Better Late than Never! Dining reviews from October Free Dining Trip

[Marnm02]

I've had these mostly drafted for a while, and completely forgot I hadn't posted them! We arrived on Oct. 20 and departed Oct. 27. We were a party of 12 on free regular Disney Dining Plan.



POFQ Food Court -- This was the first and last place we ate on the trip, with lots of visits in between. I've never seen a Disney Resort food court that is so serene. There was absolutely zero chaos, and minimal noise and crowding even during the busiest times. We immediately staked out "our table" and it was always open and available every morning. With 12 people split into 3 rooms, it was great to have a meeting place to start the day. Food selection wasn't as extensive as I'm used to, but I'd gladly trade variety for quietness. Foods I tried were the Cajun Chicken Sandwich, which was on par with something from BK or Wendy's...not top of the line but definitely flavorful and satisfying. I also had some Mickey Waffle breakfasts which were yummy as always and prepared quickly. I enjoyed the beignets, but had to ask them to go easy on the powdered sugar because it made me cough. Other more particular bakery connoisseurs in my group reported that they were too sweet and dense.

Wolfgang Puck Express -- I ate here twice, the first time I had the Spicy Chicken Pizza, which was not at all spicy, but it was flavorful and fresh tasting. I enjoyed having cilantro on it, but my husband did not. The second time we split the Rotisserie Chicken, which we always enjoy and is one of those old reliable Disney meals. Service was good...they did run out of silverware during our second visit, but quickly got us some backup plastic utensils. This is one of our favorite DTD spots, and we will continue to come back.

Tamu Tamu Refreshments -- We knew we wanted our Dole Whip fix at AK, but didn't realize the only time we'd be in convenient proximity to Tamu Tamu would by 10 AM. My DH and I were the only ones up for rum that early in the morning. He got dark and I got coconut. I LOVED mine! It was so worth a little extra sleepiness . The combination of tart pineapple and sweet coconut was amazing, and the rum was just what was needed to make it not TOO sweet, and completely refreshing. This will be a must for me on every visit to AK from now on. DH's dark rum Dole Whip was too strong for me, but he enjoyed it. I don't think he was as excited as I was about mine though. Go Team Coconut!

Flame Tree BBQ -- I've always wanted to eat here but never got around to it, so we made a point to get there on this trip. There was a long wait and the seating area was very crowded. I guess everyone was clued into how good the food is, 'cause it was pretty yummy! I had the pork sandwich with coleslaw, which was on par with what I'd expect from a Dickey's BBQ Pit or casual chain restaurant. Satisfying and tasty, but definitely Quick Service. Others in my group were RAVING about the ribs, so I had to try DH's, and WOW. They were just as good as something you might get in a specialty restaurant famous for fall-off-the-bone ribs! My mom would later report that FTB was better than half the TS restaurants she's been to at WDW. We will definitely eat here again, but I'll forgo the pork sandwich for the ribs!

Bongos -- This was our second time here, and I only went back because my mom LOVED the food last time and really wanted to go back. I also liked the food we had back in 2012, but not so much that I thought it warranted a dining credit this time. But, gotta make Mom happy, so to Bongos we went . We couldn't get an ADR for 12, so we booked our group split and asked at check-in if they could try to get us together. Big mistake on our part, because instead of getting seated in the quiet back area where we were last time, we ended up right in the main dining area. It was LOUD. I'm talking flashbacks of nightclub bumping and grinding during college loud. It would have been great if I was out with my tipsy girlfriends ready for a dance party, but for a family with kids who wanted to chat and catch up, it was terrible. No one could hear anyone, so we just sat and wondered when the heck the band would take a break. The two five-year-olds we had with us had their hands over their ears the whole time and didn't eat anything. The food, however, was very good. We had the Cuban Tour, which we had last time, and really enjoyed the depth of flavors and how filling it is. The dipping sauces really make it special IMO...I dipped the plaintains in too, to make them more exciting. DH and I split an order and still didn't finish everything. Service was slow, and our waiter didn't pick up on the fact that we were all pretty miserable when not distracted from the noise by eating the yummy food, and that we wanted out of there. I ended up having to leave early by myself with DD, because she couldn't take the noise anymore. My mom wants to go back here again next time because she loves the food so much. I'm ready to be done with it for a while. I'd go back eventually with adults only, or with a guarantee that I'd be seated far, far, far away from the band!

