The Good, The Bad, The Cancelled and The Surprising ... Our Take on Deluxe Dining!!

[ariel1025]

Hello :wave2:

My Husband and I recently spent 8 fantastic nights at Disney World on the Deluxe Dining Plan:thumbsup2 We spent many a night debating between no dining plan, basic dining plan, deluxe dining plan and repeat. In the end, we couldn't give up enough of the 2 credit places and/or breakfast choices and ended up sticking with the deluxe dining plan. So, how did we like it? Were we disappointed with our choices? Will we do it again?


All of that to come ... but first let's do some quick introductions :goodvibes

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My name is Shannon and I am a 27 year old accounting student and work full time. Doing Deluxe Dining was originally my idea and then, of course, I ended up being the one to question if it was a good idea or not once it was paid for :laughing: My loves of food include chicken, pasta, chocolate and creme brulee! I also like steak, but only if it's well done - practically burnt is even more appealing - and I HATE seafood and cranberries!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/0333-3.jpg

That's my Husband of just over a year, Candido - but we all call him Candi for short. Well, actually I call him lovey bear - but I won't make you do that :lmao: He was the one who didn't think the Deluxe Dining was worth it - all he heard was the lack of change jingling in his pocket when it was paid for :rolleyes1 His love of food includes seafood, especially crab legs; steak, preferably still breathing - oh wait, I mean bleeding :sick: and caramel apples. Foods he hate include chicken and chocolate.

I'm still not sure how we are capable of eating dinner together every night :rotfl:

Ok, ok ... with formalities out of the way let's just go ahead and jump right in.

We arrived at our gorgeous hotel and decided the wait before dinner was too long and a snack was in order. I mean, afterall, we had refillable mugs and 2 snacks per night per person to get through. That's a lot of food without even thinking about the 3 meal credits per day :rotfl2:

To make it easy on ourselves we headed down to Roaring Forks in the Wilderness Lodge (we were staying in the Villas). We didn't want anything too big because we had reservations in 3 hours. I already knew what I wanted - I had been craving them since our honeymoon ended. Candi roamed around a little and finally settled on something that seemed good enough to get him through until dinner.

The cashier at Roaring Forks was super friendly and explained the process of the Deluxe Dining plan to us while she removed the "theft device" from our refillable mugs :confused3

All giddy with our first snacks in hand we made our way back to the Villas ..... and now, I present you with our first snack credits

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009/DSC_0034.jpg

TA DA!!!!!!

Yes, I am a major nerd and had been craving veggies and Ranch. And, yes, I realize you can get them anywhere, but during our honeymoon I ate these every single night after the parks and having them now was like comfort food.

So, how did the anticipation hold up for me? Well, they replaced the strips of "adult carrots" with baby carrots and this made me sad :sad1: However, the celery and carrots were both super fresh and crisp. It was simple and satisfying, which is exactly what I wanted at the moment :thumbsup2

Candi said his chili had GREAT flavor but was way too greasy. This coming from a guy who enjoys his burgers and pizza dripping with grease as he bites into them ... is saying a lot about the chili.

To drink we had a Coke and a Root Beer ... yum, I love Root Beer!!!

With content bellies we decided to rest up until dinner .... Candi was dreaming of dancing crab legs in his head I'm sure :lmao: ... tonight we had reservations at Fultons!

Starting Credits:

Snack: 32 total (16 each)

Meal: 48 total (24 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Refillable Mugs - One each included in Dining Plan - $27.67 including tax

Veggies with Ranch & Bowl of Chili - 2 snack credits used - $7.23 including tax

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in! You guys are so cute!

Tell me...did you happen to eat one of the best pecan cinnamon rolls at Roaring Forks?

[GoofySon'sMom]

I am in ... great pics!

[JoAnnPan]

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to your next installment :)

[TigerKat]

I'm in!

[BriarRosie]

You guys are too cute, even if your hubby married a veggie craving NERD! :rotfl2:

Ok, I must be a nerd, too. I picked that type of snack at AK the day I was going to Party for the Senses last year, because I didn't want to get too full from a meal. :laughing:

The only thing I can say, is you ruin a perfectly good piece of beef. It assaults my Midwestern girl's soul to see how you like your meat cooked. :eek: :faint:

But you redeemed yourself by liking chocolate. ;)

Nice start!

[disneyfav4ever]

Can't wait to read your reviews!

[SurfinTX]

Mmmmm...Chili. Starting this trip off with a bang I see!

I'm in for this trip. Looking forward to the report and story. :goodvibes

[dizneeat]

Mmmmmmmmmmm ......... this sounds like a really good thread - I am in!! :goodvibes

[ClareH37]

Great start - I'm like you, I've booked the Deluxe Dining Plan but I'm now starting to question it :rotfl2:

[natalielongstaff]

great start :thumbsup2

[ariel1025]

Count me in! You guys are so cute!

Tell me...did you happen to eat one of the best pecan cinnamon rolls at Roaring Forks?

MMMMMMMM....MUST......GO...TO...ROARING....FORKS.. .NOW!!!

Sadly, not I did not eat a pecan cinnamon roll - booking my next trip today just to try it :lmao:

Thanks for joining in :goodvibes

I am in ... great pics!

Thank you so much :flower3:

Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to your next installment :)

Thanks, working on it now :thumbsup2

I'm in!

:welcome:

You guys are too cute, even if your hubby married a veggie craving NERD! :rotfl2:

Ok, I must be a nerd, too. I picked that type of snack at AK the day I was going to Party for the Senses last year, because I didn't want to get too full from a meal. :laughing:

The only thing I can say, is you ruin a perfectly good piece of beef. It assaults my Midwestern girl's soul to see how you like your meat cooked. :eek: :faint:

But you redeemed yourself by liking chocolate. ;)

Nice start!

Want to hear the saddest part? I'm actually a Midwestern girl too AND my father in law runs a ranch where he raises cattle to prepare for all the steak your heart desires for a living!!! :laughing:

Thanks so much for joining in :)

Can't wait to read your reviews!

:thanks:

Mmmmm...Chili. Starting this trip off with a bang I see!

I'm in for this trip. Looking forward to the report and story. :goodvibes

Don't worry there's plenty more chili to come :laughing: Thanks for joining!

Mmmmmmmmmmm ......... this sounds like a really good thread - I am in!! :goodvibes

Thanks and Welcome :goodvibes

Great start - I'm like you, I've booked the Deluxe Dining Plan but I'm now starting to question it :rotfl2:

Don't worry I regretted it until we ate our first meal and I realized it didn't matter what the heck the price on the menu said - I could have it all :woohoo:

great start :thumbsup2

Thanks!!:goodvibes

[ariel1025]

Ok, it's time to really get this party started party: It's Dinner Time!!!!

My Husband had been dreaming about Fulton's for, oh, around two years :laughing: You see, we had made a reservation to eat here last year for our honeymoon, but then the wedding stole all of our money and it was just to expensive for our wallets that year. I felt horrible about it, I mean, I'm sure he wouldn't have cared if there weren't any flowers at our wedding :lmao: so I promised him that when we came back Fulton's would be the first place we ate dinner at.

I'm not really one for breaking promises so when we were up at the booty crack of dawn making reservations I made sure he heard me ask for that reservation first. Though, I still don't think he believed me until we were walking through the doors giving the hostess our name :laughing:

So, without further ado, here is our take on Fulton's Crab House!

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We arrived a tad bit early and decided to see if we could be seated early. Hello, chili and carrots can only fill a belly for so long and we were STARVING!

The hostess was super friendly and said it wouldn't be a problem. She had barely finished her sentence before we were being led upstairs to our table. I had secretly been hoping that we would get a window seat, but, alas we were seated at the end of these long row of tables. You know, the kind with booth type seating on one side and regular chairs on the other side? Now, I'm somewhat of a fan of this type of seating, because I love the booth and Candi loves a regular table chair ... perfection :cloud9: It was extremely far from the window though which kinda saddened me. I'm sure I could have asked for a different table, but decided it wasn't that big of a deal and didn't.

Our server's name was Stephen and he was FANTASTIC! Our drinks were never less than half full and he kept the food coming at a perfect pace.

Stephen went over the specials of the day and then pointed out his favorites on the menu before asking if we would like to start with an appetizer. Ok, ya'll remember how I was still freaked out about dropping a booty ton of money on the Deluxe Dining plan right? Well, in case anybody isn't aware - Fulton's is NOT on the dining plan :scared1: All this said to say, we very sweetly declined an appetizer.

We did receive bread (sourdough) and butter along with a house made dip.

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As promised, I tried it because it was set on the table. I was a little scared because I really and truly dislike crab AND horseradish AND mustard, all of which were included in the dip. Much to my surprise, and unwillingness to admit, it wasn't that bad :laughing: And, I really liked the multi-grain crackers that came with the dip!

Candi's review on the dip? Nothing was left on the plate and he made me take home the recipe to re-create it for all our football parties this year :thumbsup2

Stephen came back around to see how we were doing and let us know that our entrees were on their way.

Now, I do have to stop here and say that as much as we were loving our meal it was being slightly strained by the family seating very "cozily" next to us at our booth/table. I understand that this is Disney World and there are kids galore. And I love kids - Heck, we're trying to have kids! But, I had at least 3 fettuccine noodles land on my lap from this little boy sitting next to us throwing his food. If that wasn't enough he starts running back and forth from his seat to his sister's seat and knocks our table and causes Candi's tea to tip all over his lap. Not exactly the romantic night out we had been hoping for :headache: I can understand that kids get restless especially when you have images of characters in your head, but the parents just LAUGHED about everything and didn't even apologize for their sons behavior :scared1:

Ok, rant over - back to the food, which much to our delight came right after the hyper boy and his family had paid for their check and left :rolleyes1

First up, Candi's meal

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009/DSC_0052.jpg

Alaskan King Crab Legs - $39.99

First off, before he ever took a bite we both commented on how these were the largest crab legs either of us had ever seen. I swear one of the legs was as big around as my arm!! Candi's eyes practically glazed over with excitement when Stephen placed his plate in front of him :cloud9:

And how did he react after the first bite? Pure and utter joy, I believe his exact phrasing was "Oh my lord this is heaven on a plate." Truly, I'm not making that up - the kid could have eaten chicken nuggets for the rest of the week and still came back home and claimed he had the best food ever on this trip :rotfl2: He was instructed by Stephen to save the claw for last (he had never had crab claw before) and told he would not be disappointed. So that's exactly what he did. And how did he react to that? Silence - so elated with food joy that he could not even speak!

In the midst of Candi's heavenly meal I also received my meal

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009/DSC_0051.jpg

Filet Mignon and a side of Asparagus - $34.99 and $6.95 respectively.

Stephen basically begged me to order it medium well and Candi was being a sly little dog and rooted him on in his quest. I'm a sucker for peer pressure (sad I know) and gave in. The filet mignon was served butterfly cut and smelled heavenly. I took one bite, with my eyes closed so I didn't have to see any pink on that piece of meat :rotfl:, and about squealed with delight when I tasted it. The steak practically melted in your mouth and had just enough flavor without being overpowering. This was when I almost broke our promise by not letting Candi taste something that was set on the table. In the end I gave in and gave him a bite just big enough for him to have a taste :lmao: He agreed that it was one of the best steaks we have ever had (shhhhh, don't tell his Dad who raises cattle for a living :littleangel:).

The asparagus you ask? It was asparagus, I love asparagus, and it was good. Nothing outstanding but they didn't ruin it or anything.

Stephen visited our table frequently throughout the meal keeping our drinks refilled and once to see if we wanted dessert. Just like the appetizers we very sweetly declined dessert. Although, this time not because it cost but because we had other plans for dessert later.

We left Fulton's Crab House very full and very happy.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009/DSC_0054.jpg

So, our overall take on Fulton's Crab House? FLIPPIN FANTASTIC :thumbsup2:thumbsup2 As if you couldn't guess already :rotfl:

We both agreed that it will be on the agenda for next time. Even though it is an out of pocket expense if you are on the dining plan, to us it was worth every last penny.

Total Spent:

$88.90 after tax but before tip (Don't worry Stephen received an outstanding tip ;)). No credits were used as this was a completely out of pocket meal.

Coming up next - Dessert time!!

[PrincessTrisha]

Wow - great review of Fulton's.

It's someplace I always wanted to try but my mom is allergic to crab and when she's with me, I get a little paraniod. I know there are other things to eat there but it's cross contamination I worry about.

Your review is making me want to book it for my solo trip in December though. Mmmmm, crab dip.

[gellybean]

Joinin' in and lovin' it!! Your review of Fulton's is making me want to add it as an OOP meal on our upcoming trip!!! I've never read a bad review of Fulton's so it's tempting!!! So much food, never enough time! LOL

Can't wait to read more!

[ILUVDSNYWRLD]

Subbing can't wait to read more :)

[Ciciwoowoo]

Oh my goodness, does that sound yummy!!! :goodvibes

And truly, if you compare the prices around Disney, $88 isn't that bad for a meal there. Its not something you'd do every day, but its not like eating at Victoria and Alberts either!

(which is something I dearly want to do, but have to find someone who is an adventurous eater first!)

[NuttyDisneyMom]

Definitely along for this one! You and your DH are adorable and your pics in your signature are FAB!:goodvibes Can't wait for morepopcorn::

[TigerKat]

Love your review of one of my favorite places!!!! We enjoyed Fulton's so much on our last trip we canceled another ADR to go back there again. We plan to have lunch there as soon as we arrive next week! Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!:thumbsup2

[dr&momto2boys]

I am enjoying your review. It would have killed me to pay out of pocket when you already have the DxDDP! (I'm just frugal that way!) You must really love that guy!

[danalee]

cant wait for more! :goodvibes

[ariel1025]

Wow - great review of Fulton's.

It's someplace I always wanted to try but my mom is allergic to crab and when she's with me, I get a little paraniod. I know there are other things to eat there but it's cross contamination I worry about.

Your review is making me want to book it for my solo trip in December though. Mmmmm, crab dip.

Thank you! I completely understand about being worried for your Mom, but if you ever get the chance you should definitely try Fulton's. I was not even that excited about eating there and now I can't stop talking about it :thumbsup2

Joinin' in and lovin' it!! Your review of Fulton's is making me want to add it as an OOP meal on our upcoming trip!!! I've never read a bad review of Fulton's so it's tempting!!! So much food, never enough time! LOL

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks :goodvibes I would almost be willing to bet that anyone who ate there would love it!! I know what you mean about too little time for all the food. There are still places I am dying to try and yet I hate to let go of my favorites :rotfl:

[ariel1025]

Subbing can't wait to read more :)

Thank you very much :)

Oh my goodness, does that sound yummy!!! :goodvibes

And truly, if you compare the prices around Disney, $88 isn't that bad for a meal there. Its not something you'd do every day, but its not like eating at Victoria and Alberts either!

(which is something I dearly want to do, but have to find someone who is an adventurous eater first!)

I must admit that I am not brave enough to try Victoria & Alberts, but the atmosphere sounds like heaven :cloud9:

I am so glad we tried Fulton's and we ended up paying less for the meal than we had planned which is always nice :thumbsup2

Definitely along for this one! You and your DH are adorable and your pics in your signature are FAB!:goodvibes Can't wait for morepopcorn::

Oh my goodness, thank you so much for such a sweet compliment :hug:

Love your review of one of my favorite places!!!! We enjoyed Fulton's so much on our last trip we canceled another ADR to go back there again. We plan to have lunch there as soon as we arrive next week! Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!:thumbsup2

I must agree with you .... Fulton's is now one of my favorites as well :thumbsup2

I am enjoying your review. It would have killed me to pay out of pocket when you already have the DxDDP! (I'm just frugal that way!) You must really love that guy!

To be honest it was killing me to pay OOP ... that is, until I took the first bite of steak :rotfl2: I'm normally what one would refer to as "cheap" but this trip I promised myself that I would let loose and just enjoy myself ;)

cant wait for more! :goodvibes

Thank you!!!

[MusicMouse]

Count me in, too! popcorn:: Wow - those crab legs look fabulous! Great pics!

[ariel1025]

Count me in, too! popcorn:: Wow - those crab legs look fabulous! Great pics!

Welcome!!! The hubby still talks about how great the crab legs were :thumbsup2 Thanks for joining in!!!

[disneyfav4ever]

Between your and MickeyNikki's reviews of Fultons, I am definatly going to have to try and fit it in next year.

[ariel1025]

Hey everyone!! I'm so excited to have so many readers - it makes me feel like this report serves an actual purpose :rotfl: Sorry to have left ya'll hanging for a couple of days, work has sent us into overload with all this state stuff coming up :surfweb:

Anywhoooo......

After our AMAZING first meal of the trip we decided to wander around Downtown Disney for a while so we could let all of our food settle. Now, if you recall we did not order dessert at dinner. This is not because we are crazies who dislike dessert it's because we HAD to go to Goofy's Candy Company ;)

I had read so much about the create your own treat stuff that I just knew I had to make one for myself. Originally Candi said he was just going to get a plain 'ol caramel apple - his favorite guilty pleasure - but after we got there he said he felt left out :rotfl2: Needless to say, he joined in on all the ooey gooey sugary fun!!

It was crazy crowded in there, I'm guessing this is normal :confused3 and when we placed our orders we counted 15 ahead of ours :scared1: We decided to take the time to roam around and check out all the yumminess <-- that's a real word just so ya know :lmao:

After a little while we headed back over to the little create your own station to watch them make everybody's treats. Soon enough they got to ours

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009/DSC_0073.jpg
No no no, not the girl actually making something - the girl on the OTHER side reading the order - the poor thing got told off so bad right after this because they don't dip their apples in caramel at the time of the order :sad2: No worries, I promise we were not the ones who yelled at her.

After letting everything soak up all the chocolate one piece of food could possibly soak up, they boxed it up for us to take back to the hotel.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009/DSC_0072.jpg
MMMMMM, yummy little treat that I wish I could have right now!!

We took them around to the cash register to pay and were told that neither one qualified as a snack credit. WHAT :eek: I mean, I knew the apple wouldn't count because it costs like, a bazillion dollars. But, I could have sworn that every report I ever read said that my treat counted. Oh well, here's some more money for ya Disney :lmao:

When we got back to the room we popped in a movie and enjoyed the best dessert ever

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009/DSC_0075.jpg

Mine - three pretzels rods dipped in milk chocolate, coated in peanut butter chips and drizzled with more milk chocolate - $3.50.

This was absolutely divine. It was the perfect combination of salty and sweet which is exactly what I was hoping for and the peanut butter chips gave it that little something extra. Candi also tried a bite and said it was good but that it had too much chocolate :scared1:. I wasn't able to finish them all that night but I did wrap up the remaining two and finish those another night!

Candi's - red caramel apple dipped in white chocolate (the only kind of chocolate he will eat), coated in nuts and drizzled with more white chocolate - $8.95.

He said he was actually nervous to taste this because he was afraid he had ruined a perfectly good caramel apple :rotfl: In the end he said it was very good but that he still prefers the original. I had a bite and thought it was just ok, but then again I don't like white chocolate.

Overall, I would most definitely go back to Goofy's Candy Company for more treats. Candi said he would try something different or just buy a plain old caramel apple but I really want to do a rice krispy treat and marshmallows and a gingerbread man - ok, ok, I really want to try one of everything :rotfl2:. Even though they didn't count as a snack credit I still really enjoyed it and didn't mind paying for it out of pocket.

Total Spent: $14.33 after tax. After they rung us up I found out that they charged me $1.00 for an extra topping :confused3 I'm not sure why but since it was only $1.00 I didn't say anything about it.

No snack credits were used since neither counted as a snack. I guess it only counts if you get one pretzel rod or the marshmallows. Somebody please correct me if this is wrong.

** Completely off topic, but can somebody explain to me how I can put links on my front page to where I can put the name of the restaurant but that is the link for the page where you can read the review? Thanks so much :goodvibes

[ariel1025]

Between your and MickeyNikki's reviews of Fultons, I am definatly going to have to try and fit it in next year.

