and creamy. DS had the kid's steak with potatoes and veggies. He ate the whole steak and a few potatoes (they were a little dry).

For dessert I couldn't decide and, honestly, nothing looked great. The waiter suggested the Banana and Butterscotch dessert so I got it. It was ok. I eat bananas at least 4 days a week but am not crazy about cooked mushy ones. These were very soaked and just kinda brown. They were layered with a crunchy puff pastry type thing, butterscotch custard, and came with a little chocolate cookie. It was just ok. I wish I would have gotten the honey cake that the waiter talked me out of, it just sounded better.

DS had the sweet rice sushi which was rice crispy treats made into sushi with gummy worm type stuff in the middle. It was cute and he thought it was cool and tasted great. He ate all the rice crispy stuff and put the gummies in his pocket to eat later :confused3 .

We got to see the fireworks and that made the whole meal worthwhile. It was breathtaking. I just cried a little :lovestruc .

We would go back again to try some of the things I wish we would have ordered and for the view alone. It was magical!

[texaslover]

Day 6 we slept late and didn't worry about getting anywhere at anytime. Picked up breakfast at POFQ again and split the adult sandwich and kids waffles. These were good every time we got them!

We went to MGM and had a reservation at the Brown Derby for lunch. I'll be honest, I was a little burnt out on eating. Some food had been awesome but most were just ok and I just don't eat this way at home. I had some kind of Brie soup for an appetizer which was very good but rich and I ate about 1/3. The waiter was worried but I assured him it tasted great. DS had the chicken noodle soup which was the same that kids get at every restaurant but he liked it every time.

For an entree DS had a grilled cheese, primarily because it came with brown sugar apples which he loves. He ate most of the sandwich but the apples were just raw with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled over. We are used to cooked apples in a nice sauce (like a cobbler filling) so he ate them but wasn't happy ;) . I had the pasta even though I swore I was getting the Cobb Salad. When I looked at some of them coming out they did not look as good as my local place where I eat them so I changed my mind. The pasta had shrimp, artichoke, and fried peppers. It was very tasty but in a cream sauce so I couldn't eat much. I picked out the shrimp which were delicious.

For dessert I had to have the Grapefruit Cake because it is the signature dish. It was good but the icing was realllly tart. I guess I expected grapefruit but more sugary for a dessert but, no, it was pure grapefruit bitterness on the top. It wasn't bad but not my favorite either. DS had the Hidden Treasure which is ice cream, oreos, gummy worms, and a choc chip cookie so how could it be bad??? He loved it.

We would come back again but it wasn't the be all, end all we have heard about.

Then, for dinner out ultimate adventure - Cindy's Castle! We got a reservation for 9:00 p.m. because that's all they had. We had to battle firework crowds to get in which was stressful and then wait at least 40 minutes just to get to take Cindy's picture and wait to be called upstairs.

It was really magical inside and DS and I were both kinda giddy to be in. We were taking pictures and waving our sword and wand and really into it. For an appetizer I got the spring roll which was very, very good. Not greasy at all and very tasty. DS had the fruit and cheese platter cause that's all the choices. He ate some of it and said it was "ok, kinda like what you give me for a snack".

For an entree I had the Pork Tenderloin with orzo. I really liked it and the sauce was very good. DS had the chicken strips, mashed potatoes, and veggies. They were... Disney chicken strips. He ate them all which, I guess, is about all I can say.

For dessert I had the chocolate cream cheese buckle. It was ok, a little weird like a chocolate cobbler. DS ate most of my chocolate ice cream that came with it which was very good. DS had the sundae which came with a cool chocolate crown on top which we both had bites of just so we could say we ate it in the castle.

Our table was great, at the window with a view of the carousel. The whole experience was beautiful and with or without food I can't wait to bring my god-daughter here someday. I can just picture her face when the light go off the the wishes start sparkling. It is truly a wonderful time.

[texaslover]

Ok, last day. We were sad to wake up but wanted to do Epcot (our favorite park) all day. We decided to heck with the dining plan we were going to eat our way around the world and use the rest of our credits on junk! Our flight left at 5:00 so we had plenty of time.

So, we ate.......

Counter service Morocco, Chicken Shawarma platter which is wonderful. The cucumber yogurt sauce is very , very good. As is the hummus, tabbouleh and Tangierine CousCous salad. All extremely tasty and, honestly, one of my favorite things at Disney, counter or sit down.

The bratwurst meal in Germany. DS loved the brat and I ate the saurkraut. The beer was also very refreshing X 2 :cloud9: .

A combo plate from Cantina de San Angel with chicken taco, beef burrito, and quesadilla with black beans. Yuk. Texas fast food is much better than that. We were definitely trying to use our last counter service but it was not even worth that. Neither of us ate anything except the dessert churro which was great. I also had a last layered margarita and it was as good as ever. I even remembered to leave out the mango layer this time (I just don't like mango!) and it was yummy and a great ending to our trip.

Quick drive to the airport and we were in Texas too soon.

Next trip, Disneyland this August! Already researching the best food choices!

[SunnieRN]

I was so happy to see your posts! What a wonderful culinary adventure! Thanks so much for sharing it, I really enjoyed it!!
Can't wait to hear about your august trip...I've been to disneyland about 30 times or more.
My favorite counter service, whitewater cafe in the grand californian.... awesome food, great cms!
Every year when my daughter was young we had to eat at Blue Bayou, just because she loves their clam chowder so much. I would order chowder, she would order a kids meal and we would trade.;)
When she got older she wanted the bread bowls filled with chowder instead!
Good memories!

[bigbabyblues]

I enjoyed your report, thanks!

[TigerKat]

Thanks for taking the time to share your reviews with us!:goodvibes

[harleyquinn]

Great job! Thanks for finishing it up for us!

[minniemee]

Great dining report, thanks for sharing it with us!:)

[suzimar57]

thanks for sharing your reviews!