Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm - 9 Days of Disney Dining (food report)

[Crystal_27]

Hi all! Since I've had so much fun preparing my trip based on others' dining reports, I thought I'd share the love and the food porn with those planning upcoming trips and with those having Disney withdrawal (like me).

Our trip was during Disney's free dining period, although we took advantage of a room discount code and paid out of pocket for the Dining Plan. Also, for what it's worth, my party consisted of 2 adults and 1 child, our 4 year old DD who is a great eater.

Below I have listed the restaurants and will include throughout my review pictures of the food items and snacks we ate each day, in the order we ate them. Also, for what it's worth, we made our ADRs at 180-days and got exactly what we wanted:

Earl of Sandwich at DTD - Dinner
Cinderella's Royal Table - Breakfast
1900 Park Fare - Dinner
Ohanas - Breakfast
Le Cellier - Dinner
Captain Cooks - Breakfast
Captain Cooks - Lunch
Mama Melrose (F! Dining Package) - Dinner
Captain Cooks - Breakfast
Whispering Canyon - Lunch
Captain Cooks - Breakfast
Pacos Bill - Lunch
Chef Mickeys - Dinner
Pizzafari - Lunch
Kona - Dinner
Captain Cooks - Breakfast
Captain Cooks - Lunch
Coral Reef - Dinner
Captain Cooks - Breakfast
Wolfgang Puck Express - Lunch
Pecos Bill - Dinner

Lastly, as a general comment, I was quite annoyed and frustrated by Disney's lack of consistency when printing the prices on receipts - - it's almost as if Disney doesn't want us making the comparison as to whether the DDP is a good "value" or not. ;) Since we paid OOP for the DDP, it was very important for me to make a comparision to see whether or not we broke even or ahead. I have prices for 90% of everything, though, the remainder will be my best guess. Tomorrow, I'll have my first reviews up. Thanks so much in advance for anyone who decides to read. :goodvibes

[sandym718]

Looking forward to your reviews!!! and your DD is beautiful!!

[TigerKat]

I'm in.....popcorn::

[Donald is #1]

I'm in too. popcorn::

[MickeyNicki]

Bring it on!

[suzimar57]

ok, you can begin now - i'm here!!! :goodvibes

[HonnyDipp]

Count me in!:thumbsup2

[Crystal_27]

Thank you everyone for your warm reception, and thank you SandyM for your compliment about my DD - - she's great fun!! :goodvibes

All righty, I guess I'll dive right in with our first meal at Earl of Sandwich. We drive down to Orlando from Atlanta so it's become a tradition to stay off-site for one night and eat at DTD to get us in the Disney frame of mind. Last year, we ate at Earl of Sandwich for dinner and, because we had such a great meal last year, decided to eat there again.

DH and I both ordered the Original sandwiches (sans the horseradish) and DD ordered the kids Grilled Cheese. We also got 2 bags of chips, a bottled water, and a *$5.00* Michelob Ultra (welcome to Disney, right? :rotfl: ). Total was $27.06.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9080562.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9080561.jpg

I hate to say it, but our DD's grilled cheese (which I sampled in the interest of a fair and balanced food report) was the clear winner. It was melty and gooey and fabulous. DH and I both agree that the roast beef in our Originals was stringy and fatty and just tasteless. What a bummer! Also, since we nixed the horseradish, the sandwiches were very dry (looking back, we should have asked for some mayo or something).

Besides the grilled cheese, though, the other positive thing that I noted was that the ordering system seemed much better managed this year. :thumbsup2

Will we go back? Probably. The Earl has become our first night tradition, so I would hate it write it off for one (well, two, really) bad sandwiches.

Next up: CRT breakfast

[butiflfeet]

Mmmmmmm... grilled cheese.

Keep the wonderful pics coming!

[Lynn5700]

OK can adults order the grilled cheese? It looks sooo good!!!!!!

[Crystal_27]

OK can adults order the grilled cheese? It looks sooo good!!!!!!

Most definitely. It was fab!

[Crystal_27]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090602.jpg

Like many, Cinderella's Royal Table is a must for those with princesses. I love eating in the castle and our DD totally loves chatting with the princesses. For this trip, we made a 10:15 a.m. ADR at CRT. Once we checked in, it took about 15 minutes to get our picture with Cindy and to make our way upstairs.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090647.jpg

Breakfast is a pre-plated affair that starts off with assortied pastries and fruit.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090648.jpg

Then, the servers bring what has to be the best french toast in the entire world. The french toast is somehow stuffed with cream cheese, covered in blueberries, and is literally TO DIE FOR. Then, as if the french toast isn't great enough, CRT also serves a potoato casserole that will blow your mind it's so good. They also serve bacon, eggs, and sausage.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090657.jpg

We have always had wonderful service and great food at CRT. This time, our princesses were Cinderella (of course), Belle, Snow White, Jasmine, and Aurora, all of whom were sweet and engaging.

Even though we were on the Dining Plan, we opted to pay out of pocket for CRT. Total (including tip) was $107.43.

After our late breakfast, we weren't really hungry for lunch, but we did stop and get one of these babies for a snack:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090693.jpg

I know that these floats are a DIS favorite, but I wasn't blown away. I loved the pineapple icecream, but the pineapple juice was too overwhelming. Next time I'll just get the Dole Whip. We also got a Coke, and the total (approx.) was $7.00, although we used 2 snack credits. I say "approximately" because this is where I discovered that the prices were not listed on the receipts. :rolleyes:

Well, that's it for now. Thanks again for reading! Up next: How we took center stage at 1900 Park Fare

[natsiswdw]

Excited to read more!! I have become a totally Dis Junkie I think I might need some help!!

[Mom2JPL]

I'm enjoying your reviews so far! We're eating at CRT for breakfast in November for dd's 5th bday...can't wait...and it looks delicious!

[CanadianPaco]

So far so good. More please!!!!!!!!!popcorn::

[sandybobandy]

Fabulous pictures!! Can't wait for more! :)

[Crystal_27]

Well, although this isn't a trip report, I'll digress a bit and tell you all that the sole purpose of us eating at 1900 Park Fare was to obtain the autographs of the Tremaines. You see, DH and I scrapbook (actually, DH scrapbooks) and he made 3 scrapbooked autograph pages especially for Anastasia, Drizella, and Lady Tremaine. I'm always uber-impressed with DH's scrapbooks, but I had no idea that his skills were going to make us the entertainment for the night.

First, though, more about the food: 1900 Park Fare had a nice buffet offering - from salads, to prime rib, to chicken marsala, to fajitas. I had to admit that I got a bit shy at the thought of taking pictures of the food until I decided to stop caring what others might think and just snap away. Anyway, here is one of our dinner plates and, much more interesting, the dessert plate.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090704.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090710.jpg

The desserts (going clockwise) were chocolate mousse (yummy), key lime pie (okay), cheesecake (yummy), and carrot cake (not so good). They also had cookies and icecream.

Now the onto the fun stuff - how DH became center stage. We saw Prince Charming and Cinderella (no big deal) and then the Tremaines started making the rounds. We saw Lady Tremaine first and, when she saw her autograph page, she demanded to see our other pages. She then proceeded to call two or three waitresses over to view our albums. Then, those waitresses called other people over, and we literally had the entire staff crowded around our table. Then, Anastasia drifted over and, same thing - she wanted to see everything. Well, then Drizella stopped by and asked Anastasia why she was taking so long at our table so Anastasia showed her our books. Well, Drizella grabs her page and starts running through the restaurant, proclaiming: "Do you see this? Our own autograph page with our own picture. This is what we deserve - - THIS IS WHAT WE DESERVE." It was absolutely hysterical and, by this time, other customers were dropping by wondering what was going on. Most people were so shocked that it was DH and not me who did the scrapbooking - - it's good he doesn't have an ego because his head certainly would have been swollen with all of the praise he received. :rotfl:

Anyway, because of the attention my DH was getting with the scrapbooks, DD really didn't get a lot of attention paid to her from the characters, but she was okay with that. This next picture really sums up the whole experience.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9090709.jpg

Would we go back? Probably not. The food was decent, the antics were hysterical, but there are a lot better places to eat for the money. Total price with tip was $93.34.

Up next: Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch

[Crystal_27]

Excited to read more!! I have become a totally Dis Junkie I think I might need some help!!

Welcome to the club, my dear! We all need help. ;)

I'm enjoying your reviews so far! We're eating at CRT for breakfast in November for dd's 5th bday...can't wait...and it looks delicious!

Awww, what a great birthday present - she'll love it!

So far so good. More please!!!!!!!!!popcorn::

Glad you're enjoying it!

Fabulous pictures!! Can't wait for more! :)

Thank you so much!

[parrotheadmom]

I love the Drizella picture! I'm on board !:goodvibes

[disneymom1980]

I'm loving your reviews, and it looks like you ate at several of the places we'll be going to in October. I agree, your DD is adorable. I also have to say that I'm VERY impressed with your DH's scrapbook pages. All I've done is use autograph pages from the DISigns thread, and my DH thinks I'm a little crazy for not just buying an autograph book there. I think it's wonderful that your DH enjoys things like that :) .

Can't wait for more!

[jeminni]

Great reviews and a beautiful picture of your daughter with Cinderella. :goodvibes

[DisneyDarlings]

Thank you everyone for your warm reception, and thank you SandyM for your compliment about my DD - - she's great fun!! :goodvibes

All righty, I guess I'll dive right in with our first meal at Earl of Sandwich. We drive down to Orlando from Atlanta so it's become a tradition to stay off-site for one night and eat at DTD to get us in the Disney frame of mind. Last year, we ate at Earl of Sandwich for dinner and, because we had such a great meal last year, decided to eat there again.

DH and I both ordered the Original sandwiches (sans the horseradish) and DD ordered the kids Grilled Cheese. We also got 2 bags of chips, a bottled water, and a *$5.00* Michelob Ultra (welcome to Disney, right? :rotfl: ). Total was $27.06.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9080562.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9080561.jpg

I hate to say it, but our DD's grilled cheese (which I sampled in the interest of a fair and balanced food report) was the clear winner. It was melty and gooey and fabulous. DH and I both agree that the roast beef in our Originals was stringy and fatty and just tasteless. What a bummer! Also, since we nixed the horseradish, the sandwiches were very dry (looking back, we should have asked for some mayo or something).