I have no idea what your tastes are like, but I'm willing to bet you will not be disappointed ;) Thanks for reading along :goodvibes

[dizneyjill]

We have the deluxe plan for December and I have been worrying that this might be to much.Can't wait to read the rest of your posts .Thanks so much for doing this.By the way, we loved the carrots and celery too.After a while, we just wanted some vegetables!I think our favorite meal was the Greek salad at Pop Century. Of course we WERE sick with colds and the vinegar felt soooooooo good on our sore throats. We are hoping we will stay well this next trip. Being sick at Disney stinks! Congrats on your steak. I ate overcooked shoe leather steak until I was about 20. (that's how my mother cooked it) I met a man who cooked for a steak house and he would not let me get it well done...Now I eat my steak rarer than him! :flower3:

[bankgirl05]

this is so much fun, and so excruciatingly tantalizing. I just got home from work late, too late to feel like cooking dinner, and you are making me hungry:thumbsup2. Guess I'll grab that snickers bar in the back of the fridge.

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Awesome reviews. I can't wait to hear if you think DxDDP was worth it b/c I'm still going back and forth with it. We want to eat a Fulton too so I'm still not sure if DxDDP but we do love room service so it might be worht it for that since we usually order a couple of room service during our trip

[creativeamanda]

Those treats from Goofy's look awesome!

[Disneymama5816]

I'm in. Loved your review of Fulton's.:)

[purpliequeen]

I'm in as well. More please!

[pezaddict231]

Great reviews! Can't wait to hear more. Thanks for the reviews of Fulton's, we're considering places for our rehearsal dinner and that could be a contender.

I thought those pretzels were a snack credit. Generally anything under $4 is.

[ljcrochet]

Great reviews. I can't wait to read the rest.

To link your post in the first page, just click on the number of the post to get the url
then paste it into the first post like this
[url= what you copied] Title [ /url]
Just take out the spaces.

[3boys4me]

I'm in.

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Enjoying your reviews!

[mcarthur205]

Great reviews. I think the DxDP would be too much food for us too, we're just doing the regular DDP next time. But reading about your experience with it is interesting. I'm off to read your other reports now....

[reneebaker]

So excited to read about your experiences! Great job so far :) We didn't end up making it to Goofy's Candy Company when we went in Sept! It looks like we really missed out. And my hubby is drooling over Fulton's now!

[SweetMommy]

Awesome reviews so far..........can't wait for more!

[ariel1025]

We have the deluxe plan for December and I have been worrying that this might be to much.Can't wait to read the rest of your posts .Thanks so much for doing this.By the way, we loved the carrots and celery too.After a while, we just wanted some vegetables!I think our favorite meal was the Greek salad at Pop Century. Of course we WERE sick with colds and the vinegar felt soooooooo good on our sore throats. We are hoping we will stay well this next trip. Being sick at Disney stinks! Congrats on your steak. I ate overcooked shoe leather steak until I was about 20. (that's how my mother cooked it) I met a man who cooked for a steak house and he would not let me get it well done...Now I eat my steak rarer than him! :flower3:

Welcome and thanks for joining in :goodvibes That's hilarious about the steak - I still like mine pretty well done, but I have opened up to new possibilities with how my steak is cooked :laughing:

this is so much fun, and so excruciatingly tantalizing. I just got home from work late, too late to feel like cooking dinner, and you are making me hungry:thumbsup2. Guess I'll grab that snickers bar in the back of the fridge.

MMMMMM .... snickers ;) I always get home too late and never feel like cooking and that's when I update too ... bad combination :rotfl:

[ariel1025]

Awesome reviews. I can't wait to hear if you think DxDDP was worth it b/c I'm still going back and forth with it. We want to eat a Fulton too so I'm still not sure if DxDDP but we do love room service so it might be worht it for that since we usually order a couple of room service during our trip

Thank you so much :goodvibes I will tell you this ... room service comes up more than once in this review ;)

Those treats from Goofy's look awesome!

They were fabulous!!!

I'm in. Loved your review of Fulton's.:)

Thank you and welcome :goodvibes

I'm in as well. More please!

Welcome!! Uploading more pictures as we speak ... hopefully get an update in tonight :thumbsup2

Great reviews! Can't wait to hear more. Thanks for the reviews of Fulton's, we're considering places for our rehearsal dinner and that could be a contender.

I thought those pretzels were a snack credit. Generally anything under $4 is.

Fulton's was fantastic! Not sure if you've seen the restaurant or not, but inside is kind of broken up into several different dining rooms so that could be awesome for your rehearsal :goodvibes

Great reviews. I can't wait to read the rest.

To link your post in the first page, just click on the number of the post to get the url
then paste it into the first post like this
[url= what you copied] Title [ /url]
Just take out the spaces.

Thanks for joining and for the tip :thumbsup2

I'm in.

welcome!!

Enjoying your reviews!

Thanks so much :goodvibes

Great reviews. I think the DxDP would be too much food for us too, we're just doing the regular DDP next time. But reading about your experience with it is interesting. I'm off to read your other reports now....

Welcome - would love to hear what you think of the regular dining plan!!

So excited to read about your experiences! Great job so far :) We didn't end up making it to Goofy's Candy Company when we went in Sept! It looks like we really missed out. And my hubby is drooling over Fulton's now!

Thank you! We forgot about Goofy's when we went for our honeymoon so it was a definite must do this trip and we were not disappointed!!

Awesome reviews so far..........can't wait for more!

Thank you and welcome :goodvibes

[jeminni]

Just found your reviews. Those crab legs look soooooo good, I wish I could have that right now. :goodvibes

[ToyStory]

Great reviews! Looking forward to your other reviews.

[spatter1234]

Your pictures make me wish our trip was tomorrow! Everything looks awesome. We can make dining ressies in 3 days so I can't wait to read more.

[mom2taylorandemily]

Ok, so I'm joining on Pg. 4, but this is a great report so far!! I'm really loving your critiques.

[Disneyof3]

Great start and love the food porn...

[Miaka]

Joining in! love the reviews, I'm not a fish/seafood eater but my husband is, thank's for the Fulton's review :)

[praisehisname]

Loving the reviews!!!

Denise

[plutosgirl]

:lovestrucMore more...can't wait to hear and see more!! Great reviews!

[vettegirl]

Subbing to your thread, can't wait to hear more!

[jess98ac]

I found this today and I'm loving the report so far, can't wait to read more!

[ariel1025]

Just found your reviews. Those crab legs look soooooo good, I wish I could have that right now. :goodvibes

Don't you hate how reading food reviews always makes you SO hungry :lmao:

Great reviews! Looking forward to your other reviews.

Thank you very much :goodvibes

Your pictures make me wish our trip was tomorrow! Everything looks awesome. We can make dining ressies in 3 days so I can't wait to read more.

I always wish my trip was tomorrow :rotfl2: Good luck on getting all the dining reservations you want :thumbsup2

Ok, so I'm joining on Pg. 4, but this is a great report so far!! I'm really loving your critiques.

Thank you - it has been so much fun to do this :)

Great start and love the food porn...

Don't worry, there's plenty more food porn where that came from ;)

Joining in! love the reviews, I'm not a fish/seafood eater but my husband is, thank's for the Fulton's review :)

I'm not a seafood eater either, but I think Fulton's had a little something for everyone and it was all so good! Thanks for joining in :goodvibes

Loving the reviews!!!

Denise

Thank you!!!

:lovestrucMore more...can't wait to hear and see more!! Great reviews!

I am trying to upload more pictures now so I can do a review tonight :cutie:

Subbing to your thread, can't wait to hear more!

Thanks for joining along :)

[ariel1025]

I found this today and I'm loving the report so far, can't wait to read more!

Thank you and welcome :goodvibes

[jenmc88]

I loved your review on Fulton's. Went there for lunch and loved it. After seeing the crab legs will definately will go to dinner on our next trip. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews as I know they will give us some more options for next year.

[ariel1025]

I loved your review on Fulton's. Went there for lunch and loved it. After seeing the crab legs will definately will go to dinner on our next trip. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews as I know they will give us some more options for next year.

What types of things did they have to offer for lunch? I am really, truly trying to work on an update, but life keeps getting in the way :rolleyes1

[catsaneda]

Loved your review of Fulton's. It is one of our favorites and has been for years. Never fails to impress. Really looking forward to your other reviews. We're going in April and have decided to splurge on Deluxe Dining.

[Momma2Mia]

I am really enjoying your reviews. We are taking our first family trip to Disney in March and I love reading about your experiences. I totally agree with you and the steak thing...DH and I are both well done....his usual line is "well done and if your not sure leave it on a few more minutes". We went to Jeff Ruby's steakhouse (Louisville, KY) and they would not cook our filet well done. I look forward to reading more!

Kristie

[maiziezoe]

Super great reviews so far!!

[DisGirl81]

Subscribing! We are currently debating whether or not to upgrade to Deluxe Dining, so this report should help! We already have the free dining from our bounce back, so I am trying to decide if I want to upgrade it to the Deluxe and pay the difference.

I look forward to reading more!

[ariel1025]

Loved your review of Fulton's. It is one of our favorites and has been for years. Never fails to impress. Really looking forward to your other reviews. We're going in April and have decided to splurge on Deluxe Dining.

I'm so glad to hear that about Fulton's - my biggest fear is that we will go back to all the places we loved this time and then be let down :eek: And I'm so jealous that you will be going in April; we were going to go in March for Spring Training but my husband is worried about the crowd levels and doesn't want to go now :sad1:

I am really enjoying your reviews. We are taking our first family trip to Disney in March and I love reading about your experiences. I totally agree with you and the steak thing...DH and I are both well done....his usual line is "well done and if your not sure leave it on a few more minutes". We went to Jeff Ruby's steakhouse (Louisville, KY) and they would not cook our filet well done. I look forward to reading more!

Kristie

That's so funny about your husbands line about steak :laughing: I ran into a couple of places that really discouraged the well done (like Fulton's) and as long as I didn't like the meat I still enjoyed it :rotfl:

Super great reviews so far!!

Thank you so much :goodvibes

Subscribing! We are currently debating whether or not to upgrade to Deluxe Dining, so this report should help! We already have the free dining from our bounce back, so I am trying to decide if I want to upgrade it to the Deluxe and pay the difference.

I look forward to reading more!

Welcome :goodvibes One thing I would recommend is looking at the places you plan on eating at and seeing if you have enough credits to do it without upgrading or not :thumbsup2

[ariel1025]

The next morning we had to be up bright and early because we had breakfast reservations at

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This was a must do on our list – it was where we started our first day on our honeymoon and we decided right then and there it would be tradition every time we came back. I know many people don’t think it’s worth the money but we had a great time last year and really enjoyed the food. This time our breakfast was going to be extra special because……

our reservation was BEFORE PARK OPENING!!! I was super excited about this as I had always heard everybody talk about how it was so exclusive and they always got pictures of an empty Main Street etc etc.

I have to say it was our experience that there really wasn’t anything that exclusive about it. When we got to the turnstiles we were simply asked if we had breakfast reservations and when we replied “yes” they told us to go on through. Wait…what? You don’t need to cross my name off a list or see my reservation printout that I went back to the room to get just in case I needed it? Uuummpphhhh :headache:! This bummed me out a little and I have to say it bummed me out even more when we heard not one or two but SEVERAL people talking about how easy it was to sneak into the park before it even opened just by lying about having a breakfast reservation.

Oh well, still going to take advantage of a semi-empty Main Street and take some pictures anyway

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http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-2/DSC_0104.jpg

Oh darn, a lonely photopass photographer … we better make him work for his money :rotfl:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-2/Image006.jpg

Ok, ok, I guess this shot doesn’t have that many people in it … I feel better now :lmao:

After stopping for all our pretty pictures we made our way up to the check in desk. They took our name and handed us our little card that indicated how many pictures we got with our package and then we were directed into the line right outside the castle doors. We only waited about three or four minutes before we were let inside and stood in line to take our picture with Cinderella. While we were standing in line we got to see the first family to be seated of the day. They had the cutest two little girls and did a special ceremony for them before they were led upstairs. Super cute! Right before it was our turn to have our picture taken I got super excited because I saw

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-2/DSC_0116.jpg

So cute … and exactly why I love Disney … all the special little touches everywhere.

While I was taking pictures of my two favorite mice we were called up for our picture. Because there were only two of us in our party we received one photo package with the cost of our meal. I must admit that this Cinderella was a much better one than the one we had last year. She asked us what we were celebrating and then when we tried to stand on each side of her she lectured Candi telling him “a proper Prince always stands next to his Princess” - gosh I love her!

With pictures out of the way we were led upstairs to the main restaurant

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I love how it’s like a red carpet leading your to the restaurant … yes, I really am that dorky

In the back of my mind I was hoping that we would be lucky enough to get the same seat as last year (window seat directly in the middle). We kept passing all the seats that weren’t by the window and my happy heart skip a little beat when we were headed in that direction. Well, we didn’t get THAT seat but we still got a window seat, it was just off to the side a little, and that was still enough to make me happy!

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Here are a few pictures to give you an overall idea of what the restaurant looks like:

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We were one of the first ones seated and within 30 seconds our waiter came over to go over the menu options and take our order. You have an option basically between healthy and fatty :rotfl2:. I believe one option is granola and fruit and things of that nature. We both chose the fatty option that had some fancy name I can’t remember … sorry.

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You start out with fresh squeezed orange juice and a bowl of fruit. Both were delicious – the fruit was fresh and ripe and just juicy enough for both of our likings. I don’t like fresh blueberries (unless they are in my pancakes) or kiwi, but Candi said both were very good, especially the blueberries.

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Next up was a plate of pastries and muffins. The cinnamon rolls type things were stale and neither of us finished those but I did eat one of the muffins and it was very good. Candi said the croissant was good as well – nice and flaky on the outside and warm and soft on the inside.

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The main plate consists of eggs, bacon, sausage, cheesy potatoes and stuffed French toast topped with blueberries. I only had a small bite of the eggs because they make me sick if I eat them too early in the morning. Candi is not really a fan of scrambled eggs at all so we both gave them low marks. The bacon was very good – I would have preferred it to be slightly crispier but Candi thought it was perfect and we both thought it had good flavor. The sausage is something else I don’t care too much for and I let Candi have it all – he enjoyed it and thought it was just the right amount of pepper and spice. The cheesy potatoes were too die for – one of my favorite foods last trip and I spent an entire year craving them – they did not disappoint this year! Candi agrees and we both asked for more when they were gone. The stuffed French toast was the best thing by far – and yes I enjoy blueberries when they are turned into a “not so good for you” type of food hee, hee!

Of course, during the meal all of the Princesses come around. They do an entire announcement of each Princess and they come out one by one in the beginning and by the end all four are going around to all the tables. This year we got to meet:

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Snow White – she was very cute and had many lines that completely fit her role.

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Aurora – she was quick and stayed just long enough to take a picture before moving on.

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Jasmine – she spent the most amount of time at the table and was the only one who insisted that she get a picture with Candi too. Maybe she noticed how he couldn’t stop looking at her :rolleyes1

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I love how she posed here!!

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Lastly was Belle – she also stayed at the table a good amount of time and had a great sense of humor. She asked if I nicknamed Candi “Beast” because of his scruffy face - loved it!

Towards the end of the meal they passed out swords to all the boys and wands to all the girls (they gave them to children and adults) and they did a wishing ceremony.

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Candi and I were having a sword/wand fight like little kids and Belle came by and joined in on the fun – this turned me into a little kid because Belle is my absolute favorite – of course we kicked Candi’s butt!!

At the end of the meal – which, by the way, is all you can eat – the waiter brought by our picture and made sure we wanted to use our meal credits for this meal.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-2/Image014.jpg

This is the package picture – it came in a folder with 1 – 8x10, 1 – 8x10 of the castle, and 4 – 6x8s of the same picture of us. There is also a number on the picture that you can pull up on photopass to see all versions of the picture that they took.

Overall, we quite enjoyed the meal and will definitely be back. We still want this to be our first breakfast each trip so we can follow it up with a day at Magic Kingdom.

Starting Credits

Snack – 30 total (15 each)
Meal – 48 total (24 each)

Credits Used vs Cost

Cinderella’s Once Upon a Breakfast – 4 meal credits used (2 for each person) - $79.98 including tax

[onelilspark]

I'm in! My boyfriend's favorite princess is Jasmine :sad2:

[ariel1025]

I'm in! My boyfriend's favorite princess is Jasmine :sad2:

Welcome :goodvibes My husband's favorites are Jasmine and Ariel ... I'm sure this has nothing to do with their choice in clothing :rolleyes1:lmao:

[creativeamanda]

Thanks so much for doing a review of CRT--I have brunch there in December and I was concerned abut some of it's reviews. I feel sooo much better about it now.

[debbs0723]

Great reviews so far. You look 15 years old.

Debbie

[Lynn5700]

Hi! I'm in! Congrats on your marriage :)

[rebecca_boo]

I am trying to decide if I want to do DxDP for my anniversary, okay okay I am not even married yet, I will be in December, but these are things I ponder. Everything looks fabulous so far!

[Kalice]

Thanks so much for doing a review of CRT--I have brunch there in December and I was concerned abut some of it's reviews. I feel sooo much better about it now.

Ditto, I was starting to wonder if was worth the double credits. You have made feel at ease with my decision to try it. Thanks

[Symans3honeybees]

Welcome :goodvibes My husband's favorites are Jasmine and Ariel ... I'm sure this has nothing to do with their choice in clothing :rolleyes1:lmao:

Joining in because we have our DH's fav in common, lol. BTW, it has everything to do with the princesses' costumes(or lack of....:lmao:)

[praisehisname]

Great review of CRT! I'd love to do the breakfast there some day. It sounds a lot better than the dinner!

Denise

[janloz]

Joining in. Love the reviews so far.

[Bluenoser]

Great reviews!

[ariel1025]

Thanks so much for doing a review of CRT--I have brunch there in December and I was concerned abut some of it's reviews. I feel sooo much better about it now.

I was super worried about trying CRT for the first time also, but as I said we love it :thumbsup2 Is it the best food you'll ever have? Nope! But, is it the worst food ever? Definitely not! We always have a great time and I hope you do as well.

Great reviews so far. You look 15 years old.

Debbie

Thank you! And thanks to the age comment :rotfl: I get that all the time and I'm sure the older I get the more I'll appreciate it ;)

Hi! I'm in! Congrats on your marriage :)

Thanks so much for joining :goodvibes Congratulations on your marriage as well, you were a beautiful bride!!!!

I am trying to decide if I want to do DxDP for my anniversary, okay okay I am not even married yet, I will be in December, but these are things I ponder. Everything looks fabulous so far!

An overplanner I see :rotfl2: We will get along quite well! I think I have our anniversaries planned out for the next 5 years :rotfl:

Ditto, I was starting to wonder if was worth the double credits. You have made feel at ease with my decision to try it. Thanks

No problem! I only hope you enjoy it as much as we do! My best advice is just relax and let the kid in you come out and you are bound to have a great time :thumbsup2

Joining in because we have our DH's fav in common, lol. BTW, it has everything to do with the princesses' costumes(or lack of....:lmao:)

I'm starting to think they must be all men's favorite princesses' ;):lmao:

Great review of CRT! I'd love to do the breakfast there some day. It sounds a lot better than the dinner!

Denise

I've never really been sold on the dinner and I love the stuffed french toast too much not to do the breakfast :goodvibes

Joining in. Love the reviews so far.

Thank you!!!

Great reviews!

Thanks so much :)

[katmittens]

Great reviews. Can't wait for more. I know how you feel about the celery and carrots. That is how I feel about the grapes in the plastic bowls. I just love them. They are always so refreshing.

[tinacaplan]

Nice reviews so far...especially love the cost/benefit analysis. We're doing Deluxe in February and I can't imagine it not being worth it.

I remember going to CRT back when I was a little girl and it was magical. We've passed for this trip becase the menus doesn't really appeal, but if I had a daughter, it would be a magical place to take her to...

[ariel1025]

Great reviews. Can't wait for more. I know how you feel about the celery and carrots. That is how I feel about the grapes in the plastic bowls. I just love them. They are always so refreshing.

Thank you so much :goodvibes Sometimes admist all the grease and sugar I just need something that is, as you said, "refreshing" :thumbsup2

Nice reviews so far...especially love the cost/benefit analysis. We're doing Deluxe in February and I can't imagine it not being worth it.

I remember going to CRT back when I was a little girl and it was magical. We've passed for this trip becase the menus doesn't really appeal, but if I had a daughter, it would be a magical place to take her to...

