Since I love to read through this board I thought I leave a few thoughts about our weekend trip to WDW. We ate at several resturants that I have never tried before. This was a last minute trip so I didn't get to (obsessiely) plan out our ADRs and had to mostly take what I could get.
Day 1:
Dinner: Beaches and Creme
This was our first time at this cute little soda shop. They do not take reservations. We walked up at about 7pm and had a 20 min wait to be seated. My mom and I had the cheese burger and my DD had the kid's hot dog. The entree was about what you would expect from a soda shop. Not quite as good as what one might get at Johnny Rocket's. They do offer sides of mayo/relish/ranch dressing in little packets on the table. Mom got fries which were fine but nothing special. I had the side of fruit which was the same generic mix of honeydo and cantalope you get in every WDW resturant. Where this place really stands out is the Ice Cream. Mom and I split a Milkey Way Sundae which was just unbelievable. We were celebrating my mom's B-day and they turned on a spinnning red light and came to sing her happy birthday. THey even gave her a birthday balloon. DD had a "mickey sundae" which is a single scoope of icecream with Oreo "ears." She was very happy with it. Overall I think this place is very well executed and the deffinetly a great stop for dessert. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. It needs to step up the burger quality a bit to get the full 5 stars.
Day 2
Breakfast: The Captain's Grille
We did not have a reservation here. At the podium they told us it woud be a 30 min wait but our pager went off in less than 5 minutes and when we went in the place was almost empty. I thought that was odd. The best word to describe this place is Average. It serves adequate and generic breakfast fare. There is an option of a buffett or a la carte service. I had oatmeal which was gelatenous and a little cold. Mom had eggs and bacon which were "fine" and DD had the Mickey Waffels. The kids serving comes with 2 and some syrup. DD is 4 and she was still hungry after eatting this. We ate here a few times as we were staying at the Yacht club and the service was consistantly below average. The servers were pleasant but seemed to be over extended and I think the kitchen was slow too. Overall I would give it 2/5 stars. It is an OK place to catch a convienent bite to eat if you are staying at the YC but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to come back here.
Lunch: Hurricane Hanna's
We had a CS lunch by the pool. I was pleasantly suprised by the turkey sandwich which is served with fresh mozzorella cheese and a pesto mayonaise. It was yummy. It could be improved with a fresher/crispier roll as the one they serve it on is generic doughy white bread. It came with a side of cole slaw which was also very good and not overly creamy. Mom had a cheeseburger which looked similar to the one from beaches and creme. She said it was "fine." DD had the kids's hot dog which comes with a pail and shovel as well as grapes and milk. She seemed happy with it. Overall I was pleased with our lunch here and would give it 3/5 stars which is pretty darn good for a CS meal by the pool.
Dinner: The Captain's Grill
We were here again without a reservation. We arrived at about 7:30 and we were seated with about a 10 min wait. I had the fish special which was salmon with asparagus risotto in a lemon sauce. After my breakfast here I was not expecting too much but I was pleasantly suprised. The meal was delicious. The fish was cooked perfectly and the sauce was light and tasty. Mom had the Prime rib and she was disappointed with it. She said it was fatty and a little tough. DD had a kids pasta meal. The kids dessert was a make your own sundae which comes with a bowel of ice cream with side servings of hot sauce, M and Ms and sprinkles. She thought that was a lot of fun. For my meal I would have given this place 4 stars but since Mom wasn't as lucky and the service was still ridiculously slow I will give it 3/5.
Day 3
Breakfast: Cape May Cafe
I was able to get an 8:20 AM reservation here on relatively short notice. I got to the podium to find I had accidently made a reservation for 2 instead of 3
Luckily , they were able to accomidate us without any issue. In fact, the place seemed to be about 50% empty. It was raining so maybe there were many cancellations. Our server was over promptly and directed us to the buffett. This was my first time at this resturant although I have done many charecter meals over the years. The selection was pretty standard and everything looked fresh. It is a smaller spread than at Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's. I had some eggs and bacon which were fine but unmemorable. The charecters came by quickly. We saw Goofy, Minnie and Donald. The character interaction here was about the same as I've experienced at Chef Mickey's but with fewer characters. We were in and out in about 40 min. Overall, I was happy to get resevations at any character meal on short notice and DD was pleased to see her "friends." I would not pick this meal over CP, CM, or Tusker House but it did it's job in a pinch. I'll give it 3.5/5 stars.
