7 table services and a bunch of counter services...the down and dirty

[sazzifrazz]

We spent Dec 10-17 in THE world. Our party consisted of:
me: 32, Disney planner and obsesser
DH: 33, along for the ride
DS: 4 and a half, picky eater
DP: papa, my dad, 61, loves to eat

I have spent the past 3 months planning our last minute disney trip. This was our first, and probably last, trip with the dining plan. I really researched and planned best I could to get the most out of it. I will review the following table services: Tusker House Breakfast, Chef de France, O'hanas, Boma, Boatwrights, 50's Prime Time, and Le Cellier as well as some counter services and snacks. Over all we were very pleased with our dining experiences.

 

[sazzifrazz]

Tusker House Donald's Safari Breakfast

We had an 8:15am ADR. This was our first morning so we were excited to get started! We were at the POR bus stop at 6:50. We waited 55 minutes for an animal kingdom bus. This was just the start to our dissapointment with the bus service. Anyways...thats another whole post. We arrived at Tusker House about 10 minutes past our ADR time and waited in a short line to have our pic taken with Donald. We were seated just a few later. i love the design of this place...very cool looking. DS kept asking why we were eating in this "old dirty place" lol. The tables aren't too crowded. The seats are comfy and the staff were attentive. The food spread was great. I think between the 4 of us we tried just about everything. There wasn't one item I had that wasn't tasty. The juice is so good. The character interaction was pretty good..a bit rushed but no more so than any other character meal. The little parade was cute. We ate a lot and left full. our entire visit was 45 minutes but that was because we chose to hurry not because we felt rushed by staff. Everyone in our group liked this. Overall i give this a 10. I would definately recommend this to a friend with little kids.

 

[pumba]

I agree about the Breakfast there.....we loved it too...We had to catch the bus to the AK for our breakfast but we did a later time....I think it was for 9 ...still a long wait and a long walk in.
Thanks for this review

 

[sazzifrazz]

Chef de France Epcot

I had read some pretty good reviews about this place so it was on my list of must do places to eat. Big mistake! This was the worst place we ate at all week. I would have been really upset had we paid out of pocket. We were seated 10 minutes before our ADR time. The tables were so crowded together it was uncomfortable. The place was so noisey we couldn't even hear one another. Our table was wobbly which is fine at say, McDonalds but not at a nice restaurant. DH and I started with the onion soup-it was great. Seriously the best onion soup we have ever had. My dad had the lobster bisque and he said it was very good. DS had the cheese tart (I forget the official name) that was pretty tasteless. DH and I ordered the famous mac and cheese. It was gross! I am not a picky eater but this was really bad. The pasta was chewy and the cheese sauce was tasteless. We were both entirely dissapointed. My dad ordered the short ribs and he said they were ok..basically tasted like pot roast. For $37 you would expect great food not pot roast and bad mac n cheese. DH and I ate maybe 1/3 of our meals. The waiter never asked if there was anything wrong. Had I been paying out of pocket I would have sent it back and asked for it off the bill but since it was free dining we just let it go. Dessert was good. DH and I had the ice cream on pastry which was decent, my dad had the crem brulee that was amazing.
We had to wait for about 15 minutes after our meal for Remy to get to our table. This was the main reason we came here so I refused to leave without DS getting to see him. He and his handler were great. DS was excited to talk to him. Overall I thought the restaurant was bad. I would never pay out of pocket, and I would never recommend to a friend. Maybe we had an off night. I didn't like the entree or the atmosphere at all. I expected better.

 

[vettegirl]

Enjoying your reviews so far. I too felt Chefs was nothing great.

 

[Disney Fan Katt]

Chef de France Epcot

I had read some pretty good reviews about this place so it was on my list of must do places to eat. Big mistake! This was the worst place we ate at all week. I would have been really upset had we paid out of pocket. We were seated 10 minutes before our ADR time. The tables were so crowded together it was uncomfortable. The place was so noisey we couldn't even hear one another. Our table was wobbly which is fine at say, McDonalds but not at a nice restaurant. DH and I started with the onion soup-it was great. Seriously the best onion soup we have ever had. My dad had the lobster bisque and he said it was very good. DS had the cheese tart (I forget the official name) that was pretty tasteless. DH and I ordered the famous mac and cheese. It was gross! I am not a picky eater but this was really bad. The pasta was chewy and the cheese sauce was tasteless. We were both entirely dissapointed. My dad ordered the short ribs and he said they were ok..basically tasted like pot roast. For $37 you would expect great food not pot roast and bad mac n cheese. DH and I ate maybe 1/3 of our meals. The waiter never asked if there was anything wrong. Had I been paying out of pocket I would have sent it back and asked for it off the bill but since it was free dining we just let it go. Dessert was good. DH and I had the ice cream on pastry which was decent, my dad had the crem brulee that was amazing.
We had to wait for about 15 minutes after our meal for Remy to get to our table. This was the main reason we came here so I refused to leave without DS getting to see him. He and his handler were great. DS was excited to talk to him. Overall I thought the restaurant was bad. I would never pay out of pocket, and I would never recommend to a friend. Maybe we had an off night. I didn't like the entree or the atmosphere at all. I expected better.