Besides the grilled cheese, though, the other positive thing that I noted was that the ordering system seemed much better managed this year. :thumbsup2

Will we go back? Probably. The Earl has become our first night tradition, so I would hate it write it off for one (well, two, really) bad sandwiches.

Next up: CRT breakfast


This is exactly what we do! Drive down, stay off-site, and eat at DTD! We tried Earl of Sandwich for the first time last spring and we loved it!

[Crystal_27]

I love the Drizella picture! I'm on board !:goodvibes

Thank you! The one with Anastasia was better but was way out of focus, unfortunately - LOL.

I'm loving your reviews, and it looks like you ate at several of the places we'll be going to in October. I agree, your DD is adorable. I also have to say that I'm VERY impressed with your DH's scrapbook pages. All I've done is use autograph pages from the DISigns thread, and my DH thinks I'm a little crazy for not just buying an autograph book there. I think it's wonderful that your DH enjoys things like that :) .

Can't wait for more!

Thank you for the compliment about my DD! About the scrapbooking, it's really a great way for me and him to spend time together and it allows us to create memories for DD, which she will hopefully appreciate as she grows older. And, for what it's worth, I think that using the DISigns autograph pages will make the characters very much appreciate that you took a little extra time to personalize your pages.

Great reviews and a beautiful picture of your daughter with Cinderella. :goodvibes

Thank you! :goodvibes The picture that the Photopass photographer took was better, but we haven't gotten our CD yet so I figured I'd post what I took. It's so dark in the lobby that it's very difficult to even get a decent picture.

This is exactly what we do! Drive down, stay off-site, and eat at DTD! We tried Earl of Sandwich for the first time last spring and we loved it!

Yeah, that has really worked for us for our last two trips. We stay at the Howard Johnson about 3 miles from the Disney World entrance. At $35.00 a night, the HoJo is certainly a good price for a place to wind down and relax after a day of driving.

[goofieslonglostsis]

and a *$5.00* Michelob Ultra (welcome to Disney, right? :rotfl: ). Total was $27.06.


Educate me please; what is a michelob ultra??


Ps; you had me :lmao: big time when reading about 1900 Park Fair. What a blast!

[tikkipoo]

That picture is freakin' hilarious!!!:rotfl2:

[Minniespal]

Excellent:thumbsup2

[Tess]

Educate me please; what is a michelob ultra??


Ps; you had me :lmao: big time when reading about 1900 Park Fair. What a blast!

Not the Crystal_27, but to answer your question, Mich Ultra is a low carb beer. :thumbsup2

[DLo]

enjoying your reviews and pictures. How cool that your dh scrapbooks. I don't have the skills for that. I am in awe of those that do.

Looking forward to the rest.

We drive down from the Atlanta area also. We usually stay close but off site the night before but last year we stayed at POP. We had to leave late last year because of my older ds school schedule and didn't arrive until almost midnight - bummer. This year we are staying at Pop again and hope to arrive earlier so we can eat at DTD and actaully see what Pop looks like.

[Crystal_27]

Educate me please; what is a michelob ultra??


Ps; you had me :lmao: big time when reading about 1900 Park Fair. What a blast!

It's great to see you over here, Girlfriend! :hug: Michelob Ultra is just a beer here in the States. Just to give you a comparison, we typically pay about $5.00 for a 6-pack, so we thought $5.00 for one beer was quite hysterical, even for Disney prices - - DH and I joked that it too must have been infused with Disney Magic. :rotfl:

That picture is freakin' hilarious!!!:rotfl2:

Yeah, my poor DD - she looks like she's thinking "why am I taking a picture with this wacko"?

Excellent:thumbsup2

Why, thank you!

Not the Crystal_27, but to answer your question, Mich Ultra is a low carb beer. :thumbsup2

Yup - the nectar of the Gods as far as DH is concerned.

enjoying your reviews and pictures. How cool that your dh scrapbooks. I don't have the skills for that. I am in awe of those that do.

Looking forward to the rest.

We drive down from the Atlanta area also. We usually stay close but off site the night before but last year we stayed at POP. We had to leave late last year because of my older ds school schedule and didn't arrive until almost midnight - bummer. This year we are staying at Pop again and hope to arrive earlier so we can eat at DTD and actaully see what Pop looks like.

I'm honored to have a fellow Atlanta girl on my food report. :flower3: Say, do you know where I can get some gas - LOL?!? :rolleyes:

We stayed at the Poly for this trip, but I'm trying to convince DH to let us go back in February, 2009. If we do go in February, we'll be staying at the POP - it looks like so much fun.

[TarheelPrincess]

I'm taking my little princess to WDW next week and love seeing pictures of other little princesses. Your daughter is adorable and your pictures are fantastic. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.:)

[Crystal_27]

Since we decided to tour the World Showcase this day, we opted for a late breakfast at Ohanas. Looking back, it makes me laugh that waiting to get seated at Ohanas was the longest wait we had all week (including standing in line for rides - LOL). We only waited for about 20 minutes, though, so it wasn't that dire.

Breakfast consisted of bread (cinnamon rasin and pineapple), fruit, and a skillet containing bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, and potatoes. Mickey waffles are then served separately.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100715.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100716.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100717.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100719.jpg

The food was good, although for being an "all you can eat" meal, we didn't see our waitress after the skillet was served (except to process the check) so we didn't get seconds on anything except the Mickey waffles (which were brought to our table by the "waffle runners").

Also, DH and I tend to get itchy feet in restaurants at Disney - once the food is eaten, we want to get to the parks ASAP. So, we waited about 20 minutes after we were finished eating to see Lilo and Stitch but decided to leave before seeing Pluto and Mickey - they were still on the other side of the restaurant.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100731.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100736.jpg

Would we eat there again? Probably not - too much waiting around, and the food in the skillet was identical to what we ate at Captain Cooks for the remainder of our trip, for a fraction of the cost. Total price with tip was $61.95.

Since we ate a late breakfast, we skipped lunch, but did stop and get a Kaki Gori for a snack:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100801.jpg

We opted for a cherry, strawberry, and tangerine "rainbow" and it really was a refreshing treat!

Then, although not exactly dining related, DD was lucky enough to get picked by Miyuki for a candy creation. DD opted for a pink swan and I (and everyone else) was *awed* at seeing Miyuki make this swan, especially when she made the wings. Miyuki is truly an artist!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100820.jpg

Anyway, that's it for now. Next up: LeCellier

[goofieslonglostsis]

It's great to see you over here, Girlfriend! :hug: Michelob Ultra is just a beer here in the States. Just to give you a comparison, we typically pay about $5.00 for a 6-pack, so we thought $5.00 for one beer was quite hysterical, even for Disney prices - - DH and I joked that it too must have been infused with Disney Magic. :rotfl:


Beer, how simple can the answer be sometimes? :lmao:

The Big sure is one lucky girl! She somehow draws special things and people towards her, doesn't she? Did she eat her swan yet?

By the way; don't know if it's you, DH or a combination but there are some great photos on here and previous topics.

Let the pictures and reports keep coming! It's drool-worthy and by the way; I've waited long enough for my Kona-fix. ;)

Found gas yet?

[oybolshoi]

Love your reviews so far ... I was cracking up while reading about your adventures at 1900 Park Fair. :rotfl2:

BTW, your daughter is a real cutie. :cutie:

[Crystal_27]

Let me just start off by saying that Le Cellier was the most anticipated restaurant of our trip. We are a "steak and potatoes" famiily anyway, but I've always read such great reviews about Le Cellier. We certainly weren't disappointed.

We had a 5:00 p.m. ADR at Le Cellier, but they seated us right away when we showed up at 4:20 p.m.

First came the bread, and I whole heartedly endorse the pretzel bread.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100835.jpg

Since an appetizer came with DD's meal, we ordered the (DIS-famous) cheddar cheese soup for all of us to try.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100837.jpg

It, too, was just as great as everyone on the DIS says it is. Creamy, cheesy, peppery, and perfect. Instead of the child's portion, I wish we would have ordered a gallon of the stuff.

DH also ordered a ceasar salad for us to split.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100838.jpg

As I stated before, we are big steak people, so all three of us ordered steak - - the mushroom filets for DH and I and the child's steak for DD. The mushroom filet came with risotto but we substitued that for the cream cheese mashed potatoes.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100839.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100840.jpg

On a taste test alone, DH and I thought that DD's steak was the winner because it was so flavorful. However, the filets were so tender they just melted in our mouths, so we definitely had no complaints there. And, the cream cheese mashed potatoes were great too - thick and creamy and yummy.

For dessert, I ordered the chocolate "moose," DH ordered the strawberry cheesecake, and DD ordered the fruit cup.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100842.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100841.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100843.jpg

We shared our desserts all around the table. DD and I thought the chocolate moose was the winner, but DH was very partial to the cheesecake.

Total cost including tip was $136.89. Regarding the tip, Le Cellier was the only restaurant during our trip that we opted for a 20% tip (instead of 18%) - our server Kurt was on the ball when it came to refills and our meal "pace;" in addition, he was very personable and fun.

Would we eat here again? Most definitely, maybe even multiple times during one trip. In addition to being a great value on the DDP, the food and service were just extraordinary.

Up next: Captain Cooks, Mama Melrose

[frdeb1999]

Love the review and pics....looking forward to the next installment! :)

[Crystal_27]

I'm taking my little princess to WDW next week and love seeing pictures of other little princesses. Your daughter is adorable and your pictures are fantastic. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.:)

Awww, have a great time. I hope you are as blessed with great weather, no love bugs, and wonderful park touring as we were. :goodvibes

Beer, how simple can the answer be sometimes? :lmao:

The Big sure is one lucky girl! She somehow draws special things and people towards her, doesn't she? Did she eat her swan yet?

By the way; don't know if it's you, DH or a combination but there are some great photos on here and previous topics.

Let the pictures and reports keep coming! It's drool-worthy and by the way; I've waited long enough for my Kona-fix. ;)

Found gas yet?

You are too sweet, my dear! We try and do our best with The Big, for sure. I can't wait for you to meet her.

