creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
Hands down, California Grill.
Only 3 Pound Weight Gain? A DxDP Review upd 2/9 Yachtsman and Final Thoughts
- Thread starter creativeamanda
- Start date
Hands down, California Grill.
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
That morning, we headed to Animal Kingdom for AM EMH. We rode Expedition Everest several times, and then stopped for breakfast at Pizzafari. In the past, they had biscuits and gravy for a snack credit, but this was taken off the menu, so I paid out of pocket for a bounty platter:
from the top, clockwise: sausage and bacon, biscuit, potatoes, eggs, and french toast.
We shared this and it was just okay.
Later, we shared this at Boulangerie Patisserie:
creme brulee. It was good, not as good as at Chefs, but good.
I'll leave ratings alone for these. Suffice it to say, this was an okay set of meals.
from the top, clockwise: sausage and bacon, biscuit, potatoes, eggs, and french toast.
We shared this and it was just okay.
Later, we shared this at Boulangerie Patisserie:
creme brulee. It was good, not as good as at Chefs, but good.
I'll leave ratings alone for these. Suffice it to say, this was an okay set of meals.
amandaw
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2011
Good to know! I will be trying hard on my 180 day to get an ADR for California Grill then. It'll be nice to have a date night at CR since that's where we'll be staying. Although, we'll have to go to either Poly or WL to bring our DS to a kids club. Oh well...they're both close. He loved the Neverland Club in October, so we may choose that one again.
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
We discovered this summer 2011 as we were trying to find a good breakfast there. They used to have biscuits and gravy and it was a snack credit, but they do not anymore. That was disappointing, but it's a good option there in Animal Kingdom.
I know plenty of people have done the Poly for their dinners at CG. It's right there on the monorail, so it is pretty convenient.
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
Dinner that night was at one of our favorites. . .Cape May Café.
Cape May for dinner is a clam bake buffet. It is in my opinion, not the best seafood, but comparable to what you would find at Myrtle Beach in one of the buffets there.
Sweetie and I were seated very close to our 5:15pm ADR time, if not earlier. We ordered our drinksCoke for Sweetie, Diet Coke for me, and went to the buffet.
My plate: clams, mussels, pasta, potatoes, and crab legs
Sweeties: Shrimp, crab legs, roast beef, crab legs, and potatoes.
I know I went back for some more crab legs, but I did not get a picture.
My major problem with seafood is I can keep eating it without stopping. I love it that much. Im glad this was the only trip here, or I would have gained 30, not 3 pounds.
On to desserts:
Sweetie got
Oreo bonbons, which she adores
I got:
Oreo bonbon, boston crème cake, cookie bar of some sort, and flan.
Overall, this was an okay trip there. Some of the food was running out quick and the staff was simply not keeping up. I dont know that my feelings were completely fair, as it was the night after CaliGrill. Either way, we enjoyed our trip here to our favorite resort.
Anyway, our ratings for Cape May Café:
Service: 4not over the top, but okay
Atmosphere: 4I love the atmosphere of the Beach Club
Food Quality: 3not the best, but standard fare
Value: 3not a good deal oop at $40+, but good for DDP
Overall: 3.5
Cape May for dinner is a clam bake buffet. It is in my opinion, not the best seafood, but comparable to what you would find at Myrtle Beach in one of the buffets there.
Sweetie and I were seated very close to our 5:15pm ADR time, if not earlier. We ordered our drinksCoke for Sweetie, Diet Coke for me, and went to the buffet.
My plate: clams, mussels, pasta, potatoes, and crab legs
Sweeties: Shrimp, crab legs, roast beef, crab legs, and potatoes.
I know I went back for some more crab legs, but I did not get a picture.
My major problem with seafood is I can keep eating it without stopping. I love it that much. Im glad this was the only trip here, or I would have gained 30, not 3 pounds.
