The Picky Eater & The Glutton Attempt to Conquer DxDDP...Tusker House Breakfast 12/30

[disneygirlinnj]

I know some of you are keeping track of my pre-trip but I've been getting addicted to everyones dining reports so I think I'm going to be doing one of my own just for all you foodies out there. :thumbsup2

My mom and I are heading down to the world for my birthday 9/26-10/3 on the Deluxe Dining Plan. We KNOW it's a lot of food but we mainly got it due to being able to sit down in AC and relax throughout the day. Mom gets tired easily so taking our time is our motto for the week. We're not ones to go back to the hotel and bum around though. Also, since it's during free dining, you can't really pass up 3 TS meals for $32 each a day, right?

So who's the picky eater? My mother! :eek: She's a tiny little thing that only eats because she knows she has to. NOT because she enjoys food. :sad2: I don't understand how I'm related to her. Also, she's pretty much a vegetarian. She'll eat shrimp and filet of sole/flounder...but that's IT in terms of 'meat'. No beef, no chicken, nada. And another thing? She's not into trying new things. Or anything that's spiced differently. Oh...and no alcohol.

Me, on the other hand, will eat until it hurts. If I love what I'm eating, I'll keep eating it. It's bad. :) I LOVE food. I love trying new things. I love going to new restaurants. I thoroughly enjoy eating, especially with a perfectly paired glass of wine. I will eat almost anything, except seafood. I do try it all the time but I just don't have the taste for it. :confused3

Obviously my mother and I are complete opposites so this should be entertaining. :)

We'll be trying a few new places and as always, eat at the trusty ones we love too. We're also going to be there for the Food & Wine Festival so somewhere in between ADRs we have to figure out a way to use up those 28 snack credits!

Here's the list of places we have ADRs for. I keep wanting to play around with the online system some more and tweak the times/places but honestly? I think it's pretty perfect for us already.

As I write the reports I'll update this post with a clickable link to the actual post. If it's new to us (well, if we haven't gone there in over 10 years), I'll include a * next to it.

9/26: Sassagoula Food Court (Pizza Snack) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33928266&postcount=36)
9/26: Garden View Lounge Afternoon Tea at GF (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33953675&postcount=43)
9/26: Citricos Dinner (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33990369&postcount=51)
9/27: Breakfast with Eeyore and gang at Crystal Palace (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34014913&postcount=61)
9/27: Lunch at Tony's (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34092470&postcount=63)
9/27: Disappointing Dinner at Kona (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34108718&postcount=66)
9/28: Breakfast at the Wave (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34272687&postcount=72)
9/28: Lunch at Tutto Italia (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34744503&postcount=73)
9/28: F&W Snack and Dinner at POFQ (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34808178&postcount=79)
9/29: Breakfast at Tusker House (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34808215&postcount=80)

Yak & Yeti (dinner)
Kouzzina (breakfast)*
Chefs de France (lunch)
Tutto Italia (dinner)
SciFi (lunch)*
Kouzzina (dinner)*
Kona (breakfast)
Plaza (lunch)*
Tonys (dinner)
Wave (breakfast)*

I know the trip is 45 days out but it can't hurt to be prepared...right? :)

[MickeyNicki]

You have some fantastic choices and I cannot wait to hear all about them!

[disneygirlinnj]

You have some fantastic choices and I cannot wait to hear all about them!

Thank you! :) I just read your most recent dining review and now I'm hungry. That panini at Tutto has me wanting to drive to the Italian deli right now for dinner...hmmm...not a bad idea :thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

Signing on, you've got an excellent line-up!:goodvibes

[BriarRosie]

Woohoo, a glutton! You're one of us!

:banana::banana::banana:

Not that I would know anything about gluttony, mind you.

Looks quickly at my signature pics.

Oh. :rolleyes1

[disneygirlinnj]

Signing on, you've got an excellent line-up!:goodvibes

Welcome! Thank you...there will be a counter service or two from POFQ thrown in there for breakfast I think as well!

Woohoo, a glutton! You're one of us!

:banana::banana::banana:

Not that I would know anything about gluttony, mind you.

Looks quickly at my signature pics.

Oh. :rolleyes1

Woohoo! A fellow glutton! Welcome over here :woohoo:

[MickeyNicki]

Thank you! :) I just read your most recent dining review and now I'm hungry. That panini at Tutto has me wanting to drive to the Italian deli right now for dinner...hmmm...not a bad idea :thumbsup2

LOL, after eating that I was on a panini kick for a while, wento Costco and bought all the fixings and DH and I pigged out for a few days on these wonderfu sandwiches!

[cathy0124]

Woop! I'm in.. My NJ born and bred DH and I will be at POFQ the same time as you :) 9/25 - 10/2.

Cathy

[disneygirlinnj]

Woop! I'm in.. My NJ born and bred DH and I will be at POFQ the same time as you :) 9/25 - 10/2.

Cathy

welcome aboard cathy! maybe we'll run into each other at some point!

[milmore104]

I'm in. Looks like a good line up. Have a great time we'll be there 9/30-10/11.

[oybolshoi]

Interesting line up ... I look forward to reading about it once you get back. :thumbsup2

[amandelba]

Sounds great. We're trying DxDDP for the first time in August. We'll let you know how it goes.

[disneygirlinnj]

I'm in. Looks like a good line up. Have a great time we'll be there 9/30-10/11.

Seems like I'll be in Disney with every DISer! :) See you down there!

Interesting line up ... I look forward to reading about it once you get back. :thumbsup2

Thank you!

Sounds great. We're trying DxDDP for the first time in August. We'll let you know how it goes.

I'll be reading closely :)

[disneyfav4ever]

You have made some great choices, and I can't to read your reviews when you get back.

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

I'm in!

[GoofySon'sMom]

I'm in - great lineup! We'll be eating at many of the same places in December. I can make my ADRs the first day of your trip so we will count down together! :goodvibes

[disneygirlinnj]

You have made some great choices, and I can't to read your reviews when you get back.

Thank you! :) Welcome!

I'm in!

:banana: Welcome too!

I'm in - great lineup! We'll be eating at many of the same places in December. I can make my ADRs the first day of your trip so we will count down together! :goodvibes

Thank you! This morning when i first saw your post i also saw the link in your sig from your last trip. We have very similar tastes...especially the no seafood (well hardly any for you guys!) thing. Loved everything you guys had! Seemed like a perfect trip and love that it was just you two :)

[GoofySon'sMom]

Thank you! :) Welcome!



:banana: Welcome too!



Thank you! This morning when i first saw your post i also saw the link in your sig from your last trip. We have very similar tastes...especially the no seafood (well hardly any for you guys!) thing. Loved everything you guys had! Seemed like a perfect trip and love that it was just you two :)

Thank you so much! It was very special for me to have the time with him. We are trying to branch out in the fish & seafood department. Have been trying some new things but just haven't liked anything yet. But at least we are trying!

[racefanof88]

I thought I had posted on here, but I guess I am mistaken :scared1:. Well, I'm here now. I feel your pain with the picky eater, I too am the one who will try anything at least once. Boy, our trip is going to be different now that Dale will most likely be on a special diet :rolleyes1.

[nicolemomof4cuties]

We will be down at beginning of your trip. It looks like you have some good restuarants picked out. I wonder about Kouzzina-I can't wait to read your review. I would like to try it next year with my hubby.

[disneygirlinnj]

Thank you so much! It was very special for me to have the time with him. We are trying to branch out in the fish & seafood department. Have been trying some new things but just haven't liked anything yet. But at least we are trying!

I've found I can eat yellowtail sushi. But I drown it in wasabi and soy sauce so I think it kills the taste :rotfl:

I thought I had posted on here, but I guess I am mistaken :scared1:. Well, I'm here now. I feel your pain with the picky eater, I too am the one who will try anything at least once. Boy, our trip is going to be different now that Dale will most likely be on a special diet :rolleyes1.

Hopefully it wont be too different! I'm sure Disney can make certain things 'healthier' for him! :)

We will be down at beginning of your trip. It looks like you have some good restuarants picked out. I wonder about Kouzzina-I can't wait to read your review. I would like to try it next year with my hubby.

Thank you! I've been really looking forward to Kouzzina. Not only is my mom a picky eater but she's even pickier about her Greek food since she was raised there. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint!

[disneygirlinnj]

22 Days until the festivites begin! :) I keep wanting to tweak the times/places but I have no idea how to make them better, haha!

[disneyfav4ever]

22 Days until the festivites begin! :) I keep wanting to tweak the times/places but I have no idea how to make them better, haha!I'm doing the same thing! I'm very happy with what I have right now, but I keep on thinking it could be better, and trying to figure out if I should change something or not.

[NuttyDisneyMom]

Bring it onpopcorn::

[racefanof88]

I can just taste the school bread now yummmmmmmmmmm.

[annnewjerz]

Didn't realize you'd be doing a dining review also. Can't wait to hear what you have to say about some of the places. I still have 3 months to tweak my ADRs so if anything is that great I may just have to change some.

I sort of agree with you though---I can't see (right now) how I could make mine any better than they are already. For us, pretty perfect.