She actually did eat some of her swan yesterday - before now, it's just been too pretty to eat.

And, thanks for the compliments about the pictures. The camera does most of the work, honestly, but I'm usually the one pressing the button, at least.

As to the gas, it seems as if there is more supply. However, lines are still long, tempers are flaring, and panic seems very close to the surface. Keep crossing your fingers for us.


Love your reviews so far ... I was cracking up while reading about your adventures at 1900 Park Fair. :rotfl2:

BTW, your daughter is a real cutie. :cutie:

Yeah, 1900 PF, definitely was a great memory. "THIS IS WHAT WE DESERVE" has become quite the catch phrase in our household. And, thank you for the compliment about DD - we sure love her to pieces.

Love the review and pics....looking forward to the next installment! :)

Thanks! Hopefully, I'll have the next one up tomorrow!

[Donald is #1]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100841.jpg



Great review! So what is the long stick on the cheesecake? Is it a peppermint stick?

[Crystal_27]

Great review! So what is the long stick on the cheesecake? Is it a peppermint stick?

No, not a peppermint stick -it's actually a chocolate straw. My DD loved it!

[Donald is #1]

No, not a peppermint stick -it's actually a chocolate straw. My DD loved it!


Wow, how cool!

[Crystal_27]

Well, since we were staying at the Poly, Captain Cooks played a very large role for breakfast and lunch with us. I think we had this breakfast combination 6 times during our trip:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110860.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110862.jpg

Do the contents of the breakfast platter look familiar? And, I'm not kidding that it tasted exactly like our Ohana breakfast skillet the previous day. Very good.

DH fell in love with Tonga Toast during our last trip, so you can bet he was thrilled with getting to eat it almost every day during this trip. We also learned during our second breakfast at Captain Cooks that they have the strawberries to top the Tonga Toast instead of syrup, a definite improvement according to DH. I don't care for Tonga Toast one bit because all I can taste is overripe bananas.

One other great thing about using CS credits for breakfast was getting 2 drinks with every meal. We ended up with one orange juice and 3 waters every day, and the waters were certainly helpful in the miserable heat.

Cost was $21.28.

For lunch, we also visited Captain Cooks this day (and many others) and got a flatbread and a chicken caesar salad:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110877.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110878.jpg

With these for dessert:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110875.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110876.jpg

We all loved the flatbread! My DD loves tomatoes so she was definitely in heaven with meal. As to the salad, every day we found it was crisp and refreshing, with a generous serving of chicken, but we unfortunately also found every day that the croutons (chips?) that were on top were soggy and nasty.

As to the desserts, the cupcake was yummy and chocolately but the rice crispy treat was a disappointment - soggy and tasteless. For the subsequent days at Captain Cooks, we just opted for 2 cupcakes.

Total cost $25.08

For this day, we also partook in a premium ice cream bar which was, of course, wonderful.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110863.jpg

I have to apologize now because I'm going to do Mama Melrose in my next installment. Until then, thanks everyone for reading. :goodvibes

[mhmcduff]

Excellent reviews!!:drinking1 :happytv:

[medleblute]

I'm really enjoying your reviews and pictures. We are taking DD3 to CRT in March and can't wait!

[raftislander]

Just found this thread and love the report, photos and fun! The picture of your daughter and Stitch was fabulous. Thank you for the pictures, they are really helpful. My DH and DD will look at pictures but not read. :rolleyes1 I am trying to get them to voice some restaurant preferences for our trip next year (March 26-April 2) but all I get is "that's six months away!" :confused3 Right. But for the new resssie system, I'd be behind! :scared: Keep the reviews coming!

[Crystal_27]

Excellent reviews!!:drinking1 :happytv:

Thank you! :goodvibes

I'm really enjoying your reviews and pictures. We are taking DD3 to CRT in March and can't wait!

Thanks for reading, Medleblute! Yeah, CRT is one of our "must-dos." We love the food, the atmosphere, and, of course, the princesses! :cutie:

Just found this thread and love the report, photos and fun! The picture of your daughter and Stitch was fabulous. Thank you for the pictures, they are really helpful. My DH and DD will look at pictures but not read. :rolleyes1 I am trying to get them to voice some restaurant preferences for our trip next year (March 26-April 2) but all I get is "that's six months away!" :confused3 Right. But for the new resssie system, I'd be behind! :scared: Keep the reviews coming!

Oh, thank for you reading! I think it's hysterical that you say that your DH won't read and will only look at pictures - mine is the same way (although since I did so much planning for this trip, I think he's gotten bitten by the planning bug).

We are also trying to plan a trip for next year either February (to take advantage of the low crowds) or March (to celebrate DD's 5th birthday). We will probably opt for February, though, because I believe her birthday (March 26th) will fall smack in the middle of Spring Break.

Anyway, thanks again for reading. :goodvibes

[habg1]

Thanks for the review of Captain Cook's. We are staying there in Nov. and heard both neg. and pos things about Captain Cook's. Was DD disappointed about no Mickey Waffles?

[accountingbabe08]

Yummy review. I'm subbing so I can read more. Bring on the reviews.

[Crystal_27]

Thanks for the review of Captain Cook's. We are staying there in Nov. and heard both neg. and pos things about Captain Cook's. Was DD disappointed about no Mickey Waffles?

Actually, Captain Cooks does serve Mickey waffles (or at least they did when we were there) - both in child and adult breakfast meals. We got those later in the trip, but my DD is more of a "eggs and bacon and sausage" type of girl, so the platter was more her style. Also, I was a bit worried because I had read so much about the ordering system being difficult. It was easy and very user friendly.

Yummy review. I'm subbing so I can read more. Bring on the reviews.

Thank you! :goodvibes

[nikkers]

I am enjoying your review! Great pics. Thanks for sharing.

[DLo]

Glad you reviewed Capt. Cooks. Staying at Poly next month and it seems like it gets mixed reviews. I will be ordering that flatbread for sure.

[disneygirl89]

Yum! The Dole Whip and sandwiches are making me drool!

[Crystal_27]

Since we wanted the Fantasmic Dinner Package, Mama Melrose seemed to be the best option for us, and I loved that in booking the dinner package we were going to get an appetizer in addition to the entree and the dessert. Since it had began to pour at the Studios, we checked into Mama Melrose about 30 minutes before our ADR time and the lobby was jam packed. I thought that we were going to have a wait, but we actually got seated within 5 minutes or so.

Mama Melrose is decorated very nicely, with twinkling lights overhead and knick-knacks covering every imaginable space on the walls. In case anyone is interested, I really liked the seats we had for Fantasmic too - definitely a big perk of eating here.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9111031.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9111038.jpg


Since appetizers were included with our meal, DH opted for the ceasar salad, DD opted for the vegetable soup, and I opted for the artisan breads.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110899.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110900.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110901.jpg

I thought that DD's soup absolutely blew the other appetizers out of the water - I wish I had ordered it for myself. DH's salad was also very good, but he ended up trading most of it to me because he loved, loved, loved the bread. I wasn't really a fan of either of the spreads that went with the bread, so I was happy to make the trade.

For entrees, DH and I both ordered the chicken parmesan and DD ordered grilled chicken with macaroni, vegetables, and fruit.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110905.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110902.jpg

The chicken parmesan was not very appetizing to either of us. Do you see the tomato paste stuff that is one of the spreads for the artisan bread? Well, it tasted like that same paste was what covered the chicken parmesan and it was just too overwhelming. DD, however, really really loved her meal and ate almost all of her chicken and macaroni.

Now, for the best part: dessert!

I think that both DH and I had the best desserts of our trip here at Mama Melrose. DH opted for the hazelnut cheesecake (made with ricotta cheese) and I opted for the tiramisu. Even though DD had what appeared to be a complete meal, she was also offered dessert and opted for the ice cream sundae.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110908.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110906.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110907.jpg

DH really loves cheesecake and has sampled many a cheesecake in his lifetime, but he proclaimed that the ricotta cheesecake here was the best he had ever had. I was offered a tiny bite and do agree that it was fabulous. However, I was really too busy to care about his dessert because my tiramisu was so, so, so, so, so, so delish. I think that even though we had a sub-par entree, we will be coming back for the desserts. WOW!!

Total here with tip was $97.07.

Thanks again everyone for reading. Next up: Whispering Canyon.

[Crystal_27]

I am enjoying your review! Great pics. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks - glad to hear that you're enjoying them!

Glad you reviewed Capt. Cooks. Staying at Poly next month and it seems like it gets mixed reviews. I will be ordering that flatbread for sure.

Oh, yes - the flatbread is not to be missed.
Yum! The Dole Whip and sandwiches are making me drool!

Yes, all of my food pictures are making me so want to go back and eat myself silly!

[Disney owl]

great reviews thanks

[Crystal_27]

In case any of you don't know, Whispering Canyon is supposed to be a restaurant wherein the servers are supposed to be zany and funny, and there are supposed to be antics all around. We picked Whispering Canyon because we thought it was going to be a hoot and also because we were looking forward to trying their skillet.

We had a 2:20 p.m. ADR but ended up wanting to eat a bit earlier so we showed up around 1:00 p.m. The restaurant was only filled with 4 or 5 other families and we were taken to our table right away. I thought that our waitress got off to a great start when she threw straws and napkins at us. Unfortunately, that's apparently the only trick our waitress knew (and we saw her interactions with other customers, so I can feel confident in saying that - - all she did was throw napkins and straws). Frankly, we knew after about 20 minutes that we were going to be lucky to get any service at all, let alone anything to laugh about (which really is sad because the restaurant was practically empty and there were plenty of other servers who were having fun with their customers).

However, despite the fact that our server was checked out, we did find the food very good. We all ordered the skillet, and DD and I also ordered milkshakes when we found out they were offered with the Dining Plan. As if the skillet wasn't enough food, DD also ended up with a salad somehow. :rotfl:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121061.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121059.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121060.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121058.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121063.jpg

The skillet came with coleslaw (which none of us touched), corn bread (which was so good I could have eaten as my entire meal), beans (which were given a thumbs up from DH and DD), corn (which DD tried and loved), mashed potatoes (which were very good), ribs (which were incredible), chicken (which was good), and sausage (which was very good). I actually thought that the skillet came with shrimp as well, so DD was a bit disappointed that she didn't get the shrimp I had been promising her all day. :rolleyes:

Also, we had a difficult time getting seconds on anything because of our server issues. We did finally manage to flag our waitress down to ask for more ribs, but only actually ended up getting 6 more, which DD polished off all by herself.