I completely agree! Our wait staff was so slow it took almost 2 hours for our group. There were three young kids in our group and they were all great sitting in a crowded restaurant for that long. We will never go back.

That being said my brother loves the place.

 

[catne]

enjoying your reviews. Sorry your Les Chefs was not good...I wonder if they changed the mac & cheese recipe? Last time we were there (2009) the mac & cheese was unbelievably cheesy and rich...not cheddar cheese, though so it was white. But very tasty...not at all tasteless & bland. Darn, I hate it when a restaurant takes a good recipe & messes with it.

Glad to see your good experience with Tusker House breakfast since we're trying that for the first time in January 2011

 

[sazzifrazz]

The cheese sauce was definately not rich. It was really tasteless. I expected it to be almost too rich...but not so. Too bad because i really wanted to love the place since they have Remy who is just adorable!

 

[sazzifrazz]

Pinocchio Village Haus counter service Magic Kingdom

I had read mixed reviews about this place, but we happened to be in the area when we got hungry and were waiting for our fast pass for Peter Pan so we figured to just eat here. It was great! We ended up eating here again a few days later since it was so good. Dh got chicken parm with pasta. He liked it so much he got it the second time we went back. My dad got the meatball sub which he said was very filling (coming from the man with a bottomless pit!). I got the pepperoni pizza which was surprisingly good. DS got the mac n cheese which was the same he got at just about every meal
I love when you don't have high expectations and you're pleasantly surprised. Both times we ate here the food was good but the atmosphere is very caotic. You have to search for a table. We found the counter service meals and desserts to all be very filling. Really its a lot of food! I should mention none of us are skinny minnies (except DS who never eats anyways). I was dissapointed in the kids meal selections at all counter services. Not every kid lives on mac n cheese, chicken fingers, and PB and J.
Overall we loved PVH and would recommend to a friend.

 

[jedwards]

Pinocchio Village Haus counter service Magic Kingdom

I had read mixed reviews about this place, but we happened to be in the area when we got hungry and were waiting for our fast pass for Peter Pan so we figured to just eat here. It was great! We ended up eating here again a few days later since it was so good. Dh got chicken parm with pasta. He liked it so much he got it the second time we went back. My dad got the meatball sub which he said was very filling (coming from the man with a bottomless pit!). I got the pepperoni pizza which was surprisingly good. DS got the mac n cheese which was the same he got at just about every meal
I love when you don't have high expectations and you're pleasantly surprised. Both times we ate here the food was good but the atmosphere is very caotic. You have to search for a table. We found the counter service meals and desserts to all be very filling. Really its a lot of food! I should mention none of us are skinny minnies (except DS who never eats anyways). I was dissapointed in the kids meal selections at all counter services. Not every kid lives on mac n cheese, chicken fingers, and PB and J.
Overall we loved PVH and would recommend to a friend.

I totally agree with this. We were all pleasantly surprised by PVH. Did you have the cheesecake for dessert?

 

[sazzifrazz]

The first time I had the strawberry cheesecake. It was a little bit wierd...more like a strawberry mouse. I didn't love it but it wasn't horrible. The second time I had something else...chocolate cake maybe? I forget. I think DS actually ate it.

 

[sazzifrazz]

Ohana's

We arrived 30 minutes early for our 5:05pm ADR. We got drinks from the bar (backscratchers!) and hung out in the lobby area. DS suddenly developed hives from something he ate earlier. I went to get him Beneadryl at the gift shop and came back to see a huge line forming at the check in desk. I sent DH up to get in line while I got DS to swallow a pill
We were seated about 5:15. By that time DS was getting itchy and tired from the meds. He ate some bread and decided he wanted to lay down. I put 2 chairs together and he napped for the remainder of the meal. I loved being able to see the castle, and we watched it change colors a few times.
This was a favorite meal of mine in the past. DH has never been here so I was excited for him to try it. He liked it a lot. The food was all good. The wings are just amazing! Our wait staff were all very good. My dad ate and ate. I was sick just watching him! Unfortunately I was worried about DS so i just wasn't in the mood to enjoy the dinner. I just wanted to get back to our room. The food was good, staff were great, entertainment was cute. this would be on our list to do again next trip. I would even pay out of pocket for this meal. Since DS only ate some bread I asked if the waiter could not charge us his dining credit. We gave him a nice tip though . I wish the check in wasn't so busy. The restaurant itself is kinda laid back and casual but I feel the lobby area is stressful.

