Deluxe Dining Review coming right up! (some pics)

[danielle.st]

This one was all for the girls. We'd eaten there for dinner last time and thought it ok, but the girls begged to go back. We gave in. Oh, and last time I remember we did not see Minnie because it just was taking so long and we couldn't wait any longer, and I think she had gone on break as she'd disappeared. After this visit, I really think the characters are more poorly managed (as far as pacing and everything) than any of the other character meals.
We had an 8:05 ADR but we checked in early because I was hoping we could get in a bit earlier as we were going to Epcot that day and I wanted to get there as close to rope drop as possible. We checked in a little before 8 and skipped the photo. We were seated pretty quickly, which was nice. We got juice and chocolate milk and then hit the buffet as there were no characters in the room. I remember there being some good foods. Potatoes and eggs dishes... I especially remember a vegetable quiche and a frittata that were interesting. A bit heavy on the zucchini in one and the broccoli in the other, but they were different than the rest of the typical breakfast things and I appreciated that. My dh had cereal and again had to ask for milk as it's not available to get yourself. He had a bagel and there is no toaster out there either, he had to ask the waitress to get it toasted in the kitchen. That was a bit annoying as it took extra time to get her attention, ask, then wait to get it back, etc.
We finished eating in about 20ish minutes and still hadn't seen one character. That was a surprise! We sipped on beverages for another 10 minutes until we finally saw the first character. A total of 30 minutes before one came in our area. After that, we saw them all in the next 20 minutes. So we ended up only being in there for about 50 minutes, but it felt like forever since we had waited so long to see anyone. The characters were fun as usual. Pluto would sign their books and then place them on his nose to "hand" them back, which the girls' thought funny. I didn't care for the artwork that was blocking the huge windows, I prefer the view out the windows. I don't remember them from our previous visit. But when I look back I see it then too. Our last visit was a dinner and it was dark outside, so it wasn't as apparent that a view was blocked. I wonder why they do that?
Anyway, this meal was ok. I would probably only do it again on a MK day, rather than an Epcot day. It's so convenient for MK that it's worth it when there, but for an Epcot day, I'd rather do Beach Club Cafe for breakfast.
I don't have food pics for here, but do have some character pics. Maybe you'll see some food in the background?

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Great reviews and photos.

 

[princessallegra]

Great reviews so far!

 

[mommyaof2]

Enjoying your reviews! Thanks a bunch!

 

[danielle.st]

I have really fallen behind. I am going to try to finish up today or maybe tomorrow. Life's not getting any less busy, so it would be best to finish what I want to share before I forget it!
So I left off with Chef Mickey's breakfast. We took the monorail to Epcot and got there about 9:10. One of my few regrets from the trip is that on the way in, we didn't stop to greet Daisy Duck and rushed for Soarin' FPs. My youngest really wanted to see her, there was no real line... but dh and dd9 were already about 1/2 a mile ahead of us and I told her we'd try to find Daisy later.
Anyway, we had a fun Epcot morning. The youngest was a bit ornery because we A. did not stop for Daisy and B. all she cared about doing the whole day was Pick a Pearl in Japan. I told her that would be after lunch and she about drove me nuts all morning asking if it was time yet.
We had a 12:45 ADR for Germany. I knew the music wouldn't start until 1:15. We had done dinner there last time though, and it took awhile to get seated, so I figured if I did a 12:45, we'd get in and get our first plates before the music. We're not really dancers, but enjoy the performance. We had a great time the last time at a table with 4 other people. Anyway, this time we checked in and were seated almost immediately. It was very, very quiet and not very busy in there at all. The good part was it was easy to get food (sorry, no pics of that). I loved anything potatoey. The soup, the potato salads, etc. All were excellent. I adored the cheesy spaetzle with onions, it was so, so good. They had some without onions too, but it wasn't nearly as good. I even had a little hot dog (I was trying to convince my youngest that they tasted just like a regular hot dog and the rolls were perfect hot dog buns) and it was really good for a hot dog. I remember yummy cucumbers and tomatos in salads too. Loved the desserts, I remember a fruit compote and a cheesecake, and some sort of chocolate cake. All were good.
My youngest liked the soup and a prestxel roll and didn't eat much else. She insisted she ate enough though. I tried to get her to eat some of the schnitzle but she took one teeny bite and screwed up her face in digust. I think she just wasn't going to like it no matter how it tasted, mostly because she was so done with Germany and just wanted to go to Japan.
My oldest dd and my dh ate a couple of plates of food, enjoyed some desserts (vanilla pudding and the fruit compote were winners for them).
I did feel bad that we weren't that social. My youngest had stressed me out all morning and I wasn't my usual talkative self. Plus it was so quiet in there, I think it made me less likely to be louder. Also, When we were brought to our table with another couple, there were already a couple of glasses (full) there. We were a bit confused for a minute, thinking it was the other couples, but it was actually yet another couple. It just felt more awkward being at the table with 2 other parties for some reason. I think we'd have felt more talkative with only one other party, KWIM? It didn't ruin the experience or anything, but I feel bad for the couple in the middle of us and the couple at the other end because I think they (especially the woman) wanted to be more chatty.
We'd do Biergarten again, but I vastly prefer the atmosphere at dinner. It's more crowded then, but feels more like a party. People who enjoy a quieter, more relaxed meal would probably like lunch. We left about 1:25, we were done eating (we ate a lot) and decided we might as well go to Japan and give ourselve s abreak from the relentless "Can we do the pearl yet?".
I do have some inside pics of the restaurant and band.