For dessert, DH opted for the smores cheesecake (big surprise, right? :rotfl:) , DD opted for the dirt and worms, and I opted for the chocolate cake.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121064.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121066.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121065.jpg

Honestly, I don't think that any of the desserts were that great, or maybe we were just all ready to be back at our resort because we ended up leaving more than we ate. Total cost with tip (and yes we still tipped 18% even though our server was absent :sad2: ) was $88.89.

Up next: snacks from Goofy's Candy Company and Pecos Bill

[Crystal_27]

great reviews thanks

Thank you!! :)

[Donald is #1]

The skillet came with coleslaw (which none of us touched), corn bread (which was so good I could have eaten as my entire meal), beans (which were given a thumbs up from DH and DD), corn (which DD tried and loved), mashed potatoes (which were very good), ribs (which were incredible), chicken (which was good), and sausage (which was very good). I actually thought that the skillet came with shrimp as well, so DD was a bit disappointed that she didn't get the shrimp I had been promising her all day. :rolleyes:


I was confused when I read this in your report since I just read another dining report in the last couple of days that mentioned the shrimp. I just went and checked the menus on AllEarsNet. It looks like the skillet is slightly different at lunch than dinner and that the shrimp are included with dinner.

[DLo]

Can't wait for Goofy's. Somehow we had missed before last year. Mistake!! We already plan a trip there on our first night.

As for WCC, we went 2 years in a row for dinner and each time had a not so fun waiter. It definitley makes for a different experience. We just tried to have fun through the tables around us. Oh, well, the food was pretty good.

[adsrtw]

The s'mores cheesecake looks awesome. I get so fired up when I get bad service in an empty restaurant. Drives me crazy!

[jinkies04]

Thanks for the thorough reviews. We are doing Whispering Canyon for a supper! Hoping we have a more engaging server than you did!

[TarheelPrincess]

I was confused when I read this in your report since I just read another dining report in the last couple of days that mentioned the shrimp. I just went and checked the menus on AllEarsNet. It looks like the skillet is slightly different at lunch than dinner and that the shrimp are included with dinner.

I didn't get shrimp with my supper last week, but beef brisket came with the skillet. Our server said that the shrimp are rotated often with other meats. I was also looking forward to the shrimp too.

[tink6137130]

Love your review...thanks for sharing! :)

[Crystal_27]

I was confused when I read this in your report since I just read another dining report in the last couple of days that mentioned the shrimp. I just went and checked the menus on AllEarsNet. It looks like the skillet is slightly different at lunch than dinner and that the shrimp are included with dinner.

Yeah, my bet is that, given the price difference in lunch and dinner, that the shrimp is in place of the sausage. The sausage was good, but DD was just disappointed that there wasn't any shrimp.

Can't wait for Goofy's. Somehow we had missed before last year. Mistake!! We already plan a trip there on our first night.

As for WCC, we went 2 years in a row for dinner and each time had a not so fun waiter. It definitley makes for a different experience. We just tried to have fun through the tables around us. Oh, well, the food was pretty good.

Yeah, we also missed Goofy's Candy Company during our December, 2007 trip. We made up for it in September, believe me. ;)

About WCC, I just would have loved to at least see DH get a huge Coke. We had just come from Blizzard Beach, so I'm sure that DH could have finished it. However, instead he had to end up waiting for refills. Oh well, the food was indeed good, so it wasn't a loss.

The s'mores cheesecake looks awesome. I get so fired up when I get bad service in an empty restaurant. Drives me crazy!

Yeah, the service thing was a bummer and what's worse is that Disney doesn't really leave you feeling like you have any choice with the tip. I felt compelled to tip 18% because of the way the DDP charges are handled, even though our waitress would have only probably gotten 10% had we been paying cash. It's not only that she wasn't fun; she just wasn't there!

Thanks for the thorough reviews. We are doing Whispering Canyon for a supper! Hoping we have a more engaging server than you did!

Yeah, I could definitely see that many of the other families were having a blast, and I've read that dinner is a lot more fun than lunch so hopefully you will luck out! :thumbsup2

I didn't get shrimp with my supper last week, but beef brisket came with the skillet. Our server said that the shrimp are rotated often with other meats. I was also looking forward to the shrimp too.

Yikes - - beef brisket - I guess I should thank my lucky stars we got sausage.

Love your review...thanks for sharing! :)

Thank you for reading! I'm hoping to have my next installment up tonight.

Have a great day everyone! :goodvibes

[Crystal_27]

Guys, I'm really sorry for the delay in posting my update - my week just got crazier and crazier as it progressed. Anyway, back to the fun stuff..

I was very much looking forward to blowing some serious snack credits at Goofy's Candy Company. I had been drooling for months about the make-your-own pretzel rods so that's exactly what I opted for.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121074.jpg

One is dipped in milk chocolate, covered in Reese Peanut Butter Cups, and then drizzled with white and milk chocolate and caramel; one is dipped in milk chocolate, covered in Butterfinger, and then drizzled with white and milk chocolate and caramel; and one is dipped in white chocolate, covered in chocolate chips, and then drizzled with white and milk chocolate and caramel. I loved, loved, loved the Reese one, and DH loved the Butterfinger one, so much that we went back later in the week and got three more of each.

DD opted for this:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121075.jpg

A rice crispy dipped in milk chocolate and covered in sprinkles, M&Ms, and chocolate chips. Unfortunately we had to throw most of this away - - it was too much chocolate for her - it took her three bites to even get to any of the rice crispy - LOL.

We also picked up a couple of these:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9121076.jpg

My only complaint about Goofy's Candy Company is that the prepackaged Goofy's Candy isn't considered a snack under the DDP. I thought that anything under $4.00 was a snack credit, so DD ended up picking out three bags of Goofy's candy (the $2.95 size) but those weren't covered under the DDP so we had to pay out of pocket for those. It just didn't make sense to me because the lollipops shown above were more expensive than the candy and were included, and the make-your-own treats were also more expensive and were included. Go figure - I guess Disney has to keep us guessing.

DD and I shared this at Pecos Bill and we both found it to be a great meal.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131085.jpg

I was a bit weary about ordering burgers from Magic Kingdom since the ones we ordered last year from Cosmic Rays were disgusting, but this was fine. I think the total was around $11.00 for what's pictured.

Anyway, that's it for now. Up next: our magical moment at Chef Mickeys. Thanks everyone for still hanging in there with me.

[leeann32]

Great reviews :thumbsup2
Now I'm hungry :)

[goofieslonglostsis]

Goofies was sooo worth the wait! :banana: Like you I've been drooling a long time! One question though; did you think the pretzel rods are just as 'much' as the rice crispy or cookie? Let me explain; I've got this dea that the surface of one of those is bigger than the surface of 3 pretzel rods. Meaning; more place to add candy, bigger total candy, more to munch on! :laughing: Would you say I'm right, if you compair DD's rice crispy with the rods?


I agree with you about the bags of candy at Goofies. They've got so many 'weird' rules if you ask me, a 'lot' is not included. Weird, if you think about the same candy bags being included in the DDP when you use a snackcredit for them at the shops at the resorts. That's why last year I decided to leave Goofies with nothing :scared1: and get myself a lot of bags at CBR. :snooty: :cheer2: Can imagine with DD already having something picked out that's a different situation though.

Eat the lollipops yet? I got myself a bag of the smaller ones, definately some good suckers for on the plane or when borred at home. :woohoo:

[monte]

Great review, thanks for sharing. Your little girl is so cute with the prettiest smile.:) Please post some of your DH scrap books as I would love to see his work.:goodvibes

[suzimar57]

those pretzel rods from goofys look tempting!

[Crystal_27]

Great reviews :thumbsup2
Now I'm hungry :)

LOL - I stay hungry looking at all of my food pics!

Goofies was sooo worth the wait! :banana: Like you I've been drooling a long time! One question though; did you think the pretzel rods are just as 'much' as the rice crispy or cookie? Let me explain; I've got this dea that the surface of one of those is bigger than the surface of 3 pretzel rods. Meaning; more place to add candy, bigger total candy, more to munch on! :laughing: Would you say I'm right, if you compair DD's rice crispy with the rods?


I agree with you about the bags of candy at Goofies. They've got so many 'weird' rules if you ask me, a 'lot' is not included. Weird, if you think about the same candy bags being included in the DDP when you use a snackcredit for them at the shops at the resorts. That's why last year I decided to leave Goofies with nothing :scared1: and get myself a lot of bags at CBR. :snooty: :cheer2: Can imagine with DD already having something picked out that's a different situation though.

Eat the lollipops yet? I got myself a bag of the smaller ones, definately some good suckers for on the plane or when borred at home. :woohoo:

Hey girly-girl - hope all is well in your neck of the world. I've been so crazy-busy at work that I haven't had time to DIS-boards at all! :eek:

As to your question about the rice crispy vs. the pretzel rods, I would definitely say that you have more ability to go overboard on the chocolate and candy on the rice crispy than you do with the pretzel rods. It was ridiculous how thick the yummy stuff was caked onto her rice crispy - - I think she had to take 4 bites before even getting to the rice crispy. And, in addition, the entire bottom of the rice crispy container was filled with M&Ms and sprinkles and chocolate chips, so it was like the gift that kept on giving - LOL.

I had to laugh at the thought of you leaving Goofy's with nothing - that's some serious willpower there, girl!

And, about the lollipops, we gave those to our friends' kiddos back home but the report is that they loved them. What's not to love, afterall?

Great review, thanks for sharing. Your little girl is so cute with the prettiest smile.:) Please post some of your DH scrap books as I would love to see his work.:goodvibes

Awww, thank you! Since you are interested, here are some pictures of some of the pages DH did last year for DD's autograph book:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P3080868.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P3090899.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P3080872.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P3090890.jpg

We have fun with it - - I can't wait until we can do the autograph pages for the fairies!!!!

those pretzel rods from goofys look tempting!

