Did we come for the rides or the food?!?! - 14 Days of Dining COMPLETE!

[The_Aviator]

Hi everyone!

We recently got back from our 2nd trip to Walt Disney World. It was definitely a success and we had a great experience on the Disney Dining Plan. We ate at a huge variety of different restaurants and it really made our vacation special.

But before going any further, let's meet the crew!!! Here we are enjoying the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Left - Dad (DD)
Right - Sister (DS)
Bottom - Mum (DM)
Top - Me!

And now on with the reviews!

There will be no need for y'all to search through all the pages, I'll keep this post updated with links to each meal. Below is a list of all the places we went. Remember, there will also be snacks along the way!

December 18th:

Dinner - Wolfgang Puck Express

December 19th:

Lunch - Sunshine Seasons Food Court
Dinner - 50's Prime Time Cafe

December 20th:

Lunch - Columbia Harbor House
Snack - Aloha Isle
Dinner - 1900 Park Fare

December 21st:

Lunch - Yakitori House
Snack - Boulangerie Patisserie
Dinner - Cape May Cafe Clambake

December 22nd:

Lunch - Pepper Market
Dinner - Maya Grill

December 23rd:

Snack - Panchito's and Cafe Rix
Lunch - Fairfax Fare
Snack - Ice-Creams and Coffee
Snack - Sassagoula Floatworks
Dinner - Raglan Road

December 24th:

Snack - Complimentary Holiday Goodies at the CSR
Lunch - Le Cellier
Snack - Karamelle Kuche and Pretzel Cart
Dinner - Les Chefs de France

December 25th:

Snack - Panchito's and Cafe Rix
Lunch - Starring Rolls and Fairfax Fare
Snack - Hollywood Scoops
Dinner - Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano

December 26th:

Lunch - Casey's Corner / Turkey Leg Stand
Snack - Casey's Corner and Churro Cart
Dinner - Liberty Tree Tavern

December 27th:

Lunch - Restaurantosaurus
Snack - Kusafiri Bakery
Dinner - Boma

December 28th:

Snack - Panchito's
Lunch - Wolfgang Puck Express
Snacks - Sleepy Hollow and Mrs. Pott's Cupboard
Dinner - Kona Cafe

December 29th:

Lunch - Pepper Market
Snacks - Panchito's
Dinner - Pepper Market

(By the way, all three links above link to the same article)

Conclusion to the DDP - A DDP Analysis​

And then the surprise extra days!!! (An experience without the DDP)

December 30th:

Breakfast - Cafe Rix
Lunch - Earl of Sandwich and a Margarita
Dinner - Maya Grill

December 31st:

Lunch - Cafe Rix

Further DDP Analysis!​

The Final Conclusion​

I'm sure that many people, we included, have trouble gauging the value of taking the DDP. For this reason, I'll be keeping a running total going of the cost of all our food. I haven't even thought of calculating it yet, so it will be a surprise for all of us!

I won't be adding any specific ratings to any of the meals, but I will be posting how we felt about each meal and whether or not we would return etc.

Now lets get the food pics rolling!

 

[Hootiss]

Looking forward to your reviews Great family picture!

 

[The_Aviator]

Just a few hours earlier we had stepped off the plane after a roughly 20hr journey from Sydney, Australia to Orlando.

But there was no stopping us, after checking in we were off to Downtown Disney to head to a WDW favourite, Wolfgang Puck Express!

I'll apologise straight away for the lack of pictures in this particular post. I was pretty tired and still new to the whole idea of this "Disboards food journalism" thing

So DS ordered Chicken Tenders and DM ordered the salmon, while DD and I ordered the Spaghetti & Meatballs. Did I mention our little family competition to see who would make the most value out of the DDP? DM was already pulling ahead!! For dessert we all got the Creme Brulee and to drink DM, DD and DS had bottled water while I had a fountain drink, Minute Maid lemonade.

Despite being told while queuing that the wait for an inside table could be up to 20 minutes, when she asked us where we wanted to sit she was able to get us an inside table immediately! The atmosphere of the restaurant itself was nice.

And here are the pictures!

My spaghetti and meatballs...

And the Creme Brulee!

Everyone seemed to approve their meals. The spaghetti serving was generous and it was pretty good, although DD and I probably would have preferred if the sauce was a little thicker. I would still have it again though! (Which I did BTW )

The Creme Brulee itself was pretty good. As others have said, perhaps it may be pre-prepared but I couldn't really fault it for a CS dessert. The only thing I didn't like was the strawberry, which wasn't as sweet as I am used to! I'm sure it's just a seasonal thing and not the fault of the restaurant however.

