a few quick reviews from our rainy disney vacation 5/18-5/23 (updated 6/6- done )

[JasonsPrincess]

Well we are back from our disneymoon and we had a great time even with rain storms every single day boo!
I post from time to time, mainly a lurker, and the disboards helped so much with planning and getting ideas for my disneymoon, so I figured I'd do a quick review and maybe help someone else out there. Now, I planned to take pictures, I really did..but unfortunately this just didn't happen too often. I do have pics of the sweetheart dinner for 2 tho!

Let me introduce you to me and my new husband:

His name is Jason, a firefighter, grumpy-wannabe but also a bit goofy
My name is Erica, a pharmacy tech, princess of course

These are the places i'll be reviewing:
1)Pop century food court
2) CRT breakfast
3) electric umbrella
4) ohana
5) sci-fi (twice)
6) narcoossee's sweetheart dinner for two

 

[JasonsPrincess]

---------Pop Century Food Court-----------

we ate here a few times during our stay, and this is all we had during those times all lumped together:
* cheesesteak wrap : I got this on our first night and grumpy got this later on. I liked it, it could have used more filling in the wrap cuz I felt it was mainly tortilla I was eating but to make up for that and the dryness (of it mainly being tortilla) I put some hot sauce on it and all was good. I finished mine, later on in the week when grumpy got it, he did not finish it and wasn't impressed at all.

* chili cheese hot dog: I got this and it was pretty good. I would get it again.

* nacho's supreme: we ordered these with our dinners not realizing how big it would be. These are certainly big enough to be meal on their own, they were pretty good..but we didn't eat a whole lot of them or finish them b/c we had our main entrees.

* cheeseburger : DH got this and finished it all. Said it was just your average cheeseburger.

* shrimp lo mein: I love shrimp, and I love shrimp lo mein from your average chinese restaurant. I thought this was awful. The lo mein had a sweet tang to it that my taste buds just didn't like at all! I tried salt and pepper and nothing helped it..I didn't finish it, and this was the worst thing I ate the entire vacation.

* Individual cheese pizza: DH really liked this, but he was craving pizza and it's not easy to mess up pizza.

* dirt w/ worms : I got this for dessert twice and both times it was excellent. Oreo crumbles over a chocolate pudding/mouse with a couple gummy worms on top. Oh how I miss this I thought the serving sizes were pretty good too, not way too much but also not skimpy..the perfect size


All in all we enjoyed the pop century food court. I was still craving Chinese but was to turned off by my lo mein to try the beef with broccoli. If we were to go back I would just stick with your regular 'park' food like cheeseburgers, pizza, fries and not get anything too advanced lol. And I would most definitely get more dirt w/ worms

 

[MickeyNicki]

Congrats! You 2 are adorable! Cannot wait to hear all about it

 

[TigerKat]

You are such a cute couple, congratulations!!!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Congrats! You two are so cute! Can't wait to hear the rest of your reviews!

 

[mrsturtle]

congratulations! looking forward to your reviews. i'm in!!

 

[JasonsPrincess]

ok I"m back for more reviews!

-------CRT Breakfast-------

I was super excited about this, of course I booked this at 180days, early in the morning and I was able to get the 8:10am ADR. yay! Grumpy and I loved going into the park early, it was cool seeing the MK so empty. It was kinda weird tho, I thought you had to have ID and be checked off a list in order to get in, but all we did was say we were having breakfast at CRT and they let us in the gate no problem, no ID, no list.

I don't have pics of this, but we got the same 'hot' meals as everyone else. Once Upon A Time Breakfast - A traditional breakfast consisting of pre-plated Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Cheese Danish, Fresh Fruit, Breakfast Breads, Potato Casserole, Juice and Coffee.

Both Grumpy and I loved the eggs, sausage and the potato casserole..they were yummy. I can't remember getting bacon. The food came so quickly after we were seated that we didn't even really get a chance to try alot of the pre-meal breads and fruit. The one thing that Grumpy and I both did not like was the danish thing with blueberry topping. I knew Grumpy, being picky and not like blueberries wouldn't like it, but I love blueberries and stuff like that and I didn't care for it at all! The OJ was good too, we kept getting refills.

Now the experience. It was amazing to be in the castle eating..a dream come true. But, I know what people mean now by saying they felt rushed. The hot food plates came out right away after we were seated..not a bad thing..but we could've used at least 5-10 min of wait time esp. that early in the morning *we're both not normally early breakfast eaters*. The princesses started coming out not long after we were seated, and with each and every one of them, they posed for a picture with either Grumpy or I, but before they ran off I had to stop them and ask if they would pose for a picture with the other one of us. Then a man who worked there came over and said that he had rotated the princesses cycles so that they all hit our table in a timely manner so we could go out to the park (i didn't know we were in a hurry). I'm sure it wasn't meant to be rude, but it definitely helped make us feel rushed out the door.