 

[sazzifrazz]

Starring Rolls Bakery DHS

O.M.G. the chocolate peanutbutter cupcake is amazing. The thing is huge, filled with a fudgey like substance and covered in shaved chocolate. This was the best use of a snack credit! I could only eat about 1/3 of it it was so rich. I would kill to have one right now though! This was my favorite snack of the trip. Will definately go back next trip!!

 

[loganpaulsmom]

great dining reviews so far.. I have a couple of similar adrs as you coming up in May so I will be happy to see the rest of your reviews..

 

[sazzifrazz]

Boma

My dad ate here in the past so he requested it again. It was new for DS and I. DH left a few days before us so he missed this ADR. Our ADR was for 4:35, first seating I think. DS was chosen to help open the restaurant by playing the drums. He was too shy to do it but it was a nice offer lol. The food here is very ethnic. The carrot ginger soup was awesome. I had 2 bowls of it. I tried a rib but it was pretty spicey. I also had some salad and mealy bread. I think thats all i ate. I just wasn't into the food choices here. My dad loved it though. I was glad DH wasn't with us, he wouldn't have cared for it at all. I thought the desserts were just OK. I had read about the zebra domes but I didn't love them. I know a lot of people rave about this place so the food must be good if you're into that type of food. I wouldn't say this was a bad restaurant, just not my style. I won't go back but I think my dad would.

 

[sazzifrazz]

Fairfax Fare DHS counter service

We chose to eat here because I had heard about a BBQ place and wanted something besides burgers/sandwiches. I got the ribs and chicken with slaw and beans. I was less than impressed. The chicken was dry and chewy and the ribs were fatty. The beans were cold and the slaw was average. I hardly ate anything. Dh got the pulled pork sandwich and he said it was good...although I noticed he didn't eat but half of it. My dad got the full plate of ribs. He thought they were great. He is more of a quantity over quality guy though so the fact that he had a whole plate of meat was a good deal to him lol. I wouldn't go back here. We ate at ABC Commisary another day and that was much better.

 

[sazzifrazz]

Port Orleans Riverside Food Court

Overall we were happy with the different foods we got here. A few mornings we had pastries/coffee for breakfast. The cinnamon rolls were nice and warm, the chocolate croisant was fresh. The cheesecake was kinda odd...tasted OK but the texture was different than normal cheesecake. More like a mouse. The magic cookie bars are AWESOME! The roastbeef sandwich was kinda tough. It was thick cut beef rather than deli roastbeef. The turkey sandwich was really good. I liked the kids pizza...thick doughy crust. DS didn't care for it. My dad said the burger was just OK. Overall its your typical food court type of food. It can get pretty busy and hectic at meal times. I was surprised how busy it was at like 10pm with people eating meals.

 

[sazzifrazz]

Lotus Blossom Cafe China Epcot counter service

My dad and I split an orange chicken and white rice meal. The chicken was very good. The rice was...well, rice. The meal came with ginger ice cream that I loved. It was very different. I would definately go here again. Its typical chinese take out...but I like that type of stuff lol.

 

[sazzifrazz]

Crystal Palace character breakfast

This was great! We had at 8:15am ADR so we got in before park opening. We took our time taking pics along main street and at the castle. We were seated right away. Its comfortable, not too crowded, bright and sunny. The food was hot, fresh, and overall good. I prefered the food at Tusker house though...I think they offered more. The characters came around and the interaction was good. We were in and out in 50 minutes. Not bad! We liked being in the park before the crowds. Im not sure which breakfast I would choose first...CP or TH. I think I liked TH slighly better do to the different food selections.

 

[catne]

enjoying your reviews. Agree about Boma dinner...we would not go back for dinner, and we are usually very adventurous eaters. Just didn't go for the spices at Boma. Now, can heartily recommend Boma breakfast (no characters, but awesome food.) We really enjoyed CP breakfast this year, too. Will have to try Lotus Blossom one of these days...and POR counter service (we often stay at French Quarter, so POR is not out of the way for us.)