UPDATED-Norway Princess PICS- We're Celebrating- with Food!

[shruley]

Ok, I have never done a report before, but after every trip I've wished I written more things down and remembered more details, so I promised myself this time I would do some trip reports. I need to start with the dining as payback for the hours and hours I have spent pouring over food pictures and reviews on here! I figured I should start the report pre-trip, to make sure I follow through and finish the report when I get back! I plan to take lots of pictures to go along with the report, because what is a dining report without pictures?

This is our Celebration trip-- to celebrate my daughter's 6th birthday on the 6th! We are also celebrating my husband's birthday the following week and, maybe most importantly, my youngest daughter having completed her third successful open heart surgery in her 2 1/2 short years. Although she's still being monitored closely for a possible pacemaker, her last surgery was a big success, and she is healthy, happy & BUSY! What better to celebrate than life?!?

The Details

Dates: Sept. 1-7
Resort: Pop Century. 1st time in a Value!

Cast: Me, Mother of 2 Princesses and lover of all things Disney. My recent obsession has become watching Food Network & the Food Porn thread on DIS. My husband tells me it's stupid to look at food all day and then wonder why you can't lose weight! :rotfl: I uesd to be a very picky eater, but I've become much more adventurous in my old age! I love dessert!

DH- I refer to him as my Pirate. pirate: As the only male in house, my DDs have decided that Dad needs anything "Pirate" related they find because, well, he's the boy! DH loves to eat and likes to try new foods. He is 6' 5" and skinny, thus the object of my huge resentment that he can eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound. :sad2:

DD1- She's the ultimate Princess. princess: She wears only dresses and wants nothing to do with anything that would get her dirty. She is turning 6 while we are on our trip! I'll refer to her as Aurora, as she has blond hair, loves to sleep, and is truly a Princess in her own right. My pride & joy, she's a great eater for being 5. Her fav restaurant is Chipotle, for Barbacoa and med. salsa! She also loves cucumber salad and asks for more Broccoli!

DD2- My miracle baby. She's endured a lot in her little life and is tough as nails. She's determined and independant! She's a decent eater, but lately we can't get her to sit still long enough to eat. I'll refer to her as Minnie, as she has 1 true love in her life--- Mickey Mouse. :smickey: No one can compare to Mickey!

The Restaurants: All for Dinner

9/1- Earle of Sandwich
9/2- Cinderella's Royal Table
9/3- 50's Prime Time Cafe
9/4- Chef Mickey's
9/5- Whispering Canyon Cafe
9/6- Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus- Birthday dinner!

And wherever counter service lunch will take us....

[amandelba]

What a great reason to celebrate! Looking forward to your reviews.

[luckytobeme88]

This is what I call the "Celebration". Please do take lots of pictures to share with us.:grouphug:

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in!

[onelilspark]

I'm in!

[TigerKat]

Me too!

[helloconnie]

Definitely great resaons to celebrate! Count me in!

If you are the DDP, will you please let us know if you come out ahead?

[bek1758]

Sounds like a great and special trip! Can't wait to read the reviews:)

[DLo]

You have a lot to celebrate! looking forward to your reviews.

[jockey]

Looking forward to your reviews

[Disneyof3]

Can't wait for the reviews to start....popcorn::

[Disneyluvr]

Sounds GREAT! I can't wait.

[shruley]

Ok, first review. I need to go home and figure out how to upload pictures, so I'll add those tonight after this review. There aren't many pictures for this one, I forgot to take any til I got to dessert! :scared1: Sorry, but I can cold and soaked from the rain and had 2 cranky kids. I did better with pictures as the trip went on, I promise!

Here's day 1--

We arrived at our resort about 4:30pm . After munching our way through lunch on the plane, we were all more than ready for supper. We hopped the bus to DownTown Disney for my favorite- Earle of Sandwich. Sadly, just the time we arrived at DTD it started to rain. Correction, it started to pour! We made a mad dash through the rain and under a virtual waterfall into EOS. Not sure if it was the rain or what but DTD was pretty empty. A person greeted us and explained the dining plan to us. We were allowed to choose a side instead of dessert. We walked right up (no line). I had the Tuna….it’s all I’ve ever had there and I love it. The bread was perfectly crispy on the outside yet soft and it had lots of wonderful melted cheese. I chose potato salad instead of dessert. It was ok, but a little too tangy for me and a little too much dressing. My Pirate had the Italian. He’s not a huge EOS fan, but after his first bite he said “Oh, that is GOOD!” Aurora tried the kids Pizza sandwich and said it was good. Looked to have lots of sauce on it. She ate about half before succoming to the temptation of dessert. No dessert for me since I had the salad, but Pirate had the three berry parfait and said it was good. It looked to be quite fresh. Aurora chose the cupcake for dessert that looks more like a small cake! I think she picked it for the sprinkles. She at first refused to share with Minnie (whose supper at this point consisted of 2 potato chips and a bite of pizza sandwich and declaring “I don’t like it!”) until I said if she was still hungry afterwards, I would buy her ice cream. Even after slicing off a hunk for Minnie, Aurora only ate about half the cupcake and declared “I’m done.” Minnie proceeded to take care of the rest of the frosting and sprinkles. The cake itself was quite good, tasted very moist and fresh. The frosting reminded me a bit of what I’d normally find on a donut. Aurora got chocolate milk which came in a huge container that both she and Minnie couldn’t finish. Pirate and I got sodas. Sorry, not many pictures. I blame it on the rain, I was so distracted from convincing Minnie to keep her pants on!!! :rotfl: (they were wet, so she was sure they should come off) that I forgot. I did get one shot of the desserts, and only one before they were snatched away. I think it’s Aurora’s hand you see in the picture there. In short, I love this place. We will for sure be back.

3 CS credits on DDP- Total cost $29.45. OOP $1.25 for potato chips Minnie didn’t eat.

[thejman]

Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!:)

[shruley]

From Earl of Sandwich.. triple berry parfait & cupcake. See above!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg2g3QQhzI/AAAAAAAAASE/Y047pgLNsjo/s640/IMG_0567.JPG

[shruley]

Our second Counter Service meal and….it’s raining outside. Again. Aurora wanted pizza today so although I had no desire or plans to eat there, we ended up at Pinnochio’s Village Haus. Even though Aurora got her way, she’s still cranky because she wants to eat in the Castle. Can’t get through to her that you just can’t walk up to get pizza at the Castle. We argue over where to sit and I finally get her distracted by showing her the Blue Fairy Wish book. I help her write in her wish…for a High School Musical Blanket. A week later, she has not forgotten this wish, nor the fact that it hasn’t come true. And FYI- they don’t sell HSM blankets anywhere in the World.

Aurora got the kids cheese pizza with applesauce and a cookie. The apple sauce isn’t sweetened so no one really likes it, yet we keep forgetting that and keep ordering it later in the week. Pirate and I both get the pizza meals with a side salad. My dessert was chocolate cake, his was strawberry cheesecake. The salads were nice and fresh and something different and I loved the Ken’s dressings. The pizza was….ok. At the time I thought it was good, but I think it was more because of the hunger. I can’t put my finger on it, but I just don’t like Disney’s pizza. The pizza was hot and fresh and nothing really wrong with it. Just don’t care for it. The chocolate cake was good…love all the thick gooey frosting on it. And I actually liked pirates cheesecake as well. Very creamy and a great taste. We were worried about the kids meals being too small for the girls to share, but there was always more than enough food for all of us to share. Often times we end up not being able to finish our desserts and took them to go. The size of the CS drinks are insane!!!

