Celebration Roundup and BBQ...7 Picky People Review!!

[Ltl Mermaid]

Howdy y'all! I had the pleasure of experiencing The Celebration Roundup and BBQ (henceforth known as CRB) yesterday (June 27) in honor of my birthday with was Thusday! I have to tell you that I was "thisclose" to canceling this reservation and changing to Ariel's Grotto based on some iffy reviews I have seen of CRB. But I decided that I have never been to CRB and I have been to AG so I kept it so I could try something new. And boy was I glad I kept it!

We had a group of 7 adults and 1 infant. The adults ranged from 27 (me)-84 so we had a variety of people with a variety of tastes and likes/dislikes. I am a vegetarian, my sis eats poultry only, and the rest of the family are big time meat lovers. To make things more complex....my sister in law just recently had jaw surgery and is on a mashed/puree' diet. I had called the restaurant directly ahead of time and they didn't seem to be able to make any special accomodations. they agreed that she could "try" to mash her own food and if it didn't work then they would not charge her. Not ideal but we figured we would make do and hope for the best!

Upon arrival the place seemed pretty deserted but, to be fair, we had an off time ressie at 330pm. We were ushered over to Chip and Dale for a photo op...which turned out great! They then lead us to a table....on the faaaaaar side of the stage, in the hot sun, and at such and angle so that maybe one of two people could see the stage. We requested to be moved to a more central table in the shade. They were very polite and moved us immediatly. I am not sure why they tried to sit us in the boondocks with so many open tables available but they did fix the issue quickly and kindly!

Our server came over (Matt who was fabulous) and too our drink order. I took that moment to mention our 2 dietary restrictions (veggie for me and puree' diet for sis in law). He said "no problem" to the veggie and said he would have the manager on duty to come by to see about the puree' diet. He brought the drinks out right away! In the meantime, we were being entertained by Tex Tumbleweed, Ms. Chris, and Bullseye. What a fun/interactive show...yet not so oppressive that you can't enjoy your meal. It was great!

At some point the manager (Kim who was so helpful) came by to see exactly what kinds of foods my sis in law would be ok with. After she got the information she told us that she was sure the Chef could figure out something for her but that if she didn't like it they would not charge her. Really nice of her (I thought)

The food came and it was all sooooooo delicious! The cornbread, beans, and corn were fabulous and my veggie entree' was also great (especially the roasted potatoes and red peppers). The ribs were described as meaty and delicious. The chicken also got rave reviews from the group...called good quality and flavorful. My sis in laws meal came out in a bowl. The chef had mashed all kinds of veggies together for her and she said it was delicious. we were shocked at how accomodated the chef, manager, and server all were to her. It was great!!!

Dessert was probably the highlight of the meal. The cupcakes were moist and delicious...and having them inside a waffle cone was even better! Most of us got the chocolate but 2 people got the red velvet. Both were great! The red velvet did tatse more like rasberry than anything but still absolutely wonderful and tasty! Mmmmm...I want one right now!

A word about the service....we never wanted for ANYTHING. Our glasses were never empty and yet the service was not at all intrusive. The entertainment was similarly fabulous. Really fun but not over the top/crazy. Every single person in my family gave this 2 thumbs waaaay up and agreed that it was worth every penny we spent.

The only negative moment was with the photographer. Our initial photo turned out great with Chip and Dale. Later on Woody and Jessie came out and we asked out server if we could get a picture with them as well. He said that was fine as long as no group was waiting. So when we saw a wide opening my sis and I took her baby for a photo. The photographer seemed so annoyed that we were "bothering" him that his finger was covering the photo he took on our camera and he must have deleted the other one since it didn't show up on photopass at the photo shop on main street.

We bought the photo set so we could add all the photos onto photopass but we we went to add them at night all the ones were there except for the ones with Woody/Jessie! The worker even searched outside of our meal time to see if we were incorrect about the approximate time! That was a bummer but still was such a small issue that it didn't really hinder our meal at all! Everything else was so good that I consider this a very small downside overall.

What is sad to me is how slow the restaurant seemed. I worry that this gem might close if the crowds don't pick up soon! At around 5 more people started showing up but was still not as busy as it should have been for a "peak time"...Saturday in the summer! So for all of you interested at all I urge you to try it out! My incredibly picky group of 7 loved it and I'm sure you will too!!

Any questions just ask!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Great review!

 

[blackjackdelta]

Sounds great, do love BBQ, wish the price was less.

Jack

 

[teatime]

Jack, what is the price for adults and kids? Sounds like a must do for us.

