Anyone eaten here recently? - December ADRs

[disneymath]

Our December trip has finally been booked and early this week I tackled the ADRs ... think I did ok in spite of the less than 90-day window, but am always open to feedback. Here's what I have booked (we are 5 adults and an infant).

Ohana - late dinner on a non-park day
Whispering Canyon - late lunch on MVMCP night (nothing at MK after 4PM )
Restaurant Marrakesh - mid-evening dinner (non CP Epcot day)
Boma - late dinner on AK day
Crystal Palace - early dinner on MK (non mvmcp day)
Coral Reef - early dinner (CPDP for 8:15 show)
Sci-Fi Dining Theatre - lunch on DHS day (special request from DBIL)

So anyone have any feedback or recent experiences at these places or at these times?

 

[Tikihula]

We've eaten at all of them except Coral Reef, and we usually eat lunch and dinner early or late to avoid the most crowded times. You have selected an interesting variety of restaurants and hopefully you'll enjoy all your meals.

My favorite would be Boma - excellent food in an exotic setting, and a nice way to end your AK day.

Crystal Palace is always good, although I've only eaten breakfast and lunch there for the fun character meals.

Ohana's food doesn't match Boma's, but it should be a nice dinner and I love the Poly landscaping and decor.

Marrakesh - I ate there solo on my birthday and tried the lamb - it was quite tender and tasty. The belly dancer provides good entertainment, especially when the kids get up and join her.

Some people don't like the food at Sci-Fi Drive In, but I'm not that fussy when it comes to burgers and ribs. I really enjoy sitting under the twinkling "stars" in the "twilight" and watching those corny old sci-fi movie trailers while sitting in a '57 Chevy convertible.

Have only eaten breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe - I've heard it's a lot of fun at lunch and dinner.

I'd stick with your plan - it looks great!

 

[jmkrat]

The only one I've eaten at recently was Sci-Fi. I think you picked a great time, lunch the serve the great sandwiches. My DS always gets a huge burger, fries and a shake. We love the spinach and artichoke dip appetizer too.

 

[disneymath]

Thanks for the feedback guys ... we were hoping to eat all "all new" places this trip .. but had to opt for a few repeats. We've eaten at Whispering Canyon before and enjoyed it - and when nothing was available at MK on our MVMCP night, it seemed like a good alternative (plus this way we get to see the lodge all decorated for Christmas.). We've also eaten at Boma - and really enjoyed it too - it seemed like a good choice since DBIL was ill last time and missed the experience (plus we love the souvenir shop at AKL!).

As for Sci-Fi, well, it's more for the atmosphere for us too ... DBIL is a huge Sci-Fi nut, and Sci-Fi didn't fit our plans the last two trips, so I made sure to fit it in for this one!

 

[SnowWtch]

O'Hana's is always fun and the food is great and plentiful. We're doing WCC for a late lunch on our MVMCP day too. We're staying at WL and it's our anniversary so we wanted to try something new and fun on Dec 4. Next Sunday we're doing a late lunch at CP before our MNSSHP. I haven't been there in years and that was for breakfast. I've never done lunch or dinner there so I hope it's good.

 

[jimmytammy]

We have eaten at all of these places except Coral Reef. Sci-Fi was just OK, nothing to write home about. The atmosphere was cool. We lean towards 50s PTC for the food and the atmosphere at MGM.

Maarakesh is the only one I would advise against. In fact Boma IMO has many of the same tastes as Marrakesh, yet much better.

Have fun and enjoy!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I think you picked some really great places to eat. We ate at Boma and Coral Reef on our last trip and loved them. Boma is our favorite buffet at Disney. We have lunch at Sci- Fi on most trips and really enjoy it. I always say you need to pick where you might want to eat and just go with those picks. That way you experience them for yourseves and can decide how much you like them. Then you can try someplace different on your next trip. Have fun. We will be ther in December too.

 

[helenabear]

Maarakesh is the only one I would advise against. In fact Boma IMO has many of the same tastes as Marrakesh, yet much better.

I *totally* disagree. I love Marrakesh and cannot stand Boma. The flavors are nothing alike at all IMO. Marrakesh is more Mediterranean than Boma for sure (which makes sense based on where Morocco is). I would never even think of comparing the two... no more than I would compare French food to British food.

 

[Mr Man]

Our December trip has finally been booked and early this week I tackled the ADRs ... think I did ok in spite of the less than 90-day window, but am always open to feedback. Here's what I have booked (we are 5 adults and an infant).

Ohana - late dinner on a non-park day
Whispering Canyon - late lunch on MVMCP night (nothing at MK after 4PM )
Restaurant Marrakesh - mid-evening dinner (non CP Epcot day)
Boma - late dinner on AK day
Crystal Palace - early dinner on MK (non mvmcp day)
Coral Reef - early dinner (CPDP for 8:15 show)
Sci-Fi Dining Theatre - lunch on DHS day (special request from DBIL)

So anyone have any feedback or recent experiences at these places or at these times?

We were there 9/9-9/15 & ate at most of the restaurants you have listed.

Ohana- great food (surprising to me but the turkey was my favorite of all the grilled meats). We had an early dinner but I can see where a later dinner could be advantageous if you have a view of the lagoon from your table like we did.

WCC- good for lunch. The skillet didn't do it for me at dinner. DW liked her pasta though. Didn't seem like the menu justified dinner prices IMHO.

Boma is our favorite full stop. Any time, any meal. We did a Bfast and a dinner there last trip. The only problem with the late dinner would be the dreaded "Boma Coma" where you are so full you can't sleep (and also can't operate heavy machinery like a stroller due to overeating)

Crystal Palace. We like the food well enough (DS1 cannot get enough of the characters) but always have to wait at least 20-30 minutes to get into the place, as it is always packed. It doesn't matter what time we have ADR's for.....we will be waiting for a while. Not a big deal, but it is so consistent that is has become a "talking point" for us when making ADR's. May have to switch to somewhere else for Spring Break 08 (or not, Pooh Bear is Pooh bear after all).

Sci Fi. Good for lunch (burgers/sandwiches/shakes etc). Dinner, not so much. Food isn't the draw here IMHO. It is the ambience. A great place to hide out from the hustle/bustle for an hour. This is DS6 favorite restaurant. He has memorized all the SciFi shorts they play. Kinda scary really.......

 

[Mr Man]

I *totally* disagree. I love Marrakesh and cannot stand Boma. The flavors are nothing alike at all IMO. Marrakesh is more Mediterranean than Boma for sure (which makes sense based on where Morocco is). I would never even think of comparing the two... no more than I would compare French food to British food.

Well, aside from the Moroccan seafood salad, couscous marrakesh, hummus (and at least 3 other dishes which I cannot recall right now), I would agree that Boma is completely different from Marrakesh.

FWIW, I think what sets Boma apart in my mind is their use (sometimes overuse) of curry. A little bit of curry goes a long ways IMHO.

Also, I like Boma and Marrakesh but give Boma the nod, as I like to try new dishes from places I have never been (spent quite a while in mediterranean region in years past).

Regards,

 

[Disneymoon]

Our December trip has finally been booked and early this week I tackled the ADRs ... think I did ok in spite of the less than 90-day window, but am always open to feedback. Here's what I have booked (we are 5 adults and an infant).

Ohana - late dinner on a non-park day
Whispering Canyon - late lunch on MVMCP night (nothing at MK after 4PM )
Restaurant Marrakesh - mid-evening dinner (non CP Epcot day)
Boma - late dinner on AK day
Crystal Palace - early dinner on MK (non mvmcp day)
Coral Reef - early dinner (CPDP for 8:15 show)
Sci-Fi Dining Theatre - lunch on DHS day (special request from DBIL)

So anyone have any feedback or recent experiences at these places or at these times?

We ate at a few of these on our last trip:
-Marrakesh
-Crystal Palace
-Coral Reef
-Boma

We had good experiences at Crystal Palace and Boma. A great experience at Coral Reef and a TERRIBLE experience at Marrakesh.

You can read more in our dining reviews... see siggy.

 

[disneymath]

Thanks for all info everyone! Funny that there seems to be a few "negative' Marakesh reports when other threads currently on the boards are singing their praises. Oh well, we'll give it a try - Ddad and Dbil will likely get a kick out of the belly dancers at the very least!

 

[Simba22]

Ohana: We have been here for breakfast but never for dinner. We love it here
Whispering Canyon: Never been
Restaurant Marrakesh: Never been
Boma:never been but going there for breakfast during our October trip
Crystal Palace: been here for breakfast...great food and service
Coral Reef: Never been but eating dinner here during Octrboer trip...we have never read a bad review of this place though.
Sci-Fi Dining Theatre: LOVE IT!

 

[Pugrpooh]

Just got back from 6 days on the dining plan. We ate at Coral Reef, Crystal Palace and Sci Fi this trip and last year we ate at 'Ohana's and we've been to Boma for both breakfast and dinner.