Adult pepperoni pizza & side saladhttp://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg3R3EMruI/AAAAAAAAASo/u0bdjrswRqU/s640/IMG_0741.JPG

Kids cheese pizza, applesauce & cookie
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg3TvupzlI/AAAAAAAAASw/97JJE3T8jsE/s640/IMG_0742.JPG

Another shot of adult pizza, salad & cheesecake dessert
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg3WPidrqI/AAAAAAAAAS0/UTUnqP_bJCs/s640/IMG_0743.JPG

Chocolate cake dessert & part of the ginormous pop

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg3aQt0WXI/AAAAAAAAAS4/ZrsI5RyApmQ/s640/IMG_0744.JPG

Sorry the lens cover was shadowing in some shots. I only got 1 chance to take pictures, they weren't a patient family!

The staff came out to sign Happy Birthday to Aurora. (Too bad dad didn't use a flash!)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg3dq5_ZiI/AAAAAAAAAS8/6sGu_wf4tOc/s640/IMG_0747.JPG

Total cost- $36.78. Used 3 CS meal credits.

[shruley]

Dinner- Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Since we didn’t want to do a sit-down on our arrival or departure day, we decided to spend our extra credit on CRT. This is mostly for Aurora, so she can eat in the Castle. We’ve done breakfast and are doing Norway for the Princesses so we wanted to try dinner. We arrived about 5 for a 5:20 reservation and were told we weren’t allowed to check in with them til 5:10, so to leave and come back! We went and rode the Carrousel and returned again at exactly 5:10. We enter the room to meet Cinderella almost immeadiately. That line went fast and they got a great shot of the girls together.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg7ciYagZI/AAAAAAAAATY/i-fbrNbATZ4/s640/IMG_0872.JPG
We then sat on the benches and Aurora had fun spying Gus & Jock near the castle ceiling. Minnie spun and spun in her dress and Cinderella, who was just standing there waiting, looked at her adoringly.
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We waited maybe 5 to 10 minutes before being called as “The Royal family.” We ascended the staircase (not easy for a 2 year old in a Princess dress) and once seated the girls were given wands that they proceeded to almost decapitate someone with. Pirate confiscates the wands and we looked at the menu. Once the waiter returns he again tries to give the girls wands and I thought Pirate may have HIS head. The table was decorated with some castle and carriage confetti for Aurora’s birthday that was cute.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg7jSVydrI/AAAAAAAAATc/hWF-PZZQdD4/s640/IMG_0879.JPG

Now, I have to say while I enjoyed this meal….this is not a fine dining experience. I did not find it romantic in any way and it felt quite hurried. I know they advertise this as a “romantic meal” for proposals and such, but it was VERY assembly line service. There is no relaxing or taking your time. I was fine with that as I have 2 small young kids, but if I came expecting a romantic dinner I’d have been upset. Our meal was actually paced ok, but a neighboring table got their entrees literally 3 minutes after they had been served their appetizer. They were seated after us and got their entrees probably 5-10 minutes before we got ours.
The menu-
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg8Me-RcHI/AAAAAAAAATg/cS49QZnFtJM/s512/IMG_0883.JPG

Ok, the actual food. We order and were brought rolls and butter. The rolls were hot and fresh, but the nothing special. Aurora loves that the butter is in little balls and insists on having 2. Did I mention the girl will eat plain butter if given the chance?

Rolls-
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg8Q6ATg9I/AAAAAAAAATk/ttyuQs9u3ng/s640/IMG_0884.JPG

When we ordered we were informed we would be provided buttered noodles and a dessert for Minnie (under 3.) Aurora chose the chicken soup for her appetizer. She seemed to like it, but she refused to eat any of the noodles. :confused3

Kids soup-
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg8vroZKcI/AAAAAAAAATo/PSfeMY8adbQ/s640/IMG_0887.JPG



For my appetizer I chose the BLT Salad - Applewood Smoked Bacon, Tomato, Egg, Red Onion, and a wedge of Iceberg Lettuce drizzled with Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette. It was actually really good, but I hate that it’s served as a big wedge and you have to cut your lettuce yourself. The plate isn’t that big and it’s hard to do without making a mess!!! The vinaigrette was very good, tasted light and sweet.
BLT Salad-
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg8xr0PNVI/AAAAAAAAATs/vXtwef6-2nw/s640/IMG_0885.JPG

Pirate ordered the Castle Salad - Mixed Field Greens with Blue Cheese, Raspberries and Herb Gremolata tossed in Berry Vinaigrette. He made a long comment about how good it was because the bitterness of the greens paired really well with the sweetness of the berry dressing and the tanginess of the cheese. Then he cursed me for making him watch so much food network. I had to take Minnie to the bathroom and when I returned, he appeared to have licked his plate!
Castle Salad-
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg80QBHMkI/AAAAAAAAATw/0etC5DU2HvI/s512/IMG_0886.JPG

[shruley]

The entrée was served before I had finished my salad. Granted I was behind from taking Minnie to the bathroom and from trying to cut the dang salad, but still. I ordered Roast Prime Rib of Beef - with Grilled Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes, and Cabernet Sauce. The Prime Rib was very good. Cooked medium, it was very tender and had lots of great flavor on it’s own. Pirate tried mine and agreed. I liked the Cabernet sauce, but Pirate could have done without it. The rest of the plate is forgettable….the roasted potatoes were kind of pitiful.

Prime Rib-
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Pirate had the Pork Chop - with Bacon and Mushroom Ragout and Red Bliss Mashed Potatoes finished with Sweet Chipotle Glaze. He loved it, thought the glaze on it was wonderful. I loved his potatoes and tried to steal them every chance I got. He thought the glaze made the dish. I tasted it and it was different…I think it’s the sweetness with the Chipotle that threw me.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg8-pGw9QI/AAAAAAAAAT8/RHv7a8sjEKs/s640/IMG_0891.JPG

Aurora had chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes. Those were good too, and hers were much easier to steal than pirates so I focused on her plate. I don’t think I got a shot of the buttered noodles…but shockingly Minnie actually ate a lot of them, so it worked.
Kids plate-
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg85ifm8cI/AAAAAAAAAT0/YfLGgG4MXKs/s640/IMG_0889.JPG