Service provided by the staff was good. We were very happy that they were able to get us a table inside, and they brought the meals and dessert out quickly for us.

Overall, this was an excellent meal and we did make the effort to return later in the trip. I reckon that this restaurant must be just about the best use of a CS credit while on the Dining Plan. Even if you aren't on the Dining Plan, the speedy service and quality of the food make this place a good option in Downtown Disney.

Cost:

4 CS credits used - 40 remaining
Bill Total - $98.67 (avg $24.67ea)
Running Total - $98.67

NEXT UP: Sunshine Seasons!

 

[NikkiMouse]

Yum! Great start to your vacation and your trip report. Very interested to read more as you ate at a few places I am planning on visiting this October. Keep em rolling!

 

[darthtatty]

great start.

It looks like you got a bad batch of sauce, ive seen lots of pic of the spaghetti and meatballs-ive never seen the sauce that runny.

I can wait to try them in August

 

[auntfrannie]

I really enjoy WPE, also! I agree that it's a great use of CS credits; there's such a wide variety and the servings are very generous.

I'm glad you got the chance to go to Earl of Sandwich because that's another really good CS place!

 

[TigerKat]

Signing on!

 

[Granfan]

Looking forward to your reviews. Our next trip is Nov/Dec this year.

 

[loganpaulsmom]

U have lots of restaurants on your plan.. I am SO looking forward to reading more about your trip and the restaurants that you ate at..

 

[lblume91]

I'm in! Great family pic!!

 

[lilandvisma]

Reading along Great so far!

 

[MishyMouse]

Can't wait to read more. Love the family pic!

 

[The_Aviator]

Looking forward to your reviews Great family picture!

Thanks!

Yum! Great start to your vacation and your trip report. Very interested to read more as you ate at a few places I am planning on visiting this October. Keep em rolling!

I hope they are helpful for you

great start.

It looks like you got a bad batch of sauce, ive seen lots of pic of the spaghetti and meatballs-ive never seen the sauce that runny.

I can wait to try them in August

Yeah the sauce was very runny, you're probably right. I hope you enjoy them when you visit on your trip!

I really enjoy WPE, also! I agree that it's a great use of CS credits; there's such a wide variety and the servings are very generous.

I'm glad you got the chance to go to Earl of Sandwich because that's another really good CS place!

Yeah, both were very good! Perhaps they should consider opening some WPE's and EOS's at the parks!

Signing on!

Thanks for joining!

Looking forward to your reviews. Our next trip is Nov/Dec this year.

You will love WDW in December, it is just sooo magical.

U have lots of restaurants on your plan.. I am SO looking forward to reading more about your trip and the restaurants that you ate at..

I hope you'll enjoy the reviews!

I'm in! Great family pic!!

Thank-you!

Reading along Great so far!

Thank-you!

Can't wait to read more. Love the family pic!

Thank-you!

 

[Jonesloonybin]

Wow, that is a long plane ride!

I can't wait to read more. We are going on our first trip to The World in May and we will be eating at some of the same places.

Terri

 

[The_Aviator]

So we went to Epcot, and decided that Sunshine Seasons would probably be a good place for lunch. It was a place we hadn't eaten at before and the menus we had seen online looked good.

The restaurant was pretty packed, but everything in the ordering area seemed to be moving smoothly.

So DM ordered Cashew Chicken, DS ordered Mongolian Beef and DD and I ordered Rotisserie Chicken. For dessert DM had a fruit salad, DS had a brownie, DD ordered the Mousse cake and I ordered a Strawberry Shortcake! To drink we got a fountain soda, regular coffee and two bottled waters.

Just a note here, when we dined and ordered drinks at CS places we always asked for a large one and it was always covered on the DDP. Just letting y'all know so you can get the large drinks instead of the smaller ones when you visit!

And now for the best part, the pictures!

Here's DS's Mongolian Beef. She found it pretty good.

And her dessert, the brownie...

And here is my entree

And my dessert!

I forgot to take a picture of DM's meal, but if I remember correctly she had hers with noodles.

We were all happy with our meals. The servings once again were very big. At home we don't usually get 1/2 chicken with our meals, generally they serve 1/4 chicken! The rice pilaf and beans were also great sides, however DD wasn't a big fan of the rice pilaf. I believe they had other choices as well for the sides but DD and I both got the same thing. DM and DS both liked their Asian choices. As for the desserts, DS and DD liked theirs but found them very rich! I thought mine was perfect, it wasn't too sweet but it wasn't bland either. I have to thank AJ from the Disney Food Blog for alerting me to this fabulous dessert, if not for the article I would never have thought of getting this! DM didn't have anything bad to say about her fruit salad, either.