Lunch: Cupcakes at Staring Rolls
I've read so much about the cupcakes at Starring Rolls so on our afternoon at DHS it was on my must do list. I bought 3 for us to share; the red velvet cheesecake, the chocolate peanut butter and the butterfinger. They were DELICIOUS. My favorite was the butterfinger but I liked the red velvet one too. The PB one was a bit too heavy for my taste but it was my DD favorite. THese things are super filling and the 3 of us could not even come close to finishing them. As a pastry/junk food I give these 5/5 stars
Dinner: We were at MNSSHP so we just snacked around the MK and never had a real dinner. There were no ADR's available anywhere near the MK that night.
Day 4
Breakfast: Akershaus (or however you spell that princess place in Norway)
I was able to snag a 8:25AM breakfast reservation here even on fairly short notice. After a late night at MNSSHP my mom didn't feel up to breakfast. I took DD without her and expected to pay the $10 cancelation fee. However, the CM at the podium just said "OK" when I told him we were 3 instead of 4 and there was no charge. I have had this breakfast before so I knew what to expect. The family style plate has scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and a potato/cheese casserole. It was all warm and fresh. There is also a buffett with some fruit and danish as well as some nods to Norwegein food including herring. All and all it is an adequate and filling breakfast. The character interaction here is very good and DD really enjoyed it. We did not feel rushed and each princess took time to talk to her. We did have to wait a little while for the princesses to get over to us and we had actually finished eatting before the first one showed up which made me a little anxious about keeping DD entertained. After the first came the others were around quickly. We met Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel and Belle when we first came in. I give this experience 4.5/5 stars.
Dinner: Yachtman's Steakhouse
This was my mom's real "birthday" dinner and was the biggest disappointment of our trip. They were running 40min behind on seating ADRs and I know this can happen but it is not fun to enterain a hungry 4yo for that long. Once we were seated it took an akwardly long time for our server to arrive. I ordered a Pomegranate splash which was a tasty little cocktail but it didn't have much of a kick to it. We split the cheese selections as an appetizer. The plate was dropped off at the table by a "runner" who could not even tell us what each cheese was. It was served with only 3 crustini's which was inadequate for the amount of cheese. The cheeses themselves were tasty although not very interesting. Mom had the rib eye which she enjoyed. It came with 3 sweet potato binetes which were very sweet and tasted more like a dessert than a side dish.I had the porter house. I ordered it medium rare and it was served medium which is unacceptable at a supposedly "high end" steak house. I could have sent it back but by this time DD was on her last legs and I didn't think it was a good idea to prolong dinner further. At this point our server disappeared. I don't mean a "lesiurly dining" type of disappearance it was more of an "empty water glass, where the heck did he go" kind of thing. I had wanted a glass of wine with dinner but by the time he showed up we were mostly done with main course and I deceided to forgo the wine. In fact, the service was so slow we deceided to skip dessert. In the end it took us about 2.5 hours from the time we sat down to the time we left and that is without dessert. The meal was $200 and I felt robbed. It is not uncommon for us to have fine/expensive meals but it is uncommon for me to spend so much on such a subpar experience. Prehapse we caught them on an off night as I have read many exellent reviews from others on here. I will not be back to find out. I give this place 1/5 stars.
Well, that sums up the food of our mini trip. Everything except Akershaus was new to me. The biggest winner of the trip was Beaches and Creme and I know we will come back here again. Maybe one day we will get the kitchen sink! Biggest Looser was Yachtman's Steak House but I am glad we have tried it once so I can cross it off my "to do list"
Happy Disney Eatting to everyone!