For dessert, we both got the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buckle - A single layer of Chocolate Cake stuffed with Cream Cheese topped with Créme Chantily and finished with Créme Anglaise Sauce.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg9DsTFEKI/AAAAAAAAAUA/F0MEVyXEtwQ/s640/IMG_0899.JPG
Aurora & Minnie got the sundaes with the chocolate crowns.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg9IXFZ1NI/AAAAAAAAAUI/YNPhkEgXA4w/s640/IMG_0900.JPG
(I swear I get better at taking off the lens hood.)
Aurora also got a cake for her birthday.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg9KgaRXUI/AAAAAAAAAUM/e1kIt4gv0Vk/s512/IMG_0902.JPG
Another dessert shot-
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg9bNmu5xI/AAAAAAAAAUU/oFitx-ocwHw/s720/IMG_0901.JPG
I didn’t like dessert as much as I though I would. There was sugar on the outside that made it really hard, and it just tasted like dry chocolate cake on the outside. Once you got to the inside with the crème cheese, that was good! I kind of ate around the top and outside. The girls loved the chocolate crowns and Minnie made a huge mess chowing down on them. Aurora’s cake was good, moist and sweet, but Pirate was the only one with room to finish it. Did I mention we were going to the dessert party in less than 2 hours? We watched the short show that the Fairy Godmother did (Aurora’s cake was brought and lit then) and we were told to make a wish. Aurora made another wish for that dang blanket. The show was short, but cute, and we got some cute pictures with Susie & Pearla.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg9jAokKWI/AAAAAAAAAUc/WsYTx2QfAPg/s640/IMG_0892.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqg9lUys4kI/AAAAAAAAAUg/CYiUPr-03sc/s640/IMG_0893.JPG
They also brought us our Cinderella pictures to our table to take home, which also included a nice picture of the Castle. After the first day, Aurora was now content having gotten to eat in the Castle.

Total cost- $149.16 (including tip). Used 4 adult & 2 kids TS dining credits.

[shruley]

This was evidently another day I forgot to take a picture of our CS. It wasn't exciting food anyway, though!
Second day of counter service. Since we just had pizza yesterday, I couldn’t do my original plan…Pizzafari. We just finished the Nemo show and decided to head to Restaurantosaurus. I really just wanted a plain hamburger and was very surprised to see you couldn’t get a burger. You could only get a double cheeseburger with bacon! (Or a veggie burger). Nothing else appealed to me so both Pirate and I got the double bacon burger with fries, and I just pulled the bacon off mine. Aurora got chicken nuggets with grapes and a cookie. For some reason, they were actually given carrots, grapes and a cookie. Aurora consistently drank chocolate milk. I got a water for my drink (no rain today, it was HOT). They had an awesome toppings bar with veggies (lettuce, tomato, onions, etc.) as well as hot toppings like mushrooms and fried onions. Aurora made herself a mini salad with some of the lettuce and mayo. (I offered her actual dressing, she wanted Mayo!) Still enjoying the Ken’s dressing, I used some ranch to dip my fries in. After this meal I was full, and took my chocolate cake home to eat later. (Really a little more variety in the dessert offerings would be good!) Pirate had a carrot cake I believe.

As for the actual food, it was a burger, standard but fine. The toppings really made it, though, it tasted much better with the fresh veggies on top! We did notice the obvious difference between the kids chicken nuggets and the adult ones (and the ones served at CRT last night) today. They were small, but it actually looked worse than it tasted. I tasted one and it reminded me of the frozen Tyson nuggets we buy at home, not great but edible. She ate almost all of them without complaint. Desserts were good. The cakes were moist…and the chocolate cake melted a bit but solidified again and still tasted good after the transport back to the hotel.

Total cost- $36.35, used 3 CS credits.

Bonus picture of Aurora eating her Mickey bar- 1 snack credit
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNexRG-VI/AAAAAAAAAbU/P1urbHSXYNY/s640/IMG_1101.JPG

[shruley]

Supper tonight was at 50’s Prime Time Café. We were so excited for this, as the last time we were here we had a great waiter and thought it was a blast!!! We arrived early (as we did for all our ADRs) and even though the check-in place was hectic, we got seated in about 5 minutes. We waited in the lounge and I love the décor of this place! Some were eating at the bar.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmPdDrbIxI/AAAAAAAAAb0/AOhnFpseCeE/s640/IMG_1177.JPG
We were shown to our table and already weren’t happy…we were in a tiny room in the very front with only 3 other tables. So totally separate from the rest of the place.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmPes5x-BI/AAAAAAAAAb4/j7apxZqGAc8/s640/IMG_1179.JPG
And it quickly became clear that our waiter was horrible. :mad: The worst of the trip overall and totally not in character. The only thing he told us was “Mom has rules here on the menu…elbows off the table, eat your veggies, (and something I don’t remember).” That was it. I think I heard people in the main hall having a little more fun, but NO fun to be had in our corner. Pirate was actually getting upset at this. Besides having no personality, he was really slow, especially in getting to the desserts. On the upside, the food was good!

We were offered milkshakes for our drink, but we had just consumed 2 milkshakes about an hour before while watching the High School Musical show. (Sitting on HOT pavement about did me in!) I just couldn’t down a milkshake. Both Pirate and I ordered real cherry Cokes….MMMM. I love these! For supper Pirate chose the Mom's Old Fashioned Pot Roast - Slow cooked 'til fork tender, served with mashed potatoes, carrots, celery and onions $16.99.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNljHaVbI/AAAAAAAAAbc/n3LncFY6_sM/s640/IMG_1182.JPG
I tried some of it, as I had a hard time choosing. SO good!!! I loved the gravy and the meat was very tender and wonderfully seasoned. I chose Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken - Served with mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, and Southern greens $14.99 but substituted corn for the greens.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNkydV63I/AAAAAAAAAb8/xHfBV5yduXI/s640/IMG_1181.JPG
The chicken was awesome. Oh, I love this chicken. So crispy, the inside was hot and it is just the best chicken I’ve eaten in quite awhile. I forgot to ask for all white meat, but it was ok because there was no way I’d have been able to eat it all anyway. The girls nawed on one of the legs and Pirate also ate one of my other pieces. Potatoes….good. Love Disney mashed potatoes. Aurora had chicken nuggets….again.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNmlUJdAI/AAAAAAAAAbg/iylxLOPp1Jo/s640/IMG_1183.JPG
She is usually a more adventurous eater, I swear! She chose a garden salad with ranch dressing (mostly eaten in the corner there), and of course, a sundae for dessert! In the end the girls all shared some of my chicken and corn as well, and Minnie ate quite a few fries. With the amount of food we were getting at meals seemed to become communal events…people just ate what they wanted!

Now for dessert. Aurora had the ice cream Sundae and also got a cupcake for her birthday, and the waiter did ask the people near us to sing Happy Birthday to her.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNoHnPVAI/AAAAAAAAAbk/7JrqVy_Bs6k/s640/IMG_1184.JPG
The Sundae was a make your own- (with m&m, sprinkles & chocolate).
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNrYizoDI/AAAAAAAAAbw/SGsiq4U4_Pg/s640/IMG_1187.JPG
I had Dad's Brownie Sundae - Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, and Caramel topping $5.99.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNqVbWjEI/AAAAAAAAAbs/Br-osR_JvYo/s640/IMG_1186.JPG
It was good, and Minnie had a blast trying to pick out all my M & Ms and steal them. I liked everything but the brownies. Honestly they were the worst part and tasted almost exactly like those “brownies” you get from Little Debbie in the long flat boxes. I only ate 1, and that’s because all the other things helped mask the flavor! Pirate got Seasonal Cobbler ala mode, $7.49; which I believe was apple.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SqmNpYItQrI/AAAAAAAAAbo/z-AUojUPNFA/s640/IMG_1185.JPG
He really liked his dessert and was glad to have something other than ice cream or cake offered to him. We did get the Viewmaster for the dessert menu, but it took a long time!