Can't wait to hear more---not too much longer now! :thumbsup2

[disneygirlinnj]

I'm doing the same thing! I'm very happy with what I have right now, but I keep on thinking it could be better, and trying to figure out if I should change something or not.

Ok I switched my Kouzzina dinner a LITTLE earlier.. ;) I think I'm officially done changing things around...maybe.

Bring it onpopcorn::

Welcome!! :)

I can just taste the school bread now yummmmmmmmmmm.

I think I'm sadly the only one that doesn't really want to try school bread? :scared1: I know...I must be crazy. With all those snack credits though I might have to test it out this trip!

Didn't realize you'd be doing a dining review also. Can't wait to hear what you have to say about some of the places. I still have 3 months to tweak my ADRs so if anything is that great I may just have to change some.

I sort of agree with you though---I can't see (right now) how I could make mine any better than they are already. For us, pretty perfect.

Can't wait to hear more---not too much longer now! :thumbsup2

Hey! :) If you're following the official trip report, it might be exactly the same. I'll be including the reviews in the normal report too. Depending on how I feel I might go into a little more detail here or just copy and paste word for word. I just know that there's a TON of people on here that just love the dining reviews and don't really care about the trip reports so I wanted to share with them.

Almost down to TWELVE DAYS!!!!!

[scoot241]

When did this start?

Maybe I'll break out my dining, but I think I'll do it when I'm finished my regular report (which at this rate might be sometime in 2010).

[disneygirlinnj]

When did this start?

Maybe I'll break out my dining, but I think I'll do it when I'm finished my regular report (which at this rate might be sometime in 2010).

Haha, I think I started it when I was reallly bored at work one day :)

[disneygirlinnj]

Alright everyone...we leave tomorrow morning!! :)

I'll be tweeting my way around the World if anyone wants to follow along..

www.twitter.com/disneygirlinnj

Hope to come back with a million photos of food yumminess...and I'll try to not gain 40 lbs :)

[disneygirlinnj]

We're back! And OMG seriously rediculous amounts of food!!! Even on Day 2 I was dreading eating my next meal! We smartened up a bit after that though and swapped a few plans out (but not many!) and ended up completely satisified.

I have to get all of my receipts together and organized so I know exactly what we ate, etc. Then I have to go through all my photos. I hope to start in a few days!

There were definitely some amazing meals (Citricos! fabulous!) And then others that were slighly disappointing. But I can honestly say we didn't have a complete horrible meal ever. Only one seriously crappy waitress which put a damper on one meal but all other CM's were great and amazing.

[TigerKat]

Can't wait to hear about Citricos!!!!

[GoofySon'sMom]

Can't wait to hear about Citricos!!!!

Ditto! It is one of the meals I am most looking forward to on our next trip!

[annnewjerz]

Woohoo! :woohoo:

Can't wait to hear all about the gluttony and also what changes you made in order to make the DxDDP a little more easy to stomach (no pun intended ;)). We finally added it to our December reservations, so now I officially need to start paying attention to all of these awesome dining reviews.

[disneygirlinnj]

Can't wait to hear about Citricos!!!!

Ditto! It is one of the meals I am most looking forward to on our next trip!

I'm still dreaming about it...and it's where I found my favorite wine of all time. I've been trying to find it up here it was so good.

Woohoo! :woohoo:

Can't wait to hear all about the gluttony and also what changes you made in order to make the DxDDP a little more easy to stomach (no pun intended ;)). We finally added it to our December reservations, so now I officially need to start paying attention to all of these awesome dining reviews.

Haha! OK, got all my receipts together so hopefully in the next few days! I will say, if you do Deluxe, try to schedule as many 2TS meals as you can. 3 TS meals was way too much for us on some days. We weren't able to make use of all those snack credits because we were so full and I was sad about it because all I realllly wanted to do was eat around the World for Food and Wine! :)

[disneygirlinnj]

Ok everyone! Let the fun begin!!! :)

This first review is going to be short and sweet because all we did was have a quick snack. :) I'll try to include all prices, what we actually paid, and what was included on the DxDDP.

We arrived at the resort pretty early since our flight was on time and DME was sprinkling pixie dust and had us on our way in less than 15 mins of getting off the plane. We picked up our information but our room wasn't ready so we went to go grab a quick bite while we waited.

At 11:11am (according to our receipt), Mom and I were pretty hungry but didn't want to have a full meal so we headed over to Sassagoula Food Court (which the WHOLE trip I totally called Sassalouga until I sat and read the sign on the last day...oops!). Decided to just share a cheese pizza and pick up our mugs so we have drinks.

We were given a buzzer and then went to fill our mugs while we waited. Picked up the pizza at the pizza window when it was ready and dug in!

The pizza was typical Disney pizza, but we enjoyed it. Mom really liked the pizza around the World....she hates when the cheese is realllly stringy and doesn't break. Disney cheese apparently is exactly what she's looking for. Score! I think I'm just a snobby NY/NJer and wish all pizza could be thin crust NY pizza. I'm just not usually a huge fan of the Domino's style pizza but I will eat it if I'm in the mood. I will say that this pizza was a very good Domino's style pizza. The sauce had flavor, wasn't bland, and actually had some seasonings in it. The crust was crispy yet chewy, and the cheese....like mom said....wasn't too stringy and broke off right as you bit into it, even when it was still really hot.

Oh...and apparently there is no way to actually cut this pizza with the plastic forks and knives they provide. We mutilated one slice while we attempted (mom likes to cut her pizza) but finally gave up after awhile. If anyone knows the trick on how to cut this pizza, let us know! :lmao:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3495/3977902305_1517a91cc6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3977902305)


2 Refillable Mugs:
If OOP: $12.99 each, $27.67 total after tax
With DDP: FREE!

Personal Cheese Pizza:
Paid OOP: $6.38

[scoot241]

Mugs are included with DxDDP? That's cool.

We had a very similar lunch our first day: Everything Pop's food court. We're not pizza cutting people though, so we didn't have that problem.

[annnewjerz]

We had a very similar lunch our first day: Everything Pop's food court. We're not pizza cutting people though, so we didn't have that problem.

:rotfl2:

Here I thought there were only two types of people in the world, those who fold their pizza when they eat it and those who don't. ;) Apparently another category needs to be added for those who cut their pizza. Who knew such a group of people even existed? :rotfl:

[natalielongstaff]

great start to your report :thumbsup2

[thechesters420]

Can't wait to here more!

[NuttyDisneyMom]

More pleasepopcorn::

[disneygirlinnj]

Mugs are included with DxDDP? That's cool.

We had a very similar lunch our first day: Everything Pop's food court. We're not pizza cutting people though, so we didn't have that problem.

Yup! Mugs are included, which was great. Even though we usually just got water, it saved us from buying bottles in the parks. We would just ask counter service or kiosks for a cup of ice water instead.

And just for the record...I am NOT a pizza cutting person!! I have no idea where my mom gets it from :rotfl:

:rotfl2:

Here I thought there were only two types of people in the world, those who fold their pizza when they eat it and those who don't. ;) Apparently another category needs to be added for those who cut their pizza. Who knew such a group of people even existed? :rotfl:

Hahaha... I am a non-folder of pizza! 3 categories aren't so bad I guess, right?

great start to your report :thumbsup2

Thank you!

Can't wait to here more!

Next update coming right up!

More pleasepopcorn::

On it's way!!!

[disneygirlinnj]

After wandering around Main Street for a bit, we decided to give up on suffering through the heat and just head to the GF early. We wandered for a bit and browsed the stores and then headed down to the Garden View Lounge.

We checked in at the hostess stand and were told to go sit by the couches for about ten minutes because we were early for our reservation. I quickly took a peek into the tea room and there were very few tables sat already. Oh well...mom and I headed over to sit. About 15 minutes later, we were called over to be seated.

We were seated on the right of the tea room as you walk in, right by the windows. My back was to the rest of the room but it was beautiful. The sunlight was just coming through the windows and it was what i would think a typical tea should look like!

The view out the window...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/3979917770_1d58e4a89b.jpg

Our server and at first I thought was going to be pretty cold but she warmed up throughout the tea. She had a really large table with a few little girls so I think she might have been a little overwhelmed at first with them and her other tables. But she was pretty helpful and around if we needed anything. She explained the different teas and gave us some recommendations. Also explained the different meals you can get or that it can all be ordered a la carte too.

Mom chose the Chamomile, which on the receipt is Herbal Rooibos, and on the allears menu is: Chamomile Flowers - A tranquil and calming herbal infusion of sweet and fragrant golden chamomile blossoms combined for a mild and sweet taste. Soft and musty aroma combined with a smooth, apple-like finish.

I chose the Eros, which was recommended by our server.... Eros - Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish.

Mom enjoyed her tea and said it was very good chamomile. I thought the Eros was delicious! You could taste the mandarin and vanilla but neither overpowering.

The presentation of the tea was beautiful as well. The china used was gorgeous and dainty, for lack of a better word. I did find it odd though that my tea was brought out in a normal classy tea pot, while my mothers was brought out in a regular coffee french press pot. Does anyone know why they do this and how they pick which teas will be served how?

