Are you really sure we want to do this again? DXDP- 7/5 Chef M's, CRT , and WCC

[flipflopmom]

Really enjoying your reports

Thanks!! I can't believe I only have 3 more!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Your daughter is so cute giving Cinderella the cheese. The Princess storybook breakfast is new for us on our next trip but I my son loves character meals so I'm doing as much as possible in this trip. I'm hoping my husband likes the food selection but as you say we snack around the world since we are trying DxDDP.
Thanks for a great update.

 

[flipflopmom]

Your daughter is so cute giving Cinderella the cheese. The Princess storybook breakfast is new for us on our next trip but I my son loves character meals so I'm doing as much as possible in this trip. I'm hoping my husband likes the food selection but as you say we snack around the world since we are trying DxDDP.
Thanks for a great update.

If he likes breakfast foods, he'll love it. The family style platter is refilled as needed, and the buffet is good for pastries and fruit. I think your prince will love the princesses!

We were definitely full, and only ate a bit for lunch!

 

[vinotinto]

Welcome back! Great reviews! I agree with you, seeing people in bathing suits is not my idea of fine dining, but glad that the rest of YS made up for that!

However, one of our best memories from this trip involved him, and had nothing to do with our family. When it came time to chose people to dance with, the Prince went to a lady that appeared to be in her 40's with Down Syndrome. When she stood up, she bowed to him, and they danced, and then at the end she bowed a few more times with such sincerity. It was so very sweet and special, and DH and I both were crying watching. It was the magic of Disney at it's best.

Aww! What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Lisa29]

Just caught up. Great reviews , though I now really want to try Ohana dinner and Yachtsman's! Will have to do on another trip!

Your girls are so cute!

Can't wait for the rest.

Lisa

 

[tinacaplan]

Just caught up with your reviews. I was especially intereseted in your report, as I'm taking my son back in February and am debating about whether or not we should do the DxDDP. There is a part of me that thinks...will my son really want to spend all that time eating? My husband and I did the DxDDP and, well, you are spending a lot of time eating. At the same time, I know that it would cover EVERYTHING we could want to eat or drink while we're there and the thought of CS doesn't exactly excite me...dealing with long lines, trying to find tables, etc.

Great review of Tusker House, another must for us on this next trip, as my son loves Donald and I SWEAR he has a huge crush on Daisy.

Also glad to hear that your daughters enjoyed their meal at Yatchsman...wondering about taking my son to signature meals?

Don't know yet.

 

[flipflopmom]

Just caught up. Great reviews , though I now really want to try Ohana dinner and Yachtsman's! Will have to do on another trip! Your girls are so cute!Can't wait for the rest.
Lisa

Thanks! They are our top favs, most definitely!!

Just caught up with your reviews. I was especially intereseted in your report, as I'm taking my son back in February and am debating about whether or not we should do the DxDDP. There is a part of me that thinks...will my son really want to spend all that time eating? My husband and I did the DxDDP and, well, you are spending a lot of time eating. At the same time, I know that it would cover EVERYTHING we could want to eat or drink while we're there and the thought of CS doesn't exactly excite me...dealing with long lines, trying to find tables, etc.

Great review of Tusker House, another must for us on this next trip, as my son loves Donald and I SWEAR he has a huge crush on Daisy.

Also glad to hear that your daughters enjoyed their meal at Yatchsman...wondering about taking my son to signature meals?

Don't know yet.

Hear's my 2 cents for you: 1. Character meals are a great way to start the day, and leave MORE time in the parks b/c you don't have to wait in lines. We probably won't do DxDP anymore once the kids are over the characters, but for now, DH and I decided that it's part of the experience. IF you can get everyone up and moving early enough to have early ADR's and finish around rope drop, character breakfasts are great.

2. If you can get there early on check in day, and stay a little later on check out day, you have more time to spread out your credits.