In the end I’d return again. Even with the horrible service, the food was still great. The fried chicken and the pot roast were my favorites of the whole trip. (We’re Midwesterners, this is our kind of food!) ;) Next time I will request to be in the main room and ask for an outgoing server. As my husband said, where we sat we couldn’t even see other tables having fun! We had a very short wait, I would’ve waited longer to be able to have more fun!

We did get “Clean Plate Club” stickers when we left, even though we didn’t clean our plates.

Total cost- $64.39. Used 3 TS credits.

[Joshua_me]

THANKS
for your reviews !

:goodvibes

That is by far the best fried chicken I've seen come out of 'prime time' in quite a long while.

We've had it a couple of times when it was nearly inedible. I hope things are improving there. Kind of makes up for you and yours being seated in the 'time out' room, I hope. ;)

[LMO429]

great dining reviews subscribing! :goodvibes

[basketlacey]

Enjoying your review! I can't wait for my first trip to Prime Time! It will be here soon!

[VegasMike21]

Awesome reviews so far, sorry to hear you didn't get a good waiter at Prime Time, hopefully we get a fun waiter/waitress when we go in a few weeks.

[Calgary DISHeads]

We had a great waitress last time - the food was mediocre, but we didn't go for the food. DD really wants to go back this time, but we are pretty hesitant because of the hit and miss experience. Best part of our meal was the onion rings which we would have to pay OOP for this time.

[shruley]

For lunch today we ate in Frontierland. I was excited to try the Golden Oak outpost. Aurora was, too, as she wanted chicken nuggets. Anyone seeing a theme here? There’s no adult menu here, so Aurora gets an adult meal with the “good” chicken nuggets.
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She also asked for apples for her side. The guy tells me they’re out of apples but should have some shortly if I was ok waiting. I said that was fine. Then a lady working behind begins yelling at him that they have no apples. He argues back that someone’s bringing some and she says no. He apologizes and I take a side of fries instead. He offers to bring the apples to me if the come. I show him where we’ll be sitting. I get the fried Chicken Breast Sandwich. Comes topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and ranch dressing. I also get a side of fries. (Sorry, I took a bite before I remembered the picture.)
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Not much choice for dessert so we both get cookies. Since it’s an adult meal the cookies are in a 2 pack, all of which we take home with us. To drink I got a bottle of water and the girls got a large blue Powerade. About a minute after I sit down, the nice man brings us a bag of apples. Bonus -they are High School Musical apples!

Bonus shot of the drink again, I am still taken by the size of the pops you get!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sqr4B0jH03I/AAAAAAAAAjA/Uth_5fMdE9o/s512/IMG_1273.JPG

The food here is SO good. Ok, well the fries are standard Disney fries as are the cookies, but the sandwich is SO good. The chicken breast was pretty big and thick and I loved the toppings. Bonus that the girls got an adult meal, and an extra side. I would SO return here.

Total cost- $ 29.80. Used 2 CS credits.

Pirate wasn’t in the mood for chicken so he went into Peco’s Bills. He got the BBQ Pork Sandwich served with fries $8.69 and I believe more carrot cake. He also got a bottle of water, but didn’t drink it as he shared the Powerade with Aurora and Minnie. (Between the 3 of them they still had some left over.) The extra bottle of water was consumed within the next hour at the MK. It was hot and the extra water was nice! He said the sandwich was ok, I tried it and it was eh. I’m picky about my BBQ sauce, though. The BBQ sauce was Kraft quality. Pecos had a huge toppings bar which I don’t believe he made use of, other than to bring Aurora and Minnie shredded cheese and me ranch dressing for my fries. At this point, I’m really starting to tire of Disney fries. But yet I keep shoveling them in. :rotfl2: No pictures, Pirate is not fully getting the point of me taking pictures of the food. Especially CS, he's like "It's french fries." :sad2:

Total cost- $16.11. Used 1 CS credit.

[shruley]

Supper tonight was at Chef Mickey’s. This is one of the few places (only place?) we’ve eaten at every time we go to the World. We got there about 20 minutes early. Since we were coming from Pop, we didn’t want to be late, but hit the bus and monorail just right. I figured we’d look in the gift store to kill some time. Pirate noticed the VERY long line and decided to go check-in while we browsed. I waited about 5 minutes and then went to meet him. He already had a pager and we sat on some (new to us) comfy couches. Our pager went off almost immeadiately and we went to get our picture taken. Aurora was cranky (again) at this point (can’t even remember what it was this time) so we left her out of the picture. They later tried to sell me the pictures for $30. I politely declined, there weren’t even any characters in it for heaven’s sake!

For the second time we were seated in the little room off to the side of the buffet. Doesn’t matter to us, and it’s actually kind of quieter in there! We had a great view of the Castle—
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sq2WGF9cP9I/AAAAAAAAApc/_p45Ii_sHlw/s640/IMG_1582.JPG

Our waitress was very prompt at bringing drinks and refills which was appreciated as in the heat, we drank a lot of (non-caffinated) pop that night. She informed us Mickey and friends were still getting some things ready in the kitchen so now would be a good time to get something to eat. We headed to the buffet and were able to get everyone at least one plate for everyone when the first characters headed out. It wasn’t long before they made it to our table. First was Pluto, Goofy, & Donald. Now we have discovered that despite Minnie's intense love for Mickey, on TV, she does not like him in real life. LOVES the Princesses….hates all the other characters. I assume it’s their size. She is cautiously watching the characters as they approach to prevent a possible surprise attack on her! Aurora is so excited she can hardly contain herself and eat. There character interaction is good. They are very patient with trying to get Minnie to warm up to them…although she’d have none of it. Pluto was especially a hoot. A few pictures…
Love this face-
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Plutos trying hard
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Donald
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We then had a break and were able to refill our plates. I took some pictures of our plates, but not the buffet itself. Sorry. I especially love Minnie’s second plate here…seems fitting seeing as a mouse is the cook, right? On the way to the Contemporary Minnie continually told us “I want to eat cheese”. And she did. Mac & Cheese and the shredded cheese was all she ate (minus dessert.)

For my meal I am ashamed to say, I ate no protein. There was always a line for the meat and by the time I got there I had no room on my plate anyway! I had a ton of the parmasean mashed potatoes. So good, as always. I also really liked (ok, loved) their potato salad, and had some lettuce salad and a couple pasta salads. The pasta salads weren’t really my thing, although I normally love pasta. Too much sauce that tasted much too strong for me. I also tried the alfredo pasta dish. Not a fan! I couldn’t eat it. They also had what looked to be cheesy potatoes with bacon in them. They, too, tasted horrible. Couldn’t eat them either. I think it was the bacon taste that was off. Truth be told, I ate the most of the kids mac & cheese. It actually tasted really good, and hey, it’s Mickey shaped!!! My second plate consisted of the potato salad, the parm. potatoes and mac & cheese. Minnie also consumed an extremely large amount of the mac & cheese, so it gets a thumbs up from us.

Pirate had the meats (a beef and a pork). He stated they were good but not outstanding. He also had some of the things I did (pasta alfredo) but managed to eat his. I think he’d tell you the food was fine, not much outstanding. They had a salmon on the buffet that looked good, if you liked salmon. (Neither of us do.)

