Ten Day Dining Review With Pictures 12/1 Casey's Update!

Can I ask about your fast passes for Wishes and MSEP? Do you make them ahead of time as two of your 3 or do you get them once you are at the park. I am in the midst of planning our first trip ever and wonder how that works? seems like it would tie up your fast passes for the day but maybe that is worth it? Thanks for any advice you can provide. We have done Disneyland a lot but DW is an entirely thing for us!! Thanks for any advice and thanks for your great review so far!! Great reading!!
 
Can I ask about your fast passes for Wishes and MSEP? Do you make them ahead of time as two of your 3 or do you get them once you are at the park. I am in the midst of planning our first trip ever and wonder how that works? seems like it would tie up your fast passes for the day but maybe that is worth it? Thanks for any advice you can provide. We have done Disneyland a lot but DW is an entirely thing for us!! Thanks for any advice and thanks for your great review so far!! Great reading!!


I got them 60 days out. I honestly thought we would be too tired to use them, but got them anyhow. We had another one we had to take to make three but we couldn't get in the park in time to use it.

They do tie up your fast passes for the day which is why booking them on your arrival day is the way to go. Even if you are delayed, you will make it for them.

I think they are nearly impossible to add as a fourth fastpass. You have to get them in advance.

I'm not sure I'd tie up my fast passes unless it was my first night or maybe the evening after a water park when you wouldn't need any through the day. That would work too.
 


I love EOS! I don't eat at the ones here where I live in San Antonio but there excellent. We've never been to Chef Mickey but I'm sure that'll change with our one-year-old for future trips. We are big fans of the pizza planet and I actually have it reviewed in my current dining report as well. Thanks for sharing :)
 
I got them 60 days out. I honestly thought we would be too tired to use them, but got them anyhow. We had another one we had to take to make three but we couldn't get in the park in time to use it.

They do tie up your fast passes for the day which is why booking them on your arrival day is the way to go. Even if you are delayed, you will make it for them.

I think they are nearly impossible to add as a fourth fastpass. You have to get them in advance.

I'm not sure I'd tie up my fast passes unless it was my first night or maybe the evening after a water park when you wouldn't need any through the day. That would work too.

Thank you for your response! I will keep that in mind as our 60 days time approaches and consider how we want to do this....
 


Great reviews so far. I love EOS. Their sandwiches are so good. Pizza Planet is a must do for us. DS always requests it! Thanks for sharing.
 
So, when these open....do you call vs. look online? I had heard from a CM that sometimes things appear online before the phone center is able to book them? Do you find that to be true or is it better to call? I was one of those people who was somehow able to get a Candlelight Processional times before they opened (like by 3-4 days) Just wondering what my approach should be!
 
Day 2 continued (1900 Park Fare)

We had purchased some items at Hollywood Studios and had drawings of Stitch we made (our daughter was thrilled) that needed to get back to the hotel. After a short rest we took the same route as the day before and caught the monorail to the Grand Floridian. We a 4:50 reservation and had about a half hour to make it from the Magic Kingdom monorail station. We were actually about ten minutes late because the monorail was "running at a slower speed" and basically sat at the Contemporary for close to 15 minutes and another 10 at the TTC, not to mention a slower stop at the Polynesian. Although we were late, we were taken back right away, got our picture taken and were seated in the front room.

We have eaten here in 2009 and 2012 and had positive experiences. It was a chance for our daughter, who was 6 and 8 on those trips to see Cinderella without spending a double credit at the castle. Since then, Cinderella has been added to the rotation at Akershus, which we do every time, so seeing here isn't a priority. What we always liked the best at this dinner was the interaction with Lady Tremain and the step sisters. We found out as we were seated that there were no step sisters this time and they substituted Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. This was a tremendous disappointment as we knew we would see those two, as well as Cinderella at Akershus in a few days.

Lady Tremain did her best to fill in the humor without the step sisters and said they were acting up and were not allowed to come and was disgusted because Cinderella invited the "sleepy princesses" instead. We told her we like her and her daughters more than the princesses (which we do) and she played it up everytime she walked by. It was funny and a good effort, but without the whole step family, this just lost a step.

We were also a little disappointed in the food selection. There were a few items that were different and good like (I believe they were called) Mongolian beef tips and a few other things, but we found ourselves eating the same items we already had at Chef Mickey's the night before like the prime rib, sliced turkey and mashed potatoes. We also ate off the child's offerings more here than anywhere else, mostly due to the selection.

Here was a taco, mac and cheese and Micky Ravioli (that were not at Chef Mickey's this time but have been in the past), and green beans. Most of this was on the children's station. I believe the green beans and jasmine rice were with the adult offerings.