 

[danielle.st]

So we ended the day at Epcot with a Garden Grill dinner. Literally ended the day because we had planned to stay for fireworks but when we came out from dinner it was thundering and looked terrible so we went back to Pop and just missed a terrible thunderstorm that went on until 2-3 am. Anyway, back to dinner. We had a 5:35 ADR and checked in on time. I mentioned that I would like a vegetarian plate for 1 and it was no problem, they noted it right away. They daid it might take 15 minutes, but we went to sit down and were paged befor we even got all of the way seated, lol. Unfortunately, we were seated upstairs. I had read here that it's not as nice on the upper level and have to agree. We were at a table and chairs, instead of booth and the chairs were pretty uncomfortable. Also, the kids need to see on the open side to greet characters, which meant they were futher from the neat view. They wouldn't have been able to see it well anyway because of the dividing wall. I think I;d have liked a booth seat on the lower level much, much more. We did like the rotating aspect, it was a neat little feature. The characters were nice and we saw them all (pics and autographs) and most walked by and at least gave a wave another time or two.
As for the food, dh asked, when the waiter took drink orders, that for meats he only bring the turkey (none of us eat the fish or other meat and dh didn't want to waste it). The CM also verified my vegetarian platter request and mentioned the girls get macaroni and cheese and nuggets. He said there is usually bacon in the salad (mixed in the dressing) and asked i I wanted that done differently, but I didn't want much, if any salad, so said not to worry about that.
I tried a little salad (picked out the bacon) and it was nice and fresh. The rolss were good. Dh seemed to like his turkey dinner, except he's not a squash fan and left that behind. He'd have enjoyed green beans a lot more. The girls ate enough to be happy, they enjoyed the rolls the most. They loved the characters.
I wanted to love my vegetarian platter. It looked nice enough. But all I could taste was pumpkin. It wasn't seasoned really, just tasted really pumpkiny. I liked the girls mac and cheese better. If we went back, instead of the vegetarian platter, I'd just ask for the mac and cheese.
I liked the dessert, it was a fruity thing, from what I remember.
Anyway, I do have a couple of food pics and some characters.

 

[danielle.st]

This was our final park day. Our plan was to do our 8:05 ADR and then spend the entore day, culminating in Spectro and Wishes at 9pm.
Yeah, that was too long a day. And the park was very crowded. Oh, well. It sounded like a great plan!
BTW, when we got back from our trip we talked to some neighbors who had gone about the same week. They mentioned that they hadn't known ahead of time that the buses don't take you to the 8am breakfasts if the park only opens at 9am. They were told by the CMs at their resort (one of the All Stars) that they couldn't get a bus for an 8am CRT breakfast since the park didn't open until 9am and buses start an hour before park opening. grr. I was annoyed on their behalf that they got false information. I told them, next time only ask the drivers about transportation questions. Our bus was loaded with people going to 8ish am breakfasts at CP and CRT, not to mention CM and 1900 Park Fare. My neighbors said it ended fine because they took a cab and got there early, where they were chosen to open the restaurant. Still, it is so wrong, IMO, that employees are giving wrong info about this.
Anyway, back on track. We checked in right away and were one of the first families seated. We were next to the windows, which I like. I love the food here. Lots of fruits, everything bright and fresh. So, so good
I didn't take food pics. The food was really typical breakfast stuff, just done well We especially loved the mixed berries and ate plenty This was the only place I remember seeing those on the buffet all week. It was blueberries, strawberries and I think blackberries. Excellent! We saw all of the characters and were at the rope outside at 8:50am, so it was a quick meal. We'd absolutely go there again!

