Family Dining:A joint report by mom and son w/pics *11/7 Complete

[ccigliano]

Great review - Please tell Bambi that he is doing a great job.

 

[JamesLynn]

The Cinderella Gala Feast sounds awesome!
Oh and am I weird for thinking that the Kid's Beef and Macaroni Cheese looks really tastey?

 

[disneyeeyorefan]

subscribing

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks to everyone who has joined in. Things should go more smoothly now that I have this whole picture thing figured out. Up next will be Cinderella's Gala Feast at the Grand Floridian.

swankybeth - You are our 10th reader. What do you think, can we look forward to the 100th?

You definitely have a lot of lurking readers, over 1000 people have already viewed your report!

Enjoyed this installment, you have a beautiful family.

 

[medicgirl911]

I really like that you have your child chiming in on the report! Your kids are adorable! The pic of the strawberry soup looked so good I was practically licking the monitor lol!!! I gotta try to make that some time! Can't wait for more!!

 

[richard_andmel]

Really great pictures of your family. Thanks for sharing the reviews!

 

[Stefy]

subscribing - looks like you had a blast at 1900

can't wait to see the next review

 

[SmallWorld71]

The Cinderella Gala Feast sounds awesome!
Oh and am I weird for thinking that the Kid's Beef and Macaroni Cheese looks really tastey?

Funny how pictures can make things look good huh? Anyway, Alice gave me a couple of tastes. It was good.

medicgirl911 - The soup was delicious! It could have been poured in a glass and served for dessert.


Thank-you to all our readers for your kind comments. Bambi and I really appreciate them. I haven't figured out the multi-quote thing yet so I don't know how to respond to everyone, but I wanted to be sure that everyone knew they were appreciated. It's very encouraging when someone comes out of lurkdome and replies.
Anyway, tomorrow night is Open House (I teach 1st grade) so I won't be able to write. However, Wednesday is Donald's softball night so Bambi and I will have the computer all to ourselves and will write the next installment.

Next up is Sci-Fi

 

[susieq76]

Okay- I'm put of lurkdom! Great Report!

 

[sherry8253]

great reviews. subscribing.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Our third day we went to MGM. Our reservations were for 12:15, our only TS lunch of the trip. This was the only day we didn't pick our parks well and MGM was very crowded. After fighting the mobs to watch the High School Musical Pep Rally in the broiling sun and humidity, by the time we got to Sci-Fi we were exhausted, sweaty, and a little irritable.
We checked in on time. The wait seemed like forever, but was actually only 15-20 minutes. While we were waiting I saw them turn away dozens of people and say that they were not accepting any walk-ins for the whole day.

Anyway, we were finally led to our car. We all thought the atmosphere was really cool and it was great to chill in the nice dark, cool restaurant in our "Pink Cadillac."

(You can see Donald is ready for a nap. )
The cars are probably not the best for you if you have young children because of the way you sit. But, it worked out fine for us and Donald was more than happy to sit by himself.

*Side note: I must apologize but my picture taking got a little sparse after the gala feast. I will put in ones when I have them. All our other TS have been featured a lot on the DIS though and I know there are photos out there.
Our waitress here was probably the least friendly of our trip. However, she warmed up considerably as the meal progressed and she was very quick and efficient. It's just that she wasn't as friendly as all the other wonderful servers we had.

On to the food:
Minnie:
Appetizer- Spinach & Artichoke Dip
This was absolutely delicious and Bambi enjoyed it also.

Entree- Angus Chuck Burger with Cheddar Cheese, the fixin's and fries
This burger was also really good.

Dessert- Hot Fudge Sundae
simple but good

Donald:
Appetizer- 7 Bean Beef Chili
He said this was fine. Not super, but not bad either and he was hungry so he ate it.

Entree -Smoked Baby Back Ribs with french fries
He said these were just plain old not good.

Dessert- Cheesecake
Again, he said this was fine but nothing special
He also had a vanilla shake which he shared with Alice. Both gave it two big thumbs up

Donald2
Appetizer- Crispy Onion Rings
He liked these - said they were good.

Entree- Smoked Turkey Sandwich
He said this was okay but he didn't really care for it very much. (Very unusual for him to not like something!)