My Eros (and you can slightly see moms Chamomile in the background):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2533/3979919874_dd41f1102f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979919874)

We decided to just order a la carte off the menu because we wanted a little bit of everything. Ordering everything we wanted separately was actually cheaper than choosing one of the meals and not eating some stuff. And we ordered a LOT I feel! Sadly I TOTALLY forgot to take a photo of most of moms choices, but they're typical so you can imagine what they look like.

Mom ordered the Lemon Pound Cake for one option. It came out as two one inch thick pieces of typical lemon pound cake. She enjoyed it and ate every last bite. I tried a piece and thought it was kinda dry and nothing special.

We also ordered the strawberries and cream, with the cream on the side. It came out in separate bowls so we obviously lost a little in the presentation but the girls next to us also ordered and it looks YUMMY when combined together. The strawberries were ripe and sweet, not mushy or bruised at all. The sweet cream was definitely made in house and was delicious. I'm usually not a fan of whipped cream but could have eaten this alone with a spoon. Light, airy, and perfect.

I ordered the Freshly Baked Scones with Devonshire Cream and Preserves. Now you'd think when it says 'scones'... it would mean more than one, right? Well when I ordered she asked me if I wanted one or two, so naturally I said two. Little did I know that there was an extra charge for the second one! I didn't mind though because they were seriously the best things I had the whole tea. Wow, I could have eaten 5 more. They were sweet enough, moist, and with the Devonshire Cream? Heaven. I even forgot to try them with the preserves! I was upset when the girls next to me pulled out the preserves. I was tempted to order another one just to try it all together.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3494/3979158355_96c80b2af3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979158355)

In the photo is also a Jam Tart and this is where it gets a little fuzzy. I remember asking for them, but they're not on the receipt and there's supposed to be two of them, according to the menu. So I'm thinking our server might have just thrown one in complimentary OR the 'extra scone' on my receipt is actually the jam tart...and the two scones I got were the correct number. Does that make sense?

Anyways...the Jam Tart was just that... a raspberry (or strawberry) jam tart. It was good, but I took two bites and left the rest. The scones were just calling my name.

For the next round of food, we both ordered from the pastry tray. You were allowed two per order. Mom was eyeing the white chocolate covered strawberries so she had two of those. She devoured them, which meant she loved them. I didn't try them since I'm not a fan of white chocolate.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/3979159641_e51005cc73.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979159641)

For my two pastries I chose the hazelnut mousse and the raspberry mousse. The hazelnut was good, but nothing that amazed me. The raspberry mousse, on the other hand, was delicious! Again, I wished I ordered two of these instead. Light and creamy and just all around great!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3979921014_571a58e511.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979921014)

After we were done, the server came by and took my TIW card and brought the bill.

Here's the breakdown:
Eros Tea: $6.29
Herbal Rooibos: $6.29
Pound Cake: $3.50
Strawberries/Cream: $6.95
English Scone: $3.50
One Scone (or jam tart?): $1.75
Pastries 2@2.75: $5.50
Subtotal: $33.78
TIW Discount: -$6.76
Total OOP after tax/tip: $34.86

Overall we really enjoyed the tea and I can't wait to go again. It was relaxing and something different to do at Disney, but still had the Disney magic. The atmosphere was just what we needed after traveling all day. And where else can you go for such a nice tea? Other than having Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel in NYC, I can't think of a better place. If any of you get the time and chance to go, please do. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[NuttyDisneyMom]

I did find it odd though that my tea was brought out in a normal classy tea pot, while my mothers was brought out in a regular coffee french press pot. Does anyone know why they do this and how they pick which teas will be served how?

We were told by our server that the certain tea leaves require different steeping methods (ie, the french press pot vs. the china tea pot). I had the Grand Floridian Tea in the china pot and my DD had the Mad Hatters Tea, which came in the press pot. I have to say...mine was better! So much so I bought some of the blend to bring home!

[disneygirlinnj]

We were told by our server that the certain tea leaves require different steeping methods (ie, the french press pot vs. the china tea pot). I had the Grand Floridian Tea in the china pot and my DD had the Mad Hatters Tea, which came in the press pot. I have to say...mine was better! So much so I bought some of the blend to bring home!

Ohhh...thanks for the clarification! Our server decided to leave that part out...but then again I didn't even think to ask! I'll have to try the Grand Floridian Tea next time. Eros was delicious!

[jeminni]

great reviews. We were at POFQ some of the same times as you. I loved that resort. Looking forward to more reviews. :goodvibes

[racefanof88]

So far it sounds good. My trip ended with us have to leave a day early because Dallas was sick and when we get home and get him straight to the doctor we find out he had Swine Flu that was Friday, by Sunday I was getting sick and I went to the doctor Tuesday and I too had Swine flu..........:scared1:. We both brought us a little piggie home. I can't wait to read more of your report. Have a great night.

[MomsOf2boys]

I really enjoyed reading this. We were thinking about adding this to our January trip but we were not siure if we would eat some of those sandwiches. Now that I know we can order ala cart I think we will do it!


After wandering around Main Street for a bit, we decided to give up on suffering through the heat and just head to the GF early. We wandered for a bit and browsed the stores and then headed down to the Garden View Lounge.

We checked in at the hostess stand and were told to go sit by the couches for about ten minutes because we were early for our reservation. I quickly took a peek into the tea room and there were very few tables sat already. Oh well...mom and I headed over to sit. About 15 minutes later, we were called over to be seated.

We were seated on the right of the tea room as you walk in, right by the windows. My back was to the rest of the room but it was beautiful. The sunlight was just coming through the windows and it was what i would think a typical tea should look like!

The view out the window...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3469/3979917770_1d58e4a89b.jpg

Our server and at first I thought was going to be pretty cold but she warmed up throughout the tea. She had a really large table with a few little girls so I think she might have been a little overwhelmed at first with them and her other tables. But she was pretty helpful and around if we needed anything. She explained the different teas and gave us some recommendations. Also explained the different meals you can get or that it can all be ordered a la carte too.

Mom chose the Chamomile, which on the receipt is Herbal Rooibos, and on the allears menu is: Chamomile Flowers - A tranquil and calming herbal infusion of sweet and fragrant golden chamomile blossoms combined for a mild and sweet taste. Soft and musty aroma combined with a smooth, apple-like finish.

I chose the Eros, which was recommended by our server.... Eros - Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish.

Mom enjoyed her tea and said it was very good chamomile. I thought the Eros was delicious! You could taste the mandarin and vanilla but neither overpowering.

The presentation of the tea was beautiful as well. The china used was gorgeous and dainty, for lack of a better word. I did find it odd though that my tea was brought out in a normal classy tea pot, while my mothers was brought out in a regular coffee french press pot. Does anyone know why they do this and how they pick which teas will be served how?

My Eros (and you can slightly see moms Chamomile in the background):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2533/3979919874_dd41f1102f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979919874)

We decided to just order a la carte off the menu because we wanted a little bit of everything. Ordering everything we wanted separately was actually cheaper than choosing one of the meals and not eating some stuff. And we ordered a LOT I feel! Sadly I TOTALLY forgot to take a photo of most of moms choices, but they're typical so you can imagine what they look like.

Mom ordered the Lemon Pound Cake for one option. It came out as two one inch thick pieces of typical lemon pound cake. She enjoyed it and ate every last bite. I tried a piece and thought it was kinda dry and nothing special.

We also ordered the strawberries and cream, with the cream on the side. It came out in separate bowls so we obviously lost a little in the presentation but the girls next to us also ordered and it looks YUMMY when combined together. The strawberries were ripe and sweet, not mushy or bruised at all. The sweet cream was definitely made in house and was delicious. I'm usually not a fan of whipped cream but could have eaten this alone with a spoon. Light, airy, and perfect.

I ordered the Freshly Baked Scones with Devonshire Cream and Preserves. Now you'd think when it says 'scones'... it would mean more than one, right? Well when I ordered she asked me if I wanted one or two, so naturally I said two. Little did I know that there was an extra charge for the second one! I didn't mind though because they were seriously the best things I had the whole tea. Wow, I could have eaten 5 more. They were sweet enough, moist, and with the Devonshire Cream? Heaven. I even forgot to try them with the preserves! I was upset when the girls next to me pulled out the preserves. I was tempted to order another one just to try it all together.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3494/3979158355_96c80b2af3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979158355)

In the photo is also a Jam Tart and this is where it gets a little fuzzy. I remember asking for them, but they're not on the receipt and there's supposed to be two of them, according to the menu. So I'm thinking our server might have just thrown one in complimentary OR the 'extra scone' on my receipt is actually the jam tart...and the two scones I got were the correct number. Does that make sense?

Anyways...the Jam Tart was just that... a raspberry (or strawberry) jam tart. It was good, but I took two bites and left the rest. The scones were just calling my name.

