10 Days, 3 resorts, 2 different dining plans, I am still exhausted!

[goodferry]

My family of seven returned in June from our nine night stay in Disney World. In on our adventure were DH and I, our oldest son Christopher (recent graduate, turns 19 soon), our 14 year old son Zack, our 11 year old daughter Shelby, our almost 7 year old Zoe and our friend Susan.

To say that this wasn't our first dance is an understatement, it was our fifth stay on the dining plan, the second time for DH and I on the deluxe plan, the kids first time on the deluxe plan, and Susan's first experience with any dining plan. She was used to spending nearly as much money and not eating nearly as well, so she really enjoyed herself. Susan has Celiac disease (she's gluten intolerant), so that added another twist to our dining experience.

The Plan:
This was our first DVC stay, and we knew we were going to do a split stay between Bay Lake Towers and Wilderness Lodge. We had our reservations set long before airfare came out. Once Southwest released fares, it became clear that we would save a lot of money flying in a day earlier and staying in a Value resort, so we added one day at Pop to the beginning of the trip.
So our dining plan went like this; first night at Pop with no dining plan, next five nights at Bay Lake Towers on the deluxe dining plan, last three nights at the Wilderness Lodge on the regular dining plan.
We thought long and hard about the deluxe plan. We knew it was a lot of food, and almost all the kids are adults in the eyes of the mouse now, but in the end we really wanted the freedom to let them try whatever they wanted to, and they are all adventurous eaters. I also knew that sitting down for two meals a day would force us to take a break, get out of the heat and relax.
So that's all the basic information, here's a list of the restaurants where we ate over the course of ten days.

Signature:
Hollywood Brown Derby (lunch)
Jiko (dinner)
California Grill (dinner)
Narcoossees (dinner)

Sit down 1 credit:
Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
Tusker House (lunch)
Coral Reef (lunch)
Le Cellier (dinner)
Akershus Princess breakfast
1900 Park Faire (dinner)
Mama Melrose (dinner)
'Ohana (dinner)
Teppan Edo (dinner)
Whispering Canyon Cafe (dinner)

Counter Service meals were mostly used while we were split up, I don't think anyone had any fantastic meals, but everyone said they were fine. I was surprised how good the burgers were at Disney Quest, definitely better then expected!

 

[kimgof]

Sounds adventurous! Can't wait to read all about it!

 

[Melanie B]

Looking forward to your reviews

 

[MrsB1228]

I'm in! Can't wait to read all about it!

 

[goodferry]

On to the reviews now. Our first night was a room only reservation at Pop. Dinner was at Casey's for a hot dog in the Magic Kingdom, it was exactly what it always has been, great for a hot dog. Susan was able to get a gluten free option, so everyone was happy. Later tonight we managed, for the first time ever, finally, to visit Aloha Isle for a Dole Whip! Everyone enjoyed theirs, although Zack though some of his vanilla ice cream in his root beer float tasted kind of pineappleish. While we all liked them, we didn't love them, I have heard people wax poetic on the wonderful taste of the Dole Whips, I don't know if I would go on like that about them.
The next morning everyone but me had an out of pocket breakfast at Pop Century in the food court. It was universally disliked. My husband said it was like hospital food. I was glad that I had offered to make the trek over to check us in at Bay Lake Towers. I grabbed a muffin once I got to Disney Studios, it was huge and fantastic!
This was the last day for Star Wars Weekends, so lunch today (our first one on the deluxe plan) was at the Hollywood Brown Derby. This was our first time dining here and we loved it, everyone did, even the kids. They said they even liked the butter
For appetizers we enjoyed scallops, crab cakes, and salads. For entrees there were filets, salmon, grouper, duck and lamb. Everyone loved their meal and pronounced it one of our favorites ever. Of course we would find ourselves saying that after every signature meal, lol
Dessert was wonderful! We had creme brulee, cheesecake, cobbler, ice cream, and I ordered the infamous Grapefruit cake and loved it! It was light and airy and delicious, the absolute perfect combination and great on a hot day.

