shenaniganzz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2009
- Messages
- 574
We just returned from our first family Walt Disney World Trip. 
Our cast of characters includes myself (38), DH (39) and DD (almost 4). We booked the free dining package and upgraded to deluxe dining. After much research on here, we had a plan of action but learned alot from this trip and will do some tweaking for our next trip.
We arrived on Sunday (09/11) afternoon. Our flight landed at 1 pm. By the time we collected our luggage, caught the ME and arrived for check-in, it was 3 pm.
We were originally assigned a room in building 5, but we asked for a change. It seemed about the furthest building away from everything - buses, pools, the main building. So we were switched to 8B and that was better. We had a bus stop close by, the quiet pool close by and the main building and dig site were just over a 5 minute walk. This is a huge, beautiful resort. Very clean and lovely landscaping/themeing. The beds were really comfortable and being able to close off the bathroom/vanity area was a huge plus. We honestly didn't find the walk all that bad, though it was a bit tiring after a long day in the parks, to be honest. I would not hesitate to stay here again, but I would also be open to trying a more compact resort like POFQ. DH is more interested in something like Yacht Club or Boardwalk. We'll see... I was happy at CSR because we felt like we were on an entirely different vacation when we were back at the resort.
We did a bit of organizing and then headed to Downtown Disney and Wolfgang Puck Cafe for dinner.The food was great - hot and tasty. For our appetizers, I had the Crab Cake and DH had the Crispy Calamari. Both were very good. Entrees: DH had the Macadamia Nut Crusted Breast of Chicken and I had the Pumpkin Ravioli. DH thought his was good - nothing exceptional, but good. Would he order it again? He'd probably opt for something else, but wouldn't turn his nose up at it either.
I thought my ravioli were very good and I would order that again. My DD had Kids Cheese Pizza and the Make Your Own Sundae dessert. She liked the pizza (hard to get a good review from a 4 yo!) but didn't have much use for the sundae.
Overall impressions: This is excellent value for a TS. The quality of the food was good and the service was excellent. I think I read elsewhere that people received slow service or rushed service but our server was fantastic. I would eat here again.
Monday was our MK day. (I will post a separate trip report) We had breakfast at Crystal Palace with a 9:30 am reservation. It was probably close to 10:00 am before we were seated. The food: very, very good as far as buffets go and I would definitely book here again if I was looking to do a character breakfast. The characters: wonderful! We only saw Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore because it was taking so long, but the characters were not rushed at all which was nice. We actually were going to leave before seeing Tigger, but a CM made sure we got a shot/signature with him before we left. Our server, Stephen, was AWESOME. He explained everything to us, was funny/amusing without being annoying and was 110% on the ball. We liked him so much, we made sure to mention him to the manager before we left.
Overall impression - Happy with the food, character interaction and the service. Would absolutely eat here again.
We had plans to do Haus for lunch, but couldn't handle anything heavy so we went to Main Street Bakery and grabbed sandwiches. They were a very healthy size in their own right! DH and I had a tomato and mozzarella on foccacia and DD ate a ham sandwich. We had chips and I chose a cinnamon roll for dessert. The sandwiches were really tasty and fresh and the cinnamon roll was delicious, warm and HUGE. While everything was good, I would definitely try some of the other places we meant to go to and didn't.
Overall impression - Generous portions, reasonably tasty. While it was fine, I wouldn't seek it out but would be fine to grab a quick bite here again.
Dinner this night was at The Wave in the Contemporary. We arrived early (4 pm-ish) and asked them to move our 6 pm reservation up if possible and it wasn't a problem. We relaxed and had a drink while we waited for our table. For apps I had a salad with an avocado ranch dressing (the one listed on All Ears is not the correct one) and DH had the seared scallops. I wanted someting light and the salad fit the bill, though it was just meh. DH really liked his scallops. I had the apple brined pork tenderloin for dinner and I cannot recall what DH had. My meal would have been SO good had the pork been less dry. Otherwise, I enjoyed it and was so full I had to skip dessert.. though I have to admit nothing looked all that appealing to me anyway.
Overall impression - Maybe I set my expecations a bit high but I was a bit underwhelmed. It was really good, but not great. The service was also fine. That was pretty well the theme - perfectly fine but not really outstanding. I think I would be more disappointed if this was a signature. Would I eat here again? If I was at the MK for a day and couldn't get in to try O'hana, then I likely would.