Yes, they were fabulous. By the end on the trip, we ended up buying 12 of them (although we gave 3 to our friends). I dream about how good they were.

Well, guys, I am awaiting receipt of my PhotoPass CD so I can do the next installment. Hopefully it will be here soon, so I can get moving. Take care everyone!!

[Crystal_27]

All right, guys and gals, sorry about the delay - - it took longer than anticipated for me to receive my PhotoPass CD. I really wanted to wait to receive that since we had the wonderful fortune to be selected as the family to open Chef Mickey's for dinner!! I honestly could not believe our luck - we had a 5:00 p.m. ADR and were several families back in checking in, but we sure got the surprise of a lifetime.

First, DD was placed on the red carpet and was asked to drop the rope.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131088.jpg

Then, the Big Cheese himself greeted her and took us back to our seats.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/image173.jpg

Then, Mickey asked our DD to sign *his* autograph book, which she did (and I was certainly thankful that we had been working on her handwriting - LOL).

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/image182.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131095.jpg

Finally, it was dinner as usual, but we were presented with a free picture of DD and Mickey for being the selected family, which was so generous and unexpected.

Now, I have to admit that we were all jacked up on excitement and I really didn't do my duty in taking many pictures of the food. However, I got a couple of our food, and a couple of our desserts.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131099.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131102.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131109.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131111.jpg

The food here was tasty and fresh - - a typical Disney buffet. The meats for the night were ribs and prime rib and I really didn't have a single complaint. However, since this is a character meal, I'm sure we, like many families, come more for the characters than for the food.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131097.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131103.jpg

So, Chef Mickey's was certainly a wonderful experience for us. We didn't see the Dream Team anywhere during our entire 9-day trip at Disney, but I felt like being selected as the family to open Chef Mickey's really is a memory that DD will treasure, much more so than any Dream FastPass we could have won. She was really made to feel so special, and talking about it even now lights her face up. Total cost for dinner was $94.84 so it was also a very good bargain for the DDP.

Thanks to everyone who's still hanging in there. I really want to get this wrapped up in the next week or so, so I'll be posting more diligently - I promise. Take care!

[sandym718]

Oh how wonderful!!!! I bet you were picked because your DD is soooooo darned cute, LOL!! I love that dress! She must have just been beaming, that is a dream for sure.

Glad to hear a good CM dinner report - we're trying dinner next time for our first night. I can call for it on Monday!!

[Crystal_27]

Oh how wonderful!!!! I bet you were picked because your DD is soooooo darned cute, LOL!! I love that dress! She must have just been beaming, that is a dream for sure.

Glad to hear a good CM dinner report - we're trying dinner next time for our first night. I can call for it on Monday!!

Awwww, I like to think she was picked for that same reason - LOL. It really was a meal to remember, and CM will definitely be on our not-to-be-missed restaurant list for future trips just because the food was so tasty and because there was so much variety.

I know many DIS-ers say that 1900 Park Fare is the best buffet at Disney, but we all thought that CM was the best buffet. Anyway, I hope you have as geat a meal as we did.

[Crystal_27]

Sorry for the delay everyone - my computer decided to crash last weekend. UG!! Cross your collective fingers that I can retrieve all of my pictures which were all stored on the crashed computer's (now defunct) hard drive. However, I told DH that if I did lose all of my pictures, that's just more of an excuse to plan more Disney trips - LOL. :rotfl:

Anyway, back to the food. On this day of our trip, we had our typical breakfast at Captain Cook's and had dinner reservations at Kona! During our last trip we could not fit in Kona so I have been drooling over dining pictures of Kona food for a year now.

As was typical, we had an early dinner reservation and we were seated right away. We passed this work of art as we were shown to our table and I was so impressed that I just had to take a picture.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141267.jpg

We were given bread and butter as a starter, which was fabulous. DD also got a cute little surprise with her drink.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141269.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141271.jpg

For our entrees, DH and I both ordered the teriyaki steak and DD ordered the hamburger platter which also came with a yogurt parfait and cooked carrots and green beans.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141273.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141272.jpg

This was *the* meal that I had been dreaming about for a year and it did not disappoint. The teriyaki marinade was a perfect compliment to the steak, as was the pineapple relish. The potatoes and brocolini were also very very good. Unfortunately, DH was not as much of a fan of the meal as I was, but he still said it was a good meal.

DD enjoyed her meal as well - it was a typical Disney hamburger with typical Disney sides for the children.

For dessert, DH ordered the cheesecake (big surprise, right?) and I ordered the Kona Kone.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141274.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141276.jpg

DH thought that the cheesecake was good, and the Kona Kone was a fun dessert for DD and I. Total for this meal was $92.02, and this meal was probably my second favorite of our trip.

I also forgot to include a picture of the popcorn we got for a snack the day before. It was (as usual) perfect Disney popcorn.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9131123.jpg

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a great night.

[Gixer]

Great reviews! have really enjoyed reading them :goodvibes Ohhh my gosh, your DD is just the cutest little thing! I bet you were one proud and excited Mommy when she got picked to open CM! She looks like she should be a child model or on tv or something, what a little sweetie pie!

[sandym718]

We love Kona, too!! I'm sad the filet is gone, but that steak looks fab as well - I'll be trying it! Fingers crossed for you hard drive. My computer died a couple months ago - no power at all. I took it in to a repair shop and it wasn't worth fixing, but for just $30, he was able to download ALL my photos and documents onto 2 DVD's. Heck, that was worth the $$ just for the time saved, I had a LOT on there!! Good luck!

[michelleiada]

Thank you for taking the time to review the Disney Dining. It has helped me in deciding on where to eat when we go in May. We have been to WDW several times but have never done the Dining Plan and this time thought we would try it. I will start making reservations next week and I must say I'm finding the decision making to be overwhelming with so many choices. It is also hard to know where you will want to eat and on what day, six months in advance. The pictures are wonderful too! Your DD is adorable! Enjoy her, they grow so fast. It seems like yesterday that my two DD's were that age and now are teens. Four is a precious age. Thanks again for sharing with fellow Disney fans!:goodvibes

[disneyfav4ever]

Your pictures are great.

[Crystal_27]

Great reviews! have really enjoyed reading them :goodvibes Ohhh my gosh, your DD is just the cutest little thing! I bet you were one proud and excited Mommy when she got picked to open CM! She looks like she should be a child model or on tv or something, what a little sweetie pie!

Thank you so much for reading, and you are so sweet for saying that about my DD - we love her to pieces! :hug:

We love Kona, too!! I'm sad the filet is gone, but that steak looks fab as well - I'll be trying it! Fingers crossed for you hard drive. My computer died a couple months ago - no power at all. I took it in to a repair shop and it wasn't worth fixing, but for just $30, he was able to download ALL my photos and documents onto 2 DVD's. Heck, that was worth the $$ just for the time saved, I had a LOT on there!! Good luck!

Oh, thanks for the well wishes about our computer. I hope that we can salvage our pictures. Our DD is 4 years old and that computer had pictures of her since she was a baby. I can't imagine losing them. :sick: :sad1: I'm going to try taking it to a repair shop to see what they can do. Failing that, I think that there are various computer "forensics" labs that will try and save data (but I'm sure that won't come cheap). Either way, I just hope we can save some of them. Anyway, sorry for the downer but thanks for reading my reviews. The next one should be up tomorrow.

Thank you for taking the time to review the Disney Dining. It has helped me in deciding on where to eat when we go in May. We have been to WDW several times but have never done the Dining Plan and this time thought we would try it. I will start making reservations next week and I must say I'm finding the decision making to be overwhelming with so many choices. It is also hard to know where you will want to eat and on what day, six months in advance. The pictures are wonderful too! Your DD is adorable! Enjoy her, they grow so fast. It seems like yesterday that my two DD's were that age and now are teens. Four is a precious age. Thanks again for sharing with fellow Disney fans!:goodvibes

YAY - I'm glad that my reviews are helping you with your dining planning. The DIS helped me with planning so much last year that I wanted to give something back with this review (plus I love having the added bonus of having pictures of our food right at my fingertips - LOL). We loved the dining plan and hopefully you will too. Planning six months in advance is very difficult, though, I agree. We used Tour Guide Mike's charts and just took his advice as to the best park days and just made our ADRs according to those and I was really happy with the results. Anyway, have fun planning and thank you for reading! :goodvibes

[Crystal_27]

Your pictures are great.

LOL - we must have posted at the same time!! Thank you for the compliment and for reading!!

[Izzy&LiamsMomma]

Thank you so much for this--we are planning our first ever Disney trip and several places you reviewed helped me decide on our dining for the week!

[Gixer]

I just read in your signature that your doing the DCL Eastern next year, we did that this past January and I have to tell you we all LOVED it! :lovestruc
Your DD will have so much fun with all the activities and kids clubs, DH and I had to beg our girls to have at least a little bit of family time with us as they never wanted to leave their new friends and the kids club! Your all going to have such a wonderful time on DCL, make sure you book Dinner at Palo, the chocolate souffle is heaven! :cloud9:

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Just read your report - thanks for the wonderful reviews:thumbsup2

[Crystal_27]

Thank you so much for this--we are planning our first ever Disney trip and several places you reviewed helped me decide on our dining for the week!

Thank you! I really don't think you can go wrong with dining anywhere at Disney - although some meals were certainly better than others, we always left the restaurants feeling stuffed. Please feel free to ask any questions.

I just read in your signature that your doing the DCL Eastern next year, we did that this past January and I have to tell you we all LOVED it! :lovestruc
Your DD will have so much fun with all the activities and kids clubs, DH and I had to beg our girls to have at least a little bit of family time with us as they never wanted to leave their new friends and the kids club! Your all going to have such a wonderful time on DCL, make sure you book Dinner at Palo, the chocolate souffle is heaven! :cloud9:

We actually did the Land/Sea in December, 2007 and were on the Wonder for 3 days, and we were lucky enough to get to dine at Palo while we were onboard. I agree - that souffle was TO DIE FOR!!! I can't wait to eat at Palo again, and I'm hopeful this time that we can also get Palo brunch in addition to dinner. And DD felt the same way as your girls about the Club. I *can't wait* for this cruise (although I am trying to swing a February trip to the parks - LOLOLOLOL). I can't imagine how fabulous 7 days on the Magic is going to be. :cloud9:

Just read your report - thanks for the wonderful reviews:thumbsup2

Thank you for reading. It's always nice to know that people are hanging in there with me. :goodvibes

[Crystal_27]

All right - I'm actually making an update *as promised* - LOL.

