thunderbird1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2005
- Messages
- 2,164
By now, most of you probably already know most of this so I'll try to be brief (but that's an almost impossible goal for me, my dh will tell you). We are:
Dh (40-something): Been (off and) on an Atkins-like lifestyle for over a year, but anything goes on vacation.
Me (30-something): Vegetarian for 20+ years, but loves me some dessert.
Dd (9) and ds (3): Could live on mac n' cheese, chicken nuggets and snacks.
Where we ate (TS), what was (and wasn't) included, and our opinions:
Boma: Our all-time favorite WDW restaurant. We eat here at least twice each trip. I thought the DDP would be wasted on a buffet, but it wasn't. The kids' meals included mango or raspberry smoothies, and the adult meals included a pressed pot of Kenyan coffee or African tea (we had ours with dessert). It was every bit as good as we remembered, and still our favorite.
Cap'n Jacks: Kids' drink choices did not include smoothies, but you could get one as a dessert, and kids' appetizers were either a fruit cup or vegetable soup. The lobster choices were either the twin tails (saw tons of those going out) or the surf and turf. In other words, you can add the lobster tail to an entree, but only to the steak. They also had a vegetarian pasta which wasn't on the menu for me. We all enjoyed this very much, especially the fact that they explained everything up front about the DDP.
Spoodles: Food was good, as we'd remembered from last year, but boy did they have an attitude about the DDP. First, they've changed the menu so you can no longer get the shrimp or scallop add-ons. They also don't allow you to get the dessert sampler even for 2 credits. The hostess noted that I was a vegetarian and asked if I needed to speak to the chef. I said no, I've heard of them doing an assortment of side dishes, and that would be just fine with me. Our server also asked if I needed to speak to the chef and I repeated what I told the hostess. So he went and got the chef, who asked if I had any allergies or special needs. I said no, I'm just your garden-variety vegetarian, and he threw up his hands in disgust and said, "then I don't need to talk to you!" I mentioned the assortment of side dishes, and he said, "normally we could do that, but I'm too busy tonight" (it was 5:00 and there were maybe 5 tables in there, so I have to assume thats another DDP casualty). On the positive side, the kids' meals included milkshakes, plus kids appetizers (including the wonderful flatbread/pizza). And the food was very good, especially the Mediterranean dips appetizer. Not sure we'd go back on the DDP or during free dining, though, because of the attitude.
Coral Reef: Weve been here before and its always good, but they seemed a little overwhelmed by the number of customers they had. They wanted our entire order, including dessert, at the beginning of the meal, and our server seemed stretched a little thin. They dont include any specialty drinks for the kids, but we got them glow cubes so they were happy. And the kids appetizer menu included a smaller bowl of lobster soup or veggies and dip. One bonus was my dh wanted to try the fried scallops add-on, which we said we figured wasnt included on the DDP and we were willing to pay for it, but our server threw it in for free anyway. Compared to everywhere else we ate, the food was a little bland, and the portions a little small, but you cant beat that aquarium.
Ohana: They were also pretty harried and disorganized. The meal started out very rushed, but after we asked to slow things down, they nearly ground to a halt. The vegetarian entrée was fried tofu over noodles and vegetables, and it was very tasty. The kids meals included any non-alcoholic beverage (we opted for pina coladas), and they enjoyed partaking in the limbo contest, hula lessons and coconut races, even though I thought each event went on a little too long. We did manage to secure a window seat for Wishes, but they didnt dim the lights, they started the soundtrack late (and it was scratchy, like an old vinyl album), and there was so much condensation on the window it was hard to see. But it was still good (I think I ate my weight in wonton chips with peanut sauce and bread pudding).
Le Cellier: This was another place that changed their menu during free dining, eliminating the cheese plate from both the appetizer and the dessert menus. They also changed their vegetarian option to a Portobello mushroom, which I thought Id hate, but it turned out to be one of my favorite meals (the mushroom was only a small part of the meal, and the pretzel breadoh, that pretzel bread). They do include the mango smoothie, chocolate/raspberry shake and (non-alcoholic) berry daiquiri for anyone on the DDP. They also have kids appetizers, including a smaller portion of the famous cheese soup, and the kids desserts were the cutest we had all week. My dh said his steak was one of the best he had, but my dds steak (from the kids menu) was a little tough. Overall, an excellent meal, and wed definitely go back, despite the changes in the menu.
Whispering Canyon Café: This was a great meal. They do still include the AYCD milkshakes (though we couldnt manage more than one each), and if kids dont order the skillet (which automatically comes with salad), they can order any appetizer off the adult menu. The vegetarian plate was so much better than I expected, and the fun definitely lived up to my expectations. They also brought out champagne and strawberries for the couple next to us, who were celebrating their 35th anniversary (how cool are they?).
Rose and Crown: They also changed their menu, but it was for the better, at least as far as I was concerned. Instead of the simple vegetarian curry, they are now featuring vegetables in phyllo dough over red curry with mustard sauce, and it was incredible. Theyve also improved their fruit and cheese plate since I was there last, and I could have easily made a meal out that. Our server did a terrific job explaining what was and wasnt included with the DDP, and even covered our dinners to keep them warm while we were outside watching Illuminations. Kids meals included smoothies and appetizers--either a fruit, vegetable and cheese plate or a bowl of potato leek soup (not a reduced portion, either; it was the same bowl my dh received). This was also the only place that didnt automatically add the 18% gratuity to our adult beverages, and they gave us tea with dessert in addition to soft drinks with dinner (all included on the DDP). We loved this meal so much, we went back again on our last day for lunch.