Thank you!! I can't wait until I have a daughter to take to CRT ... how magical to have gone as a little girl :cloud9:

[ariel1025]

** Somewhere during the day we each used a snack credit for a bottle of water for Candi and a bottle of Sprite for me. Each of these were one snack credit and would have been $2.50 each without the dining plan.



Tonight was a dinner I had been waiting for since we started planning this trip; we were going to be eating at Narcoossees and I was pumped!! Nevermind the fact that I couldn’t even pronounce the name of the restaurant :laughing: all I cared about was that we got a reservation during the fireworks!!

We got there extremely early – this would be an ongoing habit for the first half of the trip – and decided to walk around and check things out.

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http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-2/DSC_0272.jpg
I absolutely adore how the restaurant is its very own private building!!

We went down to the dock and checked out the Magic Kingdom from afar – I couldn’t wait to see the fireworks from here!

While we were sitting around a very nice gentleman offered to take our picture

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-2/DSC_0286.jpg
It’s one of my favorites of the whole trip.

But, you aren’t reading this to see pictures of us …. on to the food

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On our way to check-in Candi stopped to check out the menu … umm yeah babe – this is what I was asking you to do when we planned this trip – it’s too late to throw in your opinion now :lmao: kidding … sorta ;)

We checked in with the hostess and were told it would be a few minutes so we went outside to catch part of the Electrical Parade while we waited. Soon enough our buzzer went off and we headed to our table.

Once again I was secretly hoping for a window seat … and we got it! I would soon realize that this would not do me any good for the fireworks :sad2:

Our waitress came by after a few minutes and seemed very rushed and not all that interested in being a waitress … uh-oh, please don’t let this be sign of things to come :rolleyes1 She took our drink order and rushed off before we had a chance to tell her that we were ready to order appetizers, oh well, no real biggy. It seemed to be about 5-10 minutes before she arrived with our drinks and then try to take off again without asking if we were ready to order. Candi quickly caught her and told her we were ready and she sighed rather loudly before asking what we wanted.

Candi started with the crab cakes - $13.00

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He had never had crab cakes before so he has nothing to compare them to but he absolutely loved them! As promised I tried a bite and I must admit that I thought they were rather tasty as well. I’m starting to think I like crab just not crab legs?!? I didn’t particularly care for the cole slaw type stuff on the bottom but loved the sauce on the top. Candi on the other hand thought it tasted fabulous all together. They appear somewhat small but he thought they were quite filling as far as appetizers go. You know, not too full for dinner but not so small you feel it wasn’t enough?

As my starter I had the green goddess salad - $11.00

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I was a little worried as many of the items in the salad were slightly outside my comfort zone. My overall thoughts – loved the avocado dressing and the cucumbers were crisp and delicious. As for the rest of the salad – eeehhh – didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I can tell you after eating this salad that I do not like hearts of palm – but I give myself credit for trying it! Candi tried the salad as well and gave it two big thumbs down. Now, keep in mind that he is not a salad man anyway, but he said the dressing was “funky” and the rest was just “bland.”

Now, I hate to be a complainer but I have to tell you I was starting to get quite irked at our waitress – I am not going to give her name because she may have just been having an off night. But, this was a bad night that slowly got worse. The entire time we were eating our appetizers we never saw her, not even when our glasses were empty – not even when our appetizers were finished. Finally, Candi saw her at another table and politely waved her over. She just sort of came over and was like “yeah” to which we said we would like some refills and to check on our entrée order. Without a word she took our glasses and left. This time she was back within a minute with our refills and our entrees.

As his main course, Candi had the surf and turf – a complete no brainer choice for him - $58.00

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Oh my goodness, it looked and smelled delicious! His first comment was about how glad he was that we weren't worrying about prices because otherwise he wouldn't have ordered it. He said his filet mignon was fabulous – thought not quite as good as the one I had at Fultons. He said it wasn’t “melt in our mouth delicious” but it was still a two thumbs up steak. Now, he has had lobster tail on previous occasions but he thought this one was way better than any he had had before. I know many people say it is just the frozen kind, but he enjoyed it all the same. And considering au gratin potatoes are his favorite side dish ever – he was in complete heaven! I didn’t try his steak because that’s what I ordered as my main, but I did try the lobster and I nearly stole it from him. Who would have thought a seafood hater would start to become a lover on this trip. Lobster is now in my top favorite foods list!!

For my main course I had the filet mignon - $41.00

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My overall thoughts – loved the beans, they are my absolute favorites! The steak was very good, but the choron sauce became too much after a while. It wasn’t that it tasted bad, it’s just that it became overbearing about halfway through the meal. I loved the au gratin potatoes – they tasted different than the ones Candi had on his plate – better actually!

Towards the end of our main courses the fireworks show began. In all honesty it is one of the main reasons I booked a reservation here – to see Wishes from a different angle. We realized that everyone goes onto the balcony area to watch the show so it didn’t really matter that we had a window seat. No big deal, we just got up and went outside to join them.

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This is my favorite fireworks show EVER – I love the Wishes song and I cannot lie – I started to cry a little.

Now back to the food –

When we came back in we saw our waitress at another table smiling and laughing and thought maybe she was in a better mood – WRONG!

It took her 20 minutes before she came around to our table to get our dessert order. In that time we saw her go to 4 or 5 other tables offering to take pictures for them and even offered a couple there for their anniversary some free champagne. Now, I don’t EXPECT a waitress to do any of those things but I DO expect to be treated the same as any other paying guest. By this point I was so irritated I started to cry out of frustration :headache:. She had basically ignored us all night, had an attitude every time we made a request and then I watch her treat every other table like actual guests.

Finally, she came to our table to get our dessert order.

Candi ordered the key lime crème brulee - $7.00

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He ate a few bites and declared it too “limey.” I on the other hand thought it was spectacular, in my opinion nothing could every be too “limey” or too “lemony” for that matter :cutie: In the end we traded desserts.

For my dessert I order the almond-crusted cheesecake. I was so super excited about this and then our waitress came back to the table and literally threw the dessert menu in front of me and said “ you have to choose something else, we’re out of cheesecake.” So I ordered the strawberry shortcake - $7.00

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My initial reaction – “it’s so pretty.” Geez, I can be such a girl sometimes :rotfl:. After taking the first bite I almost forgot it wasn’t what I had wanted – yes, it was THAT good. The strawberries were perfectly ripe and sweet and the whipped part was perfect. However, Candi clearly wasn’t enjoying his crème brulee so I offered a trade. This was definitely his type of dessert and he all but licked his plate clean :rotfl2:. Nope, I didn’t even get another single bite – well, he did give me the chocolate pieces, but he hates chocolate so it doesn’t count ;) Needless to say, he LOVED the strawberry shortcake.

For the first time all night our waitress came by before we had finished eating and left the bill. When she returned with our ticket to sign she made sure to point out the different options for leaving a tip and then disappeared for the rest of the night.

Our overall thoughts on Narcoossees:

Obviously we were very irritated with the service we received and this caused quite a downer on the night. I realize that we could have asked for a Manager and said something about it, but I didn’t want my attitude to come out on the wrong person and, at the time, felt it would just put me in a worse mood. Looking back I do wish we would have said something, only because I hate the thought of knowing she could have ruined someone else’s night as well. Anwhooooo….. Candi enjoyed every part of his meal – except his crème brulee which was easily fixed by trading. I didn’t love my salad and the main course became too much with the sauce after a while, but both desserts were delicious. Watching the fireworks from here was truly magical and almost made up for the lack of service – at any rate it kept us in better moods. Will we be back? Yes, I always believe in second chances and am sure we would have better service next time. However, I’m not sure we will put it on our must do list for our very next trip. I believe in forgive and forget – I just don’t know that I can forget that quickly :confused3

Starting Credits:

Snack: 30 total (15 each)

Meal: 42 total (21 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

1 water and 1 sprite - 2 snack credits total - $5.00

1 tea, 1 diet coke, crab cakes, salad, steak & lobster, filet mignon, crème brulee and strawberry shortcake – 4 meal credits (2 for each adult) - $160.79 with tax not including tip (we still tipped just not as highly as we normally would for such a nice restaurant)

Wishes View – Priceless :cloud9:

[Lynn5700]

Sorry about the bad sevice. Your meal looks lovely though! I can't wait to eat there!!

[creativeamanda]

Ugh. . .I hate that you had bad service. I hope mine is better in December. I have always wanted to try Narcoossee's

[MickeyNicki]

Wow, while your meal sounds heavenly your service that you received just ruined it....I would have been miserable too!

Now you can get bad servers all over the place, not just at WDW, but when you are paying top dollar for food at a resort destination you would think they would kiss your butt and treat you like gold!

[ariel1025]

Sorry about the bad sevice. Your meal looks lovely though! I can't wait to eat there!!

I guess even Disney can have an off night :sad2: The meal and the fireworks view were definitely worth it and we will go back and give it a second chance in the future. I hope your experience is much better than ours :goodvibes

Ugh. . .I hate that you had bad service. I hope mine is better in December. I have always wanted to try Narcoossee's

I'm sure it was just an "off night" and I hope you have a much better experience than we did :)

Wow, while your meal sounds heavenly your service that you received just ruined it....I would have been miserable too!

Now you can get bad servers all over the place, not just at WDW, but when you are paying top dollar for food at a resort destination you would think they would kiss your butt and treat you like gold!

Part of me still wonders if she treated us differently because we were on the dining plan and not paying cash :confused3 The whole thing was just weird, but I am on the road to forgetting ... really ... I am :laughing:

The food was definitely worth it - especially the Hubbys - and I'm sure we will be back one day.

[ariel1025]

Oh my goodness, I am such a goofball - I completely forgot to post about our lunch on our first day :rotfl2:

Now, after pulling up the receipt and sitting down to write about it, I can see why - I am a bad, bad Diser and do not have any pictures of this lunch.

It was a simple one, so I'll keep it short and to the point.

We originally had a reservation for 2:00 at the Plaza Restaurant. We had eaten here on our honeymoon and loved it. It's that type of simple yet delicious food that I think everyone craves every once in a while. Anyway, at about 12:45 we were both getting tired and hungry so we decided to see if we could check-in early. I went up to the hostess stand and explained that we had a 2:00 reservation but would like to see if there was any way to be seated earlier. She stated that we could get a buzzer and wait, but that more than likely it wouldn't be a possibility. As I turned to ask Candi what he would like to do another gentleman turned in his buzzer stating that they would just go somewhere else. A different hostess took the buzzer and was trying to turn it off when our hostess turned and told her "don't worry I never turned it on because he tried to check-in early" :scared1::eek:

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we decided not to stay. Again, I don't expect to be seated early and possibly would have waited but that was just annoying to me, so we left.

I still just wanted some simple food so we decided to just head back over to the hotel and grab some food at Roaring Forks.

I had the chicken nuggets and fries, a bottle of lipton lemon iced tea and a Mickey rice krispy treat (the one with the ears dipped in chocolate).

Mmmmm, Mmmmm good. That's all I have to say - it was exactly what I had been craving and it didn't disappoint. There were 8 chicken nuggets and they were fresh and crispy and once I added Ken's honey mustard they just couldn't be beat. The french fries were nice and crispy too and didn't even need ketchup :thumbsup2 I saved the rice krispy treat for later and Lipton lemon iced tea is my favorite no matter where I'm at. Perfect simple lunch!

Candi had a double cheeseburger with fries, a bottle of water and a magic cookie bar.

His comment was that he was surprised the cheeseburger was as good as it was and like always he drowned his fries in ketchup. He also saved his cookie bar for later but they are his favorite so he was thrilled they were a dessert option there. The water was Dasani which is his favorite choice of bottled water so all in all we were both happy 'lil campers :thumbsup2

I don't have the individual breakdown on the cost of each item - sorry. I tried using the prices from allears.net but it came out to be a few dollars too little.

This counts as a quick service meal so anybody not on deluxe can use it as their quick service credit if you so desire. I would recommend it, especially if you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and need a quick break from the parks.

Starting Credits:

Snack: 28 total (14 each)

Meal: 44 total (22 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

8 piece chicken nugget meal with fries, bottle of Lipton iced tea, Mickey rice krispy treat, double cheeseburger meal with fries, bottle of water and magic cookie bar: 2 (quick service) credits used - $29.12

* While writing this I also realized that I was putting in the wrong amount of credits - I was only listing the amount of credits left for one person but listing how many credits were used for two people. Oops, I have gone back and made those adjustments to the proper posts ;) I also adjusted the starting credits for our dinner that was posted out of order to reflect how many were remaining after this lunch - sorry for all the mistakes :upsidedow

[dr&momto2boys]

I'm enjoying your reviews and all the pictures! Thanks!

Did you ever figure out the Goofy's Candy Co. snack credit thing? I believe they recently (obviously before you went) took the make-your-own treats off the snack options. Previously three pretzels would have qualified.

[pancras]

I am really sorry that you had such a terrible waitress. She was cheeky to point out the tip part as well. I do not think I will be able to contain my mouth, if I get someone who gives me bad service and then points out the tip box. I hope if you give Narcoosse another try it works out better for you.

[reneebaker]

I would have been totally frustrated with that waitress as well. But like you I don't know if I would have had the gumption to say something at the time! I always think of better things to say after the moment has passed lol! The food looked delicious but I think I would have been a little broken hearted at the lack of the almond crusted cheesecake. Thanks for keeping us up to date! I just love living vicariously through other disers! I can't wait till next year and our next trip!

[rebecca_boo]

Wow I can't believe you had such bad service. I probably wouldn't have said anything either, however I am sure DF would have, or I would have been begging him not to make a big fuss about it. The food looks really yummy though.

[maddysmommy5909]

I'm in =] I love your reviews, they are very informative! I have been debating on wether or not to do the Deluxe Dining Plan for our trip next November, but after reading this I have decided to go ahead and book it.

Also your snacks from Goofy's Candy Company made my mouth water! They looked delicious!

Can't wait to read more!

[ariel1025]

I'm enjoying your reviews and all the pictures! Thanks!

Did you ever figure out the Goofy's Candy Co. snack credit thing? I believe they recently (obviously before you went) took the make-your-own treats off the snack options. Previously three pretzels would have qualified.

Thank you :goodvibes

With the Goffy's Candy thing I'm guessing we were just there after they made the change. Sad but still worth it :thumbsup2

I am really sorry that you had such a terrible waitress. She was cheeky to point out the tip part as well. I do not think I will be able to contain my mouth, if I get someone who gives me bad service and then points out the tip box. I hope if you give Narcoosse another try it works out better for you.

Thanks! I think I was just so frustrated that I didn't even know what to say at the moment. I didn't really want to give her a tip but I felt guilty not doing so, but I still can't believe she pointed it out to us. The funny thing is she was one of the only two that did this :confused3

I would have been totally frustrated with that waitress as well. But like you I don't know if I would have had the gumption to say something at the time! I always think of better things to say after the moment has passed lol! The food looked delicious but I think I would have been a little broken hearted at the lack of the almond crusted cheesecake. Thanks for keeping us up to date! I just love living vicariously through other disers! I can't wait till next year and our next trip!

I hear ya! I live daily through other disers. That and planning our next trip is what keeps me going when life isn't the greatest ;)

Wow I can't believe you had such bad service. I probably wouldn't have said anything either, however I am sure DF would have, or I would have been begging him not to make a big fuss about it. The food looks really yummy though.

Oh trust me, DH definitely wanted to say something. I begged him not to because I didn't want to make a scene. I just wanted to get out of there and do something to end the night on a better note :thumbsup2

I'm in =] I love your reviews, they are very informative! I have been debating on wether or not to do the Deluxe Dining Plan for our trip next November, but after reading this I have decided to go ahead and book it.

Also your snacks from Goofy's Candy Company made my mouth water! They looked delicious!

Can't wait to read more!

Thank you very much - I love to know that my reviews help other people out :goodvibes You definitely have to get a snack from Goofy's they taste even better than they look!!!

[vettegirl]

Man the food at Narcoosses' (however you spell it lol) looks amazing and looks to be a great use of the dining plan.

[ariel1025]

Man the food at Narcoosses' (however you spell it lol) looks amazing and looks to be a great use of the dining plan.

All things aside, I think it is a great use of the dining plan. Especially for us, since we don't eat breakfast everyday it makes it easier to do more 2 credit signature restaurants.

[ariel1025]

Normally we are not big breakfast eaters but I had read about so many awesome places for breakfast that I had a hard time figuring out which ones to book for us. I had promised Candi we wouldn’t do breakfast every morning as this was supposed to be a more “relaxed” trip … HA! Who am I kidding? :rotfl2:

Anyway, this morning we were headed to

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0348.jpg

I was SO excited because I had read so many amazing reviews on this restaurant. Once again we arrived about 20 minutes early, but this time it appeared to be for the better as there was quite a long line when we arrived. After finding the end of the line we realized it wasn’t quite as bad as it seemed – it was sort of “mixed in” with the Ohana line. By this I just mean that you couldn’t really tell where the line for one ended and the line for the other began until you got close enough to see which way people were standing. We hopped in line and I took pictures as we moved along

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0354.jpg

Kona is somewhat open to the Polynesian hotel – there aren’t any walls on one side and you can see the pretty waterfall that they have in the lobby.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0349.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0352.jpg

I liked all the unique light fixtures I kept seeing everywhere :thumbsup2

After about 10 minutes we were already at the front of the line. Then this couple walked up and cut everybody in line and walks directly up to the check-in podium. Apparently she didn’t find it necessary to wait in line because she had an ADR. Ummmmm, sweetie pretty much all of us have ADRs. The hostess politely let her know this and that it should only take a few minutes before it would be her turn. To which the customer stated “well, I’m late and my ADR time was for 10 minutes ago so you should check me in now”. WHAT?!?!? :eek: In the end she got mad and stormed off yelling at her Husband to get on the phone and find somewhere else to eat.

Once we checked in we only had to wait about 10 more minutes before we were seated which was only 5 minutes or so after our ADR time.

We were seated to the side of the restaurant in a little booth for two – I love these and think they super cute. Candi hates booths but did not make a fuss or asked to be moved to a regular table or anything.

Our waitress came to the table within 2 minutes of us being seated and took our drink orders. She let us know that we could get 2 drinks and that most people get one hot (coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate etc) and one cold drink (water, tea, juice etc). She also informed us that smoothies were included in the dining plan and then gave us a minute to decide while she gave the same information to the table next to us. She quickly came back and got our drink orders and left us to go over the menus.

It took her about 5 minutes to get back with our drinks and take our order but she was super apologetic and it was completely obvious that she was in charge of WAY too many tables.

Candi ordered the supercharged tropical smoothie ($4.29) and the Big Kahuna ($11.99)

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0357.jpg

The smoothie was a blend of tropical juice with yogurt and I believe a protein powder. The big kahuna included: Eggs (he ordered them over easy), ham, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, French toast and macadamia-pineapple pancakes.

He enjoyed the smoothie A LOT, he said it was super refreshing and loved the juices in it. For his actual meal he said the eggs were perfect – not too runny but not too cooked; the potatoes needed salt and were fine after that, the bacon was too crispy, the sausage was good, the ham was incredible, the French toast was “ok” and the pancakes were delicious. I believe this was the only meal he couldn’t actually finish and he said it was because he was too full and not because of the way it tasted or anything. I had a bite of the French toast and agreed that it wasn’t anything worth ordering and the potatoes tasted great but didn’t seem like breakfast food in my opinion. I also had the pancakes and agreed that they were really good and I had a drink of his smoothie. It was good but not my favorite combination of flavors.

I ordered pineapple juice ($2.29) and the tonga toast with bacon ($10.99)

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0356.jpg

Mmmmmmmmm tonga toast – this was the entire reason I chose Kona Café. I LOVE bananas and cinnamon so this was like a heavenly creation for me! I tried a bite with the strawberry stuff first but didn’t like the way it changed the flavoring so I ate it without it for the most part. I really, really enjoyed it – the bananas were perfectly warm and the breading was delicious. I do have to admit that I couldn’t finish it – both because I got too full and it got too sweet at the end. However, if we go back to Kona I will definitely order it again. This was the only thing I ever ordered that Candi didn’t want to try because he hates bananas as much as I love them. However, a promise is a promise so he did it anyway. I honestly think he had to force himself to swallow it and didn’t even have to respond for me to know he hated it :sick: Again, this has everything to do with the fact that he hates bananas so his opinion really doesn’t count on this one! Whereas Candi thought the bacon was too crispy I thought it was perfect and ate it all and enjoyedit! As far as the pineapple juice goes it tasted really watered down and didn’t have a very strong pineapple taste to me so I was disappointed. Candi agreed with me on this one.

