Our May 1 -7 Dining Reviews -DDP [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

sandym718

05-10-2009, 05:32 PM

Hi everyone!!! Got back Friday night from a wonderful trip!! 7 nights on the Basic DDP, lots of great food. I love all the reviews here, so I'm going to try one again this time. No pics, though, well... just two. DH thinks I take too many photos as it is, and that's of our kids. If I started taking photos of food, he might flip out. Sorry!! Here's our "cast":

Me - the planner, ADR maker, AllEars menu and Dis reviews obsesser! Cannot stand seafood or fish of any kind. Other than that, not tooo picky.

DH- Just tell him where to be. Big eater, meat and potatoes kind of guy.

DS - will be 7 on the 14th - will try almost anything

DD - 5- fairly picky

Where we ate:

Table Service
Kona Cafe - dinner
Chef Mickey's - dinner
Ohana - dinner
Wolfgang Puck Cafe - dinner
CRT - lunch
T-Rex- dinner
Crystal Palace - dinner
LeCellier - dinner

Counter Service
Captain Cook's - lunches, breakfast, snacks
Pecos Bill's
Earl of Sandwich
Sunshine Seasons
Lottawatta Lodge

Snacks from various locations

OK, first up: lunch at Captain Cook's!!

sandym718

05-10-2009, 05:36 PM

Captain Cook's - Lunch

We arrived at the Polynesian about 11:30 Friday, May 1st. Checked in, took a monorail ride for the kiddos and headed to Captain Cook's for lunch.

Me - Hawaiin flatbread, chocolate crossaint, unsweetened iced tea
DH- Double Cheeseburger with Polynesian chips, Dole Whip, pop
DS - Chicken Nuggets, applesauce, cookie, chocolate milk
DD - Turkey sandwich, applesauce, cookie, chocolate milk

In a word, good. I really liked my flatbread and the CC chocolate crossaint is beloved to me. Sooooo delicious!! I was happy to get unsweetened tea after the long drive down for Ohio with fast food places with only sweet tea from VA on!! DH enjoyed the burger and chips. He loves his Dole Whips, so he was happy. Kids didn't eat too well, too excited I think!!

MickeyNicki

05-10-2009, 05:45 PM

Count me in!

sandym718

05-10-2009, 05:46 PM

Kona Cafe - dinner

Planned this for our arrival day - we didn't do any parks this day. Really looking forward to this - we loved it last trip, but unfortunately we weren't thrilled. It was just OK. Slow service, not terrible, but we were looking around for here. 6:20 ADR, checked in about 6:15, seated by 6:25 or so.

Me- Teryaki-style New York Strip with Mashed Potatoes and Broccolini, Kileau Torte, Raspberry Smoothie

DH - Prime Rib with Mashed Potatoes, Banana - chocolate Creme Brulee, Tropical Smoothie

DS - Chicken Noodle Soup, Hamburger, Sundae, chocolate milk

DD - Chicken Noodle Soup, hot dog, Sundae, chocolate milk

Started off good - bread and butter was delicious, smoothies soooo good. Then we waited and waited. Kept telling the kids their soup would be out soon - didn't realize it came WITH the meal, even though it is listed as an appetizer. Maybe if DH and I would have ordered appies? Anyways, they never ate the soup, just their meats.

My steak was just OK. Not bad, but not like the filet I had here last time. Mashed potatoes were still very good. DH said his Prime Rib was also just OK, he really didn't seem to enjoy it much. Both of us shared potatoes with the kids, b/c the soup was their "side"- no fries, veggies or anything. Had I known, I would've gotten them fries instead. They should just eliminate the kids "appetizer" and make it a side.

Dessert - was still really looking forward to this, loved the Kileau Torte last time. Ordered it again - very dry this time, not molten at All. Didn't finish it. DH said creme brulee OK. Kids of course ate their sundaes!

Overall, just an OK experience, glad we weren't paying OOP. Disappointing, since we loved it last time. Probably won't do this one again next time. Luckily, our TS experiences only got better!!!

Back with more tonight or tomorrow!

KatMark

05-10-2009, 07:38 PM

I can't keep up with all this food porn. I'm here. I'm here!

lynn46356

05-10-2009, 07:43 PM

Looking forward to the reviews. Sorry that Kona disappointed this time. We've never ate there but have always thought about it. We end up going with Ohana instead each time. Maybe next but after your review maybe not. I definitely know what you mean about unsweetened tea which is my everyday drink. Sweet tea is just way too sweet. Ick. Sorry sweet tea fans. Of course, I'm not from the south either. Thanks for sharing with us.

