Cheap Eats last week of Aug! CRT CM and all the rest CS.

[tinkerbellmagic]

Cheap Eats last week of August!
CRT CM and all the rest counter service.
Party: 2 adults, 1 child

Just back last week of August. We were NOT on the dining plan, so ate cheaply with only two TS (CRT and CM). All others were CS. Sorry, very few photos.

Where we ate:
MK~ Cinderella Royal Table Breakfast, Casey's Hot Dogs, Plaza Ice Cream, Pinnochios, Aloha Isle, Main St Bakery, Sleepy Hollow.
CR/BLT~ Contempo Cafe, Chef Mickey's
Epcot~ Boulangerie Patisserie in France, TANGIERINE CAFE in Morocco, Sommerfest in Germany
Blizzard Beach: Lottawatta Lodge and Mini Donuts
HS~ Catalina Eddies in HS
AK~ Pizzafari in AK
DTD~ Earl of Sandwich, Ghirardelli


I will first focus on the Magic Kingdom.

Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast~ Eating in the castle was the highlight of all of our dining experiences. The presentation was so very special. The service was wonderful.

The pastries were delicious. The fruit bowl was refreshing and so tasty, not to mention beautiful. The potatoes were so yummy. The Fritter type item with blueberry topping was TOO DIE FOR! I would go back for that alone, lol. Bacon was great! Everything else was good/ok.

Quick tip! It's not a good idea to take your CRT photos and then ride Splash Mountain. While the photo is protected, (I think), the folder is not, so ours got a little soggy. It's best to bring a large zip lock for the photo, or just leave your photos at the castle and pick them up later.


I would love to have this breakfast with the delicious blueberry topped fritter item (whatever it was) available at another location minus the photos and princesses for a lower price. If anyone knows of anything like this, let me know. I guess I would really just love to enjoy a relaxing meal in the castle without all the hoopla and pictures $$$ some time.

I'm not really happy about the mandatory picture package. Our picture was not even crisp and clear and I did not feel like waiting around for a retake. Still, eating in the castle is very special and you either pay an arm and a leg and accept their terms, or you don't get to eat in the castle. Disney doesn't have a problem filling those tables, sooooo..... pay dearly we must.

Casey's Hot Dogs and Fries ~ ate here twice. Always a favorite tradition for the first day. Unfortunately, we were not able to "dine" in the bleacher seats, which we always enjoyed in the past. There's just something special about watching all those vintage sports shorts at Casey's. Just too crowded this time. Would I eat here again? You betcha! The staff this year was very nice and friendly too!

Plaza Main Street Ice Cream Parlor ~ Have to have that first cone on Main Street on our first night. It's a tradition. Delicious ice cream as always.

Main St Bakery ~ visited here twice. Had apple turnovers, chocolate muffin, cheese Danish, cinnamon rolls. Yummy bakery, but not quite as sinfully good as France Patisserie, imo. Will definitely return here!

Pinnochios ~ Pizza and drinks - decent pizza. Ate here twice. I am one of those who loves IASW, so being able to watch the ride from the window at Pinnochios was a treat for me (can't say the same for anyone else in my party )
We basically pizza'ed our way through Disney, so this will be a boring dining report, lol. Same type of pizza you find everywhere in Disney. Good enough. Will return to Pinnochios.

Aloha Isle~ "Dole Whip" swirl cone at MK. DD got this and loved it as usual, a tradition.

Sleepy Hollow~ Funnel Cake and Cappuccino Float. I love funnel cakes! I missed out on enjoying them for the past two years, so made sure I got one this year. I was a bit disappointed with it. The top was slightly overdone, which was not a problem, but the bottom was more like solid mushy soft cake, which was weird. It tasted good enough, but I would prefer if it looked like a funnel cake all over, not just on the top.