Up next: dinner at Narcoossees!

 

[butiflfeet]

You have a great list of restaurants to review!

The Brown Derby has been a favorite of ours the last few trips. I'm glad it did not disappoint

 

[goodferry]

I have been trying to dig out the receipts to keep track of how much we spent/saved with the dining plan. Lunch at Hollywood Brown Derby was $352 + tax, + my Hollywood Diva martini (9.25) That was for six adults and 1 child. For the record, Zoe had a grilled cheese sandwich, soup, a strawberry milkshake and some Hidden Treasure dessert.

Narcoossees was on tap for dinner. DH and I had really enjoyed this restaurant on a previous trip and I was anxious for the kids to try it. For some reason I love the decor of this restaurant, and we had a nice table on the side facing the water.

This was our first time trying out the "Wine and Dine Plan". We had decided to splurge on it since there would be three of us having wine with dinner. Our waitress was very familiar with the plan and explained the difference to us between one and two credit wines. We had a Fess Parker Riesling.

For appetizers a couple of us had the shrimp and crab chowder, a cheese plate, calamari, a salad and mussels. Zoe had a fruit cup. Everything was very good, I had the chowder and couldn't finish it, I shared with Zack who had the calamari and scarfed it all down as fast as he could.

For dinner Shelby and I both had the whole Lobster, Matt and Zack had the Surf and Turf (twin fillet medallions and lobster tail), Chris had Scallops and Susan had the fillet. Zoe had mac and cheese. The lobster was very good, I loved that it came to the table prepared for you, not a lot of work to eat it and no icky green stuff

For dessert we each tried a different dessert, I had the chocolate Valharona cake, it was very good, but I was truly stuffed by now and not having much fun anymore. We had found out before dinner that our luggage had been lost in the transfer from Pop to BLT and although I had tried hard to push the problem out of my mind and rest assured that the staff at BLT was working on finding it, Susan was extremely anxious and asked me at least every 10 minutes if they had called or texted me yet about our luggage. By dessert I was anxious too, lol.

Dinner was a whopping 636.20. Chris pronounced this his favorite meal once the trip was over and we talked about all the places where we had eaten. I myself would like a do over without worrying about the luggage

 

[Dizneydaz]

Great reviews so far. Can't wait to hear about your luggage!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Joining in and great reviews so far. We love Brown Derby and Nacoossee's. Next trip we are going to Brown Derby for lunch but we are not going to go to Narcoossee's even thought its one of my favorite this trip. I wanted to try other signature dining with our DxDDP.

 

[goodferry]

Liberty Tree Tavern

So, Monday was our Magic Kingdom day and I needed to find a one credit restaurant in the park where we could have lunch. I didn’t want to torture the boys with Pooh bear since we were doing a character meal that evening and I am not a big fan of the Plaza, so Liberty Tree Tavern it was. I was a little hesitant, although we have eaten here in the past and enjoyed it, this place gets some bad reviews and DH can’t eat poultry (we found out recently he is allergic). I shouldn’t have been, though, because it ended up being his favorite meal of the trip. Can you believe that? His favorite meal. Of all the places we ate.

For appetizers we had the crab and spinach dip (two shared) declaration salad, tavern fried cheese (mine, it was really yummy) and clam chowder. Everyone enjoyed their appetizers with no complaints. I know that Susan did not have a lot to choose from here as far as appetizers, I think salad was about it.

For our dinners, Zack had a cheeseburger and everyone else but Matt had the Pilgrim’s Feast (turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing). Matt had this season’s catch, which was a trout I believe done in some sort of tomato sauce. He said he still dreams about that lunch, lol. Seriously, he said it was one of the best fish dishes he has ever had, and he is a fish snob.

I felt the same way about the Pilgrim’s Feast I did last time, it was OK, not fantastic, but not inedible, and the whole experience was definitely a nice break from a hot day in the Magic Kingdom.