Great review, glad you had a great meal, Im seriously thinking this is a must do, but tell me, is it as expensive as other character meals? if so I would rather do the others, more foods to choose from.

 

[Ltl Mermaid]

It was $28.99 per person plus 15% tip. I don't know if tip is always automatically added or if it was just because we had a large group.

This is different than a character meal, but still has some characters of course. The interaction was great since it wasn't so crowded!

FWIW, since everyone seems so negative about the cost, everyone in our group (even my super cheap grandpa) felt that this meal was worth every penny.

Frankly, based on the amount and quality of the food, I feel that it is a better value than most places at DLR!

 

[LavenderPeach]

Thanks for the great review! I would love to go try it out but the cost is what is keeping me away as well. Sounds delicious though!

 

[jacs1234]

WOW, that sounds like fun. I hope it's still running in November, my kids are woody fans.

 

[jacs1234]

sorry double post

 

[CaliforniaDreamer]

Upon arrival the place seemed pretty deserted but, to be fair, we had an off time ressie at 330pm. We were ushered over to Chip and Dale for a photo op...which turned out great! They then lead us to a table....on the faaaaaar side of the stage, in the hot sun, and at such and angle so that maybe one of two people could see the stage. We requested to be moved to a more central table in the shade. They were very polite and moved us immediatly. I am not sure why they tried to sit us in the boondocks with so many open tables available but they did fix the issue quickly and kindly!

. He brought the drinks out right away!

A word about the service....we never wanted for ANYTHING. Our glasses were never empty

What is sad to me is how slow the restaurant seemed. I worry that this gem might close if the crowds don't pick up soon! !

We had the same exact experience as you did, arriving for a 3:30 res, not at the peak of any meal time. We had an ADR. They knew it was my friend's b-day. But they tried to seat us at one of the worst tables, near the bathroom, where you could not see the stage.

And yet there were plenty of empty tables.

We want this restaurant to succeed, so I hope they do get the message to fix this. To any disboarders, be warned - have this discussion at the entrance when you check in to make certain they are not going to try to give you a poor table when there are plenty of good ones available. I'm really surprised at DL -- usually they are pretty democratic about assigning good tables as they come up (at BB, Carnation Cafe).

Oh, and the 15% is put on regardless of the number in your party.

 

[daisy_77]

Thanks for the review. I am really wanting to try this place out! I love BBQ and cornbread!

 

[Sherry E]

I think the cost is what is keeping everyone away. I know that it is all you can eat at Celebration BBQ, but it is all you can eat of a very limited selection. I suspect that many people feel they would rather spend a big chunk of cash on any of the character meal buffets where you can get a wide variety of things to eat, and not just a few items. I could justify the lofty price better if I have my pick of things to eat from a large variety.

Yes, the 15% tip is added on to the tab for everyone at any kind of character meal where everyone pays the same price for what they get, i.e., Celebration and Goofy's, and at Storytellers and Lilo and Stitch you will get the 15% added on automatically if you order buffet, but if you order from the menu you can apply your own gratuity, I think. At least that is how I remember it happening when we were at Storytellers.

 

[ScooterL]

I also enjoyed the meal when I ate here a couple of months ago, but I doubt I'll go back because it's just tooooo expensive!!! I also had the veggie skewers, and thought they were really good! I think if they lowered the price and got rid of all the character stuff they would attract more guests.

 

[farmgirljen]

I just had my first ever experience with disneyland, and I think everything was expensive. Honestly, I feel that for the price I paid, I got the most bang for my buck there at the BBQ. We LOVED it- of course we are outdoorsy people who like bbq style foods, so that probably helps. I love that it is outdoors, and the environment was relaxing- it was really nice after trudging around all day for several days, to sit down, enjoy the breeze, and listen to the music, tex, and the show- as well as plenty of character interaction with the chipmunks, miss chris, woody, jessie, and bullseye... I loved the ribs and beans- and we asked for more, and they brought out another whole pot of each- our glasses were always full, and the service was wonderful. I also liked how friendly the CM's were- and almost all of them had lanyards loaded with pins, and my son enjoyed trading with them. We went to Goofey's Kitchen for dinner one night, and while it was fun- I don't think I would do it again- THAT was expensive! Same with Blue Bayou- $7.99 for a plate of mac n cheese is a bit over the top for me! And one other thing I liked about the BBQ- All the food is brought to the table- which means that I did not have to get up and go to the buffet area every time my child decided they wanted to get some more!