This is where we ate last week -- Crystal Palace (lunch), Sci Fi (lunch), Spoodles (dinner), Coral Reef (dinner), Chef Mickey's (dinner) and Akershus (lunch).

We were with my parents and sister and I know my mom said she liked every restaurant but if she could choose just one to go back to it would be Crystal Palace.

Coral Reef we had an ADR for 6 people at 5:10. It was around 5:35 when they took us back. At Spoodles and Chef Mickey's they took us back almost immediately. We had to wait maybe 20 minutes for Crystal Palace. We checked in early for Akershus and they took us about 5 minutes after our ADR time.

There were brand new menus at both Coral Reef and Akershus this past week.

DH mentioned again this trip that he really liked 'Ohana's. I felt rushed though so I don't really remember the food. This was last August. Haven't been to Whispering Canyon or Marrakesh. DH is Middle Eastern so he may be a bit critical of Marrakesh.

 

[zaxmom]

We ate at Ohana last week for a late dinner. We had a 9:40 ADR. We were rushed through the whole meal. Had terrible service. There were six of us and they came and offered a piece of steak to my DH and DS and ran out. 10 minutes later the server came by again and we had to ask for steak. It was very bad service, no fun and games at all. My DS 7 said he was not going to eat the regular food, so I asked them to bring a kids meal and the server said I should have him try it first. I had to practically demand that he go ahead and put the order in for chicken tenders. It still came out way after we all started eating.

Had another reservation at WCC at 9:40 a different night and our server left us after we ordered. Another girl picked up the table. The only funny thing was when my son asked for ketchup...still took about 5 minutes to get a servers attention and by the time ketchup came his food was cold. DS lives on chicken finergers/fries/and especially ketchup so he was waiting.

The early meals we had at Concourse Steakhouse and Chefs de France were very good. We had great service. Service was also fairly good at Wolfgang Puck. With our experience, I would suggest trying to have earlier ADRs.

 

[disneymath]

Hi Pugrpooh ... thanks for reminding me about potential "wait times" even with an ADR - originally we had a 7:10 dinner booked at Sci-Fi and also wanted to catch the early Fantasmic that night ... needless to say, dinner became lunch. We don't have to really rush anywhere after we eat, so delays shouldn't be a problem. (Well, I really do want to see Spectro the night we are at Crystal Palace, but its at 8pm and our ADR is 4pm - surely we'll make that! )

Hi Zaxmom ... sorry you were rushed at some of your later ADRs. By comparison, ours aren't that late - both Ohana and Boma are for 8:15pm.

 

[Mr Man]

We ate at Ohana last week for a late dinner. We had a 9:40 ADR. We were rushed through the whole meal. Had terrible service. There were six of us and they came and offered a piece of steak to my DH and DS and ran out. 10 minutes later the server came by again and we had to ask for steak. It was very bad service, no fun and games at all. My DS 7 said he was not going to eat the regular food, so I asked them to bring a kids meal and the server said I should have him try it first. I had to practically demand that he go ahead and put the order in for chicken tenders. It still came out way after we all started eating.

Sorry to hear about your experience at Ohana. This is why I stay away from late seatings (unless it cannot be avoided ADR's being what they are). Not sure if that is why your experience was sub par but I think it is reasonable to surmise that it was a contributor.

We also have a DS who generally eats chicken tenders at TS. It is a bit frustrating at times........Eventually, he is going to sprout feathers and start crowing every morning

For me and mine, Ohana was a high point of our trip when it comes to food. Simple food but presented very well. DS's both of them generally do not participate in the shenanigans (conga lines etc), however it did look like fun.

One funny from our dinner there. The hostess who would sing and tell stories of Hawaii and family etc did a pretty good job singing......except for one song.....an old elvis song (which I liked when I was a kid-Grandpa's favorite song- sentimental). I can't remember the title but it goes..... (apologies in advance for slaughtering the lyrics)

.....and I.....can't......help.....falling in love.....with......you etc etc.

She was so off key that even the kitchen staff looked concerned. It was absolutely hilarious. Really "strangled the cat" as they say.

 

[helenabear]

FWIW, I think what sets Boma apart in my mind is their use (sometimes overuse) of curry. A little bit of curry goes a long ways IMHO.

That would be part of why I don't think they are anything alike. I hate curry and it is not used at all in any of the dishes I have had at Marrakesh (that I can recall). Same goes for the overuse of coconut. I love Marrakesh and hate Boma. The spices at Boma are a lot stronger and have more "spice" to them while Marrakesh is more Mediterranean and has "flavor". To me comparing the two is like comparing Indian to African food. Some similarities but not at all the same.