I don't know if any of you all experience this, but we always find that Animal Kingdom is our "hungry park." We always hit the park at rope drop, and by noon we are starving. This year, since it was hotter than the surface of the sun, I expected that we wouldn't be as hungry when we went to Animal Kingdom...I was mistaken. We ate at Pizzafari and used 3 counter service credits and a snack! :rolleyes:

We got pizza: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141238.jpg

A chicken ceasar salad: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141241.jpg

A chicken parmesan sandwich: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141239.jpg

AND breadsticks: http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141242.jpg

I would like to say that we showed some restraint in eating all of this food, but we didn't - - we polished all of it off. I recall that the pizza was gooey and melty and the breadsticks were fabulous! I also recall that the chicken parm sandwich was very tasty but a bit on the dry side. The chicken ceasar salad tasted exactly like those that we had been eating at Captain Cook's so it was fine too. The desserts we got (chocolate cake and frozen lemonade) also hit the spot!

I think the total for the meal would have been about $36.00, but since we knew we had plenty of counter service credits for the remainder of our trip, I didn't mind blowing three credits for this meal.

Also, in reviewing my pictures, I realized that I forgot to upload one of the best snacks that we had during our entire trip: an ice cream sandwich at Main Street Bakery at Magic Kingdom. :cloud9:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141328.jpg

This baby was the size of my DD's entire hand and it was so so so so good. We will definitely be getting one (or two) of these in the future.

Well, that's it for now. Stay tuned for pastries in France and Coral Reef.

[tinkjess3]

First off your daughter is an absolute doll! Second off can I take you along on my next Disney trip to take all my pictures? They are great! :worship:

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Excellent reviews! You are a great photographer!

[wilma-bride]

Thanks for the great reviews and, I have to agree with other posters, your pictures are great.

[Crystal_27]

First off your daughter is an absolute doll! Second off can I take you along on my next Disney trip to take all my pictures? They are great! :worship:

Excellent reviews! You are a great photographer!

Thanks for the great reviews and, I have to agree with other posters, your pictures are great.

You guys are so sweet for your compliments about my pictures - I'm very passionate about photography and it's always great to hear nice things about my pictures. I'll go off topic for a second and post a couple of my favorite shots I got during the last trip.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161596_filtered.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161423.jpg

In the next post will be my next dining review.

[sandym718]

OMG, AWESOME shots!! That one of the castle and the fireworks is Stunning!! I wish I could take photos like that!

[Crystal_27]

Given that the temperature was hotter than the surface of the sun, we really debated on whether or not to make the trek to France to sample the pastries. Let me tell you: I'm *so* glad we did. We got the Napolean and the Strawberry Tart, and both were just incredible.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151356.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151357.jpg

Anyway, after our tiring, hot day at Epcot, we decided to grab a hamburger for us all to split for lunch, so we ordered the one at Captain Cooks. This was really the only lousy, sickening thing that we ate during our entire trip. There was so much grease on the hamburger that the bottom bun was sopping wet with it. :sick: Disgusting!!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151366.jpg

So, after our uneaten lunch, we were very much looking forward to our dinner at Coral Reef. As a surprise for my family, I had contacted Debbi at the Coral Reef to ask for a personalized menu, and she turned around and surprised me by offering us a diver too. How fabulous, right?

Well, we were treated to the best seats in the house - right next to the tank. Also, DD's personalized menu was so adorable!

We ordered DD a special drink with a glow cube in it and we got some very good bread to munch on before our meal.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151376.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151378.jpg

DD ordered pizza (which also came with carrot and celery sticks for an appetizer), and DH and I both got the steak.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151380.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151381.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151382.jpg

We were eating our meal with such great anticipation of our diver and kept expecting to see him at any time. We didn't tell DD about the diver but I think she knew something was up because we kept glancing at the tank every few minutes. After dinner, she tells me that she has to go potty, so I took her, but left the camera and strict instructions on its settings for DH just in case the diver came in our absence. When we got back to the table, still no diver but we thought he was going to show up any minute becuase DH said that while DD and I were in the bathroom that our waiter came by and said "oh, you guys had a banner." When we finally saw our waiter again we ordered our desserts (ice cream sundae for DD and the chocolate wave for DH and I) and keep waiting and waiting.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151388.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151389.jpg

About the time our desserts were arriving, the manager comes by our table and tells us that our waiter neglected to inform the diver which side of the restaurant we were sitting at, so the diver went to the wrong side of the restaurant to show our sign.

Oh, I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I was, but since the diver is a free service offered by the Coral Reef, it's not like I could actually show my disappointment. I just told the manager "that's okay, thanks anyway" and proceeded to eat my chocolate wave, which was like nectar from the Gods.

I guess the one good thing that I can take out of it was that the family on the other side who got our sign must have thought they were granted a "dream" because the sign was very general and said "Hugs and Kisses, Love, Ariel."

I have to tell you guys, though, that our waiter had an attitude about him the entire night, and it was so disheartening that our "once in a lifetime" experience didn't matter enough to him to take one minute and properly direct the diver. Jerk. :guilty: It's sad, but thankfully DD didn't know what she was missing, and was having a fabulous time playing with her glow cube - LOL.

Total cost with tip (and, yes, we still tipped 18%) was $120.99. We will definitely go back to Coral Reef (despite our disappointment with the diver experience) because the food was so, so good - the steaks were perfectly cooked and were fabulous, and the chocolate wave was *so* incredible.

As always, thanks for reading!

[Crystal_27]

OMG, AWESOME shots!! That one of the castle and the fireworks is Stunning!! I wish I could take photos like that!

Oh, believe me, that fireworks picture was 1% skill, and 99% luck. I couldn't believe it when I saw I had captured that one. I got a couple other fireworks shots that were good, but that one knocked my socks off!

[f19810]

Your fireworks picture is great. By any chance, do you know what settings your camera was set at?
Judy

[Crystal_27]

Your fireworks picture is great. By any chance, do you know what settings your camera was set at?
Judy

Well, my settings were f/2.0; ISO 100; shutter speed 1/50 with a 50mm lens. However, I shoot with an Olympus E-520 which has built-in image stabilization, so I could get away with a lower shutter speed. Also, again since my camera has built-in image stabilization (and since I forgot my tripod at home - LOL) I was hand-holding these shots. Also, since my camera has 5 frames per second, I just would keep the shutter button depressed and let it click-click-click-click. Finally, I shoot in RAW so I was able to bring up the exposure when I needed to. Here are a couple more:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161662.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161634.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161581.jpg

[NeverBeen2DW]

OMG, AWESOME shots!! That one of the castle and the fireworks is Stunning!! I wish I could take photos like that!


Amazing shots! That is not a compact hand held type camera right?

[BigGreen73]

Oh, believe me, that fireworks picture was 1% skill, and 99% luck. I couldn't believe it when I saw I had captured that one. I got a couple other fireworks shots that were good, but that one knocked my socks off!

I was just wondering about that FW's picture as well. It's a great shot and you pretty much answered my question. Anyway, what kind of camera did you use?

Love this thread so far. A few of the places that you talked about and posted some pics for are ones that we want to try next trip. :)

[Disneyvirg]

Crystal - Thank you for writing this Foodie Report. We're staying at the Poly in June. I was considering most of the places you dined at. Your reviews are very helpful and steering me towards some I was a bit afraid to try based on bad DIS reviews.

Thank you so much! Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

[Sibahan]

Thank you everyone for your warm reception, and thank you SandyM for your compliment about my DD - - she's great fun!! :goodvibes

All righty, I guess I'll dive right in with our first meal at Earl of Sandwich. We drive down to Orlando from Atlanta so it's become a tradition to stay off-site for one night and eat at DTD to get us in the Disney frame of mind. Last year, we ate at Earl of Sandwich for dinner and, because we had such a great meal last year, decided to eat there again.

DH and I both ordered the Original sandwiches (sans the horseradish) and DD ordered the kids Grilled Cheese. We also got 2 bags of chips, a bottled water, and a *$5.00* Michelob Ultra (welcome to Disney, right? :rotfl: ). Total was $27.06.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9080562.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9080561.jpg

I hate to say it, but our DD's grilled cheese (which I sampled in the interest of a fair and balanced food report) was the clear winner. It was melty and gooey and fabulous. DH and I both agree that the roast beef in our Originals was stringy and fatty and just tasteless. What a bummer! Also, since we nixed the horseradish, the sandwiches were very dry (looking back, we should have asked for some mayo or something).

Besides the grilled cheese, though, the other positive thing that I noted was that the ordering system seemed much better managed this year. :thumbsup2

Will we go back? Probably. The Earl has become our first night tradition, so I would hate it write it off for one (well, two, really) bad sandwiches.

Next up: CRT breakfast


Had to laugh...i tasted the PB&J at Earls, and it was the winner when we went! It was so good, melted PB and gooey Jelly, was just the best!

[Crystal_27]

Amazing shots! That is not a compact hand held type camera right?

No, not a compact, a dSLR.

I was just wondering about that FW's picture as well. It's a great shot and you pretty much answered my question. Anyway, what kind of camera did you use?

Love this thread so far. A few of the places that you talked about and posted some pics for are ones that we want to try next trip. :)

I shoot with an Olympus E-520 and I love, love, love it. Also, I'm glad my food reviews are helpful to you. All in all, we ate very well during our trip.

Crystal - Thank you for writing this Foodie Report. We're staying at the Poly in June. I was considering most of the places you dined at. Your reviews are very helpful and steering me towards some I was a bit afraid to try based on bad DIS reviews.

Thank you so much! Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

Oh, we loved the Poly. I'm so trying to sneak back in February! Glad my reviews are helping you!!! Thanks for reading.

Had to laugh...i tasted the PB&J at Earls, and it was the winner when we went! It was so good, melted PB and gooey Jelly, was just the best!

Oh, I could totally see the PB&Js being wonderful at EoS!! As a matter of fact, a PB&J sounds really good right now...guess it must be past lunch - LOL.

