December 10-18, 2005 Disney Trip Dining Notes
Our crew: Me: enjoys new foods but is okay with standards, as long as the service is good and the establishment is clean; DH: has
eaten grubs in Peru-will try anthing once-but is a meat and potatoes guy at heart, all waitstaff tips start at 0 percent with him and
work their way up, generously when appropriate; DS 14: eats anything that stands still long enough, prefers carbs and all things
beige; DS 10: very adventurous, especially enjoys fruit, but everything in small quantities; DD7: prefers chicken tenders or
macaroni, also all things sweet and/or chocolate. Breakfasts on all days after the first were in our villa at Summer Bay.
We have our Disney Dining card and use it whenever possible. In instances of good service, we use the difference to pay the tip.
Sat., 12/10: After our long day’s drive from NC, we dropped our luggage off at our first night hotel, Royal Celebration on Lake
Cecile, and ran out to the Pizza Hut at 535 and 192. We were not thrilled to see that both our cheese and pepperoni pizzas were
covered with orange cheese, as in Velveeta cheese! The waitress didn’t see why we were concerned and said they always use orange
cheese with the mozzerella. Oh well. For 19.22 we all were full and went back to the hotel to sleep and get ready for the next day.
Sun., 12/11: Checked out of the hotel after the complimentary, cold, continental breakfast. Very basic, but clean and sufficient to
start the day. Headed to the parks to hop and hit everyone’s favorites before we checked into the villa. Enjoyed a filling lunch at
Columbia Harbour House. Shared an assortment of chicken w/fries and fish w/fries and mac-n-cheese with fruit and carrots, one
large Coke. (Most of us drink bottled water.) Total was 32.54.
We were disappointed not to snag a window seat upstairs, but could still see out the window to the sidewalk below. Spent part of
lunch explaining the old Skylift building to the kids. Also had the misfortune of seeing a dear lady pass out onto the floor from her
seat. Cudos to the vacationing EMT seated next to her; the staff seemed incredibly slow in responding. We did later see the same
woman on Main St., so I trust she recovered.
Mon., 12/12: Spent a fun day at DD’s favorite, AK. Brought pbj’s and trail mix to nibble throughout the day; purchased pretzels
and ice creams to eat during the parade. Went back to the villa to freshen up and headed to the Poly. Enjoyed a window seat at
Ohana during Wishes. This was a treat! I’m not crazy about the new dessert, but both DSs liked it. The rest of the food was
yummy-meats hot and moist, potatoes standard, but good. We all liked the new sausage. It was not as great watching Wishes with
the lights on rather than off; the server said that it had become a safety issue and the new manager insisted that the lights remain on.
(The recording says they will dim the lights, but they do not.) Our younger two enjoyed all of the games, while DS14 documented
them with his camera. Total was 98.79.
After dinner, we went to GF to enjoy the decorations and catch the end of the water parade. (Would have seen the whole thing had it
not been for a monorail delay.) Very nice way to end our first full day.
Tues., 12/13: Slept in a bit and visited Epcot FutureWorld. Missed the Hydrolaters, but enjoyed Turtle Talk. Walked around the
lovely construction wall to Coral Reef for a late lunch. Five thumbs down here! We were seated immediately, but our server took
about 10 mins. to appear. We had a difficult time understanding him and did not get off to a good start by having to ask him to
repeat the specials-mas despacio, por favor. He was visibly miffed when DH politely declined the wine list. DH and I both requested
water w/lemon. After another 10 mins., he appeared with our drinks and gave DH lemonade. We had to get another server to flag
ours down and correct that. Server was once again upset when I ordered the Ceasar salad w/rock shrimp for my entree. He initially
told me that I could not!
When the food arrived, about another half an hour later, it was all very good. DS10 really enjoyed his mahi, DS 14 had some sort of grilled
fish that he liked, DD ate all of her pizza, DH approved of his bbq salmon sandwich, and my salad was one of the best I’d ever had.
The service ruined the meal, though. We noticed that other folks were looking around for their servers, also. It is a pretty
restaurant. DH and I were wowed by the aquarium view, although the children had enough of it with all of the waiting. The
manager politely accepted my complaints when we left, though she did not seem overly concerned or apologetic. Perhaps this
restaurant would have been better saved for our adults-only anniversary trip, or perhaps they should lighten up, stop being so snooty,
and remember that they are in Disney serving families on vacation! Enough said. 56.71 total.
Later that evening, DH treated us to sundaes at Ghirardelli’s with his birthday coupon. The place was busy, but the staff did a good
job bussing the tables and bringing the treats. We had a brownie sundae, a hot fudge, and a very berry. Good stuff! 14.80 total.
Weds., 12/14: This day was geared most towards DS14, who loves RRC and ToT. Both boys’ ADR choice for this trip was Prime
Time. This was our 3rd visit here; the first time we had a really animated server, the last two times have been so-so. DH and DS14
tried to encourage her, but she just did the standard, “Kids, set the table, elbows off the table, eat your veggies or no dessert.” She
did serve us in a timely manner and keep the table neat, so we were pleased with that. It was fun to watch DD eat all of her
mac-n-cheese (rather, pawn the remainder off on DS14) since she had seen the “shame, shame” act occur at the table next to us.
DH enjoyed his meatloaf and strawberry shake, DS14 liked his fish sandwich, my pot roast was outstanding, and DS10 had no
complaints about his chicken nuggets. We shared the Dad’s Sundae for dessert, which was fun. Total was 54.55.
Thurs., 12/15: This day got off to a rocky start as our transmission faltered on the way to the parks. Let it suffice here to say that the
AAA car care center took good care of us, and we had our vehicle back by the end of the day running well, and it did not cost us any
limbs. Meanwhile, the menfolk spent most of the day at Disney Quest and had a blast. They shared a pepperoni pizza and a drink
at the foodcourt there and spent 19.12 on their lunch. Any other snacks or goodies had there flew by under the radar.
DD and I enjoyed a spectacular tea at the GF. I cannot express what a joy this was! Our server, DeLayne, struck just the perfect
balance between being a proper high tea instructor and being friendly and fun. I ordered the GF Bouquet tea with my Buckingham
Palace, and DD had the Mrs. Potts. DeLayne was incredibly prompt and attentive. She was very respectful while explaining each
part of the tea to us. DD and I were wowed by the beautiful tea service, the pretty upholstered seating and throw pillows, and the
castle view. I had hesitated to bring a 7yo, but each course was brought quickly after the other and really held her attention. I was
skeptical at first as to whether my petite little sandwiches (half each-no crust: broiled pear, chicken salad w/apricots, egg salad w/
almonds?, tuna, watercress and cucumber) would be filling. DD and I poured ourselves tea throughout, and she enjoyed putting the
lumps of sugar in mine. After the sandwiches, we were served steaming scones with cream. Wonderful! That would have been
sufficient, but then we were asked for our dessert choices. Wow! The tiered dessert tray was a thing of beauty. We could each
choose 2. DD chose an eclair for herself and requested a chocolate covered strawberry (huge!) to save for DS10. I was touched by
her kindness. I choose option 3, the trifle. Just a heavenly fluff! We left quite stuffed from all of our delicate niblings. If you have
ever thought about trying this, DO IT! We will be back. Total was a mere 22.16 after DDE, plus an extra-generous tip to DeLayne
for her exceptional service.
Fri., 12/16: DH and I had wondered several times on this trip whether we had ODed the kids on Disney this year with 3 trips.
Sometimes they seemed to have lost the “Wow” factor we had previously seen in them. As we neared the end of our trip this day, we
were heartened to hear them say, “It’s gone too fast. How can it be Friday already?” We hopped a bit early in the day and visited
some favorites, and went to World Showcase in the afternoon. Our intention was to snack around the World, but our tummies didn’t
hold up, even though we were sharing. We had a cinnamon bun in Norway, egg rolls in China, apple streudal in Germany, and I
can’t remember what else. (These were cash, so I don’t have receipts to jog my memory.)
We had issues with a faulty pager at Rose & Crown and did not get the patio table we had wanted. This worked out well, though.
Our server, Anneka, was very attentive. She took our orders and brought our drinks, DS14’s soup, and our fruit and cheese platter
promptly. She whisked us out to a patio table next to a heater for Illuminations. This show does not thrill me, but DH really likes it,
and this is his favorite place and time to eat. Our meals were brought to our table immediately when we came back in from the
show. We had the dinner pasty, fish and chips, cottage pie, kid’s fish, and the persistant mac-n-cheese. It was all hot and tasty. We
really feel that this meal is a bargain considering the Illuminations seating and the price: 62.82. We took turns carrying DD to the
van, as she fell asleep on my lap in the booth during dinner.
Sat., 12/17: All too soon it was the end of our last full day. This was my favorite meal, though tea was a very close second. We had
an early dinner at the castle. DD brought her velvet and chiffon Christmas dress to wear; it looked remarkably good after being in
a locker all day.
The menfolk put on long-sleeved shirts with collars over their Incredibles shirts, and I traded mine
for a velvet vest(over my ls shirt.) I know this wasn’t at all necessary, but the castle is special for me. My family was pleasantly indulgent-thank you!
We were taken upstairs immediately and greeted by our server, Nicole. She did a fine job. DS10 requested that she refer to him as
“Court Jester” rather than “My lord,” and she did. It was nice that she remembered that throughout the meal. We heard the cannons
fire for Cinderellabration during our meal. That was neat, once we realized what it was! We were able to see the lights come on
over Fantasyland while we ate; that was pretty. We were struck by how noisy and casual everyone was, but again, we remembered
we were among vacationing families and it was okay.
I have heard others say that the castle food has become mediocre, but we were pleased with everything. DH and DS14 both started
with the chicken noodle soup. It was more of a stew with egg noodles and chicken breasts. DH complained that he had not gotten
any chicken, and Nicole promptly brought him another bowl with almost as much chicken as my entree! He was very pleased, and
her tip reflected that. We all enjoyed the pretzel rolls with honey-mustard butter-mmmm! DH had the pork tenderloin, I had the
roasted chicken (I almost asked for more of the cornbread-type stuffing it was served on-it was that good,) DS14 had the kingdom
cut prime rib (which was fatty, but so moist,) DS10 had the skewered chicken, DD had the fruit and cheese plate for her entree. It
was all delicious, and we enjoyed the atmosphere.
The two youngest had crown sundaes for dessert, which were appropriately rich. DS14 had the chocolate cake; the cake was good, but
the icing tasted as if it were straight out of a can. DH and I shared a raspberry sorbet, which was tart but very tasty. DS10 had some
of that, too. All said and done, the total meal price was 99.14. It was truly a treat because we had enough Visa reward $$ to pay for
it. I will be sad if we don’t eat here again after the price increase; still debating that one.
So there we are! I have not included many details here other than the dining; I may write more on the trip board later. I am mulling
over a “Cheers and Jeers” entry over some of the behavior we witnessed during our trip, both from CM’s and guests. We did see the
magically good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Happy New Year to all!
Our crew: Me: enjoys new foods but is okay with standards, as long as the service is good and the establishment is clean; DH: has
eaten grubs in Peru-will try anthing once-but is a meat and potatoes guy at heart, all waitstaff tips start at 0 percent with him and
work their way up, generously when appropriate; DS 14: eats anything that stands still long enough, prefers carbs and all things
beige; DS 10: very adventurous, especially enjoys fruit, but everything in small quantities; DD7: prefers chicken tenders or
macaroni, also all things sweet and/or chocolate. Breakfasts on all days after the first were in our villa at Summer Bay.
We have our Disney Dining card and use it whenever possible. In instances of good service, we use the difference to pay the tip.
Sat., 12/10: After our long day’s drive from NC, we dropped our luggage off at our first night hotel, Royal Celebration on Lake
Cecile, and ran out to the Pizza Hut at 535 and 192. We were not thrilled to see that both our cheese and pepperoni pizzas were
covered with orange cheese, as in Velveeta cheese! The waitress didn’t see why we were concerned and said they always use orange
cheese with the mozzerella. Oh well. For 19.22 we all were full and went back to the hotel to sleep and get ready for the next day.
Sun., 12/11: Checked out of the hotel after the complimentary, cold, continental breakfast. Very basic, but clean and sufficient to
start the day. Headed to the parks to hop and hit everyone’s favorites before we checked into the villa. Enjoyed a filling lunch at
Columbia Harbour House. Shared an assortment of chicken w/fries and fish w/fries and mac-n-cheese with fruit and carrots, one
large Coke. (Most of us drink bottled water.) Total was 32.54.
We were disappointed not to snag a window seat upstairs, but could still see out the window to the sidewalk below. Spent part of
lunch explaining the old Skylift building to the kids. Also had the misfortune of seeing a dear lady pass out onto the floor from her
seat. Cudos to the vacationing EMT seated next to her; the staff seemed incredibly slow in responding. We did later see the same
woman on Main St., so I trust she recovered.
Mon., 12/12: Spent a fun day at DD’s favorite, AK. Brought pbj’s and trail mix to nibble throughout the day; purchased pretzels
and ice creams to eat during the parade. Went back to the villa to freshen up and headed to the Poly. Enjoyed a window seat at
Ohana during Wishes. This was a treat! I’m not crazy about the new dessert, but both DSs liked it. The rest of the food was
yummy-meats hot and moist, potatoes standard, but good. We all liked the new sausage. It was not as great watching Wishes with
the lights on rather than off; the server said that it had become a safety issue and the new manager insisted that the lights remain on.
(The recording says they will dim the lights, but they do not.) Our younger two enjoyed all of the games, while DS14 documented
them with his camera. Total was 98.79.
After dinner, we went to GF to enjoy the decorations and catch the end of the water parade. (Would have seen the whole thing had it
not been for a monorail delay.) Very nice way to end our first full day.
Tues., 12/13: Slept in a bit and visited Epcot FutureWorld. Missed the Hydrolaters, but enjoyed Turtle Talk. Walked around the
lovely construction wall to Coral Reef for a late lunch. Five thumbs down here! We were seated immediately, but our server took
about 10 mins. to appear. We had a difficult time understanding him and did not get off to a good start by having to ask him to
repeat the specials-mas despacio, por favor. He was visibly miffed when DH politely declined the wine list. DH and I both requested
water w/lemon. After another 10 mins., he appeared with our drinks and gave DH lemonade. We had to get another server to flag
ours down and correct that. Server was once again upset when I ordered the Ceasar salad w/rock shrimp for my entree. He initially
told me that I could not!
When the food arrived, about another half an hour later, it was all very good. DS10 really enjoyed his mahi, DS 14 had some sort of grilled
fish that he liked, DD ate all of her pizza, DH approved of his bbq salmon sandwich, and my salad was one of the best I’d ever had.
The service ruined the meal, though. We noticed that other folks were looking around for their servers, also. It is a pretty
restaurant. DH and I were wowed by the aquarium view, although the children had enough of it with all of the waiting. The
manager politely accepted my complaints when we left, though she did not seem overly concerned or apologetic. Perhaps this
restaurant would have been better saved for our adults-only anniversary trip, or perhaps they should lighten up, stop being so snooty,
and remember that they are in Disney serving families on vacation! Enough said. 56.71 total.
Later that evening, DH treated us to sundaes at Ghirardelli’s with his birthday coupon. The place was busy, but the staff did a good
job bussing the tables and bringing the treats. We had a brownie sundae, a hot fudge, and a very berry. Good stuff! 14.80 total.
Weds., 12/14: This day was geared most towards DS14, who loves RRC and ToT. Both boys’ ADR choice for this trip was Prime
Time. This was our 3rd visit here; the first time we had a really animated server, the last two times have been so-so. DH and DS14
tried to encourage her, but she just did the standard, “Kids, set the table, elbows off the table, eat your veggies or no dessert.” She
did serve us in a timely manner and keep the table neat, so we were pleased with that. It was fun to watch DD eat all of her
mac-n-cheese (rather, pawn the remainder off on DS14) since she had seen the “shame, shame” act occur at the table next to us.
DH enjoyed his meatloaf and strawberry shake, DS14 liked his fish sandwich, my pot roast was outstanding, and DS10 had no
complaints about his chicken nuggets. We shared the Dad’s Sundae for dessert, which was fun. Total was 54.55.
Thurs., 12/15: This day got off to a rocky start as our transmission faltered on the way to the parks. Let it suffice here to say that the
AAA car care center took good care of us, and we had our vehicle back by the end of the day running well, and it did not cost us any
limbs. Meanwhile, the menfolk spent most of the day at Disney Quest and had a blast. They shared a pepperoni pizza and a drink
at the foodcourt there and spent 19.12 on their lunch. Any other snacks or goodies had there flew by under the radar.
DD and I enjoyed a spectacular tea at the GF. I cannot express what a joy this was! Our server, DeLayne, struck just the perfect
balance between being a proper high tea instructor and being friendly and fun. I ordered the GF Bouquet tea with my Buckingham
Palace, and DD had the Mrs. Potts. DeLayne was incredibly prompt and attentive. She was very respectful while explaining each
part of the tea to us. DD and I were wowed by the beautiful tea service, the pretty upholstered seating and throw pillows, and the
castle view. I had hesitated to bring a 7yo, but each course was brought quickly after the other and really held her attention. I was
skeptical at first as to whether my petite little sandwiches (half each-no crust: broiled pear, chicken salad w/apricots, egg salad w/
almonds?, tuna, watercress and cucumber) would be filling. DD and I poured ourselves tea throughout, and she enjoyed putting the
lumps of sugar in mine. After the sandwiches, we were served steaming scones with cream. Wonderful! That would have been
sufficient, but then we were asked for our dessert choices. Wow! The tiered dessert tray was a thing of beauty. We could each
choose 2. DD chose an eclair for herself and requested a chocolate covered strawberry (huge!) to save for DS10. I was touched by
her kindness. I choose option 3, the trifle. Just a heavenly fluff! We left quite stuffed from all of our delicate niblings. If you have
ever thought about trying this, DO IT! We will be back. Total was a mere 22.16 after DDE, plus an extra-generous tip to DeLayne
for her exceptional service.
Fri., 12/16: DH and I had wondered several times on this trip whether we had ODed the kids on Disney this year with 3 trips.
Sometimes they seemed to have lost the “Wow” factor we had previously seen in them. As we neared the end of our trip this day, we
were heartened to hear them say, “It’s gone too fast. How can it be Friday already?” We hopped a bit early in the day and visited
some favorites, and went to World Showcase in the afternoon. Our intention was to snack around the World, but our tummies didn’t
hold up, even though we were sharing. We had a cinnamon bun in Norway, egg rolls in China, apple streudal in Germany, and I
can’t remember what else. (These were cash, so I don’t have receipts to jog my memory.)
We had issues with a faulty pager at Rose & Crown and did not get the patio table we had wanted. This worked out well, though.
Our server, Anneka, was very attentive. She took our orders and brought our drinks, DS14’s soup, and our fruit and cheese platter
promptly. She whisked us out to a patio table next to a heater for Illuminations. This show does not thrill me, but DH really likes it,
and this is his favorite place and time to eat. Our meals were brought to our table immediately when we came back in from the
show. We had the dinner pasty, fish and chips, cottage pie, kid’s fish, and the persistant mac-n-cheese. It was all hot and tasty. We
really feel that this meal is a bargain considering the Illuminations seating and the price: 62.82. We took turns carrying DD to the
van, as she fell asleep on my lap in the booth during dinner.
Sat., 12/17: All too soon it was the end of our last full day. This was my favorite meal, though tea was a very close second. We had
an early dinner at the castle. DD brought her velvet and chiffon Christmas dress to wear; it looked remarkably good after being in
a locker all day.
The menfolk put on long-sleeved shirts with collars over their Incredibles shirts, and I traded minefor a velvet vest(over my ls shirt.) I know this wasn’t at all necessary, but the castle is special for me. My family was pleasantly indulgent-thank you!
We were taken upstairs immediately and greeted by our server, Nicole. She did a fine job. DS10 requested that she refer to him as
“Court Jester” rather than “My lord,” and she did. It was nice that she remembered that throughout the meal. We heard the cannons
fire for Cinderellabration during our meal. That was neat, once we realized what it was! We were able to see the lights come on
over Fantasyland while we ate; that was pretty. We were struck by how noisy and casual everyone was, but again, we remembered
we were among vacationing families and it was okay.
I have heard others say that the castle food has become mediocre, but we were pleased with everything. DH and DS14 both started
with the chicken noodle soup. It was more of a stew with egg noodles and chicken breasts. DH complained that he had not gotten
any chicken, and Nicole promptly brought him another bowl with almost as much chicken as my entree! He was very pleased, and
her tip reflected that. We all enjoyed the pretzel rolls with honey-mustard butter-mmmm! DH had the pork tenderloin, I had the
roasted chicken (I almost asked for more of the cornbread-type stuffing it was served on-it was that good,) DS14 had the kingdom
cut prime rib (which was fatty, but so moist,) DS10 had the skewered chicken, DD had the fruit and cheese plate for her entree. It
was all delicious, and we enjoyed the atmosphere.
The two youngest had crown sundaes for dessert, which were appropriately rich. DS14 had the chocolate cake; the cake was good, but
the icing tasted as if it were straight out of a can. DH and I shared a raspberry sorbet, which was tart but very tasty. DS10 had some
of that, too. All said and done, the total meal price was 99.14. It was truly a treat because we had enough Visa reward $$ to pay for
it. I will be sad if we don’t eat here again after the price increase; still debating that one.
So there we are! I have not included many details here other than the dining; I may write more on the trip board later. I am mulling
over a “Cheers and Jeers” entry over some of the behavior we witnessed during our trip, both from CM’s and guests. We did see the
magically good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Happy New Year to all!