Once again we all ordered something different for dessert and each sampled all the desserts. Zack’s Caramel Apple Tart was the overall favorite, although I really liked my Three Chocolate Brownie.

I would go back here for the fried cheese and dessert alone, they were great!

Up Next: Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner!

 

[goodferry]

For more on the luggage fiasco, see this thread
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2493098

 

[goodferry]

If you were keeping track, lunch at the LTT would have been $180 cash plus tax, it cost us each one sitdown credit and tax.
Now onto our much anticipated dinner with Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Step Family. A few months before our trip, my then 6 year old, Zoe, decided she would like some custom disney outfits. She wanted some different princess outfits, the kind Disney doesn't sell, and some dress that would "spin" . I broke out the sewing machine and with the help of some very kind Disers I made her some lovely outfits. The first of these outfits was a Cinderella work dress, the outfit she wears while working at the castle. It was a fun dress to make, I even appliqued little Gus Gus on the apron for her (pictures to follow). She was excited to share her outfit with everyone at dinner.
Dinner was typical Disney buffet, just fine. All the food was tasty and there were a lot of different choices. My girls LOVED the strawberry soup, and commented on it repeatedly. The server laughed at them and brought out the recipe for us, we didn't even have to ask. Susan had no trouble finding plenty to eat, the chef came out and walked her through the buffet and showed her what she could have and made her a few things special and brought out for her.
This was the only place where the server was not as familiar with the Wine and Dine plan, but she was quick to ask for help and overall we found the service there excellent.
I can not tell you how awesome our table location was. We were seated at a large table right where Cinderella and Prince Charming waltz, right near the buffet in the center of the room. The characters all made a huge fuss over Zoe, particularly the step-mother and sisters. Lady Tremaine was the first one to come over and she screamed across the room for Drizella to come see Zoe's outfit. They begged Zoe to come clean their castle since their old maid had quit. Zoe offered up her brothers as eligible bachelors, but they were more interested in putting her to work for them.
Both step sisters also spent a lot of time with her, to the point where Cinderella came over and told them to let the poor child alone, that she was not going to be their new maid!
When it came time to waltz, Prince Charming came straight to little Zoe and asked her to dance, which she did happily. Cinderella went straight to our 19 year old Chris and asked him to dance, but he declined!He turned down Cinderella! I was so disappointed in him, lol.
So, overall we really enjoyed our dinner here and would definitely do it again. The food was good and the character interaction was great, to the point where all week Zoe was kind of on the look out for Lady Tremaine, afraid she was going to come get her and make her work for them for real! We did this dinner years ago when it was Cinderella and Prince Charming and the mice and we enjoyed it much more this time. We thought the food and character interaction had improved greatly.

 

[goodferry]

Apron of workdress

Dress

Riding the monorail to dinner

Dancing with a Prince

 

[Dizneydaz]

Love the dress! And the curtsy, priceless!

 

[kimgof]

That is the most adorable dress! You are a talented mom with the sewing machine. Your daughter bowing to the Prince is absolutely adorable. We also loved that buffet also. The step sisters are a blast!

 

[goodferry]