Despite this, I would still recommend CRT, at least once. The food is decent, not the greatest but not awful. CRT is more about the experience and atmosphere and I know it would've meant the world to me if CRT was open when I was child and could've eaten there, and in MANY years when me and Grumpy get around to having kids, if there is a little princess rincess: in our future, I would love to take her there and see the look on her face.

-

 

[JasonsPrincess]

--Electric Umbrella--

Both Grumpy and I got #1 Bacon Double Cheeseburger w/ fries. This burger was huge and really good. Definitely filling. The only bad part about the meal was we had to sit on the floor to eat it. We got there around 2pm and it didn't seem that busy while we were in line ordering, but after we got our food we walked around a good 5-10 min trying to find a seat on both levels to no success. It even got as bad as me finally finding a seat and having a teenager push by me and elbow me in the chest in order to get to it first, and then having that person sit there by themselves, while me and Grumpy ate on the floor and finshed our meal before her food even got there. Not saying it is right or wrong, but Grumpy and I didn't consider it and we def. learned our lesson

 

[oybolshoi]

Nice job on the reviews and congrats on the marriage - you're a cute couple.

Sorry to hear about the seating issues at the Umbrella ... it can get ugly sometimes trying to find a table at counter service places. You're obviously a much nicer person than I am ... I probably would have "accidentally" spilled a beverage on her before leaving.

 

[jeminni]

Nice job on the reviews and congrats on the marriage - you're a cute couple.

Sorry to hear about the seating issues at the Umbrella ... it can get ugly sometimes trying to find a table at counter service places. You're obviously a much nicer person than I am ... I probably would have "accidentally" spilled a beverage on her before leaving.

Brenda, I could see you doing that

Congrats on your marriage. You are a very cute couple.

 

[natalielongstaff]

Congratulations to you both

 

[Schminston-Mo]

Thank you for the reviews.

Congratulations on your marriage. You are an adorable couple.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

Congratulations! We spent our honeymoon at Disney back when the earth's crust was still cooling.

And we were there right along side y'all. Gotta tell ya - in over 30+ years of Disney visits, and having lived in the area for a few years, I have NEVER seen rain like that. Lucky us, to be there during record-breaking weather!

 

[MelanieC]

Congratulations on your wedding. You look so beautiful in your dress. Thanks for the reviews.

 

[Belle Amy]

Can't wait to read more, especially about the Sweetheart Dinner at Narcoossee's...we've got it booked for our 2 year anniversary at the end of this month!

 

[JasonsPrincess]

ok sorry for the delay, getting back to work and then having thank you cards to do and scrapbooking, I've put this off..sorry!

so...where were we?

---Ohana's dinner---


This was our first dinner ADR, and it was on our second night in the world. After reading reviews we were both really excited about this meal, or shall I say feast!

We arrived a little early and took in the atmosphere of the Poly resort, very pretty place. We both wanted to walk around outside a bit to kill time, but at this time it was raining really hard, so we didn't make it to far We went ahead and checked in, about 10 minutes early and our pager went off right away.

We were seated in the back, back behind the grills and away from where all the activities take place (or so I'm guessing b/c we didn't see any of this happen). Even tho we were away from most of that, it was still really loud in there and the guy talking on the mic was really loud too, we're not too picky and didn't mind, but if you want a quiet dinner, I wouldn't recommend coming here.

To drink I had water, nice and cold. I also had one of those famous glo-tini's While, I normally like blue drinks (that have the blue curacao) I wasn't crazy about this one. It tasted really strong.

First out was the bread, which we got right away, our hostess grabbed it as he seated us. This was delicious, it was so warm and yummy, I could've eaten the whole loaf on my own. Grumpy also loved the bread, which is odd for him, usually it's me who chows down on it.

Next up was the salad. I was the only one to eat this, because my Grumpy will not eat salad (he's a meat and potatoes kinda guy). I really loved this! The dressing on it was really really good.

Sticky Wings and Potstickers were next. I had 1 sticky wing and didn't like them enough to have another. I'm not sure what it was, if it was the BBQ sauce or the actual wing, but something tasted burnt. Grumpy likes things well done tho, so he ate a few of these. I liked the Potstickers and ate most of them by myself, dipping them in the sweet and sour like sauce they give you. Yum! I could tell they were probably frozen and then heated up in a microwave type way because they had a bit of soggyness to them, but I still liked them. Grumpy wouldn't try them.