[Donald is #1]

Well, my settings were f/2.0; ISO 100; shutter speed 1/50 with a 50mm lens. However, I shoot with an Olympus E-520 which has built-in image stabilization, so I could get away with a lower shutter speed. Also, again since my camera has built-in image stabilization (and since I forgot my tripod at home - LOL) I was hand-holding these shots. Also, since my camera has 5 frames per second, I just would keep the shutter button depressed and let it click-click-click-click. Finally, I shoot in RAW so I was able to bring up the exposure when I needed to. Here are a couple more:


Great pictures! How much adjusting did you need to do the exposure on your computer?

[John's Mom]

Great reviews and pics!

[NeverBeen2DW]

No, not a compact, a dSLR.



I shoot with an Olympus E-520 and I love, love, love it. Also, I'm glad my food reviews are helpful to you. All in all, we ate very well during our trip.




is it heavy? I looked it up. Sounds like a great camera.

[Crystal_27]

Great pictures! How much adjusting did you need to do the exposure on your computer?

Well, I develop my RAW pictures using Photoshop Elements, so for each picture I typically adjust the exposure, fill light, and white balance (and sometimes the saturation and contrast). In shooting RAW, you can get up to 2 more stops of exposure, but I don't think I've ever boosted exposure that much and had a workable result - LOL. Even with my adjustments, though, each picture takes less than a minute to "develop" and I think the results are well worth the time investment.

Great reviews and pics!

Thank you so much for reading. My next update should be up tonight.

is it heavy? I looked it up. Sounds like a great camera.

Actually, Olympus dSLRs are the smallest and lightest on the market because they have a 4/3s ("cropped") sensor. Olympus developed its digital camera line from the ground up, opposed to what Canon and Nikon (et al.) did when they just used their film bodies as a starting point when they went digital. Olympus also pioneered the "live view" and "dust filter" technology that most dSLRs have now. The drawback of Olympus, though, is that because of the cameras' smaller sensors, they do not perform as well in high ISO settings (ISO 800 and 1600) as Canon and Nikon (et al.). However, since I don't typically shoot in high ISO situations, Olympus is perfect for me. Honestly, though, most cameras pretty much are on the same ground when it comes to features and options. I started out with an Olympus point-and-shoot, graduated to a dSLR, and upgraded this year to my second dSLR. I know the strengths and weaknesses of the Olympus brand and try to shoot in a way that gets the most from the camera and minimizes the weaknesses. Sorry for my novel reply (I told you photography is something I'm passionate about) - please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions. :)

[NeverBeen2DW]

well to be honest you lost me in the lingo long ago! LOL! I love taking pictures but you know a heck of a lot more than me! Just a quick question what requires a high ISO settings? and what is shooting in the raw. I would PM you but I do not know how :confused3 sorry.

[SunnieRN]

Great reviews, beautiful pictures and gorgeous daughter!

[Montana Minnies]

So, after our uneaten lunch, we were very much looking forward to our dinner at Coral Reef. As a surprise for my family, I had contacted Debbi at the Coral Reef to ask for a personalized menu, and she turned around and surprised me by offering us a diver too. How fabulous, right?

Well, we were treated to the best seats in the house - right next to the tank. Also, DD's personalized menu was so adorable!

We ordered DD a special drink with a glow cube in it and we got some very good bread to munch on before our meal.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151376.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151378.jpg

DD ordered pizza (which also came with carrot and celery sticks for an appetizer), and DH and I both got the steak.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151380.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151381.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151382.jpg

We were eating our meal with such great anticipation of our diver and kept expecting to see him at any time. We didn't tell DD about the diver but I think she knew something was up because we kept glancing at the tank every few minutes. After dinner, she tells me that she has to go potty, so I took her, but left the camera and strict instructions on its settings for DH just in case the diver came in our absence. When we got back to the table, still no diver but we thought he was going to show up any minute becuase DH said that while DD and I were in the bathroom that our waiter came by and said "oh, you guys had a banner." When we finally saw our waiter again we ordered our desserts (ice cream sundae for DD and the chocolate wave for DH and I) and keep waiting and waiting.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151388.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151389.jpg

About the time our desserts were arriving, the manager comes by our table and tells us that our waiter neglected to inform the diver which side of the restaurant we were sitting at, so the diver went to the wrong side of the restaurant to show our sign.

Oh, I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I was, but since the diver is a free service offered by the Coral Reef, it's not like I could actually show my disappointment. I just told the manager "that's okay, thanks anyway" and proceeded to eat my chocolate wave, which was like nectar from the Gods.

I guess the one good thing that I can take out of it was that the family on the other side who got our sign must have thought they were granted a "dream" because the sign was very general and said "Hugs and Kisses, Love, Ariel."

I have to tell you guys, though, that our waiter had an attitude about him the entire night, and it was so disheartening that our "once in a lifetime" experience didn't matter enough to him to take one minute and properly direct the diver. Jerk. :guilty: It's sad, but thankfully DD didn't know what she was missing, and was having a fabulous time playing with her glow cube - LOL.

Total cost with tip (and, yes, we still tipped 18%) was $120.99. We will definitely go back to Coral Reef (despite our disappointment with the diver experience) because the food was so, so good - the steaks were perfectly cooked and were fabulous, and the chocolate wave was *so* incredible.

As always, thanks for reading!

I was interested in reading your review of the Coral Reef as we were thinking of eating there our next trip.:thumbsup2 I'm glad you enjoyed your meal. We've never eaten there before and I was curious as how the food is. I had read a review that was not too favorable, so I think we will check it out for ourselves since yours was good.
Also enjoyed your other reviews and your pictures are wonderful. :)

[iluvpluto27]

I'm a bit late jumping on board with this review, but I've just read the whole thing and I'm in awe of your pictures! They're all so good. Really enjoying your reviews, but sorry you didn't get your banner at Coral Reef.

[Crystal_27]

well to be honest you lost me in the lingo long ago! LOL! I love taking pictures but you know a heck of a lot more than me! Just a quick question what requires a high ISO settings? and what is shooting in the raw. I would PM you but I do not know how :confused3 sorry.

I'll PM you!

Great reviews, beautiful pictures and gorgeous daughter!

Thank you so very much!! :goodvibes

I was interested in reading your review of the Coral Reef as we were thinking of eating there our next trip.:thumbsup2 I'm glad you enjoyed your meal. We've never eaten there before and I was curious as how the food is. I had read a review that was not too favorable, so I think we will check it out for ourselves since yours was good.
Also enjoyed your other reviews and your pictures are wonderful. :)

Thank you very much for reading! We also had read a lot of mixed reviews about Coral Reef, but our food was absolutely perfect. Hopefully, you'll have just as good a meal as we did if you choose to dine there.


I'm a bit late jumping on board with this review, but I've just read the whole thing and I'm in awe of your pictures! They're all so good. Really enjoying your reviews, but sorry you didn't get your banner at Coral Reef.

Thank you for joining my food review party. Glad you're enjoying the reviews - the next one will be up shortly.

[Crystal_27]

Since we were nearing the end of our trip, we had used up all of our TS credits and were spending our last full day trying to use up our CS and snack credits.

Breakfast found us (once again) at Captain Cooks, where I ordered a Mickey Waffle and DH ordered the Breakfast Platter for all three of us to split.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161400.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9110860.jpg

As had been the case with every breakfast that we ate at Captain Cooks, we found the food to be tasty, hot, and satisfying. The cost was approximately $23.00.

We hit Wolfgang Puck's Express for lunch and ordered a roast beef and cheddar sandwich and a pepperoni margherita flatbread with frozen yogurt and a cookie for dessert.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161413.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161411.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161414.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161415.jpg

Total for this meal was $33.65 and, again, it was very, very good.

Since we were already at DTD, we decided to head to Goofy's Candy Shop to try and blow the remainder of our snack credits. We actually ended up buying items that were not covered by the DDP, so we had to pay out of pocket for them, but I did take some pictures of some of the offerings that I thought you all would enjoy.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161409.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161408.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161407.jpg

For dinner that night, since we were attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, we opted for Pecos Bills. We ordered burgers all around and they were very tasty. Total for this meal was $23.58.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161493.jpg

All right, guys, this brings us to our last meal at Disney - breakfast at Captain Cook's before we hit the road. DH ordered one last offering of Tonga Toast, I ordered the Skillet for DD and I, as well as these yummy pastries to snack on.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9171791.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9171792.jpg

For all of you "number crunchers" out there, my next post will contain some math as well as my thoughts on the DDP as a whole.

I can't tell you guys how much I have appreciated your interest, compliments, and support in reading this report. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. :hug:

[luckytobeme88]

Where did you take those amazing firework pictures of the cindy castle? It looks like somewhere we will want to watch "Wishes" from. Thanks.

[janloz]

I just found your food reviews and photos which are both wonderful. We leave in 11 days and are eating at many of the same places so it was nice to see them. thanks.

[Crystal_27]

Where did you take those amazing firework pictures of the cindy castle? It looks like somewhere we will want to watch "Wishes" from. Thanks.

We were right in the middle of the masses on Main Street - LOL. We actually were a little bit back from the main hub (and the real craziness), on the left sidewalk, near a trashcan. It was a good location!

I just found your food reviews and photos which are both wonderful. We leave in 11 days and are eating at many of the same places so it was nice to see them. thanks.

Oh, enjoy your trip, you lucky thing! Glad my review was helpful to you!!

[Ciciwoowoo]

I really enjoyed your review and love your pics! Your daughter is just as cute as can be!

[Crystal_27]

Even though we were going to Disney in September (during free dining), we opted for a room discount at the Poly and paid out of pocket for the dining plan. Therefore, it was very, very important for me to come out ahead with dining costs.

The dining plan for 8 nights cost us $688. The total that we paid for the food we ate on the dining plan (not including tips) would have been $963.40, so we saved $275.40 by using the dining plan. Our tips, refillable mug, and Cinderella's Royal Table cost us another $250.79. So, essentially, for $938.79, we got $1,214.19 worth of food. Not bad at all.

I think that we were all very happy eaters on the DDP. We had a couple of "just okay" TS meals, one horrible CS meal and, other than that, we were very happy with all of our restaurant and entree choices. Also, there was something very gratifying about not having to worry about the cost of an entree when sitting down to eat.