Tuesday. Breakfast was Akershus and the princesses. We all enjoyed this. The food was good and the experience with the princesses was great - they were friendly and not too rushed. Our server that day was pretty good. The keepsake photo is a nice touch.
Overall impression: It was a great experience with the princesses and while the food wasn't exceptional, it was just what I would expect for a breakfast meal. We would eat here again if we were looking for the princess experience again without the park line ups.
Lunch - we skipped it today! We were too full from breakfast but ended up using the credits for another signature dinner so it all worked out!
Dinner - Flying Fish. Okay, I think this restaurant is SO underrated. We absolutely loved it. For apps, DH had Crispy Rice-Crusted Maine Lobster and I had the Crispy Maine Coast Jonah Crab Cake. DH loved his app and I liked mine quite a bit. For dinner, I had the signature snapper and DH had the sea bass. I thought the snapper was really, really good but DH and I both agreed that the sea bass was EXCELLENT. We both had the Caramelized Banana Napoleon for dessert and it was delicious too. Our DD had steak skewers for dinner and the Mickey Puzzle for dessert. She really liked both. (FYI she had fries with her steak and DH and I both tried them. Soooo good!!)
Overall impression: Food and service were simply excellent.
So, after our dinner at FF, we loved it so much that we cancelled our O'hana ressies for the next night (GASP!!) and rebooked FF because we had extra credits now, too.
Wednesday we had breakfast at Kona Cafe. Awesome. We thought the coffee was great (the pressed pot) because the coffee elsewhere leaves alot to be desired at WDW, IMO. I had the Big Kahuna (exchanged french toast for rye toast). Eggs were perfectly cooked and those macadamia nut pancakes - YUM!!! DH had Tonga Toast and I had a taste. We both loved it too. I will absolutely eat here again when we return to WDW!!! DD had Mickey waffles. Oh - the juice. It was very good, but it wasn't as outstanding as I thought it would be. Our mimosas, however, were!
Overall impression: Coffee here was the best on site, great service and breakfast was delicious. A must do on future trips for sure.
We headed back to the hotel for a break this day and over to the dig site pool. We ordered nachos as a late afternoon snack. They were pretty good by snack shack standards! We could have ordered one and shared though.
Flying Fish again for dinner. DH had exactly the same thing he had the first night (he said he felt guilty not giving the other food a chance, but it was THAT good) and I had the cheeses for an app and the sea bass for dinner. This time I had the creme brulee for dessert. I think it was my favorite dessert of the week, hands down. DD had chicken this night and (shocking) the Mickey puzzle for dessert again. Once again, the meal and service were excellent. Absolutely no complaints and it is now a must do when we next visit WDW.
Overall impressions: See above. Best meals our entire trip.
Thursday. We had breakfast ressies at Tusker House. This was the "worst" experience of the trip. It wasn't horribe (ie. worth complaining about) but the food was not up to par with everything else we had enjoyed. The characters were extremely rushed and didn't really interact like the other characters we had met. It was one restaurant I would not feel guilty about skipping.. I would not feel like I was missing anything.
Overall impression: Meh, a time waster. Breakfast wasn't great, characters were rushed. Service was really good but not enough to bring me back here again.
We had lunch back at Coronado Springs at the Pepper Market. I had the philly steak sandwich and it came with chips and DH had a quesadilla. DD had a hot dog and that was served with a bag of chips. I chose a cookie for dessert. DH didn't want dessert. I really liked my sandwich (and would have it again), DH thought his quesadilla was good but too rich and DD enjoyed her hot dog. My cookie wasn't all that tasty and I wouldn't order it again.
Overal impressions: Perfectly good to grab a lunch (and I am sure dinner would be fine, too). It was really good for a CS credit. Would eat here again.
Dinner was at Yachtsman this night. Apps - I had the cheeses and DH had the bisque. Both were excellent though DH said the bisque was very rich. DH had the rib eye for his entree and I had the filet. My steak was melt in your mouth tender, but I did prefer the taste of DH's steak (the sauce/seasoning). I also found both steaks to have too much sauce so I would probably just ask for it on the side next time. DD had grilled chicken and DH tasted it and said it was great - very tender. Her app was a salad and it was kind of pathetic. Green lettuce and carrot shreds. At least FF threw in some cucumbers and tomatoes. Dessert (DH skipped it) was creme brulee for me and Mickey puzzle (yep, AGAIN) for DD. The dessert was simply okay - it paled in comparison to the one at FF. Of special note is the onion pull apart bread. It was soooooo delicious. Even our picky DD loved it and we had to order seconds.