 

[danielle.st]

We had a 12:50 ADR for lunch at The Plaza. We checked in on time and were seated within a couple of munites. Like our last trip, we were seated right next to the windows. It would have been lovely... if they weren't refurbing the outside The screen thing was covering everything on the outside, except the door. From the inside, there were closed blinds on all of the wondows. It was very, very disappointing. It made the small room feel closed up. We'd have had a beautiful Castle view otherwise. I know they have to refurb things sometimes, it just really got to me at that point because it seemed like everywhere I looked at MK, there were screens or walls for refurbing.
Anyway, onto the food. It took quite awhile (I didn't time it, it just seemed long) to get our beverages. Because we were on the deluxe plan, we could get soup or salad as an appetizer. I had the tomato bisque and it was really, really good. Very flavorful. Dh was going to skip the appy, but then asked if they had Thousand Island dressing and they did! He was so excited as this was the first place all week that had it. I really don't remember what sandwich dh ordered. I had planned on a vegetarian sandwich, but decided that tuna salad would go much better with the tomato bisque, and it was just different than anything else I'd had all week. It was good, very satisfying and went great withthe soup. I decided to try the chips, and they were just ok. I guess I'm not a huge fan of homemade chips, next time I'll get either fries or the broccoli slaw. I had a sundae for dessert and enjoyed it. I managed to roll myself out of there. This meal was one of our longer ones, taking about an hour and 10 minutes. It seems a bit long considering it's a sandwich place, but it's a nice break when you need it. I'd go back again.
(I don't remember much of what the girls ate. I know dd6 had grapes and I remember dd9 getting a mickey sundae... I can see from the edge of my pic that she also had a cheeseburger. I don't remember complaints from either of them)

 

[danielle.st]

We had a 5:15 dinner ADR for CRT. We got there right on time, then got in line for our photo, then sat to wait to be called. I can't remember how long it took, a good 20 minutes, I think. When we went up, our CM came over shortly and took our drink orders. I also asked for swords for both girls instead of wands (their preference). dh skipped his appetizer, I ordered the Castle Salad. It was really, really good. I ate every bite. We had rolls that dh and the girls munched on while we waited for our food. It took awhile. Actually, I think there might have been some sort of a problem because people around us who were seated later and ordered after us got their way before us. We eventually got the food and I was very happy with mine. It was the vegetarian pasta dish and it was excellent. I ate every bite, again It was cooked nicely and had a lot of flavor. dh hated his meal. He ordered the chicken and he just didn't like it at all.
The girls were disappointed in the appetizer choices. I think dd6 skipped it and dd9 got the fruit cup (mostly melon, as it was at all of the other TS places all week). They'd have liked the fruit and cheese plate that used to be on the menu (I've seen pics). dd9 got checken nuggets and they were fine. dd6 said she didn't want anything on the menu. I managed to come up with a solution though and ordered her the pasta without sauce (they buttered the noodles and there was mozz cheese on it). It also came with grilled chicken which she just wouldn't eat, but she was very happy with her buttered, cheesy noodles. For dessert, dh skipped, I got the chocolate cream cheese buckle, dd6 got the ice cream (dh ended up eating it) and dd9 got the sorbet (our CM put a crown on it for her).
This was our longest meal of the whole week. We left at about 6:45. I liked my food a lot, but I am pretty sure I don't remember lunch last time taking that long, and the others were happier with the lunch menu last time. We would probably try lunch again if we went on the dxddp, but otherwise I think we'd probably just go to Akershus if we wanted to see Princesses. At least there, I know everyone liked the salads, cheese and deli meats on the cold board.

 

[SabbyR]

Great reviews Danielle!!! And great pics of the girls! They are so pretty and getting so big!!

 

[watkinsme]

Great reviews - glad you had a good time!