I will say, however, that we got a lot of mileage out of our CS meals by splitting two adult CS meals at one time. Instead of 16 adult/8 child CS credits, we used them so that we ended up with 24 adult CS credits. I'm sure that is where we found most of our savings with the DDP, and I'm quite sure that that little "loophole" will be closed next year with the Quick Service plan - LOL.

The only drawback that I encountered was that I got *sick* of Captain Cooks by the end of our trip. Most days, we had breakfast and lunch at Captain Cooks, and it just got old by the end of the trip (although the food was always very good - it all just ended up tasting the same).

Again, I thank everyone for hanging in there with me, and for saying such wonderful things about my DD and my pictures. I hope that this report was helpful to you all. Please free free to post any questions you have. Take care everyone! :goodvibes :grouphug: :flower3:

[Crystal_27]

I really enjoyed your review and love your pics! Your daughter is just as cute as can be!

Thank you!!! I really had a great time reliving my trip through food. :goodvibes

[wilma-bride]

Woohoo, more food - yum! Is it wrong that a plain ole croissant looks so damn delicious :rotfl:

Great reviews - thanks so much for posting them :)

[Crystal_27]

Woohoo, more food - yum! Is it wrong that a plain ole croissant looks so damn delicious :rotfl:

Great reviews - thanks so much for posting them :)

Yes, and that croissant was perfect - flaky and soft and yummy. Thanks again for reading!! :goodvibes

[Donald is #1]

Well, I develop my RAW pictures using Photoshop Elements, so for each picture I typically adjust the exposure, fill light, and white balance (and sometimes the saturation and contrast). In shooting RAW, you can get up to 2 more stops of exposure, but I don't think I've ever boosted exposure that much and had a workable result - LOL. Even with my adjustments, though, each picture takes less than a minute to "develop" and I think the results are well worth the time investment.


Very interesting! My new DSLR (Nikon D300) is much better for RAW mode than my previous one (D100). So I have been toying with the idea of switching to RAW mode but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[Crystal_27]

Very interesting! My new DSLR (Nikon D300) is much better for RAW mode than my previous one (D100). So I have been toying with the idea of switching to RAW mode but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Oh, you should totally do it. I'm serious, once you see the detail that you've been losing with JPEG and once you realize how much more flexibility you have with your pictures, you will be hooked on RAW. It is a time investment but it's well worth it! If you have any questions along the way, just PM me! Good luck and happy shooting!!

[Mocharilla]

Great review!! :thumbsup2

It was great to read it, since yours was the first TR I ever read (your cruise one)

[Crystal_27]

Great review!! :thumbsup2

It was great to read it, since yours was the first TR I ever read (your cruise one)

YAY - glad you found me the second time around too. Thanks for reading!!

[TigerKat]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post your reviews!

[Mocharilla]

YAY - glad you found me the second time around too. Thanks for reading!!

Me too!

Can't wait for your next cruise! (I assume you're doing a TR for that, too)

[Crystal_27]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post your reviews!

Thank you for taking the time to read them!! :)

Me too!

Can't wait for your next cruise! (I assume you're doing a TR for that, too)

Oh, yes!! I will most definitely be doing a TR for the cruise (*and* I'm also planning on doing one if we decide to go back in February). ;)

[John's Mom]

Thanks for sharing your great reviews and pictures with us! :goodvibes

[Crystal_27]

Thanks for sharing your great reviews and pictures with us! :goodvibes

It was absolutely my pleasure!! :goodvibes

[goofieslonglostsis]

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9151357.jpg



Sure looks yummie! Do you happen to know what the filling in it is beneath the strawberries?

[Crystal_27]

Sure looks yummie! Do you happen to know what the filling in it is beneath the strawberries?

:wave2: Oh, my GOODNESS, Girlfriend, it was like a strawberry mousse, but not very strawberryery (is that even a word - LOL). It tasted more like thick whipped cream with a tiny hint of strawberry. I literally could have eaten an entire vat of that stuff because it was so good. :teeth:

[Miffy2003]

Great reviews! Thanks for sharing them - I have really enjoyed your report and the photos.

[Schmoodle]

Crystal, thanks for writing up the dining report, I really enjoyed reading it!
It's always interesting to see if folks think they are coming out ahead with the dining plan or not.

[goofieslonglostsis]

:wave2: Oh, my GOODNESS, Girlfriend, it was like a strawberry mousse, but not very strawberryery (is that even a word - LOL). It tasted more like thick whipped cream with a tiny hint of strawberry. I literally could have eaten an entire vat of that stuff because it was so good. :teeth:

An entire vat? That has to be good stuff, then! I'm not really fond of whipped cream, but this sounds and looks like something I should give a try. :thumbsup2

Hmm, this starts me imagining dragging a vat of the stuff onboard our cruise. Look Crystal, hun, a special delivery. :lmao: :rotfl2:

[Crystal_27]

Great reviews! Thanks for sharing them - I have really enjoyed your report and the photos.

Thank you for reading!! :goodvibes

Crystal, thanks for writing up the dining report, I really enjoyed reading it!
It's always interesting to see if folks think they are coming out ahead with the dining plan or not.

Well, I think we came out ahead either way, but had we used DD's child CS credits the way they were intended, perhaps we would have come a bit closer to breaking even. However, I still loved that we didn't have to pay a ton out of pocket during our actual vacation and that most of the trip was all inclusive. Anyway, thank you!

An entire vat? That has to be good stuff, then! I'm not really fond of whipped cream, but this sounds and looks like something I should give a try. :thumbsup2

Hmm, this starts me imagining dragging a vat of the stuff onboard our cruise. Look Crystal, hun, a special delivery. :lmao: :rotfl2:

Yeah, who needs a Palo souflee when we have a vat of strawberry tort filling. :rotfl:

[webcreatrix]

Wow! I came to read the dining reviews, but your castle & fireworks pics are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

[irongirlof12]

Wow! I came to read the dining reviews, but your castle & fireworks pics are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

totally agree :thumbsup2

[jrsmom]

Well, my settings were f/2.0; ISO 100; shutter speed 1/50 with a 50mm lens. However, I shoot with an Olympus E-520 which has built-in image stabilization, so I could get away with a lower shutter speed. Also, again since my camera has built-in image stabilization (and since I forgot my tripod at home - LOL) I was hand-holding these shots. Also, since my camera has 5 frames per second, I just would keep the shutter button depressed and let it click-click-click-click. Finally, I shoot in RAW so I was able to bring up the exposure when I needed to. Here are a couple more:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161662.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161634.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161581.jpg

Beautiful photos!

[Crystal_27]

Wow! I came to read the dining reviews, but your castle & fireworks pics are amazing! Thanks for sharing.

totally agree :thumbsup2

Beautiful photos!

You guys are so sweet!! Thank you so much!! :goodvibes

[mickey2minnie1]

Well, my settings were f/2.0; ISO 100; shutter speed 1/50 with a 50mm lens. However, I shoot with an Olympus E-520 which has built-in image stabilization, so I could get away with a lower shutter speed. Also, again since my camera has built-in image stabilization (and since I forgot my tripod at home - LOL) I was hand-holding these shots. Also, since my camera has 5 frames per second, I just would keep the shutter button depressed and let it click-click-click-click. Finally, I shoot in RAW so I was able to bring up the exposure when I needed to. Here are a couple more:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161662.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161634.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9161581.jpg

These are the most beautiful pictures I have seen of the castle!:thumbsup2

[SPOERLX3]

Then, although not exactly dining related, DD was lucky enough to get picked by Miyuki for a candy creation. DD opted for a pink swan and I (and everyone else) was *awed* at seeing Miyuki make this swan, especially when she made the wings. Miyuki is truly an artist!

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9100820.jpg

Anyway, that's it for now. Next up: LeCellier[/QUOTE]

What a precious picture. She looks like an angel. We are taking 2 of our grandkids this August. They have never been to Disney and I can't wait to see thier precious little faces lite up.

[SPOERLX3]

Also, in reviewing my pictures, I realized that I forgot to upload one of the best snacks that we had during our entire trip: an ice cream sandwich at Main Street Bakery at Magic Kingdom. :cloud9:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b92/CLRegan/P9141328.jpg

This baby was the size of my DD's entire hand and it was so so so so good. We will definitely be getting one (or two) of these in the future.

Have you tried the ice cream cookie sandwich at Dino Land @ Dino Bite Snacks Kiosk in Animal Kingdom. It is HUGE too. the cookies are about 6 inches with 3 scoops of ice cream; chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. You can get it on a sugar, chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin. If you love the one at Magic Kingdom, you will love this one too. Great use of snack credits and big enough to share!:love:

[arbolita]

Wow, your pictures are fantastic! I've been getting annoyed with my point and shoot camera and been debating on upgrading, and seeing those definitely solidified that decision. I think that will be my wedding gift to myself :lmao:

[Crystal_27]

These are the most beautiful pictures I have seen of the castle!:thumbsup2

Thank you so much. I got very lucky with these (I probably took about 100 pictures during HalloWishes, and ended up with a couple of keepers). :goodvibes


What a precious picture. She looks like an angel. We are taking 2 of our grandkids this August. They have never been to Disney and I can't wait to see thier precious little faces lite up.

Oh, thank you!! Your grandkids are going to have such a wonderful time!!!



Have you tried the ice cream cookie sandwich at Dino Land @ Dino Bite Snacks Kiosk in Animal Kingdom. It is HUGE too. the cookies are about 6 inches with 3 scoops of ice cream; chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. You can get it on a sugar, chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin. If you love the one at Magic Kingdom, you will love this one too. Great use of snack credits and big enough to share!:love:

Oooooo, I didn't know such a thing existed in AK. We'll definitely be trying these next year. Thank you for the recommendation!!

Wow, your pictures are fantastic! I've been getting annoyed with my point and shoot camera and been debating on upgrading, and seeing those definitely solidified that decision. I think that will be my wedding gift to myself :lmao:

Yes, you will see an *incredible* difference when you upgrade to a dSLR. And, congratulations on your wedding!!

[kathyg]

Your pictures are almost as beautiful as your daughter! Great job!!!!