Overall impressions: While the quality of the meat (tender, etc.) was excellent here and the onion bread was to die for, I don't think I would terribly upset if we missed this on our next trip. I wouldn't purposely stay away from Yachtsman (like Tusker House) but it's not a must do, kwim? Portions are extremely generous! I'd like to try other 2 TS restaurants instead, but definitely wouldn't rule this out.
Friday morning our last meal was breakfast at Maya Grill. This was the worst meal of our trip. First, we were left standing for about ten minutes at the hostess stand while several staff walked past to serve meals (3 or 4 people). I think they had one table each because the place was dead, but we were still left standing there. I finally walked halfway in and the manager came over to seat us. I ordered a tradtional breakfast - the eggs were slightly underdone and the toast and the breakfast potatoes were cold. Not lukewarm even - stone cold, your butter won't melt, cold. Bleh. DH's eggs.. I don't know if you could call it cooked. They were gross. He swapped his meal out for bagel and lox and said it was very good. DD had Mickey waffles. I doubt I would eat here again. I should say that our server was great once we were seated.
Overall impression: Yuck. It's pretty hard to mess up breakfast, IMO and this was nasty. I'd try Pepper Market next time and would have better luck of at least a hot meal.
Regarding the use of the deluxe dining plan - it IS alot of food. I had planned to have light CS lunches but found I wasn't all that hungry after breakfast and could have technically made it all the way to dinner without more food. There was no way we could snack after dinner! If I was really hungry, I would have totally been satisfied with using a snack credit to buy something to tide us over from breakfast until dinner. As it was, we used all our credits (save maybe a snack credit or two). The snack credits we used up most of them on the last day buying treats as extra souveneirs. We didn't feel we wasted money at all. We will definitely do DxDP again, but I will plan all 2 TS meals for dinner, do breakfast and use snack credits for lunches.
I do agree with those people who caution against 3 TS meals a day on DxDP... especially if you have character meals planned. Meals ranged anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours for character meals (this includes the waiting time to be seated). We didn't plan/reserve lunches and I am glad as it would have been a waste.
To sum it up, I was very impressed overall by the quality of food and the service. My DH was very surprised at how much he enjoyed the vacation. He felt that enjoying "adult" meals really made the difference.
We're already discussing our next trip in 2012!
Our cast of characters includes myself (38), DH (39) and DD (almost 4). We booked the free dining package and upgraded to deluxe dining. After much research on here, we had a plan of action but learned alot from this trip and will do some tweaking for our next trip.
We arrived on Sunday (09/11) afternoon. Our flight landed at 1 pm. By the time we collected our luggage, caught the ME and arrived for check-in, it was 3 pm.
We were originally assigned a room in building 5, but we asked for a change. It seemed about the furthest building away from everything - buses, pools, the main building. So we were switched to 8B and that was better. We had a bus stop close by, the quiet pool close by and the main building and dig site were just over a 5 minute walk. This is a huge, beautiful resort. Very clean and lovely landscaping/themeing. The beds were really comfortable and being able to close off the bathroom/vanity area was a huge plus. We honestly didn't find the walk all that bad, though it was a bit tiring after a long day in the parks, to be honest. I would not hesitate to stay here again, but I would also be open to trying a more compact resort like POFQ. DH is more interested in something like Yacht Club or Boardwalk. We'll see... I was happy at CSR because we felt like we were on an entirely different vacation when we were back at the resort.
We did a bit of organizing and then headed to Downtown Disney and Wolfgang Puck Cafe for dinner.The food was great - hot and tasty. For our appetizers, I had the Crab Cake and DH had the Crispy Calamari. Both were very good. Entrees: DH had the Macadamia Nut Crusted Breast of Chicken and I had the Pumpkin Ravioli. DH thought his was good - nothing exceptional, but good. Would he order it again? He'd probably opt for something else, but wouldn't turn his nose up at it either.
I thought my ravioli were very good and I would order that again. My DD had Kids Cheese Pizza and the Make Your Own Sundae dessert. She liked the pizza (hard to get a good review from a 4 yo!) but didn't have much use for the sundae.Overall impressions: This is excellent value for a TS. The quality of the food was good and the service was excellent. I think I read elsewhere that people received slow service or rushed service but our server was fantastic. I would eat here again.
