DDP not for me, we're going PREMIUM!

[amcjeep4life]

Diner this evening was at Boma. We were supposed to head to MK for Wishes, but it started raining during dinner, then the thunder and lightning came, so we took a vote and decided to hang out at the resort and play. So, having ADRs at Boma was a big plus, since we didn't have to go anywhere in the rain! Yea!

I have to say, I know tons of people say that Boma is the best place ever, and they love it. I think the food was very good, if a bit different. Would I go out of my way to come here if I wasn't staying here? Honestly, probably not (And in the immortal words of Johnny Storm "Flame on!" ). Don't get me wrong, I thought everything was good, except for a few items that I tried just to be brave. But I'm not sure I would venture an hour out of my way from another resort to come here again. I guess it's a good thing I plan to go to AKL for any future trips!

I found that the bacon potato chowder was awesome, proabably one of the best I've ever had. Now the mulligatawny, which I should have known better than to try, was nasty. I asked one of the chefs what was in it. And BTW, I think it's so neat that the chefs are right there to ask questions! Way cool! Any way, his response of "chicken and apples in a creamy curry sauce" should have scared me off right then. but he went on and on about how good it was, and that I just HAD to try it, so I did. And then I made everyone at the table try it , and we all agreed, total ICK. Actually went back for the bacon potato soup to get the taste out of my mouth. I know everyone has their own taste, but that was definitely not one of mine. I don't generally like the smell of curry, so I should have known better. the only thing I can say in my defense is that I took a very small portion, and tried it. Better than saying "ICK" and just walking away. But otherwise, everything was good, especially the prime rib with herb crust, the coca cola pork loin, and the potatoes with affritude. The girls ate some chicken nuggetts and said they were really good, and the fries were crispy despite being on a buffet, which impressed me. I knew it was going to be harder to get the grils to try new stuff here. Emma liked the potatoes and the prime rib. Sam thought the potatoes tasted funny. I think the cinnamon weirded her out, as it gives them that sweet flavor.

Now onto dessert. Since I still have my flame suit on, I will say, what is all the rave about those zebra domes? They were OK, but I wouldn't go back for them. Honestly, I'd probably skip them the next time around. And I even made everyone try one and the general consensus was that they were just OK. Personally, I thought the coconut tiramisu was to die for, and the girls liked the bowl of chocolate mousse way better than the mousse in the Zebra domes. They also had some pieces of what I thought was a type of cheesecake, but turned out to be more gelatin-like and really had no taste. That was really the only really bad dessert there, but the zebra domes just didn't do it for me. I would love to take the culinary tour one day, and then eat there that night. I think that would be cool, but at least with the chefs cooking right there you can ask questions. That made it really good, since the food is a bit different if you aren't prepared.

Our server tonite was tons better than our server for breakfast yesterday. SHe was right on top of refills and cleaning plates away. She was a bit chattier than some of the other buffet servers, and that really made it nice. And the place was pretty busy, it's not like she was slow so had time to chat. Overall, I liked the place. But like I said, would I go back if I wasn't staying there........... I just don't know.

Food: minus one for the kids perspective. They thought the food was too weird.
Service:
Yo-yo factor: if I were staying at AKL, but if I was staying some place else

Total cost: $129.43

 

[amcjeep4life]

Breakfast today was at CRT. When we booked the trip, I was fairly new to the whole Disney experience. I was told that I could book my ADRs at 180 days, and was given a date. But, since we stayed concierge, I was also told to submit a list of times and places and they would take care of it. So, the DH and I cruised the net, looking at menus and getting an idea of where we wnated to eat. I asked the girls if there was anyplace in particular they wanted to go, and Emma said she wanted to have tea with Cinderella in the castle. Needless to say, i found tea, but not with Cindy or in her castle. So I decided breakfast would be the next best thing. The DH was cool, said, "I hope Ariel is there in her sea-shells" (He's such a pig!) So, we got our list together and sent it off. My ADRs were made at 180 days and we were happy. Then I happened to ask a question about Cirque, since we had tickets there, and was told that they were off the week we would be there, but that WDW would give us some bucks back to make up for it. Make up for missing Cirque? Never! We have seen 5 different Cirque shows, and weren't going to miss this one. I immediately e-mailed the concierge, and asked to move the trip up one whole week, and could they just rebook the same ADRs, but a week earlier. OK, no problem, Cirque saved! Some of the times got moved a bit, but I didn't think anything of it. Then, I realized that CRT is like supposed to be impossible to get if you don't call right at 180 days, and here I was at about 160 and got it with no problems. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that we were there during the slow season, but I still think it's funny that the guide books tell you just how to get the ADRs, and that people plan their whole trip around it. Whatever. Is eating in the castle worth it? I thought so, but then again, I didn't have to trade 2 TS credits for my breakfast. All I know is that my niece still talks about it, and how her best friend was so jealous, because they have been going to WDW every year for the past 6 years and she's never got to eat in the castle. So, I personally think that made the whole trip worthwhile for my niece. And honestly, the food wasn't bad either.