For the next round of food, we both ordered from the pastry tray. You were allowed two per order. Mom was eyeing the white chocolate covered strawberries so she had two of those. She devoured them, which meant she loved them. I didn't try them since I'm not a fan of white chocolate.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/3979159641_e51005cc73.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979159641)

For my two pastries I chose the hazelnut mousse and the raspberry mousse. The hazelnut was good, but nothing that amazed me. The raspberry mousse, on the other hand, was delicious! Again, I wished I ordered two of these instead. Light and creamy and just all around great!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3979921014_571a58e511.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3979921014)

After we were done, the server came by and took my TIW card and brought the bill.

Here's the breakdown:
Eros Tea: $6.29
Herbal Rooibos: $6.29
Pound Cake: $3.50
Strawberries/Cream: $6.95
English Scone: $3.50
One Scone (or jam tart?): $1.75
Pastries 2@2.75: $5.50
Subtotal: $33.78
TIW Discount: -$6.76
Total OOP after tax/tip: $34.86

Overall we really enjoyed the tea and I can't wait to go again. It was relaxing and something different to do at Disney, but still had the Disney magic. The atmosphere was just what we needed after traveling all day. And where else can you go for such a nice tea? Other than having Afternoon Tea at the Plaza Hotel in NYC, I can't think of a better place. If any of you get the time and chance to go, please do. I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[lacrosse_lady72]

OH....... first of all, I know EXACTLY what you mean about too much food. We dreaded going to some of our ADRs as much as we wanted eat at the restaurant. Sadly we didn't end up going to WCC (even when we were staying at WL), Grand Floridian Cafe or Crystal Palace (and this was one of the hard to get 8:05AM ADRs).

I never thought I'd use TS credits as CS credits but we did with 2 of those credits... The Plaza took the place of CP.

It's just not right to eat so much food, lol.

I agree with you on GF Tea... good stuff. I love tea so I was all about the great selection of tea.

I can't wait to hear more, although I'll probably be staggering back and forth witht your TR...

[disneygirlinnj]

great reviews. We were at POFQ some of the same times as you. I loved that resort. Looking forward to more reviews. :goodvibes

Loved POFQ too... hope to stay there again one day!

So far it sounds good. My trip ended with us have to leave a day early because Dallas was sick and when we get home and get him straight to the doctor we find out he had Swine Flu that was Friday, by Sunday I was getting sick and I went to the doctor Tuesday and I too had Swine flu..........:scared1:. We both brought us a little piggie home. I can't wait to read more of your report. Have a great night.

I'm so sorry you guys had to leave early!! :( I have been slowly catching up to your TR...hopefully I'll catch up completely soon!

I really enjoyed reading this. We were thinking about adding this to our January trip but we were not siure if we would eat some of those sandwiches. Now that I know we can order ala cart I think we will do it!

Thank you! Yup...everything is available a la carte. Also, if you don't like a certain sandwich, I was told you can omit it and they'll bring you more of the other ones.

OH....... first of all, I know EXACTLY what you mean about too much food. We dreaded going to some of our ADRs as much as we wanted eat at the restaurant. Sadly we didn't end up going to WCC (even when we were staying at WL), Grand Floridian Cafe or Crystal Palace (and this was one of the hard to get 8:05AM ADRs).

I never thought I'd use TS credits as CS credits but we did with 2 of those credits... The Plaza took the place of CP.

It's just not right to eat so much food, lol.

I agree with you on GF Tea... good stuff. I love tea so I was all about the great selection of tea.

I can't wait to hear more, although I'll probably be staggering back and forth witht your TR...

Oh geez...we used CS instead of TS too a few times. Just couldn't bear the thought of sitting and eating a full 3 course TS meal! Oh...the report here is the same exact as my TR..just not including any of the rest of the trip :)

[disneygirlinnj]

Hey guys!! finally finishing up my Day 1 report...aka the most amazing dinner on all of Disney property!

After getting to the GF, we headed upstairs and checked in and were told it would be a few minutes. I think that's when I sent this next tweet...

Tweet Update, 6:24 PM Sep 26th: And I'm sorry I know I might get flamed...but can we enforce the dress code at signature places just a little bit?

While we were waiting we saw them seat two tables where the guests were completely not dressed per the dress code. I know Disney is lenient with this because they are mainly a theme park but still. I personally think it takes away from the meal. And is it that hard to change out of your $1.99 Old Navy flip flops and NY Giants teeshirt? I'm not the best dresser but there's a time and place for every outfit. Ok just my two cents... lol

As we were walking towards our table, two of the chefs looked up and both said Happy Birthday as I walked by. The head chef (the one standing on the outside of the kitchen to make sure things go out correctly) also wished me a happy bday. We were seated right next to the open kitchen, against the dividing wall. At first I was disappointed because I was hoping for a window seat but now I'm glad we sat where we did. I loved watching the chefs prepare all of the food. And we also got a little attention from the chefs since we were so close. When we were seated I noticed that my menu was personalized specifically to me and across the top of the menu it said "Happy 29th Birthday Jennifer!" Cute touch and we were allowed to take the menu home. Stephanie was our server and she was great throughout the whole meal.

To start off, I ordered a glass of Kings Estate Pinot Noir (From Oregon) and it was perfect. It has officially become my favorite wine EVER and I need to find out where it's sold in NJ. I went to their website and see that you can order it online so if all else fails, I'll do that. But seriously...amazing wine.

Our server then came to take our orders and answered any questions we had.

A few minutes later, compliments of the chef, she brought out this amuse-bouche...Moroccan couscous with squid, oysters, and another seafood.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3501/3982369052_73f70445a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982369052/)

Now I think I mentioned this earlier but...we're NOT seafood people. Mom eats shrimp, sole, and flounder. I eat NOTHING that swam. Just don't like it. So when this came out we were kind of a bind. I took one for the team though and sucked it up and figured I could just eat the couscous.

Well? That couscous was delicious. Perfectly cooked, not mushy or crunchy, and had a nice mild seasoned flavor. Didn't taste the seafood at all. Then I got adventurous and a piece of the seafood. I really couldn't tell you what the heck it was I tried but it wasn't half bad. It was a small piece of 'meat' and I mixed it in with the couscous. I finished up my plate (leaving the rest of the seafood) and then decided that we couldn't just send back my mom's without a few bites taken out either so I ate her couscous as well. Mom's not adventurous...wouldn't even touch it.

Our appetizers then arrived....

Mom chose the Salad of Romaine Lettuce - Fresh Hearts of Palm, Maytag Blue Cheese, and Late Harvest Riesling Vinaigrette $9.00

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/3982365668_aaf230b0f0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982365668)

Not included in the description were marinated roasted peppers. Mom loved this and ate every last bite. I tried a bite and ate all the peppers and it was a delicious salad! The dressing was light and slightly sweet due to the riesling. Perfect proportion of salad/dressing. It was also a perfect size.

I decided on the Arancini Crispy Risotto - Italian Sausage, Quaitro Formaggi, and White Truffle Aioli $10.00

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3528/3982363540_dbe8817ac9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982363540)

I know Arancini to be Sicilian rice balls...filled with parmesan cheese, mozzarella, ground meat, and tomato sauce. These were a GREAT take on them. Definitely different than typical arancini but wow. I could have made a complete meal out of these if they doubled it. I wanted to take a photo of these cut in half but I couldn't put my fork down, sorry! The greens they were plated on were drizzled with a balsamic glaze and it made them even better. They weren't greasy at all, and had a perfect combination of ingredients. Not sure exactly which four cheeses were included but nothing was overpowering. The head chef stopped by to ask how things were and I should have asked. I think I was just too enthralled in what I was eating, my brain wasn't working. I tried to slowly savor them...didn't do so well though. Went perfect with the wine.

Now on to the entrees....

Mom, the picky eater? Didn't see anything on the entree section that she wanted. I knew this was a possibility here so I suggested the shrimp appetizer to her. We asked the server and she mentioned that people ask for that as an entree all the time and they actually put the whole thing over angel hair to make it a meal.

Sauteed Shrimp - Lemon, White Wine, Tomatoes, and Feta Cheese $28.00

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2582/3982371246_29ab4b5214.jpg
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982371246)

Another winner for mom. She really enjoyed this but it was a HUGE portion. She ate almost all of the shrimp and every piece of feta. A few huge bites of angel hair and she was full. I sucked it up for the review and tried everything but the shrimp. The sauce was light and lemony, with a hint of wine. Not too heavy...and the dish wasn't oily at all.

I chose the Filet Sicilian - Oak grilled filet of beef with sweet vidalia onions and banana peppers, quattro formaggi crushed potatoes, and veal glace de vinade $41.00


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3981605541_221ef5d611.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981605541)

The filet was a little different this time than what I've been reading on old menus. I was torn between the short ribs and the filet and I'm glad I chose this. The veal glace, banana peppers, and potatoes are what sold me. I could have cut the filet with my fork. I love food with a little kick and the banana peppers gave just a hint of heat. The potatoes and veal glace were fabulous. I really dont even know what other adjectives to use on this meal anymore!

Towards the end of our entrees I was seriously getting full. Like ridiculously full. I sadly had to leave the last few bites of my meal or else I would have exploded.

Our server came by and reminded us there was dessert! EEK!!

