Back from WDW - Dining Reviews Complete!!!

wdwthanksgiving

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 28, 2005
Messages
608
My DH and I just returned from a 4 day quick getaway - had a wonderful trip and lots of good meals :)
I have an annual pass and the Tables in Wonderland card which gives me 20% off the total meal and alcohol (which generally is about what the gratuity is since they automatically add in 18% gratuity)


We arrived at the hotel, dropped our bags and scooted over to the Sand Trap
for lunch before a 2pm tee time. The restaurant was almost empty and had one waiter for the whole place. We had eaten here 5 or 6 years ago and enjoyed it - now the menu has really been scaled down. We both decided on the turkey sandwich (smoked turkey, lettuce, tomatoe, caramelized onions, avocado mayo on sunflower seed bread) - this was served with homemade chips. The sandwich was fine and fresh but not exciting, actually tasting pretty plain...the chips were very good. We had water to drink.
We would eat here again but choose something different

Total cost with TiW =23.72


That night we ate at Grand Floridian Cafe. What a great meal! Started off with a glass of William Hill chardonnay, DH had a Sierra Nevada beer. We each had a ceasar salad - perfectly dressed with good parmesan and crispy croutons. I ordered the salmon on a bed of sauteed leeks, asparagus and ****ake mushrooms - it normally has a potato chive beurre blanc sauce on top, but i requested it on the side. This salmon was seriously good-- I tasted the sauce which was good but didn't use it - the salmon stood on its own delicious merits! My DH ordered the Grilled Pork Chop served with roasted corn and sugar snaps with a port sauce - he thought it was terrific.
We really did enjoy our meal, the service was attentive and we will definitely look forward to dining here again.

Total cost with TiW = 78.91

On Thursday we were between parks so headed over to Earl of Sandwich. After a short wait in line we ordered a Full Montague( roast beef, turkey, cheddar, swiss, lettuce, tomato and mustard) and an Earl's Club (turkey, bacon, swiss, lettuce, tomato). Both were on their slightly crispy bread and served warm - really good :) Just had water to drink - no chips - just the 2 sandwiches.

Total cost with AAA card(10%discount) = 10.85

Thursday night we wound up at Wolfgang Puck Express. No wait. I ordered a glass of chardonnay, DH had a beer. I had the butter lettuce salad which was served with a vinaigrette and a bruschetta that had a cold chopped tomato/basil topping with parmesan cheese - delicious. Also enjoyed a margherita with torn basil pizza - the crust was perfect. My DH had the Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and topped with crispy onion. We both liked our choices very much and the bill was so reasonable.

Total cost: 42.01

On Friday we decided to try the Contempo Cafe. We ordered from a computer screen...you then take the receipt and go to the front line to pay THEN go up to wait for your food. That part is a little confusing. I ordered the Angus Hamburger and my DH ordered the Honey Lime Chicken sandwich on multi grain bread with a salsa ranch dressing. Both sandwiches come with homemade chips - really good :)
They offer a small but nice fixings bar - pickles, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, onion and some bar b que sauce, etc.
The hamburger was good - pretty basic. The chicken sandwich tasted fresh and was the better of the two choices. We had water to drink. We would eat here again if in the area but Earl of Sandwich was so much better. The atmosphere here is more generic - more of a big hotel feel so it was a little more impersonal .

Total cost (no TiW) =18.30

Dinner was at Via Napoli. We requested to NOT sit at the long table in the center. We were placed at a window seat which was very nice. We ordered a chardonnay (they offer one that is served in a carafe that is 1 1/2 glasses for 11.00) for me and La Rossa beer (9.00) for DH. We then ordered the Fritto di Verdura for our appetizer (lightly fried crispy veggies of mushroom, artichoke, zuchinni served with a delicious marinara picante sauce) - all hot and tasty. We ordered the individual pizza Quattro Stagioni (Four Seasons) which has 4 sections - one with eggplant, one with artichokes, one with parma ham and one with mushrooms then all covered with mozz. cheese. This was a great pizza and we used the leftover marinara for dipping the crust of the pizza - really good :) With a pizza order you can get 2 salads for $5.00 each (great salad - had roasted red pepper, marinated mushrooms, olives, leaf lettuce, etc with a red wine vinaigrette) - they brought out a nice size bowl for the two of us to share. The food was delicious and plentiful...that smaller pizza, along with the salad and an appetizer was enough for the two of us (knowing we were getting a hot fudge sundae later!)
We really enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the wait staff here and the meal was reasonably priced - we'll look forward to another visit.

Total with TiW= 55.73

Saturday we were at Animal Kingdom and decided to try Flame Tree. ( We have eaten several times at Pizzafari and always enjoy the warm deli sandwich or pizza.) We each got the bar b que sandwich plate - I substituted slaw for the baked beans and DH kept his beans. The sandwiches were fresh and the meat tender. I got some packaged sauce to put on the sandwiches. The slaw was good, with perhaps a little too much mayo and my DH enjoyed his beans - they have shreds of pork cooked in the beans. We were split on this meal - my DH prefers Pizzafari's deli sandwich and I liked Flame Tree more. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy they 78 degree weather while knowing it was raining and 38 in Atlanta:yay:

Total with TiW = 14.81

Our last dinner was at Kona. We were seated promptly. I ordered a Cambria chardonnay (11.00) and DH ordered a beer. I wanted a small side salad so the waiter suggested a kid's salad - when it came out it was about a cup of salad - very small! I was charged 1.75 for it but it fine because all i really wanted was just a taste of salad and not the big one they had on the menu. My entree choice was the shrimp and scallops (4 each)- they were delicious - crisp and fresh. I requested tartar sauce which was tasty. DH had the strip steak which he thought was "okay" - he said the meat was too thin a cut for a strip steak and there was gristle--he would not order it again.
The service here was very slow - our waiter was certainly nice but this meal took an hour and a half.

Total cost with TiW = 70.68

Total food, alcohol, ice cream every night at the hotel, gratuity for both of us:

TOTAL TRIP =315.01 plus 16.32 for 4 ice cream sundaes = $331.33

(that is $41.42 per person per day for two meals a day which I think is pretty darn good!!!)


We had a wonderful fun visit this trip and enjoyed all of our meals. We missed our children but managed to ride the rides, watch the fireworks and eat some great food - it was hard but we did it! :rotfl2:

Hope this helps someone planning a trip - I am, as always, so grateful for the information and kindness I receive from this DIS board - many thanks!




 
Sounds like you guys had a great time. I will have to get over to the Earl of Sandwich some day. We're going to Via Napoli's on our summer trip.
 
Great report...now I'm HUNGRY!! Am definitly stopping at the earl of sandwich on my trip. Glad you guys had a great time.
 
Thanks for the great reviews! I'm working on my budget now for our next trip, and I will keep the cost of your meals in mind!

I agree, I wouldn't want to sit at that long table at Via Napoli! I love love love their pizza though :)

Do you usually go at Thanksgiving?? That's when we go...how do the crowds compare in mid-February?

Thanks!
 

Thanks for the great reviews! I'm working on my budget now for our next trip, and I will keep the cost of your meals in mind!

I agree, I wouldn't want to sit at that long table at Via Napoli! I love love love their pizza though :)

Do you usually go at Thanksgiving?? That's when we go...how do the crowds compare in mid-February?

Thanks!
feb 2-6 was much less crowded than the week of thanksgiving - we were able to walk on lots of rides - the longest wait was for toy story (30 min) and we rode it 3 times during our trip...in november we didn't ride it at all because of the long line and the fast passes were gone for the entire day

we switched around a few reservations for dinner in feb and found lots of open tables at most of the restaurants (that would not be possible during thanksgiving week!)

hope this info helps!
 
Thanks for the great reviews, now I am hungry. I can't wait for our next trip.
 
Thanks so much for a great review........I am now on the countdown mode for May......we too love Earl of Sandwich and I am ready for a sandwich there.......
Thanks again
 















Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top