When you are seated, every girl gets a wishing wand, and the boys get swords. Even Sam, at 12 was offered one, and took it too! I know she was trying to be so mature and cool, but the look in her eyes when she held that wand was priceless! You need to make sure to plan were everyone is sitting, since you will want to take pictures. We somehow mananged to get ourselves with the girls backs to the windows, so all the pictures were very dark. Thank goodness for digital, sicne I saw right away, and then we were able to ask the Princesses to sort of scoot over a bit and keep the sun behind the camera. But just think about where you are sitting when picture time comes. If we had a regular film camera, we wouldn't have the nice pictures, since we may not have realized the problem.

The server will ask if you want the hot or cold plate. The cold plate involves yogurt and granola and other healthy things, which was a definite no at our table. The hot plate had bacon, eggs, sausage, hashbrown casserols, and french toast. It is brought out pre-plated, but you can ask for more of anything you like. They have some fresh fruit on the table, along with a basket of pastries. All the pastries were good, except for what i think was like gingerbread biscotti, maybe? It was bland and really didn't have any flavor, no one liked it. We pretty much ate everything else on the table waiting for our meal. Just after we got our meals, which involved maybe a 10 minute wait, they announced that all the princesses would be coming out. I gave the Dh the camera to get pictures of them all standing there, since they were sort of behind me. When I looked through the pictures, he had pictures of Jasmine, but no one else! I guess since Ariel wasn't there, he picked the next less-dressed Princess to gape at! I say again, what a pig! So, we kept eating, and getting pictures and autographs from the Princesses. If you come here expecting to eat a peaceful meal, give up. Between the kids screaming that they wanted Cindy, or Belle, or whoever to come to them NOW! and the Princesses coming to the table, nothing was warm when we ate. It came out warm, since my first bite of hashbrown casserole just about burned my tongue, but until you actually get to eat without interruption it is definitely not warm anymore. But that is OK, since the reason you are there is the Princesses. We saw Cindy downstairs, and then Jasmine, who wiped my Dh's drool from her, Belle, Aurora, and the Fairy Godmother. Belle was awesome, and chatted the girls right up. She asked where we were from, and what kind of books the girls read, and even asked me some questions too. Now, B&tB is one of my all time favorite movies, so I admit even I was a bit atwitter at meeting Belle. I wish I had asked the DH to take my picture with her too, but I never even thought of it. Oh well, she was definitely one of the best characters we meet all week. But back to the food. It was all very tasty, just not really warm anymore by the time you get to it. The bacon was crisp as always, and the sausage wasn't bad, big fat links rather than scrawny little links. The french toast tastes like it is deepfried, and then served with this blueberry sauce. I really liked it. The eggs are eggs, scrambled and good. The hashbrown casserole was awesome, easily my favorite part of the meal. It was cheesy and had a crumb topping that was nice and crispy. All I know is, by the time we left, everyone had cleaned their plates, but no one had seconds. I think the girls were too excited by the Princesses to really eat, and I just wanted to get moving to somewhere where there were less screaming kids! The server was nice, but rushed. She explained the way things worked, got us our sodas, and was off. She did come back to get us another soda, told us the Princesses were coming out, and asked if we wanted anything else, so I give her credit. She was handling a bunch of tables and still got back to us 3 different times. Just not chatty. Which is OK, I had enough problems eating with the chatty Princesses without having to fit a chatty server in there! Overall, I thought it was a very nice meal, and the girls really enjoyed it.

Food:
Service:
Yo-yo factor: Yes, definitely for the kids experience, but I probably wouldn't go as an adult without kids. Especially since I did make it there once. Once may be enough.

Total cost: $152.83

 

[Angelrose]

Thanks for the update. I've been thinking of going to CRT for breakfast. Our son is all grown up and married, but I think I would like to see all the Princesses there all together.

 

[JPoppins]

I can't believe you changed your whole vacation by a week for Cirque! Is it really that good? I have never seen one live - saw one once on TV many, many years ago but that's it. We have our reservations ready to go and I am really looking forward to it.