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Here is a small salad, prime rib, mashed potatoes and the beef tips. The beef tips were easily my personal favorite thing here. They were a little spicy, which I love. As good as they were, they couldn't make up for the selection issues elsewhere.


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Here is another plate mostly from the adult offerings. There is a salad, baked catfish, potatoes and chicken with some green beans and something else I cannot remember even as I'm looking at it.

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Here is the famous cold strawberry soup. My daughter got it and didn't like it at all. I finished it for her. It was OK, but nothing I would go out of my way to find somewhere.

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Another adult plate with some different items. The pierogie was actually filled with a pumpkin type of filling. It was very different, but actually good.

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Here is a last plate of carved turkey (adult) and Mickey ravioli (child's). Nothing else was looking appealing.

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The desserts here are very good, but unlike Chef Mickey's and the Crystal Palace, do not offer ice cream. All here was very good except the bread pudding on the left. I didn't like it that much. The others were very fancy and tasty.

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Another look at some of the desserts offered.

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To be totally fair, this restaurant was on our "maybe" list up to when I booked the meals (exactly 180 out to the second). The food compared to previous visits in quality, but the selection didn't seem as great. A little kid would be OK because in addition to what was pictured there were also hot dogs available in the child's area.

The reason we ended up returning was honestly the step family, who carried the whole experience in the past. Without the step sisters, 1900 Park Fare was really lacking. The next trip we are probably have an over 75% chance of not returning. We may add Biergarten, or the Coral Reef instead. I am sure that a large factor is the fact that our daughter is now 11 and will be at least 14 when we return, so entertainment, more than princesses are becoming a priority. We still like Akershus for breakfast (as I'll add later) so seeing Cinderella twice doesn't have the same appeal as it would for a younger girl. If going anytime soon, I would check the boards and keep asking if the step sister thing is becoming the norm, or we were just unlucky.

All in all we agreed that this restaurant lost something from previous visits. It is always a treat to hang out in the Grand Floridian on a French Quarter budget, and restaurants on the monorail loop are handy, but we will probably be skipping this in the future. In addition, the bill here was about $15 less than Chef Mickey's, but for close to $140 for 3 adults, it wasn't the value it was in the past, even on the meal plan.

After, we saw that the monorail was broken down so we took a boat back to the Magic Kingdom before it started to pour. The crowd never really thinned out, but we got some things done before heading back at 11. Keep in mind that this was a Saturday and the Magic Kingdom was open until 2am. This meant that the crowds never really went down, even during parades. We did the same thing the following Saturday too. We kind of learned that the lines don't get shorter until well after 11 when the park is open until 2am. If going on that day, it may be smarter just to take a long nap and don't even arrive until 11. I think we might try and avoid the Magic Kingdom on these late days all together in the future because the crowds really were heavy on most rides.

The next day we had breakfast at Tusker House. More on that in a bit...
 
Day 3 (Tusker House and Food Court)

Day three was an 8 am opening at the Animal Kingdom. We had Safari, Kali River Rapids and Nemo the musical fastpasses. Nobody really wanted to do Expedition Everest this trip so we did the Safari in the stand-by line (so we could do it at two different times) and went through the trail to see the Gorillas. We kind of just hung out and looked around until our 10:10 breakfast time at Tusker House for breakfast.

We first ate at Tusker in 2007 when it was still a counter serve. We did the Donald's Safari breakfast the past two trips and enjoyed it, so we didn't hesitate to book it again this trip. We were there around 10:00 and were seated immediately after having the customary picture taken with the masks.

Our table was in the back this time, which kept us out of the more energetic part of the restaurant. We got our drinks, including "jungle juice" which was very good. I could swear this was "monkey juice" in the past, but either I am mistaken or it did look like there were two different colored drinks being offered.

The atmosphere here, like Chef Mickey's is loud, but fun. The characters on hand were Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy. There is a large room where all the food is served. There is a large selection for breakfast. There are eggs, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffles,biscuits and gravy, potatoes, carved ham as well as various danishes, croissants, cheeses and cereals. It is what one might expect for breakfast except the quality is very good. Everything is kept very fresh.


Here is a very basic plate with eggs, bacon, sausage, a waffle and the ham. Many times, breakfast buffet eggs are hard and rubbery, but here they have it down to a science. They are as good as fresh off the skillet.

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Here is a view of the juice, a chocolate milk, Fruit Loops, eggs, tots and a Mickey Waffle.

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This plate has a bagel, hard boiled egg, cheese, grapes and some baked goods.

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Some biscuits with sausage gravy, more eggs, bacon and sausage and potatoes.

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A random plate

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Croissants and cheese

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The meal here, like almost every sit-down, took a little over an hour. Our service was great and the bill came in at right around $100, which was a little more reasonable. Although it was breakfast, I felt there were more options than 1900 Park Fare the day before, and the price was much better.