Thanks! I had actually forgotten how much I loved to sew! I went a little overboard, though, and she ended up with 14 custom outfits for our 10 day trip
Speaking of custom outfits, Tuesday was our Princess Storybook Breakfast morning. I was kind of worried that the troops would begin to rally against me, I don't know how I ended up with two princess meals in a row None of the boys were looking forward to this meal. They all had bad memories of it from our last trip, which I think was tied to the cold buffet. My kids all tried everything on the cold buffet last trip, and let's just say they didn't remember it fondly. I gently reminded them that just because it was there didn't mean they HAD to eat it and they all agreed to go to breakfast.
We didn't wait very long for our 10:45 ADR. We got two sets of pictures with our meal because there were 7 of us, which I didn't understand, but whatever.
Our waitress was a beautiful blond girl, Katrina I think her name was, anyway, Chris was ready to marry her. She was a wonderful waitress and her accent was very charming.
Once again we were seated at the best possible table, the one right outside of the door where the princesses come out! When we were seated, they were still out visiting with other tables, so for the first time ever at a princess breakfast we actually ate our meal while it was hot! Zoe was very excited to see Ariel in her human form, we had never met her before!
Of course everyone decided they HAD to try the cold buffet again (my husband dares the boys and then the girls feel like they don't want to be left out)
and...............................................................................................
They all loved it! Everything, they tried all the different fish offerings and liked them, the herring in particular. They are so weird, lol.
The hot breakfast was very good, especially the potatoes! Zoe was beside herself with excitement to see the Princesses, so she hardly ate. Luckily, when on the DXDP you can rest assured that you will be eating again soon!
The Princesses came out the door right next to us, as promised. Besides Belle in her yellow dress, who we met out front, we met Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella and Ariel. Without a doubt our favorite that day was Ariel, she was sweet and funny with the girls. Cinderella was the same one from the night before and she remembered Zoe! She asked her if her step sisters ever left her alone, we were impressed.
All in all our breakfast was a good experience. I got some great pictures of the kids in an empty World Showcase, the kids conquered the cold buffet, and the hot food was good. This is such a great deal at one table service credit when compared with CRT, I wouldn't think twice about booking it again.
OOP cost would have been $210, it cost us one credit each, a bargain!
Pictures to come!

 

[goodferry]

The family waiting to dine with royalty

Belle!

Who can eat with all this excitement?

Zoe's dress was a little more comfy...

 

[goodferry]

Dinner Tuesday evening was one I had been looking forward to, Jiko! DH and I had eaten here on a previous trip, but the kids had never even seen AKL, we were so excited for them to see it, we loved the resort so much that when we bought into DVC, we split our points between BLT and AKL. They liked it, but they weren't as blown away as we were. I say that, though, but both girls have said they would like to stay there next time, I may have just been expecting more of a reaction from them

On to dinner! Unbelievable enough we had the same mediocre waiter that we had in 2008, Eduardo. His one saving grace, he suggested an awesome sweet white African wine that we loved, definitely our favorite of the trip, and it was only one credit.
For dinner Shelby had the Savanna Rolls for an appetizer and Kejenou (a seafood stew) for dinner with the Jiko trio for dessert. She scarfed down every bite of it and loved it.
Christopher had the Ostrich Fillet appetizer, the fillet for dinner and the Roasted Apple Tarte Tatin for dessert. He enjoyed everything but dessert.
Zoe had a grilled cheese, fruit and ice cream, nothing unusual, and she ate it (she was hungry after her light breakfast!)
DH had the Jiko salad, the fillet and the same dessert as Chris. He loved everything but dessert.
Susan had the ostrich fillet for an appetizer, the halibut for dinner and the creme brulee for dinner. She devoured her meal and said she could easily have eaten here every night. Interestingly, this was the one restaurant where they had a gluten free menu with lots to choose from!
Zack had the special flatbread, I don't remember what it was, but I know he didn't like it. He also had the beef short ribs, which were not what he was expecting, and he didn't like them either. For dinner he had the sundae from the kids menu, at this point afraid to try anything different
I had the barbecue chicken flatbread, the oak grilled fillet and the Jiko trio. The food was all excellent, the steak was the best of the week!
Overall this was a great experience. The service was spotty, Eduardo was distracted and not as attentive as I would expect at a signature restaurant. Drinks were not refilled like they should have been, it took forever to get dessert and he was kind of curt.

 

[kimgof]

Her dress is adorable again. I'm so glad you liked the Akesaurus breakfast. We are going to try it next time. We have done CRT the past two trips and want to change it up next time. I thought the breakfast menu looked a little less daring than the dinner menu. My kids are not very daring and like boring food. My DD will eat tuna and that's as daring as it gets

 

[msnwithers]

Great reviews! I also love looking at your handy work!