My Salad plate- (Potato salad, lettuce, & pasta salad
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My meal plate- Mac & cheese, parm potatoes, alfredo pasta, potatoes with bacon
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Aurora's salad & meal plate- kids pizza & nuggest and lettuce salad
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Pirates plates- alfredo pasta, the beef from carving station, parm potatoes with gravy, those cheesy potatoes with bacon (or ham?), ravioli?
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Minnie's Cheese Plate :-)
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About the time we can see Mickey & Minnie approaching they do the Celebration song & napkin twirling. Aurora is not brought out a cupcake. Now I don’t really care as she was being cranky, refused to wear her birthday button, and with the buffet we really didn’t need another cupcake. She didn’t notice. The girls waved the napkins but were more preoccupied with watching Mickey.

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About now Mickey & Minnie come by. By the time they get here my Minnie is actually interacting with them and gives them a high 5. And allows them to get close enough for a picture. We decided this was a major breakthrough! They don’t spend quite as much time with us as the previous 3, but it was still good interaction and we got some good pictures.

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After they left we headed to the dessert buffet. Of course the girls are taken with the make-your-own sundaes. Aurora gets her own ice cream and puts, I believe, every possible topping on it. I tried to take a picture but it doesn’t do justice to what a mess that was! I got Minnie & I ice cream as well, but I swear by the time I get to the table, it’s already almost melted. Minnie is making a huge mess and really just wanted the candy on top of the now-melted ice cream mess. So I take her back and just get her a bowl of candy…. Much less mess and she’s happy! Aurora is continuing to eat the monstrosity. The desserts here were pretty good. The cheesecake was excellent…very smooth, light, and flavorful. I also loved the Mickey ears. Pirate did not and gave me his after the first bite. The chocolate was a bit more towards the dark chocolate side, which he doesn’t like. I also had a rice crispy bar which wasn’t the best, but I ate it. I wanted more cheesecake but after all the Mickey ears, I’m stuffed. Then our waitress apologizes for missing Aurora’s birthday and gives us 2 cupcakes, each packaged in a cup. The girls are so excited. Let me tell you, we carried them on the monorail, then onto a standing room only bus where a lady holds them for us, then they stay in our room basically untouched. But we are not allowed to throw them away. After we check out on our last day, they have been shaken, maimed, and are stale. We are made to pack them in our backpack to take to the park and manage to finally throw them behind the girls back outside of Epcot! So sorry, no reviews of the CM cupcakes!

My dessert plate- Cheesecake, rice crispy & Mickey ears
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Aurora's ice cream, couldn't get a picture to turn out well but you get the idea.
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In the end, we will always go back to Chef Mickey’s. At least as long as we have kids who want to meet Mickey. No, the food isn’t outstanding, but it’s good and fine and we always find at least one or two things we really like. The character interaction is good and it’s just a fun meal for us. We both left VERY full.

Total cost- $81.74. Used 3 table service credits.

[shruley]

We spent the next morning at Hollywood Studios. Since we were there for EMH we were getting really hungry about 10. We stopped at Starring Rolls for a snack. I really wanted one of the sandwiches from there but DH said NO to letting me eat lunch that early. So we got snacks instead. DH got a white chocolate cupcake, I got an Éclair, and Aurora picked out a chocolate chocolate chip muffin. I did grab a picture. Aurora also got a large Chocolate milk.

Picture somehow missed getting uploaded so I'll have to add that later tonight. Sorry! :headache:

The food here was awesome. I had my éclair and thought it was really good. And then I tried Pirates cupcake and it was SO good. The frosting on it was amazing. Pirate stated he hadn’t ever tasted frosting that was so good. Pirate also tried Aurora’s muffin and noted it tasted more like a cupcake than a muffin. Can you say CHOCOLATE! And she drank choc. milk with it! Minnie most like nawing on the green sugar Mickey balloon that came on top of the cupcake. By the time we finished these 3 snacks between the 4 of us, we were full. There was a lot of sharing as at one point I stole what was left of the cupcake and gave Pirate my éclair. We would for sure return here again, I still want to try the sandwiches which looked SO good.

Since we had the snack we ate a late lunch back at Pop. Still hungry for a sandwich I got the Tuna which came with a side of pasta salad and tie-dye cheesecake for dessert. DH got a meatball sub which came with a salad for a side and choose a regular cheesecake for dessert. Aurora wanted pizza and got grapes and an applesauce with a fruit drink box.

The tuna was ok, but I found myself wishing I tried the ham on ciabatta instead. I did not care for the bread the tuna came on, it was really thick and kind of dry. I threw away all the extra bread on the ends. The tuna itself was good. The pasta salad it came with was not. I could only eat a few bites, the flavor was not good and even the pasta itself had a very weird texture. The tie-dye cheesecake was so good. It has red velvet cake on the bottom and I loved it. Pirate liked my dessert much more than his sad little cheesecake. I tried both and the tie-dye was better! I did end up getting the tie-dye again as a snack credit later in the trip.

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http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/Sq7T-ElTEiI/AAAAAAAAArg/oKuNduUpxV8/s640/IMG_1770.JPG

Pirate liked his meatball sandwich and declared it good. I think it was even served on- gasp- white bread! Again, the side was BAD. Besides being totally drenched in dressing, it was warm like it’d been in a warmer. Sorry, but I can’t stand to eat warm lettuce, disgusting. His salad was worse than mine. His little cheesecake was fine (evidently the cheesecake missed the pictures) but paled in comparison to the awesomeness of the tie-dye.

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The kids meal was fine. Same as anywhere else. I’m starting to not see the point of reporting on kids meals as they are the exact same thing wherever you go! Since we had a refillable mug we got an extra drink to take back to the room for later.

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[shruley]

Supper tonight was Whispering Canyon Café. We were excited for our first trip to the WL. The girls loved the boat ride to get there. We love the themeing of this resort and would both love to stay here one trip.
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After looking around (early again) DH checked in.
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He asked for a fun waiter when he checked in. They told him “They’re all fun”. He said you’d think that at the ‘50’s, too, wouldn’t you. They told him “Honey, you’re at the Wilderness Lodge now.” J And they were right we loved our waitress. She wasn’t over the top but she was lots of fun. We were seated right at 5 or maybe a little before. The girls had just started to play with the Lincoln logs when we were called to our table.
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Pirate and I both ordered the skillet. Aurora ordered a kids cheeseburger. We were offered shakes as drinks on the dining plan. All the food was starting to catch up to me and I just didn’t think I could eat a shake and a dessert, so I stuck with a sprite. Pirate and Aurora had no trouble in that department however. Aurora ordered a vanilla shake and Pirate ordered an orange shake. Sheriff's Shakes - Chocolate, Vanilla or Strawberry All-You-Care-to-Enjoy $5.99 They had other flavors, too, I remember orange, cotton candy and I think bubble gum? I must not have gotten a picture of Pirate's shake, but you can see Aurora's in this picture, hers came in a normal kids cup. They both finished them but neither asked for refills.
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For supper both Pirate and I got the skillet.

