steve76
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2008
- Messages
- 333
I've just got back from a week at Disney, 12th-20th December 2009 (I took the scenic route home!), and wanted to give some very quick reviews. There were four of us (adults), on the Deluxe Dining Plan, with one of us having a gluten allergy.
Captain's Grille, Yacht Club (dinner). We did this on arrival day so the fact that we had been up 21 hours and didn't have much appetite probably coloured our opinion of it. In general the food was OK. The crab cakes were nice but tasted a little sickly to me. The decor of the restaurant didn't do anything for me. The service was OK. When it came to paying, we explained that we were on the dining plan and were booked as two separate reservations, and that we wanted to pay for the tip and alcohol with cash. She then gave us eight different receipts and walked off. After much confusion, we had to call her back to get her to explain them all. It turns out she had charged the drinks to the room, so we nearly paid twice for that. It would have been nice if she had taken a moment to politely explain what all the different receipts were, and tell us which ones needed signing and which didn't (like most restaurants did).
Kouzzinah, Boardwalk (breakfast). Fantastic breakfast. The spinach/tomato/feta scrambled eggs were delicious, and everyone reported their food as being very good. We really enjoyed this restaurant - so much so, that we changed our breakfast reservation for the last day from the Captain's Grille to Kouzzinah. Coped well with allergy (gluten-free).
Le Cellier, Epcot (lunch). Good food, good service. Cheddar cheese soup was delicious.
Tutto Italia, Epcot (lunch). Good food, good service.
California Grill, Contemporary (dinner). Excellent food (ravioli, ostrich). Service was very good, though our server was a little too chatty for us (I don't like being interrupted from my conversation to be told our server's life story!). The restaurant was very loud, much more so than I had expected for such an upscale restaurant, and very busy. It was a shame to see so many people in shorts. It was nice to be able to go out the the viewing deck afterwards.
Hollywood Brown Derby (dinner). Excellent food; excellent service; nice dining room. A nice suprise.
Kona Cafe, Polynesian (lunch). Delicious food, good service. Coped very well with allergy.
Flying Fish, Boardwalk. Very nice dining room, though quite whimsical. Service was good. Food was very good (especially the red snapper). Good cheese course. Now one of my favourites.
Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House, Animal Kingdom. Good breakfast buffet, with some unusual items. Good character interaction (Mickey, Daisy, Goofy). It's a shame that the only photo you can get with Donald is the one you have to pay for, especially since it's called Donald's Safari Breakfast. We had an 8am reservation, so was able to walk straight on to Kilimanjaro Safaris before the crowds arrived, so this worked well.
Yachtsman Steakhouse, Yacht Club. This was the only restaurant that we had to wait a long time for. Despite having a reservation, we had to wait 40 minutes past our reservation time (so nearly an hour, since we did as we were told and arrived early...) which was disappointing, especially since the restaurant was nearly half empty. Food was good, but not particularly exceptional. The service was polite, but the server obviously thought that the more he spoke the higher his tip. A very good meal, but overall not quite as good as I was expecting.
Character Breakfast at the Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom. Lovely dining room - spacious and relaxed. Good breakfast selection and nice food. Excellent service. Good character interaction (Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore). Although we didn't hang around for too long, we saw most of the characters twice. They were very accommodating with explaining the gluten-free, and even made special gluten-free waffles. This was definitely our preference over the Character Breakfast at Animal Kingdom.
Citricos, Grand Floridian. Best. Restaurant. Ever. This is now our favourite restaurant. The food was all excellent. Very accommodating for gluten-free for starter and entree, though there weren't many options for dessert (which is fairly normal). The dining room is gorgeous. We had a window seat, but any seat would have been great. The service was perfect - friendly and efficient but blended into the background when necessary. Would go back in a heartbeat.
San Angel Inn, Mexico, Epcot. For years we had looked at this restaurant and said we would like to eat there. Well, this time we did. We had read lots of reviews of this restaurant, and lowered our expectations accordingly. Well, it was still a huge disappointment. The food wasn't particularly appetising (though the white chocolate mousse for dessert was OK). The tables are uncomfortably close together. The service was very poor, and our server spilt food all over one of our party's coat. They were extremely unhelpful with regard to the gluten allergy. Imagine eating school cafeteria food, in a school cafeteria, with the lights off.
Le Cellier, Epcot (Dinner). Back again. Again, very good food. Excellent service. Now a firm favourite.
Kouzzinah, Boardwalk (Breakfast). Back again. Just as good the second time round.
Captain's Grille, Yacht Club (dinner). We did this on arrival day so the fact that we had been up 21 hours and didn't have much appetite probably coloured our opinion of it. In general the food was OK. The crab cakes were nice but tasted a little sickly to me. The decor of the restaurant didn't do anything for me. The service was OK. When it came to paying, we explained that we were on the dining plan and were booked as two separate reservations, and that we wanted to pay for the tip and alcohol with cash. She then gave us eight different receipts and walked off. After much confusion, we had to call her back to get her to explain them all. It turns out she had charged the drinks to the room, so we nearly paid twice for that. It would have been nice if she had taken a moment to politely explain what all the different receipts were, and tell us which ones needed signing and which didn't (like most restaurants did).
Kouzzinah, Boardwalk (breakfast). Fantastic breakfast. The spinach/tomato/feta scrambled eggs were delicious, and everyone reported their food as being very good. We really enjoyed this restaurant - so much so, that we changed our breakfast reservation for the last day from the Captain's Grille to Kouzzinah. Coped well with allergy (gluten-free).
Le Cellier, Epcot (lunch). Good food, good service. Cheddar cheese soup was delicious.
Tutto Italia, Epcot (lunch). Good food, good service.
California Grill, Contemporary (dinner). Excellent food (ravioli, ostrich). Service was very good, though our server was a little too chatty for us (I don't like being interrupted from my conversation to be told our server's life story!). The restaurant was very loud, much more so than I had expected for such an upscale restaurant, and very busy. It was a shame to see so many people in shorts. It was nice to be able to go out the the viewing deck afterwards.
Hollywood Brown Derby (dinner). Excellent food; excellent service; nice dining room. A nice suprise.
Kona Cafe, Polynesian (lunch). Delicious food, good service. Coped very well with allergy.
Flying Fish, Boardwalk. Very nice dining room, though quite whimsical. Service was good. Food was very good (especially the red snapper). Good cheese course. Now one of my favourites.
Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House, Animal Kingdom. Good breakfast buffet, with some unusual items. Good character interaction (Mickey, Daisy, Goofy). It's a shame that the only photo you can get with Donald is the one you have to pay for, especially since it's called Donald's Safari Breakfast. We had an 8am reservation, so was able to walk straight on to Kilimanjaro Safaris before the crowds arrived, so this worked well.
Yachtsman Steakhouse, Yacht Club. This was the only restaurant that we had to wait a long time for. Despite having a reservation, we had to wait 40 minutes past our reservation time (so nearly an hour, since we did as we were told and arrived early...) which was disappointing, especially since the restaurant was nearly half empty. Food was good, but not particularly exceptional. The service was polite, but the server obviously thought that the more he spoke the higher his tip. A very good meal, but overall not quite as good as I was expecting.
Character Breakfast at the Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom. Lovely dining room - spacious and relaxed. Good breakfast selection and nice food. Excellent service. Good character interaction (Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore). Although we didn't hang around for too long, we saw most of the characters twice. They were very accommodating with explaining the gluten-free, and even made special gluten-free waffles. This was definitely our preference over the Character Breakfast at Animal Kingdom.
Citricos, Grand Floridian. Best. Restaurant. Ever. This is now our favourite restaurant. The food was all excellent. Very accommodating for gluten-free for starter and entree, though there weren't many options for dessert (which is fairly normal). The dining room is gorgeous. We had a window seat, but any seat would have been great. The service was perfect - friendly and efficient but blended into the background when necessary. Would go back in a heartbeat.
San Angel Inn, Mexico, Epcot. For years we had looked at this restaurant and said we would like to eat there. Well, this time we did. We had read lots of reviews of this restaurant, and lowered our expectations accordingly. Well, it was still a huge disappointment. The food wasn't particularly appetising (though the white chocolate mousse for dessert was OK). The tables are uncomfortably close together. The service was very poor, and our server spilt food all over one of our party's coat. They were extremely unhelpful with regard to the gluten allergy. Imagine eating school cafeteria food, in a school cafeteria, with the lights off.
Le Cellier, Epcot (Dinner). Back again. Again, very good food. Excellent service. Now a firm favourite.
Kouzzinah, Boardwalk (Breakfast). Back again. Just as good the second time round.