At one point Candi really wanted to order the Kona blend coffee but since coffee in general gives him massive heartburn he decided against it. As our second drink we both got a bottled water to take with us – this was suggested by our waitress when she realized we hadn’t ordered a second drink. It was a great idea and I never would have thought of it.

When our waitress brought our check, which by the way wasn’t the only time we saw her ;), she also brought us a special surprise

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0359.jpg

Coco Puffs! They were SO good and super thoughtful of Kona to do for us! I don’t normally eat dessert for breakfast but these were delicious and we LOVED them. I’m not sure if these are offered as a dessert option for lunch or dinner but if they are I would definitely get them!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0360.jpg

This was the chocolate stamp on the plate – so super cute!!!

Our overall thoughts on Kona Café:

It did seem as though they were understaffed, as I said our waitress had more tables than she probably should have. I’m not sure if this is normal or if they were just short staffed that day :confused3 It did affect the service a little bit, but our waitress (Donna) was always super friendly and apologetic about it. The food was great, with the exception of the pineapple juice, and the dessert was a sweet gesture by the restaurant. There are so many places we want to try so I don’t know if we will be back on our next trip since we don’t do breakfast every day. However, we will definitely be back sometime in the future!

Starting Credits:

Snack – 28 (14 each)
Meal – 38 (19 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Smoothie, pineapple juice, tonga toast with bacon and big kahuna: 2 table service credits used - $31.49 after tax

* I just realized when looking at the receipt that she didn’t put the bottled waters on there so I’m not sure how much those were – sorry!

[klacey1]

Subscribing! Very excited to read the rest!

[meloneyb21]

Subscribing! :)

[onelilspark]

I miss Kona...

[klacey1]

Your filet from Narcossee's looks INCREDIBLE! How exactly was the sauce flavored??
I'm subscribing and can't wait to read more!!

[everythingisplastic]

Wow great pics! I'm drooling here!

[kandyk]

Loving this report, keep it coming!

[MomsOf2boys]

I just found your report and have read every page already! You do a great job and now I feel I need a bedtime snack. :rotfl2:

Kona is on my list this next visit and i have never been so I loved reading your thoughts... I have one problem...

I don't know if I want the pancakes or the tonga toast. Decisions, decisions... life can be so hard. :thumbsup2

[Euphoria027]

I can't believe that horror story about the service at Narcoossee's! I'm usually the first to jump to the defense of a server (I work in food service myself), because generally the qualms are a little ridiculous but the way you were treated... Yikes. That just sounds horrible! I'm glad the food was good though! I want to try Narcoossee's, but I live in Maine and think it's insanity that they're charging 50+ bucks for a lobster when prices are super low right now! Oh well, it's worth it for the experience, I suppose!

Can't wait for the rest of your reviews!

[rebecca_boo]

Oooh Kona Cafe looks so good at 1 in the morning. My mom is always talking about how she wants to try the Tonga Toast and it does look and sound really yummy. I just love your report.

[Nancy for Disney]

I am really enjoying your reviews. Keep them coming. :thumbsup2

[pixiedust1125]

Love your reviews and the free dessert looked amazing!

[DreamingPink]

I am subscribing to your reviews. We also have reservations for Kona it looks so cheery and the food looks amazing. Too bad about the service at Narcosees. Can't wait to read more.

[ariel1025]

Subscribing! Very excited to read the rest!

Welcome :cheer2:

Subscribing! :)

Thank you for joining along :goodvibes

I miss Kona...

I miss all of Disney :laughing:

Your filet from Narcossee's looks INCREDIBLE! How exactly was the sauce flavored??
I'm subscribing and can't wait to read more!!

I really wish I knew how to explain the flavoring but I can't find the right words. It was definitely a strong flavor - good but overpowering. I know that doesn't answer your question but like I said I just don't know how to explain it - sorry :guilty:

Wow great pics! I'm drooling here!

Thank you, thank you, thank you :upsidedow

Loving this report, keep it coming!

Thank you - I'm downloading pictures for my next update now :thumbsup2

I just found your report and have read every page already! You do a great job and now I feel I need a bedtime snack. :rotfl2:

Kona is on my list this next visit and i have never been so I loved reading your thoughts... I have one problem...

I don't know if I want the pancakes or the tonga toast. Decisions, decisions... life can be so hard. :thumbsup2

Here's what you do - bribe someone at your table to order whatever you don't and then force them to share :rotfl: Trust me, either way you won't be disappointed!!

I can't believe that horror story about the service at Narcoossee's! I'm usually the first to jump to the defense of a server (I work in food service myself), because generally the qualms are a little ridiculous but the way you were treated... Yikes. That just sounds horrible! I'm glad the food was good though! I want to try Narcoossee's, but I live in Maine and think it's insanity that they're charging 50+ bucks for a lobster when prices are super low right now! Oh well, it's worth it for the experience, I suppose!

Can't wait for the rest of your reviews!

I'm glad to hear you back up the way I felt. Mmmmm...fresh lobster from Maine - now that sounds like something to drool about ;)

Oooh Kona Cafe looks so good at 1 in the morning. My mom is always talking about how she wants to try the Tonga Toast and it does look and sound really yummy. I just love your report.

It is really yummy - take her to try it - you will both love it!!

I am really enjoying your reviews. Keep them coming. :thumbsup2

Thank you very much :goodvibes

Love your reviews and the free dessert looked amazing!

Thank you! It was amazing and such a nice surprise!!

I am subscribing to your reviews. We also have reservations for Kona it looks so cheery and the food looks amazing. Too bad about the service at Narcosees. Can't wait to read more.

It is a very cheery and upbeat place, definitely not somewhere you want to go if you are looking for a nice, quiet breakfast. But excellent food and a great way to start the day!

[OurDogCisco]

Great reviews! I'm loving all the pictures.

I'm really annoyed with your waitress at Narcoossee's. I can't believe she treated you that way. We had a similar experience at Artist Point. It was like our waitress totally forgot us as it was so bad that the table next to us noticed. We were not charged for our meal but I told them that did us no good as we were on the dining plan and we were leaving the next day. We still got the credits and I got the salmon recipe with a cedar plank. Anyways... don't be afraid to speak up or ask for a new server. I think, managers need to know.

And, then, when you talked about the Plaza employee... I even got madder. Why lie to a customer and tell them they can wait when you aren't going to turn on the buzzer. I don't understand why people have a problem being honest.

Also, Cinderella's Royal Table is our tradition too. We love eating there. I can't wait to read the rest of your reviews!

[MomsOf2boys]

Here's what you do - bribe someone at your table to order whatever you don't and then force them to share :rotfl: Trust me, either way you won't be disappointed!!
!

Great idea! :thumbsup2 I'm starting now... slightly questioning each to see which one could they possibly choose over the other... The 1st person who even SLOWS to consider... BAM! I'm on them!

[ariel1025]

After our delicious breakfast at Kona we headed off to enjoy the morning at Epcot. This is by far my favorite park and I couldn’t wait because we had reservations at

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0446.jpg

Last year I had tried multiple times but couldn’t ever get a reservation for a time that worked with all of our other reservations. This year – thanks to the online reservations – I was able to attempt multiple times and finally landed a reservation time that made us happy! Candi was also really excited about this restaurant it was one of his top three choices for this trip (the other two being Fultons and Artist Point).

As was routine at this point, we arrived about 20 minutes early for our reservation. They let us know that it would be a few minutes and gave us our little buzzer. Candi went to go wash his hands and the second he went around the corner the buzzer went off. Apparently minutes really meant seconds, I kid you not we had been there maybe 2 minutes. The hostess gladly waited for Candi to come back before taking us to our seat.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0448.jpg

This is the walkway that separates the actual restaurant from the lobby/restrooms/entrance.

Of course I was crossing my fingers for a table by one of the tanks. Sadly, they were all taken but we got a table on the first level – if I remember correctly the restaurant has the main floor (by the tank) and then three levels each separated by a couple of stairs each?!? Feel free to correct me if this is wrong! At any rate, we were still happy with our seats

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0450.jpg

This ‘little guy’ was our view for the majority of the time while we ate and this kind of gives you an idea of our seats.

Our waiters name was Matt and he was very quick to come and take our drink orders. He also let us know that smoothies were included with the meal plan and then gave us a second to read through those. Before leaving he also pointed out his favorites on the menu and then left us to decide while he grabbed our drinks. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t more than two minutes before he was back with our drinks and we placed our appetizer and main course orders at that time. He asked us if we would like him to wait a few minutes in between placing the appetizer and entrée orders to allow us time to enjoy each. We were glad he asked and happily told him that it would be great if he could do so.

Candi had iced tea to drink ($2.29) and I had a Lava Smoothie ($4.29) with water (free)

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0453.jpg

Yummy, yummy, yummy. Basically this is a strawberry pina colada without the alcohol. I know, I know … no alcohol :scared1: It was delicious and refreshing and the strawberries were yummy as well!

Matt returned about five minutes later to check on us and bring out the bread and let us know that the appetizers would be out shortly. He was an excellent server – he never left us alone for too long but didn’t linger or bother too much either – perfect service!!

As promised our appetizers arrived within a few minutes of Matt refilling our drinks.

Candi had the shrimp and lobster cakes - $11.49

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0451.jpg

These were quite a bit bigger than the crab cakes he had the previous night and just like crab cakes he had never had anything like these before either. He said they both had decent size pieces of seafood in them and thought they were quite tasty. The cole slaw underneath he wasn’t really a big fan of but thought it was because they had some sort of dressing on it that he didn’t much care for. I agreed to tasting but only if it wasn’t one with shrimp in it. I’ve had shrimp every way known to man and I truly dislike it :sick: I thought they were decent but much preferred the crab cakes. Mostly because these weren’t crispy on the outside and I preferred that more than just the grilled cakes.

As my appetizer I had the corn chowder - $6.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0452.jpg

I actually had corn chowder for the first time last Christmas and it has become one my favorite things ever! I’m pretty sure the waiter said this one had coconut milk in it and you could definitely taste the sweetness in the chowder. Now, I enjoyed it and thought it was really good; however, I thought it was going to be thicker/milkier than what it was. Not complaining at all, as I said I enjoyed it, but it just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Candi thought it was absolutely disgusting, but he has never had a corn chowder that he has enjoyed. So once again, his opinion doesn’t really count :laughing:

Almost as if it was on que – or main courses arrived within seconds of us taking the last bite of our appetizers.

Candi had ordered Grilled Mahi Mahi with rice and bok choy - $20.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0455.jpg

I still secretly think ordered it just for the bok choy:rolleyes1 this is something else we had for the first time right before the trip and he is currently addicted to it! Ok, well that and the waiter declared it his favorite ;) We had both had mahi mahi once before and neither of us cared for it. Unfortunately, Candi didn’t care for it much this time either. He said the pineapple did give it a better flavor than how we’d had it previously but it just isn’t his type of fish. Without the pineapple it was just bland and tasteless and the pineapple didn’t last for the whole fish. The rice was also not anything he cared for his opinion was that it was completely flavorless. I tried the mahi mahi and didn’t care for it either – of course, keep in mind that before this trip I didn’t like ANY seafood. Maybe it’s just the type of fish you love or hate? Because I people are always recommending it to us :confused:

For my main I had the Apricot Beef Short Ribs with snap beans and mashed potatoes - $24.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0454.jpg

Oh my heavens, the short rib was to die for delicious. The apricot glaze mixed with barbecue was a perfect combination and the meat was so tender and had very little fat. My only complaint is I wanted more when it was gone! The potatoes on the other hand were overly buttered and I couldn’t finish them. The snap peas – don’t forget they’re my favorite – had great flavor with the apricot/pepper flavoring they were absorbing but were somewhat undercooked :sad2: Candi agreed that the short rib was really good and tried to steal my food :snooty: He thought the potatoes were delicious drowning in butter and finished them for me and didn’t care for the snap peas, but he never does. Have ya’ll wondered how the heck we manage to get through dinner at home yet :lmao:

As had been the case throughout the whole meal – our server was attentive and paying attention. Our glasses stayed completely full and he made sure to check about needing more bread when ours was gone. When we were approaching the end of our meal he came by to give us the dessert menu and by the time we had finished our meal our dessert was at our table.

Candi chose the Butterscotch Crème Brulee - $7.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0458.jpg

I think he was on a quest to try as many styles of crème brulee as possible! Usually, I’m the crème brulee addict but not this trip! Overall he enjoyed it. The butterscotch was a very light hint type of flavoring and one side of the top was too burnt for his liking, but he still gave it a thumbs up. He really enjoyed the strawberries and declared them the best he’s had …. well, since last night anyway :rotfl: I gladly tried the side that was too burnt and quite enjoyed it – but I like it burnt – yep I’m a bit of a crazy kid! I agreed that it was only a hint of butterscotch but still thought it was tasty.

For my dessert I had the Chocolate Wave - $7.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0459.jpg

I enjoyed it but didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary like I’ve seen some people write about. To me it tasted like chocolate cake :confused3 Also, call me crazy but I didn’t taste any alcohol in it :sad1: I gave the raspberries to Candi because I don’t like them and he added them to his crème brulee and enjoyed them. I also ate the whipped cream YUM and attempted to eat the purple balloon. I don’t think you’re supposed to though because it was hard as a rock and tasted like powder :rotfl2: Candi did not like my chocolate cake but again, he is weird and hates chocolate so I didn’t expect him to like it.

Along with dessert our waiter brought us out some complimentary champagne for our dateaversary!!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0456.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0457.jpg

We thought it was super sweet and really appreciated the gesture. However, I cannot lie I am not a champagne lover BUT I was a trooper and drank it all so that I didn’t appear to be rude.

Our Overall Thoughts On Coral Reef:

We think this restaurant is somewhat overrated as far as the atmosphere goes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really neat and I love all the aquariums but I expected more from it all. However, the service was superb and that more than made up for small let down with the restaurant itself. When it comes to the food it’s somewhat split down the middle. I loved my meat but Candi really disliked his and neither of us really cared for our sides and the desserts weren’t anything out of the ordinary. As with Kona – I’m not putting it on our “must do” list for next time but it’s not on our “never again” list either!

Starting Credits:

Snack – 28 (14 each)

Meal – 36 (18 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Iced tea, water (not bottled), smoothie, lobster & shrimp cakes, corn chowder, mahi mahi with rice, beef short rib with potatoes, crème brulee and chocolate cake and (complimentary) champagne: 2 table service credits used - $92.68 after tax

[ariel1025]

Great reviews! I'm loving all the pictures.

I'm really annoyed with your waitress at Narcoossee's. I can't believe she treated you that way. We had a similar experience at Artist Point. It was like our waitress totally forgot us as it was so bad that the table next to us noticed. We were not charged for our meal but I told them that did us no good as we were on the dining plan and we were leaving the next day. We still got the credits and I got the salmon recipe with a cedar plank. Anyways... don't be afraid to speak up or ask for a new server. I think, managers need to know.

And, then, when you talked about the Plaza employee... I even got madder. Why lie to a customer and tell them they can wait when you aren't going to turn on the buzzer. I don't understand why people have a problem being honest.

Also, Cinderella's Royal Table is our tradition too. We love eating there. I can't wait to read the rest of your reviews!

Thank you so much :goodvibes That's so crazy that you said you had a similar experience at Artist Point (we end up eating there later in the trip). I guess it just goes to show that it can happen anywhere :sad2:

I think the Plaza situation angered me more because she didn't even try to hide what she was saying and the man didn't do anything wrong. He was simply just asking to check-in early :confused3

Cinderella's Table is like the best tradition ever!!!

Great idea! :thumbsup2 I'm starting now... slightly questioning each to see which one could they possibly choose over the other... The 1st person who even SLOWS to consider... BAM! I'm on them!

:rotfl: I like the way you think!!!!

[klacey1]

Our service at the Coral Reef was top notch, too! We had David E and he was just superb. I loved the food and atmosphere, too, but that's definitely a matter of personal taste.
Glad you won't cross it off for the future! Maybe a menu change would be good.

[Linda67]

:):) Hello from England
Soooo enjoying reading this thread
It is getting me really excited about our trip in March
Thanks for all your hard work

[ariel1025]

Our service at the Coral Reef was top notch, too! We had David E and he was just superb. I loved the food and atmosphere, too, but that's definitely a matter of personal taste.
Glad you won't cross it off for the future! Maybe a menu change would be good.

I think the problem was that I had built the atmosphere so much in my head :sad2: But like I said I'm sure we will be back in the future :thumbsup2

:):) Hello from England
Soooo enjoying reading this thread
It is getting me really excited about our trip in March
Thanks for all your hard work

WOW!!! All the way from England - that is my Husband's dream vacation spot :cloud9:

Thank you so much for reading :goodvibes

[JLS]

Hi there - I'm enjoying these reviews! You took fantastic photos. I look forward to more. I really wanted to do Deluxe on our last trip but we have a 4 year old boy and it is just too much for him to sit in that many restaurants. We did regular DP and mostly stuck to buffets.

[jodywgirl]

Oooh Kona Cafe looks so good at 1 in the morning. My mom is always talking about how she wants to try the Tonga Toast and it does look and sound really yummy. I just love your report.

Yes and one of these days I am going to get me some

[Giselle22]

Mmmmm, I'm in! :thumbsup2
My hubby and I are headed to the World for the 1st time next month...we have the deluxe plan and I am SO excited about all the fabulous-sounding restaurants!! Thanks for your great reviews :)

[wishspirit]

Another English reader here :wave:

Loving the reports, they sound amazing!

Keep them coming! :goodvibes

[LLLBelle]

Love your reviews so far! DFi and I are doing the deluxe dining plan for our honeymoon in Jan so it's great to see others point of view on it.

[ariel1025]

Hi there - I'm enjoying these reviews! You took fantastic photos. I look forward to more. I really wanted to do Deluxe on our last trip but we have a 4 year old boy and it is just too much for him to sit in that many restaurants. We did regular DP and mostly stuck to buffets.

Thank you for the picture compliments :goodvibes What were your favorite buffets? If we go back with our parents we will probably be going that route - they are kinda like 4 year old kids when it comes to sitting still :rotfl:

Yes and one of these days I am going to get me some
:thumbsup2:lmao::thumbsup2


Mmmmm, I'm in! :thumbsup2
My hubby and I are headed to the World for the 1st time next month...we have the deluxe plan and I am SO excited about all the fabulous-sounding restaurants!! Thanks for your great reviews :)

Ooooooh, I'm so jealous of you right now ;) Where all are you eating?

Another English reader here :wave:

Loving the reports, they sound amazing!

Keep them coming! :goodvibes

Thank you, thank you, thank you :goodvibes

Love your reviews so far! DFi and I are doing the deluxe dining plan for our honeymoon in Jan so it's great to see others point of view on it.

Congratulations on getting married and getting to honeymoon in Disney :goodvibes Where do you plan on eating?

Hey Everyone!! Sorry I've been MIA again - the holidays have kept us on the road and busy. Work is starting to slow down - although I did get a promotion :woohoo: - so I should have time to update this week. Hope you are all having a fantastic start to the holiday season!!

[Giselle22]

Congrats on the promotion! :cheer2:

I started a little pre-trip if you wanna see where we'll be eating :) Excited for your update this week!

[ariel1025]

We ended the day at my favorite park in the world by eating at Teppan Edo. When we came last year this restaurant was closed - I believe for renovation - so we didn't get the chance to eat here. When we began going through possible reservation choices this one was a no brainer for us - we love us some teppan grill :cloud9:

I have to admit that once again I was a bad girl and did not take any pictures :guilty: So, I will try to move this one along quickly in order to get to a future update that includes some eye candy ;)

Candi started with the Sushi Sampler - $9.50 - not included on the meal plan

This would be a first for Candi as he had never had sushi before, which was the main reason he ordered the sampler. It included 5 pieces of sushi - tuna, yellow tail, shrimp nigiri and 2 pieces of the California roll. He was most excited about the California roll because so many people had told him it was the best kind of sushi. For him this would not be the case, in fact, it was his least favorite of them all :upsidedow His favorite was the tuna followed by the yellow tail and then the shrimp. At this point he had not had any sushi to compare it to, but enjoyed it a lot and declared himself a sushi lover :thumbsup2 I took very tiny bites of each kind and disliked them all :sick:

For my appetizer I had the edamame - $4.50

Now, ya'll are probably gonna laugh your pants off, but I had no idea that these were soy beans. I had only seen a picture of them and thought they were a version of snap peas - my favorite if ya remember ;) Well, sitting at a table full of strangers when you try to eat soy beans as such is quite embarrassing considering you are not supposed to eat the "pod" part :rolleyes1 Oh, the empty bowl you brought me is for after I eat the beans out of the pod :rolleyes1 I must admit I did not enjoy them at all, but it is probably due to the fact that they weren't what I thought they were. Candi was too busy laughing at me to try them so he has no opinion on them :snooty:

For his main course Candi had the filet mignon - $29.95

This was absolutely delicious - he said it was cooked perfectly and had the perfect amount of spices and flavor. I had a bite and would have to agree. We go to teppan grill places all the time and this steak is definitely one of the best we have had!

I had the Nihonboshi (chicken and steak combo) - $28.95

I believe this steak was a New York steak and although it was good, it just didn't compare to the filet mignon that Candi had. No worries, I ordered it mainly for the chicken because I had eaten so much steak up to this point :) Oh my goodness - this chicken was heavenly :cloud9: It was cooked to absolute perfection and had amazing flavor. I am not kidding when I say that I have never had chicken that tasted this good anywhere!!

Both entrees came with vegetables, steamed rice and noodles. All was very tasty but I wish they had fried rice :sad1: Somebody at our table said it was because fried rice isn't actually a japanese dish and, although I appreciate this, I still missed it :rotfl:

To drink we had an iced tea and a diet coke - $2.95 each

We both skipped dessert - nothing sounded very appealing and we were completely stuffed.

Upon leaving the restaurant we walked out and saw this

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0570.jpg

We just so happened to finish eating as the fireworks show was beginning :woohoo: We stayed at the top of the stairs and enjoyed the show from the balcony area.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0575.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0586.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-3/DSC_0610.jpg

This was completely unplanned and the perfect way to end our night :goodvibes

Our Overall Thoughts On Teppan Edo:

LOVED IT!! The service was amazing - they are so respectful and polite - everyone from the hostesses to the waiters to the cooks. They all make you feel like you are eating dinner at your own home and are definitely there to make you happy. The food was outstanding - some of the best we had all week. And to top it all off our cook was top notch - not only was the food excellent but she was full of energy, singing and telling jokes and making sure that all the food was cooked exactly how we wanted it. Teppan Edo is definitely on our "must do" list - quite possibly every time we come back!

Starting Credits:

Snack - 28 (14 each)

Meal - 34 (17 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Iced tea, diet coke, edamame, steak/chicken combo and filet mignon: 2 table service credits used

Sushi Sampler: $9.50 paid out of pocket because sushi doesn't count as an appetizer at this restaurant

Total Cost: $83.93 after tax

[Linda67]

Another wonderful review :thumbsup2
We ate at Teppan Edo on our last trip and loved it. It was my birthday and they made a real fuss of me :banana:
I am a big fan of sushi so we are going to go to Tokyo Dining on our next trip and can't wait :yay:

[BecBennett]

I'm really enjoying your reviews, they're making me hungry!

[klacey1]

Yum! We love hibachi, but we have such an amazing place near us (they do the fried rice) that we were afraid we wouldn't like Teppan Edo as much. Sounds yummy, though! Filet mignon is my favorite, although I usually just end up getting steak at our place. Glad you guys had a wonderful meal!

[ariel1025]

Another wonderful review :thumbsup2
We ate at Teppan Edo on our last trip and loved it. It was my birthday and they made a real fuss of me :banana:
I am a big fan of sushi so we are going to go to Tokyo Dining on our next trip and can't wait :yay:

Thank you so much :goodvibes My Husband wants to try Tokyo Dining next time but I'm not convinced yet considering I don't like sushi :rotfl:

I'm really enjoying your reviews, they're making me hungry!

Thanks - they make me hungry every time I write them ;)

Yum! We love hibachi, but we have such an amazing place near us (they do the fried rice) that we were afraid we wouldn't like Teppan Edo as much. Sounds yummy, though! Filet mignon is my favorite, although I usually just end up getting steak at our place. Glad you guys had a wonderful meal!

Yeah, I know how it is to be scared to try a place because you like a different one so much :) Thanks for reading :goodvibes

[ariel1025]

Once we returned to the hotel we were both extremely thirsty, but neither of us felt like going all the way to the room to get our refillable mugs. Instead we decided to just use some of our snack credits on some bottled drinks. We hadn't used snack credits all day - we were just so full all the time.

Candi got two bottles of water and I got a bottle of Nestea cool lemon iced tea - ahhhhhhhh my favorite :thumbsup2 - $2.49 each bottle

Starting Credits:

Snack - 28 (14 each)

Meal - 32 (16 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

2 bottled waters (Dasani) and a bottled Lipton tea: 3 snack credits used - $7.47 before tax

Just wanted to do a quick update this morning - I will post our breakfast from the next day this afternoon. Hope ya'll are having a great start to your weekend :goodvibes

[DisneyJo]

Your reviews are fantastic :thumbsup2

[ariel1025]

Your reviews are fantastic :thumbsup2

Thank you so much :goodvibes

[ariel1025]

This morning we were headed to the waterparks so we didn't plan a big breakfast reservation. I also promised Candi we could sleep in until our "internal alarm clocks" went off ;) Of course mine went off way earlier than his :rotfl: so I decided to head down to Roaring Forks to grab a small breakfast with the use of some more snack credits. It was actually pretty crowded this morning so I kind of grabbed the first couple of things that looked good.

Chocolate milk, danish and blueberry muffin - $7.23

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0668.jpg

Chocolate milk is my favorite breakfast beverage and definitely hit the spot! Candi still had a bottled water from the night before so he drank that and since the crazy kid loves him some water he said it also hit the spot :confused: Candi chose the danish which he said was perfect - nice and flaky on the outside but soft on the inside. He granted me one teeny, tiny bite and it wasn't even with the middle filling but it was definitely yummy! My blueberry muffin was delicious - tasted very fresh with no stale parts and tons of large blueberries within the muffin.

Once again, we found Roaring Forks to be the perfect spot for a quick bite and would recommend it to anybody staying at Wilderness Lodge!

Starting Credits:

Snack - 25 (12 for Candi and 13 for me - not that I was keeping track or anything :laughing:)

Meal - 32 (16 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Bottle of chocolate milk, danish and blueberry muffin: 3 snack credits used - $7.23 after tax

* Sorry I didn't get the breakdown of each item - I'm guessing the chocolate milk was $2.49 as that is what all the other beverages we purchased were.

[Linda67]

Mmmmm - Chocolate Milk :thumbsup2

[CapnJacksGirl]

We both skipped dessert - nothing sounded very appealing and we were completely stuffed.

If you go back to Teppan Edo, you must try the chocolate ginger cake! It is so light and yummy, and the ginger is just enough to make you go "hmmmm, what is that?" I love it - and always take it to go if I just can't get it down!

[Linda67]

If you go back to Teppan Edo, you must try the chocolate ginger cake! It is so light and yummy, and the ginger is just enough to make you go "hmmmm, what is that?" I love it - and always take it to go if I just can't get it down!

100% with you on the chocolate ginger cake

[ariel1025]

Mmmmm - Chocolate Milk :thumbsup2
:thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2


If you go back to Teppan Edo, you must try the chocolate ginger cake! It is so light and yummy, and the ginger is just enough to make you go "hmmmm, what is that?" I love it - and always take it to go if I just can't get it down!

100% with you on the chocolate ginger cake

I promise to try it on our next trip because Teppan is definitely on our must do list :goodvibes

[tatemiak]

Loving your report. Page 9, but I'm in! My oldest dd will be turning 8 at Disney in January. She requested Teppan Edo for her birthday dinner. After reading your report it sounds like she made a good decision.

[ariel1025]

Loving your report. Page 9, but I'm in! My oldest dd will be turning 8 at Disney in January. She requested Teppan Edo for her birthday dinner. After reading your report it sounds like she made a good decision.

I am willing to say with the utmost certainty that you will enjoy your dinner at Teppan Edo! Happy early Birthday to your daughter :goodvibes

[ariel1025]

After spending the day at the Blizzard Beach we were both completely pooped and I decided to formulate a new game plan for the rest of the night. We originally had plans to grab lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe and then a late dinner at Artist Point. Sounds simple enough right - I mean they are both restaurants right in our own hotel :confused3 Welp, we were too darn tired to even think about doing a sit-down lunch and dinner. I called and cancelled our WCC reservation and decided we would see how we felt after a nap. In the end we decided to get us a snack to hold us over.

I let Candi stay in the room and I headed back to Roaring Forks - I was a regular at this point :laughing:

I grabbed a bowl of the soup of the day - chicken noodle and a bowl of chili. I know, I know we only gave it a thumbs halfway up on the first day but I was willing to give it a try anyway.

Overall thoughts - the chicken noodle pretty much tasted like Progressive from a can but we love that soup so it was a-ok with us :thumbsup2 The chili was actually pretty darn good as well. I cheated a little bit and as I scooped it into my bowl I drained the grease out so it wasn't too greasy when I ate it - added a bunch of saltines and WA-LA yummy yummy chili :goodvibes

Starting Credits:

Snack - 22 (11 each)

Meal - 32

Credits Used vs Cost:

Bowl of chili, bowl of chicken noodle soup, root beer and a coke - 2 snack credits and 2 refillable mug refills used - $7.06 (if you don't have the refillable mugs add another $5.00 for the two drinks ;))

*** I promise the next update has lots of pictures and will be much more exciting :)

[ariel1025]

Welp, I woke up long before the Hubby and decided to make an "executive decision" :lmao: I could tell from how loud the snoring was in our room that Candi was straight out exhausted - probably a combo of travel day and humidity. I wasn't that tired but just didn't feel too much like getting all dressed up for our planned Artist Point reservation. While he continued to sleep I got online and decided that if I could switch the reservation to what was supposed to be our "free day" that I would make tonight our "free day" instead.

Everything worked out and when Candi woke up he was overjoyed with my decision :thumbsup2

So, instead of Artist Point we ended up at Beaches & Cream :woohoo: After we actually found the restaurant - we ended up having to ask because we never actually thought of checking by the pool - I fell in love instantly

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0696.jpg

Even the menus had a fun and carefree vibe.

I wish I had taken a picture of the restaurant because I always hear about how crowded it is in here but we were seated instantly - at a table - and were one of only 3 other couples there.

Our waitress was Melissa and she was super friendly and always prompt with refills and the food.

To drink Candi had a cherry coke - coke with cherry syrup added MMMM - $2.29 + $0.80 for the flavor

I had a vanilla coke - again, coke with vanilla syrup added - even more MMMMM than Candi's :laughing: - $2.29 + $0.80 for the flavor

For my main I had the roast beef sandwich with fries - $11.49

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0697.jpg

It was topped with melted provolone cheese, onions and bell peppers and it was delicious! The bread was toasted perfectly and the meat was tender. It had great flavor and you just can't go wrong with ooey, gooey, melted cheese. My one single complaint would be that it needed more onions - but I am an addict when it comes to onions! The fries were perfect as well - not too mushy but not too crispy and piping hot when they came to the table. Candi had a bite of the sandwich as well and the only difference is he used the au jus dip that it came with - which I hate but he loves. He agreed that it was a perfect sandwich!

For Candi's main he had a double cheeseburger and fries - $11.49

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0698.jpg

He also added a side of chili for his fries which they didn't charge him for - I'm not sure if they were supposed to or not :confused3 Candi said he was a little worried when his burger first came out - they patties looked a little flimsy and pre-made but after one bite he had a change of heart. He said it was flavored absolutely perfect and the cheese was melted just right. The lettuce and tomatoes that came with it were also nice and crispy and perfectly ripe. He also agreed that the fries were perfect and the chili made them even better. I had a small bite of the burger and agreed that it was really good but in desperate need of some onions :laughing:

Now choosing dessert was probably the hardest part of the meal - there were just too many things that sounded tempting.

In the end I chose the banana split - $7.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0699.jpg

Never in my life have I had ice cream that required a bowl and a plate :rotfl: The banana split had chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream; strawberry and pineapple topping, whipped cream, toasted almonds and two slices of banana. I kid you not - this was heaven in a bowl err on a plate - whatever you consider the serving container - it was perfection :cloud9: The ice cream was delicious - not hard, not soft and no sign of icky frost bite that some ice cream has - the bananas were perfectly ripe and there was enough whip cream to satisfy even me who thinks every sundae should contain half a bottle of whip cream :rolleyes1 As hard as a I tried, I was not able to finish this perfection and easily could have been shared by two people. Candi had a small bite but since he does not like half the ingredients he just wasn't blown away like me. I know, I know, he's such a strange creature :rolleyes:

Unlike me, Candi went with a more simple dessert - butterscotch milkshake - $4.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0700.jpg

Vanilla ice cream, butterscotch, whipped cream, almonds and a cherry. He found it to be simply refreshing and enjoyed the whole thing, including the shake cup they bring out with it. If anything, he said it could have used slightly more butterscotch but had enough to still be flavorful and delicous! I had a drink and thought it was good but a waste of a dessert with all the other options :lmao:

Our Overall Thoughts on Beaches & Cream:

Do I really need to answer this? :laughing: We absolutely loved everything about it. Great food, great service, great atmosphere and a great reason to check out the Beach Club hotel. We couldn't have been happier with our choice or our decision to go for some easy eating instead of a fancy restaurant that afternoon/evening.

Starting Credits:

Snack - 20 (10 each)

Meal - 32 (16 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

coke with cherry syrup, coke with vanilla syrup, roast beef sandwich with fries, double cheeseburger with fries and a side of chili, banana split and a butterscotch milkshake - 2 table service credits used - $44.88 including tax

I also forgot to add at Blizzard Beach we had a Mickey Ice cream sandwich ($3.09) and a frozen lemonade ($3.19). Don't have any pictures - but they were both nice and refreshing after a long day in the water and everything taste better when it's shaped like Mickey :goodvibes 2 snack credits were used.

[eemmie1]

I am a little late but your reviews are wonderfull!

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Enjoying your update.

[LindaBabe]

VERY nice report! I like this SO much I'm keepig a list for my next trip.

[Giselle22]

So, instead of Artist Point we ended up at Beaches & Cream :woohoo: After we actually found the restaurant - we ended up having to ask because we never actually thought of checking by the pool - I fell in love instantly

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0696.jpg

Even the menus had a fun and carefree vibe.

I wish I had taken a picture of the restaurant because I always hear about how crowded it is in here but we were seated instantly - at a table - and were one of only 3 other couples there.

Our waitress was Melissa and she was super friendly and always prompt with refills and the food.

To drink Candi had a cherry coke - coke with cherry syrup added MMMM - $2.29 + $0.80 for the flavor

I had a vanilla coke - again, coke with vanilla syrup added - even more MMMMM than Candi's :laughing: - $2.29 + $0.80 for the flavor

For my main I had the roast beef sandwich with fries - $11.49

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0697.jpg

It was topped with melted provolone cheese, onions and bell peppers and it was delicious! The bread was toasted perfectly and the meat was tender. It had great flavor and you just can't go wrong with ooey, gooey, melted cheese. My one single complaint would be that it needed more onions - but I am an addict when it comes to onions! The fries were perfect as well - not too mushy but not too crispy and piping hot when they came to the table. Candi had a bite of the sandwich as well and the only difference is he used the au jus dip that it came with - which I hate but he loves. He agreed that it was a perfect sandwich!

For Candi's main he had a double cheeseburger and fries - $11.49

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0698.jpg

He also added a side of chili for his fries which they didn't charge him for - I'm not sure if they were supposed to or not :confused3 Candi said he was a little worried when his burger first came out - they patties looked a little flimsy and pre-made but after one bite he had a change of heart. He said it was flavored absolutely perfect and the cheese was melted just right. The lettuce and tomatoes that came with it were also nice and crispy and perfectly ripe. He also agreed that the fries were perfect and the chili made them even better. I had a small bite of the burger and agreed that it was really good but in desperate need of some onions :laughing:

Now choosing dessert was probably the hardest part of the meal - there were just too many things that sounded tempting.

In the end I chose the banana split - $7.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0699.jpg

Never in my life have I had ice cream that required a bowl and a plate :rotfl: The banana split had chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream; strawberry and pineapple topping, whipped cream, toasted almonds and two slices of banana. I kid you not - this was heaven in a bowl err on a plate - whatever you consider the serving container - it was perfection :cloud9: The ice cream was delicious - not hard, not soft and no sign of icky frost bite that some ice cream has - the bananas were perfectly ripe and there was enough whip cream to satisfy even me who thinks every sundae should contain half a bottle of whip cream :rolleyes1 As hard as a I tried, I was not able to finish this perfection and easily could have been shared by two people. Candi had a small bite but since he does not like half the ingredients he just wasn't blown away like me. I know, I know, he's such a strange creature :rolleyes:

Unlike me, Candi went with a more simple dessert - butterscotch milkshake - $4.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0700.jpg

Vanilla ice cream, butterscotch, whipped cream, almonds and a cherry. He found it to be simply refreshing and enjoyed the whole thing, including the shake cup they bring out with it. If anything, he said it could have used slightly more butterscotch but had enough to still be flavorful and delicous! I had a drink and thought it was good but a waste of a dessert with all the other options :lmao:

Mmmmm that all sounds so good! My friend and I ALWAYS make sure we get a cherry coke when we go to Disneyland--I'm not even a big coke fan (or soda at all) but Disney makes them sooooo yummy with the syrup! :lovestruc

That ice cream and milkshake look amazing! Can you go there and just get ice cream without having a reservation?

[klacey1]

Yummy, Beaches and Cream looks terrific!

[Dizneydaz]

Just read all your postings. Great report so far. Can't wait to read more.

When we went in Sept. my DM had the chocolate ginger cake at Tokyo Dining. I had a bite (or two) it is very good. Much better than it sounds. I had the Green Tea pudding, which I liked as well.

I'm on board now....

[Sarah4382]

Oh my goodness, does that sound yummy!!! :goodvibes

And truly, if you compare the prices around Disney, $88 isn't that bad for a meal there. Its not something you'd do every day, but its not like eating at Victoria and Alberts either!

(which is something I dearly want to do, but have to find someone who is an adventurous eater first!)

I haven't found anyone who is an adventerous eater either. So, I just go by myself! I have been twice. It is devine!!! It's something I look forward to every year for my birthday present to myself now. I already have my ADR for next year!! Now, I have to find the perfect cocktail dress!!

[BecBennett]

mmm, I want me some beaches and cream!! :lovestruc

[Linda67]

Oh my word - your Banana Split looks wonderful :banana:
This is certainly going to be a 'must do' on our next trip :cool1:

[angelmav]

Just finished catching up, I am definitely a fan! Cant wait to see what your verdict on the deluxe plan was!

[Wishes Count]

Just joining in now. I love your review, I'm very jealous! Haha:rotfl: I'm going to try to convince my DBF to do the Deluxe Dining for a future trip.

[zebsterama]

Truly enjoying the reviews and the pics!

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Zebsterama
:hippie:pirate:

[BWVPam]

Great dining reviews. We will be arriving in Orlando on Saturday and can't wait.

[ariel1025]

I am a little late but your reviews are wonderfull!

You're never too late to join in - WELCOME :goodvibes

Enjoying your update.

Thank you so much :)

VERY nice report! I like this SO much I'm keepig a list for my next trip.

Ooooh, you most definitely need to write a dining report so I can see how much you liked everything :thumbsup2

Mmmmm that all sounds so good! My friend and I ALWAYS make sure we get a cherry coke when we go to Disneyland--I'm not even a big coke fan (or soda at all) but Disney makes them sooooo yummy with the syrup! :lovestruc

That ice cream and milkshake look amazing! Can you go there and just get ice cream without having a reservation?

You actually can't make reservations at all for Beaches & Cream but yes you can just get dessert :)

Yummy, Beaches and Cream looks terrific!

It was one of my favorite meals of the trip :thumbsup2

Just read all your postings. Great report so far. Can't wait to read more.

When we went in Sept. my DM had the chocolate ginger cake at Tokyo Dining. I had a bite (or two) it is very good. Much better than it sounds. I had the Green Tea pudding, which I liked as well.