Monday was our MK day. (I will post a separate trip report) We had breakfast at Crystal Palace with a 9:30 am reservation. It was probably close to 10:00 am before we were seated. The food: very, very good as far as buffets go and I would definitely book here again if I was looking to do a character breakfast. The characters: wonderful! We only saw Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore because it was taking so long, but the characters were not rushed at all which was nice. We actually were going to leave before seeing Tigger, but a CM made sure we got a shot/signature with him before we left. Our server, Stephen, was AWESOME. He explained everything to us, was funny/amusing without being annoying and was 110% on the ball. We liked him so much, we made sure to mention him to the manager before we left.
Overall impression - Happy with the food, character interaction and the service. Would absolutely eat here again.
We had plans to do Haus for lunch, but couldn't handle anything heavy so we went to Main Street Bakery and grabbed sandwiches. They were a very healthy size in their own right! DH and I had a tomato and mozzarella on foccacia and DD ate a ham sandwich. We had chips and I chose a cinnamon roll for dessert. The sandwiches were really tasty and fresh and the cinnamon roll was delicious, warm and HUGE. While everything was good, I would definitely try some of the other places we meant to go to and didn't.
Overall impression - Generous portions, reasonably tasty. While it was fine, I wouldn't seek it out but would be fine to grab a quick bite here again.
Dinner this night was at The Wave in the Contemporary. We arrived early (4 pm-ish) and asked them to move our 6 pm reservation up if possible and it wasn't a problem. We relaxed and had a drink while we waited for our table. For apps I had a salad with an avocado ranch dressing (the one listed on All Ears is not the correct one) and DH had the seared scallops. I wanted someting light and the salad fit the bill, though it was just meh. DH really liked his scallops. I had the apple brined pork tenderloin for dinner and I cannot recall what DH had. My meal would have been SO good had the pork been less dry. Otherwise, I enjoyed it and was so full I had to skip dessert.. though I have to admit nothing looked all that appealing to me anyway.
Overall impression - Maybe I set my expecations a bit high but I was a bit underwhelmed. It was really good, but not great. The service was also fine. That was pretty well the theme - perfectly fine but not really outstanding. I think I would be more disappointed if this was a signature. Would I eat here again? If I was at the MK for a day and couldn't get in to try O'hana, then I likely would.
Tuesday. Breakfast was Akershus and the princesses. We all enjoyed this. The food was good and the experience with the princesses was great - they were friendly and not too rushed. Our server that day was pretty good. The keepsake photo is a nice touch.
Overall impression: It was a great experience with the princesses and while the food wasn't exceptional, it was just what I would expect for a breakfast meal. We would eat here again if we were looking for the princess experience again without the park line ups.
Lunch - we skipped it today! We were too full from breakfast but ended up using the credits for another signature dinner so it all worked out!
Dinner - Flying Fish. Okay, I think this restaurant is SO underrated. We absolutely loved it. For apps, DH had Crispy Rice-Crusted Maine Lobster and I had the Crispy Maine Coast Jonah Crab Cake. DH loved his app and I liked mine quite a bit. For dinner, I had the signature snapper and DH had the sea bass. I thought the snapper was really, really good but DH and I both agreed that the sea bass was EXCELLENT. We both had the Caramelized Banana Napoleon for dessert and it was delicious too. Our DD had steak skewers for dinner and the Mickey Puzzle for dessert. She really liked both. (FYI she had fries with her steak and DH and I both tried them. Soooo good!!)
Overall impression: Food and service were simply excellent.
So, after our dinner at FF, we loved it so much that we cancelled our O'hana ressies for the next night (GASP!!) and rebooked FF because we had extra credits now, too.
Wednesday we had breakfast at Kona Cafe. Awesome. We thought the coffee was great (the pressed pot) because the coffee elsewhere leaves alot to be desired at WDW, IMO. I had the Big Kahuna (exchanged french toast for rye toast). Eggs were perfectly cooked and those macadamia nut pancakes - YUM!!! DH had Tonga Toast and I had a taste. We both loved it too. I will absolutely eat here again when we return to WDW!!! DD had Mickey waffles. Oh - the juice. It was very good, but it wasn't as outstanding as I thought it would be. Our mimosas, however, were!
Overall impression: Coffee here was the best on site, great service and breakfast was delicious. A must do on future trips for sure.
We headed back to the hotel for a break this day and over to the dig site pool. We ordered nachos as a late afternoon snack. They were pretty good by snack shack standards! We could have ordered one and shared though.
Flying Fish again for dinner.