Canyon Skillet, 26.99 per person- Smoked Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Oven-roasted Chicken, Beef Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Cowboy Beans, and Corn on the Cob Mixed Greens Salad with Apple Vinaigrette, Coleslaw, and Fresh-baked Cornbread

Aurora got a fruit cup, cheeseburger and fries, and cookies for dessert. As you probably saw in the picture, Aurora's fruit was mostly melon with a couple grapes thrown in. Melon is not their favorite fruit so not much was eaten. She ate about 1/2h her cheeseburger. I didn't try it but it looked fine.
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For the skillet, we started with the salad and cornbread. The salad came in an Apple Vinnegrette dressing. It was good but way to much dressing on it. You can see the dressing pooling in the picture, it was literally swimming in a dressing bath. The dressing was something different and had a light and sweet taste. Pirate loved the corn bread. I'm not a huge fan of cornbread in general but it was good--for cornbread. It was nice and light which was good.
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Cornbread shot didn't turn out so good.
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Next they brought out the skillet-- I do believe everything in the skillet had a good coating of butter on it. You can see the butter on the corn on the picture of my plate. Now, neither of us like ribs (too fatty) but we enjoyed everything else on the skillet. It was all cooked well. The seasoning was very good, but a little different. Spicy but not hot, if that makes sense. I don't eat a lot of BBQ but still enjoyed it. I mostly had the pulled pork, which was excellent. The chicken was ok but seemed like something I could eat anywhere. At the end of my meal Pirate asked how I liked the beef brisket and I went "what?" Evidently there was beef hidden under that jumble of food. I ended up eating 2 pieces of that despite being full, it was very good! I, of course, never met a Disney potato I didn't like and these were no exception. I really didn't care for the sauce on the beans (and I love baked beans) but Pirate asked for seconds of those, he loved them, so maybe it was just me? Pirate ate a LOT. The rest of us were done and he was STILL eating. He seemed to love everything, minus the ribs.
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My plate-
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For dessert we were full but couldn't turn it down so....

I chose the Kahlúa-flavored Chocolate Cake - with Chocolate Mousse Filling and Fudge Icing $7.99 since I had cheesecake for lunch. It was good, VERY rich. Didn't taste much Kahlua flavor though.
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Pirate choose Deep-Dish Bourbon Pecan Pie - with Chocolate Sauce $7.49. He thought it was fabulous. Evidently he likes a good Pecan Pie, I had no idea. Sorry it was mostly eaten when I got a picture.
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We took Aurora's cookies to go as she got a birthday cake AND ice cream for dessert. This was one of the better "free" desserts she got. She loves anything with ice cream on it.
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The waitresses were funny, they came over and said they were going to sing a VERY special birthday song to her backwards....so they turned around and sang it "facing" backwards. Other highlights were doing the hokey pokey
and the pony race (Aurora was winning so took an extra lap for good measure) and of course, ketchup. (I seem to be missing a few pictures again. There may be more tonight.)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SrA-XrqLFvI/AAAAAAAAAvI/V8GCR8PM80E/s720/IMG_1814.JPG

We loved our meal here and will absolutely return. Pirate was quite happy and felt this made up for the poor waiter at Prime Time. Food was all very good and we left very full. Service was very good (and fun!) and we loved the WL. The girls loved the boatride there, the lincoln logs. Next time I just think I need to descretely ask the waitress to tell Pirate they're out of beans!

Total cost- $96.13. Used 3 TS credits.

[MickeyNicki]

That chicken sandwich at MK looks awesome!

[shruley]

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_nzBxYerxivI/SrGDUgS2S6I/AAAAAAAAAxo/1Sac4cUYFRY/s640/IMG_1650.JPG

Eclair, chocolate muffin & white chocolate cupcake.

[leeann32]

That chicken sandwich at MK looks awesome!

I agree! I have to get one of those, it looks so yummy!!!

[shruley]

Casey’s Corner

Today was Aurora’s actual birthday! And I was a horrible, mean mom who did not let her pick out what she wanted to eat for lunch on her birthday. She wanted pizza, again. I couldn’t eat Disney pizza. It was HOT again today and I just couldn’t stomach something that didn’t sound good. So I dragged her to Casey’s Corner for lunch. She was pouting in line and said all she wanted to eat was a brownie. Fine. Pirate ordered while the girls and I went to score an inside place to sit. (HOT today, remember.) Casey’s really doesn’t have indoor seating, but there’s a little area off the restaurant with about 3 small tables and 2 sets of “bleachers” about 4 or 5 steps high that you can sit on. All the tables were taken but there were some openings on the “bleachers” in front of a big TV screen playing some black and white clips. Aurora loved the bleachers and the TV. I try to convince her this isn’t such a bad place after all. She frowns at me more. No kids menu here, so the girls get an adult meal of corn dog nuggets, fries, cracker jacks and chocolate milk. Pirate and I both get a hot dog with fries and brownies. We made good use of the condiment bar…onions, a couple kinds of relish, and melted cheese in addition to the usual. (Hint: double up the cup for the cheese, it’s hot when it comes out!) The hot dogs were good…probably a typical hot dog, but it was just what we were wanting that day, so it tasted really good. The buns didn't bother us, we only eat wheat at home, so... :confused3 The girls had a really good amount of corn dog nuggets, which we had to cut in half so Minnie could eat the hot dogs out of them. Aurora ate a few fries and picked at the nuggets but was still pretty stubborn. I opened a brownie for her which she had been wanting, but she still didn’t eat much of the brownie, either. She maybe wasn’t hungry in the heat. At this point, I’m really tiring of Disney fries. Usually if you’re eating out a lot, you at least get different kind of fries (McDonalds fries taste different than Wendy’s you know.) But everywhere in Disney they’re exactly the same and I’m beginning to loathe them. The cheese sauce, however, I loved, so they made the fries more palatable. (I mean, you can’t just stick your finger in the cheese and eat it…it’s hot!) ;) We went through a lot of cheese sauce! The girls may have been tiring of fries as well, they continued to mix ketchup, mustard, and cheese in different ways while eating them.
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By the time we were finished, we were full and all of our desserts came home with us. I ate the cracker jacks the next morning at Epcot for a snack and actually had the brownies while back at home at work. At the park, I was not a fan of the brownies. They tasted much better once I had gotten home, but still not the greatest brownies ever. They were fresh and chocolaty but just had an off taste to them that’s hard to describe. And again, since the girls got an adult meal they got a huge chocolate milk. Pirate and I shared an enormous drink and took my water to go.
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Condiments.... MMMMMM, cheeeeeseeeee. :goodvibes


Total cost- $32.83 Used 3 CS credits.