Dessert - Hot Fudge Sundae
He enjoyed this!

Bambi-
No appetizer - I did not like the choices.
Entree- Kids' Beef & Macaroni
I liked it, but it wasn't the best thing I had.
Dessert - I asked if I could have the kids' sundae instead of the veggies and they said yes. The sundae was good, thumbs up.
I also had an oreo cookie milkshake that my brother ordered for me because it came with the adult meal and not with the kid meal and he didn't want one. It was delicious!

Alice-
She also did not like the kids' appetizer choices.
Entree- Kids' macaroni and cheese.
She did not really like this mac & cheese. I tried it and it was not very good. Not like the Stouffer's type that they have at a lot of the places.
Dessert- She had a bowl of vanilla ice cream which she enjoyed.

Bottom line:
Bambi- I like the atmosphere. The food was fine.

Minnie- We all enjoyed the atmoshere. But agreed that the food was so-so. Not a huge problem when you have free dining, but a little more upsetting if you are spending your own money. We all agreed that we would go back again but only for appetizers, milkshakes &/or desserts.

 

[Stefy]

Cool review, love the pics

Looks like you had a good time.

 

[mousescrapper]

Thank you Minnie and Bambi for the continual good reviews. I'm really glad you enjoyed the Cinderella Dinner, hope we have just as good of time when we go next June. (though we'll be in Park Fare with a Buffet) My DD #2 would love to meet Aurora too. Your pictures were cute of the kids, and the food looked scrumptous!

Tell Bambi thanks for his insight, I'll have to show my DS who will be 9 when we travel, that he can fun there too, with all his sisters

Gald to see you had a nice time at the Sci-Fi too, have only been there once back in '93(before kids), it was fun. Maybe when our dizkids are older

I'll be back for more cyber-eating!

 

[medicgirl911]

Thanks for the update!!!!!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Really loving your food report - I love that your son is helping you out, it's nice to get an older kid's perspective. Keep up the good work

 

[lovebuzzandwoody]

Hi there! I'm hopping on your report!

Your last segment on the Sci-fi is what pulled me in because we are going there for the first time this Nov. One of my twin boys is a car fanatic and can't wait to eat there. Here's the glitch though... I waited too long to make my ressies and we can only get in there at 2:55 on the day we want to be in MGM. I tried to rework our schedule but I really like it the way it is. I have been fretting over this (I know.... waaay too much time on my hands) ~ what if my kids are hungry earlier - do I make them wait?!? BUT! You said you'd go back for desserts or appies...... ding, ding, ding ! Okay, so now I know we'll go with the flow and if we eat a whole meal there it's fine, if not, who doesn't want a treat at about 3 in the afternoon? Thank you so much for saying that... you have no idea how helpful that is to me! THIS is why I am so addicted to the DIS!!!

Oh, and I love that you are including Bambi's take on this... so helpful as well.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Sci-Fi is definitely a good place for a late afternoon snack. Also, you will be there long enough to check out the atmosphere (it really is a cool place), but not so long that you will be on your 2nd or 3rd time viewing the film loop. I'm glad you have ressies. I couldn't believe how many people they were turning away the day I was there. Have fun!

Hi there! I'm hopping on your report!

Your last segment on the Sci-fi is what pulled me in because we are going there for the first time this Nov. One of my twin boys is a car fanatic and can't wait to eat there. Here's the glitch though... I waited too long to make my ressies and we can only get in there at 2:55 on the day we want to be in MGM. I tried to rework our schedule but I really like it the way it is. I have been fretting over this (I know.... waaay too much time on my hands) ~ what if my kids are hungry earlier - do I make them wait?!? BUT! You said you'd go back for desserts or appies...... ding, ding, ding ! Okay, so now I know we'll go with the flow and if we eat a whole meal there it's fine, if not, who doesn't want a treat at about 3 in the afternoon? Thank you so much for saying that... you have no idea how helpful that is to me! THIS is why I am so addicted to the DIS!!!

Oh, and I love that you are including Bambi's take on this... so helpful as well.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Welcome to our new readers.