Be Our Guest Lunch -- We were lucky enough to get a Fastpass and felt like rockstars getting escorted right through the doors while crowds of people were lined up in the hot sun. I thought it must be the best food ever if people are willing to wait like that for it! We had pre-ordered our meals, and that whole process went fine until right at the end when the receipt printer ran out of paper and they had to re-enter our orders. Then there was a whole bunch of confusion about whether we did or didn't get double charged dining credits. It turned out we didn't, but the discussion and research was enough to get me on edge right away. My turkey sandwich was good, better than most CS at MK, but definitely not worth waiting in a crazy long line for. DH felt the same about his steak sandwich, and DD ate a good amount of her grilled cheese and tomato soup. My mom and stepdad were not happy with the nicoise salad, and my stepdad commented on how odd it was that a "cold french fry" was used to top the salad. Atmosphere wise, I appreciated the details and the decor, but the layout felt very cafeteria like to me, and I just couldn't get past that and allow myself to be immersed in the ambiance. I'd probably eat here for lunch again, but only with a Fastpass or very short wait.

To be continued...

 

[Marnm02]

1900 Park Fare dinner -- We never intended to get this ADR, but I saw one come up while trying to change the time for my Yak and Yeti ADR, and on a whim I cancelled Y&Y and booked 1900 instead. I was curious about the characters, but also nervous because of the mixed food reviews. My family and extended family with me are big foodies and I didn't want to be the one to blame for taking them somewhere with yucky food. So, I was a bit anxious as we arrived. We were early, and among the first to get our photo taken by the mural outside the restaurant, which turned out beautiful and is one of my favorite family photos of the trip. We had to book this one with our group of 12 separated, and they weren't able to combine us at check-in, but it was OK. They did end up getting us tables very close to each other. Our waiter was an older man, and he was great. He gave us a really good primer on everything that was on the buffet, and character greeting etiquette. We all went to fill our plates, and ended up being very impressed with the variety and quality of food. Throughout our experience, I tried to have very small tastes of everything. I made it about 3/4 of the way before I couldn't eat anymore. So I didn't try some of the buffet, but everything I did try was amazing! My very favorites were the sushi and the chicken marsala, but I honestly didn't taste anything that I wouldn't want to try again. All the rest of the adults with us had a similar experience -- very pleasantly surprised with the food. My stepdad really loved the Strawberry Soup, and he's one of the harder to please food lovers in our group. The kids buffet was a lifesaver for my picky eating DD, and I think she ate the most at this restaurant. Where I had anticipated the character meets being the highlight of the experience and the food being "meh" it ended up being the opposite. The characters were very cute and funny, but they seemed a bit rushed with us. This could be because our table was right along the main walkway and they didn't want to be in the way for too long, or because our faces were too stuffed with all the good food to talk to them very much . 1900 PF is a Must Do for our next visit. It's moved to the top of my ADR wish list. Next time I'll start at the opposite end of the buffet so I make sure I get to try everything I missed on this trip!

Akershus Breakfast -- This is one of our favorites, and we've been going every year for a while. It was one of the few ADRs I was able to get with all 12 of us at one table. The downside to that was that there was only one table that would fit us, so we ended up having to wait quite a bit past our ADR time for it to open up. Well worth it to get all of us together though. Our meet with Belle as we walked in is the ONLY photo of the whole trip with all of us together, and it turned out beautifully. One of the reasons I love this breakfast is because I'm not a "breakfast food" person, but there are still tons of options for me on the cold buffet. I filled up on bagels and fish, and was as happy as can be . All I cared to have from the hot selections was a sausage link, which was OK, but I much preferred the fish. The entire group was very happy with the food. The princesses were very sweet with my DD, and she enjoyed meeting them and having them sign her autograph book. My only complaintish thing was that none of them tried to get closer to my DD's level for pictures, so all our pictures have her head down at the bottom with the princess towering over. I imagine it's hard to get down to kid level in those costumes, but it seems like they were able to do it in previous years. Also, we noticed that there was no princess procession, so we asked our waiter about it. He sent the manager over who explained that they had a sound issue during our seating time and couldn't do it, but that we were welcome to stick around for the next seating group, and that he'd try to get it going early. This is what we did, and it was a little tough to wait 20 minutes or so after everyone was done eating when we had a busy park day ahead of us, but well worth it for DD to be in the Procession, which she remembered from last time and was looking forward to. We love Akershus, but next time we are going to give dinner a try, since we've never done it and are looking for some new experiences.

Garden Grill Dinner-- This was another one where I was able to get an ADR for all of us together, but we paid for it in wait time. We waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. At 45 minutes past our ADR time, our buzzer finally went off. I fought my way through the crowd congregated in front of the restaurant and handed my buzzer to the hostess. She looked at our large group and confirmed our name, only the say that -- oops --- she buzzed the wrong buzzer. I asked her how long of a wait we still had, and she couldn't find us on the list even though we had checked in. After a talk with the manager and about another 20 minutes or so of waiting, we had a table. Some of my foodie family members were concerned about how the food would be, because they didn't think the menu sounded exceptionally good. They were "eating" their words very quickly. Although the menu was simple, it was well done. The rolls, salad, meats, etc. were all superbly prepared. We did notice a long wait between courses, but assumed it was because of the extra care needed to make everything so yummy! My mom noted that the cobbler dessert was the only cobbler she's ever had that she actually liked, and they some how managed to pull off cobbler without making it overly sweet and syrupy. The characters here were the best of all our character meals. They made my DD laugh and were better than the princesses about getting down to her level for some good pictures. Despite the check-in issues, I thought this was worth a return visit. Others in my group disagreed, however, so we won't be returning next year, but it's top on my list for the year after that!

To be continued...

 

[Marnm02]

ABC Commissary Lunch -- With our touring plan, I knew we'd have to have CS at DHS, and wasn't really excited about anything. I saw an ad somewhere in the park featuring the Lightening McQueen Souvenir Bucket for kids, and thought that DD would enjoy it, so ABC Commissary went onto the plan for lunch. The line was long, so I took DD to the table with some of the rest of our group while DH waited to order. Miraculously, we were able to find a table big enough for all of us in the crowded dining area, and had to spread out to keep it reserved. DH came back without the Lightning McQueen bucket, because he was told they ran out, so DD had to settle for the Power Pack Lunch. She ate it pretty well, and it was nice that everything she didn't eat was easy to bring with us for later. DH and I both had burgers, which were tasty ( I really like the horseradish sauce on mine) and filling. There were no complaints from anyone in the group...it was solid CS fare, and I'll definitely go back if we end up needing to get CS lunch at DHS again.

Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package Dinner -- This dinner was just for our "little family" aka me, DH, and DD. The rest of our group went to Epcot for the evening. No one else was interested in Mama Melrose or Fantasmic, so they booked their own dinner at Cantina San Angel. DH and I had done the Fantasmic Package at Mama Melrose on our honeymoon, and we were kind of meh about it. We hadn't been on the dining plan, and thought the food was kind of pricey for what it was (dough and noodles pretty much). Also, at that time, the Fantasmic Package seating area was in a really crummy spot, and we ended up not even utilizing it since it was September and the auditorium was dead. I enjoyed the experience much more this time around. We were welcomed in the lobby of Mama Melrose with ice cold lemon water, which was so refreshing on a hot day and made the wait much more bearable. Once we were seated we got to select our free appetizer (my favorite perk of the Fantasmic Package!) and went with the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. It was something nice and light since we'd had big burgers for lunch and weren't exactly starving. For our entrees, DH ordered the strip steak and I got the penne alla vodka. I'm a lover of all carbs, and was definitely needing a pasta fix on this trip. The penne alla vodka satisfied with lots of flavor, and a huge portion that I was barely able to put a dent in. Pasta was al dente just like I like it. DH reported his steak as "good" and says it probably would have been even better if he was hungrier. We got a cute dessert platter that DH was too full to even touch, and I managed to get in a couple of very satisfying bites. Later, when we went to the Fantasmic show, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they'd moved the seating area to the front and center. We ended up with prime seats right in the center 3rd row, but we could have sat anywhere in that section...there was tons of space. The other sections were full and crowded, and I was thrilled to have the Fantasmic package. After sharing this experience with the rest of our group, they all wished they would've stuck with us. So, Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package is on the list to re-book for next year -- I just hope I'm able to get it for all 12 of us!

Earl of Sandwich Lunch -- We had a "free day" and were bumming around Downtown Disney when we started to get hungry. I thought it was a perfect opportunity for Earl of Sandwich, which I happen to LOVE. DH isn't as big of a fan, so he and DD went to get something from Wolfgang Puck Express and we arranged to meet up once we all had our food. The line for EOS was INSANE. By the time I got to the front and had my precious Hot Caprese Sandwich, DH and DD had been completely done with their meals for quite a while. It was worth it though...I do LOVE that sandwhich

Yachtsman Steakhouse Dinner -- This was our "adults only" dinner of the trip. We had reserved time at the Sandcastle Club for the two little ones, and they were both very excited once they saw all the things to do in there. DD selected chicken nuggets for her dinner. After kiddo dropoff, me and the other mom in my party rushed to meet up with the rest of our group who had gone to check in, only to see that they were waiting, and were likely to be waiting for a while. We had the whole group at one table again, and had come to expect that this meant there would be a long wait to get seated. After about an hour, we were lead to our table. We enjoyed artisnal cheeses appetizer, which is always amazing, and the bread basket, which is also out of this world -- especially the onion pull-aparts! For our entrees, I ordered the Kansas City Strip and immediately cut the giant 18 ouncer in half and dropped a chunk on DH's plate. In addition to half of my steak, he had a 16oz ribeye. I thought mine was just about the best steak ever -- smooth as butter and perfectly seasoned. The garlic aoili that came with it was a prefect side...I poured it over the steak and dipped the fries in it. My mouth waters just thinking about this amazing meal. All others in my group had similar sentiments. DH and my uncle both had bone marrow as a side with theirs, which looked really disgusting. DH claimed that his was good, but was too rich for him to eat much of, so my uncle finished off both of theirs. He proclaimed it to be "top notch bone marrow." Whatever that means...lol. I can't completely remember what I had for dessert...it was some sort of cake with homemade honey ice cream. Whatever it was, it was very good and I ate it all up, even though I was soooo full. We love Yachtsman and this was our second trip in a row dining there, and it was just as good as it was last time. But, we need to spread our wings a bit and try out some other signature restaurants, so we probably won't be returning next year. It still has a special place in my heart though, and we will be back soon!

To be continued...

 

[ribollita]

Love your reviews!

 

[pumba]

thanks so much for great reviews..

I almost can see all the meals in my head...we love Akershus breakfast with or without the grandkids and their parents...it is a great place ..

We did the Fantasmic pkg at MM last May and hubby, our son and myself all got the steak..it melted in our mouths ...delicious...our dil had the pasta with seafood and the grandkids had salads, and chicken fingers, and a little persons steak...they loved that place too

Thanks again

 

[Marnm02]

Thanks for the kind comments, I really do enjoy sharing reviews. I apologize for not having pictures, but with my whole immediate and extended family being around I felt silly photographing food