On to desserts:
Sweetie got
Oreo bonbons, which she adores
I got:
Oreo bonbon, boston crème cake, cookie bar of some sort, and flan.
Overall, this was an okay trip there. Some of the food was running out quick and the staff was simply not keeping up. I dont know that my feelings were completely fair, as it was the night after CaliGrill. Either way, we enjoyed our trip here to our favorite resort.
Anyway, our ratings for Cape May Café:
Service: 4not over the top, but okay
Atmosphere: 4I love the atmosphere of the Beach Club
Food Quality: 3not the best, but standard fare
Value: 3not a good deal oop at $40+, but good for DDP
Overall: 3.5
dmiller64152
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2013
Curious if you had to pay out of pocket the first day, or chose to. We're have the plan for 8 nights, but we leave EARLY the last day so won't have any dining.
We can start using the DDP as soon as we check in, right???
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
Yes, you can use the dining plan at check in. THis day, we weren't checked into the resort we had our plan booked for. We had a room only reservation at POP Century and had the dining plan for the next reservation that started the next day. So, you can use the dining plan the moment you check in on the package. We've checked in before at like 7 am and used our first credits within 30 minutes of check in. YOu could actually use every single one of your credits on the first day if you were so inclined. Hope that helps.
amandaw
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2011
Seems like y'all had an overall good dinner @ Cape May.
I don't think it's a place we'll ever go to for dinner. Ed is not a huge seafood lover. And while I do love seafood and could it everyday, I can get really awesome seafood down here in south Louisiana. I'd be afraid to bring Ed there and it just be mediocre.
I don't think it's a place we'll ever go to for dinner. Ed is not a huge seafood lover. And while I do love seafood and could it everyday, I can get really awesome seafood down here in south Louisiana. I'd be afraid to bring Ed there and it just be mediocre.
jesswindsor
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 3, 2011
Really enjoying your report!!
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
That is a big possibility here. I think that Cape May is not incredible, but just pretty good. As far as buffets go, though, I like the option of a non character buffet.
Thank you!
rachel09985
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
Wait when did you go to Cape May?? Did they bring back their oreo bon bons!???
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
Lunch this day was a first for us: Wolfgang Puck Express. This was a place I was interested in.
We ordered and found a seat. The server came and brought us our drinks, and we waited for him to bring our meals.
Sweetie had:
Chicken Fingers and French Fries
She liked them. Definitely better than regular CS options.
I had a turkey sandwich. I have to admit, that Sweetie's was better and in the future, I would not get this. It was still better than regular CS locations.
We both had this for dessert:
Creme brulee. Okay, again, not the best we've had there, but it was pretty good.
I liked the meal. It was not blow away awesome, but a great meal for a CS credit.
our ratings for Wolfgang Puck Express:
Service: 4--good for a CS
Atmosphere: 4nice environment, we were able to find a good table
Food Quality: 4not the best, but better than most CS
Value: 4great deal on the DDP as a CS location
Overall: 4
We ordered and found a seat. The server came and brought us our drinks, and we waited for him to bring our meals.
Sweetie had:
Chicken Fingers and French Fries
She liked them. Definitely better than regular CS options.
I had a turkey sandwich. I have to admit, that Sweetie's was better and in the future, I would not get this. It was still better than regular CS locations.
We both had this for dessert:
Creme brulee. Okay, again, not the best we've had there, but it was pretty good.
I liked the meal. It was not blow away awesome, but a great meal for a CS credit.
our ratings for Wolfgang Puck Express:
Service: 4--good for a CS
Atmosphere: 4nice environment, we were able to find a good table
Food Quality: 4not the best, but better than most CS
Value: 4great deal on the DDP as a CS location
Overall: 4
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
No, it's not like the typical one, and it was delicious!
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
Last time, I neglected breakfast! We were in Hollywood Studios that morning, so we naturally had to have the breakfast of champions. . .at Starring Rolls:
Sweetie had the Darth Vader Peanut Butter cupcake
I picked the Red Velvet Cupcake.
