Celebrating 20 years of marriage with Disney Dining! COMPLETE 3/26

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Here's one of my favorite snacks at the Magic Kingdom. The orange dole whip float!


orange dole whip float by Smiling Cheshire Cat, on Flickr

It seems like people either really love or really hate the dole whips. I only like the orange flavored one, especially swimming in pineapple juice. Notice I got a spoon and a straw, both are required for maximum enjoyment.

 

[Linda67]

We've never been to LTT
I think DH would really like it though so maybe one day we will give it a go

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We've never been to LTT
I think DH would really like it though so maybe one day we will give it a go

You definitley should try LTT for lunch. If you don't use the dining plan it is a fairly econimical place to eat at the MK. We've eaten there 5 or 6 times and have never had a bad meal.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Thursday, December 22- Tutto Italia

For our last dinner of the trip we decided to do Tutto. Tutto's is an old favorite of ours, but Brian had not been there in a couple of years and we wanted to eat there one last time before the big refurb that is going on now. We had to hurry from Hollywood Studios to make our reservation since we had wanted to see the Osborne Dancing Lights. But we arrived right on time even though we got caught up in the Candlelight Processional traffic. We were quickly seated to our table which was in the small dining room to the left of the main dining room. Our server was Tania who did a good job, but was not quite up to the level of service we typically receive at Tutto's. We asked Tania where she would be working when the restaurant was closed and she wasn't sure yet. She said she had been told many of them would be reassigned to Via Napoli or other restaurants at Epcot.

We decided to skip appetizers and just order entrees. After 5 days of Disney Dining I could already feel my stomach expanding and we still had Christmas awaiting us when we got home. I was at Disney this past August and my son and I had lunch at Tutto's and I had ordered the spaghetti with veal meatballs. I remembered this being so good that I had to have it again.


spaghetti and meatballs from Tutto Italiana by Smiling Cheshire Cat, on Flickr

This is such a hearty portion with lots of meatballs. I was a little let down by this dish, but maybe that was because my expectations were so high. The meatballs were kind of dry, not like the last time I had them and the sauce seemed a little bland. So next time I will try something different I think.

Brian was disappointed that he was not able to order the farfalle with alfredo at dinner. So instead he chose the cannellioni.


Canneloni from Tutto's by Smiling Cheshire Cat, on Flickr

Brian was very pleased with his choice. I had a bite and admitted that it was much better than my meal. I'm not exactly sure what was in it but I know there was spinach and cheese. You can see in the corner of this picture the basket of bread and olives that Tutto's also gives you. I love the different kinds of bread and dipping them in the olive oil.

We have tried almost all of the pasta dishes on Tutto's menu and the cannelloni was probably second to the casareci in my mind. My son would argue for the farfalle, minus the ham and peas, but he would eat anything with alfredo sauce on it. I'm anxious to see what changes will be made to Tutto's menu after the refurbishment is complete.

Brian paid our bill and before we left our table I looked over the receipt. I noticed Tania had charged me for a soft drink even though I had only gotten water. This was easily fixed by Tania crediting my credit card for $3.20. Brian scuffed at me for causing trouble over such a small amount but I didn't want to pay for something I didn't get.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I'm giving Tutto's a grade of...

B

Brian's cannelloni was great, but my spaghetti was not special. While certainly not bad, our service was not outstanding as we have come to expect from Tutto's. Looking forward to going back here after the refurbishment is complete and seeing what changes there will be. I wonder if Tutto's will be like Le Cellier and be considered a signature restaurant when it reopens? I think I will move past the pasta dishes and try the ribs or chicken next time.

With my TIW card I saved $10.30 on this meal which means I need to save $1.11 on our last meal to break even. I didn't realize it would be this close.

Up next will be breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe.

 

[Linda67]

I also would have said something about being charged for a drink I didn't order, regardless of how small the cost was
I'm interested to see if the menu changes at Tutto after the refurb

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I also would have said something about being charged for a drink I didn't order, regardless of how small the cost was
I'm interested to see if the menu changes at Tutto after the refurb

I really did want to get my money back, especially when you consider that the cost of one glass of soda at Disney would just about buy a whole 12-pack here at home.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Friday, December 23- Breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe

I woke up feeling sad that we were going to be leaving in just a few hours. Brian woke up hungry. We didn't have a reservation but we wandered over to the Grand Floridian Cafe to get him some breakfast.

Our waitress was Naima who was fantastic. She saw my anniversary button and brought us this beautiful keepsake- a picture of the Grand Floridian in white chocolate.


Grand Floridian Chocolate by Smiling Cheshire Cat, on Flickr

Brian ordered the ham and cheese omelette with a side of breakfast potatoes. I had one bite so that I could make a judgement for my dining review. It was a very nice omelette with a generous amount of filling. The potatoes were good as well. They reminded me of the same ones that you get at the Princess Storybook Breakfast in Norway.


Ham and Cheese Omlette from GFC by Smiling Cheshire Cat, on Flickr

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Our breakfast at the GFC is getting an...