The Cappuccino float was so yummy! I almost wished I had gotten the Iced Cappucino instead, though, as there was too much ice cream and not enough cappuccino if you are thirsty. I find one funnel cake is far too much for one person. With all the grease, two people can get awfully full too, so I think one funnel cake per 3 people is more than enough. The Cappuccino Float + funnel cake + Spectro Magic is an excellent combination!

Next will be Chef Mickey's, Contempo Cafe

Thanks for reading, Tink

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Chef Mickey's~ Since we were staying at BLT, we decided to try Chef Mickey's character breakfast for the very first time. I heard good things about this breakfast. We did enjoy it. The food was good, not great. I wish things were a little hotter instead of warm. I can't say anything was particularly delicious, but I did not try any of the sweet rolls, nor did I find out about the crepes in time. The pancakes were nothing special which is too bad because I was looking forward to them. The bacon was good. I thought this food at Chef Mickey's was slightly better than the Cape May character breakfast we did last year (and will not be doing again). Will I go back to Chef Mickey's? I'm not sure. Perhaps once is enough. The character interaction was pretty good. I guess I would rather have a more relaxing breakfast. I can see how this would be fun for small children and my grade school aged DGS enjoyed it very much.

I didn't do my research ahead of time, so was not prepared for the extra optional picture fee of 29.99. I could see if the photo was taken with Chef Mickey, lol, but the statue? The person who came to the tables to sell the photos did not tell me I could have this photo put on my photo pass, (at least I think I can), but I should have checked this out ahead of time. She wasn't all that friendly or helpful, but the wait staff at Chef Mickey's was incredibly nice. I had snagged this meal just before our vacation, so just didn't do my homework. Still, we have this cute expensive photo set of our time at Chef Mickey's.

Contempo Cafe~ Since we stayed at BLT, we made numerous trips to the Contempo Cafe. I can't say I am a fan of this place. It is very old and dated, reminds me of all this 70s wood paneling. It is very cafeteria like and I didn't really like the smell there. Not sure what it is. Now even though Chef Mickey's in right next door, it looks and smells a whole lot better, lol.

We mainly went to Contempo to fill our mugs and pick up snacks like chips and bakery. Once we did go there for a meal. DD and I had the cheese flatbread and DGS had the pizza. We used the interactive screen to order, which worked out pretty good. The flat bread was yummy as far as resort flatbreads go. The portions were a good size and we ate the leftovers for breakfast. The kids pizza was ok, but not as good as the regular pizzas we ate all over the world.

I really did not find the selection to be very good here, especially the desserts. I could not find anything I wanted to try there. DD did buy the dulce leche cupcake and liked it. DGS tried the cupcake worms in dirt, took a few bites, decided it was too chocolatey, so we took it back to our room.

If we stay at BLT again, I will most likely avoid the Contempo Cafe and find another place to eat quick meals. I will say the staff was always friendly and helpful there.

Refillable Mugs~
We did get the refill mugs at our resort. This was the first time getting these refillable mugs, even though we have stayed at many other Disney resorts in the past. While it was fun, I do not think we will buy the refillable mugs again in the future. We are not big soda or coffee drinkers. Sometimes we would end up at the Contempo Cafe just to refill our mugs. Also, around 10:30 pm, they start shutting down some of the drinks, like hot chocolate, but there are packets to make your own. While the walk from BLT to Contempo is really not that long, walking it holding more than one full mug can get rather tiresome. DD likes drinking water and I don't like DGS drinking sodas before bedtime, so the whole mug scene is just not for us.

Next up will be
Blizzard Beach, Catalina Eddies, and Pizzafari since they are all very similar.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Blizzard Beach Lotta Watta Lodge ~this is BB's main counter service. Pizza and drinks - decent pizza, the same one served all over Disney. Oh, don't bother searching the condiment section for straws for your drinks while at the water parks like I did, because there are no straws as they are bad for the water filtration system, according to the CM I asked. As always, I bring an empty cup or two to the parks to split the soft drinks among us. I save money doing that and it is less wasteful.