Both of us wanted to have some of the other cupcake, so we did this:
Now, I will say a few things about Starring Rolls. I won't so the service and all review, but it is definitely one of those places that have the appearance of being crowded. The location is really tiny--think the line at Starbucks, but smaller because there is no seating inside. But the line moves relatively fast and it's the one "must do" when I am at Disney.
Dinner that night was at Chefs de France.
I have had great experiences here and terrible ones. Sweetie likes this place because of the lobster bisque.
We were seated in a good location in the restaurant. We could see everyone as they were walking by.
Sweetie ordered this for her app:
Lobster bisque. This was not as good as she remembered. There was not as much lobster in the soup.
I had:
Onion Soup. It was delicious, as always.
Sweetie's entre:
Looking at it, it does not even look appetizing. She ate less than 1/4 of it, saying it just wasn't that good.
My entre:
St Jaques seafood.
This was terribly greasy. I had heartburn after this for the longest time.
Perhaps dessert would be redemptive:
Sweetie's mousse with biscotti
My creme brulee.
Both were delicious. We liked them and both of us felt afterward that if we ever came back to Chefs, we would not use dining credits, but would just pay for soup and dessert.
our ratings for Chefs de France:
Service: 2--the servers at Chefs always seem pretentious. I wonder if it is just a cultural difference.
Atmosphere: 4nice environment, we had a nice table
Food Quality: 2--the soup and dessert just don't make up for the almost inedible entres
Value: 3--again, this really is not the best use of a credit, when the only good things are soup and the dessert. This is not the first time we've made this observation at Chefs.
Overall: 2.75 Definitely the big FAIL for the trip. I won't be returning soon.
Sweetie had the Darth Vader Peanut Butter cupcake
I picked the Red Velvet Cupcake.
Both of us wanted to have some of the other cupcake, so we did this:
Now, I will say a few things about Starring Rolls. I won't so the service and all review, but it is definitely one of those places that have the appearance of being crowded. The location is really tiny--think the line at Starbucks, but smaller because there is no seating inside. But the line moves relatively fast and it's the one "must do" when I am at Disney.
Dinner that night was at Chefs de France.
I have had great experiences here and terrible ones. Sweetie likes this place because of the lobster bisque.
We were seated in a good location in the restaurant. We could see everyone as they were walking by.
Sweetie ordered this for her app:
Lobster bisque. This was not as good as she remembered. There was not as much lobster in the soup.
I had:
Onion Soup. It was delicious, as always.
Sweetie's entre:
Looking at it, it does not even look appetizing. She ate less than 1/4 of it, saying it just wasn't that good.
My entre:
St Jaques seafood.
This was terribly greasy. I had heartburn after this for the longest time.
Perhaps dessert would be redemptive:
Sweetie's mousse with biscotti
My creme brulee.
Both were delicious. We liked them and both of us felt afterward that if we ever came back to Chefs, we would not use dining credits, but would just pay for soup and dessert.
our ratings for Chefs de France:
Service: 2--the servers at Chefs always seem pretentious. I wonder if it is just a cultural difference.
Atmosphere: 4nice environment, we had a nice table
Food Quality: 2--the soup and dessert just don't make up for the almost inedible entres
Value: 3--again, this really is not the best use of a credit, when the only good things are soup and the dessert. This is not the first time we've made this observation at Chefs.
Overall: 2.75 Definitely the big FAIL for the trip. I won't be returning soon.
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
This morning brought us to the last day of Disney dining. As is family tradition, we made breakfast reservations at Crystal Palace. Crystal Palace is a buffet that can be very busy due to the Pooh and friends character interaction. It truly is good character interaction, but we were there for the food. We were seated in the left dining room, in really an awkward location, with a great view of the drink machines.
But we were there for breakfast, and most specifically to me, the puffed Franch toast.
Sweetie's first plate:
Scrambled eggs, biscuits, and potatoes.