Day 1:
Dinner: Beaches and Creme
This was our first time at this cute little soda shop. They do not take reservations. We walked up at about 7pm and had a 20 min wait to be seated. My mom and I had the cheese burger and my DD had the kid's hot dog. The entree was about what you would expect from a soda shop. Not quite as good as what one might get at Johnny Rocket's. They do offer sides of mayo/relish/ranch dressing in little packets on the table. Mom got fries which were fine but nothing special. I had the side of fruit which was the same generic mix of honeydo and cantalope you get in every WDW resturant. Where this place really stands out is the Ice Cream. Mom and I split a Milkey Way Sundae which was just unbelievable. We were celebrating my mom's B-day and they turned on a spinnning red light and came to sing her happy birthday. THey even gave her a birthday balloon. DD had a "mickey sundae" which is a single scoope of icecream with Oreo "ears." She was very happy with it. Overall I think this place is very well executed and the deffinetly a great stop for dessert. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. It needs to step up the burger quality a bit to get the full 5 stars.
Day 2
Breakfast: The Captain's Grille
We did not have a reservation here. At the podium they told us it woud be a 30 min wait but our pager went off in less than 5 minutes and when we went in the place was almost empty. I thought that was odd. The best word to describe this place is Average. It serves adequate and generic breakfast fare. There is an option of a buffett or a la carte service. I had oatmeal which was gelatenous and a little cold. Mom had eggs and bacon which were "fine" and DD had the Mickey Waffels. The kids serving comes with 2 and some syrup. DD is 4 and she was still hungry after eatting this. We ate here a few times as we were staying at the Yacht club and the service was consistantly below average. The servers were pleasant but seemed to be over extended and I think the kitchen was slow too. Overall I would give it 2/5 stars. It is an OK place to catch a convienent bite to eat if you are staying at the YC but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to come back here.
Lunch: Hurricane Hanna's
We had a CS lunch by the pool. I was pleasantly suprised by the turkey sandwich which is served with fresh mozzorella cheese and a pesto mayonaise. It was yummy. It could be improved with a fresher/crispier roll as the one they serve it on is generic doughy white bread. It came with a side of cole slaw which was also very good and not overly creamy. Mom had a cheeseburger which looked similar to the one from beaches and creme. She said it was "fine." DD had the kids's hot dog which comes with a pail and shovel as well as grapes and milk. She seemed happy with it. Overall I was pleased with our lunch here and would give it 3/5 stars which is pretty darn good for a CS meal by the pool.
Dinner: The Captain's Grill
We were here again without a reservation. We arrived at about 7:30 and we were seated with about a 10 min wait. I had the fish special which was salmon with asparagus risotto in a lemon sauce. After my breakfast here I was not expecting too much but I was pleasantly suprised. The meal was delicious. The fish was cooked perfectly and the sauce was light and tasty. Mom had the Prime rib and she was disappointed with it. She said it was fatty and a little tough. DD had a kids pasta meal. The kids dessert was a make your own sundae which comes with a bowel of ice cream with side servings of hot sauce, M and Ms and sprinkles. She thought that was a lot of fun. For my meal I would have given this place 4 stars but since Mom wasn't as lucky and the service was still ridiculously slow I will give it 3/5.