[shruley]

Akershus

This was Aurora’s birthday dinner. She was SO excited for this meal. We checked in early and were seated after about 10 minutes of waiting. Worst part was it was HOT outside and no good place to wait to be called…not even shade! Once called we went to stand in a line to get our picture taken with Belle. Fortunately it moved pretty quickly. Belle was nice enough, but I didn’t like where this picture was….she was in this little dungeon of white painted bricks with a blue curtain hung behind her. Didn’t make for the nicest backdrop.
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(No, Minnie is not upset, that is her attempt at smiling.) :rotfl:

We were seated over to the side, so to us it was kind of like eating in a rustic cottage, not at all like a Castle. May have been better if you were in the main dining room. Aurora didn’t notice, however. We were right by the door to where the princesses came in and out so Aurora loved that they would all walk by her again and wave and wink at her and stuff. This meal had a “cold table” and then you chose an entrée and got a plate of dessert served family style. We also ordered Aurora a mini-surprise cake.
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Our service here was pretty good. Our server noticed our Minnie had the scar from her open-hearts. He told us he was born with a Congenital Heart Defect as well and shared his story. He was very attentive to us, especially Minnie. There were some long waits at times (ordering and dessert), yet other things were spot on. I think it’s that he had a lot of tables that were all seated at the same time, and one table had like 12 people, not for his lack of trying. We ordered drinks…pop for Pirate and I. Since it was Aurora’s birthday we splurged on the Pirate's Punch--
Minute Maid Light Raspberry Lemonade served in a souvenir Fairy or Cars cup with a glowing Tinker Bell or Lightning MCQueen Clip-on Light.
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Normally we would never spend that much $$$ for these, but it was her birthday so what the heck. We then tried the cold bar. We were not offered anything for Minnie, other than that she could eat off the cold bar or we could order her a meal (at $20 we passed!) The cold bar first had some lettuce with a few dressings and some rolls and butter. We then moved to one that had some salads, cold meat and cheese. I tried what I think was potato salad, as well as some cheese and salami. The potato salad wasn’t the best, and I think part of it was it was lukewarm…I don’t think it was supposed to be. The cheese was all very good and Minnie loved the salami.
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It was all she wanted I think she ate about 20 slices. They also had some deli meats. The cheeses were really good. We weren’t very adventurous today. They also had a bar with raw fish…I think they had herring, salmon, etc. No one in our family likes any of that so I barely gave it a glance as I headed back to my table. I didn't get pictures of the salad plates except the girls...whoops!
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For Pirates entrée he got Traditional Kjottkake- Ground beef and pork patty served with garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and Lingonberry sauce. (Partially eaten, sorry)
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He seemed to think it was ok. Good but nothing to write home about. Similar to meatballs but the gravy on it was a bit odd. I wasn’t too fond of it. I had the Grilled Pork Chop with Potato Gratin, Apple-Raisin Chutney, and Demi-glace.
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Now, I have a thing about warm fruit in general and even more so mixing said warm fruit with my meat, so the “chutney” was quickly scrapped off. Pirate ate my leftovers, though, and really liked the Chutney. I really enjoyed the pork dish, even though I’m not a huge pork fan. It was cooked well, served hot, and I loved the glaze it was served with. Between the glaze and the potatoes (so good as well) it was actually a really good dish. It was nice to have something other than mashed potatoes at Disney and these didn’t disappoint. I just couldn’t finish it all, though, so Pirate helped me out. After a bit of a wait Mats brought out dessert. Royal Dessert Plate- Sweet and Savory Chocolate Mousse, Traditional Rice Cream topped with Strawberry Sauce, School Bread – A Norwegian Specialty Baked Sweet Dough filled with Pastry Cream topped with Toasted Coconut.
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Dessert was a hit with us. I LOVED the chocolate mousse. It looks like a cake when served but the inside was filled with the most amazing mousse. I was in absolute heaven. Pirate didn’t like it. Yet still had to take a second HUGE bite, just to “make sure” he didn’t like it! The school bread was good. We both liked it, but Pirate has a thing about eating absolutely NO coconut, so he passed on most of this. So he was left with the Rice Crème. He liked it, I thought it was ok but a bit lacking in flavor. We were unable to finish the school bread, I was just too darn full. The girls didn’t eat any of the desserts, they ate Aurora’s birthday cake that was brought out.
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It was a standard Sara Lee frozen white cake on the bottom topped with an overly-generous portion of frosting. I actually think the frosting was about as thick as the cake itself was. The cake served it’s intended purpose which was to thrill Aurora that she got an actual cake at Disney World. She also loved the treasure chest it came in and the mirror and flag all made their way home with us and are on her dresser. For the price it was worth her face. I only wish some Princesses would have been there to sing Happy Birthday, but oh well. It was even more worth the money when I saw the cupcakes they were giving out. I think it had to be the saddest birthday treats we saw given out the whole week…they were small.

As for the non-food portion, we saw Belle for the picture, then Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella and Ariel all came to the table. Aurora goes “I can’t believe all these princesses came to my birthday party!” :laughing: Yup, it’s all for her. The best was Ariel, she saw Aurora in her Ariel costume and ran up to her and starts talking a mile a minute “Oh my gosh, look at you, are you a real live mermaid? Did you swim here all the way from Atlantica?” She was just an absolute hoot.
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The princess interaction was good. Honestly, our food here was just as good as the food in the Castle was, and we enjoyed getting to see so many Princesses. Unless I had someone who had to eat in the Castle, this is a much cheaper option than the 2 TS credits for the Castle. We would definitely do this again as long as we have girls who want to see the Princesses. After that, there is better food to be had elsewhere, I would not eat here just for the food! (except to maybe get the dessert plate!)

Total cost- $92 for meal. Paid OOP for drinks and cake- $13 for drinks, $22.97 for the cake. Used 3 TS credits.

[shruley]

I realized I forgot to say Aurora got a pizza for her entree. Yuck It was disgusting pizza.
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When she took a bite of 1 half, the entire cheese just lifted off the top in one gigantic hard half moon. I honestly have to say it was worse than frozen pizza. She only ate a little of it, luciky she had the bread and lettuce from the salad bar. And the cake, of course.

[shruley]

Well, that was all our meals. We had some snacks and ate lunch at the airport the next day. We did also do Wishes dessert party of which I have a couple pictures and I'm going to try to add our snacks so I can do a grand total and see how we came out.

About mid-trip we were getting very concerned as we hadn't used many snack credits as we were usually full from dessert. But there were other times (like waiting fo Spectro) where we used 4 at one time, so it balanced out. We only spent 1 the last day that ended up going home with us, on a chocolate muffin from Sunshine Seasons. While we didn't need snacks, it was very nice to have them and not feel so bad paying OOP for a drink or treats for the girls while entertaining Minnie while sister was on a "big ride" or keeping them entertained while waiting for the parade. And ice cream was the only way I made it through sitting on the HOT pavement watching the HMS show. Who in the world thought that was a good idea? I am very upset though that I never got an ice cream sandwich on Main Street. :mad: Obviously I need to go back!

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Thanks for sharing your dining experiences and your girls are just adorable.

We felt the same way about CRT our last trip, rushed and a little let down. We are trying breakfast next trip for the first time and hoping for better results.

[shruley]

We've done breakfast at CRT before and it was rushed then, too. It was fine, enough time to see all the princesses, but same kind of service. As I said it worked well for us because my 2 girls were still more than ready to go when we were done...but they should market it for what it really is!

[mimi'sgirl]

Thank you I really enjoyed reading your review. I may have missed it but did your daughter get her HSM blanket? Just curious cause my DD(4) never lets me forget about things like that. LOL

[MousekaMaddi]

thx for sharing!:yay:

[shruley]

Thanks for reminding me. She did get her blanket but not at WDW. Once she got back she got a gift card from her aunt and when we went to Target they had a nice fleece blanket with a huge Troy and Gabriella on it...half price no less! Then her "dream finally came true!" It killed me because when we were there, we'd be going back to the room (like after Wishes) and she goes "I sure hope my blanket is there waiting for me!" She at least never had a melt down about it. :)

[shruley]

Here are our snacks the night of Spectro. One box of Popcorn not pictured. We also got a sucker and a frozen lemonade which everyone loved. We also had to get Aurora a build-your-own pixie stick (not an eligable snack credit) which is still sitting on my counter not touched since this first night at Spectro. She liked it that night, but sees it there and never asks for it. Now I'm stuck in the eternal parent delima, do I just let it go to waste, or tell her to eat it and be the bad mom who forces her kid to eat pure sugar?
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And Minnie enjoying the frozen lemonade.