Of course at these park CS meals there really isn't much of a staff service aspect. However, the staff serving the meals and the checkout staff were friendly and efficient. The cleaning staff were also doing a great job keeping tables clean.

Overall, I think Sunshine Seasons is probably a pretty good place to visit for a CS meal. The entrees are $10 each I believe, which represents fairly good value for a DDP credit. In the Future World area we have dined at the Electric Umbrella and this place. In my opinion I think it's safe to say that this is a far better option for CS dining in Future World. If we were looking for a CS meal in Epcot on a future trip, this would probably be one of the places we wouldn't mind returning to.

Cost:

4 CS credits used, 36 remaining
Bill Total - $67.52 (avg $16.88ea)
Running Total - $166.19

NEXT UP: Dining at 50's PTC!

 

[Belle5]

Enjoying your reviews!

 

[klacey1]

Great reviews so far-- we can't wait to eat at Sunshine Seasons our next trip!

 

[Tinker12]

Doing great with the reviews! Keep it coming!

 

[The_Aviator]

Wow, that is a long plane ride!

I can't wait to read more. We are going on our first trip to The World in May and we will be eating at some of the same places.

Terri

It is a long plane ride, but having a Disney vacation at the end makes it all the more bearable

I'm sure you'll enjoy your first trip to The World, hopefully my reviews will be helpful for you

Enjoying your reviews!

Thanks!

Great reviews so far-- we can't wait to eat at Sunshine Seasons our next trip!

I hope you like it as much as we do!

Doing great with the reviews! Keep it coming!

Thanks!

 

[The_Aviator]

After watching the early Candlelight Processional at Epcot we raced down to HS for our 50's Prime Time Cafe ADR at 7:05pm. We arrived a little early and relaxed here in the lounge!

Don't you love that tree?

Well luckily the restaurant wasn't too busy and they were able to seat us about ten minutes before our ADR. So far, so good!


Our waitress (or should I say, cousin?) was Sara. She was nice and very helpful, but I don't think she was as into the whole set-up as some of the others. This was fine with us. While we wanted to have a bit of fun we didn't really want to have anything over the top! Sara did the regular stuff, like throwing the cutlery and napkins on the table and warning us about elbows on the table

To drink, DM had a Diet Coke, DS had a Chocolate Milkshake and DD ordered a Merlot.

I had the famous PB&J shake! For those of you that haven't heard of this wonder yet, it is pretty much a vanilla milkshake with big chunks of peanut butter in it! Very, very yummy, and there was enough to quench the thirst of a large army! DS says that her chocolate shake was to DIE FOR!!

And now onto the entrees....

Mum ordered the Salmon

Dad ordered the pork tenderloin

DS Rachel ordered the Fried Chicken

And I ordered the steak

Really no complaints with my dish, the steak was cooked as requested and the cheesy potatoes were really nice! The beans weren't too bad either. However, DS didn't really like her southern greens that were served with the fried chicken and was eyeing DD's and my green beans. She did like the chicken though! DD asked Sara for some pepper sauce if I remember correctly, which she brought out promptly. DM had no complaints with her dish. We were more than happy with the serving sizes!

After finishing our meals Sara brought out Clean Plate club stickers! No spoon-feeding of vegetables here folks!

And then onto the desserts. Sadly, no viewfinder was provided

Mum ordered the no sugar added cheesecake. I don't remember her having any complaints

And the rest of us ordered the famous Brownie Sundae!

Ummm maybe they should consider renaming this the calorie avalanche or something?

But yeah, it was really really good! I wasn't such a big fan of the popcorn (never really liked the stuff - DM liked it though) but everything else was really good! Sadly I wasn't able to finish the whole serving, and I think it is something I will regret for many years to come

The kitchen staff were very quick with preparing the meals. They all came out very quickly, but they had still taken the time to ensure that everything had been prepared according to our wishes.

Overall, I reckon that the 50's Prime Time Cafe is a pretty good spot to eat, especially for a theme park. We would all be happy to return in the future, although I'm sure there are other restaurants that we haven't visited yet that would be just as good!

Cost:

4 TS Credits Used - 40 remaining
Bill Total - $122.57 (avg $30.64ea)
Running Total - $288.76

And of course, right after dinner we were off to see the fabulous Dancing lights!

Sadly no snacks today, although there will be snacks coming up soon!

NEXT UP: An early lunch at Columbia Harbor House!