Mom ordered the Gelato Trio $8.00... the flavors of the day were raspberry, almond, and coffee. I sadly forgot to take a photo!! Mom really liked the raspberry, said it was nice and light. But she was too full to try any other flavors. I tried the coffee and it was delicious, surprise surprise. The poor almond I think went untouched.

I had the most scrumptious dessert... Warm Chocolate Banana Tart - vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas $9.00

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/3982361170_a3d52909ab.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982361170)

Wow...that's about all I can say. PLUS I was horribly nauseous full and I still thought this was amazing. I was actually MAD at myself for being so full and not being able to enjoy this. It reminded me of a flourless cake a bit, with caramelized bananas in it. Wish I could write more about it! The head chef stopped by again when he saw I wasn't eating much of the dessert to make sure it was ok. We actually brought the dessert back to the room but were SO full the whole week we never even touched it.

After dessert we asked for the check and quickly paid. I totally forgot to use TIW on the wine but oh well. And again, as we left, every CM we saw wished me a happy birthday.

Here's the breakdown:
Pinot Noir - $13.00
Amuse-bouche - compliments of the chef
Romaine Salad - $9.00
Arancini - $10.00
Shrimp Entree - $28.00
Beef - $41.00
Gelato - $8.00
Choc Tort - $9.00
Total - $125.67
DDP - 4 TS credits total
OOP - $13 plus tip

Would I eat here again? I'm already counting down the days. I squeezed it in during my solo trip because I loved it so much. Already planning out what I'm going to order. haha!

[MickeyNicki]

OH WOW! I cannot tell you thank you enough for your Citrico's review! It looks and sounds fantastic! We are celebrating our anniversary there next month and I think we are going to order exactly what you guys did!

[MomsOf2boys]

After reading that fabulous report at the beginning of my day I will sadly admit that dieting today may be a bit challenging now. :rotfl2:

[BreTyPres87]

I've got Citrico's for my 1/10 trip and I can't wait!!! Thanks for your reviews :goodvibes

[darthtatty]

great reviews already :cool1:

I loved Citricos when we went for our anniversary meal in May.xxx:)

[gardengirl628]

Loving your reviews so far! Thanks for sharing!

[pezaddict231]

Great reviews so far! I love Gardenview tea room! Citricos is also one of our fav's, but every time I get something other than the filet and then I'm jealous when DF is eating his. You're right, it does look like they changed it up a bit.

Can't wait to hear more!

[goodfood4ursoul]

I'm in!
More, please! and soon!!!popcorn::

[onelilspark]

I'm in!

I love Citricos!

[disneygirlinnj]

OH WOW! I cannot tell you thank you enough for your Citrico's review! It looks and sounds fantastic! We are celebrating our anniversary there next month and I think we are going to order exactly what you guys did!

You're very welcome! I hope you enjoy your anniversary there! I'm still dreaming about the food.

After reading that fabulous report at the beginning of my day I will sadly admit that dieting today may be a bit challenging now. :rotfl2:

Haha, just writing this report almost every day is ruining my diet! :)

I've got Citrico's for my 1/10 trip and I can't wait!!! Thanks for your reviews :goodvibes

You're welcome! I also have Citiricos when I go back in January...can't wait!

great reviews already :cool1:

I loved Citricos when we went for our anniversary meal in May.xxx:)

Thank you!

Loving your reviews so far! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks!

Great reviews so far! I love Gardenview tea room! Citricos is also one of our fav's, but every time I get something other than the filet and then I'm jealous when DF is eating his. You're right, it does look like they changed it up a bit.

Can't wait to hear more!

I think they changed it for the better though so it's a good thing :)

I'm in!

I love Citricos!

Welcome! :)

[disneygirlinnj]

So this morning we had an 8:05am Crystal Palace ADR and got to get into the park early! LOVED having it be so empty! Got to take a bunch of great photos...:)

I saw the line getting pretty long at CP so we paused on photos for a bit and went to check in. Seated within 10 mins and got this cute surprise on our table...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2657/3981978933_df3d67c1fd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3981978933)

Our server came over and took our drink order and sent us on our way to get food. He said all the characters won't be out for awhile though so we have time. Sadly though we missed Pooh on his first run through the restaurant!

I honestly don't remember the coffee here. I kind of want to say that it wasn't the horrible Nescafe stuff? But I could totally be wrong. I remember clearly getting the gross coffee at Tusker House but don't remember it anywhere else! We also got freshly squeezed orange juice which mom loved and I definitely enjoyed as well.

My plate of yumminess...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3982732470_c70deb162c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982732470)

Mom and I both got omelets to order and they were cooked perfectly. Mom just had plain cheese and I had ham and cheese with tomatoes. Possibly peppers too but I don't see any in the photo. I HATE when my eggs are even the slightest bit runny and these passed my test. Next to the omelet is the breakfast pizza. It wasn't too bad, but I expected there to be some kind of meat on it? Didn't finish the whole thing. In the back are the biscuits and gravy. I felt like these tasted like nothing. The gravy was bland. Biscuits were good by themselves though. Hiding under the grapes were potatoes, must have been decent but I can't remember. And the infamous Disney bacon. I personally love the bacon there but I HATE greasy fatty bacon. This bacon is usually crisp.

I forgot what else mom got but I remember it being a LOT of food and I 'scolded' her for taking so much. Mom usually eats NOTHING when we go out to eat. She'll eat a quarter of her meal and be full. Surprisingly she ate like a HOUSE this whole week. We were both amazed. I have NO idea how she did it. Me, on the other hand, ate barely anything. Very sad. The heat and my nerves got the best of me I think. So yup...mom ate everything on her plate. Pretty sure she had fruit, croissants, waffles, etc.

As we started eating, a few of the characters came out...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2644/3982733750_074f4b79c1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982733750)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2439/3982739900_2460cb7bf7.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982739900)

By the time we were finished, we had only seen Piglet and Tigger. Slightly disappointed. The server came by with the bill, a birthday cupcake, and a card signed by all the characters at CP. Cute touch!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2584/3981972975_b437a3fff1.jpg

Oh! Before I forget.... Ekkirt and I had been Tweeting back and forth to each other. He and his family were also having 8am breakfast at CP! We both tweeted what we were wearing and sure enough I see him and his granddaughter making our way to our table. It was great to finally put a face to a name! Sadly though we both totally forgot to take photos!

Mom then headed to the restroom and of course that's when Eeyore showed up..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2564/3982734416_09ec525d2b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3982734416)

My day was made....Eeyore is my favorite Pooh character so I was happy! Mom came back and we decided not to wait for Pooh. He wasn't anywhere in sight so it would have taken him a while to get to us anyways.

Overall we really enjoyed Crystal Palace. Some food was hit or miss but that was just personal taste. Mom loved every bite and I really enjoyed what I liked. It was better than Tusker House's breakfast (although we liked TH too) and I love the atmosphere. Would we eat here again? Definitely! I tried to book ADRs for my trip in January but they're closing for renovations.

The breakdown:
Two Adult Breakfasts: 2 @ $18.99 each
Total before tip: $40.45
TS Credits Used: 2
OOP: Just tip

The rest of our MK day will have to be continued later on...time to head to work!

[thechesters420]

Awesome food pics! Looks great

[disneygirlinnj]

After wandering the MK for a bit in the morning we headed down Main Street.

When we got to Tony's we were about a half hour early and when I tried to check in, the CM pretty much told me she isn't going to check me in and that I have to come give our name again in 20 mins. Hmph! NOT off to a good start guys! I was already iffy about eating here since we only had so-so experiences in the past. Oh well. So mom sat in the waiting area and I just wandered the store for a little bit. We were trying to find a cool picture frame and photo album and we found them there. Didn't want to buy them yet though so I just made a mental note. Then it hit me! I NEVER picked up my birthday fun card!! EEK! I went over to mom and told her I'd be right back and headed out to Guest Realations. It was a quick transaction and in minutes I had $79 to spend however my heart desired.

By the time I got back to Tony's it was time to check in for real this time. We went into the waiting area and had a seat and only waited a few minutes for our name to be called. We were sat all the way in the back in a comfy booth kinda by the kitchen. It wasn't a problem though because we were out of everyone's way and it was crowded in there!

We did get more confetti...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/3985635007_5bcea9dc30.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985635007)

Now I was seriously pretty full from breakfast and made a promise to myself that I wouldn't make myself sick by forcing food. But I WAS going to try things!

Our waitress came out and was pretty friendly. She made some suggestions about what she liked and took our drink orders. I think it was water for me and soda for mom.

Now onto the food!

We decided to try something that was new on the menu... Breaded Zucchini Sticks. I forgot to write down the price of these but I'm thinking they were around $7.99. They were pretty decent! Not too greasy and were nice and crunchy yet the zucchini was soft inside. The marinara sauce tasted better than what I remember at Tony's so not sure if they changed it slightly? I tried a few pieces and mom ate the rest. She really enjoyed it (are you sensing a trend?).

Sorry...we ate a few before taking the pic..