 

[teatime]

I can get seating and a dinner at blue bayou for the same price And to think I was not going to do the blue bayou as I thought it was to high...... guess who's making a ressie today

also I can get my favorite sandwich, Le Special de Monte Cristo - Turkey, ham, and swiss cheese in a battered egg bread, lightly fried to a golden brown. With Blue Bayou potatoes and seasonal vegetables. $21.99
and get Tinker Bell & Friends or Lightning McQueen Raceway Punch - Minute Maid Light Raspberry Lemonade in a keepsake cup featuring glowing clip-on figurine. $6.49
even several of the dinners are the same price at blu Bayou ...
Im off to make a reservation !!

 

[jonsmom57]

I can get seating and a dinner at blue bayou for the same price And to think I was not going to do the blue bayou as I thought it was to high...... guess who's making a ressie today

also I can get my favorite sandwich, Le Special de Monte Cristo - Turkey, ham, and swiss cheese in a battered egg bread, lightly fried to a golden brown. With Blue Bayou potatoes and seasonal vegetables. $21.99
and get Tinker Bell & Friends or Lightning McQueen Raceway Punch - Minute Maid Light Raspberry Lemonade in a keepsake cup featuring glowing clip-on figurine. $6.49
even several of the dinners are the same price at blu Bayou ...
Im off to make a reservation !!

$21.99 seems very expensive to me for a sandwich.

 

[teatime]

$21.99 seems very expensive to me for a sandwich.

yeah, your right, but oh to sit by the water :lol: Im debating here, we may just throw in another character meal instead.

 

[InLikeSin]

We had the 15% tip added to our tab (for 2 people) as well, we were kinda ticked off that it wasn't mentioned beforehand. We weren't quite sure what to do because on the reciept they brought back with my card to sign there was still the tip line so we added a few bucks anyway because our server Carol was awesome. When the charge showed up on my debit card a few days later however only the price of the meal was charged they didn't add the extra tip I wrote in. Pretty weird.

 

[teatime]

We had the 15% tip added to our tab (for 2 people) as well, we were kinda ticked off that it wasn't mentioned beforehand. We weren't quite sure what to do because on the reciept they brought back with my card to sign there was still the tip line so we added a few bucks anyway because our server Carol was awesome. When the charge showed up on my debit card a few days later however only the price of the meal was charged they didn't add the extra tip I wrote in. Pretty weird.

I was told when I was on the phone the added gratuity was added in the price of the meals. I told her I had a voucher and she said ok, it will have been added to that already. any one know if this is true?

 

[jonsmom57]

We are travelling to DL in August for the first time. We havent made any ADR's for dining with the exception of Carnation Cafe for dinner. Given the time change from East Coast to West, I won't know what time to even plan a meal.

I may spring for this meal though.

What discounts are accepted, if any? AAA?

Thanks.

 

[FairyDust2008]

My family and I were so pleased with the Celebration Roundup and BBQ. When my family does Disney as we had our 1st WDW vacation last year and then Disneyland being our 1st trip there this year, we go to CELEBRATE and we plan ahead knowing that it is indeed vacation and we ENJOY! You don't eat at a place like this, only on vacation so we TREAT ourselves. I hear so many complain about the pricing of character meals, etc. I think it is not only the food but the whole experience you are getting in the price. If you aren't a fan of BBQ/relaxed environment, then this meal may not be your cup of tea. My hubby honestly only ate the grilled chicken and corn and oddly enough, he ADORED the red velvet cupcake dessert He complemented on it over and over. But.........his chicken he could eat all he wanted and same with the corn so he was quite satisfied. My daughter who is 11 and tiny and eats like a bird but LOVES chicken, ate more chicken than I've ever seen, LOL She also loved the corn and cornbread. Me and son LOVED the bbq ribs and of course the cornbread and baked beans. I was the only one that ate the coleslaw but I loved it. The red velvet cupcake cones were DELISH as was my daughter's vanilla one. I thought the overall experience to be a relaxing one and more low-key than the other character meals which was a nice change. It wasn't totally crowded when we arrived for our 5pm PS reservation but it didn't take long to fill up and by the time we finished and got up to leave, there were families waiting to be seated. I hope they keep this at Disneyland because it is in a nice location and is a nice change from the "character" meals where sometimes as much as you enjoy them, can be overload. This was a more quiet and welcome change. Don't get me wrong, we did Goofy's Kitchen, Minnies, etc......... and LOVED them all but this Celebration Roundup and BBQ was just something new and neat and we are all fans of Woody, Bullseye and Jesse so it was well worth it for our family. I hope others give it a try and enjoy it as much as our family did