Dh (40-something): Been (off and) on an Atkins-like lifestyle for over a year, but anything goes on vacation.
Me (30-something): Vegetarian for 20+ years, but loves me some dessert.
Dd (9) and ds (3): Could live on mac n' cheese, chicken nuggets and snacks.
Where we ate (TS), what was (and wasn't) included, and our opinions:
Boma: Our all-time favorite WDW restaurant. We eat here at least twice each trip. I thought the DDP would be wasted on a buffet, but it wasn't. The kids' meals included mango or raspberry smoothies, and the adult meals included a pressed pot of Kenyan coffee or African tea (we had ours with dessert). It was every bit as good as we remembered, and still our favorite.
Cap'n Jacks: Kids' drink choices did not include smoothies, but you could get one as a dessert, and kids' appetizers were either a fruit cup or vegetable soup. The lobster choices were either the twin tails (saw tons of those going out) or the surf and turf. In other words, you can add the lobster tail to an entree, but only to the steak. They also had a vegetarian pasta which wasn't on the menu for me. We all enjoyed this very much, especially the fact that they explained everything up front about the DDP.
Spoodles: Food was good, as we'd remembered from last year, but boy did they have an attitude about the DDP. First, they've changed the menu so you can no longer get the shrimp or scallop add-ons. They also don't allow you to get the dessert sampler even for 2 credits. The hostess noted that I was a vegetarian and asked if I needed to speak to the chef. I said no, I've heard of them doing an assortment of side dishes, and that would be just fine with me. Our server also asked if I needed to speak to the chef and I repeated what I told the hostess. So he went and got the chef, who asked if I had any allergies or special needs. I said no, I'm just your garden-variety vegetarian, and he threw up his hands in disgust and said, "then I don't need to talk to you!" I mentioned the assortment of side dishes, and he said, "normally we could do that, but I'm too busy tonight" (it was 5:00 and there were maybe 5 tables in there, so I have to assume thats another DDP casualty). On the positive side, the kids' meals included milkshakes, plus kids appetizers (including the wonderful flatbread/pizza). And the food was very good, especially the Mediterranean dips appetizer. Not sure we'd go back on the DDP or during free dining, though, because of the attitude.
Coral Reef: Weve been here before and its always good, but they seemed a little overwhelmed by the number of customers they had. They wanted our entire order, including dessert, at the beginning of the meal, and our server seemed stretched a little thin. They dont include any specialty drinks for the kids, but we got them glow cubes so they were happy. And the kids appetizer menu included a smaller bowl of lobster soup or veggies and dip. One bonus was my dh wanted to try the fried scallops add-on, which we said we figured wasnt included on the DDP and we were willing to pay for it, but our server threw it in for free anyway. Compared to everywhere else we ate, the food was a little bland, and the portions a little small, but you cant beat that aquarium.
Ohana: They were also pretty harried and disorganized. The meal started out very rushed, but after we asked to slow things down, they nearly ground to a halt. The vegetarian entrée was fried tofu over noodles and vegetables, and it was very tasty. The kids meals included any non-alcoholic beverage (we opted for pina coladas), and they enjoyed partaking in the limbo contest, hula lessons and coconut races, even though I thought each event went on a little too long. We did manage to secure a window seat for Wishes, but they didnt dim the lights, they started the soundtrack late (and it was scratchy, like an old vinyl album), and there was so much condensation on the window it was hard to see. But it was still good (I think I ate my weight in wonton chips with peanut sauce and bread pudding).
Le Cellier: This was another place that changed their menu during free dining, eliminating the cheese plate from both the appetizer and the dessert menus. They also changed their vegetarian option to a Portobello mushroom, which I thought Id hate, but it turned out to be one of my favorite meals (the mushroom was only a small part of the meal, and the pretzel breadoh, that pretzel bread). They do include the mango smoothie, chocolate/raspberry shake and (non-alcoholic) berry daiquiri for anyone on the DDP. They also have kids appetizers, including a smaller portion of the famous cheese soup, and the kids desserts were the cutest we had all week. My dh said his steak was one of the best he had, but my dds steak (from the kids menu) was a little tough. Overall, an excellent meal, and wed definitely go back, despite the changes in the menu.
Whispering Canyon Café: This was a great meal. They do still include the AYCD milkshakes (though we couldnt manage more than one each), and if kids dont order the skillet (which automatically comes with salad), they can order any appetizer off the adult menu. The vegetarian plate was so much better than I expected, and the fun definitely lived up to my expectations. They also brought out champagne and strawberries for the couple next to us, who were celebrating their 35th anniversary (how cool are they?).
Rose and Crown: They also changed their menu, but it was for the better, at least as far as I was concerned. Instead of the simple vegetarian curry, they are now featuring vegetables in phyllo dough over red curry with mustard sauce, and it was incredible. Theyve also improved their fruit and cheese plate since I was there last, and I could have easily made a meal out that. Our server did a terrific job explaining what was and wasnt included with the DDP, and even covered our dinners to keep them warm while we were outside watching Illuminations. Kids meals included smoothies and appetizers--either a fruit, vegetable and cheese plate or a bowl of potato leek soup (not a reduced portion, either; it was the same bowl my dh received). This was also the only place that didnt automatically add the 18% gratuity to our adult beverages, and they gave us tea with dessert in addition to soft drinks with dinner (all included on the DDP). We loved this meal so much, we went back again on our last day for lunch.
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