3. It was great to be able to give the kids popsicles, etc. whenever they wanted them, w/o worrying about the money.

4. I see you are going in February. I think the parks aren't open as long in the evenings, so the TS dinners would take away from touring time, unless you can do late ones. But honestly, my girls appreciated the time to sit and relax! However, the few times we did 3 meals a day, it was too much.

5. My girls did Narcoosee's at 2 and 9, and Yachtsman at 3 and 10. They did very, very well at both. Give him a try!

6. Not dealing with CS was a MAJOR draw for us to DxDP.

In the end, we decided paying a bit more, and possibly "wasting" some money, was worth the end result of not having to wait in lines or stressing over the money!

 

[flipflopmom]

So one thing my DD1 mentioned she wanted was a trip to Chef Mickey's. That was part of the reason we added DxDP, was to get her there. Of course, our only option was 7am on our "check out day". But it was there, so we got it.

It wasn't as painful to do since we were at BLT. the walk of 5 minutes to get there!

The girls were puffy eyed, but glad to be there.

For us, the meal photos irritate us. We don't want them, we know we aren't going to pay for them, so we skip them whenever possible. CM didn't make that quite so easy, so we snapped a pic with our camera first.

The food. Well, it's okay. Honestly, last year we had dinner AND breakfast at CM, and thought the breakfast was better. If that's still the case, I'd hate to have dinner there now. The standards were fine, eggs, Mickey Waffles, fruit, etc. After a week of that, it didn't excite us. As I've mentioned before, casserole type stuff doesn't excite me either, but I did add a veggie quiche and another type of egg mix to my plate. This was my plate when I was mostly done, I did finish the Mickey Waffle.

DH likes mixes, and even he said they weren't good! DD2 tried the breakfast pizza, and spit it out. So it MUST have been terrible! The girls did their usual bacon and fruit, and grabbed a bowl of cereal, too. There is no milk on the buffet, you have to ask for it. EVERYONE gets orange juice when you sit down, and I asked for coffee. It was funny, b/c the waiter could tell by the look on my face I needed it, and poured my coffee before the juice. He poured it, I grabbed it, and he said "Momma happy, everyone will be happy!"

Something that wasn't pictured were the cream cheese blintzes. DH remembered them from last year, and really wanted some, as did I. They did not disappoint!

But again, we were here for the characters! We thought they spent a decent amount of time with us, were all fun!

I had to have a hug from Mickey, last year this was our check out day breakfast, too, so I guess this is a tradition now for us. I cried last year when I told him goodbye, and this year I got a bit teary eyed again!


DD got a giggle from Donald, when she told him she loves Mickey's Philharmagic, but it should be called Donald's, because he is the real star!

Minnie was there, too. I don't know why I can't find her pic, I guess I didn't load it into photobucket!

The birds. Since CM is near the monorail entrance, birds do come in. Here's one that landed next to our table, I guess looking for crumbs!

Okay, so the food here is NOT amazing. But, the girls love it, and it's a great way to end a Disney trip, or begin one. I'm sure we will be back for check out day breakfast, especially now that it is soo close to our home! Would we make the trip over again from elsewhere? Probably not, unless the girls REALLY wanted it. Because, for us, part of the magic of Disney are the character meals, and my girls loving it. Kinda like in Polar Express, when they can't hear the bell anymore I'll be sad, so I'll keep ringing it as long as possible.

 

[flipflopmom]

OKay. I will admit it. I am obsessed with the castle. My pictures are full of shots of it from different angles, and different colors. I have a "castle" collection, and every year I have to buy something with the castle on it. This year, it was a mug. It started as a child whose parents wouldn't take her to WDW, and then as a newlywed, when it was the Pepto pink monstrosity. I cried for days, it was so bad, I'd waited 21 years, and it was awful! DH bought me a snowglobe with the castle in it on that trip, and so the collection begins.

Secretly, eating in the castle was one of MY favorite memories from last year. Getting that 8am ADR on the day I wanted it just blew me away, and I cried for joy. When DD2 mentioned it was her favorite place, I was excited to try for an ADR and add DxDP. Well, the only time I could get one at that short notice was 2pm on our check out day. Not optimal, but we saved it for a surprise.

I kept checking for a breakfast during the week, NOTHING ever came open. I was apprehensive about the lunch menu, but it ended up being Dh's 3rd favorite after Ohana and Yachtsman, and that's saying a lot!

We got there a few minutes early, and were taken into the castle to wait for Cindy. I took some pictures while we waited.

DD1 spotted Jaq and Gus

We had our Cindy meet and greet, and she remembered the girls from a previous meal during the week. It was fun! She was really sweet, and we ascended those red carpeted steps to the dining area, and were given a great table with a window view:

The girls got their wands and stars. Forgive DD1's afro, the humidity killed her hair that morning!

We were served the "chef's selection" of lunch appetizers: bruschetta, cheese, salad, grapes, and artichokes. The girls like the brushcetta after they scraped off the toppings, the grapes, and the cheese. We were given two plates of this selection.

It was nice and cool on a hot day, and lite. PERFECT!

DH, DD1, and I all ordered the salad with chicken. It was greens, small chunks of Granny Smith apples, blue cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, with a grilled chicken breast on top, and a viniagrette dressing. Let me tell you. DH is not big on salad, but we all proclaimed this to be a perfect one, and tried to recreate it one day this week. It was a perfect lunch! Delicious! The portion was HUGE, the picture does not do it justice!

DD2 got chicken noodle soup, pasta and chicken, and grapes maybe? She all but cleaned her plate, so it must have been good!

Somehow, I missed the dessert pictures. I think I was taking DD2 to the bathroom. The chocolate desserts the "adults" got were very good, like a mini chocolate brownie with cream cheese inside, DH got the rice pudding, and loved it, and DD1 got some sort of sundae with a chocolate crown on top. She liked it, too!

The girls enjoyed the wishing ceremony, I can't tell you how many times I 've had a wand in my face this week with Bibbity, Bobbity, BOO being chanted!

The characters we had upstairs were Aurora:

Snow White:

Ariel:

and Blue Dress Belle:

DD1 was disappointed, Jasmine was there last year, not this year, and she really wanted to see her again. Other than that, it was a perfect meal, and I see lunch having taken over from breakfast as our CRT must do. The only bad note was that we had the disappearing waitress again, which bugged me knowing the gratuity was included. However, people around us were receiving GREAT service, so don't judge the whole place by her!

 

[flipflopmom]

Wait, I've been talking about check out day. What are we doing eating dinner in WDW at 8pm? Well, 1 WEEK before our trip, DH and I start talking about how it will be at least 3pm before we can leave, and the 12 hour drive will be rough. He had me call to see if Hilton Head had anything open that night, so we could stop halfway and rest, hang out on the beach Sunday, and then drive home. NOPE! BUT BLT did have a lakeview studio open for that night, so we grabbed it! We switched rooms before heading to MK that morning, it was a great surprise for the girls to get one more night! In fact DD1, after entering the castle to eat, said "Mom, Chef Mickey's, an extra night, and CRT, my heart is racing."

So for our final dinner, we chose WCC. We had honeymooned at WL, and wanted to go back, show it to the girls. We remembered WCC because they made us ride the stick ponies when they found out it was our anniversary, and thought the girls would enjoy it!

So we were seating at our ADR time. Nice! Our waitress comes to explain the menu. She misunderstood when we said we were on DxDP, and said "You made the right decision. The DxDP is a huge waste of money, because no family needs all those appetizers. " Okay, that kinda ticked me off. She left us to decide on drinks. The girls, of course, chose milkshakes. DD1 asked for bubble gum, and loved it. It was NASTY!!!! WAYYYY toooo sweet!
DD2 got strawberry, but only drank 3 sips. DH also decided to get them tink cups, since we hadn't all week. THAT was a great decision. Since DD2 hadn't napped, she played with those tinks to keep her occupied!

The waitress came back, and when we told her we were on the DxDP, her jaw dropped. She took the drink orders, DH ordered tea and I ordered water, also. DD1 and I chose nachos for our apps, and DH got the barbeque spring rolls. The nachos with cheese/salsa dipping sauce were huge hits for the girls, which was good b/c they didn't care for their entrees. Dh's spring rolls were very tasty!

DH and I downed our drinks very quickly, so she brought refills. A carafe of water for me, and a half gallon jug of tea for DH.

With all the drinks on the table, it was really full, and I HATE clutter!

As for the antics, we had about 50 straws on the table. The waitresses were loud! They had us make airplane noises to entice one girl to eat, sing happy birthday off key to a gentleman celebrating, before the waitress ate his cupcake! There were also couples celebrating anniversaries, and they had to kiss while we counted to 10.

The waitress apologized profusely when she brought our apps, and asked for our help removing her foot from her mouth!

For entrees - DH and I got the skillet. Ok, it was NOT good to me! Brisket, ribs, barbecued chicken, corn, cornbread, baked beans. I don't love barbeque! I ate a few bites of brisket, but the cornbread was really good. The ribeye sounded appealing, but I didn't really want ANOTHER steak!

DD1 got pasta and chicken.

And of course, DD2 just had to choose a cheeseburger and fries. That meant she needed ketchup. The girls LOVED yelling "We need ketchup", and we promptly ended up with 16 bottles on the table from various diners!

MORE CLUTTER! Okay, by this point, I was OVER this meal. Call it leaving tomorrow blues, call it loud, call it clutter. But I was DONE! Everyone else in the family was having a GREAT time, though. The girls loved the pony races!

So it was time to order desserts. By this time, it was almost 10:00. We did not want anything else to eat, and I was mad b/c I had wanted to see the fireworks from BLT one more time. DO NOT GO HERE FOR A FAST MEAL! We got desserts to go - DD1 and I ordered smore's cheesecake. She was disappointed b/c she thought there was going to be an actual smores on top. Nope, just a few mini marshmallows and some chocolate syrup. Dh got the pecan pie, and DD2 got 2 chocolate chip cookies. Sorry, no pics since they came boxed up.

We also boxed up the immense amount of food still in the skillet, and DH ended up eating this for dinner about 2 days after we got home. The desserts were breakfasts the next morning before we left.

We had also gotten bakery goodies for breakfast, so the girls ate doughnuts and a cinnamon roll.

WOW, my last meal. I'll do a wrap up, final thoughts, etc, maybe later today!

 

[tweetylori]

Enjoyed your report! My goodness, that was a LOT of food all week! I don't think I could've eaten what the girls didn't eat! (they are both adorable, by the way!)

 

[flipflopmom]

Enjoyed your report! My goodness, that was a LOT of food all week! I don't think I could've eaten what the girls didn't eat! (they are both adorable, by the way!)

Thank you. It was wayy too much food! Especially since I usually eat around 1200 calories a day at home! Glad you enjoyed what I've gotten up so far!

 

[kimgof]

Great reviews! I love CRT also. We've been for lunch twice and breakfast last time...have to say...we'll do lunch again next time. It is a meal that you do because you have to love the castle...but who doesn't

 

[mommycrawford]

REALLY enjoyed your reviews!...and the children's outfits at Chef Mickey's were really cute! So glad you had a great trip and shared it with us Disers!

So you don't feel alone...we are going to O'hana's 2x on our upcoming trip! We love Lipoa, and always start our trip with her, but this time we are ending it with her as well!

 

[scanne]

I love your reviews and pics! And your surprise to your DD's with the extra night - AWESOME!!!

We are dining in the Castle for my DD's birthday and I think I'm more excited about that than anyone else!!! I, too, love the castle and you have inspired me to begin my own castle collection. Hmmmmm, I don't know how DH will feel about that because we already collect WDCC and snowglobes. Oh well, I'll figure something out.

Thank you for taking the time to post and review!!!!

 

[Lisa29]

Great reviews, I really enjoyed reading them.

My daughter will have just turned 2 when we go and is more into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Pooh Bear than princesses so no princess meals for us this year. We do have Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace though so yay

Princesses will have to wait til our next trip

Again, your girls are adorable

Lisa

 

[tinacaplan]

Great reviews! A lot of places that I want to make ADR's for in February are the same. Luckily, they all sound pretty good!

 

[stitchywoman]

excited already to read your reviews....can't wait for our trip in August! I took nothing but food pics last trip and then didn't post reviews. This trip I am going to have to come through for my DIS family.

 

[flipflopmom]

Great reviews! I love CRT also. We've been for lunch twice and breakfast last time...have to say...we'll do lunch again next time. It is a meal that you do because you have to love the castle...but who doesn't

I tell you, there were some people in there grumbling about the cost. I, however, find it no more overpriced than a comparison of some of the other meals we had. You are paying to eat in the castle. If you don't love the castle, don't get the magic, this is not a meal for you! Have something somewhere else! Glad we're not the only ones that prefer lunch. Breakfast is great, don't get me wrong, but we prefer the lunch.

REALLY enjoyed your reviews!...and the children's outfits at Chef Mickey's were really cute! So glad you had a great trip and shared it with us Disers!

So you don't feel alone...we are going to O'hana's 2x on our upcoming trip! We love Lipoa, and always start our trip with her, but this time we are ending it with her as well!

THANK YOU!! I felt horrible that I couldn't remember her name. She is fun. And glad we're not the only Ohana lovers. I was trying to work out a sketch for next year, and DH said "put Ohana down twice, don't forget!"....

I love your reviews and pics! And your surprise to your DD's with the extra night - AWESOME!!!

We are dining in the Castle for my DD's birthday and I think I'm more excited about that than anyone else!!! I, too, love the castle and you have inspired me to begin my own castle collection. Hmmmmm, I don't know how DH will feel about that because we already collect WDCC and snowglobes. Oh well, I'll figure something out.

Thank you for taking the time to post and review!!!!

It was harder this year, everything I wanted was really expensive! I think next year I'm going to get a castle picture frame. They're very pretty.

Great reviews, I really enjoyed reading them.

My daughter will have just turned 2 when we go and is more into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Pooh Bear than princesses so no princess meals for us this year. We do have Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace though so yay

Princesses will have to wait til our next trip

Again, your girls are adorable

Lisa

She will be thrilled! DD was 2.5 last year when we went, so she was just getting into them. The trip fueled her, and it's been non stop ever since! Your daughter will love CM and Crystal Palace!

Great reviews! A lot of places that I want to make ADR's for in February are the same. Luckily, they all sound pretty good!

We never had BAD food. Some wasn't great, some service wasn't great, but when you eat out as much as we did, what do you expect? I hope you get all your ADR's!

excited already to read your reviews....can't wait for our trip in August! I took nothing but food pics last trip and then didn't post reviews. This trip I am going to have to come through for my DIS family.

When we showed our pictures, my mom and in laws said "did you do anything but eat?" I did have other pictures, but to see alll those food pictures was kind of .....startling! Glad you enjoyed the reviews!

 

[dolfinjuls]

Thanks so much for your dining reviews! We really like Akershus for breakfast too! I thought we had really great interaction there and decent food!

We have a ressie for WCC this year. We ate there last year and thought the food was just okay. I, like you, really don't care much for bbq food. But I really did love the chicken on the skillet, and the corn on the cob and cornbread were good as well. I know you can order other entrees, but I don't think any really appeal to me? So I'm still debating on this one. We did have fun last year when we went though, so DH thinks we should go again. Hmm....