Our 4th day, we had dinner at Chef Mickey's. Our reservations were for 5:10. We took the bus from our hotel to MK and then walked to the Contemporary. It was not a very long walk and even in the brutal heat was a quicker alternative than the monorail.

When we got up to the 4th floor (about 4:45) quite a line had begun to form outside CM which opens at 5. Once the place opened, the line moved quickly. We checked in, had our picture taken, and sat down to wait. We only waited 5-10 min. before we were seated. We were seated in the big "Mickey" room and had a great view of the monorail going by. It was a great location, near the buffet and the stairs down to the restrooms. The only drawback was that we were at a table for 4 with a chair pulled over. It was a little tight with all the dishes, autograph books, camera etc...

Our server here was friendly and efficient and our plates were cleared quickly (which was good because of the small table!) and our drinks were kept replenished.

The atmosphere:
Minnie-This is a very kid-friendly place. There are bright colors, it is loud enough that you don't have to worry about keeping the kids quiet and there are napkin waving celebrations and the characters to keep them entertained and happy.

Bambi- I liked the napkin waving. Mickey was the leader in our room for the napking waving. My favorite character is Donald Duck and he was there. This is a good restaurant for kids to go to.

The food:
Minnie - This was a buffet and we had so many things that I can't remember them all. I know I really enjoyed the mashed potatoes and the salmon was decent. The prime rib was pretty good, but both Donald and I thought CP and the Gala Feast was better. The salads were fresh. Alice loved the Mickey cheese ravioli but did not like the Mac & Cheese. (It was not good.)

Bambi - I really liked the shrimp and raviolis. The salmon was pretty good. All us kids really liked the make your own sundaes. I put M&M's, crushed Oreo's, chocolate chips, caramel and hot fudge on mine.

Bottom Line:
Bambi- I would go back. I liked the food and the characters.

Minnie- The food here is basic but decently prepared. I read a lot of reviews about people being disappointed in the food. If you go in expecting anything gourmet, you will be disappointed. However, you can get a nice, simple meal here. The food is fresh and there is enough variety to please most everyone from fresh salads and fruit, to ravioli and carved meats.
CM is hands down the way to go if you need to meet the "Fab 5." We were a family who really wanted to meet Mickey, Donald, Minnie etc... and this was a great way to do it without worrying about trying to meet them elsewhere. Here are a few character pics from CM. Please stay tuned after the pics for a helpful tip:

The big cheese:

My boys with their favorite:

Which one is goofier? The little girl or the big guy in the hat?

Sweet Minnie:

Lovable Pluto:

*** Okay lesson time ***
This will not be news to many, as I learned this on the DIS, but if you want to have a good time with the characters you must talk to them! If you don't speak up, you will get your autographs and a picture and they will move on. CM's is a big place and they have a lot of territory to cover. A simple comment can keep them with you and increase your families' enjoyment considerably. One way to do this is to wear shirts with the characters on them. All 3 of my "boys" wore Donald t-shirts. We pointed this out to Donald who got all excited. If they are your favorite, tell them. If you have something nice to say, say it. If you want separate pictures, start telling them nicely when they come to your table. Ex."Minnie, my daughter really likes you. Could I get a picture of you two pretty girls together and then one of you with all the kids?" This works for adults too. I had my picture taken with Eeyore and my Donald had his taken with Tigger. Keep it friendly and don't be afraid to speak up. Speak for your kids too if they are too shy to do it for themselves. Otherwise, you will be one of those people coming home wondering what all the fuss was about the character dining.

Oh, if you don't want to wait too long for your table or the characters, make a reservation for when the place opens. Things move quickly when the place isn't full yet.

***Lesson over. Reviewer climbing down from soap box. ***

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

Minnie and Bambi, I am really enjoying your review!

 

[FinallyDisney]

Thanks for the great Chef Mickeys review. I don't think I've ever read such a detailed review and it was helpful. We had resis at Crystal Palace for our character dinner but just recently (thanks for the notice) my husband complained that he wanted to have a character dinner with "the big guy". So I had to change my ADR and could only get a resi for 7:40. Oh well, we'll just spend the late afternoon in MK and hope for the best!!! Thanks again for the details (and the soap box lecture - I likey!)