Can you die from overeating? A deluxe dining complete!

[flipflopmom]

Well, I am starting this now, to give me the incentive to finish it when we get back!

The background - Dh and I. Went to Disney on our honeymoon, 12 and 1/2 years ago, loved it! Only remember a few overpriced CS meals, Artist Point, and Whispering Canyon and worrying about the money.
Our daughters ages 2 and 9 - on their first trip. I am determined to make it special! About a month ago, we found out my dad has kidney cancer. He only has one kidney, and he will have to have it removed and go on lifetime dialysis. Lots of underlying conditions, the surgery will be scary. I want to make wonderful memories to get us through what is ahead!

We decided to go with DxDP when we thought about 2 things - it will be prepaid, so no worrying over what we can order and money, making a happier trip. Also, with the girls ages, we'll never do it this "cheaply" again.

I went character meal crazy! I decided if we'll be eating anyway, why not add characters and cut down on lines to see them. 3 places we are eating at both dinner and breakfast, I liked the sounds of both. I planned our breakfasts for 8 am on 9 am opening, can't wait to see empty parks!

I was sooo excited to have gotten everything I wanted, at pretty close to times I requested. Told DH I was done with ADR's. Well, I had been second guessing HDDR, too long, too out of the way, our girls wouldn't eat the food, too much like Mama's Sunday dinners... Then we read that a shuttle launch is scheduled for our arrival night, and we had an ADR in the middle of it. DH loves all things NASA, so I decided to re work what I had spent months planning. Cancelled HDDR, moved Ohana and Narcoosee's, and added CM dinner. Here is the final line up!

(all done, just not all linked yet, sorry)

July 11th arrival day
Lunch in Pop food court

Chef Mickey's dinner 5:15. Thought it would be a great intro to WDW for the girls!

July 12th - Tusker House[/COLOR] 8am
Yak and Yeti 1:30 pm - can't wait for the dessert!
Boma 7:30 - not your typical southern food, we'll see!

July 13th - CRT 8:15, stressed over getting this one. Had tears in my eyes when I got it. Literally.
Plaza 12:05 - may or may not keep this onel!
Crystal Palace - 6:00 Can't wait to meet Pooh!

July 14th - Ohana 9:50 - Stitch baby, here we come!
Narcoosee's 5:55 - let's hope the girls behave! Can't wait for this!

July 15th - Akershus Storybook 8:00 - more princesses!
Coral Reef 11:55 - mixed reviews? We'll see!
Restaurant Marakeesh 6pm - Again, stepping out of our typical box, but DH will be entertained, anyway.

July 16th - Hollywood and Vine 8am - Einsteins for the little one!
Mama Melrose FDP 4:55 - hope it's good!

July 17th - Boma 10am - Hear it's the best breakfast in WDW? OR Not?
Ohana 5:15 - Really excited about this one!

July 18th - Chef Mickey's 11:20 - starting and ending with the Fab 5!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in, sounds like you are going to have a wonderful time!

 

[TigerKat]

I'm in!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

in! the ADRs look great! And hopefully the shuttle launches on the 11th! I'm a slight NASA geek too

 

[flipflopmom]

Well, we are back. I haven't been able to start this because we are in the process of becoming DVC members at BLT and I had to do a lot of research!

We had some great food, lots of okay food, and some yuk food! Our servers were all terrific, DH had balked when I told him a lot tip 20%, but we did between 19 and 20, whichever we could get an even number at every meal!

On the DXDP, for us, this time, it mostly worked. We did have 5 meal credits at the end that we went to Earl of Sandwich and got sandwiches for the ride home. They were good, don't get me wrong, but not an economical use of credits! Having snacks was great! We did have 15 left at the end and we burned those quickly at Goofy's Candy Company. We did think this was a good use of credits, we loved bringing home Mickey Treats! We paid for a couple of alcoholic beverages OOP, as well as Fairy Punch for the kids, but that is all.

These reviews won't be nearly as detailed as I had hoped, b/c I was concentrating more on the family time than writing down details and taking the pics. Sorry. I can give some info, though! We did change, cancel, reschedule, when we got there, based on moods. We were pleased with what could be done each time!

One thought, most of the time the characters posed behind our daughter's high chair for the pictures, which was easier on her, for sure. However, lots of our pics have food and/or plates in them. If you have a child in a high chair, try to keep the area between whichever person is taking pictures to in front of them cleaner, or zoom if you don't want Mickey waffles in your pictures!