DH had exactly the same thing he had the first night (he said he felt guilty not giving the other food a chance, but it was THAT good) and I had the cheeses for an app and the sea bass for dinner. This time I had the creme brulee for dessert. I think it was my favorite dessert of the week, hands down. DD had chicken this night and (shocking) the Mickey puzzle for dessert again. Once again, the meal and service were excellent. Absolutely no complaints and it is now a must do when we next visit WDW. Overall impressions: See above. Best meals our entire trip.
Thursday. We had breakfast ressies at Tusker House. This was the "worst" experience of the trip. It wasn't horribe (ie. worth complaining about) but the food was not up to par with everything else we had enjoyed. The characters were extremely rushed and didn't really interact like the other characters we had met. It was one restaurant I would not feel guilty about skipping.. I would not feel like I was missing anything.
Overall impression: Meh, a time waster. Breakfast wasn't great, characters were rushed. Service was really good but not enough to bring me back here again.
We had lunch back at Coronado Springs at the Pepper Market. I had the philly steak sandwich and it came with chips and DH had a quesadilla. DD had a hot dog and that was served with a bag of chips. I chose a cookie for dessert. DH didn't want dessert. I really liked my sandwich (and would have it again), DH thought his quesadilla was good but too rich and DD enjoyed her hot dog. My cookie wasn't all that tasty and I wouldn't order it again.
Overal impressions: Perfectly good to grab a lunch (and I am sure dinner would be fine, too). It was really good for a CS credit. Would eat here again.
Dinner was at Yachtsman this night. Apps - I had the cheeses and DH had the bisque. Both were excellent though DH said the bisque was very rich. DH had the rib eye for his entree and I had the filet. My steak was melt in your mouth tender, but I did prefer the taste of DH's steak (the sauce/seasoning). I also found both steaks to have too much sauce so I would probably just ask for it on the side next time. DD had grilled chicken and DH tasted it and said it was great - very tender. Her app was a salad and it was kind of pathetic. Green lettuce and carrot shreds. At least FF threw in some cucumbers and tomatoes.
Dessert (DH skipped it) was creme brulee for me and Mickey puzzle (yep, AGAIN) for DD. The dessert was simply okay - it paled in comparison to the one at FF. Of special note is the onion pull apart bread. It was soooooo delicious. Even our picky DD loved it and we had to order seconds. Overall impressions: While the quality of the meat (tender, etc.) was excellent here and the onion bread was to die for, I don't think I would terribly upset if we missed this on our next trip. I wouldn't purposely stay away from Yachtsman (like Tusker House) but it's not a must do, kwim? Portions are extremely generous! I'd like to try other 2 TS restaurants instead, but definitely wouldn't rule this out.
Friday morning our last meal was breakfast at Maya Grill. This was the worst meal of our trip. First, we were left standing for about ten minutes at the hostess stand while several staff walked past to serve meals (3 or 4 people). I think they had one table each because the place was dead, but we were still left standing there. I finally walked halfway in and the manager came over to seat us. I ordered a tradtional breakfast - the eggs were slightly underdone and the toast and the breakfast potatoes were cold. Not lukewarm even - stone cold, your butter won't melt, cold. Bleh. DH's eggs.. I don't know if you could call it cooked. They were gross. He swapped his meal out for bagel and lox and said it was very good. DD had Mickey waffles. I doubt I would eat here again. I should say that our server was great once we were seated.
Overall impression: Yuck. It's pretty hard to mess up breakfast, IMO and this was nasty. I'd try Pepper Market next time and would have better luck of at least a hot meal.
Regarding the use of the deluxe dining plan - it IS alot of food. I had planned to have light CS lunches but found I wasn't all that hungry after breakfast and could have technically made it all the way to dinner without more food. There was no way we could snack after dinner! If I was really hungry, I would have totally been satisfied with using a snack credit to buy something to tide us over from breakfast until dinner. As it was, we used all our credits (save maybe a snack credit or two). The snack credits we used up most of them on the last day buying treats as extra souveneirs. We didn't feel we wasted money at all. We will definitely do DxDP again, but I will plan all 2 TS meals for dinner, do breakfast and use snack credits for lunches.
I do agree with those people who caution against 3 TS meals a day on DxDP... especially if you have character meals planned. Meals ranged anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours for character meals (this includes the waiting time to be seated). We didn't plan/reserve lunches and I am glad as it would have been a waste.
To sum it up, I was very impressed overall by the quality of food and the service. My DH was very surprised at how much he enjoyed the vacation. He felt that enjoying "adult" meals really made the difference.
We're already discussing our next trip in 2012!