The character interaction here was MUCH better than Chef Mickey's and 1900 Park Fare also. The characters stayed at the table, signed autographs, posed for any pictures desired, and actually did a little performing. For example, many know that Donald signs "Donald Duck #1." After he signed we said that we think he is #1 and felt that we could say it because "the head cheese" wasn't around to hear us. He totally ran with it and started dancing. That didn't happen at Chef Mickey's, although I would rate the food experience the same.

We have never eaten here for the lunch, so I cannot speak to the food quality or overall experience there. I can strongly recommend this if spending a day at the Animal Kingdom because for one, the food choices in that park aren't as good and the experience here is a good value. Don't worry about a late breakfast because people were still coming in towards the end of our meal and could still get breakfast. They just close one breakfast line and switch the other to lunch. Next time I may try that to get a sneak peek at the lunch selections also.

We finished our meal, used our fastpasses and did almost everything in the park. If going for an 8am opening, this park can almost be done in one day. It closes early so the extra hour or two would be great. This is supposed to happen when the Avatar land is done. We had to go back for a few hours later in the trip so our daughter could get more Wilderness Explorer stickers.
Even if the Safaris closed early to allow time to get the animals put backstage and the rest of the park stayed open it would be a better value, especially for a day visitor or someone without the park hopper. It was no big deal to us, but under the current structure it is not a full two day park, but one day isn't quite enough.

More Later!
 
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Just finding your thread and joining in. I rarely miss out on disney food, especially when its from a fellow Steeler fan ; )

We don't do too many character meals, but I gotta say I'm shocked at the price of chef mickey's. I think we've eaten at signature restaurants for less than that. Thank goodness you all were on the dining plan. That at least makes it palatable.

I can't believe they didn't have the step sisters at 1900. i'm sure there aren't as many "in rotation" as some of the other character but when you come to except them at a meal a sub just isn't acceptable.

Glad you all enjoyed tusker house. This is the one character meal that is always in our rotation as the interactions are great and more importantly we love the unique food offerings.

Can't wait for more
 
Those cupcakes at Pizza Planet look pretty good! Menu doesn't specify which ones they usually have - does anyone know if the Olaf cupcake is a usual offering now?
 
Just finding your thread and joining in. I rarely miss out on disney food, especially when its from a fellow Steeler fan ; )

We don't do too many character meals, but I gotta say I'm shocked at the price of chef mickey's. I think we've eaten at signature restaurants for less than that. Thank goodness you all were on the dining plan. That at least makes it palatable.

I can't believe they didn't have the step sisters at 1900. i'm sure there aren't as many "in rotation" as some of the other character but when you come to except them at a meal a sub just isn't acceptable.

Glad you all enjoyed tusker house. This is the one character meal that is always in our rotation as the interactions are great and more importantly we love the unique food offerings.

Can't wait for more


When I saw the bill at CM I felt the same way. It had been only three years but I felt like someone who has only bought used cars might feel looking at New ones.

In fairness there was probably a price list posted somewhere, but being on the meal plan I never felt the need to look.

I can see CM, Tusker, Akershus and the Crystal Palace staying on our rotation and maybe the breakfast at Ohana too. With the meal plan you do get decent value at the character meals, but most of the others were not that far behind in price.

Either the prices really jumped or I'm just getting cheap in my old age and actually noticed.
 
Those cupcakes at Pizza Planet look pretty good! Menu doesn't specify which ones they usually have - does anyone know if the Olaf cupcake is a usual offering now?


I'm guessing that Olaf cupcake will be there until they have enough of a Star Wars presence to phase Frozen out of Hollywood Studios and into Norway at Epcot. I can see that happening, but as slowly as things get built down there (Fantasyland expansion, Downtown Disney, fireworks viewing in the MK, etc.) I would wager it will be there a long time.

You couldn't take two steps without seeing something Frozen related in that park!
 
1900 Park Fare is one that I have had one and off my plans for our August trip. Only to see the step sisters. I know that characters can very but I never imagined they wouldn't be there! Very glad I cut this restaurant. I know I am late to the party, love your reviews!
 
Day 3 Continued (Sassagoula Floatworks)

We stayed at the Animal Kingdom and basically closed it down. We finished in Dino Land USA and by the time the day was ending it was fairly empty. We figured it would be just as easy to eat back at the hotel as anything so that is what we did. On the surface it seemed like the value wasn't as good because we already had our refillable mugs, but in reality it worked out great because we each got a bottled beverage that we threw in the fridge and took to the parks the next day.