We ate an early lunch (as always) at Blizzard Beach, to avoid lines and to save room later for...........the water park donuts!!! A seemingly unassuming little white shack in Blizzard Beach (and Typhoon Lagoon) houses some of the best darn donuts in all of Disney World (thank you to the kind DISer who clued me into these back in 2007). These babies are fried a crisp golden brown, tossed into a grease proof bag, then heavily saturated in sugar. Too die for!!!! A dozen of these mini donuts will run you 7.00.

Hollywood Studios: Catalina Eddies. Pizza and drinks again. Decent pizza. Ate here twice. It's near TOT in a strip of little counter service shops.

Animal Kingdom~ If you are wondering if we are getting tired of pizza every day, you are right, but Pizzafari is a must do for us cheap eaters. The first year we pizza'ed our way through Disney, we were just so happy that we weren't burgering our way through Disney any longer, that we didn't get tired of pizza that year. I am happy to say I haven't had a Disney burger in three years. That said, I love Pizzafari. It is cool in there, away from the hot sun, and the pictures on the walls are so very bright and colorful, you can't help but smile.

I did make the mistake of ordering the pizza and not telling the girl we did NOT want the salad with the pizza. We ended up paying extra for a Ceasar salad that we did not want. As much as I may be getting tired of pizza, it still hits the spot when you're hungry. DD ordered bread sticks instead of pizza. She said they were just ok. The pizza was better.

tink

 

[MickeyNicki]

Your review and pics of Cindy's breakfast makes me want to try it one day!

 

[VillianinVogue]

Ooo! I'm glad to see a budget friendly dining review! Thanks! subbing...

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Downtown Disney Earl of Sandwich, Ghirardelli,
and.... McDonalds!

DD, DGS, and I stopped at Earl of Sandwich, but DGS was in a "mood" so he did not want anything here. He had his heart set on McD's, so we stopped there after Earls.

This was our first time at E of S and we are now hooked. I have been dreaming of BLT sandwiches ever since I booked the BLT resort. I know some of you understand, . Looking at Earl's menu, the Italian sub sandwich sounded like a tempting offer, but the "Best BLT" won out because of my BLT fixation. According to All Ears, the Best BLT sandwich consisted of Applewood bacon, lettuce, Roma tomatoes and seasoned mayonnaise. It was so delicious! I love the hot toasted sandwiches on their Artesian baked loaf, so very good!

DD (a college student and vegetarian) ordered the Caprese, a veggie sandwich. According to All Ears, this sandwich was made with sliced fresh mozzarella, roma tomatos, fresh basil and drizzled balsamic vinaigrette all on the Artesian baked loaf. DD loved it!

The two sandwiches ~ Best BLT and the Caprese, with one bottled soft drink and DD's vitamin water was 18.32. The sandwiches were 5.95 each. They were the perfect size for us. Big appetites may find them a bit on the small side.

After our food arrived, DGS decided he wanted a soda while we ate at Earls, so it appeared his mood was improving.

I liked eating at Earl of Sandwich. It was clean with an upbeat atmosphere. The order taker wasn't too friendly, but the manager was very nice. She was going up to everyone asking if everyone was enjoying their meals.

After finishing these incredibly yummy sandwiches, we headed over to McD's where DGS ordered a burger and fries to go with the drink he bought at Earls. Let's just say it was a very different atmosphere here than at Earl of Sandwich. Less relaxing, which is to be expected. However, I haven't found any fries on Disney property that are as good as ole McDonalds, lol, so everyone was happy. After the McD's meal, DGS was now in a much better mood, so all went well. Maybe he knew he had to snap out of it since our next stop was the Lego store.

Ghirardelli Ice Cream shop~ Now I never pass up an opportunity for ice cream, especially at Ghirardelli's, but having made the mistake of eating ice cream at the Fountain View in Epcot earlier that day, DGS and I were just to full to indulge. DD didn't have ice cream earlier, so she got a dish of ice cream with whipped cream on top. No toppings... not sure why she ordered it that way. She said it was yummy.

I would definitely stop here again, but one piece of advice? Stop at Allears and copy the Ghirardelli menu before you leave home. Why? I was disappointed when we walked into Ghirardelli's and found quite a menu mess. There at the podium is a unorganized bunch of photo copied papers with no rhyme or reason. There was one small color mini menu as well. It was difficult to figure out what was available, which is another reason I didn't bother to order anything. Very disorganized.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Your review and pics of Cindy's breakfast makes me want to try it one day!

Oh, definitely try eating at the castle! We had lunch here way back in 2002 and the food was delicious back then too. I still think about the Major Domo's pot pie! lol.

Ooo! I'm glad to see a budget friendly dining review! Thanks! subbing...

Yep, that's us, cheap eats all the way. Thanks!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Epcot World Showcase

Boulangerie Patisserie in France~ This is my favorite bakery in all of Disney World. No visit would be complete without a stop (or two, as was the case this year) to the Bakery in France. Last year, we did not get to stop here, so I missed out on my beloved Napoleon, so we made up for it by visiting here twice. Hehe.

As much as I wanted to try something different during our second visit here, I ended up indulging in the Napoleon once again. It is just too darn wonderful to pass up. DGS helped me eat the Napoleon each time, and I think he is becoming a Napoleon fan as well. Napoleon $3.70

DD ordered the cheesecake the first visit and the apple tart the second visit. So delicious! Cheesecake $3.50. Apple Tart $3.85

DGS ordered the apple turnover each time. He said the apple turnovers at the MK bakery may have been bigger, but the ones in France tasted a little better. Apple Turnover $3.85

Sommerfest in Germany~ We were getting hungry, we happen to be enjoying the fun model train in Germany, so decided to stop at the counter service area of Germany. I got the bratwurst and DGS got the frankfurter. DD is a vegetarian and was looking forward to eating at Morocco, so she saved her appetite for later. Both the hot dog and the brat came with saurkraut. The brat was 6.69 and the dog was 6.39. Since I brought an extra cup along, we split a coke. Total was 16.27 for two people. Neither of us cared for these dogs. Casey's has better dogs and my husband makes better brats, so this was a bit disappointing. The saurkraut was good. The best part of this meal was the roll. I also liked eating outdoors here. Nice atmosphere. Would we go here again? Nope.

Tangierine Cafe in Morocco~ DD was very much looking forward to eating in Morocco. DGS and I did not eat any food here, just kept DD company.She had the
Falafel Sandwich $7.95. According to All Ears, this is a Specialty Wrap served with Tangierine CousCous salad and Lentil salad. DD said this was pretty good, not totally great. She said she would eat here again.

I would like to add that it was very hot inside the Tangierine Cafe. Some of the order takers looked like the heat was really getting to them. Guests chose to eat outside (in the heat and sun) to avoid the stuffiness and heat inside the cafe. It would be nice if Disney would cool that place off.


Epcot Future World - Fountainview Cafe
It's hard to believe after all the years of going to Disney, I had never stopped at the Fountainview Icecream parlor. To make up for that oversight, we stopped here twice.

Would we go again? Yes, most likely.

The first visit here, DD and I got hot fudge sundaes. DGS got a cone. The sundaes were good enough, but they sure were skimpy on the hot fudge. I am fussy about my desserts... lol. It was as if they didn't pour the hot fudge over the ice cream at all. I had to hunt for it and there wasn't much there when I found it. DD, who ordered her sundae about a half hour after I ordered mine, had the same experience. After that, we stuck to ice cream cones and were pleased.

You have a nice view of the Epcot fountain or, as DGS discovered on our second visit, a nice view of a television showing vintage Disney cartoons. Now I was trying to keep DGS away from TV, but since Bay Lake Tower does not have the vintage Disney cartoons DGS loves, on their TVs, I let DGS watch these cartoons, rather than making him go outdoors and watch the fountain like we did the last time.

Later that day, on the way back from Soarin', we went through the hallways next to the washroom area that is connected to the Fountain View and there was such an awful smell, like a sewer or something, that it killed any desire to eat at the Fountainview again any more during this trip. I hope they get that taken care of.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Along with the fast food meals we enjoyed, we also purchased other items like the bagged cotton candy (yummy!), chocolate candy bars from Italy (m-m-m!), and those rich and delicious Hachez candy bars in silver gray wrappers in Germany (best chocolate!).

I'll just end this dining review with two pics I took on Main Street.

I simply adore fake food, so didn't miss this opportunity to capture the faux cookies on display.

The display below is a lot cuter than the photo shows.

I am pretty sure our next trip, whenever that will be, will once again include all the little pizza places. There is a pizza place near Test Track that closes early, so we didn't get to go to that one this year, lol. As long as there are cheap little pizza vendors in all the parks, we will continue to pizza our way through Disney.

For our next trip, I would like to eat at the castle again. I would also like to try CP for the first time. Well, I will have fun making lists of all the wonderful restaurants and eateries we would like to cover next time around, based on what we read here on the DIS.

This concludes my cheap eats report. I hope someone found it helpful in some way.
Thank you!
tink

 

[VillianinVogue]

I loved your review! Thank you so much! I never really wanted to go to CRT for breakfast (just for lunch and dinner), but your pics and review convinced us they it is a must do for next trip. Thanks!

 

[Haley]

Great reviews op!!

Have you had the pizza at Pizza Planet at HS?

They have my favorite pizza EVER-- the veggie pizza. I don't know why but I love it and I'm craving it right now.

 

[natalielongstaff]

yummy reviews, you ate at some great places xx

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I loved your review! Thank you so much! I never really wanted to go to CRT for breakfast (just for lunch and dinner), but your pics and review convinced us they it is a must do for next trip. Thanks!

Thank you! I hope you are able to snag the CRT breakfast. I still think about that blueberry fritter bakery item. So yummy!

Great reviews op!!
Have you had the pizza at Pizza Planet at HS?
They have my favorite pizza EVER-- the veggie pizza. I don't know why but I love it and I'm craving it right now.

Thank you! Actually, Pizza Planet at HS was our very first pizza that led to the cheap eats pizza addiction a couple years ago. I looked forward to going back there, but when we made the trek over late one night, it had already closed. We learned quick this year that if you want pizza, don't wait til well after dinner hours to get one. Things close up. Of course, the resort food courts will still have them available later than some of the parks, in our experience.

yummy reviews, you ate at some great places xx

Thank you! We were pretty satisfied with all our choices.

 

[coloneltaylor]

Thanks so much for your information. We are going during free dining but not doing dining plan because we used another discount for our room. Also can not get any ADR's so will be eating in our villa alot and doing counter service. You gave me some great ideas and options to try!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Thanks so much for your information. We are going during free dining but not doing dining plan because we used another discount for our room. Also can not get any ADR's so will be eating in our villa alot and doing counter service. You gave me some great ideas and options to try!

You can also check out those ADRs online on the Disney site if you want to eat someplace special. Cancellations pop up all the time. But it's nice to know we have our pizza for cheap eats all over the world.


We also bought a loaf of bread from CR's market and brought peanut butter from home for some quick cheap eats.

 

[amv1605]

Now as an Annual Passholder -- I plan on using the Tables of Wonderland card instead of the Meal Plan, so its nice to know some cheaper options ... Except for Cinderella's Castle that is! That is obviously NOT a cheap option, but completely worth it for once a year! I too have not forgotten the BlueBerry Crepes or the Potato Mixture from August of last year, which was our 1st time eating at the Castle ... We got ADR's there for our 1st morning in Disney before the park opened and I got them the Day Before off of a Cancellation! I called everyday for what seemed like 90 + days trying to get this for My DD --- Who thinks She is going to be the "Real Cinderella" one day -- That was her first ever trip down and It was so special to walk into MK that was almost completely empty that morning before it opened for her to "Take it All In" ... In her Cinderella gown and all!