Our first actual meal was actually at Everything Pop, we checked in earlier so we were hungry for lunch. DH had a fish sandwich, it was okay, I had a chicken and pasta dish that was okay, Oldest got a pizza, it was okay... Notice a theme? If we were hungry, we'd eat it again. If there was somewhere else to have eaten, we would have!

Next post - Chef Mickey's

 

[flipflopmom]

Day 1 - Chef Mickey dinner. Our ADR was for 5:10. Since this was our first time dealing with the buses from Pop, we left our room at 4. We got to CM around 4:45. They asked us at the desk if our girls would like to open the restaurant. I had never heard of that! The pixie dust begins! Our oldest said sure, and was told that they would announce their names, they would count, and then they would tap the rope and it would "break". We did our picture in front of the plate, and a few minutes later our pager went off. The did the procedure as they had been told, then MICKEY came walking down the red carpet to take each of them by the hand. My girls' first day in WDW, first meal, and they got a private audience with Mickey. Yes, I am crying reliving the memory. They were taken to the dining area, and got to sign Mickey's autograph book, had more pictures, and probably 5 minutes alone with Mickey. They got certificates signed by the gang for opening Chef Mickey's, and the photopass photog. took lots of pictures! So the food could have been TERRIBLE, and we would have loved it!

On to the rest. The characters all came by, some twice. The fab 5 were there, the little one didn't care for the dogs. It all changed later! The girls liked the pizza, fruit, and of course the sundaes. The little one loved the peas from the salad bar????

We sampled most everything, the mashed potatoes were good, the Mickey ravioli didn't have much taste, overcooked. The Salmon was really good! They had Mickey domes, I know they had another name, but it was Mickey ears on an oreo. They were pretty good, and I honestly don't remember what else we ate! We were wrapped up in the magic! Our server was really good, we didn't wait for anything. High quality cuisine? Nope? Edible, filling, fun - You Betcha'! We'll probably be back for our first night dinners, because nothing says you've arrived like dinner with the Fab 5!

On a 1 to 5 scale:

Food 3 1/2 ***
Service 3 1/2***
Character interaction - well, for us, 10! Otherwise, probably 4.

 

[butiflfeet]

What a wonderful start to your trip! I can't wait to read more

 

[MaleficentMama]

What a special moment for your kids! My DS7 would be so tickled if anything like that happened to him on our upcoming trip! Here's to hoping!

 

[natalielongstaff]

great start, what a great trip

 

[TigerKat]

What a magical way to start! Congrats on DVC at BLT....I'm so jealous!

 

[flipflopmom]

We got to the gates by 7:40, they chatted with us, lined us up, and we were told we would be allowed to enter after they checked us off around at 7:50-7:55. Then we waited and chatted until time, then we went in. Our hopes of getting great pictures before the park opened didn't really happen, they have people all along the way herding you to the meal, and you felt rushed to get there. We parked the stroller, and then waited..... for probably 5-10 minutes. Had the cursory picture taken by the masks, which I had already taken of the girls before the photog. came out.

We were seated, got the great juice!!! Told to go ahead and get our first plate before the characters came out. Usual breakfast stuff for the girls, but DH and I tried new things. He love the corned beef hash, and the beef bobotie quiche. The yam casserole was good, he also enjoyed the carved ham. I really enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, but I have found a new love in cheese blintzes and chocolate croissants! The fruit was really good. We saw Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and DAISY. The only meal we found her to be at! They did a musical shakers parade, the kids enjoyed this. The inside of the restaurant is really pretty, especially the serving area.

We got our first taste of the tour groups, as one came with about 30 people, seated a large tables to our left and right. This one seemed to be a few large extended families, which made the character interaction a nightmare!!!! They would get up and run to be in the picture with friends, then try to get the characters to come over to the other table, bypassing us. There was a lot of grief going on between the servers and handlers because of their actions, lots of stomping and muttering under breath! We deemed one guy the handler Natzi, because one of the teens gave Goofy bunny ears and he jumped all over him! The tour group leader spoke to a manager, who in turn spoke to the handler.... Not a great CM atmosphere that morning. I don't blame them. It was very loud and chaotic, and we had to make it known that we were skipped. The dining area is small, and all the hopping up and down and various group pictures made us feel very crowded.