I went with the angus mushroom swiss burger with fries and a carrot cake for dessert. They asked if I wanted tomato, pickles, lettuce and onion and I, of course, said "YES!" It came on the side plate shown, so you could put on what you want. Also, the burger was made fresh. This meant I had to wait for it a little while, but it was worth it. We usually get into a "burger rut" on these trips, but nobody ate more than one. This was an excellent, char-grilled burger. I was extremely full after eating it, and we had not eaten since the breakfast much earlier in the day.

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My wife and daughter went with the baked chicken alfredo and baked macaroni and cheese. Later we thought about it and may have missed a side salad or two we sere supposed to get. Both said their food was good, but not great. The chicken alfredo was actually served fresh, but the mac and cheese looked like it may have been pre-packaged and just heated through in an oven. They grabbed a brownie and Mickey Rice Crispy treat for desert.

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This is the night that we traditionally would have paid out of pocket for a large pizza and snack credited side salads. We needed to do this because we had 9 credits each (9 nights), but stayed ten days. Because we had pizza the day before at Pizza Planet and were getting it again the next day at Via Nappoli, we just got meals and would figure it out later. This is our 5th different food court experience and feel that they are all basically the same. eating at the hotel is a very legit option. Just walk around and see what the offerings are. Find something that looks goos and take a chance. Every meal, other than breakfasts, we have had at food courts worked out fine... and you are already "home."

French Quarter has a large grassy area where they show an outdoor movie nightly. My wife and daughter got towels, fed some tame rabbits, and watched Wreck-it-Ralph, while I watched the Pirates beat the Cardinals on national TV and we all got to sleep early. It was much needed because we were going on about 9 hours total sleep over the last two nights and needed to recharge a little.

We had a full day the next day at the Magic Kingdom, then Epcot.
 
Great Reviews, we were thinking of going to chef Mickey's but we can't get a reservation yet. Our trip is in October, so we want to figure something out soon.
 
Day 4: Be Our Guest Lunch and Via Nappoli Dinner

During our trip we were very lucky to see the Magic Kingdom opening at 8am for everyone. This, in effect was another extra magic hour because the park was very empty in the morning.

We had late morning/early afternoon fastpasses for The Mine Train, Splash and Big Thunder Mountain. We were able to go into fantasy land and completely clear it out before our Mine Train fastpass expired at 10:40. When I say "clear it out" I mean we did everything in the Fantasyland area and my wife and daughter rode the Barnstormer 6 times without getting off until a line formed. This was an incredible time-saver and the 8 am start helped. We caught the Mine Train at the end of our window, then headed straight for Be Our Guest.

This was definitely something we wanted to try, but didn't want to do the sit-down for dinner. I also know the lines here were ridiculous, so at some point around making my fastpasses, I was able to get us a 10:50 reservation here. We could have pre-ordered, but instead waited until that day. You just go to a kiosk, place your order for everyone and go get a seat. They find you with your Magic Band or they give you a rose if you don't have any. The food came out very quickly while we were getting our drinks. One person had to stay at the table so they knew how to find you.


I had the braised pork with the strawberry cream cheese cupcake. I had made up my mind on this months before arriving and got it with no modifications. There are mashed potatoes under there too. This was a great meal for a couple of reasons. First, it was just plain good. The meat was tender and the whole thing was something I would order at a restaurant at home. Second, this restaurant gives different choices than the standard burgers, nuggets and pizza. It is a great choice, like Earl of Sandwich, to switch things up during a long trip.

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My wife got the Croque Monsieur with the chocolate cream puff. Like my meal, she was very impressed and liked it very much.

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My daughter had the carved turkey sandwich modified to leave off the dijon mayonnaise. This was very easy to do at the kiosk and can probably be done in advance also. Her dessert was the Master's Cupcake so we could try "the grey stuff." She loves green beans so she traded me some fries and part of her sandwich for most of my beans. She was getting worn out some due to lack of sleep and a little dehydration, so her appetite wasn't up to par for a few meals here and there, but I also sampled the sandwich and it was excellent.




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Overall, we all gave Be Our Guest a very enthusiastic thumbs up. As long as a reservation can be made in advance, I can see us going here every time we visit. The restaurant itself is beautiful and we were able to walk around and visit all the rooms. This included almost walking into the kitchen because it looked like an exit! Make sure to start trying to get a reservation as soon as you book your other restaurants 180 days out. If you can't, just try off and on. I honestly didn't even think about it until I was making my fastpass reservations and still had a ton of choices. Selecting meals in advance will save you ten minutes and some hassle also, maybe more depending on who is at the kiosk before you.

I cannot think of any reason not to go here, other than the fact that they don't have the basic fast food choices and a very picky eater wouldn't want anything on the menu. Like I said before, it was very easy to modify the meals so a basic turkey sandwich is always available. I'm sure the same can happen with the carved roast beef sandwich also.

It is worth noting that the desserts were great too. It just took us a few minutes to realize how to eat the cupcakes!

More later
 

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