5 Days of Dining Fun with Two Toddlers

[lightningmcqueen]

I am now also, reconsidering my WCC dinner. I thought since we were staying at WL it might be fun to go when we arrive at the resort. I'll be looking for something else.

Like I had said, I'd been there three times in the past but now I'll never eat there again. I think I neglected to mention it made me ill as well. There are so many other good dining options that I don't think you'll miss much by not going there. Also, it's not impossible to get a last minute ADR at a nice restaurant as you'll find out later in my reviews.

 

[gregrmike1]

Thank you for the wonderful reviews! We are planning on eating at Kona Cafe on our next trip in April of 2008.

 

[Busymom85]

Thanks for the reviews.

 

[lightningmcqueen]

Sunshine Seasons
At this point, we are on day three of the trip and I think all of the rich food that I normally don’t eat is catching up with me. We hung around in the room to see if I’d feel better but then walked over to Epcot so DS1 could ride test track for the hundredth time. I took DS2 over the The Seas since he’s obsessed with the birds in front. When he said he was hungry we headed over for a snack at Sunshine Seasons. I ordered a plain bagel and a sprite in hopes it would make my stomach feel better (it worked!) and DS2 helped me eat it. I also got him an orange juice When DH and DS1 met me, I went to talk to the chef about the foods DS1 could eat. He made him some scrambled eggs without milk, bacon, and potatoes. He was in heaven! DS2 helped him finish it off. I love Sunshine Seasons though because of their variety. They had many different options and I know it is that was for lunch and dinner as well. Total cost- $8.00 (We used two counter service meals since we still had a bunch to use)

Hurricane Hannah’s

We headed back to the resort so the kids could swim and I could rest. Around lunch time I was feeling up to eating so I headed over to Hurricane Hannah’s for lunch. This place is a hidden gem. It’s located right near the Beach Club pool and right off the walking path the heads around the lake. I was pleasantly surprised at the different food served here. I ordered the mixed veggie wrap. It was served on a multi-grain wrap with a balsamic dressing. Very tasty. It came with grapes or chips and I chose the fruit this time. DH for the warm chicken flat bread. This was delish! It is served almost like a pizza- flat- and it had chicken, cheese, and a cucumber-yogurt sauce. It was very good. Since we had so many counter service meals left, I ordered the boys their own meals. The main reason for doing this was so they could each get a pail and shovel that comes with every kids meal here. Such a neat idea! DS1 got chicken, grapes, and carrot sticks and a bottle of water. DS2 got a cheeseburger, grapes, jello, and water. Everyone really liked their meals here. They even forgot DH and my dessert (iksadoodle pop and Mickey bar) but they give you so much food anyway that we really didn’t care. Total cost- $24.65 (4 counter service credits, 2 adults, 2 child)

Goofy’s Candy Company

We decided to spend some time at Downtown Disney in the afternoon. I had especially wanted to see the candy that they specially make for you there. Thankfully the place was empty and I didn’t have to wait at all. I chose the rice crispy treat. It was dipped in dark chocolate, rolled in reese’s peanut butter cups on the outside and sprinkles on the face, and drizzled with white chocolate. I almost felt guilty only being charged a snack credit for this monstrosity. It was about the size of my hand. I don’t recommend eating something of this magnitude in one sitting. It’s better to nibble on it over the course of a few days. DH got a peanut butter filled fudge cookie. Again, it was a little smaller than my hand but the outsides looked like Oreo cookies with a peanut butter fudge in the middle. DH had it dipped in milk chocolate, rolled in reese’s around the edge with peanuts on the face. Then it was drizzled in white chocolate. Mmm, was it good! Not let me give you a little piece of advice. It pays to be nice to these people. I was chatting with the nice lady making our treats and she was kind enough to give me samples of their dipped pretzels. She said that they can’t use the broken pieces so she gave me four of them while I was waiting for my two to harden. She dipped them all in milk chocolate and then they were rolled in sprinkles, chocolate chips, Oreo, and Butterfinger. Delish! If you’re in the Downtown Disney area, you much check out Goofy’s. Total cost- $7.10 (2 snack credits)

Spoodles

We had originally had a lunch ADR for Garden Grill but when I wasn’t feeling well in the morning, I called and got a dinner changed to the Yacht Club Gallery. I was a little disappointed that that was the only place that we could get a reservation for. So around 3:00 I called again so see if I could get anything else. They had a 5:00 or 5:10 at Spoodles which I gladly took. I had wanted to eat here the first night and thought I’d have to wait until a future trip.

We arrived at 4:50 for our 5:10 ADR. We were seated within 10 minutes. We had a great ½ round booth in a corner (very helpful when your two-year-old son acts up and you don’t want to make a scene in the middle of the restaurant). The chef came over to talk to us. I was hoping they would have something other than hot dogs for DS1 to eat. The check had quinoa pasta which sounded great. It mixed it with ground beef and a marinara sauce. For an appi, DS2 had his usual fruit and tofutti ice cream for dessert.

I started out with a glass of sangria which was so refreshing. It was one of the best I’d ever had. DH had a Stella something or other beer. I apologize for my undescript beer reviews. They all run together for me. The waiter brought out some foccasia bread that was out of this world. It came with an olive tappas with balsamic dip. It was SOOOO good. I thought the bread at Kona was my favorite but this wins hands down. For appetizers, we chose the hummus since it’s DS2’s favorite food as well as the margharita pizza. It was served topped with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomato with a balsamic reduction. It was huge! The appetizers could have been a meal in and of themselves.

For an entrée, I decided on the lemon, shrimp linguini. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. The sauce was more like an alfredo sauce. I thought it was going to be lighter and tangier since it said it was made with lemon preserves. Honestly, the only taste of lemon I had was a piece of rind in one bite. The shrimp were great though. I ate all of the shrimp and only a few bites of pasta. DS2 loved the pasta though. He ate more than I did. DH ordered the rigatoni that came with sausage and tomato. The following is his description, “You know that sausage soup at Bertucci’s? Well this tastes just like that, minus the soup.” He loved it. He’s a pasta kind of guy and a sausage kind of guy. There wasn’t a bite left in his bowl. The biggest surprise was DS1’s quinoa pasta. He ate almost the whole thing. It was great to have him finally eat a nice, hearty meal that didn’t consist of a hot dog. He loved it!

For dessert I ordered the vanilla bean crème Brule. It was so good and refreshing. The hard layer of caramelized sugar was so delicious. DH tried it and said it was better than the butterscotch variety he had at Coral Reef. DH got the house-made gelato. It was vanilla flavored and very tasty. It was served with a berry glaze and a piece of almond brittle on top. I had a bite and it was very good. DS1 loved his tofutti ice cream.

We were so pleased with this dinner. I’m happy we got to eat here instead of Garden Grill or Yacht Club Gallery. Total cost: $116.98 (3 table service credits, 2 adults 1 child)

Up Next: Hollywood and Vine Play and Dine, Beach Club Marketplace, Boma

 

[lightningmcqueen]

Hollywood and Vine Play and Dine

We had an 8:30 ADR for breakfast with the playhouse Disney characters. Now let me tell you one area that Disney needs to correct. From Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, and Swan and Dolphin, the only mode of transportation to get to MGM is walking (and please, don’t we do enough of that while we’re here?) or boat. Now the boats don’t start running until 8:00. Anyway, there was this line of people that had breakfast reservations with no transportation to MGM. One would think they could muster a little energy and run at least one boat earlier in the morning.

We arrived at 8:40 for our 8:30 ADR and were seated 10 minutes later. By this time the kids were very hungry and crabby since we’d been up early to get over to MGM in time for our reservation. We had a crumby table here. It was off in the corner where the kids couldn’t see the dancing and the characters pretty much forgot to come over to them because they weren’t on their direct route around the restaurant.

The chef came over and pointed out the foods DS1 could eat. He also said he could warm him a gluten-free waffle. So on the buffet, DS1 had bacon, eggs, tater tots, pineapple, and a gluten-free waffle. He ate it.

I ate a croissant, oatmeal, pineapple, Mickey waffle, and corn beef hash. The best I can say is, it’s buffet food. There’s a good selection but nothing was overly tasty or memorable. I’m not sure if we’d eat here again. The character interaction wasn’t that great for us but the kids did get up and dance once. Total cost- $51.43 (3 table service credits, 2 adults, 1 child)

Beach Club Marketplace

You could tell this was our last day of the trip. The kids were so cranky. We were at MGM to watch Playhouse Disney live in concert so the boys could see Choo Choo Soul which is their favorite. After that, they really weren’t interested in anything else so we headed back to the Beach Club so they could go in the pool. While DH played with them, I headed to the marketplace for lunch. I had plans of walking over to Epcot once the kids were napping to grab lunch in France, but the sandwiches at the marketplace looked so good that I decided to get them there.

I got a black forest ham and black diamond cheddar on a roll with honey mustard. I got DH a roast beef with brie on a baguette. Both came with dessert. I got a rice crispy bar and DH got a chocolate chip cookie. We both got waters. The chef from Cape May Café came down to talk to me. He ended up making DS1 three small pb&j on gluten-free rolls. They were just the right size for him. He ended up eating one (along with his grapes and jello) and I’m saving the other for our trip to MCO tomorrow. Since we had so many counter service left, I got DS2 the ham and cheese roll ups with grapes and jello. He thought the little pinwheel sandwiches were great. I don’t think there was a bite left! Total cost- $22.43 (4 counter service credits)

Boma

This was my second dining experience at Boma. When I was last at Disney a year and a half ago, I recall stuffing myself to the point I think I could barely walk out of there. It was the highlight of our previous trip and a great place to end our vacation.

We arrived at 4:45 for our 5:10 ADR. I like how they have check-in right inside the doors in the lobby. This has changed since the last time I was there when everyone and their cousin was standing in this little tiny space outside of the restaurant. We were seated almost immediately and the place was nearly empty.

I was also looking forward to meeting Chef TJ as I’ve read and seen so many things about his preparation of gluten-free dishes. The fried oreos were also very tempting! But unfortunately he wasn’t working that night. The chef was very kind but I was still a little disappointed. She took me through the buffet line and showed me the foods my son could eat. She also offered to prepare him some gluten-free French fries and corn on the cob minus the butter. She told me to notify the server when we were ready for dessert and she would bring him a dish of tofutti ice cream.

Since I was just about sick of seeing Disney food (I know, it seems impossible but there is a lot of food on the dining plan!), I tried to only sample a little of the more appealing things. I really liked the bok choy, seasoned potatoes, carrot-ginger soup, all three hummus selections with flat bread, couscous salad, prime rib, and a slew of other things I really cannot remember off the top of my head. I must say though, the desserts at Boma can rival any other restaurant in Disney. It was all I could do to control myself! The zebra domes are amazing! They are a chocolate mousse with a rich, smooth white chocolate-ish coating. Mmmm, so yummy. They also had fillo dough dishes filled with fresh fruit, warm banana bread pudding with vanilla sauce (that was super good too!), cookies, baklava, etc.

DH had his turn of not feeling well that evening so he limited what he ate to corn bread and soup. He didn’t even try a bite of dessert. I know he was disappointed because Boma is one of his favorite restaurants. DS2 ate all of us under the table. The kid must have had 4 mini-ears of corn on the cob, prime rib, chicken, couscous, hummus (yeah he ate a whole bowl by himself!), ice cream, the works! I think it was a definite happy end of our trip for him.

DS1 really enjoyed the selection of fruit. He ate grapes, watermelon, melon, and strawberries. He enjoyed his corn and French fries as well as the ice cream. With the exception of DH, the rest of us had a very satisfying meal. We look forward to our next dinner there!

Going Home Day L

Since we had to catch the not-so-magical express at 8:40, we decided to walk over to the Boardwalk Bakery for breakfast. The boys had a lot of energy that morning and we decided to let them walk (really run) around the Boardwalk. I had a chocolate croissant (one last hurrah before starting back on weight watchers when I got home) and a water. It was fresh and flakey. Definitely worth the calories. DH had a giant blueberry muffin and coffee. He shared his muffin with DS2. DS1 had a bowl of fruit since they didn’t have any gluten-free bread products. Everything was good. It was a welcome change from eating in the Marketplace. It is a tiny establishment and the line was out the door when we left but it moves quickly. I recommend it for a quick snack!

This concluded our dining extravaganza. I got to eat at basically every place I’ve wanted to since planning this trip back in February. I was impressed with the genuine caring attitude of the chefs as they prepared special food for my son. We had great waiters and waitresses and the food was amazing. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

 

[TigerKat]

So glad to read another positive review of one of our fave places - Spoodles!

 

[lightningmcqueen]

So glad to read another positive review of one of our fave places - Spoodles!

If we were to rank our table service meals from best to least, this is what it would look like:

1) Coral Reef (amazingly beautiful and food was great)
2) Spoodles (best creme brule I've ever had)
3) Kona
4) Le Cellier (not sure if dinner would have been a better experience)
5) Boma
6) Hollywood and Vine breakfast
7) Whispering Canyon

 

[deide71]

Lightning:

I had to laugh at your "not so magical express" comment .

We also arrived the afternoon of 9/22, we decided to try ME for me and the 3 kiddos, with DH picking up the rental and stopping at Walmart. We thought it would be great not to have to pick up the luggage, or endure grocery shopping with the kids.

What a mistake! I was in awe of the line for ME check in at the airport! It stretched back clear to Terre Haute (obscure Christmas Story reference)! Once we were through the first line to check in, there were equally bad lines for the buses. Luckily we were in the OKW line, which wasn't too bad, but some of the people in the All Stars line looked like they were gonna cry.

After all of the rigamorole, DH beat us to OKW by 30 minutes, including picking up the rental and stopping at Wal-mart.

I think we are done with ME. I can carry my own luggage thanks!

 

[momtoccc]

Thanks for the great reviews - we are doing many of the same restaurants on our trip with almost 4yo dd. I'm sure we will be stuffed with all the food we will be eating. I'm hoping to spread out the CS credits by using one for breakfast and two for lunch and sharing...we'll see how that works.

We definitely have to make a trip to Goofy's candy store!!

 

[debaone]

Thanks for the in-depth reviews. Can't wait to hear more!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

WOW gret job with all the reviews. We are traveling with a diabetic and special needs child with restrictions also. I am happy to hear the chefs were so helpful!!!