I would hate to rate this restaurant based on this experience, since it was not the fault of any of the CM's there. The food was very good, and I would especially recommend it in the winter, all that yummy oatmeal and warm foods! We enjoyed the food a lot, different offerings from most, which make it a stand out.

Food - 4 1/2 *****
won't rate the others based on the actions of other guests!

Up next, lunch at Yak and Yeti!

 

[flipflopmom]

We arrived on time for our ADR at Yak and Yeti at 1pm. We were only slightly hungry after breakfast, but definitely ready for a break. It's a really cool restaurant, and we were seated upstairs. It was nice to look down over the park, and as others have mentioned, would be a great parade viewing area.

Check in was easy, except for a VERY rude guest complaining about the WDW policies and wanting his money back for the trip. Seems he thought you would be able to enter the park, run and get all the fastpasses you needed for the day at once, and have one person from your party come and get your table while others did the above. He was sooo mad. The CM pretty much told him that seating the entire party at once was a WDW policy, as was the fastpass policy, and that researching the policies is up to the guest as a purchaser of a trip... Pretty sure he isn't a Dis'er!

On to the food. The apps were GREAT! We got lettuce cups and pot stickers. Both were very fresh tasting! As for the entrees, the girls shared a chicken bites and fried rice. Neither liked the rice, it was pretty dry. DH got the steak and shrimp, which he said was very good. I wouldn't have liked the shrimp, as they were heavily battered and I don't like that at all. I got the maple tamarind chicken. It was okay, not great. The coconut ginger rice under it was good.

The wonton dessert. Yes, it IS all that. WORTH THE ADR JUST FOR IT! In fact, we might not do the dining plan at all next year, and talked about ordering the same apps and dessert as a lunch. I had looked forward to it for so long, DH ordered one also. It did not disappoint... YUMMO. Close tie between that and Ohana's bread pudding as our fav dessert of the week. Probably was my fav!

Our server was great, very conversational, her DH is a chef in another WDW kitchen. She was very understanding when our little one knocked over her water, and brought her a cup with a lid.

*****Animal Kingdom is not supposed to have plastic lids, and their straws are cardboard. DD went through 3 of them. This is for the safety of animals. Bring a sippy cup if you think your little one will need it. She wasn't allowed to bring the lid out at the beginning, until miss priss made a mess!

We really enjoyed this break from the heat, and again, were more impressed with the apps and dessert than entrees.

Food 4***
Atmosphere 4 1/2 ****
Service 4 1/2****

 

[flipflopmom]

Yes, I am trying really hard to get this done! If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer as best I can. Also, if anyone has any ideas on how I can edit the title of this thread, please let me know!

We were really looking forward to this dinner and visiting AKL. The Lodge is very pretty, and we did take time to explore a bit after dinner. Great fire pit, and lots of animals. I can definitely see us using our new DVC points to stay there at some point!

On to the food. Waiter was great! Dh started with the various salads, and didn't get any he didn't like. Heart of Palm and lentil was his favorite. I got the soups, Chicken Corn Porridge and Carrot ginger maybe. Both were delicious! We got the girls chicken bites. Then it started. Our little explorer, that had never ridden a roller coaster until that day, had rode EE three times. Coupled with the first day in the heat and not enough water, said she had a headache. Laid her head down. Said she felt sick, went to the bathroom. Vomited. Came back and layed down on the bench seat. Our waiter was great to bring her some ginger ale, and DH and I tried to finish our meals. I honestly don't remember another thing I ate. There was a creamy dish with spinach and corn. It was really, really, really good. The FuFu was good, and I ate some type of meat that was good. DH got a the carved pork with dipping sauce that was really, really good.

I made DH go get my zebra domes, and they were good. Maybe it was my attitude because of my DD feeling poorly, but they weren't the best thing I ate all week. DH did also get me some sort of coffee tart, and I really liked it better...

I will say we will go back when we can do it right!

Food 4***
Service 5*** - he kept checking on our daughter and seeing if she needed anything.
Atmosphere 3*** it is dark and cozy, and the Lodge itself was great!

Give it a try, there are different offerings here. Some love it, some hated it. We didn't eat anything we didn't like, and some we really loved!

 

[shannn]

Congratulations on buying at BLT!! I'm quite jealous.

Your meal plans sounded wonderful. I'm excited to read more.

I hate that your poor DD got sick!! I know I can't concentrate on anything else when one of my kids doesn't feel well.

You can edit your thread title from your first post. Hit the button for editing and then there will be another button called "Advanced Edit" (I think). There's a place there to edit the title.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Great start. Congrats on joining DVC at BLT (I'm trying to decide if I should try BLT for our Demember trip or CR or BC b/c of free dinning and then upgrading it to Deluxe). We love Tusker House breakfast buffet...love the juice, food selection and character interaction, sorry to hear about the 30 people making your breakfast hectic. Sorry to hear your daughter got sick but hopefully she feels better the rest of the trip. Can't wait to read more.

 

[DLo]

wow what a great way to start a trip!! Sounds like you had mostly good stuff so far. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[klacey1]

Subscribing-- can't wait for the rest!

 

[tink1957]

You're off to a great start, lots of characters & DVC too! Congratulations on BLT it sounds amazing, I hope we can stay there someday. I can't wait to read the rest.

Sorry your DD was sick, I hope she felt better.

 

[Becx N Gav]

Congrats on getting DVC - I cannot wait to stay at BLT (hopefully next December )

Great report, I hope you DD perked up a bit, it's lousy to get sick on vacation

Looking forward to more

 

[flipflopmom]

The long awaited for CRT! I was so excited for this meal! We were running a bit behind, and didn't get to the bus stop at Pop until 7:10. A huge crowd in front of us, ADR at 8:10. Started to panic! Well, the Epcot bus rolls up. Dh says, let's take it, transfer to MK on monorail.. That's where it went bad.. We get to Epcot, wait for the monorail to TTC. Talk to the monorail guide, he says it will be right here, you'll be fine. Get on monorail to TTC, and the CM there says " everyone must take the resort monorail instead of directly to MK, we are performing safety checks on the MK line."

AAAAHHH!!! We go get in that line, with others with early ADRS, and the monorail guide at the top says, resort monorail will be here within 10 minutes. DH is saying "We're not gonna make it, we're not gonna make it." I started crying. I was so worried. Well, while we are waiting, guess what, the MK monorail shows up, along with hundreds of people to get on it, they wouldn't let us cross. Sorry if anyone else was in the line, I'm afraid DH was being a little loud! Our monorail finally shows up, we get on, I call WDW dining, they said - "They'll hold your table for 15 minutes." At that point, we are sitting in front of the Poly, 12 minutes late.

We get to MK, RUN to the castle, and the sweet CM says, "It's okay. We're here until 11:30. YOU ARE FINE. You are getting ready to introduce your children to Cinderella, and dine in the castle. TAKE A DEEP BREATH!!!" She was soo sweet, she reminded me of the Fairy Godmother!

We go in, not at all crowded, and take the girls pic w/ Cindy. I was a little disappointed in the manner they said "get your books out and ready." I felt very rushed, and no one else was in line. Again, we start up the stairs, I wanted to soak it all in, the little one is walking up those red carpeted curved stairs and just oohing and aahing, someone catches up to us, and DH says "Pick her up, let's go!" More rushing!

We finally get seated, in the upper rim, overlooking the recessed eating area below. It was fine. DH loved being called My Lord! The girls were in awe! The princesses came by while we were eating, and the presentation of food, i.e. the glass server for the fruit, was nice. Of course, my bacon hogs needed more quickly! We saw Snow White, Aurora, Jasmine, and Blue Dress Belle as my kids called her!

I had ordered the cinderella slipper dessert for my girls, it was chocolate with chocolate mousse, they loved the berries much more than the chocolate. It was very rich! They were so excited about being in the castle, that it was not necessary at all, but it did give them something to eat while DH and I finished our meals! LOVE THE CHEESE danish with fruit. French toast was okay, potato casserole was yummy!!!! DD enjoyed the cinnamon roll! Eggs, sausage, bacon were okay, fruit was tasty. Very expensive breakfast, but again, you're paying for the experience.

The girls got their little plastic wand and wishing star, and did the little wishing ceremony. It was sweet! If any of you have the planning DVD for this year, and saw the older "footman CM" talking about girls meeting Cinderella, I am almost POSITIVE he was in the castle as a server???? IF not, his twin was!

I really would like to go back again, b/c to me, it was a very special moment to be in the castle. I would like to go unrushed, and soak it all in again! It did feel somewhat rushed, but that could have been because of the way we started. It's one of the places that can be what you make it, special if you're in the magic, or a disappointment if you expect someone else to make the magic for you. Only my fellow Disers would understand this!

**We were never charged for our 2 year old's drinks at any of the meals we didn't order her something! Just an FYI!