20 days at WDW, one mom,two picky kids - updated: Raglan Road

[Goseethemouse]

After we did Soaring in the morning Dumbo was fairly upset (absolutely HATED it and was terrified - something I hadn't really expected). So we quickly did "Circle of Life" which calmed him down a bit and then had a quick break at Sunshine Seasons. As it was still very early the place wasn't very busy so we didn't have to wait in line and had no trouble finding a place to sit.

Donald had a bagel with cream cheese. He seemed to enjoy it but it was a bagel so there really isn't much more to say about it. Dumbo and I on the other hand shared the Strawberry Shortcake. Now, if you have read more Disney Dining Reviews I am sure you have seen a picture of that lovely confection before. It looks delicious but I am generally not crazy about strawberry shortcake so we got only one to share. Well let me tell you: It was incredibly yummy! (Though the fact that I was starving might have had a bit to do with it). Dumbo and I loved it.

The sad thing is that I was planning to go back to Sunshine Seasons often to have the Strawberry Shortcake again (and I was also planning to eat lunch there some day) but we never made it. Unbelievable, isn't it? You would think with 21 days we could have made it there at least a second time. However, we were just never in the vicinity when we were a) hungry and b) not on the way to an ADR.

Overall:

Food: One of the best things we ate during our trip
Service/Atmosphere: Nice enough but your typical food court set-up

Would we go back? Of course!!!

Next up: Coral Reef

 

[Goseethemouse]

This was our second time at Coral Reef. Last time we got lucky and had a seat right next to the viewing windows. Unfortunately, this time we were seated at a distance. Too bad as last time the kids weren't too interested in it (mostly because they were still suffering from jet lag and were tired and whiny). Still, we could see the fish pretty well (at least the kids could - I am near sighted and too vain to wear glasses).

Dumbo REALLY wanted french fries (one of the few kids' foods he likes) and the server said he could have them but then wouldn't get an appetizer. That was fine. He also had the chicken (I think) which of course he didn't eat and dessert. I persuaded Donald to try the lobster soup for an appetizer. Alternatively, he could have had the Curry Corn Chowder. Predictably, he didn't care for the soup. However, that was part of my evil plan as I love soup . It isn't so much that I am too cheap to pay for an appetizer out of pocket but I really don't eat very large portions so it would be a waste. Eating part (or even all) of the kidsize appetizer is much better. Donald also had the chicken, I think (or maybe both had plain pasta? Sorry, I am a bit hazy on that point.)

I chose the Lobster Ravioli (sorry, allears doesn't have it on the menu and I am not quite sure what it was called exactly.) It was quite good though maybe not amazing. For dessert I had the Chocolate Wave - delicious but I was so full that I couldn't eat more than maybe a third.

Service was fine. Nothing outstanding but nothing to complain about either. The atmosphere is nice and the fish tank does provide entertainment. All in all, a solid option but not one of my favorites this trip.

Overall:
Food - I did appreciat that the kids' options were a bit more "adult" even though the boys didn't really care for it
Service -
Atmosphere Nice and the fish are interesting. However, it is definitely even nicer if you sit next to the fish tank.

Would we go back? Maybe. It was about average for the meals we had. So if we had another 10+ ADRs to choose I would probably put Coral Reef on it but it wouldn't make our top five.

Up next: Mama Melrose - Better or worse than last time?

 

[MAGGIED]

Wow... great reviews so far....I was glad to hear about Teppan Edo as I am eating there in a couple of weeks...

 

[hroyale]

Great reviews.

As a fellow parent of a pickey child, many Disers advised me to ask or french fries even when it wasn't on the menu for DS. French fries are one of the few things he'll eat. Did you try that? If so, did you have luck?

Looking forward to the rest of your reviews. We make our ADRs next month.

Thanks,
Heather

 

[Goseethemouse]

Sorry everybody that it has been a while since the last update but life has been pretty busy. Hopefully, I will get up a couple of reviews over the weekend.

Maggied, we really enjoyed Teppan Edo and the food was flavorful. I am sure you will have a great time!

Hroyale, no, we didn't ask for french fries if they weren't on the menu. I guess I didn't think of that and in most cases there was at least part of the meal Dumbo would eat. But if we go again while he is so picky we migh try it!

On to the next review - Mama Melrose. Let me start by saying that this was our second time there. On our last trip I really enjoyed the food (especially the calamari and the Tiramisu) but the boys hated it. This was mostly due to the fact that we went there early on in the trip and the boys were still suffering from jet lag so we decided to give it another try (actually, it was me who wanted to get the Tiramisu again). However, all in all the meal was rather disappointing.

Now the first thing I would like to note is that there is quite a distinctive smell inside Mama Melrose. Don't get me wrong - it doesn't smell bad but rather very "Italian" (think tomato sauce, basil, cheese etc.). Most people won't mind but for anyone who is sensitive to smell it is something to consider. You guessed it - the boys ARE sensitive in that regard. On our last trip Donald kept complaining in a VERY LOUD voice that "It stinks here" (remember he doesn't like cheese). Luckily, his manners have improved since then. Dumbo is more quiet and kept his complaints down to a whine (being shushed by older brother).

The second thing that was kind of strange was that we were supposed to be on a Fantasmic package but noone ever mentioned anything at the restaurants. We were neither offered appetizer (well, the kids of course got one but I didn't) nor did we get the tickets. Now I could of course have said something so I don't hold it against the restaurant. I never said anything because there wasn't really an appetizer I wanted (the calamari are now for two) and I was pretty sure we wouldn't go to Fantasmic that day anyway. Our ADR was for 2:55 which is rather a strange time. Not really time for a nap before but too late to get one in afterwards. Anyway, we actually never did Fantasmic during our trip as the boys got pretty scared at Epcot's Illuminations (go figure) and I decided Fantasmic might be too much.

Okay, so far we have a bad ADR time, a distinctive smell (which may be good or bad as the case may be) and kind of a mix-up with the Fantasmic package (which I probably could have cleared up though). Now to the meal itself.

The boys had the Minestrone Soup. Luckily they both like soup quite a bit and that was always a good option. I believe the soup was tasty however they had barely taken a couple of bites when the main dish arrived. They of course lost interest in the soup pretty quick after that. I found this really annoying. What is the point to bring out the main dish two minutes after hot soup?? Dumbo had the Penne Pasta with tomato sauce which was fine. Donald had the Pepperoni Pizza. Not sure whether they changed it from last time but he did eat it this time (last time he said it had the wrong kind of cheese). Either he just imagined it last time or they have gone back to a more basic cheese since then. I believe the boys both had the ice cream sunday. All in all, the food was fine but I really didn't like the speed with which it was served.

My meal was a bit disappointing. I had the Shrimp Pipette - wood-grilled over pipette pasta tossed with artichokes, peas, peppers, sweet onions in a basil and four cheese cream sauce . It was fine, absolutely nothing wrong with it - but nothing memorable either. Somehow I didn't think the combination was that great.

The big disappointment was the Tiramisu. It had lots of plain whipped cream on top and though it was fine it wasn't even close to the great dessert I had had 2007.

Service wasn't that great either. First the rushed meal for the kids and I just didn't care too much for the server. He was friendly but to me it felt a bit fake (just my impression though). Also, he was pretty much the only one who really harped on about the fact that gratuity is no longer included with the dining plan.

Overall:

Food: - Nothing wrong with it but nothing special either
Atmosphere: Pretty much as I remembered - just what you would expect of a "Typical Italian Restaurant"
Service: Was okay but not quite up to our high Disney expectations and I really hated that they rushed the kids' food


Would we go back? Probably not. The meal wasn't bad, but there was nothing especially memorable about it. I used to love the Hollywood Brown Derby before I had kids. On our next trip the kids should be old enough that I think we would try that restaurant at DS next. Still, our meal at Mama Melrose wasn't horrible or even bad so in my opinion there is no need to worry if you should have an ADR there.

 

[Goseethemouse]

It's the weekend so I will get up a second review like I promised.

My feelings about Raglan Road are mixed. Overall I liked the restaurant. However, the experience wasn't that great as the kids were acting BAD . Now, looking back, I don't think that really had much to do with the restaurant itself - with one major exception (which I will come to later). Of course Raglan Road doesn't offer Characters or much entertainment (at least not at the time of day we were there) but there was plenty to look at and in general the service was fairly quick. Actually, I think it was a combination of the kids getting used to eating in restaurants (and losing some of their inhibitions) and them just having an off day. That said, I will try not to let our personal experience influence the report too much.

There were two things related to the kids' meals I really liked:

- The plastic cups for the kids' drinks were clear instead of the regular Disney ones. Now, during most of the trip it was a bit of a problem that the waiter could not tell when cups got empty just by looking. That means I got a new soda whenever my glass was 2/3 empty but we usually had to ask for new drinks for the kids. Not a huge problem but with kids that are thirsty/grumpy etc. any delay is annoying. So a thumbs up for the clear cups that let the server see right away if a refill was needed.

- I liked the fact that the kids' meals were not only the regular Disney ones but more reflective of the restaurant's menu.

Both boys had the Dalkey Duo - Dalkey battered cocktail sausages, with a Dalkey mustard dipping sauce. I had a taste and really liked the mustard dipping sauce (which at least Dumbo refused to even try). However, personally I HATED the sausages. The batter was fine but it was just a kind of sausage I don't care for it (purely a matter of taste though). The kids mostly ate the fries.

For dessert they had the ice-cream. Not a huge success. They didn't care for the butterscotch sauce. Even worse in my opinion is the cup/glass they were served in. The table was rather high anyway and because the ice-cream glass was so tall Dumbo had to pretty much reach up to eye-level to even get at the ice-cream. Not the best plan if you don't want to have a big mess

I had the Goats Town - Irish goats cheese terrine made with sauteed garlic, shallots, ****ake mushrooms in an herb and breadcrumb crust served with a berry compote and mixed greens and honestly couldn't say whether I liked it or not. Now I don't mean by that that it was just okay. Instead I was torn between loving it and loathing it. The raspberries made it a tad too sweet for my taste. Looking back, I liked it but can easily see how someone would hate it if that makes any sense.

For dessert I had of course the breadpudding (my main reason for making an ADR there). I love bread puddings and this one was VERY tasty. However, it wasn't quite as absolutely amazing as I had expected but I believe that was mostly a result of my too high expectations. I love bread pudding anyway so how could it be much better than that.

The service was fine. Somehow I never saw our server but I have to say he brought everything quickly and drink refills were there right away so he must have been able to see us.

Now to the one thing that really annoyed it and it almost lost the server his gratuity completely (though it wasn't all his fault). As I said in the beginning, the kids were not acting good. It started with slight misbehaving and got progressively worse. Now I know that people always say to leave with kids that act up but if you are the only grown-up with two kids that isn't easy to do. Anyway, they were not screaming/shouting nor running around but I could tell we had to get out of there as soon as possible (or it might have come to that).

So I gobbled down dessert (maybe that is the reason I wasn't completely blown away by the bread pudding?) as fast as possible, interspersed with various threats to the kids. We got the check and there was the problem: I usually always put the tip on the check and charged it to the room. Partly for convenience sake and partly because I had read horror stories of people leaving a cash tip and one also being added to the check somehow. I know that can be straigthened out but it is a pain so I figured I would just put it on there in the first place.

I believe the server had taken the DDP card at the beginning and when he brought the check all that was left to do was sign it. But oops, at Raglan Road there was no space to write the gratuity in. And the only money I had with me was a twenty dollar bill which was way more than I was planning to leave (service was okay but not THAT outstanding). And of course the server wasn't to be seen.

This was the time the kids were losing it (and yes, they were starting to get up from the table etc.) and I was really tempted to just leave (after all the check was paid) without leaving a tip. However, lest you worry, I did manage to find the server and ask him to change our 20$ bill into two 10s. Of course he had to go to the bar to do that and it took a while (you don't want to know how the boys were acting by now) but eventually he brought the money back. I more or less threw one of the bills at him and hustled out of there.

So in case you saw two fairly unruly boys there and were thinking: Why isn't the parent leaving with them? I will just say that I was TRYING.

Overall:
Food: Very tasty though maybe not truly amazing
Service: Could never see the server but he was always there quickly if we needed something. And the problem with the tip wasn't really his fault either so I would say service was average.
Atmosphere: A nice restaurant (I will disregard our personal experience which just made me want to escape as it really had nothing to do with Raglan Road)

Would we go back? Not sure. It isn't top of the list but the food was pretty good. I guess it would depend on whether the boys would want to.

Up next: Crystal Palace - Will it be a better experience than last time?