WDW Dining with our Princess and Stitch! Updated with Cape May Cafe Dinner!

[Ginamarie]

DH and I are big WDW fans. We've been to the parks and/or on DCL each year since our honeymoon in 2002. This is due to my love of Disney and facilitated by DH's employment with the company. Sometimes I think he just tolerates my madness, but I digress. One of my absolute favorite things about a WDW vacation is dining. I'm Italian. I LOVE food. I love cooking and eating and then talking about my great meals. Hence, the dining reviews part of this board is one of my favorite lurking spots.

I thought you all might enjoy our reviews for our upcoming 10 day trip to WDW, so here's a start :) We are traveling from April 26 through May 6.

Our cast:

DH- Our walking discount... I mean hero. We'll call him "Buzz". Big, strong and providing us with the plastic (that which pays our dining bills). He likes food as well, enjoys a good steak or a tasty burger. He also LOVES breakfast foods. His dining request each trip is dinner at Ohana.

Me- I suppose I'd be most like Belle, walking around with my head in a book, or a Disney guide. I'm most looking forward to the Le Celier mushroom filet. I last ate one of these in December 2006 and have dreamed of its deliciousness ever since. Otherwise, I'm open to all sorts of food, be it meat, fish, plant, or otherwise. However, I will not eat stringbeans.. not.at.all.

DD(3)- Our daughter, who will be "Ariel" for purposes of this report. She's in love with The Little Mermaid and princesses in general, so we're trying to fit in as many of those princess interactions as possible. She's a picky eater, so I'm thinking it will be a bit of an adventure feeding her on this trip. She'll probably be eating off of our plates part of the time, and sampling a lot of fruit. She's also obsessed with drinking milk.

DS(3 months)- If you asked me a month ago, I'd have named him "Mickey" as I've lovingly nicknamed him my "mouse." Lately though, he's a nursing machine and a bit of a grumpy gus when we least expect it. His nickname will be "stitch." Stitch is on a strict diet of breastmilk, so I don't think you'll be hearing much from him.

Here are our ADRs:

Sassagoula Food Court
Beaches and Cream (page 2)
Coral Reef lunch (page 2)
Rose and Crown dinner (page 2)
Goofy's Candy Co. (page 2)
Ohana dinner (page 3)
Tusker House breakfast (page 3)
Flame Tree BBQ (page 3)
Yak and Yeti dinner (page 3)
CRT lunch (page 3)
Whispering Canyon dinner (page 3)
Hollywood and Vine breakfast (cancelled)
Pizza Planet (page 3)
50's Primetime dinner (page 3)
Ohana breakfast (page 4)
Mardi Grogs (page 4)
Cape May Cafe Dinner (page 4)
Akershus breakfast
Tutto Italia lunch
Teppan Edo lunch
Le Celier dinner
1900 Park Fare dinner (cancelled)
Grand Floridian Cafe dinner

Up next- some notes on our previous dining experiences

[Deffenm]

Can't wait to read the rest of your dinning review.

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Sounds like a yummy trip. You need to eat extra since you are nursing.:thumbsup2
Have a great time and can't wait to read your reviews.

[Ginamarie]

First of all, you should see the cast..

This is Buzz, in his glory, at Boma. I told you that he loves breakfast food! This is the first time in several years that we'll be missing Boma. We swapped in the Tusker House breakfast because it's supposed to be similar and they have the characters there. I'll have to let you all know how that works out for us.

http://images41.fotki.com/v1265/photos/1/1363394/6527606/IMG_0382-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2004/december2004/img0382.html)

annnnd, here's our Belle, (ahem me) with my beloved cherry coke. Yes, the big one from WCC.

http://images40.fotki.com/v1261/photos/1/1363394/6527606/IMG_0426-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2004/december2004/img0426.html)


Our previous experiences:

Sassagoula Food Court- I've had some great stuff at the POFQ food court. Still fresh in my memory is the deliciousness that was the giant ice cream sandwich made with fresh chocolate chip cookies and the taco salad I had in 2006. Plus, they have mickey waffles. Yes, it's just a food court, but it's worked just fine for me in the past.

Beaches and Cream-we have only made it into Beaches and Cream once.. back in 2004. We did not attempt the Kitchen Sink, but saw at least two of them made while we sat at the counter and ate our lunch. I had a grilled chicken, Buzz had a burger and then we split a sundae. Good stuff! We attempted to get into the restaurant again in 06, but there was about a 2 hour wait. I really wish they'd set up ADRs at this location. I know it's small, but I think that might still work out better than people never being able to get in!

Coral Reef lunch- I haven't been to coral reef yet. It was on our list last time, but was cut. I love the WS restaurants, so it's tough to bump one out in favor of CR, but I'm giving it a go on this trip. So we won't be eating at Chefs de France. Until next time, beloved lobster bisque!

Rose and Crown dinner- this is one of our old standbys. Before I knew anything about Disboards or podcasts, I took a chance on the Rose and Crown, thinking it would be a less expensive dinner option. We wound up on the terrace for Illuminations. It was such a magical moment, that I've added it to our list ever since. I love the fish and chips. It's a perfectly battered piece of fish with thick cut french fries and buttery peas. I ALWAYS order the fish and chips. I've also had some really nice desserts at the Rose and Crown, and of course, a cocktail or two.

Ohana dinner- We've been to Ohana for dinner a few times. I know people gripe about the menu changes, and I DO miss the fresh pineapple they used to serve at dessert, but the bread pudding we had last time was excellent, so I'll let that slide. I'm curious to try out the often maligned noodles.

Tusker House breakfast- we're trying this one for the first time, in place of our usual Boma breakfast.

Yak and Yeti dinner- another new meal for us.

CRT lunch- I've been to CRT twice. The first time was for dinner, on my honeymoon, 2002. This was before the characters showed up all day long. We had a very nice (romantic) meal, looking out over Fantasyland from our windowside table. The second time was a princess breakfast with a large group. Both times we thought the food was excellent and the service was great. I'm trying the lunch for the first time on this trip, mostly because it's only slightly more expensive than the breakfast, and the characters still make their rounds to meet all the kids. I'm hoping DD loves it enough to justify the cost.

Whispering Canyon dinner- another option that gets a lot of flack on the boards, but we like WCC. I will admit that they disappointed me on my 2006 trip. I hyped the restaurant up to all of our family about how fun it was, and then our waiter was a dud. All the tables around us were having fun, but this guy couldn't bring himself to do any of the antics. I drank NINE cherry cokes hoping I'd get a giant glass. Nine! Nine cokes to no avail!!! I last ate at WCC in October of 07- a quiet lunch with just Ariel and I, and the food was great. I'm looking forward to this.

Hollywood and Vine breakfast- I have been to H&V for all three meals. I prefer the lunch menu the best, but we booked breakfast this time around. I'm tempted to cancel this one, but going to play it by ear for now. With Ariel being three, I hate the cost of buffets on this trip! It'll cost me $13 for her to eat three bites of egg two pieces of bacon and a nibble at a chocolate croissant.

50's Primetime dinner- I like Prime Time. We've done lunch and dinner here and it's never done me wrong. I also once got to watch a waitress force my sister into trying collard greens, which was hysterical. Of all the DS options, this one is my favorite. We tried the Brown Derby, but it was overpriced and nothing special IMHO.

Ohana breakfast- Ariel loves Stitch. She has a Stitch doll that she carries around with her everywhere. She talks about Stitch all the time, specifically recalling that on our last Disney cruise, Stitch joked with her and tickled her and played with her. So we needed to find a way to make sure we saw Stitch on this vacation. What better way than a breakfast!

Cape May Cafe Dinner- DH loves this one. We are sure to go here on every trip. We each have our favorite items, and it's never let us down.

Akershus breakfast- I think this will be our third breakfast in Norway. I always go for the breakfast because the lunch/dinner food is more ethnic and not my style. We've had great interactions with the princesses here, and I recall the cheesy potatoes being fabulous.

Tutto Italia lunch- We haven't been to Tutto yet. I miss Alfredos, let me tell you. I'm 100% Italian, and we had some wonderful, memorable meals at Alfredos. Plus, their sangria was to die for!! I'm hoping Tutto will be just as good. I've already seen the prices on the menu, and for those prices, it had BETTER be just as good. We'll see if it disappoints.

Teppan Edo lunch- love it love it love it. We go here on every trip as well. There's something about teppan veggies that makes them oh so yummy.

Le Celier dinner- ah yes, home of my beloved mushroom fillet. I tried to get a ressie here on our 2007 trip to no avail. Luckily, there were some ADR spots open this year and I snatched one up. I can't wait.

1900 Park Fare dinner- this one is a first time experience for us. I'm not sure... I've read some awful reviews lately, but hopefully Cinderella and the stepsisters will make up for it.


So that's my rundown! I can't wait to start eating!

[skellingtonfreak]

I am in for these! Have a magical trip!

[msce2]

I'm in! popcorn:: Hope you have a great trip!!!!

[frdeb1999]

I'm in! Hope you have a wonderful trip! :)

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in!

[TigerKat]

I'm signing on.....popcorn::

[Uncle Remus]

Me too popcorn::

[binkytell]

:goodvibes watchin this space

[GoofySon'sMom]

I'm in! :goodvibes

[dancemomnj]

Looking forward to your reviews Belle:)

[Sazzo'sMommy]

I'm ready! Bring it on!:woohoo:

[natalielongstaff]

have a great time :cool1:

[kimgof]

popcorn::

[momofdbsdc]

I am in!!!!:thumbsup2

[meloneyb21]

Can't wait! popcorn::

[Ginamarie]

Thanks guys! I'm glad to begin our journey with Beaches and Cream :)

The food did not disappoint. We basically arrived at the hotel, checked out our room and headed over to the Beach Club. It took a long time to get there, and we had a 30 minute wait for a table, but it was worth the trek!

I had a grilled chicken sandwich, which was nicely marinaded, and fries. Some people complain about the whole wheat buns at WDW these days. I like whole wheat, so it didn't bother me. The marinade was good enough that whatever made its way onto my plate was sopped up with french fries. Buzz went for the cheesesteak sandwich. He liked it, and ate the whole hero-sized thing. He liked that the cheesesteak had both onions and peppers. I was too busy with my chicken to taste his, so I have no comment. Ariel had a kids grilled cheese with french fries. It looked pretty good too. Everything was hot and fresh. Stitch, meanwhile, nursed and fell asleep halfway on top of me and halfway across the bench of the booth. I didn't let that deter me from eating.

For dessert, Ariel had strawberry ice cream, and Buzz and I split the “No Way Jose.” That was REALLY good. The ice cream at Beaches and Cream is very good quality, creamy and refreshing, and the sundae was loaded with hot fudge, melted peanut butter and whipped cream. It was HUGE. We took pictures. We also ate the entire thing. We were hungry. Ariel's strawberry ice cream came out looking like a mouse, with a cherry for a nose and oreo cookie ears.

I thought the pricing at Beaches and Cream was good. It was on par with what we would pay at home for the same food. I wish this restaurant would take reservations though. I'd love to add it to our next trip itinerary, but with a party of 9, I'm not sure we'd be able to get in without a long wait. There are so few seats there. We say three parties order the kitchen sink while we were there and it looked delicious. I never would have attempted it with our small group though (now with our party of nine next time around, we had a shot at it!).

The service was good. We didn't wait long for anything and we got refills on our drinks when they got low. The environment in the restaurant is excellent, cheery and all of the staff seemed in good spirits. So it was a nice way to start our vacation.

I was not great about taking pictures of our meals, but I do have at least one or two shots from each meal. I would have been better about it, but a lot of times Stitch wanted to nurse through a lot of the meal or Ariel required attention, so it was hard to take care of them and remember to take pictures before eating!

Without further ado, the pictures from Beaches and Cream:
Kids grilled cheese
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/lawchicky819/IMG_4957.jpg

Kids strawberry ice cream
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/lawchicky819/IMG_4959.jpg

Of course, the "No Way Jose"
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/lawchicky819/IMG_4962.jpg

Beaches and Cream gets a 5/5 from me for food and ice cream. For service/ambiance, it gets a 4/5, and only because it's so hard to get a table!

[hroyale]

I'm so excited by your B&C review!
Was the kids grilled cheese on the menu or did you have to order it special? It isn't listed on the All Ears menu.

I have two very picky eaters. DD favorite is grilled cheese and DS loves hot dogs. It was suprisingly difficult to find any place with both hot dogs AND grilled cheese.

We're staying at BC so I'm excited to have a great option so close.

Thanks!

[DessertGirl]

popcorn::

[Ginamarie]

The next morning we had breakfast at POFQ. No pictures here, but it was good and quick. Ariel and I split a Mickey waffle- delicious and fun looking, and Buzz went for biscuts with gravy. He said the gravy was really tasty, and it makes a nice breakfast without being pricey at all.

For lunch, we went to Coral Reef. The ambiance was kind of cool, but you couldn’t see much of the tank from where we were sitting. There were seats even worse than ours though, and I felt badly for the people in the awful seats. I think I'd hyped up the idea of eating in the aquarium too much (Ariel loves that attraction and I thought she'd appreciate it), and pictured the restaurant differently, so it was kind of a disappointment that way.

Ariel ordered a kids pizza with carrots and apple slices. Buzz had the “lobster salad” which came with a lobster salad and a cup of lobster bisque. The first cup of bisque was cold, so we complained and were given a slightly larger, definitely hotter dish. The taste was incredible though. That might be the nicest lobster bisque on property. Buzz said the salad was pretty good, but not spectacular. I went basic, with a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. This was a very good salad. It’s pretty hard to screw up Caesar salad, but this was very good- only the best parts of the lettuce, plenty of Parmesan cheese and croutons, and the chicken was perfect. I’ve found that the new “trend” with salad is leaving the leaves whole rather than chopping them up. I’m kind of indifferent about that, though it did make it tougher for me to eat with Stitch on my lap and only one hand available to eat with. The bread was also really good (a little crusty on the outside, but hot and soft on the inside), especially dipped in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We ended the meal with a Chocolate Wave dessert, which was delicious. I love molten chocolate cake, and think this one is probably as good as the one at Kona Cafe (though different). Ariel ate all of the raspberries, and was pleased with that. However, from the time we finished our entrees to the time we paid the bill was almost an hour. The waiter seemed to disappear after the entrees were served, and getting dessert, and then the bill, took far too long.

The lobster salad
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/lawchicky819/IMG_4995.jpg

The chocolate wave
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j290/lawchicky819/IMG_5001.jpg

I'd give the food at Coral Reef a 3.5/5. The bread was a winner. The caesar salad was very good, but the lobster salad was hit (soup, after we got a hot one) and miss (salad portion). Dessert was also a winner. I'm scoring a little low, because what we ordered was pretty simple, so it should have been perfect.

Service/Ambiance gets a 3/5. The seats near the tank are probably nice, but that's only 1/4 of the restaurant. If you're up near the top, it's more like a dark room with a fish tank in the distance. Service was good for the first half of the meal, but then tailed off.

Overall, we did ok at Coral Reef, but I'm not in a hurry to go back. I'd be willing to give them another chance, but there are so many places in Epcot that I enjoy more, that it will take awhile to get me back there. If you DO go there, the bisque is a good choice, as is the chocolate wave.

[Ginamarie]

I'm so excited by your B&C review!
Was the kids grilled cheese on the menu or did you have to order it special? It isn't listed on the All Ears menu.

I have two very picky eaters. DD favorite is grilled cheese and DS loves hot dogs. It was suprisingly difficult to find any place with both hot dogs AND grilled cheese.

We're staying at BC so I'm excited to have a great option so close.

Thanks!

The grilled cheese wasn't on the menu, but the waitress mentioned it to us when we were trying to figure out what to order, and DD jumped at it. I'm pretty sure they make a bunch of these, since it's easy to make on the grill they have.

[scanne]

CAn't wait to read your reviews!

[gardengirl628]

Count me in!
We are wanting to try B&C when we visit in November, but I am hesitant with the no adr's. We'll see.
Thanks for the great reviews!

[MickeyNicki]

Dh will be thrilled to hear about the biscuits and gravy at POFQ...we are staying there in Oct for the first time

[flea1267]

Your DD "Ariel" is sooooo CUTE!!!! :goodvibes:lovestruc

[Ginamarie]

Thanks again everyone!

For dinner, we went to the Rose and Crown Pub. I love the Rose and Crown. We've been lucky and sat on the terrace before, but not on all of our vacations. However, when I approached the podium there was a guest there having a HISSY FIT because the staff couldn't guarantee her a seat on the patio for Illuminations. I know from previous visits that this has been the policy for a long time, but she had it in her head that they come to WDW every year and every year they get seats on the patio because they ask for them. She was cursing a lot. Her husband was getting irate and kept pointing out that they spent ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS on this vacation, and apparently the Rose and Crown staff was ruining their vacation. Meanwhile, the line was being held up uncessarily, while these people kept lashing out at the employees. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and butted in "but they're offering to let you onto the patio for the fireworks anyway!!" She told me to ... well I can't type here what she told me to do, but it was rather obscene. She did walk away though. Afterwards the employees apologized to me for her misbehavior, but I told them they had no reason to apologize, besides, I'm from NY, it takes a lot more than that to insult me. At least we had a good laugh after she left.

We were seated at the Rose and Crown almost immediately, at an indoor table, but we didn't mind. We were right next to the bar, which was a little noisy, but again, didn't mind. I actually found them pretty entertaining to watch and listen to.

As usual, DH and I ordered the fish and chips. I don't know how the Rose and Crown makes their fish so good. It had a nice crunchy crust and the fish inside is fresh and cooked perfectly. My one disappointment was that although the menu price appears to be the same as last year, they've dropped the peas from the dish. I've always liked my peas with the fish and chips because it helps balance the dish out from being completely fried. I guess this is a sign of the economic times. In any case, all of my fish and chips were consumed gladly, without the use of ketchup or tartar sauce, as this fish tastes good enough that it doesn't need anything extra. DH used some of his tartar sauce. To each his own.

I also tried the magic star cocktail here. I was a little disappointed in it. This is a pricy drink, at around $9, and there was a good deal of ice in mine. Plus it seemed a little too sweet for me. Before the end of the meal, DH and Ariel had broken my glow cube as well. So it was an all around failure in the drinks department.

I was too full to have a dessert after dinner, and Illuminations was getting ready to start, so we skipped that course and just went out to the patio. Of course the $11,000 vacation family was standing out there as well. I guess they didn't get their patio seating despite their expensive vacation.

OK, time for the rundown:

For food I give the Rose and Crown Pub 4.75/5- I'm marking them down only because my drink was full of ice, and because I miss the peas with my fish and chips.

For ambiance/service- 4.5/5 Our waiter was fairly attentive, but despite his promises to get us out to the patio on time, we wound up leaving without him. He seemed a little behind the eight ball. Also, being so near the bar was noisy and made it difficult to have a conversation.

[medicgirl911]

Aw your DD is absolutely adorable! :goodvibes I liked your line about being from New York taking a lot to upset you LOL :rotfl: I would have had to of jumped in to that fight as well. EVERYONE is paying a lot for their vacations..some people :sad2: Can't wait to hear more!

[Ginamarie]

Tuesday morning we were at Downtown Disney. Being on a budget for this trip meant that shopping happened quickly, but it also meant plenty of time for a stop at Goofy's Candy Company. This place is really cool. There are so many different treats, it would take me a year to try them all. As tempting as the cupcakes and chocolate things looked, I had my heart set on some make-your-own pretzels. I had them dipped in dark chocolate, and then one each rolled in reeses pieces, dark chocolate chips and oreo cookies, and THEN drizzled with caramel. Buzz opted for a rice crispy treat dipped in dark chocolate and covered with rainbow sprinkles, reeses pieces and something else I can't remember. We watched them being made, and then they were tucked into the fridge to cool off. Meanwhile, Buzz made a make-your-own Stitch mug. He wanted to fill it with a coke slushy, but the machine was wonky, so he got strawberry instead. He and Ariel slurped that up FAST. The treats were fantastic. We took them back to the hotel and ate them slowly over the next few days. I couldn't eat more than one of those pretzels at a time if I wanted to, and the reeses pieces one I only ate half at a time.

Here I am with my sweet treat:

http://images47.fotki.com/v1497/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5131-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5131.html)

For my review:

Food 5/5- I think this is a great value for a snack at WDW. We ate a lot of desserts- I should know. I love that you can bring these back to your room to enjoy and I'm hoping to take some home with me on our next trip. I will be back!

Ambiance/Service 4/5- The service was fine, aside from the broken coke slushy machine. I score this one at less than perfect because it could certainly use some more seating inside and outside. There were two tables set up outside, and I had to fight to get one of them. I can see this being a problem when they're busier.

[msce2]

Wow! I'm so impressed you stood up to that lady!!! :rotfl2: Everyone spent lots of money on their vacation and to insist that you deserve it more than someone else is just ridiculous.

Rose & Crown sounds so yummy! Makes me wish we had it on our list for next week! Thank you for the wonderful reviews!!!!

[Ginamarie]

Wow! I'm so impressed you stood up to that lady!!! :rotfl2: Everyone spent lots of money on their vacation and to insist that you deserve it more than someone else is just ridiculous.

Rose & Crown sounds so yummy! Makes me wish we had it on our list for next week! Thank you for the wonderful reviews!!!!

I was trying not to say anything, but eventually I couldn't stand it anymore. Like you said, we're all paying money to be in WDW. It made me upset to see the way she was treating the employees, who were just doing their job. No one should be treated that way. I always remind myself that I'm on vacation, but the CMs aren't- they're working! A lot of them are out there for long hours and in the heat of the day, and they work hard- they deserve respect.

I see you're leaving for WDW in a couple of days. Have a great time!!!

[Ginamarie]

We had a quick lunch on Tuesday, knowing that Ohana loomed for dinner and we'd want to be hungry.

Ariel and Buzz split a hot dog platter. It was nicely sized and tasted good. I opted for my beef taco salad in a tortilla bowl. This was also good- filled with beef and cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, onions, and black olives. I didn't like the olives, and it was a pain having to pick them out. I would have ordered it without the olives, but DH did the ordering and didn't realize they were in there. Otherwise, I was really happy with the meal, and I ate the entire thing, though it was large.

The POFQ food court was relatively empty when we visited it in the afternoons. They do an excellent job of maintaining the place though. The staff is visible and attentive, and they clean off the tables quickly. The drinks area is also being cleaned all the time, which is nice, because otherwise it would get sticky and gross.

Anyway, not too much to say about the food court, but it served its purpose!
Here's a picture of it!

http://images44.fotki.com/v1488/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5614-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5614.html)

[Ginamarie]

We checked in for dinner at Ohana, but the strange part was that most of the chairs seemed to be missing from the Tambu Lounge. It was the strangest thing. I sat on the floor near the windows to nurse, and enjoyed the view that way, but slightly perplexed since they needed more seats up there!

Our server at Ohana was ok, but there was something a little off about him. When we went to seat us, he questioned “that’s all of you?” I think he was disappointed because we were seated at a 6-top table, and our bill would only be for two adults and one child. This is only a guess about why he seemed annoyed, but that’s my opinion. Anyway, the food was incredible. A lot of people complain about the menu changes at Ohana, and I’ll agree that I miss the cheesy potatoes, because those were great. However, we like the noodles they’ve substituted! We pretty much finished that plate of noodles. Broccoli was good. I like mine cooked a little longer, but the taste was good, and it was what you’d expect from restaurant broccoli. Ariel went crazy on the chicken wings. I agree, they were good, but not as good as the Kona wings. I didn’t eat too much of the wings though because I was holding Stitch, so they were tough to maneuver. The salad was also really good. Buzz didn’t like it as much as I did, but a good deal of it was eaten by the time we were done. Potstickers were also good. I only ate one, because I was saving room for the main course, but Buzz kept sneaking more of them onto his plate. Then it was time for the skewers. Beef came around first, and it was REALLY good. I think I ate like four pieces of the beef alone before the meal was over. Next came the turkey and pork. These weren’t as good as the beef, but they were still really good, especially with some of the dipping sauces. I ate all of mine. We had to wait a little while for the shrimp, but it was worth the wait. I ate about five of them, and I could have eaten more, but I was trying to save a little room for dessert, plus the beef guy came around again and I snuck in my last piece of that. As we were eating, Ariel got up to dance and to do a coconut race. She loved the entertainment and the flower leis, and like I said, the chicken wings. Buzz said he loved the steak and shrimp, but wasn't crazy about the pork or turkey. He's generally not a port eater though.
Dessert was the infamous banana bread pudding, and scrumptious as usual. I left most of it for Buzz because I'd eaten so much of the meat that I was too stuffed.

http://images49.fotki.com/v1496/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5124-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5124.html)

Food- I give the food a 5/5. I could have eaten until I exploded. It was just so good! We will be back here without a doubt.
Service and Ambiance- 4.5/5. I love the ambiance in this restaurant. It's hopping and fun. I love the dancing and the coconut races and the flower leis. Our server was decent, but I wasn't sure why he had an attitude with us except for what I might have mentioned above.

[Ginamarie]

We had reservations for an early breakfast at Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom. It was nice getting into the park early, and taking some pictures without having other people around. There was a LONG line at the check in podium. I guess because we were in the first group of people to get into the park and get into the restaurant. We checked in and were sent to a second, equally long line to have our picture taken. I wish they wouldn't do these mandatory photos, especially because when they came around to our table, they wanted $30 for the photo package. Our photo had come out cute, but I wasn't spending $30 for it. Anyway, that's my gripe.

Tusker House has a very large buffet set-up, but I didn’t get to see much of it because Stitch was in a mood when we got there. He spent most of the meal nursing and grumping, and grumping and nursing. I liked what I ate, but I didn’t eat all that much because of all the baby stress. What I do remember is that they had chocolate croissants (my favorite), but they were small ones. I must have eaten three or four of these alone. The fruit was fresh and plentiful. I stuck to some pineapple slices, but Buzz and Ariel ate a few different types of fruit. The eggs were pretty good (not over or undercooked, as you sometimes find at buffets). Bacon was also good. I would have liked some cheesy potatoes, but Buzz couldn't find any at the buffet, so I don't think they had any. The character interaction was very good. We saw Donald, Mickey, Daisy and Goofy. Service was also good. I don't remember seeing our waitress a lot, but my juice glass (with the wonderful tropical blend of juice they serve) was never empty, and Buzz had all the coffee he wanted. Plus our empty plates magically disappeared. So I have no complaints there.

I promise, the food review are going to be better! Stitch had a couple of bad meals in a row, but we did better later on! Also, some good food pictures are coming up :)

http://images25.fotki.com/v904/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5149-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5149.html)

http://images49.fotki.com/v1495/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5144-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5144.html)

Food: I'm not sure it's fair to comment on the food here. I'd probably call it a 4.25/5. The selection didn't seem to be as good as Boma's breakfast spread, though it was more convenient being right there in the park. I would do this breakfast again, and think I'm going to add it to our next trip itinerary.

Ambiance/Service: The ambiance here is great. The restaurant is cute and well maintained. The buffet is large and has a good variety of food (from what I saw). Our waitress was friendly and kept things running smoothly and without delay. I score it a 4.75/5, marking them down only for the long lines and the mandatory expensive picture taking.

[Ginamarie]

We figured Ariel couldn’t wait to eat dinner, so before the parade started, we stopped at the Flame Tree BBQ. She insisted that she just wanted a bottle, but we ordered her a chicken kids’ meal, and she ate almost the entire two chicken drumsticks and side of grapes. I tasted the chicken, and it was very good. The BBQ flavor wasn't too heavy, but it added great flavor, and the chicken wasn't dried out at all (as sometimes happens when you BBQ it). I was actually feeling sad that we didn't schedule a full meal at Flame Tree (and that Ariel ate almost all of the food, because I would have liked some more of it!) The kids meals here are a great deal, $4.99 for the drumsticks, milk and grapes.

There was a very large bird hanging around our bench in front of Flame Tree, just walking around and not bothering anyone, but you wouldn’t believe how many people felt compelled to try to spook the bird. People can be such jerks sometimes! The bird wouldn't have bothered me, except that when it got spooked, it would flap around it's wings and squawk, and it was right next to me.

Food: I give the food a 5/5- it was a nice surprise, a great value, and I wanted more of it, but I didn't want to spoil my appetite for dinner.

Ambiance/Service: Lines were a little long, but nothing outrageous. The ambiance was tough to comment on- with it being outside, you have to contend with some birds and ducks and they have no problem coming right up to your feet. THAT didn't bother me, but the people bothering the birds did. I'll rate it 3/5.

[Ginamarie]

Yak and Yeti

I have some better reviews here and some food pics, but I warn you, Stitch
was having another cranky meal. Buzz and I took turns walking around with him because he didn’t want to sit still.

The check-in line was short at this restaurant, but there was some trouble with the woman at the podium. She was trying to turn her reservation for six into a party of ten or something like that. The cast member did a good job of accommodating her despite the last minute changes, especially because the restaurant was rather full. We were seated upstairs, which wasn't a problem, as they have an elevator and the bathrooms are right at the bottom of the stairs/elevator.

Ariel had already eaten, so she just had some milk. We skipped the appetizers, but Buzz ordered a Berry Cherry Limeade, which he said was sweeter than he imagined it would be.

Buzz ordered the duck, which he didn’t love, but he admitted afterwards that he just doesn’t love duck all that much. His portion size was good though- a half duck atop some jasmine rice with vegetables on the side. Despite his mediocre review and having to walk around with Stitch, he ate most of this entree.

I ordered the steak and shrimp combo, which was great! There were 5-6 shrimp, cooked perfectly and delicious with the plum dipping sauce. The skirt steak was lean and marinaded very well. The jasmine rice was cooked perfectly, and I ate every morsel of it, like every single grain of rice on the plate. I would have started eating the remainder of Buzz's jasmine rice too, but I didn't like the wasabi sauce from the duck and most of the leftover rice was covered in it at that point.

The dessert menu was a little disappointing. They had an option for a brownie sundae, which I would have liked, but it was a "sundae for two" and there was no way I could eat it on my own. So I skipped dessert. Buzz ordered the mango pie, which he really enjoyed. I was surprised at the size of it, which was a giant hunk of pie.

http://images47.fotki.com/v1485/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5221-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5221.html)

http://images44.fotki.com/v1488/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5222-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5222.html)

http://images44.fotki.com/v1487/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5224-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5224.html)

Food: The food was good. I've read some bad reviews of this place recently, but that wasn't our experience at all. The portions were all nicely sized, the food wasn't greasy, I loved my entree and Buzz loved his mango pie. I give it 4.5/5

Ambiance/Service: The ambiance in this restaurant is awesome. There are trinkets everywhere, and nothing is spared in the name of theming. I got a good look at this because of having to walk around with Stitch. Service was great. Our waitress was attentive. She kept my soda glass full and moved things at a good pace. I rate this one a 5/5.

[mickeyplanner08]

Yay! I'm glad you are back. I'm enjoying your reviews!:thumbsup2

[Ginamarie]

Cinderella's Royal Table

There was a pretty long wait to get into the castle. It was weird because they told us not to check in until 5 minutes before our reservation time, but then we waited outside of the castle doors and when we got inside there was a long line to take our picture with Cinderella. Ariel started to have a bit of a breakdown at this point, I think being hungry and tired and just generally a little out of it. She was cranky and not sure she wanted to see Cinderella and I started to fear that the special meal I’d planned for her was about to go terribly off course. Luckily, when we got up to Cinderella, she changed her mind a little, and then Cinderella was so sweet with her that Ariel changed her mood completely. Ariel walked right over to where Cinderella’s seat was and sat right on the chair as if SHE owned it. When the photo was done, we were given a wand for Ariel and a sword for baby Stitch, and told to wait again. This time, there was about a five minute wait to hear our name called. It was funny because one of the greeters yelled the family names really loudly, and the other spoke softly, so you'd be trying to hear the soft spoken greeter and then the loud one would blast your ear off. The best part was that the loud greeter mispronounced every name she read, even easy ones like Martinez.

We had pretty good seats in the restaurant, right in the middle of the floor, and right away the waitress took our drink orders and brought out our appetizer plate.

http://images47.fotki.com/v1485/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5258-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5258.html)

The appetizer plate was pretty pitiful. It had a couple of slices of salami, a little bit of artichoke, a couple of olives, a couple of cubes of cheese and two crustini with tomato on top. Ariel wound up eating all of the salami and some of the cheese. I knew she was hungry. For entrees, Buzz and I both chose the Major Domo’s pie, which is like a sheppard’s pie. Ariel had chicken nuggets. Stitck nursed throughout a good portion of the meal, as he tended to do. I guess he figured he didn’t want to be left out from eating.

I thought the entrees were actually very good, though I pushed aside the small amount of zucchini that was on top. There was plenty of beef and the veggies were cooked well and I enjoyed the burgundy sauce. It was served in a little bread bowl type crust, which I loved as well. I would consider it an upscale beef pot pie. Ariel did decently with her nuggets and I ate the remainder in her plate. The nuggets were better than I expected, crunchy on the outside and nice white meat in the middle. The chocken soup that came with it was kind of lame though- very much like you'd get out of a Campbell's Soup can. The princesses at this meal each got a long announced introduction before entering the room, which was kind of cool. Since I’d booked this as Ariel’s birthday meal, we got a birthday certificate which each of the princesses signed as they came around. We saw Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Belle. Ariel was very pleased, although we had a mishap with Belle. As she came to the table, she said “hello princess,” and Ariel got so surprised/excited/etc that she leapt off of her chair face first. There was crying. Poor Belle felt horrible, and told Ariel about how she’s been known to fall and trip all the time too. After we’d seen all of the princesses, it was time for dessert. I ordered the chocolate buckle, which was kind of like a cross between a muffin and a croissant. It was good. Buzz had some kind of berry sorbet, and for Ariel out came a tiny birthday cakelet with a candle alongside her ice cream sundae with a little chocolate crown on top. We all sang for her, and she blew out the candle and ate all of the mickey sprinkles that were on the cake. I tried the cake part and thought it was actually very good and moist, but I was too full to eat her it after my dessert!

http://images46.fotki.com/v1493/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5264-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5264.html)

http://images46.fotki.com/v1493/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5267-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5267.html)

Food: The appetizer was pitiful, like I said. I would love to see the appetizers for lunch set up like dinner, with a choice of soup or salad. The entrees were enjoyable. I can only speak to the Major Domo pie, but I would order it again, because I liked it so much. I thought the portion size was decent though not great. Desserts were good. I'd rate the food 4.5/5, marked down because of the lame appetizer course.

Ambiance/Service: Our waitress was sweet, prompt, and attentive. She was great. The ambiance can't be beat in the castle. It's a gorgeous room, filled with princesses and everyone speaks to you as if you're royalty. 5/5 hands down. I love that they gave Ariel a special certificate for the princesses to sign and castle confetti all over the table.

I would come back to Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast or lunch. Since the princesses don't come around to the tables for dinner, I won't be springing for that.

[angelsmith52]

Great so far! I am in!

[Ginamarie]

The boat ride to Wilderness Lodge was a relaxing one, and we envied the swimming area as we walked past it. We were a little early, so we took advantage of a photopass photographer who was taking some rustic looking photos. I’m glad we did, since we got so few pictures of our whole family this time around. The photographer was a sweet young girl, and she spent a good while chatting with us since no one else wanted pictures. I’m glad she was so sweet because Ariel actually smiled for those pictures instead of hiding her head.

Then we checked in at the Whispering Canyon Café. Whispering Canyon has always been one of my favorites. I love BBQ food. Unfortunately, I was still too full from lunch to go for the “all you can eat” skillet. Plus, with Stitch being grumpy, I knew I couldn’t easily eat chicken wings and ribs with him in my arms. What a bummer! On the bright side though, it meant that I ordered something I normally wouldn’t, the meatloaf. Buzz ordered the ribs, and Ariel ate off of our plates. Buzz also got a wild berries shake, and I ordered a cherry coke. Our waitress was sweet, but seemed afraid to tease us since we were looking after our kids. I love the teasing though! I wish they would just ask at the beginning of the meal what kind of experience you wanted, so that you could opt in or out of the teasing. Out came the cornbread, and we devoured as much of it as possible. They do good cornbread here, and even Ariel liked to munch on it. Stitch was having one of his grumpy meals this time, which was unfortunate, because I love this place. I ate maybe half of my entrée, which was delicious. The meatloaf was flavored perfectly and had little pieces of sweet red peppers, and the mashed potatoes were so buttery and nice. I didn’t want to waste it, so I got the rest of my meal boxed up with the remainder of the cornbread. I left Buzz and Ariel in the restaurant, and went into the lobby to do more nursing. The lobby at the Wilderness Lodge is gorgeous, and the couches and chairs they have scattered around look rustic and leathery, but they’re comfortable. I could have just napped right there on the couch, though I could hear the horse races going on in the restaurant, which Ariel loved. Buzz took some pictures since I was missing all of the action.

http://images46.fotki.com/v1491/photos/4/1363394/7406039/IMG_5305-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/april-2009/img5305.html)

Food: I still love the food at WCC, and have zero complaints about anything we ate. This will be a stop on our next trip for sure, and now I know there are other tasty things on the menu besides the skillet. 5/5

Service/Ambiance: Service was quick but not rushed. The ambiance is good. The restaurant is loud, but that's part of its charm, and I knew what to expect going in. My only gripe, is that I would have liked to play along with the gags. 4.75/5, for having to drink five cokes and still not gotten a gag cup!

[Ginamarie]

OK, so we had scheduled a breakfast at Hollywood and Vine, but by the time Thursday night had rolled around, I was thinking we should skip it. The buffets were working out to be pricy for us, and Ariel had been eating so little that it didn't seem worthwhile. I was pretty sure we could see the Little Einsteins by the Playhouse Disney attraction, and that was our main reason for the meal. Plus, I thought we'd be better off hitting attractions when we first got into the park instead of wasting time with breakfast. So I called and cancelled our reservation. We had a quick breakfast at the food court instead, which was cheaper and still hot, fresh and tasty. We got out earlier and were able to do rides instead.

Of course, this meant needing to fill in some lunch during the day. When I cancelled our breakfast reservation I tried to get something at Sci Fi, but nothing was available until WAY too close to our early dinner reservation. I tried again over the phone in the morning and then one more time at the kiosk in the park, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead, we wound up at Toy Story Pizza Planet.

This was my first trip to Pizza Planet. It was crowded. I took the double stroller and found some seats while Buzz got us a couple of pizzas. I had a regular and Buzz got a pepperoni. On the bright side, I went into this meal not expecting much, so I wasn’t disappointed. The pizza was fresh, and.. not what I would consider “pizza”, but it was decent as far as a quick service meal goes. The sauce they use is actually pretty good for what I consider fake pizza. The crust is thicker than a NY style. The cheese was a little on the scarce side for me, but it tasted good. Ariel ate probably 1/3 of my pizza on her own, and had her milk, so all was well in the world. Looking back, this was probably the worst counter service meal we had, since the lines were the longest and the food was just eh, but it still wasn't bad!

Food: 3/5 It was just "good". It filled our tummies and it wasn't expensive, so I really can't complain, but being someone who loves food, it seems like a waste of a meal when you don't love what you're eating!

Ambiance/Service: Here's the funny part to me. I once saw a special that showed how the pizzas are made at Pizza Planet. There's a machine that puts them together, and there are only about three different kinds of pies.. so I'm not sure what caused the long wait here. It was tough to find a table, BUT there were cast members cleaning things off because I didn't see dirty tables around. This place reminded me a lot of a Chuck E Cheese. It was cute and it reminded me of the movie, but I'm not in a rush to go back there.

[Ginamarie]

Prime Time

We were a little early for dinner (even for our early reservation) but since we were in the area and feeling hot and hungry we decided to try to check in early. It wound up being no problem at all, and we were seated almost immediately when we checked in. Prime Time is a lot of fun, and we were hoping to be teased, but we got a mild experience here as well. Our “auntie” decided that Buzz and I were the good kids, so all of the shtick was about how good we were and how ma liked us best. The people around us got played on a little, making a honeymooning couple recite new vows and spoon feeding a big guy his vegetables. Funny stuff! I decided to try something new on the menu, the fried chicken, only I substituted some corn for the collard greens. I also got a cherry coke, and Prime Time makes them the right way, with grenadine. Buzz went for the tuna casserole and a strawberry shake. Ariel shared everything and had some milk.

First, let me say, the portions at Prime Time were great. I had half a chicken on my plate and as good a fried chicken as I’ve ever eaten! Great crunchy crust, juicy chicken on the inside, delicious mashed potatoes and buttery corn. Between Ariel and I we ate the entire thing. I should have had Buzz take a picture of the empty plate because it was that completely empty. Buzz also ate all of his casserole and said it was delicious. He even ate the mushrooms, which he normally doesn't like. The shake, which was almost two full glasses worth disappeared between Buzz and Ariel. We should have been stuffed at this point, but instead we ordered desserts! I had dad’s sundae- vanilla ice cream wedged between pieces of brownie and topped with a ton of whipped cream, hot fudge, caramel corn, m&ms and a cherry on top. I’m slightly ashamed to admit I ate the whole sundae as well! Buzz ordered the angel food cake with berries. The cake was so light and fluffy and there were strawberries and blueberries all over the plate. Overall, we loved Prime Time. Our one complaint was that the service was slow- pleasant but slow. We were in the restaurant for a long time (almost two hours) and not because we were lingering. In fact, we placed our dessert orders along with our entrees, so it wasn’t a surprise what we wanted at the end of the meal.

I got a few pictures here for the food porn addicts. Gosh, looking at these has me craving that chicken again!

http://images44.fotki.com/v1490/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5340-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5340.html)

http://images47.fotki.com/v1497/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5341-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5341.html)

http://images47.fotki.com/v1484/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5343-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5343.html)

http://images46.fotki.com/v1492/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5344-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5344.html)

Food: 5/5 Everything was perfect! I've never had a bad entree at Prime Time, and the fried chicken upheld that record. We will definitely be adding this to our next itinerary.

Ambiance/Service: 4.25/5 We had a lot of fun. We could have used more teasing, but like WCC I'd like to see a system here where you check in at the podium and let them know you're game for the teasing so that the wait staff isn't afraid to play with you. The ambiance here is great. I love the kitchen table feeling and the old sitcoms playing in the background. I'm marking this down only because of the slow service.

[Ciciwoowoo]

You have such a cute family!

I'm enjoying your reviews! :goodvibes

[MelanieC]

Everything is great so far - :)

[Ginamarie]

We checked into Ohana, and I immediately recognized a change from earlier in the week. The furniture had all been brought back into the Tambu Lounge. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought I just imagined it was missing the first time. It was so odd!! Chairs and couches and little side tables, all returned to their original places. We checked into the restaurant, and I sat out on one of the newly replaced chairs for a nursing session. Before long, we were seated in the rear portion of the restaurant. I’d never sat in that area before (behind the grill) but I didn’t mind it for breakfast, but think it may have taken away from the dinner experience to sit there. DH said that our old friends “the eleven thousand dollar vacation family” also checked into Ohana around the same time. I’m sure they weren’t having as much fun as we were though! As we walked to our table, the waiter picked up a basket of pineapple coconut bread to bring to our table. Oh was that bread good!! Later in the meal I asked for seconds, and then thirds. The bread is sweet, like Easter Bread, but with coconut baked into it and chunks of delicious pineapple. I ordered some juice, DH got a pot of coffee, and Ariel got her old standby- milk in a bottle. The first thing to come out were Mickey waffles- one for each of us. They even put one on a plate for Stitch, which I ate. Then came a platter with eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes. Everything was fresh and hot and well prepared. I ate quite a bit of bacon, because for some reason my fork kept creeping over to the platter and stealing more food. We saw Pluto right away, and then Lilo soon afterwards. Then they did a parade around the restaurant. Ariel was getting used to these parades by now, and, as usual, saddled herself right up behind Mickey Mouse with her maraca. After the parade we were visited by Stitch and then Mickey. Ariel was so excited about seeing Stitch and showing him her Stitch doll, she held the doll right up as he approached the table, and Stitch acted all proud that she was carrying him around. DS had one of his better meal experiences, and only got cranky towards the end of breakfast.

http://images47.fotki.com/v1474/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5352-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5352.html)

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Overall, we enjoyed this meal a lot. It was a fun breakfast and the food was good. Plus, I'm a sucker for anything at the Polynesian.

Food: 4.75/5 This was your basic Disney breakfast food, but well done. I loved the addition of the pineapple bread and the Mickey waffles. I'm marking it down a little bit just because they could have come around again with more waffles or had a little more variety with the food.

Service: 4.5/5 Our waiter wasn't overly friendly, and we didn't see that much of him, but our drinks were never empty and he was always around to bring me more pineapple bread. So no complaints here.

[wvdislover]

Great reviews so far! I'm thinking about doing Ohana's for b'fast (as well as dinner, too)...could you have gotten more waffles than they gave you? That may be all DD11 eats for b'fast ;)

[dmaz]

Love your reviews. Glad to see you're enjoying your meals, even though Stitch doesn't seem to have made it easy!

[Ginamarie]

Great reviews so far! I'm thinking about doing Ohana's for b'fast (as well as dinner, too)...could you have gotten more waffles than they gave you? That may be all DD11 eats for b'fast ;)

I'm sure you could have gotten more if you asked, but I didn't think of it. Each time I saw the waiter I was too anxious to ask for more pineapple bread! That's why I would have liked it if they walked around with the waffle basket again- it would have made me remember to eat another one. :)

Love your reviews. Glad to see you're enjoying your meals, even though Stitch doesn't seem to have made it easy!

Yeah, we ate really well! The baby wasn't too tough. I expected it to be a little difficult eating with him. I had no practice though, since we don't usually eat out at home.

[Ginamarie]

By the afternoon, we'd moved back to POFQ to spend some time in the pool.
Meanwhile, I decided it was a good time to get a drink at Mardi Grogs. So I got a pina colada for myself and a pina colava (with raspberry puree) for DH. Yummo! They really know how to make a drink at that bar. It was sweet, but not too sweet and not too boozy but not too weak. Also, they grinded it perfectly smooth so you could drink every little morsel of it without having any trouble getting it through the straw or losing out because there’s too much ice.

http://images44.fotki.com/v1486/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5416-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5416.html)

Five stars for this drink!! I will have no hesitation about going back to Mardi Grogs. I had a few cocktails on this vacation, but this one was the best.

[Ginamarie]

First, I forgot to mention, before we made our way to the pool, we stopped at the POFQ food court to get something for Ariel. She opted for the hot dog platter which was huge and delicious. I only got a little bite and a couple of fries, but it was a good little bite :)

For dinner, we went to the Cape May Cafe, one of our "must do" meals. We found the Cape May Cafe on our honeymoon. We'd driven from NY to FL right after our wedding, arrived at our hotel, and I thought we were too tired to make our way to the California Grill, so I made last minute ADRs at the Cape May Cafe, hearing they had a seafood buffet and thinking DH would like it. Well he did! We've been back to Cape May on every trip since, and we STILL haven't been to the California Grill.

Getting to the Cafe was a pain though, AND DH had forgotten our park tickets which we needed in order to see Spectromagic afterwards, so we split up and I checked into the restaurant on my own, saying he'd be along behind me. Meanwhile, Ariel fell asleep on her way to the restaurant and was NOT getting up. Good thing she'd already eaten some food!

They gave us a great table with plenty of room for the double stroller, which was great because Ariel slept through the entire meal and then some. Cape May was great, as usual. The shrimp were a little smaller than I’d remembered, but they tasted great, and I’m always a sucker for the cornbread with melted butter. I also loved the kids mac and cheese, which was not your regular orange fake cheese, but real delicious cheeses. I think I had three servings of that. Oh, and the carving station was awesome, because I asked for the end piece and I got a big hunk of meat each time all charred and delicious, just the way I like it! I may be the only person who likes the end piece of the meat, but that’s ok with me. Buzz ate a bunch of clams, as they are his favorite, and I think he had some of the clam chowder and some other things as well. I loaded up on desserts (a piece of brownie and cookies) and DH had a bunch of the miniature pastry things and some warm apple crisp, which looked really good. I was just too full to try it myself. I wasn't all that interested in the pasta entrees they had that night, but no matter- my mac and cheese satisfied the pasta craving.
My one disappointment was that they no longer have lemonade at Cape May, just a Minute Maid Light Lemonade, which was not what I was looking for. I had a coke instead. Our waitress was a sweetheart and did a great job, and we left the restaurant with our bellies full again.


Reviews:

Food: 5/5 This was exactly what we were looking for. I always go in there thinking that I won't eat TOO much because I don't eat clams or mussels, but there are always a couple of really great things at the buffet, which keep me happily fed.

Service/Ambiance: 5/5 Service was great. They were able to accommodate our late arrival, due to DH having to go back to POFQ for our missing tickets and they got us a table with plenty of room for a sleepy child in her stroller. I love the beach resort feel of the restaurant and I actually enjoyed waiting for DH in the lobby area in a nice comfy chair. Our waitress was friendly and bubbly and kept our plates cleared and our drinks from getting empty.

I'm 100% sure this restaurant will be included on our next trip, even though it's a pain to get there from POFQ.

[Ginamarie]

OK, we made it up to Sunday morning!

We bussed to Epcot, walked to the gates and checked in for our breakfast. We were running a tiny bit late, but I think that happens a lot with these early breakfast reservations, especially because you have the long walk from the gate up to the Norway area. I tried to snap a couple of pictures on the fly since the Flower and Garden exhibits were so beautiful that early in the morning. We checked in at the podium and had a short wait outside. We were surrounded by princesses at this point, so many little girls in their outfits, including my own little Ariel. I snapped more photos. They called our name, and we got to wait on another line for a photo with Belle. This is another spot where the photo is included in the price of the meal, so we waited it out. Unfortunately, the photo they got of DD and Belle wasn’t very good- DD has droopy eyes in it. I should have complained and had them take a new one, but I didn’t. We got seats in the middle portion of the restaurant, not far from the entrance/exit. I never made it to the cold bar, since I had Stitch on my lap, but Buzz and Ariel went over there and loaded up on fruit and pastries, including a bunch of pineapple for me and strawberries for all. We ordered some orange juice and coffee for Buzz and milk for Ariel, and then out came the platter of breakfast food. Eggs and bacon were good, but just as expected and just like we’d gotten at our other breakfast meals. The great part of this meal though is the potato casserole, which I ate and ate and requested some more of, and ate some more! Those cheesy potatoes are just too delicious, scalloped nice and thin, but with a little bit of bite left in them, and with gooey cheese. Yes, this breakfast is a little pricy, but Buzz enjoyed the addition of the fresh fruit and pastries, and, of course, there are princesses. I was a little afraid we might not see Ariel, but she was rotating around the restaurant along with Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. I guess the policy about Cinderella only appearing at her castle or the Grand Floridian is over, because we saw her in Toon Town and in Norway. When I saw that Ariel was walking around, I audibly said “thank goodness!” She was wearing her turquoise dress, which matched up with DD’s mermaid outfit just beautifully. My one criticism is that the princesses seemed a little rushed at this meal. In any case, the food was good and we took Ariel’s costume off as soon as we left the restaurant, because it was hot!

http://images49.fotki.com/v1494/photos/4/1363394/7520964/IMG_5459-vi.jpg (http://palmarcik.fotki.com/jmm/2009/may-2009/img5459.html)

Reviews:

Food- I give it a 4.5 out of five. I like this breakfast because it's a sit down meal, which makes it easy with kids, but they also have the cold bar with fruit and pastries. The cheesy potatoes are the best part (LOVE those). I mark it down only because it's priced SO high for a breakfast.

Ambiance/Service- 4.25/5 No problems with our waitress. She was always around when we needed something and followed up with our check at the end of the meal without a big delay. We also did not feel rushed, as can sometimes be the way at character meals. The tables were spaced out enough so that we weren't cramped. The princesses were sweet, but THEY seemed rushed. Again, I'm going to grump a little about the price and the picture package. Really, if they're going to charge us for the picture package as part of our meal at least they could have taken one that looked decent. The one we got looked terrible, and having five of six copies of the picture (whatever comes in the package) did us no good, because no one would hang that picture or give it to relatives.

[Pooh&OurHunny]

enjoying your reviews. Your kids are so cute. I like end cuts too but my family likes rare or close to rare...I don't like to see red in my meat (I'm the only one in the family so when they cook I have to tell them burn mine and it comes close to medium)

[CherylA]

Then we checked in at the Whispering Canyon Café. Whispering Canyon has always been one of my favorites. I love BBQ food. Unfortunately, I was still too full from lunch to go for the “all you can eat” skillet. Plus, with Stitch being grumpy, I knew I couldn’t easily eat chicken wings and ribs with him in my arms. What a bummer! On the bright side though, it meant that I ordered something I normally wouldn’t, the meatloaf. Buzz ordered the ribs, and Ariel ate off of our plates. Buzz also got a wild berries shake, and I ordered a cherry coke. Our waitress was sweet, but seemed afraid to tease us since we were looking after our kids. I love the teasing though! I wish they would just ask at the beginning of the meal what kind of experience you wanted, so that you could opt in or out of the teasing. Out came the cornbread, and we devoured as much of it as possible. They do good cornbread here, and even Ariel liked to munch on it. Stitch was having one of his grumpy meals this time, which was unfortunate, because I love this place. I ate maybe half of my entrée, which was delicious. The meatloaf was flavored perfectly and had little pieces of sweet red peppers, and the mashed potatoes were so buttery and nice. I didn’t want to waste it, so I got the rest of my meal boxed up with the remainder of the cornbread. I left Buzz and Ariel in the restaurant, and went into the lobby to do more nursing. The lobby at the Wilderness Lodge is gorgeous, and the couches and chairs they have scattered around look rustic and leathery, but they’re comfortable. I could have just napped right there on the couch, though I could hear the horse races going on in the restaurant, which Ariel loved. Buzz took some pictures since I was missing all of the action.


While I'm sorry you couldn't stay with your family and enjoy this meal I am glad you didn't get the skillet. ;)Everyone gets the skillet and I've been looking for reviews of some of the other food here. I can't eat a lot so the skillet isn't up my alley. The meatloaf sounds good and I might try that on our trip.

Thanks! Keep up the reviews, they're great!

[Alice28]

Very nice reviews. :) The kids look darling GM- thanks for sharing.

[leeann32]

Great reviews! We are excited to try Cape May in Sept.:thumbsup2

[mefordis]

LOVE the reviews! Your kids are adorable and your husband looks like an all around good guy!

You ate at some great places! Did you skip the DDP because your 3 year old is not a big eater?

[DLo]

Enjoying your reviews. Cute family. Appreciate you taking the time to give a score on both food and atmosphere - and saying wether or not you would return. We are staying at BC for the first time. Love B&C. we got lucky last year and got there close to opening (in a slow time of year) and sat right down. We are trying cape may for breakfast but may try to add dinner after your review.
Looking forward to the rest.

[dsnymomx2]

loved reading, thanks for the reviews!

[disneybound31]

Great reviews.

[SnwflkCts]

The pic of your daughter showing Stitch "her Stitch" was just adorable!!! I like Stitch too! Your reviews are excellent ... and making me hungry! :thumbsup2