 

[danielle.st]

Thanks! I have a couple of more photos of some Pop food. I've just been procrastinating. And wishing I was back I could be on vacation all of the time and not miss real life. Unfortunately, my family doesn't agree.

 

[GoBirds]

Great reviews. Just got back from a May 2-14 trip myself (7 days basic, 5 days deluxe); great time of year to visit!

 

[danielle.st]

Sorry I haven't finished this, life gets so busy!
Anyway, all that is left to mention are some Pop food court meals. We enjoyed them (well, mostly)

SOme things we tried:
Pizza-- we liked both the pepperoni and the cheese pizzas. No complaints (individual size, I can't comment on others)
Nachos supreme- We had these before and really liked them. This time, we were disappointed to have mostly broken, stale chips They were terrible, but hard to eat and not as good as before.
Vegetable Lo Mein-- we didn't really like. I should say, we aren't really familiar with lo mein, so maybe it was just us. It was way too hot (spicy hot) like too much sauce was used. Also, it was almost all noodles, I'd have liked more vegetables in it. It's the only thing I tried there that I wouldn't order again.
Vegetarian calzone- this was really, really good. I absolutely get this again, loved it!
Moms night out turkey dinner- dh had it and seemed to like it.
Kids nuggets and Kids hot dog- the girls liked
ice cream- always good, they give you way too much!
breakfast pizza-- really great and better than what we had at many buffets!
breakfast burrito- ok but not as good as the pizza!
french toast - was a hit
chocolate chips pancakes- enjoyed by those who ordered them!
when we left, we used snack credits to get Goofy's cotton candy and Minnie's cookies to bring home. They were all very, very good even a week or so after we got home

chocolate cake- my youngest got a couple of times, I don't know how it was, she just ate the fristing, lol
tie dye cheescake- was terrible. I think we just got an old slice. It was sort of gummy tasting like it wasn't frech, KWIM? The velvet cake at the bottom was the only good part.
worms and dirt was good! I didn't eat the worms part but enjoyed the rest!

 

[danielle.st]

These cookies were all really good! I don't think we'd have appreciated them enough while at WDW. Once we got home and weren't eating so much at every meal, they really hit the spot!

I did a rough calculation of what we spent (not included in here were all of the drinks and other snacks) and we would have spent about $300 more if we had paid OOP. That is even when you take into account that we skipped desserts and didn't even order all of the apps we could have and ate at a few CS places.
Does that mean we needed all of the food we ordered? I don't know. If we go again, our girls will be considered adults so we'd have to really look hard at what TS places we would give up and what we would be ordering to see whether it would be worth deluxe again.
Honestly, had I realized we definitely had our money's worth from the plan, I'd probably have considered skipping a couple of other TS places and doing a bit more CS. Maybe 3 TS and one CS a day would be better for us. I'm really not sure. After 2 trips in a year and a half, after having no vacations for 8 years at all, my dh isn't willing to even consider going again for a long time. At this point, I'm trying to figure out what other vacations I can talk him into trying
Oh, and with the glaring exception of CRT dinner, we didn't feel we had wasted a great deal of time with TS vs CS. We were almost always seated right away. We enjoyed the peacefulness of most of the TS places, and even the chaotic character meals were infinitely less stressful (to me) than any CS is during peak times. We love seeing characters at the character meals and we love the atmospheres of the noncharacter TS places (although I am still bummed about the windows being covered at The Plaza because of the refurb)

 

[monikay]

Thanks for the awesome reviews and pictures! We leave next week. Thanks to your reviews, my mouth is watering! I am soooooo looking forward to Mickey rice krispie treats with dipped chocolate ears!

 

[honeybunches]

Thank you for your reviews & photos. I really appreciate your details & honest opinions. We are going for our first trip soon, also on the deluxe dining, and are planning 3 TS for most days. My dh and kids will just really need the air conditioning!!

 

[angelmav]

Loved the reviews and thanks for all the helpful info!

 

[danielle.st]

Thanks for reading!!!

 

[McElhinney1]

Great Reviews! I was there May5-12 on the regular dining plan with my wife and 2 boys (6 and 2). We did the regular dining plan and that worked really well for us. I liked the flexibility of only having one res. time to worry about per day. We stayed at Pop as well, you should try the Sci Fi Cafe next time you go, we really liked it.