By this time, I was already getting a bit full and Grumpy was ready for his meats. But, of course we got served the noodles and vegetables. Well, they probably should've just kept them because we didn't eat hardly any of these. The noodles were kinda tasteless ( if I was hungry I would definitly eat them and try putting sauces on them), and the broccoli/vegetable bowl was cold.

Now the meats started! Wonderful meats! They came around rather quickly with all the skewers and our server and another server always asked us if we wanted more of anything. Both Grumpy and I got seconds on the steak, chicken and shrimp, which we loved.

And then we got to try the famous dessert. When I told Grumpy what it was, he had a look of disgust on his face, and just simply said that he didn't like bread pudding. Well when it came out, I was already full so I made him try a bite. Surprise, surprise...he liked it! We only ate about 1/2 cuz we were both full but it was really really good. I think my favorite part was the ice cream and the banana's and sauce.

Would we go back? ehh. Don't get us wrong, we liked it, but compared to our awesome meals at Sci-Fi (coming up) and Narcoosee's, we would probably put this one on the back burner until we have children or until we have more company with us. Grumpy's parents would like to go early December of 2010, and this is a place I would want to go with them. But, for just Grumpy and I, it was an awful lot of food.

 

[JasonsPrincess]

Sci-Fi (twice)

Originally we had just one ADR for lunch at Sci-Fi on Wednesday. Sci-Fi always gets mixed reviews so we were unsure of if we were going to like it or not, but looking at the menu, Grumpy and I both saw things we liked. After our amazing meal on Wednesday, on Thursday while at Animal Kingdom, I decided to call and make a reservation for an early lunch on Friday. I'm so glad there was availability, because BOTH of these meals turned out to be great!

ADR #1 - We were seated in the very back seat of a family of 4. Not a problem at all, their children were well behaved and we weren't bothered at all by this. I ordered a Vanilla Coke and Shrimp Penne Pasta - Made with garlic, capers, plum tomatoes, baby spinach, and white wine topped with asiago cheese. This was really really good, everything in it tasted great, even the tomatoes which I don't usually love. I finished everything! I would get this again in heartbeat.

Grumpy had a vanilla coke and Smoked Baby Back Ribs - Basted with BBQ sauce served with French fries and coleslaw. Grumpy pretty much cleaned his entire plate, just leaving the coleslaw (which he won't eat).

We had also ordered for an appetizer an order of their onion rings. These were really good too, especially dipped in ketchup. Both Grumpy and I split them and we finished them up.

We were both so full from our meals that we didn't get a dessert but we were both really happy with everything here, from the service, to the meals, to even the price ( we did get 2 of the most expensive things on the menu, and since they were both really good, we thought it was reasonable) (by the way, I can't remember if I mentioned we were NOT on a DDP )

 

[JasonsPrincess]

Sci-Fi (again)

ADR #2: We were really full last time, so this time we wanted to save room for dessert, so we didn't order the onion rings. Both Grumpy and I got Angus Chuck Burger - Flame-broiled beef patty topped with your choice of Cheddar or Swiss cheese, sauteed onions, mushroom, or crispy bacon and served with French fries. I had read on here that these were pretty big, and tried to talk Grumpy into ordering just one and sharing. But, he wasn't into that idea. We got these pretty quick, and let me tell you, they really are pretty big! Grumpy, ate all of his, and I ate almost all of mine. What I didn't' finish, Grumpy finished! Of course, once again, we were too full for dessert Our waiter was pretty awesome, he had noticed our Just Married pins, and gave us free Mamosa's (sorry I'm sure I spelled that wrong- but it was an orange juice with some kind of alcohol in in..maybe champagne) at the end of our lunch. It was so nice, and they were pretty good too. So... Grumpy and I have already said that on our next trip to the World, Sci-Fi will be a must do! So far out of both our visits, they didn't disappoint us at all!

 

[TigerKat]

Great reviews! We've only been to Sci-Fi once and we had the burgers, great burger!!!

 

[JasonsPrincess]

Narcoossee's Sweetheart Dinner for 2

This is the meal I was most excited about. I went back and forth so many times with whether to book this ADR or not.

When I called to make the ADR the CM talked me into the Sweetheart dinner for two. I was really nervous about this, since I couldn't find out what the meal options were. Part of me really wanted to try the Lobster and the Almond Crusted Cheesecake, and if these weren't options, I was going to cancel it and just make a regular ADR. Well..these are not options, but I didn't find out until we were there, so to late to cancel. It was okay, because the dinner turned out to be amazing anyways and really romantic:

When we first arrived, The restaurant was empty because they were just opening and getting ready to start seating for dinner. We walked around outside for a little bit, and then came in and sat down. We only waited ~10 minutes until we were seated. We were given a window seat and our view was awesome. I loved being able to look out the window from my seat and see the water and the castle and even the monorail.:

We were given our personalized sweetheart dinner for 2 menus:

The little paragraph at the top says, "romance is in the air as you commemorate your fairy-tale store of love, laughter, and life. May this night live forever in your hearts as you mark your "happily ever after" together at the place where dreams come true. Enjoy your special evening". This brought tears to my eyes. Now it was also our last night in DisneyWorld too, so that may be part of it, but I couldn't help by tear up as I read it.

We were given a choice of their two celebration wines: Magicale or Fairy Tale. Well since we already had a bottle of Fairy Tale (Grumpy had done the whole 'From Mickey and Minnie with Love' thing from Disney Florist and had also added on the wine basket), we ordered the Magicale. It is described as a off-dry rose' offering refreshing flavors of Bing cherries, raspberries, and strawberries that is magical with chocolate or as an ape'ritif. This was really good and I'm really surprised Grumpy liked it.

We then each had our choice of appetizer out of the following: Buttermilk Fried Shrimp, Green Goddess Salad, or Narcoossee's Seafood Bisque.
I ordered the Seafood Bisque, and wow, it was great. I tried my hardest to get every single drop Grumpy went with the Buttermilk fried shrimp. He was brought out 3 Fried shrimp on a type of coleslaw. Grumpy, who loves shrimp, said that these were the best shrimp he's ever ate. Even tho there were only 3, they were pretty big. He said it was a nice size appetizer.

We were then each given our choice of entree out of the following: Crab-crusted Seasonal Fish of the Day, Free-Range Chicken Breast, Grilled Filet Mignon, or Vegetables of the Season. Both Grumpy and I picked the Grilled Filet Mignon. This was served with Potato Gratin, Blue Lake Beans and Choron Sauce.

OMG! This was the best thing we've both ever eaten. We both ordered Medium and it was cooked perfectly. The filet was melt in your mouth! It cut so nicely and wasn't tough or chewy or dry at all. Jason took one bite and shut his eyes, he proclaimed that this was the best steak he's ever had. (Since then we've had steak a couple times, and both times he's compared it to Narcoossee's, saying that nothing can ever compare to their filet). The Potato's and beans were good too, they complimented the filet perfectly. Both Grumpy and I finished our plates.

Included with the sweetheart dinner is a shared dessert. There is no choice, they just had one on the menu. I would've been really disppointed if this dessert didn't do our amazing meal justice, but I wasn't let down at all. Our dessert was a White Chocolate Mousse' with Berries and Chocolate Fondue.
Heaven on a plate looks like this:

I cant' even describe it. The mousse was creamy, the berries were tart (we took them off the mousse and ate them separately and then dug into the mousse). The strawberries weren't bruised at all or yucky looking, they were perfect and the chocolate fondue dip was ...well it was chocolate dip..can't mess up too much there.

Now since this dinner I've sat down and looked at their menu on all ears, and I roughly calculated it at ~125, plus or minus a couple dollars because I guesstimated a price on the glasses of wine and the dessert. This isn't what we paid, we paid the set price of $150. I think if the service, the food, the atmosphere wouldn't have been so great, I would've felt a bit cheated,but we had such a great time. Everything was so magical, from the moment we were seated, to getting our personalized menu's, to the wine, to getting keepsake wine glasses (which I didn't add into that ~$125), and the food. Even if I could go back and change the ADR now to just a regular meal and not the sweetheart dinner because of the surf and turf, or any lobster meal or the almond crusted cheesecake that weren't a choice, I wouldn't. Everything was perfect and it was so bittersweet with it being our last meal in the World. It brings tears to my eyes again just thinking about how amazing and romantic it was. Plus we had time to catch the monorail and head over to the Magic Kingdom to watch Spectro and Wishes (now my video of Wishes that I took that night, also brings tears to my eyes).

Grumpy and I both want to go back here. We won't do the Sweetheart dinner for 2 again, it was a great thing for our Honeymoon and we might do it again for an anniversary one year if it is still offered, but not for a regular dinner.

I would say if you or whoever your with is really picky about food and even if given choices like the ones we were given, if they still would have a hard time finding something, then the Sweetheart dinner probably wouldn't be your best choice. It probably wouldn't be the best choice either if you have your heart set one eating a certain dish. But, if you just want a nice romantic night out and you're celebrating and the $150 isn't a big deal in exchange for a good meal, a couple keepsakes (menu's, flutes) then you should definitely do it. I'm so glad I ended up making and not canceling this ADR.