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2575/3985642689_50bb347ae0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985642689)

I decided on the Insalata Alla Caprese...on allears it's called...Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - Tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, and Red Onions tossed with Roasted Garlic, Shallots, and Balsamic Dressing $8.69

Now I think the description on allears is slightly different than what we had. The description sounds like what I had a few years back... tiny mozz balls tossed with grape tomatoes and dressing. What we were served today was a million times better! This was a large piece of mozz cut into slices with a large ripe tomato...all drizzled with oil and balsamic glaze, topped with sliced raw onions and served with large garlic croutons/bread.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/3985633763_5b6ac19401.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985633763/)

This was also tasty and good. The mozz was pretty fresh and the tomatoes were definitely ripe. They went well with the balsamic glaze. I was pleasantly surprised with it. Sadly I could only have a piece or piece and a half of both tomato and mozz. Mom tried it too and enjoyed.

For entrees mom chose the Eggplant Catasta (Stack) - Layers of Eggplant, Caramelized Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, and Parmesan with Marinara Sauce over penne pasta $14.99

To me this looked like some kind of version of eggplant parmesan... I don't really think their fresh mozz was the same that they had on the appetizer. This was definitely grated mozz that you get from a bag it seemed. And didnt see any caramelized onions but that's ok because mom isn't a huge fan of them. And umm... where's the sauce on the pasta?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3499/3985643595_4046712a2f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985643595)

Turns out the sauce was hiding under everything. Mom said if she was going to have more pasta, she would have asked for more sauce but she mainly ate just the eggplant. She said it wasn't mushy like sometimes fried eggplant can get and said she'd get it again.

I was really indecisive on my entree. I didn't want a sandwich, or a ceasar salad, or a full pasta dish. I was FULL already!! So against my better judgment, I listened to the waitress and ordered the Chicken Parmigiana - Lightly breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce, melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti $16.99.

Figured I could just eat the chicken and not the pasta. Last time I had the chicken parm though, it was sub par and NOT that great at all. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Now I know the photo doesn't look too appetizing but here it is.. (I was too lazy to change lenses or push the plate further away..sorry!)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3985638959_852b46199e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985638959)

How was it? I was pleasantly surprised again! The sauce wasn't runny like last time...the same marinara from the zucchini sticks. The chicken was well seasoned and moist. The pasta I honestly don't remember too much about. It wasn't mushy though, that I would remember! After a few bites though, I was ridiculously full.

Dessert time...really? MORE food?

Mom chose the Spumoni - layers of ice cream with pistachio nuts and cherries $4.99

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/3985638185_394f3d8898.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3985638185)

It was typical spumoni...the ice cream wasn't anything AMAZING but mom enjoyed it. She ate all the pistachio and chocolate and left the vanilla.

I was going to pass on dessert until I heard the dessert of the day...Chef's Signature Cheesecake - $5.49 and it was.....Pumpkin Cheesecake!!!!! I LOVE anything pumpkin and this got me excited. I also ordered a coffee. I asked before ordering and the waitress said that the coffee is fresh brewed. Nice! Yet another surprise because last trip there it was still that gross Nescafe stuff.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2658/3986387614_174b607083.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986387614)

This was... delicious! I actually barely ate the crust on the bottom but that was also very good. I just really wanted to savor the cheesecake part. Not too overpowering on the spices and just sweet enough. I could have this dessert every day. MMMMMM!!

Oh...we also got a bottle of Evian included with the dining plan. After we agreed to it I realized that this is just the server's ploy all around Disney to get more tip money. No one really NEEDS the bottle of Evian but..it's an extra dollar tip for them, right? I noticed servers all around us throughout the whole week pushing the bottles of water and bottles of juices. Smart move on their part...but we fell for it a few times. Oh well.

I didn't write down the final total, but I know it was about $70 by looking at the tip we gave.

We were pleasantly surprised with Tony's this time around. It still isn't real authentic Italian food but it's finally starting to compete with the Olive Garden's and Macaroni Grill's of the world. We'd definitely eat here again...but sadly only because we're not that blown away by any other TS in the MK either. This is the best of the bunch that we've found.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/3985641587_ac97bb723f.jpg

[thechesters420]

Looks yummy!

[MickeyNicki]

We LOVE Tonys, so glad you enjoyed your meal there too! I wish I was eating that pumpkin dessert right now, looks sooooo good!

[disneygirlinnj]

So tonight was the dinner I was looking forward to...my actual bday dinner at Kona. But I think the powers that be had other plans.

So this is where the review goes south. Why, you ask? Cause it's the Kona dinner update. The Kona dinner that I was SO looking forward to. The Kona dinner that I assumed would be JUST like the AMAZING Kona dinner we had two years ago.

Umm...it wasn't. It was by far the worst meal of the trip. The food itself was decent and of course I loved having dinner with Sarah and gang, but everything else put SUCH a damper on it that I just wanted to get the heck out of there and go back to the room.

And? No photos :( Sorry guys. The little annoyances started before we even sat down so by the time we DID sit down, I was in NO mood to take out the camera.

So when my friends Sarah, Holly, and Mike got off the monorail to join us, it was exactly our ADR time...6:30ish. Mom and I had already been waiting and checked in about 15-20 mins prior. When we checked in, they told us it will only be a 15 min wait. It was REALLLLYYYYY crowded up there though so I knew it might take slightly longer. I also just assumed that the crowd was up there for Ohana. I thought wrong. By 6:45pm we still hadn't called up so I went to go check. The CM was pretty nice...and actually went to go check with other CMs to see why we weren't sat yet. He came back and said it should be a few more mins. I ask exactly how long and he says fifteen. Hm....OK. Whatever. I understand how restaurants can get behind so I let it go. About 20 mins later we finally were seated.

Our waitress was decent in the beginning. Then I'm not sure if she got frazzled or just gave up but we lost her for LONG periods of time. A few times she was sitting in a booth talking to other guests. But would sit in that booth for ten minutes at a time. If the restaurant wasn't crowded, go right ahead and shmooze. But this place was PACKED. Every table was seated and all her tables wanted something. She just didn't seem to care.

We explained to her that my mom and I were on the DxDP and Sarah and the gang would be using TIW. She seemed OK with it so we started to order. The macadamia nut bread was brought to the table and everyone attacked, except me. :(

I was REALLY NOT that hungry. Since the waiting debacle, I was starting to get nervous. I knew my mom was already tired and she was showing it. The standing around and waiting only made it worse. She wanted to be home by 8pm-ish so she can wash and do her hair for tomorrow and it was already 7pm. We weren't making that deadline! And the way it was going, we were going to be REALLLY late.

Since I wasn't hungry I offered my appetizer to Sarah and the gang. They decided on the Pot Stickers - wok-seared duck dumplings with creamy ginger soy sauce $7.49.

Mom chose the Kona Salad - Mixed greens, Maytag blue cheese, fresh fruit, red onions, and smoked almonds with a citrus vinaigrette $7.99.

Mom took one bite of her salad and hated it. :( She didn't like the mixed greens at all. So we offered the salad to the gang and they finished it off. The pot stickers were decent...but slightly dry as if they'd been sitting out for a while. Also smaller than what I remembered. The flavor wasn't as good either. Kinda disappointed. I only had half of one and the gang finished the rest.

For entrees, mom chose the Shrimp and Scallops - panko breaded shrimp and pan-seared scallops with sticky rice and ponzu, spicy guava-passion fruit and wasabi cream sauces $20.99

But she asked for all shrimp and all the sauces on the side and they gladly obliged. We asked for lemons to squeeze on the shrimp when the CM's brought the food. And we waited....and waited.. and no lemons. We saw the CM we asked running around bringing out more food, and no lemons. Looked for our server and thats when we saw her in the booth. Finally the CM we asked came running over and finally brought the lemon, but it was honestly 10 mins later. Mom enjoyed the shrimp after that though, thankfully. The shrimp were smaller than last meal but there were definitely more of them.

I ordered the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop served on pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and applewood smoked bacon braised Swiss chard $21.99

This was actually pretty good! The chop was cooked perfectly and was still moist. However I didn't taste ANY pomegranate bbq? the potatoes were also pretty good and well seasoned. Sadly though I only had 5 bites. I honestly just couldn't eat any more.

Oh...Holly had the Coconut Almond Chicken and said it was OK, nothing great. Sarah had the Pan Asian Noodles with Shrimp and said it was good, typical lo mein.

So now time for dessert! EEK! I was sooo full and hurried but I didn't want to rush anyone else. So I made them pick two desserts. We chose the Kilauea Torte a la mode $7.28 and the Chocolate Fondue $6.99. Mom doesn't like vanilla ice cream all that much so I asked for chocolate for the kilauea torte. Now... you would have thought I told the waitress that I wanted anchovies on it. She looked at me like I was crazy...rolled her eyes... and said 'You do realize that's going to be a lot of chocolate?! It's MUCH better with vanilla' I'm pretty sure I spat something back and then realized I should get both flavors and she rolled her eyes AGAIN and said 'fine but I have to charge you for the other flavor'. I never said I didn't want to pay for it. So I told her OK and to put it on MY bill. Off she went...

Another ten minute wait and the desserts finally arrived. The kilauea torte was good. Nice, warm, ooey, and gooey. Just how it's supposed to be. It was good with the vanilla. Mom decided she didn't want any and all she wanted was her chocolate ice cream so she ate that. :) The chocolate fondue was also pretty good. If I remember right though, the fondue was kinda like Hershey's syrup? I know it came with strawberries... and I honestly can NOT think of what else. Sorry guys.

We had asked for our checks before and I gave her my card and then Sarah gave her the TIW card to split everything up. My bill came right back. Sarah's on the other hand? We have NO idea what happened. We saw our server walk back and forth a million times, with the bill in her hand and just NEVER came by. She also gave Sarah a huge attitude because Sarah didn't tell her prior about TIW....which is a lie. Then to make it worse, poor Sarah just wanted the bill split onto 3 cards... and the lady pretty much flipped out and was horrible. Again...another ten mins of watching her wander the restaurant holding all 3 credit card slips. UGH!

Oh! To make it even worse? She put the ice cream on Sarah's bill and flat out said 'Well since you paid for their appetizers and desserts, I put the ice cream on their bill' Umm...??? I told her to put it on MINE. It wasn't about who paid for more food. We were all taken aback but considering how long it took already, we just gave up.

So if you haven't picked up... Kona was a bust. The food was decent (not as good as last time though) but the server totally put a damper on EVERYTHING. And I SO wanted to enjoy my real bday dinner! I was so disappointed. I felt bad for dragging everyone there so that made it worse. Would I eat there again? Probably...but definitely not during free dining or a busy time. They just can NOT handle the crowds for some reason. :( And the service was horrendous. Last time it was the BEST service of the trip. I have no idea how it can be SUCH a difference. :confused3

The Breakdown:
Coke: $2.69
Diet Coke: $2.69
Pot Stickers: $7.49
Kona Salad: $7.99
Shrimp Scallops: $20.99
Pork Chops: $21.99
Chocolate Fondue: $6.99
Kilauhea Torte a la Mode: $7.28
Total before tip: $83.19
DDP Credits Used: 2
OOP: Just tip


I promise all other reviews are much better!! :)

[NuttyDisneyMom]

So sorry about your bday dinner at Kona:sad2: I can totally empathize that a server can ruin the meal when they provide horrible service. We're going to Kona for dinner next month for the first time and cannot wait! Hopefully we won't get your server:rolleyes1 Hope you go back to Kona again and have better service next time:goodvibes

[disneygirlinnj]

So sorry about your bday dinner at Kona:sad2: I can totally empathize that a server can ruin the meal when they provide horrible service. We're going to Kona for dinner next month for the first time and cannot wait! Hopefully we won't get your server:rolleyes1 Hope you go back to Kona again and have better service next time:goodvibes

Haha, I have faith that this isn't a normal occurrence. :) I'm definitely going to have dinner at Kona again as soon as I can fit it into my schedule!

[annnewjerz]

Sucks about Kona, but I'm glad to hear you're willing to give it another shot. We went there for the first time for breakfast the other weekend and it was okay---nothing great. We decided to give it another shot in December and if it isn't anything great then either, we'll probably start trying alternate breakfast locations.

My birthday dinner at bluezoo was faaaaaaaaaaaaantastic, maybe next time you should try there. ;)

[MomsOf2boys]

Oh I would have not been happy either... I probably would have spoken to the manager about it as well. Sorry your birthday dinner was not special!

[disneygirlinnj]

Thanks guys!

So I just read another Kona dinner review and it made me giggle.

I just read Mocharilla's Kona dinner review and she complained that their waitress took forever with the bill and sat and talked to tables for LONG periods of time. I went and checked my receipt? Same waitress! Figures, right? At least I know she wasn't just like that with us!

[disneygirlinnj]

So our dining experience just HAD to get better after the Kona fiasco, right? Glad to report it did!! :)

Next up on the list? Breakfast at the Wave!

Mom and I woke up and got ready and headed to the bus stop for the MK. When we got there we heard a family ask the bus driver about going to Chef Mickey's. He said he'd see what he can do about dropping them directly off at the Contemporary...sweet! Sure enough, after dropping a few people off at MK, we got door to door service right to the Contemp. This day was already looking up!

We headed over to the Wave and found it was pretty empty! Maybe 10-15 tables were seated. We were shown to our seats right away and Lisa was our server. Just what we needed after our Kona fiasco! Lisa went above and beyond a few times and I couldn't thank her enough. I was in desperate need of some good coffee and the Wave didn't disappoint. Mom ordered a tea as her drink.

When Lisa found out it was my birthday, she brought out a cinnamon danish with the drinks. It was delicious but too sweet for me so early in the morning! We only had a few bites.

For my meal I had the American - two eggs (over medium for me!) with breakfast potatoes and choice of bacon, pork sausage or chicken sausage $11.99. I chose the chicken sausage since I've never actually had it out before.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3496/3987030802_0e21e63baa.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3987030802)

The eggs were cooked perfectly. I HATE when any part of the white is runny. But I LOVE runny egg yolks. The potatoes were very good as well, perfectly seasoned. The chicken sausage I wasn't too thrilled with, but it wasn't bad. It had a good flavor, just not my favorite. If it was more well done I might have liked it better but this seemed like it was steamed or something. I'd rather some really good bacon!

Mom chose the BYO Omelette - $11.49. I don't see it on any menu but it's on the receipt! I don't even think it was on the menu that they gave us. Mom saw the feta cheese scrambled eggs but hates scrambled eggs. They gladly made her a feta and tomato omelette, with potatoes.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3986275709_d6ab0e7b96.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986275709)

Mom loved it. Perfectly cooked, and enough feta. Some places jip you on the cheese!

We both forgot that we didn't really want the biscuits, although they were good. I just like dipping real toast into the egg yolks, and mom just likes toast better. So we asked if we can get a side of rye toast and Lisa gladly brought some over free of charge.

We quickly ate our breakfast and asked for the bill. When Lisa came to bring it over, she also gave me a signed birthday card from the whole staff at the Wave. SO cute!

The breakdown:
BYO Omelette: $11.49
Tea: $2.19
American w/Chk Saus: $11.99
Organic Columbian Coffee: $2.19
Total before tip: $29.68
DDP credits used: 2
OOP: tip

Would we eat there again? DEFINITELY! I loved it and it was nice and relaxing. We actually had breakfast there again on our last day. The service was amazing, the decor was beautiful...couldn't ask for much more.

On our way out we stopped in the bar area and I was in heaven. It was a beautiful bar with TV's to watch sports, etc. On the sides was a little lounge area with couches, etc. Perfect place to go without the kids after a long day in the parks! Sadly I didn't take any photos though :( I'm planning on having dinner there in January though so I'm looking forward to trying it!

[disneygirlinnj]

OK! I'm back! And I'm going to get a TR in if it kills me today. The trip details are starting to get fuzzy and it's making me upset!

So I left you guys off with breakfast at the Wave... now onto lunch at Tutto!

Our reservation was for 1pm and looking at our receipt as well as my tweet, I believe we were there right on time. We were seated right next to the tiny 'patio' area closest to the outside tables. It was a slightly tiny two person table but not too bad. Our waitress was Rena and she was delightful. She was very friendly and always made sure that we had everything we needed and that our glasses (mom had a soda, I had iced tea....both $3) were full.

To start off, they brought a basket of different types of bread and breadsticks, along with a plate of olive oil and a tiny bowl of olives. Yummy start!

For appetizers, I started off with my usual... Prosciutto di Parma - Prosciutto ham, seasonal melon $16

I'm pretty sure I can be considered a prosciutto snob. I can live on good prosciutto for the rest of my life. I might be bloated from salt overload, but it's a risk I'd take. I know a lot of people hate it since it's so salty...but if you find quality prosciutto, it's not as salty as most. Growing up with all these great Italian deli's in my area, I've had my share of the good and bad. This prosciutto? Perfect! Yes, it's very expensive for an appetizer, but even if I was paying OOP, I'd order it. Freshly sliced, not too fatty, not too salty. The melon was perfectly ripe and a great compliment to the meat. I'm definitely glad my mom doesn't eat it...more for me!

The melon is hiding under there somewhere...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/3987088366_d6d7147c02.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3987088366)

Mom chose the "Bufala" Mozzarella - tomatoes, basil and Tuscan olive oil $12
Not sure why Bufala is in quotes but it's made from water buffalo milk instead of cow. It's softer/creamier than cow mozzarella. This didn't disappoint either.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2592/3987088932_8c3dc798db.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3987088932)

I forgot to take an 'after' photo but after, the waitress came by and supplied us with olive oil to drizzle over the whole plate. This was delicious as well. Perfectly fresh mozz and the olive oil was a perfect compliment. The tomatoes could have been slightly riper but I know they weren't in season any more.

Needless to say, both our plates were completely bare by the time they came to clean the table!

Mom was excited when she saw filet of sole on the menu. It's her favorite fish so she ordered that... Sogliola in Tecia - saute breaded filet of Sole, lemon, caper relish $24

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2601/3986335539_fed68e0d93.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986335539)

She LOVED this! Didn't eat the greens or anything but pretty sure she ate every last bite of the fish. It smelled actually good to me, and I hate seafood. I didn't smell the typical seafood smell. She said it was very light and had a perfect lemon flavor.