She devoured it all, so it must have been good.
Me:
Potatoes, sausage, potato casserole, egg frittata, puffed French toast, strawberry.
It was good. . .not as good as I recalled.
It was at this point we went about 15 minutes with no drink refills. This is my major complaint about this location, and it is typical. They have you there for an hour so you can see all of the characters, but the drink refills don't come. It has happened every time I've been at Crystal Palace.
Finally after a refill, we headed back:
Big eater Sweetie
Yummy!
More puffed French toast and potatoes.
After this, we had to be rolled out.
I have a doctor who believes that you should eat a big breakfast in the morning because those calories don't count. I hope he's proud.
On to the ratings:
our ratings for Chefs de France:
Service: 0--I'm sorry, but when you are at a buffet, your major job is to refill drinks. Our server didn't do it. This is one of the few locations that I gave the server only 18% and that was all.
Atmosphere: 2--I hope to never be by the drink refills again
Food Quality: 3--I was disappointed that they did not have a mixed fruit I am fond of--blackberries, blueberries, raspberries. In the past during the same week it was there and went really well with the French toast.
Value: 4--this is a real good choice for a meal and seeing the Pooh characters without waiting in long lines
Overall: 2.25--lower than Chefs, but the food was better which made Chefs still the big loser.
But we were there for breakfast, and most specifically to me, the puffed Franch toast.
Sweetie's first plate:
Scrambled eggs, biscuits, and potatoes.
She devoured it all, so it must have been good.
Me:
Potatoes, sausage, potato casserole, egg frittata, puffed French toast, strawberry.
It was good. . .not as good as I recalled.
It was at this point we went about 15 minutes with no drink refills. This is my major complaint about this location, and it is typical. They have you there for an hour so you can see all of the characters, but the drink refills don't come. It has happened every time I've been at Crystal Palace.
Finally after a refill, we headed back:
Big eater Sweetie
Yummy!
More puffed French toast and potatoes.
After this, we had to be rolled out.
I have a doctor who believes that you should eat a big breakfast in the morning because those calories don't count. I hope he's proud.
On to the ratings:
our ratings for Chefs de France:
Service: 0--I'm sorry, but when you are at a buffet, your major job is to refill drinks. Our server didn't do it. This is one of the few locations that I gave the server only 18% and that was all.
Atmosphere: 2--I hope to never be by the drink refills again
Food Quality: 3--I was disappointed that they did not have a mixed fruit I am fond of--blackberries, blueberries, raspberries. In the past during the same week it was there and went really well with the French toast.
Value: 4--this is a real good choice for a meal and seeing the Pooh characters without waiting in long lines
Overall: 2.25--lower than Chefs, but the food was better which made Chefs still the big loser.
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
At lunchtime, we had a couple of snack credits left and we were caught in a rainstorm in Animal Kingdom. Sweetie and I stopped by Dinobites to have some ice cream in a sheltered area:
I had a waffle cone, which is one of my favorite things in the world, and it was last on my bucket list of foods for the week:
Sweetie had a sundae.
Both were great, but it is hard to mess up ice cream. It made for a great place to get out of the rain, and we were grateful for that!
I had a waffle cone, which is one of my favorite things in the world, and it was last on my bucket list of foods for the week:
Sweetie had a sundae.
Both were great, but it is hard to mess up ice cream. It made for a great place to get out of the rain, and we were grateful for that!
amandaw
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2011
Sorry the meal at Chefs wasn't too great. I have yet to eat there even though it's always on my "to try" list. Seems like I always read mixed reviews about that place.
The breakfast at Crystal Palace looks delicious! Yet another place I still need to try.
I wish I had some of that ice cream right now!
The breakfast at Crystal Palace looks delicious! Yet another place I still need to try.
I wish I had some of that ice cream right now!
creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
Chefs is the only place that's been 50/50 for me.
CP is really, really good, but I think probably Boma is better.
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