I'm on board now....

Welcome :goodvibes I will most definitely try the chocolate ginger cake next time ;)

I haven't found anyone who is an adventerous eater either. So, I just go by myself! I have been twice. It is devine!!! It's something I look forward to every year for my birthday present to myself now. I already have my ADR for next year!! Now, I have to find the perfect cocktail dress!!

Now, I do like a good excuse to buy a new dress :laughing:

mmm, I want me some beaches and cream!! :lovestruc

ME TOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Oh my word - your Banana Split looks wonderful :banana:
This is certainly going to be a 'must do' on our next trip :cool1:

Trust me, you won't be disappointed!!

Just finished catching up, I am definitely a fan! Cant wait to see what your verdict on the deluxe plan was!

Thank you so much :goodvibes

Just joining in now. I love your review, I'm very jealous! Haha:rotfl: I'm going to try to convince my DBF to do the Deluxe Dining for a future trip.

What we did was lay out where we planned on eating beforehand - which we had to do to make reservations anyway. Then we looked at which dining plan appeared to be more worth the money ;)

Truly enjoying the reviews and the pics!

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Zebsterama
:hippie:pirate:

Thank you, Thank you :goodvibes

Great dining reviews. We will be arriving in Orlando on Saturday and can't wait.

Oh my goodness - I am extremely envious - you are in Orlando right now :upsidedow

[englishrose47]

I also am late but loving your reviews !!

[maxiesmom]

Mind if I get on board late? I love your pics, and the way your reviews are well thought out.:)

[scanne]

Will there be more?? I am loving your review and re-thinking our Sugar Loaf and regular DDP and thinking of going to Theme Park View and DxDP.

We did the DxDP last June and it was a lot of food - but I love the signature restaurants like CRT, Narcoosee's and Citricos..so we'll see. :goodvibes

[disneydreamertoo]

I'm enjoying reading your reviews! I'm sitting on the fence regarding the Deluxe Dining Plan and found your report after doing a "search" for more info about it. I always find the best threads when I do that! I'm glad I didn't miss yours! Really enjoying your writing style and how upfront you are about things!:woohoo:

[ariel1025]

I also am late but loving your reviews !!

Thanks so much for joining in :goodvibes

Mind if I get on board late? I love your pics, and the way your reviews are well thought out.:)

No such thing as late - I'm not even halfway done ;) Thank you for the compliemnts :goodvibes

Will there be more?? I am loving your review and re-thinking our Sugar Loaf and regular DDP and thinking of going to Theme Park View and DxDP.

We did the DxDP last June and it was a lot of food - but I love the signature restaurants like CRT, Narcoosee's and Citricos..so we'll see. :goodvibes

There will definitely be more - hopefully an update later today :thumbsup2

Can't wait to hear what decision you make about the room/dining plan :goodvibes

I'm enjoying reading your reviews! I'm sitting on the fence regarding the Deluxe Dining Plan and found your report after doing a "search" for more info about it. I always find the best threads when I do that! I'm glad I didn't miss yours! Really enjoying your writing style and how upfront you are about things!:woohoo:

Thank you so much! I am hoping to have another update done later today. When is your trip?

[scanne]

Can't wait to hear what decision you make about the room/dining plan

Well, as of today, I'm leaning towards the DxDP in a BIG way. I've even started a spreadsheet so I can make my reservations in a week and a half.

But, I am also considering a switch to the Wilderness Lodge. Although my heart will always belong to the GF, I have been looking at pictures of the WL and I miss the warm, cozy atmosphere! We haven't stayed there in a couple of years, and I really miss it. But I'm still undecided altogether, so I'll be hanging out on DISboards to get some more ideas!

Can't wait to read more of your review!!! :goodvibes

[DisneyJo]

My family loves B&C too and only about a week ago we ate there and the roast beef sub was delicious :love:

[ariel1025]

Well, as of today, I'm leaning towards the DxDP in a BIG way. I've even started a spreadsheet so I can make my reservations in a week and a half.

But, I am also considering a switch to the Wilderness Lodge. Although my heart will always belong to the GF, I have been looking at pictures of the WL and I miss the warm, cozy atmosphere! We haven't stayed there in a couple of years, and I really miss it. But I'm still undecided altogether, so I'll be hanging out on DISboards to get some more ideas!

Can't wait to read more of your review!!! :goodvibes

Oh, my heart belongs to the WL as that is where we spent our honeymoon :lovestruc Just don't let her know that we have since fallen in love with AKL :rotfl:

Will you be doing a dining and/or trip report?

My family loves B&C too and only about a week ago we ate there and the roast beef sub was delicious :love:

Yummy, yummy, yummy!!

[ariel1025]

First, I want to say that I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season with those close to them :goodvibes

Second, I want to apologize - I am feeling very much under the weather but cannot sleep and wanted to get an update posted. So please excuse any bad grammar (any more than usual anyway :laughing:) and forgive all misspelled words ;)

Now, on with the show....

After our wonderful meal at Beaches and Cream we spent a lot of time roaming around the Beach and Yacht Club resorts and then headed over to Hollywood Studios for extra magic hours :thumbsup2

Upon returning Candi was craving pizza and water in a BIG way so I told him to call and order room service while I took a shower. After my very long and very relaxing shower I saw this

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0766.jpg

Ummmm, honey - thought we were ordering a pizza not a buffet :lmao:

Just like all other meals on the dining plan, the pizza room service included two appetizers, two desserts and drinks.

In it's entirety we had:

Cheese Plate - the same one served at Artist Point ($15.99), Chips and salsa - the ones served at Whispering Canyon Cafe ($14.99), Pepperoni Pizza ($19.49 + $1.00 for the 1 topping), Pecan Pie ($7.49), Fruit Plate ($6.99), 1 bottle of Evian water ($7.99) and 1 can of Root Beer ($2.99) - WHEW, that was a lot of food!!

Now, let's take a closer look at everything

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0771.jpg

Candi is a big 'ol dork and found it to be fun and exciting to order big bottles of Evian water because we would never ever pay for it in "real life." Though he admits that it doesn't really taste too much different than a plain bottle of Dasani. But, keep in mind that EVERYTHING beats the taste of Florida tap water :rolleyes1

We've already covered the fact that I LOVE Root Beer, but $3.00 for one can :headache: I must admit that I find this to be thoroughly annoying. Luckily, I never saw the receipt until just now and was in heaven with my little can of heaven :laughing:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0769.jpg

Appetizer one was the chips and salsa and we were told these were the same ones served at Whispering Canyon Cafe. To both of us it tasted like a more seasoned version of Pace Picante. Being born and raised in New Mexico, Candi finds this type of salsa to be unedible. I was born and raised in Kansas, so to me, Pace Picante is 100% pure Mexican food at it's best :rotfl2: However, I have been spoiled living in New Mexico and being able to eat fresh, homemade salsa for the last 8 years. So we will meet in the middle and give the salsa one thumb up and one thumb down ;)

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0768.jpg

Appetizer two was the cheese plate with a plate of crackers and we were told this is the same cheese plate served at Artist Point. This is the first time we have ever ordered a cheese plate so please don't hate me for not knowing the proper names of each. If I remember correctly the far left was Midnight Moon, the middle was a blue cheese and the one on the right was a white cheddar. There were also pieces of walnut bread, dried cherries and something else on the plate. Candi loved the moon cheese, refused to touch the blue cheese and really like the cheddar. He is typically a cheddar man but loves it extra sharp and this wasn't sharp enough for his liking. To be honest I liked all the cheeses, but the cheddar was hands down the best of the three. I really liked the blue cheese but it was definitely a stronger blue cheese and you have to be a fan to enjoy it.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0770.jpg

The main course was, of course, the pizza. It was, after all, the whole reason we ordered room service! Man, oh man, it was absolutely delicious! There was tons of ooey, gooey, melty cheese all over it and enough pepperonis to satisfy the both of us. It was hot and fresh when it was delivered and definitely hit the spot!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009-4/DSC_0767.jpg

Finally, there was dessert. In the front of the picture you can see the pecan pie, which was Candi's choice. To be honest, I was so full (and tired) when we got to dessert I can't remember if I tasted it, let alone liked it :confused3 Candi, however, never lets a good piece of pecan pie go to waste and put it in the fridge for breakfast :rotfl2: I remember him saying that it was good but nothing spectacular. Sorry, I know that isn't exactly a thrilling review!

For my dessert Candi ordered me the fruit platter. I also put it in the fridge for breakfast but do remember eating it. It was delicious! All the fruit was nice and fresh and the yogurt dip they give you with it had just enough flavor. It made the fruit more tasty without overpowering the actual taste of the fruit :thumbsup2

Our Overall Thoughts on Wilderness Lodge Room Service:

With the exception of the salsa and pecan pie, everything exceeded our expectations. With this in mind, had we not been on the deluxe plan we would never have ordered all of that food. We would have stuck with the drinks and pizza and possibly one dessert. However, it was fun to feel extra spoiled for the night and who doesn't enjoy food being delivered to them while they lounge in their PJs :cutie:

Starting Credits:

Snack - 18 (9 each)

Meal - 30 (15 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Cheese plate, chips & salsa, pepperoni pizza, pecan pie, fruit plate, 1 can of root beer and 1 bottle of Evian water - 4 table service credits used (2 for each adult) - $98.46

** This total includes an automatic 18% gratuity added to all room service orders along with a $3.00 delivery fee

[cdotla]

Hopping on board!

Enjoying your TR...and counting the days until we arrive for our Deluxe Dining!:goodvibes

[jbmgsdmom]

Great reviews. We are planning our trip in late Oct 2010 with our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids: 13, 8, & 3) and have been going back in forth with either the DxDP or DDP. Can't wait to hear more.

[amamed1]

Hopping on Board also, we will be traveling in January and I am really enjoying your TR.

[englishrose47]

That Cheese plate looks delish !!! I would have LOVED the Blue cheese ,PacePice sounds good to me too !!!:rotfl2:

[kamikazecat]

I am so glad I wandered into your report tonight. Everything sounds amazing so far. I can't wait to read more. We are doing deluxe dining for two weeks this June and are super excited. You should have seen my face when I scored the CRT ressie at 8:00 am. Even my 4yo son is excited to eat in the castle :goodvibes

[AuroraRose]

Enjoying your posts! I'm planning our trip for May, and I must admit, trying all kinds of different foods is one of the highlights! haha

[Disney4nonah]

Loving your Report! can't wait to read more.....WOW that was a Pizza Extravaganza!!! :D

[Kimmers127]

Hopping on board! I am loving your reviews and can't wait to read more. :goodvibes

[DisneyJo]

What luxury to be able to order room service, it looks delicious :goodvibes

[Pooh&OurHunny]

The cheese plate looks yummy. We love room service after my son goes to sleep and my husband and I can get quite time in the balcony (especially AKL) and having cheese plate. GF was great too, watching the fireworks with a few snacks. Happy New Year

[pinkxray]

Joining in a little late, but can't wait to see your final thoughts about the deluxe plan. Great reviews so far!

[acwsmom]

Just spent the past hour getting caught up but having a blast reading your reports. Great job! I'm definitely subscribing! :goodvibes

[klacey1]

Yummmm does that pizza look good! I <3 room service!

[ariel1025]

Hopping on board!

Enjoying your TR...and counting the days until we arrive for our Deluxe Dining!:goodvibes

Thank you so much :goodvibes How many days do you have left?

Great reviews. We are planning our trip in late Oct 2010 with our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids: 13, 8, & 3) and have been going back in forth with either the DxDP or DDP. Can't wait to hear more.

Thank you! WOW! That sounds like such an exciting trip with so many kids :thumbsup2 Will they all fall under the kids price or will the 13 year old be considered an adult on the plan?

Hopping on Board also, we will be traveling in January and I am really enjoying your TR.

How exciting!! Will you be writing about your trip?

That Cheese plate looks delish !!! I would have LOVED the Blue cheese ,PacePice sounds good to me too !!!:rotfl2:

It was delish!!

I am so glad I wandered into your report tonight. Everything sounds amazing so far. I can't wait to read more. We are doing deluxe dining for two weeks this June and are super excited. You should have seen my face when I scored the CRT ressie at 8:00 am. Even my 4yo son is excited to eat in the castle :goodvibes

Congratulations on the awesome ressie time :thumbsup2 Two weeks? Wow, that is super exciting! Will you be doing a food report?

Enjoying your posts! I'm planning our trip for May, and I must admit, trying all kinds of different foods is one of the highlights! haha

Isn't it weird how planning for the food is just as fun as planning for the trip itself :rotfl:

Loving your Report! can't wait to read more.....WOW that was a Pizza Extravaganza!!! :D

Thank you very much :goodvibes I promise an update is going up today!

Hopping on board! I am loving your reviews and can't wait to read more. :goodvibes

Thank you! Life sorta got in the way, but I am working on an update now!

What luxury to be able to order room service, it looks delicious :goodvibes

I felt so important being able to order room servicce ;) If you ever get the chance you should definitely do it!

The cheese plate looks yummy. We love room service after my son goes to sleep and my husband and I can get quite time in the balcony (especially AKL) and having cheese plate. GF was great too, watching the fireworks with a few snacks. Happy New Year

What a great idea .... I will have to remember that after we have children :thumbsup2

Joining in a little late, but can't wait to see your final thoughts about the deluxe plan. Great reviews so far!

Thank you! And, it's never too late to join in!

Just spent the past hour getting caught up but having a blast reading your reports. Great job! I'm definitely subscribing! :goodvibes

Wow, I feel honored that you would spend that much time reading what I wrote - I am so sorry I dropped away from the world for so long after that :sad2:

Yummmm does that pizza look good! I <3 room service!

Us too - we set aside a night on our upcoming trip for room service because we enjoyed it so much :thumbsup2

[Leanne1977]

Just read all 12 pages in one go. Fantastic report!!:banana::banana::banana:

I love food reports and I'm oh so hungry now.:worship:

[raykay23]

You made me hungry!!!!!

[franandaj]

Isn't it weird how planning for the food is just as fun as planning for the trip itself :rotfl:


Subscribing! Isn't that what planning the trip is about?

I leave in 60 hours, and will be dining at several of these places, you're helping me to build my anticipation further. Sadly I will probably never do the DxDP, we can't eat that much and I like to cook some of our meals. But it is fun to live vicariously through others.:goodvibes

[Princess654]

Count me in too - I am going in Dec 2010 and am also debating the dxddp - right now we are set up for it, but I am thinking it may be over kill... although we do like to eat.

I am loving your reviews..

[GreyGooseCosmo]

Hi there! I'm following this now, because you made some truly yummy choices. :)

[ariel1025]

Hey Everyone! Promise I'm not ignoring your comments, I will reply after I get this post it.

I know I promised an update a couple of days ago, but Photobucket and I are having a serious relationship problem - I mean seriously, we are on the edge of divorce here :headache::laughing: Anybody else having issues with their pictures loading super, super slow????

Ok .... relationship problems aside .... let's move on to day Four!

For breakfast this morning I had my rice krispy treat from the other day and Candi had his Magic Cookie Bar. I mean, we are after all, a nutritious duo here :lmao:

We did, however, stop and have a real lunch at

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1038.jpg

When we checked in the lobby was CRAZY packed. I mean there wasn't anywhere to stand, let alone sit. I honestly couldn't believe how busy this place was. I kind of started to panic because I really, really wanted to be able to sit in a car as opposed to a table. At this point I figured it was hopeless and then when it got to be more than 15 minutes after our reservation time I concluded that we would definitely be at a regular old table.

All in all, I think we had to wait about 25 minutes after our ADR time before we were seated. Upon first walking in, I thought it was completely worth it

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1041.jpg

If you haven't guessed already - I'm totally one of those people who chooses a lot of meals based on the anticipated atmosphere. This place was definitely rocking my world!

Our hostess who sat us was very pleasant and apologized several times for having to wait so long. She said that it was pretty much always this busy, but not typically this backed up. I'm not sure how true that is, but at the moment I didn't care because .....

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1045.jpg

WE GOT TO SIT IN A CAR!!!! Yep, it's the little things in life that excite me! I was even more thrilled when I found out we were going to be hitchhikers :laughing:

Our waitress that day was Christi - she came very promptly to get our drink orders and then left us alone to decide on our meal.

Candi had a cherry coke ($3.09) and I had

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1046.jpg

A CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE ($4.29)!

Now, our server didn't mention that the milkshakes were included on the dining plan; I had to ask. However, after asking she said I could substitute my drink for one or my dessert for one and still get a regular drink. I just substituted my drink for one and drank a few sips of Candi's coke when I got super thirsty. The milkshake was good, but it was extremely thick and you better love chocolate :thumbsup2

Christi came back around in a fair amount of time to check in about our meal choices. We had already decided on appetizers and main courses so we put them in at the same time, but asked her if she would please wait a little while to place the main course order. She said it wouldn't be a problem.

I started with the Spinach & Artichoke Dip - $7.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1048.jpg

It was definitely more than enough for one person, but it wasn't a big deal because Candi and I shared both appetizers. Overall, it was a little too runny for my taste and slightly bland. There was a lot of spinach in it but not really any other flavor - and less cheesy than I am used to. It wasn't awful but it wasn't great and I would try something different next time.

As his appetizer, Candi had the 7 Bean Chili - $6.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1049.jpg

Oh my gooooooooooodddddddddnnnnnnneeeeeeeeessssssssssss! ! This was heavenly - it smelled great, it looked yummy and it tasted delicious! Candi loved it so much he only spared me 2 bites - and I had to sneak the second bite when he wasn't looking :laughing: The flavoring was perfect, it had the perfect amount of garnishments and it was just greasy enough to be chili without being overly greasy. The only one "complaint" we had was that it was really small for the price - or maybe it just seemed small because he ate it so quickly :rotfl2:

For my entree I had the bacon cheeseburger (with swiss cheese) and fries - $12.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1050.jpg

The bacon was definitely undercooked for my liking so I removed it. The burger itself was pretty good and you can't go wrong with nice melted swiss cheese YUM! It wasn't as good as the burger Candi had the prior day but it was what I was craving and it hit the spot just the same.

Candi had the rib plate with cole slaw and french fries - $21.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1051.jpg

I didn't actually try these but Candi said they were delicious and he wished it was a full rack instead of a half rack. They had the perfect amount of BBQ sauce and were cooked perfectly. The meat was nice and tender and came off of the bone nicely. He said if we came back he would definitely order them again.

The fries for both dishes were excellent - hot and crispy - the kind that are perfect dipped in a little bit of ketchup :thumbsup2

For my dessert I didn't want anything heavy so I had the fruit plate - $5.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1052.jpg

After the waitress brought it to the table she said they were out of watermelon which made me sad because it's my favorite. The cantaloupe was nice, juicy and refreshing. I'm not a fan of honeydew so I gave it all to Candi and he said it was "ok." The grapes were really good - not at all mushy. I was satisfied with this choice and it was a nice break from the sugar overload from all the other desserts I had consumed earlier that week.

Candi was still feeling some sugar so he had the apple crisp - $6.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1053.jpg

He was super happy with his decision and super excited when he saw how much ice cream it was drowning in! The ice cream was a vanilla bean as opposed to a regular vanilla ice cream, which is his favorite so he was in heaven. The actual apple crisp was really good and more than enough for one person. I had a few bites and really liked it as well.

Our Overall Thoughts on Sci Fi Dine In:

The food was good, not great but good. The service started out great, but then she sort of just disappeared for a while. It was dark in there so I couldn't tell, but maybe she had a lot of tables :confused3 She was friendly though so that helped to make up for it. In the future I would probably just get the milkshake as a dessert and would definitely get the chili for my appetizer. The atmosphere was great fun and for that reason we will probably be back next time!

Total Credits Remaining:

Snack - 18 (9 each)

Meal - 26 (13 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:
Cherry coke, chocolate milkshake, 7 bean chili, spinach dip, 1/2 rack ribs, bacon cheeseburger, apple crisp and fruit plate: 2 table service credits used - $74.90 including tax

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1054.jpg

[kandyk]

I can't wait to go to the Sci-Fi, it looks like so much fun and the food not too bad. Love me a good chocolate milkshake!

[Linda67]

We love the Sc-Fi, the atmosphere is so cool in there :cool1:

[wilma-bride]

Just spent a most enjoyable hour reading all your reviews and thoroughly enjoyed them :thumbsup2

[pinkxray]

Yay! An update.
Sci-fi looks great. I can't wait to try it in May. I have been to Disney like 8 times and have never been there.

[Pooh&OurHunny]

great update and cute picture of the two of you in the car...worth the wait.

[klacey1]

Love the picture of you two at Sci Fi! That chili looks delicious, but I'm disappointed. I thought the spinach dip was supposed to be super cheesy and flavorful-- maybe it was an off day?? (I've never had it)

[mickeysgirl17]

Hi. I just found your dining reviews and read through the whole thread. I love them. You are very funny yourself too. I will read your trip report too. Looks great and loving all the pictures. Can't wait for the rest.

[butiflfeet]

I just found your reviews and I can't wait for more!

[jamjar84]

Just been catching up with your reviews, they are great, and looks like you had a great time. :)

Love Sci Fi for the atmosphere, the lack of great food doesn't seem to matter when you're having your meal in a car. :)

Thanks for posting, looking forward to the rest. :)

[franandaj]

Glad to see more posts from you. I'm looking forward to hearing about how your final toatls work out. We've just completed our third day and I've been trying to keep up a live report, tough but fun. Loving your choices and commentary!

[englishrose47]

Still reading along!!

[ariel1025]

Just read all 12 pages in one go. Fantastic report!!

I love food reports and I'm oh so hungry now.:worship:

Thank you so very much!! I can't believe you read it all in one sitting :flower3:

You made me hungry!!!!!

I make myself hungry and we are currently on a diet - bad combo :laughing:

Subscribing! Isn't that what planning the trip is about?

I leave in 60 hours, and will be dining at several of these places, you're helping me to build my anticipation further. Sadly I will probably never do the DxDP, we can't eat that much and I like to cook some of our meals. But it is fun to live vicariously through others.:goodvibes

Sadly, I am somewhat "anal retentive" when it comes to planning so not only do I plan what to eat; but park days, packing lists, extra activities etc :rolleyes1

I am so jealous that you are currently enjoying all this wonderful food ;)

Count me in too - I am going in Dec 2010 and am also debating the dxddp - right now we are set up for it, but I am thinking it may be over kill... although we do like to eat.

I am loving your reviews..

Thank you for joining along :goodvibes

Hi there! I'm following this now, because you made some truly yummy choices. :)

Hello and thanks for coming along for the ride :thumbsup2

I can't wait to go to the Sci-Fi, it looks like so much fun and the food not too bad. Love me a good chocolate milkshake!

I'm sure you will have a ton of fun - the atmosphere is amazing :)

We love the Sc-Fi, the atmosphere is so cool in there :cool1:

Agreed, agreed, agreed :thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Just spent a most enjoyable hour reading all your reviews and thoroughly enjoyed them :thumbsup2

Thank you very, very much :goodvibes

Yay! An update.
Sci-fi looks great. I can't wait to try it in May. I have been to Disney like 8 times and have never been there.

You should go - like I said food isn't bad and the surroundings are great!!

great update and cute picture of the two of you in the car...worth the wait.

Thank you so much :goodvibes

Love the picture of you two at Sci Fi! That chili looks delicious, but I'm disappointed. I thought the spinach dip was supposed to be super cheesy and flavorful-- maybe it was an off day?? (I've never had it)

Thank you! I'm not sure what was up with the spinach dip - I just asked my husband and he said he thought it was still good so maybe I just love cheese a little too much :rotfl2:

Hi. I just found your dining reviews and read through the whole thread. I love them. You are very funny yourself too. I will read your trip report too. Looks great and loving all the pictures. Can't wait for the rest.

Thank you very much :goodvibes

I just found your reviews and I can't wait for more!

Thank you!

Just been catching up with your reviews, they are great, and looks like you had a great time. :)

Love Sci Fi for the atmosphere, the lack of great food doesn't seem to matter when you're having your meal in a car. :)

Thanks for posting, looking forward to the rest. :)

Yep, when else can you hitchhike with strangers while enjoying milkshakes :rotfl:

Glad to see more posts from you. I'm looking forward to hearing about how your final toatls work out. We've just completed our third day and I've been trying to keep up a live report, tough but fun. Loving your choices and commentary!

Ooooh, I will have to check out your live report :thumbsup2

Still reading along!!

Thanks for hanging in there :goodvibes

[2xcited2sleep]

Photobucket and I are on the outs too. :sad2:

I'm glad you enjoyed Sci Fi. I agree, the atmosphere is too cool! The burgers are pretty good too! And I'm making a mental note about that chili...

[CanadianPaco]

I have soooo enjoyed your reviews so far! I am the same way - I love to pick a restaurant for the atmosphere!!!! Can't wait to read more!:wizard:

[cdotla]

Great Sci Fi review! I love the atmosphere there too!

My DH and DS haven't yet been there, and I can't wait for them to see it in May!:goodvibes

[disney_princess_85]

Hi! :wave2:

Great reviews, I'm looking forward to reading more. :thumbsup2

[flipflopmom]

Just read all the reviews! Definitely making me hungry. We did DxDp last year, decided it was too much (money, time, and food) this year. Your reviews, however, make me want to jump for it......

Must stay strong....;)

[Princess654]

One night I sat and read all of your reviews and then realized that I was too new to the board to be able to find you again. I just sat and went through pages trying to find your reviews to see if you completed and whether or not you felt that the dxddp was worth it.

Now I am subbing so I don't lose your post again.

The reviews are AWESOME!!!

[natesmommy]

Great reviews. Love your sense of humor!!

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I love your reviews! I hope you will post more soon :)

[Wendy5055]

Just wanted to say that I have really been enjoying your reviews. :thumbsup2 I can't wait to read more!!!:banana:

[bballdiva]

Very much enjoying your report so far. We are going to be on the DxDDP next month when we go. It will be our first time and very excited about it.

[offtoseemickey]

keep it coming!! :D

[my2disneyboys]

I love your reviews and the pictures!!! We just got back and had really been looking forward to Narcoosees and had poor service too. (We went in May and loved the food but had poor service and wanted to give it another try) We had thought it was beause we had two small children with us that we were ignored, because we could see our waitress spending lot's of time at other tables but for some reason she never came to refill our drinks, never checked on our meal that was over cooked and I had to sit and wait for the bill while my husband and kids were waiting outside because she was taking so long and they were ready for bed! On this trip we ate at the Cali Grill and I will say the view of Wishes was SO much better than at Narcoosees!!

I cant wait to hear more!!!

[cdotla]

Can't wait for the next update!:goodvibes

[lovemickeyshouse]

Wish I could see the rest of your credits now cause thinkng of doing the Deluxe for my July trip.

[ariel1025]

Photobucket and I are on the outs too. :sad2:

I'm glad you enjoyed Sci Fi. I agree, the atmosphere is too cool! The burgers are pretty good too! And I'm making a mental note about that chili...

Don't want to jinx myself, but I think me and Photobucket have made up :lmao:

I have soooo enjoyed your reviews so far! I am the same way - I love to pick a restaurant for the atmosphere!!!! Can't wait to read more!:wizard:

Sorry to keep you waiting for so long :guilty:

Great Sci Fi review! I love the atmosphere there too!

My DH and DS haven't yet been there, and I can't wait for them to see it in May!:goodvibes

Can't wait to hear how your DH and DS enjoy Sci Fi :thumbsup2

Hi! :wave2:

Great reviews, I'm looking forward to reading more. :thumbsup2

Thank you and sorry to keep you waiting ..... :sad2:

Just read all the reviews! Definitely making me hungry. We did DxDp last year, decided it was too much (money, time, and food) this year. Your reviews, however, make me want to jump for it......

Must stay strong....;)

Are you going to do a dining plan at all this time?

One night I sat and read all of your reviews and then realized that I was too new to the board to be able to find you again. I just sat and went through pages trying to find your reviews to see if you completed and whether or not you felt that the dxddp was worth it.

Now I am subbing so I don't lose your post again.

The reviews are AWESOME!!!

Thanks for finding me again :goodvibes I am hoping to keep the updates more regular now!

Great reviews. Love your sense of humor!!

Thank you so much!!!

I love your reviews! I hope you will post more soon :)

I'm working on it right now ;)

Just wanted to say that I have really been enjoying your reviews. :thumbsup2 I can't wait to read more!!!:banana:

Thank you :goodvibes

Very much enjoying your report so far. We are going to be on the DxDDP next month when we go. It will be our first time and very excited about it.

When are you going? Can't wait to hear how you enjoy Deluxe Dining!

keep it coming!! :D

Sorry to keep you waiting :guilty:

I love your reviews and the pictures!!! We just got back and had really been looking forward to Narcoosees and had poor service too. (We went in May and loved the food but had poor service and wanted to give it another try) We had thought it was beause we had two small children with us that we were ignored, because we could see our waitress spending lot's of time at other tables but for some reason she never came to refill our drinks, never checked on our meal that was over cooked and I had to sit and wait for the bill while my husband and kids were waiting outside because she was taking so long and they were ready for bed! On this trip we ate at the Cali Grill and I will say the view of Wishes was SO much better than at Narcoosees!!

I cant wait to hear more!!!

I'm sorry to hear you had bad service too. It's so sad that such a high level restaurant that is IN Disney can repeatedly give poor service :sad2: Cali Grill is definitely on our list for next time :thumbsup2

Can't wait for the next update!:goodvibes

Thanks for reading :goodvibes

Wish I could see the rest of your credits now cause thinkng of doing the Deluxe for my July trip.

Promise to be finished before July .... actually I promise to be finished before our Disney cruise in May :thumbsup2

[ariel1025]

Ok, let's try to get this thing back on a roll shall we :thumbsup2

In between lunch and dinner we did our routine nap and much to Candi's dismay they did not have any 20 ounce bottles of Dasani left in the AKL - Kidani gift shop :scared1: We were both way too tired to walk over to Jambo house so we just forked over the cash to buy a 1.50 liter bottle of water instead - $3.50

Dinner that night was at

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1156.jpg

When I had called to make reservations I had decided to just ask for Le Cellier for each night when we got to dinner time slots until a night was available. Welp, as you can see it took us a few nights to find an open slot. As I perused the boards I realized that I should feel very lucky because I had scored a decent dinner time seating :goodvibes

We checked in and waited about 10 minutes, which was enough time to see them turn away 6 sets of guests attempting to walk in. I must say I felt really bad when we were seated at a four top table since there were only two of us in our part :guilty:

Our server was Sean and he was decent - not great but not bad. He made sure to refill our drinks each time he had a plate of food for us, but never really checked on us any other time.

To drink I had a diet Coke and Candi had an iced tea - $2.29 each

To start with I had a cup of the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup - $5.49

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1149.jpg

Ok, so please don't hate me but this just wasn't "to die for" delicousness :confused3 It wasn't that it tasted bad, it just wasn't the best soup I've ever had either. It was fairly thick which made me happy and it had good flavor but I wasn't blown away. I really don't know how else to explain it. Maybe I had just built it up to much in my head :confused: Candi also had the soup to start, and he wasn't that thrilled with it either. However, we both agreed that dipping the pretzel bread in it did make it taste a lot better!

For my entree I had the Mushroom Filet Mignon (minus the mushroom :laughing:) - $34.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1150.jpg

Since I didn't want the mushroom I substituted the mushroom risotto for the cream cheese mashed potatoes. The cream cheese mashed potatoes were divine ... I wish I could have asked for another plate of them. They were creamy and flavorful and just plain delicious! The filet mignon on the other hand was ... eh ... not so good :sad2: It was gritty and stringy and chewy and just not how a filet mignon should be. It wasn't even bad because I was comparing it to night one filet at Fultons. If I did that I would have to describe the Le Cellier filet as horrible. I will refrain from comparison though and just call it bad. The flavor was really good but, sadly, that's where the good stopped. I had Candi try it to make sure I wasn't losing my mind and he agreed that it was nowhere near as tender and tasty as filet mignon should be.

As his main course, Candi had the Salt Encrusted Prime Rib - $25.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1151.jpg

This was the one meal Candi had been looking forward to the most on the meal plan. After the first night he spent each day going "are we eating in Canada tonight?" :rotfl2: His Prime Rib came with yukon potatoes and of course, au jus and horseradish for the meat. Overall, he was pleased with his meal. He said it was slightly overcooked for his liking, but the flavor was fantastic and there was more than enough steak on his plate to keep him full. The potatoes were only "alright" as they were undercooked and, in some parts, still raw.

For dessert Candi continued his ritual and ordered the Maple Creme Brulee - $6.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1153.jpg

Now this was delicious! Perfectly burnt and crunchy on the outside and nice and tasty on the inside. The maple flavoring was only a slight hint but was good nonetheless. Candi had no problems finishing this and only shared a small bite with me :laughing:

I had the chocolate "moose" - $5.99

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW%202009%20-%205/DSC_1152.jpg

I felt it was a requirement to order for dessert and this time I was not disappointed :thumbsup2 Every single bite was extremely tasty! It wasn't too rich and was just enough to be an enjoyable dessert without being too much. As good as the mousse was though, the maple antlers were definitely my favorite part!

Our Overall Thoughts on Le Cellier:

We just weren't "wow'd" by it :confused3 I'm glad we ate there because we would always be wondering what we were missing out on, but now that we have we aren't in any rush to go back. I am really glad that it was only a 1 credit restaurant or my disappointment would be even greater. Again, it wasn't that it was horrible but it wasn't spectacular either. Appetizers were "fair," my main was "not so good," Candi's was "pretty good," and desserts were great. Service was also only "so so" therefore we are not putting it on our "must do" list.

Starting Credits:

Snack - 18 (9 each)

Meal - 24 (12 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Diet Coke, Iced Tea, Cup of Cheddar Soup Xs Two, Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes, Prime Rib with Potatoes, Maple Creme Brulee and Chocolate Moose - 2 table service credits used - $95.34 including tax

[vettegirl]

Good review of Le Cellier. I was able to finally get a ressie for May for lunch and I don't like mushrooms either. So I am going to order those yummy sounding potatoes instead. I had the cheddar cheese soup at the FW Festival in Oct and I thought it was a bit rich.

[MRS AR]

I can hardly wait to hear more reviews. I'm so glad we are doing the DxDP this May. I love all the pics. Keep them coming so we can keep looking.:surfweb:

[Spike]

When we went there for our Honeymoon we had luch at the SciFi as well, man that was some good chili :thumbsup2:

[Jamoky]

I'm in:D

Thanks for taking the time to write the reviews. Have you been to the Yachtsmen Steakhouse?? Its a 2 credit resto but DEFINITELY worth the trip. It on my family's top todo lists everytime we go:)

[cdotla]

Glad you enjoyed Le Cellier, but sorry that it didn't live up to your expectations. Thanks for the honest review!;)

[binkytell]

joining in very very late, read all your reviews last night on a cold
freezing miserable night in scotland, cheered me no end:thumbsup2

[jamjar84]

Another great review, sorry to hear that you didn't think Le Cellier was that great.

[rodeo65]

Very late joining in, but I just sat and read the whole thread. Your reviews are great and I'm thinking I'll have to add Teppan Edo to our trip next January. I think our kids will love watching the food preparation!

Being from Canada I was disappointed that I couldn't get LC for our first family trip last June, but it sounds like maybe that was not a bad turn of events. My mom always said it was no raving heck and didn't hold a candle to our favorite steak house up here, but I thought all the disers must know something she didn't. Maybe I have to say mom knows best. :rolleyes1

[Trinity524]

We are set up for deluxe dining as well and I was wondering if you kept track of how much you paid in tips? I am a planner and I would like to set the cash aside before we go.

[klacey1]

Sorry LeCellier was only so-so-- that's how we felt about Ohana. Everyone builds it up as this amazing place, and we felt it was lackluster, food and service wise.

[Camping Griswalds]

I can't wait for you to finish to get your "final thoughts." Whether it priced out to be worth the expense etc.

[mamasha]

Sorry LeCellier was only so-so-- that's how we felt about Ohana. Everyone builds it up as this amazing place, and we felt it was lackluster, food and service wise.

I felt bad thinking the same thing...Ohana was quantity over quality.

[franandaj]

Glad you're back posting again! I LOVED the cheese soup, but wasn't wowed by the steaks either. I preferred the Yachtsman much more over Le Cellier. That Moose looked great. In addition to the great cream cheese mashed potatoes I would also recommend the macaroni & cheese. We ordered a side of it when we had lunch there, it was some of the best macaroni & cheese I've ever had! And believe me I've tried some good ones!

Keep the reviews coming!

[disneyfan61]

Joining in late also!! Just read through the whole report & enjoying it. My DH & I are going in May & we have the DxDp so I was very interested in your report.
We are trying Narcoosees for the first time & I hope our service is better than yours was:confused3 We are also trying Teppan Edo for the first time. Love your review:thumbsup2 We are staying at Beach Club so we want to try Beaches & Cream also!! This is our 25th Anniv. trip & the first one without our boys.

Enjoying all your reviews:thumbsup2

[SereneOne]

Just read the whole thing!

Can't wait to read the rest.:goodvibes

[TinkerbelleAbbysMom]

this is a great report. It makes me soo hungry and we have to wait until October!!!

[dr&momto2boys]

Still loving your report! :thumbsup2 I haven't been here in a while and I just caught up. Great! One question...At Beaches & Cream, do you get appetizers on the DxDDP? Maybe that's why you got the chili for free? I'm wondering because we're getting the DxDDP for the first time for our May trip and Beaches & Cream is definately on our list!

[Happy Mom2]

Love your reviews!

[LilAnn]

Joining in quite late, but thoroughly enjoying your review! I love the honesty and all the photos. I was getting so hungry, I had to break into my stash of Girl Scout cookies while I read the rest. I do have to say that I agree with you on Le Cellier. We enjoyed our meal and thought it was very good, but it hasn't made our "must-do" list for this next trip. There are just so many places to try out!

[LuvSnowWhite]

Love your reviews! The pictures really help for those of us who haven't been to any of these places. I'm sorry about your Le Cellier experience. I don't feel so bad now about not getting in on my upcoming trip.

Keep up the good work. My mouth is watering!

Gina in Vancouver BC, Canada.:banana:

[arilvdc]

Great reviews! I'm getting hungry just reading them.

[wdwpirates]

I am up late because I am sick and can't sleep. Let me tell you I am starving now that I have read these great reviews. Can't wait to read more!!!

[PrincessPaczki]

Hi!:goodvibes I am really enjoying your trip report.:thumbsup2 Thank you for posting so many delicious pictures.:thumbsup2 We have been trying to decide about DDP and I think I want to try it now. There are too many awsome restaurants to pass up.:rotfl: I can't wait to read more about your trip.

[Summer-Caitlin]

Just came across your reviews. Hubby and I are going in September for our anniversary with 16 nights on the DDDP:eek: I am loving your reports, especially as you are eating in many of the places on our list. Loved the sound of Teppan Edo, that is definitely on my list. Looking forward to Artist Point (we loved it there) and I am now adding Beaches and Cream to our ADRs too.

Looking forward to more.

[sunny04]

I finally caught up! I'm enjoying your reviews!

I feel the same way about LeCellier. DH loves going there, so we almost always end up with a reservation for it, but I just am not blown away by it. Mostly for me, it's because I'm not a big eater, and it's hard to find something that won't just be a waste. But I am not a huge fan of the cheese soup either. To each his own, I suppose! ;)

[vinotinto]

OK, so I'm 5 months late in discovering your reviews :lmao: Better late than never though! Really looking forward to your next installment, as we're doing the DxDP in September.

[pigletforever]

cant wait to read the whole thing,

[Bashful in TN]

Can't wait to read more.

[ariel1025]

Good review of Le Cellier. I was able to finally get a ressie for May for lunch and I don't like mushrooms either. So I am going to order those yummy sounding potatoes instead. I had the cheddar cheese soup at the FW Festival in Oct and I thought it was a bit rich.

The potatoes are definitely yummy!! Have fun on your trip!

I can hardly wait to hear more reviews. I'm so glad we are doing the DxDP this May. I love all the pics. Keep them coming so we can keep looking.

Sorry to be so slow with the updates lately :guilty:

When we went there for our Honeymoon we had luch at the SciFi as well, man that was some good chili

My Husband still talks about that chili :laughing:

I'm in

Thanks for taking the time to write the reviews. Have you been to the Yachtsmen Steakhouse?? Its a 2 credit resto but DEFINITELY worth the trip. It on my family's top todo lists everytime we go

I haven't been to Yachtsman, we actually gave that reservation up to go to Le Cellier :sad2:

Glad you enjoyed Le Cellier, but sorry that it didn't live up to your expectations. Thanks for the honest review!;)

Thank you for reading!

joining in very very late, read all your reviews last night on a cold
freezing miserable night in scotland, cheered me no end

Thank you so much for reading!!

Another great review, sorry to hear that you didn't think Le Cellier was that great.

There's always the bad with the good right? ;)

Very late joining in, but I just sat and read the whole thread. Your reviews are great and I'm thinking I'll have to add Teppan Edo to our trip next January. I think our kids will love watching the food preparation!

Being from Canada I was disappointed that I couldn't get LC for our first family trip last June, but it sounds like maybe that was not a bad turn of events. My mom always said it was no raving heck and didn't hold a candle to our favorite steak house up here, but I thought all the disers must know something she didn't. Maybe I have to say mom knows best.

I think your kids would definitely enjoy the food prep at Teppan Edo! In my opinion, I would say your Mom knows best :thumbsup2

We are set up for deluxe dining as well and I was wondering if you kept track of how much you paid in tips? I am a planner and I would like to set the cash aside before we go.

For the most part we left a 15% tip, a few places a little less and a couple places a little more. I'm sorry I can't be more helpful, I didn't track that portion of the meal very well :upsidedow

Sorry LeCellier was only so-so-- that's how we felt about Ohana. Everyone builds it up as this amazing place, and we felt it was lackluster, food and service wise.

Uh-oh, that scares me because we have Ohana booked for our trip in May :eek:

I can't wait for you to finish to get your "final thoughts." Whether it priced out to be worth the expense etc.

I'm so sorry I've been slow with the updates, I will definitely finish before our next trip in May!

I felt bad thinking the same thing...Ohana was quantity over quality.

Ok, the more I read the more I get scared about our reservation here :scared1:

Glad you're back posting again! I LOVED the cheese soup, but wasn't wowed by the steaks either. I preferred the Yachtsman much more over Le Cellier. That Moose looked great. In addition to the great cream cheese mashed potatoes I would also recommend the macaroni & cheese. We ordered a side of it when we had lunch there, it was some of the best macaroni & cheese I've ever had! And believe me I've tried some good ones!

Keep the reviews coming!

I didn't even see the mac & cheese on the menu .... now I'm sad ... that's a major food group in my mind :lmao:

Joining in late also!! Just read through the whole report & enjoying it. My DH & I are going in May & we have the DxDp so I was very interested in your report.
We are trying Narcoosees for the first time & I hope our service is better than yours was We are also trying Teppan Edo for the first time. Love your review We are staying at Beach Club so we want to try Beaches & Cream also!! This is our 25th Anniv. trip & the first one without our boys.

Enjoying all your reviews:thumbsup2

When will you be there in May? We will be there in May and staying at the Beach Club as well. Great minds think alike huh :thumbsup2 We will only be celebrating our 2 year anniversary. Major congrats on such a big anniversary!!!!

Just read the whole thing!

Can't wait to read the rest.

Thank you for reading :goodvibes

this is a great report. It makes me soo hungry and we have to wait until October!!!

It will be here quicker than you know it!!;)

Still loving your report! :thumbsup2 I haven't been here in a while and I just caught up. Great! One question...At Beaches & Cream, do you get appetizers on the DxDDP? Maybe that's why you got the chili for free? I'm wondering because we're getting the DxDDP for the first time for our May trip and Beaches & Cream is definately on our list!

No, there aren't appetizers at B&C ... I never thought about that being why we didn't get charged for the chili ... great point! Where are you staying in May?

Love your reviews!

Thank you!!!

Joining in quite late, but thoroughly enjoying your review! I love the honesty and all the photos. I was getting so hungry, I had to break into my stash of Girl Scout cookies while I read the rest. I do have to say that I agree with you on Le Cellier. We enjoyed our meal and thought it was very good, but it hasn't made our "must-do" list for this next trip. There are just so many places to try out!

Thank you very much! I agree, there are tons of places to try and too little time to do it in :rotfl:

Love your reviews! The pictures really help for those of us who haven't been to any of these places. I'm sorry about your Le Cellier experience. I don't feel so bad now about not getting in on my upcoming trip.

Keep up the good work. My mouth is watering!

Gina in Vancouver BC, Canada.

Thank you for reading :goodvibes

Great reviews! I'm getting hungry just reading them.

Thank you, thank you!!

I am up late because I am sick and can't sleep. Let me tell you I am starving now that I have read these great reviews. Can't wait to read more!!!

I promise to start updating again soon!

Hi!:goodvibes I am really enjoying your trip report.:thumbsup2 Thank you for posting so many delicious pictures.:thumbsup2 We have been trying to decide about DDP and I think I want to try it now. There are too many awsome restaurants to pass up. I can't wait to read more about your trip.

Thanks for joining along!

Just came across your reviews. Hubby and I are going in September for our anniversary with 16 nights on the DDDP:eek: I am loving your reports, especially as you are eating in many of the places on our list. Loved the sound of Teppan Edo, that is definitely on my list. Looking forward to Artist Point (we loved it there) and I am now adding Beaches and Cream to our ADRs too.

Looking forward to more.

Wow .... 16 days!! Will you be doing a report??

I finally caught up! I'm enjoying your reviews!

I feel the same way about LeCellier. DH loves going there, so we almost always end up with a reservation for it, but I just am not blown away by it. Mostly for me, it's because I'm not a big eater, and it's hard to find something that won't just be a waste. But I am not a huge fan of the cheese soup either. To each his own, I suppose! ;)

Yep, a lot of people love it, just not us :)

OK, so I'm 5 months late in discovering your reviews Better late than never though! Really looking forward to your next installment, as we're doing the DxDP in September.

Don't feel bad that it took you five months to find the report .... it's sad that it's taking me over 5 months to write it :laughing:

cant wait to read the whole thing,

Thank you, I truly hope to finish it soon!

Can't wait to read more.

I'm working on more updates now :thumbsup2

[heathere3]

So I'm very late joining in, but I've really enjoyed it. I make my ADR's in a little over a week so your review has been great for jogging my memory. We're taking my best friend for her first trip, so I'm planning a little differently than normal.

I'm so sorry you had a so-so experience at Le Cellier. We've been twice and enjoyed it both times. We both agreed, however, that we had a much better experience there with lunch than dinner.

The first time I was dying to try the mushroom risotto, but have an allergy to one specific type of mushroom. The chef was awesome, but because it was a mix of mushrooms and he hadn't roasted them first thing that morning, he couldn't guarantee my no-go one wasn't in it. So no risotto for me. DH ordered to for himself though (the mean man!) and the smell... oh my lord, the smell alone was heavenly. :sad2: I decided to risk it and stole a single mouthful from his plate. :rolleyes1: And it MORE than lived up to the hype! Unfortunately, it must have had crimini's in it because I paid the rest of the day (oh, how I paid!) but it was worth the price!! It was by far, my favourite food of the entire trip. I'm a well done steak girl myself, and it was the only one I had where it was well done, yet still melted in my mouth.

[cdotla]

Yay! Eagerly awaiting the next installment!:thumbsup2

[Vavy]

Great Reviews - looking forward to more!

[Gouden Leeuw]

Hey everyone!! I'm so excited to have so many readers - it makes me feel like this report serves an actual purpose :rotfl: Sorry to have left ya'll hanging for a couple of days, work has sent us into overload with all this state stuff coming up :surfweb:

Anywhoooo......

After our AMAZING first meal of the trip we decided to wander around Downtown Disney for a while so we could let all of our food settle. Now, if you recall we did not order dessert at dinner. This is not because we are crazies who dislike dessert it's because we HAD to go to Goofy's Candy Company ;)

I had read so much about the create your own treat stuff that I just knew I had to make one for myself. Originally Candi said he was just going to get a plain 'ol caramel apple - his favorite guilty pleasure - but after we got there he said he felt left out :rotfl2: Needless to say, he joined in on all the ooey gooey sugary fun!!

It was crazy crowded in there, I'm guessing this is normal :confused3 and when we placed our orders we counted 15 ahead of ours :scared1: We decided to take the time to roam around and check out all the yumminess <-- that's a real word just so ya know :lmao:

After a little while we headed back over to the little create your own station to watch them make everybody's treats. Soon enough they got to ours

No no no, not the girl actually making something - the girl on the OTHER side reading the order - the poor thing got told off so bad right after this because they don't dip their apples in caramel at the time of the order :sad2: No worries, I promise we were not the ones who yelled at her.

After letting everything soak up all the chocolate one piece of food could possibly soak up, they boxed it up for us to take back to the hotel.


MMMMMM, yummy little treat that I wish I could have right now!!

We took them around to the cash register to pay and were told that neither one qualified as a snack credit. WHAT :eek: I mean, I knew the apple wouldn't count because it costs like, a bazillion dollars. But, I could have sworn that every report I ever read said that my treat counted. Oh well, here's some more money for ya Disney :lmao:

When we got back to the room we popped in a movie and enjoyed the best dessert ever

Mine - three pretzels rods dipped in milk chocolate, coated in peanut butter chips and drizzled with more milk chocolate - $3.50.

This was absolutely divine. It was the perfect combination of salty and sweet which is exactly what I was hoping for and the peanut butter chips gave it that little something extra. Candi also tried a bite and said it was good but that it had too much chocolate :scared1:. I wasn't able to finish them all that night but I did wrap up the remaining two and finish those another night!

Candi's - red caramel apple dipped in white chocolate (the only kind of chocolate he will eat), coated in nuts and drizzled with more white chocolate - $8.95.

He said he was actually nervous to taste this because he was afraid he had ruined a perfectly good caramel apple :rotfl: In the end he said it was very good but that he still prefers the original. I had a bite and thought it was just ok, but then again I don't like white chocolate.

Overall, I would most definitely go back to Goofy's Candy Company for more treats. Candi said he would try something different or just buy a plain old caramel apple but I really want to do a rice krispy treat and marshmallows and a gingerbread man - ok, ok, I really want to try one of everything :rotfl2:. Even though they didn't count as a snack credit I still really enjoyed it and didn't mind paying for it out of pocket.

Total Spent: $14.33 after tax. After they rung us up I found out that they charged me $1.00 for an extra topping :confused3 I'm not sure why but since it was only $1.00 I didn't say anything about it.

No snack credits were used since neither counted as a snack. I guess it only counts if you get one pretzel rod or the marshmallows. Somebody please correct me if this is wrong.

** Completely off topic, but can somebody explain to me how I can put links on my front page to where I can put the name of the restaurant but that is the link for the page where you can read the review? Thanks so much :goodvibes

A little late....... but signing on!

OMG I am drooling over the pretzels...again....I saw a review for Goofy's Candy Company the other week and I told my DBF we have to go to this on our upcoming trip. I was not aware that they also had candy apples... they are my downfall too...there might be a few visits to this store.....

Cant wait for more reviews!!!

Cheers

[ariel1025]

So I'm very late joining in, but I've really enjoyed it. I make my ADR's in a little over a week so your review has been great for jogging my memory. We're taking my best friend for her first trip, so I'm planning a little differently than normal.

I'm so sorry you had a so-so experience at Le Cellier. We've been twice and enjoyed it both times. We both agreed, however, that we had a much better experience there with lunch than dinner.

The first time I was dying to try the mushroom risotto, but have an allergy to one specific type of mushroom. The chef was awesome, but because it was a mix of mushrooms and he hadn't roasted them first thing that morning, he couldn't guarantee my no-go one wasn't in it. So no risotto for me. DH ordered to for himself though (the mean man!) and the smell... oh my lord, the smell alone was heavenly. :sad2: I decided to risk it and stole a single mouthful from his plate. :rolleyes1: And it MORE than lived up to the hype! Unfortunately, it must have had crimini's in it because I paid the rest of the day (oh, how I paid!) but it was worth the price!! It was by far, my favourite food of the entire trip. I'm a well done steak girl myself, and it was the only one I had where it was well done, yet still melted in my mouth.

I'm so glad to hear that you're experiences with Le Cellier have been good ones :thumbsup2 That's too bad that you're allergic to a food that you love ... mushrooms are one food I could live forever without :sick::laughing:

Yay! Eagerly awaiting the next installment!:thumbsup2

Thank you for being patient :goodvibes

Great Reviews - looking forward to more!

Thank you very much!

A little late....... but signing on!

OMG I am drooling over the pretzels...again....I saw a review for Goofy's Candy Company the other week and I told my DBF we have to go to this on our upcoming trip. I was not aware that they also had candy apples... they are my downfall too...there might be a few visits to this store.....

Cant wait for more reviews!!!

Cheers

Oh my goodness, you most definitely have to go to Goofy's .... it is like heaven built in a store :rotfl2:

[ariel1025]

This morning had us back at Epcot .... this time for breakfast at Akershus. We were already in love with Cinderella's Breakfast and were interested to see the differences in this princess meal. As with our last Princess breakfast we had a reservation at 8:30 a.m., which was before park opening. Now, if you will remember correctly the pre-park opening breakfast at MK left me desiring something more, so I wasn't expecting too much out of this one after that...

Now, in order to be fair, you guys need to know that this morning did not get off to the best start. We were getting towards the end of our trip and were just downright tired so we got a late start.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1184.jpg
This is what time we boarded the bus to get to Epcot from Animal Kingdom Lodge .... 7:43!

I was in too big of rush to take a picture when we arrived, but it was about 8:20 - talk about cutting it close. There was already a line to get through bag check and this did not help my frustration over getting a late start at all. Once we got through there we realized that there was a separate line for those with early reservations .... difference one between Akershus and Cinderella's :thumbsup2 We got in line and had to provide our last name and our reservation number with the super sweet CM .... difference two between Akershus and Cinderella's :thumbsup2 Once we were let through the turnstiles we stumbled upon

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1186.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1187.jpg

A COMPLETELY EMPTY EPCOT .... difference three between Akershus and Cinderella's!!! This fact alone made my frustrated attitude disappear. This was the entire reason that I wanted such early reservations and Epcot was able to provide this for me!!!

However, the fact still remained that we were running late so, we hightailed it over to Norway to check-in.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1188.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1190.jpg

Now, I guess we overreacted a little too much about running late because after checking in we had to wait

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1189.jpg
and wait .... and wait .... and wait .... difference four between Akershus and Cinderella's :sad2: To be fair, this could be because we were a little late checking in; about 5 minutes to be exact.

Here is a look of the castle/banquet hall where you eat
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1191.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1192.jpg

We were finally called up to be seated and proceeded to stand in a line to wait our turn to take pictures

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1193.jpg
This was immediately upon entering the hall

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1194.jpg
This was the seating area directly in front as you entered and a look at the costumes all of the male CMs wear there.

After about 5 more minutes it was our turn to take our picture and much to my delight it was with Belle in her yellow ball gown!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1195.jpg

As with Cinderella's you get a photo package which is included with the cost of your meal that includes an 8x10 and several 4x6s. If you are buying the photopass CD make sure to get your photopass number off the large picture to add all the shots they took to your CD. The image above was actually the one taken with my camera, because I did not like the way our faces looked in the ones that they took. However, the ones they took were much more centered and full length shots!

After our picture, we were seated (in a different seating area than the one shown above) and our waitress came immediately to get our drink order and explain the process. At Akershus they have a buffet of "cold" items and pastries that you, of course, serve yourself. The "hot" items, referred to as the skillet are brought to your table - all items are all you can eat. Our waitress was Merethe and she was fantastic from start to finish!

Once she left to fill our drink orders we made our way over to the buffet

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1196.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1197.jpg
Can you guess which plate belonged to who :rotfl:

The buffet had several types of pastries, fruit, fish, and other meats. Overall, it was really good and everything tasted very fresh.

Merethe brought us our drinks immediately and allowed us to enjoy our current plates before brining us the skillet, which we both appreciated. Once she could see that we were about halfway through those plates she brought out the rest of our food

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1198.jpg
Sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and cheesy potatoes.

All the food was good, not great, but good!

It was about this time that the Princess parade began - there was some music that started playing and then they all began to come out. As soon as the first visited two or three tables, the next one would come out. There wasn't a big production that went along with it .... difference five.:

They all came around rather quickly and we didn't get a chance to really eat during this time.

First up was Princess Aurora.

We were seated by the check-in podium and the CM up there noticed we were doing separate pictures and jumped in insisting we get a group shot as well

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1201.jpg

Princess Aurora did not converse with us at all other than to ask if we would like a picture.

Next up was Cinderella
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1202.jpg
She actually almost completely skipped our table and then Merethe came by and said "don't forget about our lovely couple over here."

Following Cinderella was Snow White

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1206.jpg

She was more interactive asking us about our trip and how long we had been married etc.

The last Princess of the day was Ariel .... my absolute favorite of all ... ever since I went to see Little Mermaid for my 7th birthday I have been in love with her!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1207.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m276/shanz1025/WDW-6/DSC_1209.jpg
She was the most into her role - telling Candi that he looked just like Prince Eric, only her Prince didn't wear such peculiar "thing-a-ma-bobs" on his head :lmao:

The entire interaction from start to finish lasted about 10 minutes. I did notice that they were definitely interacting a lot more at tables with children, which is fine, but is also difference number six :sad2:

Our Overall Thoughts on Akershus:

Epcot definitely provided more of a VIP feeling when having a "before park opening" reservation. They were very strict about not letting anybody in who didn't have a reservation before the park opened. Once you got inside the park they also didn't push you along or make you rush to your destination; which we had been worried about for both early reservations. Akershus itself provides a very quaint atmosphere and is charming in it's own right. The service was beyond exceptional, both from our waitress and the host at the front podium. We were slightly frustrated that we had to wait so long to be seated, almost 45 minutes, but again it could have been our own faults for being late. We are slightly spoiled from all the food being brought to your table at Cinderella's, so didn't much enjoy the buffet stand. Speaking of which was a very tight space with so many people pushing and shoving to get through. The food itself was enjoyable but nothing exceptionally memorable. If I had to choose between the two Princess meals than Cinderella's would win hands down. However, if you are looking for a less expensive alternative than Akershus is not a bad option.

Starting Credits:

Snack - 18 (9 each)

Meal - 22 (11 each)

Credits Used vs Cost:

Diet Coke, Iced Tea, buffet and hot skillet - 2 table service credits used - $61.46 including tax

[Princess654]

When we go in december we are doing BOTH CRT and Akershus. I loved your review. I am looking for all princess and character meals :) since we will be traveling with out 5 year old birthday girl. I am going to have to arrange my ADR's so that we get into all the parks pre-opening :giggle: Did you see Princess Tiana at any of the meals? Since it was the first movie that DD was old enough to see in theaters she is very excited when she sees tiana stuff.

[englishrose47]

I too am thinking of trying Akersus one day !!! I really liked the look of the buffet items !!!

[Disney71]

Just found your trip report... and DH and I are enjoying your dining reviews!! :thumbsup2

[englishrose47]

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b25/elgatobx/CATCOLOREASTERART.jpg

[vettegirl]

Great breakfast review.

[ariel1025]

When we go in december we are doing BOTH CRT and Akershus. I loved your review. I am looking for all princess and character meals :) since we will be traveling with out 5 year old birthday girl. I am going to have to arrange my ADR's so that we get into all the parks pre-opening :giggle: Did you see Princess Tiana at any of the meals? Since it was the first movie that DD was old enough to see in theaters she is very excited when she sees tiana stuff.

Thank you for reading. We did not see Princess Tiana at any of our meals; just the "originals" - Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White ... I'm sure there will be awesome photo spots for Tiana at the parks though :thumbsup2 I hope you and your family have a fantastic vacation!

I too am thinking of trying Akersus one day !!! I really liked the look of the buffet items !!!

The buffet was quite enjoyable :goodvibes

Just found your trip report... and DH and I are enjoying your dining reviews!! :thumbsup2

Thank you so much for reading!!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b25/elgatobx/CATCOLOREASTERART.jpg

Thank you, I hope you had a wonderful Easter :goodvibes

Great breakfast review.

Thank you!

[angelsmith52]

Great reviews! We went to Akershus last May for my little girl! She is a princess herself and enjoyed all of them coming to the table "just to see her" even though we had 3 other children with us. LOL!!!