Lynn

Smiling Cheshire Cat

05-10-2009, 08:25 PM

That Hawaiian flatbread sounds awesome. Would love to hear what was on it.
Looking forward to the rest of your review.:thumbsup2

natalielongstaff

05-11-2009, 07:42 AM

Shame about kona !

skellingtonfreak

05-11-2009, 11:45 AM

Sorry about Kona...I am in for the rest though!

disneymom06

05-11-2009, 11:53 AM

I have to agree with you about Kona Cafe. Had always wanted to eat at Kona because of such great reviews. Service was not great or the Teryaki style strip steak. Three of us had the same meal and no one gave it good reviews. The meat was grizzly and very poor. I was surprised. She never came back to ask how the meal was or see if we needed drinks. I am hoping that it was not the usual but no one is looking to go again.

TigerKat

05-11-2009, 01:13 PM

Have to agree about KONA. We gave up going there after two really bad meals there in two years, too many other great places to go!

sandym718

05-11-2009, 02:10 PM

It is such a bummer that Kona has gone downhill!!!

Rachel- the Hawaiin flatbread has ham, pineapple and onions on it. Yummy cheese and not too much tomato sauce. It's large, DH finished mine!! I don't like onions, but couldn't figure out how to order w/o so I just picked them off, no biggie.

Next up....

Pecos Bills - lunch

Our first park day, at the MK and we decided to try this for lunch. They have the express ordering computers, really liked that, made it quick.

DH - Double Bacon Cheeseburger with fries, strawberry yogurt for dessert, pop
Me- BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries, carrot cake, iced tea
Both kids - Hamburger, applesauce, cookie and chocolate milk

Dh loved his burger, really loaded up on the toppings bar! No cheese sauce, though :( My pork sandwich was really good. I was bummed there was no Peanut Butter Brownie Mousse like on the AllEars menu, but the carrot cake was OK. I just love chocolate and PB!! The kids ate fine, the selection is VERY limited there for kids.

This was a decent lunch, we'd return if the kids definitely wanted a hamburger.

Next up... Chef Mickey's for dinner

sandym718

05-11-2009, 02:23 PM

Chef Mickey's Dinner

Kids were really looking forward to this one!! We did a "brunch" here last trip and really enjoyed it. A bit nervous about dinner due to so many mixed reviews, but...we really liked it!!

ADR was for 6:15, we arrived about 6:10, seated by about 6:20. Goofy was nearby so we saw him before even ordering drinks. Then I think it was Donald soon after that. Then we headed to the buffet. I'm having a hard time remembering everything, but I do know that all 4 of us LOVED the mashed potatoes. I think the kids ate Mickey head mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, broccoli and corn. I really liked a chipotle rubbed chicken, a cream sauce pasta and the chicken and corn chowder. DH ate everything and was happy overall.

Kids and DH dug into sundaes, I like the Micky head mousse on an Oreo (name). Tried a few of the other desserts, all good, nothing that I remember specfically.

We saw Minnie, Pluto and Mickey during the meal. Good character interaction, signed the kids' books and took a photo with them. They just love it!

Overall, a very good meal and nothing to be nervous about. We'd definitely return here for either breakfast or dinner. Is it fine food? No, but it's good and we love seeing the characters during a meal rather than standing in line!

sandym718

05-11-2009, 02:35 PM

Earl of Sandwich lunch

This was an unplanned lunch. The original plan was Flame Tree in AK, but we finished in AK before lunch and have been wanting to try Earl's, so we headed there. (We had our own car btw). So...GREAT sandwiches, but poor communication about the DDP here. When we placed our order, we told them we were on the plan, the lady said we could each pick out a side OR a dessert, not both. Fine, no problem. But she said nothing about other restrictions. So, we ordered:
DH- Hawaiian BBQ
Me- The Full Montagu
Both kids - Grilled Cheese
2 chocolate milks, 2 fountain drinks.

Then we picked out our desserts/sides. Kids picked out brownie ice cream sandwiches, DH a yogurt parfait, myself a cupcake "coronet". Well, turns out only mine qualified, so they had to go back in between the people in line to get other things - would've been so much simpler had she just told us..... Anyways, DH got a choc-dipped rice krispie treat, the kids each got brownies.

Sandwiches were SO good, made all the hassle worthwhile. Desserts were good. It would be nice if you could get chips, too, thouhg. My sandwich was $5.95, dessert 1.95 and drink 1.95, so this isn't the best deal on the plan.
We would return, though, because the sandwiches are THAT good!!

sandym718

05-11-2009, 02:36 PM

Sorry, double post!

sandym718

05-11-2009, 02:49 PM

One last review for now...

Ohana Dinner

Our first time here, we LOOOOOVED it!! We waited maybe 15 minutes for our table, I think this was our longest wait of the trip, not bad at all. We had great "cousins", very friendly. We all really liked the bread, thought the salad was OK, I really couldn't taste the dressing. The sides were SO good, that's what we really enjoyed about the meal: All 4 of us dug into the wings, I think DS might have eaten 3. I really liked the Pork dumplings. We all ate the vegetables and the noodles, DD and I in particular loved the noodles - kind of sweet, really good. I never had the potatoes, but I was disappointed b/c they sounded good, but these noodles were great!

The meats were all decent (I didn't have shrimp), but on the dry side. The sauces really helped, I liked them a lot. The sides were definitely the hit here, though, and dessert. Oh, that bread pudding is soooooooo good!! Delicious!!

DS was too shy, but DD participated in the maracas parade and the limbo, had fun. WE really liked the atmosphere here and we'll definitely return!

Disney owl

05-11-2009, 06:36 PM

thanks for sharing

Steph9072

05-11-2009, 11:26 PM

gardengirl628

05-12-2009, 12:03 AM

Nice to hear that you liked Chef Mickey's. Thinking about trying this in November.
Love the sandwiches at Earl's...but I agree with you about the confusion. We had the same problem 2 years ago....think they would have figured it out by now!
Can't wait to read more!

sandym718

05-13-2009, 03:45 PM

Sorry for the delay! We've been thrown right back into the "fire" of busy life with kids. Sports, sports and more sports right now!! Gonna try to do a couple now...

Sunshine Seasons lunch

Intended to try this place last time, but we ended up at Electric Umbrella, nothing special at all. This time, I was determined...and it was worth it!!

Me- Half Rotisserie Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Rice, Butterfinger Cheesecake and Iced Tea
DH- Ham and Salami Grinder, Chocolate Cake, Pop, Cheetos (Snack Credit)
Both kids - Chicken legs with mashed potatoes, chocolate milk and I think chocolate pudding

Soooo good! This is a real meal for a QS credit, if anyone does the QS plan - this is one place to come for dinner! Chicken was delicious, mashed potatoes to die for! Loved the Butterfinger cheesecake. DH enjoyed his sandwich. Found out no sides with the sandwiches, just dessert, so he used a snack credit to get Cheetos (he was hungry). Kids really loved the chicken and potatoes also.

Will definitely return here!

sandym718

05-13-2009, 04:06 PM

Wolfgang Puck Cafe - dinner
We enjoyed a dinner here last trip, but it wasn't in our original plans to return. But we reworked our itinerary a bit, and turns out DH didn't want any strictly Italian places (we were thinking Tutto), so he requested to go back here. Once again, SO glad we did!! This was my best entree of the trip - even better than the filet at LeCellier!

Me- Pumpkin Ravioli, Mango Ice Tea, Mud Pie
DH- Asian Hoisin Ribs, Mango Ice Tea, Mud Pie
Both kids - Spaghetti and Meatballs, Fruit Punch, Artist's Palette make your own Sundae

Kids first - they devoured this! The portions were huge, so they didn't finish, but I was surprised at how much they ate. They loved it! Milk is not included here on the plan - only fountain drinks. We knew this from last time, not a problem. They've been on choc. milk overload! (We only allow white milk at home, choc. milk is a dining-out or sometimes weekend treat). They also enjoyed the sundaes.

Oh, the bread, almost forgot - they bring some regular breads and flatbreads, a dish of oil with balsamic vinegar in it - never had it like that. LoVED it!! I ate a bunch!

OK, mine - the Pumpkin Ravioli are TO DIE FOR!!! Soooo good, with a browned butter sauce. To me, this was kind of like a sweet pierogi (which I also love). Not the same taste, but the same concept sort of as a ricotta pierogi. I just loved them and ate them all up. The portion wasn't huge, just right. I asked if the chicken was included in the plan, it was not, but our sweet waitress (really great!) said it really didn't need it. And she was right - I can't see a thing the chicken would've added to the dish. I will now be on the search for Pumpkin Ravioli at all future restaurants I dine at EVERYWHERE, LOL!! The Mud pie was very good - chocolate ice cream with brownies and pecans. Very big, I didn't finish. Dh did.

DH really liked his ribs as well. I noticed they fell right off the bone and he said the flavor was great.

This was a wonderful experience. I know it's gotten some mixed reviews. It is a sort of loud place, with kids, that's good! And we like the bright, fun decor. Had awesome service, probably the best of the trip. And the food is sooo good. We'll definitley be returning and probably trying his restaurants in other cities, too!

Next up -- CRT lunch, Captain Cook's lunch, and T-Rex dinner.

emmababy

05-13-2009, 09:45 PM

Love your reviews. I totally agree about Sunshine Seasons, love it! Especially the Butterfinger cheesecake!

sandym718

05-14-2009, 08:07 PM

CRT lunch

This one was just DD and I! We decided to go ahead and use the DDP credits, b/c DS really wanted to do T-Rex and that's OOP anyways. So we did that this night.

So I get DD all dressed in her dress and we check in at CRT at noon for our 12:10 ressie. First we wait about 5 mins to check in, then we are sent to stand in a long line to be invited in for the photo. The line was out in the sun, I needed water at this point and was feeling overheated, it was not fun. Would be much better if this could be inside. After getting inside, more line time. We didn't get her photo taken until about 12:40! At this point, I'm not overly thrilled, but it's for her, not me, so.... luckily, it got better. We were given a nice table for 2 on the upper level railing, could see out the windows, very pretty. Appetizer and drinks right away. Orders were taken and food came VERY fast. Obviously, they have enough ready to go. I ordered the Major Domo's Pie and it was good, but could've been hotter. DD got the chicken noodle soup and chicken strips with mashed potatoes and veggies. She actually ate really well, surprisingly. The princesses came around in good time - Snow White, Belle (in blue/white), Jasmine and Sleeping Beauty. They also did the wishing ceremony, which I got some great photos of DD with her eyes closed, wishing. Very cute! We really liked the desserts here, DD enjoyed the chocolate crown on her sundae and I thought the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buckle was VERY good. Overall, it ended up being a very nice experience, which DD just was SO HAPPY about, so it made the initial wait worth it. Here's just one photo, one I took of DD with Cinderella:

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/sandym718/Disney2009217.jpg

sandym718

05-14-2009, 08:10 PM

Captain Cook's lunch

This was just DH and DS, they headed back to the Poly for lunch and the pool while DD and I did CRT. They decided to "cheat" on this one a bit, b/c DS wanted the Pepperoni Flatbread. I think he had a Mickey ice cream bar for dessert. DH had the Turkey Club which he really liked, with the Asian slaw (also liked) and a Dole Whip.

sandym718

05-14-2009, 08:13 PM

T- Rex Dinner

This one was for DS. We had 6:30 ressies, but they were pointless, at least at that time. They just had us get into the same line as people who were walk-ups. Waited about 10 mins, kids had fun looking around. We were in a back room, not sure what it was called, but adjacent to the ice cave. The kids had fun taking photos and watching all the action. Food:

Me - Prehistoric Panini with Waffle Fries
DH- Bronto Burger with Waffle Fries
DS - Pasta w/ Marinara
DD - Mac & Cheese

Everything was good here, nothing fabulous. DH's burger was HUGE and that's not even the big one! Kids ate well. My panini was cold, which I didn't expect, I thought it would be warm. Still good, and I like the olive salad - like a muffaletta.

We didn't do any dessert here since it was OOP, figured we'd use snacks.

Coming up.... my best snack of the trip!!

sandym718

05-14-2009, 08:17 PM

Cooke's of Dublin - Doh Bar snack!

I had read about these, and knew this would be the perfect night for one with no dessert included with dinner. So I headed over after T-Rex. I'm not a big fan of fried stuff (tried Twinkies, eh), but the ooey-gooey of this drew me in and OH MY, this is Soooooo good!! The Snickers gets all melted and it's just delicious! I want one RIGHT NOW! I'm hoping they have them at the county fair this year, or I'm going to have DH make me one at home!! Here's my one and only food photo, and sorry it's so blurry:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f214/sandym718/Disney2009273.jpg''

Definitely try one of these!!

Up next: Lottawatta Lodge and Crystal Palace

MelanieC

05-14-2009, 08:56 PM

Thanks for the reviews- :)

NorweJenNY

05-15-2009, 12:00 PM

Pecos Bills - lunch

Our first park day, at the MK and we decided to try this for lunch. They have the express ordering computers, really liked that, made it quick.

DH - Double Bacon Cheeseburger with fries, strawberry yogurt for dessert, pop
Me- BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries, carrot cake, iced tea
Both kids - Hamburger, applesauce, cookie and chocolate milk

Dh loved his burger, really loaded up on the toppings bar! No cheese sauce, though :( My pork sandwich was really good. I was bummed there was no Peanut Butter Brownie Mousse like on the AllEars menu, but the carrot cake was OK. I just love chocolate and PB!! The kids ate fine, the selection is VERY limited there for kids.

This was a decent lunch, we'd return if the kids definitely wanted a hamburger.

Two things strike me here... two significant things in my mind...

1) No cheese sauce?!?!?! Was this a fluke, or can anyone else confirm that it actually might be possible that Pecos Bill no longer has cheese sauce available? I loved adding that to my taco salads!

2) No peanut butter mousse brownie?!?!?! I was also looking forward to splurging on this! Tell me this will be back...

Please... somebody... tell me these things will be there this summer!!!

momofdbsdc

05-15-2009, 12:06 PM

Great reviews!!!:thumbsup2

dancemomnj

05-15-2009, 12:11 PM

:thumbsup2Enjoying your reviews

JoePa4Ever

05-15-2009, 03:07 PM

Thanks so much for your great reviews. We love Chef Mickey's brkfst - glad you enjoyed your dinner there. Hopefully we'll get around to trying CM dinner for ourselves some day.

sandym718

05-15-2009, 03:34 PM

Two things strike me here... two significant things in my mind...

1) No cheese sauce?!?!?! Was this a fluke, or can anyone else confirm that it actually might be possible that Pecos Bill no longer has cheese sauce available? I loved adding that to my taco salads!

2) No peanut butter mousse brownie?!?!?! I was also looking forward to splurging on this! Tell me this will be back...

Please... somebody... tell me these things will be there this summer!!!

I was so disappointed about both these things!! The cheese sauce "containers" were there, but it looked like a pot or something that would sit in them (maybe a dispenser-type thing?) was missing. So that could have been temporary. PB Mousse brownie - no idea! AllEars still has it on the menu, but does Not list the carrot cake. So it may be gone. The strawberry yogurt is the other choice.

NorweJenNY

05-15-2009, 04:19 PM

I was so disappointed about both these things!! The cheese sauce "containers" were there, but it looked like a pot or something that would sit in them (maybe a dispenser-type thing?) was missing. So that could have been temporary. PB Mousse brownie - no idea! AllEars still has it on the menu, but does Not list the carrot cake. So it may be gone. The strawberry yogurt is the other choice.

I'll hope it was just a fluke then about the cheese sauce...

However, I don't think you can get a PB Mousse brownie anywhere else! Carrot cake, yeah, I can get that other places... but I'm with you - I love chocolate and peanut butter together! :cloud9:

Maybe someone else will have better news... sounds like they're getting too into trying to make things sound healthy... I mean, carrot cake or strawberry yogurt as the only dessert options? Come on! At least something chocolatey! Sheesh!

devonsmommy

05-15-2009, 06:32 PM

Hi Sandy!
I'm glad I found you over here!
Thanks for the reviews. We just booked our free dining trip. I am contemplating CRT, but not sure if I want lunch or dinner. Also contemplating Ohana.

sandym718

05-17-2009, 01:18 PM

Hi! Well, CRT doesn't have all the Princesses for dinner, so that's something to consider. Cinderella is still downstairs I think, and I think the mice and Fairy Godmother might be in the dining room? Not positive. I definitely recommend Ohana - like I said the meat was kind of dry, but the sauces are good and all the other stuff more than makes up for it!

Going to try to finish these up today!

sandym718

05-17-2009, 01:28 PM

Lottwatta Lodge lunch

Blizzard Beach day today!! We ate at LL last trip, and it seems to have the largest menu of the places there, so we headed over.