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A shot of Spectro-
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Popcorn- $3.25, Frozen Lemonade- $3.29, Sucker-?

Aurora had at 2 or 3 Mickey bars during Minnie's naps- $2.75
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I also had an extra piece of tie-dye cheesecake (picture earlier). $3.59

Cotton Candy from Pop- $2.75??

2 ice cream shakes (one vanilla, one chocolate) from Min & Bill's Dockside. ($3.69 each) What I really wanted that day was an Icee drink and couldn't find it...I won't tell you my frustration when the next day we discovered there was an Icee stand just around the corner from Min. & Bills. :mad:

One night we were really in the mood for smoothies so stopped at the Fountainview Cafe only to be told the smoothie machine was broken. So the girls each got a dish of ice cream. $3.69 each. Lemonade to drink- $2.50

The last day we tried to use up the last of the snacks. The girls were thirsty so we got a Powerade- $2.50
A Muffin from Sunshine Seasons- $2.59
Minnie picked out a box of small cookies to eat while waiting for dad and Aurora to finish Test Track. $2.25??

Total snacks- $45.73. I'm still missing a few and that's not including tax. But it's probably safe to say we ate at least $50 in snacks.

[pperfectmom]

Great reviews! Did you happen to get any photos of the dessert party or have anything to say about it? I just booked it as a surprise for my family this morning.:yay:

[mom of 3G's]

Tell me about the surprise b-day cake at Norway.:cutie: Did you order this at the restaurant and how much was it? Would a 3 y/o enjoy it or wouldn't it matter to her???:confused3

[shruley]

I know, the dessert party was my last thing, just hadn't gotten to it yet. I'll do the review and then go back and try and find my pictures. I had a picture of my plate and the girls.

I will tell you, we loved it, for several reasons. I've read a lot of bad reviews on here, but we thought it was totally worth the money. As FYI- We had to watch Wishes the 1st full night (not arrival night) we were there as it was the only night it was offered at 9pm. Otherwise it was MNSSHP or at 10pm. With little ones we just couldn't stay up for the 10pm one.

Reason #1- It was raining. Again. Still. It absolutely poured the night we arrived and through most of the next day. At this point I was flipping tired of being wet. It wasn't pouring, so Wishes still went on, but there was a constant drizzle that started about 2 hours before Wishes and continued the whole time. I will not tell you what my crankiness level would've been had I been sitting in the rain. DH was not sure about the $$$ for this party, but agrees it was worth it, due to the rain.

Reason #2- We have always watched the fireworks here for years and I love the spot. I am not bothered that they are not directly behind the castle. I have always loved being able to sit and relax here while waiting instead of on a curb and love that Tink flies above you. (Although not our night, I'm sure due to the rain.)

Reason #3- The food. Was. AWESOME. I loved everything I ate, except the Mango Shooters. Huge variety...Creme Brulee, Tiramisu, chocolate mouse, the infamous strawberries, cookies, brownies, cheesecake, fruit. Everything was outstanding and very fresh. My biggest grip is I was still full from the Castle. Our ADRs were for 5:20, but the party started at 8 and I was not as hungry as I should have been for this! I would've enjoyed it more if I didn't feel so stuffed. The Creme Brulee was my favorite...it was pistachio. DH didn't like it, but he must be crazy, it was so good. Cheesecake and chocolate mouse were also very good. The girls were quite thirsty and both had milk and juice to rehydrate from the day. The food seemed to go fast but was always repleshished very quickly. I never noticed anything being totally "out". About the time Wishes started dishes were maybe 25% full at least. I heard the workers talking about if they neede more, and they did go ahead and replenish everything. We couldn't have more afterwards if we wanted. (Too full :guilty: ) They were never out of strawberries as I heard people complain. Even if they were, the workers were very friendly and outgoing and always around....I would've felt comfortable asking.

Reason #4- So relaxing. It did not seem crowded at all. There was rarely a line to "wait" in to get food. We were right next to the buffet and would easily just grab one thing quick without waiting. There was plenty of open room so we set up our camera on a tripod and got some good night pictures (it's raining remember! So glad for the canopy.) Taking pictures occupied some of our wait time. They also had a photopass photographer there and we got our only really good family picture in front of the castle here. (The only one where Aurora doesn't look cranky!) When Wishes started we stood by the railing. I was worried about being crowded in but wasn't at all. I think we could've remained at our table and had a good view but the girls wanted to stand up when everyone else did. My biggest regret is I wasted time with my camera to get pictures that didn't turn out. I should've just enjoyed the whole thing instead of the last 1/2. But to give you an idea I had my camera and tripod set up next to me at the rail...plenty of room to not be in anyone's way. People were also congregated in one area of the railing as the other was more exposed and you'd be wet.

We would totally do it again. Staff was good. I don't know if we caught it on a good night or what?:confused3 Just go hungry!!! I'll try to find the pictures I had....

[shruley]

The birthday cake my Travel Agent ordered ahead of time for me, about the same time as she made our ADRs. You can see it on the WDW website, it's called "My Mini-Celebration cake". I then reminded them a couple times when we arrived that we had ordered the cake, just to be sure. The cost was about $23, I believe that was with tax. My almost 3 year old would not have been near as excited as my 6 year old was at the cake...but only you know if it would be worth it. It was partly worth it to me because at Norway, you just get the dessert platter. None of the girls would've liked most of the platter, I don't think that would've gone over well. So they were happy to have their dessert as it was their only dessert there. At Chef Mickey's the cake would've been ignored!

It started when we were at home Aurora goes "What kind of cake will I get at WDW?" And then I went "Crap! I have to buy her a cake at WDW?!" I knew we were on the dining plan and thus not going to eat much cake, so it made sense to pay the $$$ on a smaller cake with "toys" then a larger cake we wouldn't eat anyways... It was perfect for us! I think I forgot to mention Aurora also got a birthday card at Norway signed by all the Princesses.

[shruley]

Waiting for Wishes
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The Castle View
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Entertaining ourselves
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The food pictures must not be uploaded yet, I'll have to do that tonight.

[pperfectmom]

Thanks for the positive review of the dessert party. I can't wait!:banana:

[prncess674]

We spent the next morning at Hollywood Studios. Since we were there for EMH we were getting really hungry about 10. We stopped at Starring Rolls for a snack. I really wanted one of the sandwiches from there but DH said NO to letting me eat lunch that early. So we got snacks instead. DH got a white chocolate cupcake, I got an Éclair, and Aurora picked out a chocolate chocolate chip muffin. I did grab a picture. Aurora also got a large Chocolate milk.
This just cracks me up. No healthy sandwich, but feel free to eat an eclair and a cupcake. Reminds me of my Mom saying to the grandkids "no M&Ms till you finish your donut.":rotfl2: