Cookie Princess
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2004
- Messages
- 2,727
We just returned from a fun vacation last week (11/4 - 11/13) so I thought I would post a report. Travelers were: DH (huge eater, likes meat & taters), ME (small eater, prefers sweets to big meals), DS (9 - super skinny - loves steak, bacon, and candy). DH gained 5 lbs, I gained 3 lbs, and DS lost 1 lb, go figure.
We were on the dining plan and saved quite a bit of cash. We saved $529.16 on the plan ($1,249.16 cost for dining plan meals - $720 dining plan fee). This doesn't include out of pocket items such as beer, mixed drinks, snacks not on the plan, light up ice cubes, etc. If we wanted something not on the plan, we bought it without pain or guilt. We returned with 2 unused counter service credits. I tried to pay for other's nearby, but they were on the plan too.
DINING RATINGS
1 = Just BLECH
2 = Won't run back here
3 = Quite tasty, will return
4 = Big YUM factor
5 = WOW...gotta love this place
Table service:
CA Grill: 5
BEST MEAL OF THE WEEK! GREAT SERVICE TOO BY DAWN!
DS - mickey soda (masculine Shirley Temple with some testosterone added), kid's filet with fries and rice krispy sushi.
DH - a couple beers, Sushi - Tuna 3 Ways, filet, and Butterscotch Buzz for dessert. He loved everything. However, the sushi left him feeling very ill that night and next morning. I think it was just food overload.
ME - Cosmo (YUM), Sushi - Shrimp Tempura, filet, and Valhrona Chocolate Cake with PB&J ice cream. We cut the filets with a butter knife, best meat of the entire trip. My dessert was phenomenal.
Crystal Palace for breakfast: 4
VERY GOOD - PAID OOP FOR THIS ONE
DS called this the best bacon he had ever eaten, DH still wasn't feeling too well from the night before, and I loved everything. The standouts were the puffed french toast and cheesy potatoes. The best part was being inside the MK prior to park opening. We got great castle photos.
Rose & Crown: 2
WORST MEAL OF THE TRIP WITH POOR SERVICE.
DH - Started with beer (black & tan). Mushroom casserole which he loved, beef stew which he hated (didn't like the spices and was luke warm), and Guiness chocolate cake for dessert which I ate the next day for breakfast (yum). Hey, I earned that cake. I carried it all over EPCOT. It even made it through a ride on Test Track unharmed.
DS - Kid's appetizer (veggies and cheese) that tasted funny like it had been in an old refrigerator too long, chicken breast with fries. The fries were good.
ME - Shrimp cocktail that ended up being a tiny shrimp salad with a very fishy taste, chicken pasty which was ok, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert which we took to go, and I never ended up eating. It congealed overnight in the refrig. I am sure it would have been tasty. Our waitress would be gone for long periods of time, and we would have to ask other servers to try and find her. Jan, where are you???
Le Cellier: 4
ANOTHER FINE DINNER AT LE CELLIER!
DH - Didn't order beer here because he had just finished a free beer tasting clinic by the F&WF and after a few additional "beers around the world" he was still slurring his speech. Cheese soup (delicious), mushroom filet which he liked but had forgotten he isn't a big risotto fan, and we split the dessert trio.
DS - Light up drink, tenderloin appetizer (too red and fatty for him), kid's filet and s'mores.
ME - Torontopolitan (best drink of the week - Cosmo with Chambord added). Cheese soup (yummy with pretzel bread dipped in it), Maple filet (2nd best filet of the week after CG), and split the dessert trio. The chocolate cake was ok, the maple creme brulee was very good, and the raspberry sorbet was FABULOUS!!!
50's Prime Time: 4
THE BEST SERVICE ALL WEEK BY BRENDA WITH DELICIOUS FOOD
DH - a couple of beers (or apple juice as our server called it), great onion rings, meatloaf (his favorite meal), and he skipped dessert.
DS - Kid's chicken nugget meal, and he skipped dessert.
ME - PB&J milkshake which was an awesome new find (give it a try, it isn't on the menu), fried chicken (very tasty, but I was expecting out of this world based on the DIS reviews), and s'mores that DS and I shared.
Planet Hollywood: 4
WHY IS EVERYONE SO HARD ON THIS PLACE, WE ALWAYS LIKE IT?
DH - couple of beers (see a trend - microbrew please), buffalo wings which were tasty, great ribs, and strawberry cheesecake which he said was good.
DS - Kid's chicken fingers and a kid's sundae.
ME - Deluxe margarita with orange liquor, chicken tostados which were EXCELLENT, chicken and mushroom pasta (very good), and the warmest, yummies, hot fudge sundae with a chocolate chip Ghirardelli brownie that you can image.
Boatwrights: breakfast & dinner: 4
HIDDEN GEM WITH VERY GOOD SERVICE! OOP FOR BREAKFAST.
DH - breakfast was this monster sized omelet. Dinner was french onion soup that was terrific, and the pot roast which was good. Too full for dessert.
DS - breakfast was the kid's french toast meal. Dinner was the hotdog meal. Too full for dessert.
ME - breakfast was a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL banana stuffed french toast with bacon. Dinner was a carbon copy of DH's.
Cinderella's Royal Table: 3
ENJOYED LUNCH HERE BETTER THAN THIS DINNER - IN PREPRINCESS DAYS.
DH - "What no beer for sale?" Seafood egg roll that he said was really good but he wouldn't share. He didn't understand the "research concept" of this project. Filet that was good (3rd after CG and Le Cellier's), and the Fantasyland Sundae that was superb.
DS - Kid's hot dog meal and some weird clay dessert that he played with but wouldn't eat.
ME - Shrimp cocktail (good, but a little warm and squishy), the filet, and a very good raspberry chocolate cake. I don't think we will return here when the menu changes happen. We used to LOVE the MAJOR DOMO's without the princesses.
BOMA: 4
WHO KNEW I ACTUALLY WOULD LIKE HUMMUS??
We have eaten here before and really enjoy it. DH and DS like the meat, and I love the soups and desserts. The waitress was pushing the smoothies which were included along with your soda. The strawberry one was delicious. DH chose coffee instead of the smoothie which was allowed on the plan. I ate way too much at this meal and didn't feel great the next day.
Sci-Fi: 3
WHY DO I ALWAYS GET TALKED INTO THIS PLACE BY MY KID?
DH - Beer and chili that would haunt all of us later! Rueben which he said was very good and the cheesecake which he rated as "standard cheesecake".
DS - light up drink, kid's cheeseburger, and no dessert. When we ordered the drink which wasn't included with the plan, the waitress told us we should pay for his meal OOP as it wasn't worth using the dining plan if we were going to buy the drink. Funny, since some DISers have called this stealing that a CM would tell us to do it. Bookem, Dano.
ME - BLT soup which was delicious, BBQ chicken sandwich that was ok, but a tad dry, and a hot fudge sundae that was tasty.
Counter Service included: POR foodcourt meals (mostly breakfasts), Cosmic Ray's which we love, Pizzafari which was suprisingly good after all the DIS bashing that I read, the Cheesecake Factory, Earl of Sandwich (MMM), and Leaning Palms.
Snacks: numerous ice cream novelty bars, sodas, waters, popcorn, apple juice, a banana, poweraides, chocolate rice krispy mickey heads to take home, and a couple of morsels from the F&WF (Chicken Sha-Cha tasted fishy, and Pot Stickers which were great). Last year we had more snacks at the F&WF, but were worried about being too full this year for Le Cellier. I missed this!
Other morsels not on the plan: Kaki Gori (delicious but will stain your socks!), several Miss Melodie's Coladas at the resort, Fiesta Margarita at EPCOT, ice cream cookie sandwich and cones from Main St., sundae from Ghirardelli's, and treats from Goofy's candy co (design your own gingerbread man, apple slushie, and candy), etc, etc, etc.
Final thoughts: *Very easy to use, but way too much food on the dining plan. DH is a HUGE eater and even thought it was too much. Consider sharing. DS and I did this. *Don't fret over trying to maximize the plan, I did this at first, and it caused more stress than joy. When I just relaxed and we skipped a few desserts (did I say that?) here and there, no one died. *The snacks on the plan got a little old, they need a bigger selection. I missed some of my favorite snacks like Dole Whips and fudge because I was too full from the redandant snacks on the plan. Cheaper priced items such as churros weren't included which was odd. *I wish they would add cereal as either a breakfast item or a snack. Eating a big platter each morning was too much. *A complete 3 course meal takes quite a while to eat so plan accordingly. We are used to this, but you will miss some riding time. The waits for a table were longer than usual as more people are on the plan. MAKE ADR's. People were being turned away left and right. *FINALLY...would I do the plan again...oh yeah! I learned a lot, and will be more comfortable with it next year. Even though DS will be considered an "adult", we would still save money. BON APPETITE. ANY QUESTIONS??
We were on the dining plan and saved quite a bit of cash. We saved $529.16 on the plan ($1,249.16 cost for dining plan meals - $720 dining plan fee). This doesn't include out of pocket items such as beer, mixed drinks, snacks not on the plan, light up ice cubes, etc. If we wanted something not on the plan, we bought it without pain or guilt. We returned with 2 unused counter service credits. I tried to pay for other's nearby, but they were on the plan too.
DINING RATINGS
1 = Just BLECH
2 = Won't run back here
3 = Quite tasty, will return
4 = Big YUM factor
5 = WOW...gotta love this place
Table service:
CA Grill: 5
BEST MEAL OF THE WEEK! GREAT SERVICE TOO BY DAWN!
DS - mickey soda (masculine Shirley Temple with some testosterone added), kid's filet with fries and rice krispy sushi.
DH - a couple beers, Sushi - Tuna 3 Ways, filet, and Butterscotch Buzz for dessert. He loved everything. However, the sushi left him feeling very ill that night and next morning. I think it was just food overload.
ME - Cosmo (YUM), Sushi - Shrimp Tempura, filet, and Valhrona Chocolate Cake with PB&J ice cream. We cut the filets with a butter knife, best meat of the entire trip. My dessert was phenomenal.
Crystal Palace for breakfast: 4
VERY GOOD - PAID OOP FOR THIS ONE
DS called this the best bacon he had ever eaten, DH still wasn't feeling too well from the night before, and I loved everything. The standouts were the puffed french toast and cheesy potatoes. The best part was being inside the MK prior to park opening. We got great castle photos.
Rose & Crown: 2
WORST MEAL OF THE TRIP WITH POOR SERVICE.
DH - Started with beer (black & tan). Mushroom casserole which he loved, beef stew which he hated (didn't like the spices and was luke warm), and Guiness chocolate cake for dessert which I ate the next day for breakfast (yum). Hey, I earned that cake. I carried it all over EPCOT. It even made it through a ride on Test Track unharmed.
DS - Kid's appetizer (veggies and cheese) that tasted funny like it had been in an old refrigerator too long, chicken breast with fries. The fries were good.
ME - Shrimp cocktail that ended up being a tiny shrimp salad with a very fishy taste, chicken pasty which was ok, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert which we took to go, and I never ended up eating. It congealed overnight in the refrig. I am sure it would have been tasty. Our waitress would be gone for long periods of time, and we would have to ask other servers to try and find her. Jan, where are you???
Le Cellier: 4
ANOTHER FINE DINNER AT LE CELLIER!
DH - Didn't order beer here because he had just finished a free beer tasting clinic by the F&WF and after a few additional "beers around the world" he was still slurring his speech. Cheese soup (delicious), mushroom filet which he liked but had forgotten he isn't a big risotto fan, and we split the dessert trio.
DS - Light up drink, tenderloin appetizer (too red and fatty for him), kid's filet and s'mores.
ME - Torontopolitan (best drink of the week - Cosmo with Chambord added). Cheese soup (yummy with pretzel bread dipped in it), Maple filet (2nd best filet of the week after CG), and split the dessert trio. The chocolate cake was ok, the maple creme brulee was very good, and the raspberry sorbet was FABULOUS!!!
50's Prime Time: 4
THE BEST SERVICE ALL WEEK BY BRENDA WITH DELICIOUS FOOD
DH - a couple of beers (or apple juice as our server called it), great onion rings, meatloaf (his favorite meal), and he skipped dessert.
DS - Kid's chicken nugget meal, and he skipped dessert.
ME - PB&J milkshake which was an awesome new find (give it a try, it isn't on the menu), fried chicken (very tasty, but I was expecting out of this world based on the DIS reviews), and s'mores that DS and I shared.
Planet Hollywood: 4
WHY IS EVERYONE SO HARD ON THIS PLACE, WE ALWAYS LIKE IT?
DH - couple of beers (see a trend - microbrew please), buffalo wings which were tasty, great ribs, and strawberry cheesecake which he said was good.
DS - Kid's chicken fingers and a kid's sundae.
ME - Deluxe margarita with orange liquor, chicken tostados which were EXCELLENT, chicken and mushroom pasta (very good), and the warmest, yummies, hot fudge sundae with a chocolate chip Ghirardelli brownie that you can image.
Boatwrights: breakfast & dinner: 4
HIDDEN GEM WITH VERY GOOD SERVICE! OOP FOR BREAKFAST.
DH - breakfast was this monster sized omelet. Dinner was french onion soup that was terrific, and the pot roast which was good. Too full for dessert.
DS - breakfast was the kid's french toast meal. Dinner was the hotdog meal. Too full for dessert.
ME - breakfast was a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL banana stuffed french toast with bacon. Dinner was a carbon copy of DH's.
Cinderella's Royal Table: 3
ENJOYED LUNCH HERE BETTER THAN THIS DINNER - IN PREPRINCESS DAYS.
DH - "What no beer for sale?" Seafood egg roll that he said was really good but he wouldn't share. He didn't understand the "research concept" of this project. Filet that was good (3rd after CG and Le Cellier's), and the Fantasyland Sundae that was superb.
DS - Kid's hot dog meal and some weird clay dessert that he played with but wouldn't eat.
ME - Shrimp cocktail (good, but a little warm and squishy), the filet, and a very good raspberry chocolate cake. I don't think we will return here when the menu changes happen. We used to LOVE the MAJOR DOMO's without the princesses.
BOMA: 4
WHO KNEW I ACTUALLY WOULD LIKE HUMMUS??
We have eaten here before and really enjoy it. DH and DS like the meat, and I love the soups and desserts. The waitress was pushing the smoothies which were included along with your soda. The strawberry one was delicious. DH chose coffee instead of the smoothie which was allowed on the plan. I ate way too much at this meal and didn't feel great the next day.
Sci-Fi: 3
WHY DO I ALWAYS GET TALKED INTO THIS PLACE BY MY KID?
DH - Beer and chili that would haunt all of us later! Rueben which he said was very good and the cheesecake which he rated as "standard cheesecake".
DS - light up drink, kid's cheeseburger, and no dessert. When we ordered the drink which wasn't included with the plan, the waitress told us we should pay for his meal OOP as it wasn't worth using the dining plan if we were going to buy the drink. Funny, since some DISers have called this stealing that a CM would tell us to do it. Bookem, Dano.
ME - BLT soup which was delicious, BBQ chicken sandwich that was ok, but a tad dry, and a hot fudge sundae that was tasty.
Counter Service included: POR foodcourt meals (mostly breakfasts), Cosmic Ray's which we love, Pizzafari which was suprisingly good after all the DIS bashing that I read, the Cheesecake Factory, Earl of Sandwich (MMM), and Leaning Palms.
Snacks: numerous ice cream novelty bars, sodas, waters, popcorn, apple juice, a banana, poweraides, chocolate rice krispy mickey heads to take home, and a couple of morsels from the F&WF (Chicken Sha-Cha tasted fishy, and Pot Stickers which were great). Last year we had more snacks at the F&WF, but were worried about being too full this year for Le Cellier. I missed this!
Other morsels not on the plan: Kaki Gori (delicious but will stain your socks!), several Miss Melodie's Coladas at the resort, Fiesta Margarita at EPCOT, ice cream cookie sandwich and cones from Main St., sundae from Ghirardelli's, and treats from Goofy's candy co (design your own gingerbread man, apple slushie, and candy), etc, etc, etc.
Final thoughts: *Very easy to use, but way too much food on the dining plan. DH is a HUGE eater and even thought it was too much. Consider sharing. DS and I did this. *Don't fret over trying to maximize the plan, I did this at first, and it caused more stress than joy. When I just relaxed and we skipped a few desserts (did I say that?) here and there, no one died. *The snacks on the plan got a little old, they need a bigger selection. I missed some of my favorite snacks like Dole Whips and fudge because I was too full from the redandant snacks on the plan. Cheaper priced items such as churros weren't included which was odd. *I wish they would add cereal as either a breakfast item or a snack. Eating a big platter each morning was too much. *A complete 3 course meal takes quite a while to eat so plan accordingly. We are used to this, but you will miss some riding time. The waits for a table were longer than usual as more people are on the plan. MAKE ADR's. People were being turned away left and right. *FINALLY...would I do the plan again...oh yeah! I learned a lot, and will be more comfortable with it next year. Even though DS will be considered an "adult", we would still save money. BON APPETITE. ANY QUESTIONS??