Me- Cobb Salad, iced tea, Mickey Cookies & Cream sandwich
DH - Double Cheeseburger with fries, pop, Frozen Lemonade
DD- Mac & Cheese, applesauce, apple juice and cookie
DS - Hot Dog, applesauce, bottled water and cookie

No chocolate milk for the kids here, but I didn't really want them having milk anyways, it was so hot, etc. Kids ate fine. DH seemed to enjoy his burger, not much to say. Cobb salad was VERY good, I highly recommend this. It comes with a raspberry dressing, very good, or they have others you can choose from (packaged). Last trip I got a pizza here - not so good. Definitely go with the salad!!

You can bring your receipt back to get dessert later - after eating or anytime before 5. Kids ate their cookies, so DH and I decided to wait until we were ready to leave the park to get our ice creams, and get the kids a cold snack too.

We were ready about 1:30. DS wanted a snocone, DD a Mickey bar, so DH took her and the receipts to LL for all that and DS and I got in line at the snocone place. Big mistake. Only 2 families in front of us in line - 1 guy and a couple. Unfortunately, the guy ordered 9 (!) snocones for his family! There was only 1 lady working the whole thing, and she said she was new. Ugh!! The line grew sooo long behind us, we moved it over to stand where the water was being sprayed on the concrete b/c a lot of people were barefoot. It just took forever!! DS really wanted one, though, so we waited. People were asking if they could get alcoholic snocones after this line. I'd say we waited around 25-30 mins!! Longer than all the rides!! DH walked back over to us to give me my ice cream and I started eating it in line so it wouldn't melt!! Ah well, what can you do? DS enjoyed his cherry snocone, thank goodness!!

sandym718

05-17-2009, 01:36 PM

Crystal Palace dinner

This was a return trip for us. Wanted to see the Pooh characters again before the kids get too old (DS kind of is, but he still liked seeing them) AND we really like the food here. Such a beautiful restaurant too! We waited about 15 mins for our table here, we checked in about 5:20 for our 5:30 ADR. Got some nice photos of the kids with the castle in the background right out front while we waited. Photopass photog there too!!

The food did not disappoint!! It's all good, but I particularly liked the mashed potatoes, corn spoon bread, adobe pork, chicken pasta and turkey. We all ate very well here!! Desserts were very good, too. I think there was a great bread pudding here last time, though, and I didn't see that.

Characters were great, very playful. We saw Eeyore as soon as we sat down, then Pooh and Tigger while eating. For some reason, Piglet must have been moving VERY slow! They did the parade thing not too long after we were eating, then characters resumed visiting. All 3 of the other characters came to our table AGAIN before we saw Piglet. We had to wait on Piglet well after we were done eating, but we were in no rush, so not a big deal.

This is definitely a fave of ours and we'll return I would think.

sandym718

05-17-2009, 01:40 PM

Captain Cook's lunch

This was our last full day at Disney :( We hit the MK in the morning then decided to go back to the Poly for lunch and swimming.

Me- Aloha Pork sandwich, chips, iced tea, chocolate crossaint
DH- Turkey Club, Asian slaw, pop, Dole Whip
DS- Cheeseburger, applesauce, pudding, chocolate milk
DD- Chicken nuggets, applesauce, pudding, chocolate milk

Nothing new for the kids or DH here (he loved his meal on Tues and replicated it!), but the Pork sandwich was new to me. VERY good, I especially loved the cucumber on it! A nice cool crunch. I'll definitely order this again next trip! CC's doesn't have a big selection, but everything is good!

sandym718

05-17-2009, 01:47 PM

LeCellier dinner

Our last meal :( LeC was our favorite last time, and our last dinner last trip also, so decided to do that again. Unfortunately I was coming down with a pretty bad cold at this point, so I couldn't enjoy it to the fullest. Still great, though!!

Me- Filet, plain, with subbed in cream cheese mashed potatoes, Chocolate raspberry shake, Chocolate Whiskey cake

DH-NY Strip, iced tea, Chocolate Whiskey cake

Both kids - carrot and celery sticks, pasta, ice cream sundae, chocolate milk

I had planned to order the Cheese soup OOP here if the kids didn't order any (they didn't), but my appetite wasn't huge, so I didn't. Enjoyed the pretzel and sourdough breadsticks, so good! The choc-rasp shake is to die for!!! As good as I remembered. My filet and DH's steak were both cooked perfectly and so tender and good. The mashed potatoes were also as good as I remembered. Unfortunately I think the shake really filled me up and I started feeling not-so-hot after eating my steak and potatoes. I ordered the cake b/c I loved it last time, the Anglaise is soooo good. But I could only take 2 bites and had to give the rest to DH. He ate both!!