I couldn't really make up my mind so asked for a pasta recommendation. Rena suggested the Casarecci - Cavatelli pasta, sweet sausage ragu, tomatoes, pecorino romano $21

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2566/3986335789_8c810b8233.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986335789)

YUM! I devoured every last bite of this too. Cavatelli, if made wrong, can be way too heavy and pastey. This was fairly light and not horribly filling. The sauce wasn't too heavy either and the sausage flavor really stood out in the dish. I sopped up every last drop of sauce with some crusty Italian bread at the end. Ok...must stop talking about it..my mouth is watering!

I think it was around here when I tweeted about 'part' of my Tutto experience...

Tweet Update, 1:31 PM Sep 28th: It must be a requirement that if you're a male waiter at tutto...you must be beautiful lol

I'm sorry to all the guys reading this (Scott!) but it's true. There ratio of good looking men to not-so-good-looking men in there was staggering. Obviously I wasn't complaining...haha! And pretty sure Scott has been making fun of me ever since whenever I mention Tutto!

We were pretty much stuffed to the gills after eating every last bite of both appetizers and entrees but of course we couldn't turn down yummy Italian desserts, right?

I ordered the Cannoli - crisp pastry filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied orange $6.50. The allears menu says it's $12 but not on my receipt!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3448/3987090904_5ff99e9c68.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3987090904)

This was a fairly decent cannoli. Not the best I've ever had but it ranked up there. Again, I'm pretty picky with my Italian food! The cannolis are definitely filled with cream to order and aren't just sitting around getting soggy. Bonus points for that!

Mom chose the Copetta Sotto Bosco - berries, zabaglione cream gelato and chocolate sauce $14

She did make a slight change though and asked for the dark chocolate gelato instead of the zabaglione gelato.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2472/3987090704_b2bc8653a4.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3987090704)

The berries were all very fresh and ripe, and the chocolate gelato went well with all of them. I forget what berries were included but definitely strawberries, raspberries, bananas (?) and possibly blueberries?

Oh! Before they brought out the normal desserts... I heard a slight commotion behind me. A few of the waiters all got together and sang 'Happy Birthday' to me in Italian. Very cute! They also presented me with this yummy dessert:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2457/3986336261_1a02e9d9a6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3986336261)

It was chocolate mouse in a chocolate shell with raspberry drizzle. Not too heavy or sweet..just right!

I think I can confidently say that Tutto was the second best meal after Citricos. I loved every single thing about it and wouldn't change a thing. The service was great, as well as the food. Liked it so much that you'll be seeing it again in this TR at some point, haha! Yes, it's expensive but they use quality ingredients and I think it's worth it.

The Breakdown:
Iced Tea: $3
Soda: $3
Prosciutto: $16
Bufala Mozz: $12
Casarecci: $21
Sogliola: $24
Cannoli: $6.50
Copetta Sottobosco: $14
Subtotal: $99.50
Tax: $6.47
Total before tip: $105.97

We paid the bill, thanked everyone, and made our way back out into the gorgeous Florida weather.

[onelilspark]

I'm with you on prosciutto. Man, it is delicious!

[meloneyb21]

Great pictures. What kind of camera do you have? The clarity of your pictures are excellent.

[disneygirlinnj]

I'm with you on prosciutto. Man, it is delicious!

Mmmm...I'm craving some right now :rotfl:

Great pictures. What kind of camera do you have? The clarity of your pictures are excellent.

Thank you! I have a Canon Rebel xTi and I'm pretty sure all of these photos were taken with a 50mm f/1.8 lens.

[msce2]

Tutto looks amazing! I am thinking about dropping Mama Melrose and giving Tutto a try. Thank you for your great reviews!

[disneygirlinnj]

Tutto looks amazing! I am thinking about dropping Mama Melrose and giving Tutto a try. Thank you for your great reviews!

If it were me I definitely would! Mama Melrose is good and fun but it reminds me a lot of Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill. Tutto is more authentic Italian...if you're in Epcot I'd recommend it but if you're looking for a place at Hollywood Studios, I'd pick Mama's. :)

[disneygirlinnj]

Right after Tutto, we continued on with our journey. I walked past the Australia kiosk by the Africa Outpost and the smell of the lamb chops stopped me dead in my tracks. I'm half Greek...we love our lamb! I quickly ran over there too while mom sat on a bench waiting and grabbed a chop using a snack credit.

Grilled Lamb Chop, Red Wine Sauce, Murray River Sea Salt $5.50

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2426/3989063422_760cdbbfc0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3989063422)

Headed over to mom and relaxed for a few minutes. The lamb chop was delicious!! Slightly fatty but nothing horrible. Cooked perfectly medium and had great flavor. I really don't see or remember any red wine sauce though. They could have used slightly more seasoning but I was still happy.

After some more wandering (but no snacking!) and a quick trip to DTD, we decided to head back to POFQ. It was definitely dinner time... I reeeeallly wasn't hungry and mom never eats too much so we actually split one CS meal.

I got a Powerade, Banana (for the morning snack), and a Personalized Cheese Pizza with side salad. All for one CS credit. Nothing really to review here. The pizza wasn't as good as our arrival day, but it was still decent. I stole a slice from mom and ate the side salad. The salad was fresh but OMG the dressing was sooooo gross. I kinda ruined the salad with it. I grabbed the french dressing and THOUGHT I had mixed it enough in the package but when i tried to pour it on the salad, only the greasy oil poured out. Needless to say I was skeeved out so didn't eat much of it.

[disneygirlinnj]

Today was our AK day with breakfast at Tusker House... so we were up and out pretty early.

When we got to AK, they were already letting people with ADRs into the park. The CM had a clipboard but wasn't checking anyone. These two poor girls apparently thought that they could just walk up for the ADR and the CM politely told them that there are no walk ups. They looked defeated! They trekked all the way to AK and couldn't even get in. Sad, lol.

I wish I had more time to take in AK when it was pretty empty. It was beautiful but we were so hungry that we didn't even stop for any photos. We went up to the hostess stand, gave our name, and were quickly told to wait in line to be seated. We bypassed the group photo and were quickly brought to our table.

Our waitress was friendly, although she disappeared for a few times throughout the meal. Nothing horrible though. She brought us out their fabulous juice (which I can NOT remember what was in it!) and then took our drink order and explained the buffet.

Mom and I headed up to get food while she brought us the drinks. The selection of food was decent but I wasn't blown away, as you can see by my plate...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3990003292_4d61d94fc3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3990003292)

The ham was fresh and moist, and the waffle was the usual yummy Mickey waffle all over property. Potatoes were cooked well and crispy...The ham and cheese fritatta was just ok. The beef bobtie quiche was also good, but not great.

I also tried the bread pudding and it was a little too dry for me but I didnt want to put the vanilla sauce on it. Mom ate all the pecans and crunchy stuff on top and enjoyed it! She enjoyed breakfast here, I think mainly because she ate a million Mickey waffles and fruit!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3535/3990003718_88e64014a9.jpg

Oh...the one thing that was really crappy about Tusker House? Their COFFEE!!! They serve the gross Nescafe stuff and I couldn't even drink it. Vile!

Tweet Update, 8:37 AM Sep 29th: Only problem with tusker house? Crappy nescafe coffee!

When the waitress came by once I asked her where in the park I can get real brewed coffee but I don't think she understood me well. She's the only CM we encountered that didn't joke and laugh about the crappy coffee that's sold around the parks!

So we had finished eating and still hadn't had any characters come around. I saw a few walking around but every time they came to our room, they would do a few tables and then walk out for their breaks.

Tweet Update, 9:02 AM Sep 29th: Tusker house was decent. Waiting for the characters...none came by yet..hmph! Donald was in the room and walked out!

While waiting I noticed the cool ceiling decorations

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3524/3990003876_7a8d2dc181.jpg

Finally The Mouse walked into the room! Score!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2545/3989248969_9a24d2b3ca.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3989248969)

And Mr. Duck was right behind him...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3990004702_106dd3761e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3990004702)

Tweet Update, 9:07 AM Sep 29th: Yay just got mickey and donald...daisy and goofy are in the room

After waiting a few more minutes and making sure the bill was paid, Goofy made his way over to our table

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2654/3990005410_7effa1bb03.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlovely/3990005410)

Daisy was also there and of course right when she was supposed to come to our table, she went on a break. We decided not to wait anymore and headed out into the park.

So overall review? Tusker House was good, nothing amazing. Crystal Palace was much better by far. The character interaction was pretty much the same as CP, but a little more rushed. They would come and take a photo with me but some started walking away before my mom could get a pic with them. She wanted photos too! You have to somehow plan to be in their starting room if you have the first ADR of the day. We were towards the back of the restaurant so it took them a long time to get to us.

I would probably eat here again though. Definitely if I had kids with me. It was cute and I liked how the characters were all dressed for their safari. Service was friendly as well. Now if only they could fix that gross coffee!!

The Breakdown:
2 Adult Buffet: $41.98
OOP: tip

[TigerKat]

That sole at Tutto looks incredible!!!!!!:thumbsup2