Anyone tried CRT Lunch ???

[skyfaith]

Has anyone tried the CRT lunch yet? We are going on Dec.4th.

 

[goofy's friends]

Yes, we ate there a couple of weeks ago. it was good food. I had the Salmon and asparagus and the appetizers were good too. My kids are picky and had the pretzel dogs--one liked it and the other didn't and ate only the salad. They had a cute ice cream with a chocolate crown on it. The princesses were Fairy Godmother in the lobby. cinderella, snow white, Belle, Aurora, and Mary Poppins were coming to tables. We have been to several character meals and this was the first that we were disappointed in the interaction with the characters. It was very short and sweet and they were gone. Nothing special. My girls still loved it and maybe the characters were being very"royal", but I would have liked to see some more interaction besides taking a pic and signing the book. We had a great view and it was fun to do.

 

[buzzmom3]

We just had lunch there two weeks ago. Food was good, my mom and I had Major Domo's Pie, yummy. My DH had the pork tenderloin, also good. My DS had the Minor Domo's Pie and liked it. Same princesses as listed above, and I agree with goofy's friend, worst character interaction we had except Cinderella kissed my 3.5 DS much to his horror! I wish I had a picture of his face!

 

[Dukesmom]

We also had lunch at CRT two weeks ago today and it was good, not great. As I discovered is the case with most Disney food, it wasn't exactly hot. We had the Major Domo's pie and I wished afterwards I'd tried the salmon as I'd planned to...I think they were pushing the Domo's just because it's easy to mass produce, and that's how it tasted. Oh well, it was still good enough.

The character interaction, as noted above, was brief. Our server, however, was AWFUL! Wish I remembered her name so I could warn others. Without going into all the gory (sp?) details, she was pushy and obnoxious to the point that it really made us just want to get out of that restaurant! It really ruined the magic of lunch with the princesses (for the adults, anyway, fortunately it didn't bother my niece and nephews). She was really on a roll about the dining plan and just wouldn't let it go. It was the only time we were treated "differently" because we were on the free dining plan...she clearly did not like this promotion.

But, on a good note, the Blueberry Buckle is to die for! I could've eaten a meal just on that...YUM!!!

 

[hockeybabe]

Yes, we just had lunch there 9/28. I loved it. DH and I had Major Domo's Pie, which was delicious, but DH should have had the salmon or something like that, as he is not a pie guy. He still liked it, just didn't enjoy "disecting" the veggies out of it DS enjoyed his chicken fingers, but DD wasn't crazy about her pasta, but she is also a "disector" and had a hard time with the not-so chef boyardee sauce (read: it had real tomatoes in it) Our server, Sir David, had a great "accent", and rolled his r's very well and was extra attentive when I responded to his character in "princess" character, it was fun! The princesses were lovely, and Snow White was the best Snow White, and Mary Poppins was "perfect". We had a 2:15 ADR, but didn't get seated till almost 3, which was the worst part of the experience, but after we got food and drink into us, it was really quite wonderful!

 

[goofy's friends]

I've heard someone else comment on the waitress there that just wouldn't let the dining plan go. She must really have a problem with it or have trouble making conversation. I guess it's good to know that we weren't the only ones disappointed with the characters. When you get yourself psyched up for something incredible.....oh, well...my kids didn't feel that way, jsut mom and her big expectations

 

[Lizzybee]

We had a great lunch there at the end of August. I had the Major Domo Pie and it was wonderful. I thought it was the perfect combo of creamy, rich, crisp, and flaky. My son loved his salmon (he had salmon at every TS and he still says mine's the best - I dunno because I don't eat seafood so it must be the love that goes into making it). I ate his grilled asparagus and it was fab too. Standard chicken strips and fries for DD7. We loved the desserts, I liked the non seafood appetizers. Our server was a man and was quite gracious. It was the only place we weren't allowed to have specialty drinks on the dining plan, but even so he just politely said it wasn't included (ie something like "No my lady, I'm so sorry they are not included"). We were called "My Lady" "My Lord" and my DD7 of course princess. The princesses were Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, Princess Aurora, Jasmine, and Fairy Godmother in the lobby. Snow White was very sweet, Jasmine gave us some extra time it seemed like (boy did her bare midriff make my DS11 blush in the picture) and she even stopped us on the way out to play with my daughter's Stitch backpack. All in all it was one of our favorite dining experiences.

 

[MOMOFMNM]

We also had lunch at CRT two weeks ago today and it was good, not great. As I discovered is the case with most Disney food, it wasn't exactly hot. We had the Major Domo's pie and I wished afterwards I'd tried the salmon as I'd planned to...I think they were pushing the Domo's just because it's easy to mass produce, and that's how it tasted. Oh well, it was still good enough.

The character interaction, as noted above, was brief. Our server, however, was AWFUL! Wish I remembered her name so I could warn others. Without going into all the gory (sp?) details, she was pushy and obnoxious to the point that it really made us just want to get out of that restaurant! It really ruined the magic of lunch with the princesses (for the adults, anyway, fortunately it didn't bother my niece and nephews). She was really on a roll about the dining plan and just wouldn't let it go. It was the only time we were treated "differently" because we were on the free dining plan...she clearly did not like this promotion.

But, on a good note, the Blueberry Buckle is to die for! I could've eaten a meal just on that...YUM!!!

was her name Denise?? You have a very similar report to my experience at CRT, very similar!! I thought the same about the Pie, and the server and the temp of food...just curious

 

[Dukesmom]

was her name Denise?? You have a very similar report to my experience at CRT, very similar!! I thought the same about the Pie, and the server and the temp of food...just curious

Yes, it was Denise! I couldn't remember and it was really bugging me, so I went back through all our receipts and found CRT.

She tried to make it seem as though she was doing us a "favor" by educating us on the dining plan, but it was obvious she really just didn't like that people were getting free food. She kept saying over and over that we couldn't use an adult credit for the children's meals, and we weren't even trying to! It really made me feel like I was being accused of abusing the system, which we weren't -- we were there for the magic of lunch in the castle with the princesses (a first for all 7 in our party), we didn't care about cost or credits!

 

[Dorisk3]

There is always something on these boards that amuses me. I'll preface this by saying I have 2 DD's (2.5 and 5) and they are a little more on the shy side in terms of meeting new people. When any character comes over, gives them a hug, takes a pic and signs their book they seem perfectly happy. I'm just curious when people say character interaction was too brief, what do you expect them to do- talk about Little League? They have hundreds of people to see so they can't really stand around and shoot the breeze about what the Beast is doing in the Castle that week or what the dwarfs are up to. The characters are doing their jobs and trying to see the most people they can see in the short time they are alotted to be in the dining room. Maybe its because I can't imagine that my kids (or myself as an adult) would have a full length conversation with a character while other people are waiting.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

We had lunch at CRT on Monday. Great service, great waiter. We had the noon seating and got our pick of tables next to the window, as that was the first seating of the lunch. We had quick, efficient service, and we were nearly done with our entrees by the time the Princesses were announced. I had 2 DDs getting autographs and each character took the time to inquire about where they lived, what was their favorite part of WDW, etc before having photos taken. Just the right amount of time. I am one of those diners who insists on coffee with dessert, and sometimes halfway through the meal, even if I have tea or ice water already on the table. Not once was I ever charged for the additional beverage beyond our dining credits.

I suggest if you are trying to CRT lunch, get that first seating. It was nice to be able to take pictures of the kids in the vestibule area downstairs prior to the meal without anyone else about... not to mention getting your pick of tables from those that will fit your party.

 

[goofy4tink]

Glad to hear that people are liking lunch at CRT. We had lunch there many, many years ago and liked it. WE had dinner there 2 years ago and it was terrific. Now my dd wants to have her birthday lunch there. She will be celebrating her 13th b-day that day so we will have to try to get a special cake also. I just wasn't too sure how it was going now that they have added the princesses to the lunch.

 

[goofy's friends]

Of course, I do not expect interaction at the expense of time spent with other people. And I certainly don't expect the princesses to talk to my kids about Little League. All I ask for is a little enthusiasm for their role--not "just doing their job". I don't believe this is too much to expect from the Princesses in the castle. It may not be a big deal to them, but it is a once in a lifetime thing for us. We have been to many character meals and this was not good interaction compared to others.

 

[Dorisk3]

I agree with you, I think everyone should be nice and ask a few questions and show interest. I read somewhere recently that they were paid $6.50 an hour (in an article over the summer in Radar magazine- check it out it's pretty wild in terms of background info. and I was even a little skeptical whether it was all true- I think the article was called Wild Kingdom). At any rate, I agree that whoever works as a character should at least feign interest or definetly be a people person (no matter what they are paid)! I guess I always felt like they were nice enough, so maybe I didn't see any of their worse moments!

 

[MariDisney]

There is always something on these boards that amuses me. I'll preface this by saying I have 2 DD's (2.5 and 5) and they are a little more on the shy side in terms of meeting new people. When any character comes over, gives them a hug, takes a pic and signs their book they seem perfectly happy. I'm just curious when people say character interaction was too brief, what do you expect them to do- talk about Little League?

I can see your point. My DD5 loves the characters, so when we're going to see any face characters I prep her a bit by having her think of something specific to say or ask. For example, she'll tell Jasmine that we have a cat named Jasmine...that usually gets a few sentences about Rajah. She has asked Mary Poppins where Bert and the kids are and she got a few minutes worth of chatting about them being at the ice cream parlor. I think having the kid start the conversation is a fairly easy way to get a bit more time without totally monopolizing the characters.

 

[katebeth]

There is always something on these boards that amuses me. I'll preface this by saying I have 2 DD's (2.5 and 5) and they are a little more on the shy side in terms of meeting new people. When any character comes over, gives them a hug, takes a pic and signs their book they seem perfectly happy. I'm just curious when people say character interaction was too brief, what do you expect them to do- talk about Little League? They have hundreds of people to see so they can't really stand around and shoot the breeze about what the Beast is doing in the Castle that week or what the dwarfs are up to. The characters are doing their jobs and trying to see the most people they can see in the short time they are alotted to be in the dining room. Maybe its because I can't imagine that my kids (or myself as an adult) would have a full length conversation with a character while other people are waiting.

We had lunch at CRT in Sept and we were very disappointed with the interactions with the princess. We had breakfast there the year before and had a wonderful time. They seemed EXTREMELY rushed. They would sign the autograph book as fast as they could, pose for a picture and leave. The whole dining experience at lunch was very rushed. My DD's 2 and 5 had been looking forward to meeting the princess for a very long time. We had to get our waitress to get sleeping beauty to come to our table because she forgot to see us.

I know that I will get flamed for this, but you pay a lot of money for this meal, and for us it was not for the food (cold and not worth the money) We paid for our children seeing and experiencing the princess' If the princess' feel like they are so rushed to see all of the patrons, then maybe they should limit how many people they let in the restaurant at a time. Just a thought

 

[Nancyg56]

I hope that the negative experiences that fellow DIS'er experienced were not the norm, and that when we are there in January, our little princess will be enchanted. I keep hoping that we will have a wonderful lunch, and I am not talking about the food. And if Denise is our server, I'll refer to her as Cinderellas wiched step-sister!

 

[momof2cuties]

We just had lunch there on Thursday and it was very nice. The menu didn't really appeal to me that much, but we were going for the experience more than the food. Our waitress was wonderful and the princesses were great. We had 5 extra people show up with us and they did accomodate us even though we had to wait a bit longer. We were one of the last parties in for lunch (around 3) and it worked out nice because the princesses were all on the way out so they made thier rounds to meet us and then left and the kids ate lunch without distraction. Wendy was very social as was Mary Poppins, but they were all great.

 

[aubriee]

Denise also works during breakfast. We had her Sept 21st and I agree she dislikes the dining plan and is very vocal about it. We were four adults, so she couldn't say anything about using child credits, but when we told her about being on the dining plan, she made a comment that she wasn't suprised as it seemed like just about everyone was taking advantage of the free dining. She was very sarcastic about it. When she brought out our plates we asked for more fruit and refills of juice and you'd have thought we'd asked her to go out and pick it herself. After we finished our plates, she immediately brought us our ticket to sign and when we asked for another blueberry danish and told her we hadn't seen Aurora yet, she again acted very put out with us. She made a comment that the Princesses usually concentrate on seeing the kids and since we didn't have a kid with us, Aurora probably thought we wouldn't care if she skipped us. Excuse me, but we had a right to be there as well as those kids and we had a right to get a picture with the Princesses if we wanted to and I let Denise know it. We never did get our drink refills by the way.

 

[Nancyg56]

Denise also works during breakfast. We had her Sept 21st and I agree she dislikes the dining plan and is very vocal about it. We were four adults, so she couldn't say anything about using child credits, but when we told her about being on the dining plan, she made a comment that she wasn't suprised as it seemed like just about everyone was taking advantage of the free dining. She was very sarcastic about it. When she brought out our plates we asked for more fruit and refills of juice and you'd have thought we'd asked her to go out and pick it herself. After we finished our plates, she immediately brought us our ticket to sign and when we asked for another blueberry danish and told her we hadn't seen Aurora yet, she again acted very put out with us. She made a comment that the Princesses usually concentrate on seeing the kids and since we didn't have a kid with us, Aurora probably thought we wouldn't care if she skipped us. Excuse me, but we had a right to be there as well as those kids and we had a right to get a picture with the Princesses if we wanted to and I let Denise know it. We never did get our drink refills by the way.

I am very easy to wait on, and my DH really does not care for a scene, but if Denise happens to be our server.......I hope that she treats our party with the courtesy that we deserve. We have paid for the dining plan, a plan that her employer has offered to guests because it is Disney's best interest to keep people on site. Even if the plan was free, it was offered to guests in order to generate business. We have waited a very long time for our vacation, and the CRT is one meal experience with high expectations. It would be a shame if the manager needs to hear that an employee is voicing a personal negative opinion of Disney policy. In most workplaces, this employee would be on a performance improvement plan.