This is a must do for us for sure!

sandym718

05-17-2009, 02:46 PM

Snacks and summary

I've mentioned some of our snacks already (Doh bar!). We used a good number of them at the Poly- chocolate crossaints for me, Dole Whips or yogurt parfaits (breakfast) for DH. Kids bought some lollipops throughout the week.

I made a Goofy's Candy Co. run after our WPC dinner and did the make-your-own treats. We were rarely hungry, so we ate most of them once we got home!! I did a fudge cookie for each of the kids (they shared one there and one at home), Rice Krispie treat for DH, and pretzels and marshmallows for myself. The marshmallows were my fave, I ate those there over 2-3 days. Pretzels really good also. This is a fun way to use snack credits!

I don't have any others that stand out in my mind- mickey bars and ice cream sandwiches, etc. Disappointed that neither BB nor the Poly still have the Toll House cookie ice cream sandwiches (packaged). I enjoyed those last trip. Didn't make it to the MK place for the fresh ones, unfortunately! The Cookies and Cream Mickey sandwiches were good, too, though.

We ended up leaving 3 snack credits unused. We had planned to get pastries from CC's for the ride home (chocolate crossaints!!! LOL), but when DH went Thurs night the case was nearly empty. I ran in there about 5:15 Friday morning, still empty, they don't fill it until after 6. I should've bought some of the brownies or rice krispie treats, but we wanted to get going, so I didn't bother. Not a big deal!

Summary -- Overall, very good dining once again! Favorites were Ohana, WPC, CP and LeC. Only place we wouldn't return unless we hear about some great changes (back to how it was!) was Kona.

$$$$ - We paid a total of $713.72 for 2 adults, 2 children for the DDP, 7 nights. Our food total came to almost exactly $1000! Give or take a few dollars for exact amounts on some snacks, and we left 3 snacks unused. We saved almost $300 on the plan, a good deal more than we spent OOP on tips and our T-Rex dinner. Would we have eaten the same way? Not exactly, but probably pretty close. TS meals would've been the same - meaning same tip cost. CS meals we probably would've done desserts later as snacks, etc. BUT... our CS meals basically worked out to be almost free anyways, so we still would've saved!! The plan cost covered our TS costs and our snacks minus only $17, not even 1 days CS.

Definitely look at menus, prices and how you want to eat if you're considering the DDP, it's not for everyone. But for many families, esp. those with kids, you can still stand to save a good deal of $$ on this plan, even with the 2008/9 changes. In 2007 we saved $310.50 on the plan (just 3 of us, DD was only 2), and this year we saved just a little less, still a good savings.

Birdleigh

05-18-2009, 12:39 AM

Thanks for the great reviews. I can't wait to try 'Ohana.:yay:

NorweJenNY

05-18-2009, 10:23 AM

Great reviews!

Thanks for posting!

I agree that Goofy's Candy Co. looks like a fun way to use snack credits! Just hoping it won't be too busy, because it sounds like that place may be gaining popularity!

Too bad about those unused snack credits! Sounds like a shame!

Now that I'm thinking about it (and don't blame you if you didn't think about it) ... is that something you could pay forward? If you have unused snack credits and just checked out of your room, can you give your KTTW card to another guest and tell them there's x # of meals/snacks left on it that they're free to use?

sandym718

05-18-2009, 03:20 PM

NorweJenNY

05-18-2009, 03:30 PM

I guess you probably could. One thing though - do charging privledges remain after you check out of the room? Not sure. But a kids' card could work. There was no one around at that time of the morning though, and DH was pulling the car around.

I wonder if anyone has ever done that... :angel:

You're right about watching out for charging priviledges ...though I don't even intend to have that on our KTTW card because I've heard reports of people on the DDP accidentally getting charged on their credit card instead of having meal credits deducted. (Though, I suppose you could keep the kids' cards for DDP credits without that threat too.)

You did leave awfully early, didn't you? To me that sounds hard... the combination of getting up super early with leaving WDW... how depressing! :sad1: