EXPIRED: Part ONE of 2015 CLUB LEVEL (CL) INFORMATION and HELP Thread DO NOT POST HERE!!!

[TinkerBellLiz]

Just made all our ADRs Surprisingly good options still available even though it's less than 3 months out. I'm not sure we'll keep them all, but I'm pretty happy with this list. We didn't do any of these on our last trip in March, except the BOG lunch. What do you think:

Chef Mickey's (first night's dinner, then to MK for EMH's after)

Be Our Guest Restaurant (lunch on first full MK day)

50's Prime Time Café (dinner, last time we ate here it was miserable, want to give it another try)

Le Cellier Steakhouse (dinner, my favorite)

Rose & Crown Dining Room (dinner, Connor's favorite)

California Grill (dinner, haven't been there in about 5 years, will my kids like the food?)

'Ohana (dinner, canceled this ADR last trip due to bad reviews, hoping menu changes have improved)

Teppan Edo (Nic's birthday dinner, his all time favorite)

I believe I can use my TIW card for all of these except Teppan Edo, right?

I can confirm BoG doesn't take ANY discounts at lunch. We just ate lunch there yesterday. Just a FYI, check-in for lunch is 5 minutes prior to reservation time even though the notification text says 15 minutes.

Also after trying California Grill again this trip I MUCH prefer Artist Point. Dinner tonight will be Mushroom Soup and Cobbler!

Our last two visits to Cali Grill I was disturbed by some things I saw. Bottles of water and wine are placed in "bins" along the outside of each seating section. We were seated at outside tables both in October and on Tuesday. Both visits I saw small children walking along the aisle touching all the bottle tops as the went. I don't think I'll go back.

Love all the rest of your choices!

Liz

 

[Wendydagny]

Question-- if you have your IPO get la nouba tickets for you, will the concierge desk have physical tickets to give you, or do you still have to go to will call? Trying to decide if setting that up for our party is a task I want to hand off to them, and that would make it worth it!!

 

[Dispro1]

Just made all our ADRs Surprisingly good options still available even though it's less than 3 months out. I'm not sure we'll keep them all, but I'm pretty happy with this list. We didn't do any of these on our last trip in March, except the BOG lunch. What do you think:

Chef Mickey's (first night's dinner, then to MK for EMH's after)

Be Our Guest Restaurant (lunch on first full MK day)

50's Prime Time Café (dinner, last time we ate here it was miserable, want to give it another try)

Le Cellier Steakhouse (dinner, my favorite)

Rose & Crown Dining Room (dinner, Connor's favorite)

California Grill (dinner, haven't been there in about 5 years, will my kids like the food?)

'Ohana (dinner, canceled this ADR last trip due to bad reviews, hoping menu changes have improved)

Teppan Edo (Nic's birthday dinner, his all time favorite)

I believe I can use my TIW card for all of these except Teppan Edo, right?

We love Cali Grill for the amazing view and watching Wishes from there, but I definitely think some menu items are better than others (but that's true for most restaurants). You can't go wrong with the "retro pork"/"pork old school" which is pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta. They took it off the menu a while back, so you have to ask for it as quoted. We also had some AMAZING flat bread in February! My girls are picky, but you can't go wrong with chicken and whipped potatoes. If I were going to cancel a couple of ADRs, I would cancel Chef Mickey's and Prime Time...but that's just my opinion because my last dinners at these two were mediocre...plus my older daughter HATED the way Prime Time works. You may want Chef Mickey's for it's fun atmosphere, but my kids have moved past the napkin spin dance...and we try to avoid buffets now that they are older. We like Garden Grill for a character restaurant As for 'Ohana, the only time we had a bad meal there was many years ago, and our reservation was really late...so I think the food simply wasn't as fresh or something. We eat there 2-3 times a year, and we are always pleased!

 

[pixarmom]

Following up on Erika's ADR list, we'd definitely keep Le Cellier and California Grill! Looks like Le Cellier is safe, since it's a favorite. As for the menu at California Grill, our boys are all over the map (a foodie, a mac-and-cheese/pizza enthusiast, and one in between) and they all find something they enjoy there. Both Le Cellier and California Grill have been great for us with CL, because we can order more or less, depending on how full we are after CL appetizers!

I'll put in our plug for 50's. It's a new favorite. They have a goat cheese appetizer that I order for my entree and absolutely love. Goes well with my electric lemonade. Our boys have been loving the food there lately - chicken pot pie, pot roast, fried chicken, malts/shakes - and we've been fortunate with outstanding servers. We've been there twice this year already - January and April - and it's definitely staying on the rotation.

Chef Mickeys . . . will not. We went in January for our youngest son's bday, but that will be it. Now all three boys have been there (our oldest multiple times when he was little) and we're finished. It was really not good. And crazy expensive. And may not be a good value with RPC appetizers in the mix.

We've also traded Ohana for Kona reservations lately - especially if we're staying RPC or WL CL - so much food at Ohana!

 

[Dispro1]

Following up on Erika's ADR list, we'd definitely keep Le Cellier and California Grill! Looks like Le Cellier is safe, since it's a favorite. As for the menu at California Grill, our boys are all over the map (a foodie, a mac-and-cheese/pizza enthusiast, and one in between) and they all find something they enjoy there. Both Le Cellier and California Grill have been great for us with CL, because we can order more or less, depending on how full we are after CL appetizers!

I'll put in our plug for 50's. It's a new favorite. They have a goat cheese appetizer that I order for my entree and absolutely love. Goes well with my electric lemonade. Our boys have been loving the food there lately - chicken pot pie, pot roast, fried chicken, malts/shakes - and we've been fortunate with outstanding servers. We've been there twice this year already - January and April - and it's definitely staying on the rotation.

Chef Mickeys . . . will not. We went in January for our youngest son's bday, but that will be it. Now all three boys have been there (our oldest multiple times when he was little) and we're finished. It was really not good. And crazy expensive. And may not be a good value with RPC appetizers in the mix.

We've also traded Ohana for Kona reservations lately - especially if we're staying RPC or WL CL - so much food at Ohana!

I have to admit that you've kinda made me want to try Prime Time again...if I can convince my kids. 'Ohana is a ton of food, but we've learned what we love and what we like but can do without...plus, it's kinda fun to make a fool of yourself learning to hula dance (after a couple glasses of wine in CL, of course). I'd love to know what you guys order from Kona. We had heard good things so gave it a try, but we were disappointed. I wonder if it depends on what you order?? I agree with you completely on Cali Grill and Chef Mickey's.

 

[pixarmom]

I have to admit that you've kinda made me want to try Prime Time again...if I can convince my kids. 'Ohana is a ton of food, but we've learned what we love and what we like but can do without...plus, it's kinda fun to make a fool of yourself learning to hula dance (after a couple glasses of wine in CL, of course). I'd love to know what you guys order from Kona. We had heard good things so gave it a try, but we were disappointed. I wonder if it depends on what you order?? I agree with you completely on Cali Grill and Chef Mickey's.

I think the majority of our family prefers the food at Ohana over Kona, but I'm stubborn because of the price. My Kona favorites are the volcano roll sushi for dinner and the pork taco on the lunch menu. We all think lunch is better at Kona than dinner.

 

[Dispro1]

I think the majority of our family prefers the food at Ohana over Kona, but I'm stubborn because of the price. My Kona favorites are the volcano roll sushi for dinner and the pork taco on the lunch menu. We all think lunch is better at Kona than dinner.

Do you know if they will do the pork tacos "to go" for lunch? I would love to take some of those back to the lounge for lunch! I know that my daughter wanted Mac n cheese one day at cap'n cooks but they didn't have it so they called up to Kona and had some sent down to cap'n cooks for her (to take back to the lounge). That's what I call great service We love the peace and quiet of the lounge mid-day (no matter what CL) -so many people are still at the parks!

 

[Denise773]

Hi,
Excited to say we are booked at WL CL for Dec 15-21. I have a few questions please.

Do you trust your IPO to book your ADR's during free dining? Are they always able to meet your requests? We have two must do's and the rest we are flexible on. I know how quick the adr's go. Thanks

 

[2golftoday]

Question-- if you have your IPO get la nouba tickets for you, will the concierge desk have physical tickets to give you, or do you still have to go to will call? Trying to decide if setting that up for our party is a task I want to hand off to them, and that would make it worth it!!

We had the IPO book our La Nouba tickets last year. The tickets were sent to our house.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

Checked in this morning to BC and got a room in the 5700's.. Full balcony as requested with a view of the tree between the bus depot and building. Can see Spaceship Earth from our balcony but very little noise here. It is a bit of a hike from the lounge, but also, very little traffic, so very quiet.
I didn't find the CL staff lacking. They were great at check in even trying to find me an upgrade.. But I needed the daubed and wanted the full balcony.
They were great in the lounge area, but it is my first day.. I'll update later.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I will amend last nights post.. Everything is still great except the CM CJ.. She seems like she would rather be anywhere but here today.. Everyone else is very nice

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi,
Excited to say we are booked at WL CL for Dec 15-21. I have a few questions please.

Do you trust your IPO to book your ADR's during free dining? Are they always able to meet your requests? We have two must do's and the rest we are flexible on. I know how quick the adr's go. Thanks

I never use IPO as I like booking my own ADRs, but from what I've read about other people's experiences, IPO does a good job (especially WL IPO). You could always give your choices to IPO as well as try to book yourself. If you get any duplicates, you can always cancel the ones you don't need .

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

We love Cali Grill for the amazing view and watching Wishes from there, but I definitely think some menu items are better than others (but that's true for most restaurants). You can't go wrong with the "retro pork"/"pork old school" which is pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta. They took it off the menu a while back, so you have to ask for it as quoted. We also had some AMAZING flat bread in February! My girls are picky, but you can't go wrong with chicken and whipped potatoes. If I were going to cancel a couple of ADRs, I would cancel Chef Mickey's and Prime Time...but that's just my opinion because my last dinners at these two were mediocre...plus my older daughter HATED the way Prime Time works. You may want Chef Mickey's for it's fun atmosphere, but my kids have moved past the napkin spin dance...and we try to avoid buffets now that they are older. We like Garden Grill for a character restaurant As for 'Ohana, the only time we had a bad meal there was many years ago, and our reservation was really late...so I think the food simply wasn't as fresh or something. We eat there 2-3 times a year, and we are always pleased!

My boys are definitely past the napkin spinning stage, but they love to eat. And they love buffets! Last time at Crystal Palace I literally thought they were going to bust they ate so much. LOL I don't particularly care for buffets myself, but when my boys eat a "fancy meal" as they call it then they want to eat again an hour later.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Following up on Erika's ADR list, we'd definitely keep Le Cellier and California Grill! Looks like Le Cellier is safe, since it's a favorite. As for the menu at California Grill, our boys are all over the map (a foodie, a mac-and-cheese/pizza enthusiast, and one in between) and they all find something they enjoy there. Both Le Cellier and California Grill have been great for us with CL, because we can order more or less, depending on how full we are after CL appetizers!

I'll put in our plug for 50's. It's a new favorite. They have a goat cheese appetizer that I order for my entree and absolutely love. Goes well with my electric lemonade. Our boys have been loving the food there lately - chicken pot pie, pot roast, fried chicken, malts/shakes - and we've been fortunate with outstanding servers. We've been there twice this year already - January and April - and it's definitely staying on the rotation.

Chef Mickeys . . . will not. We went in January for our youngest son's bday, but that will be it. Now all three boys have been there (our oldest multiple times when he was little) and we're finished. It was really not good. And crazy expensive. And may not be a good value with RPC appetizers in the mix.

We've also traded Ohana for Kona reservations lately - especially if we're staying RPC or WL CL - so much food at Ohana!

We haven't eaten at Chef Mickey's in ages. But I wanted a buffet similar to Crystal Palace without going back there again this trip. What about 1900 Park Fare? Would that be a better choice? We haven't been there in a few years either.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Do you know if they will do the pork tacos "to go" for lunch? I would love to take some of those back to the lounge for lunch! I know that my daughter wanted Mac n cheese one day at cap'n cooks but they didn't have it so they called up to Kona and had some sent down to cap'n cooks for her (to take back to the lounge). That's what I call great service We love the peace and quiet of the lounge mid-day (no matter what CL) -so many people are still at the parks!

I don't know the answer to this, but we get the pork nachos to go from Captain Cooks and they are always yummy.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I think the majority of our family prefers the food at Ohana over Kona, but I'm stubborn because of the price. My Kona favorites are the volcano roll sushi for dinner and the pork taco on the lunch menu. We all think lunch is better at Kona than dinner.

I'm glad I'm not the only one, I love Kona! It's not as good as it use to be "pre-DDP", but I still enjoy it. The sushi is so good.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I can confirm BoG doesn't take ANY discounts at lunch. We just ate lunch there yesterday. Just a FYI, check-in for lunch is 5 minutes prior to reservation time even though the notification text says 15 minutes.

Also after trying California Grill again this trip I MUCH prefer Artist Point. Dinner tonight will be Mushroom Soup and Cobbler!

Our last two visits to Cali Grill I was disturbed by some things I saw. Bottles of water and wine are placed in "bins" along the outside of each seating section. We were seated at outside tables both in October and on Tuesday. Both visits I saw small children walking along the aisle touching all the bottle tops as the went. I don't think I'll go back.

Love all the rest of your choices!

Liz

We are steering clear of the WL this trip. After a long stay there in December I think we're in need of some new locations to shake things up. Although I do agree that cobbler is to DIE FOR!!!!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Great list!! I don't think Be Our Guest lunch qualifies for TIW either - just dinner (only know this cause it's on our list too!). I have the following:

T-Rex (my youngest's choice)
Be Our Guest (this one's for me )
Whispering Canyon (oldest wants the skillet)
Via Napoli
Yak & Yeti
Crystal Palace (my middle son ALWAYS has to eat here!)
Beaches & Cream
O'Hana (just for my oldest and I - his favorite - other boys don't like it )

We're doing all of these for lunch (except O'Hana of course) - we like getting out of the midday heat.

My oldest son LOVES Yak & Yeti, he would literally eat there every day. We haven't been back to Beaches & Cream since they started taking ADRs, I still sort of boycotting that for spite.
My boys love Whispering Canyon, we ate there twice in December, a dinner and a breakfast. It's a win/win for teenagers with the noise and the bottomless milkshakes!

 

[Dispro1]

We haven't eaten at Chef Mickey's in ages. But I wanted a buffet similar to Crystal Palace without going back there again this trip. What about 1900 Park Fare? Would that be a better choice? We haven't been there in a few years either.

1900 Park Fare is really good, IMO... Like Crystal Palace. I also think it would be a riot watching your boys interact with Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters! My husband always had fun joking around with them... They are always in character when they talk, but the improv can be hilarious

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

1900 Park Fare is really good, IMO... Like Crystal Palace. I also think it would be a riot watching your boys interact with Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters! My husband always had fun joking around with them... They are always in character when they talk, but the improv can be hilarious

When we last ate there, I think it was around 2012, the stepsisters had a BALL teasing my boys!