Day 3
Breakfast: Cape May Cafe
I was able to get an 8:20 AM reservation here on relatively short notice. I got to the podium to find I had accidently made a reservation for 2 instead of 3
Luckily , they were able to accomidate us without any issue. In fact, the place seemed to be about 50% empty. It was raining so maybe there were many cancellations. Our server was over promptly and directed us to the buffett. This was my first time at this resturant although I have done many charecter meals over the years. The selection was pretty standard and everything looked fresh. It is a smaller spread than at Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's. I had some eggs and bacon which were fine but unmemorable. The charecters came by quickly. We saw Goofy, Minnie and Donald. The character interaction here was about the same as I've experienced at Chef Mickey's but with fewer characters. We were in and out in about 40 min. Overall, I was happy to get resevations at any character meal on short notice and DD was pleased to see her "friends." I would not pick this meal over CP, CM, or Tusker House but it did it's job in a pinch. I'll give it 3.5/5 stars. Lunch: Cupcakes at Staring Rolls
I've read so much about the cupcakes at Starring Rolls so on our afternoon at DHS it was on my must do list. I bought 3 for us to share; the red velvet cheesecake, the chocolate peanut butter and the butterfinger. They were DELICIOUS. My favorite was the butterfinger but I liked the red velvet one too. The PB one was a bit too heavy for my taste but it was my DD favorite. THese things are super filling and the 3 of us could not even come close to finishing them. As a pastry/junk food I give these 5/5 stars
Dinner: We were at MNSSHP so we just snacked around the MK and never had a real dinner. There were no ADR's available anywhere near the MK that night.
Day 4
Breakfast: Akershaus (or however you spell that princess place in Norway)
I was able to snag a 8:25AM breakfast reservation here even on fairly short notice. After a late night at MNSSHP my mom didn't feel up to breakfast. I took DD without her and expected to pay the $10 cancelation fee. However, the CM at the podium just said "OK" when I told him we were 3 instead of 4 and there was no charge. I have had this breakfast before so I knew what to expect. The family style plate has scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and a potato/cheese casserole. It was all warm and fresh. There is also a buffett with some fruit and danish as well as some nods to Norwegein food including herring. All and all it is an adequate and filling breakfast. The character interaction here is very good and DD really enjoyed it. We did not feel rushed and each princess took time to talk to her. We did have to wait a little while for the princesses to get over to us and we had actually finished eatting before the first one showed up which made me a little anxious about keeping DD entertained. After the first came the others were around quickly. We met Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel and Belle when we first came in. I give this experience 4.5/5 stars.
Dinner: Yachtman's Steakhouse
This was my mom's real "birthday" dinner and was the biggest disappointment of our trip. They were running 40min behind on seating ADRs and I know this can happen but it is not fun to enterain a hungry 4yo for that long. Once we were seated it took an akwardly long time for our server to arrive. I ordered a Pomegranate splash which was a tasty little cocktail but it didn't have much of a kick to it. We split the cheese selections as an appetizer. The plate was dropped off at the table by a "runner" who could not even tell us what each cheese was. It was served with only 3 crustini's which was inadequate for the amount of cheese. The cheeses themselves were tasty although not very interesting. Mom had the rib eye which she enjoyed. It came with 3 sweet potato binetes which were very sweet and tasted more like a dessert than a side dish.I had the porter house. I ordered it medium rare and it was served medium which is unacceptable at a supposedly "high end" steak house. I could have sent it back but by this time DD was on her last legs and I didn't think it was a good idea to prolong dinner further. At this point our server disappeared. I don't mean a "lesiurly dining" type of disappearance it was more of an "empty water glass, where the heck did he go" kind of thing. I had wanted a glass of wine with dinner but by the time he showed up we were mostly done with main course and I deceided to forgo the wine. In fact, the service was so slow we deceided to skip dessert. In the end it took us about 2.5 hours from the time we sat down to the time we left and that is without dessert. The meal was $200 and I felt robbed. It is not uncommon for us to have fine/expensive meals but it is uncommon for me to spend so much on such a subpar experience. Prehapse we caught them on an off night as I have read many exellent reviews from others on here. I will not be back to find out. I give this place 1/5 stars.
Well, that sums up the food of our mini trip. Everything except Akershaus was new to me. The biggest winner of the trip was Beaches and Creme and I know we will come back here again. Maybe one day we will get the kitchen sink! Biggest Looser was Yachtman's Steak House but I am glad we have tried it once so I can cross it off my "to do list"
Happy Disney Eatting to everyone!