A

Mostly due to Naima's great thoughtfulness to give us an anniversary gift, but also because the food was good. We would definitely come back to the Grand Flordian Cafe the next time we stay there.

We saved $2.62 with my TIW on this meal so that means we saved $1.51 over the $75 I paid for the card. We will be using it on our next trip so it will continue to save us $.

Up next: my final thougts about this trip and a preview of where we will be dining for our next trip which is only about a month away.

 

[tluvstink]

I enjoyed your reviews and I'm sad to see them end Thank you for taking the time to post

Terri

 

[Linda67]

What a lovely gift from your waitress

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I enjoyed your reviews and I'm sad to see them end Thank you for taking the time to post

Terri

Thanks so much for your kind words.

What a lovely gift from your waitress

We were really touched by her thoughtfulness.

 

[mom2my3kids]

Congrats!!! Our 20 year is in august, taking a late celebration vacation in dec to celebrate our anniversary with our family..Thanks for the great reviews..

 

[nutz2notz]

Such wonderful reviews, thank you for taking the time to share with us.

Looking forward to hearing your plans for the next trip.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Congrats!!! Our 20 year is in august, taking a late celebration vacation in dec to celebrate our anniversary with our family..Thanks for the great reviews..

Thanks so much and congratulations to you too. 20 years of marriage is quite a milestone to celebrate.

Such wonderful reviews, thank you for taking the time to share with us.

Looking forward to hearing your plans for the next trip.

Thanks for your kind words. I've enjoyed doing this dining report so much that I hope to do another soon.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Final Thoughts-

Brian and I enjoyed celebrating our anniversary at Disney. I love all things Disney and if I can make sure he is well fed then he is happy too. Staying at the Grand Floridian was a great choice for us. We found it laid back with a more "adult" atmosphere. As I've reported, most of our meals were very good and we enjoyed splurging and relaxing with more signature meals this time.

I did add the "anniversary celebration" to all of our reservations. With the exception of the Grand Floridian Cafe, the only places to take note of this were the signature restaurants.

I love using the Tables In Wonderland Card and will continue to buy it as long as we are Annual Pass holders. I did find that since it was just 2 of us traveling this time we only broke even with the card. We will add more savings since we have a trip coming up in a few weeks.

After adding up all my grades my final grade for this trip was a...

B+

We will be back at Disney in about 3 more weeks. This time we will be staying at Caribbean Beach and my 6-year old daughter will be with us. My son is in high school now and can't miss school. Here's our tentative dining plans:

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner- this is new to us. We've eaten here for lunch many times but never tried dinner. But the menu is exactly the things my daughter usually loves to eat.

California Grill Dinner- We enjoyed our last meal here and I think Brianna will like the mac and cheese and the view.

Restaurant Marrakesh Lunch- This is also new to us. I have a personal goal to try all of the World Showcase restaurants. I think Brianna will enjoy the belly dancing and her father will probably like it too.

Flying Fish Cafe Dinner- Brian wants to try this one. I don't know why we didn't eat there the last time we stayed at the Boardwalk. Reviews here on the DIS look good to me.

Whispering Canyon Cafe Lunch- I've always wanted to eat here as the menu is appealing to me, but getting to the Wilderness Lodge for lunch can be a pain. So we will see if I keep this one. I also planned this one the last 2 trips with the kids and I ended up cancelling.

1900 Park Fare Breakfast- We always indulge in one character meal when we have the kids with us so we are trying this one. We ate here for dinner about 10 years ago and didn't much like it. I hope breakfast will be a better experience.

Tony's Town Square Lunch- Trying this for lunch at the Magic Kingdom instead of our usual Liberty Tree Tavern or Plaza. We ate here for dinner a couple of years ago and thought it was just okay. I think the lunch menu has more appeal.

Hollywood Brown Derby Lunch- Brian has to eat here every trip. It is his favorite.

Le Cellier Lunch- This is also a favorite of Brian's, but I may get him to make a choice between Le Cellier and the Brown Derby.

Shutter's- Since we are staying at Caribbean Beach we thought we would give it a try.

I may try and trim the list down by cancelling a couple of them. Brianna is 6 years old now, but my experience with previous trips with her is that she gets a little impatient eating while there are so many fun things to do at Disney. I hope to do another dining report since I have enjoyed doing this one so much.

 

[amandadisney]

You should try to get to Whispering Canyon Cafe with your daughter. My husband and I took our family and friends there in December for our rehearsal dinner and it was so much fun! They didn't play a lot of the tricks on us, but what they did was really enjoyable. But watching all the kids around the restaurant that night and on our honeymoon (we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge) you could tell they were having a blast! We had the skillet, and the food was really good! I didn't have high expectations, but it was very well cooked comfort food.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Yay! I'm so happy you're going back soon. I hope you get to do another dining review - I've had the time recently to catch up on your reviews, and I really enjoyed them.

 

[dixonsontour]

Really enjoyed your reviews hope you do another one.

Enjoy your trip in April

 

[Linda67]

Great dining review and yay! we will all get to enjoy another one real soon