Did the concierge handle that charge by the SeaRacer rentals? Was it taken off? We are also doing the Sunrise Safari and then going to go Parasailing and rent the SeaRacers and I want to be prepared just in case

 

[amcjeep4life]

JPoppins;

You are so lucky! You will be there over my birthday! And yes, the front desk actually took care of removing it, and was very apologetic for the attitude of the girl at the boats. He was on the phone with her superviser while I was there, and he also extended his apologies. I felt it was handled very well. And honestly, she was the only one, every where else we went was very understanding. And the sad thing is that when we checked in at the boats, the guy knew exactly what was going on, but when we got back, he had left and the new girl had no idea! But it only took about 5 minutes to clear it up, so it wasn't a biggie. Have an awesome trip, and think of me on the 17th! Yea right!

And yes, I was willing to change the vaction by that week for Cirque. I have seen them all on TV, except for La Nouba of course, and it just can't compare to seeing them live. And I am so glad we did, because the girls, who have never even seen one on TV, were absolutely awestruck and completely silent for the whole show. Sam said it was the best part of the whole trip. And she is now looking for them on TV! They are bringing one to our area in April, and we may have to take both girls again. I may have created monsters! If you get a chance, go see it! It is a nice, quiet night, since there really aren't many kids at it. Many people were dressed up very fancy, and we enjoyed our dinner at Raglan Road beforehand. Super high reccommendation from me! We are actually considering a trip to Vegas just to see the shows out there! How sad am I? Again, congrats on your nuptials! Have an awesome trip, and enjoy yourselves!!

 

[amcjeep4life]

We spent about 1/2 the day at the MK today, and were going to be there again tomorrow, so we decided to head out to Epcot around lunch. We went to see Illuminations, since today was a MNSSHP and the MK was closing a bit early. The Electric Umbrella, which proved to be a bit difficult for us to find , had a very nice selection. I wanted to head to Sunshine Seasons, but was outvoted. So, after getting lost in Innoventions (don't ask! ) we headed in to the Electric Umbrella.

Emma: had Sprite
Chicken Strips meal w/ fries Again, 3 nice big pieces, crispy and hot! Fries were crisp and salty. Ate it all!

Sam, DH, and me: (Coke, Coke, and Iced Tea)
Bacon Double cheeseburgers w/ fries These were OK. The bacon was a nice addition. Sam ate about 2/3, I ate about 3/4, and Bill ate the whole thing. The fries were really good, salty and crisp. I really hate mushy fries. These again seemed to have some sort of batter on them, like the ones at BB.

we all had Cheesecake with Strawberries for dessert. The only other option as I recall was carrot cake, and cheesecake is no competition. The sauce, which had surprisingly large pieces of strawberries in it, came on the side, so you could add as much or as little as you liked. Needless to say, we all finished this!

The other cool thing was that the drinks were self-serve, so after we finished our first, we all went up and got about half a cup again to carry around. It was a bit tough to find a seat, but we send out Emma and Sam as scouts, then Sam comes back to help carry and tell us where they are. Usually the DH heads out to get napkins and condiments, while Sam and I carry to the table. It works pretty well, even if it means we are sending the 10 y/o to save a table, which I know is often frowned upon here at the DIS. But tough canookies. It makes it easier for us with the girls. We usually don't bother if it's just the 2 of us, but with kids it is definitely easier to have someone waiting.

Food: again, for QS it was really good. And I am not comparing it to TS restaurants, so don't think the food here was as good as CRT. But copmpared to other QS, it was good.
Service: The girl who took my order was probably one of the nicest QS CM's I met the whole trip., She smiled, and asked how we were enjoying our trip. She was actually NICE!

Yo-yo factor: I'd still lke to try Sunshine Seasons, but wouldn't pass this place by given the opportunity to eat here again.

Total cost: $54.94

 

[JPoppins]

... and think of me on the 17th! Yea right!

Actually, I will be thinking of you on the 17th! That is the day we are parasailing and renting the SeaRacers!! So when I am up at the front desk I will be thinking "I hope we don't get the same girl as amcjeep4life, and hey, I hope she's having an awesome birthday!!"

And guess what, the night we are seeing Cirque we are having dinner at Raglan Road too

We are going to the 9:00pm Cirque show and our dinner ADR is 7:00pm.

I have to go back and read your last post now

 

[SkyGirl]

Subscribing.

I really enjoy your style of writing. Thanks for sharing.

 

[OKW Mom]

We were recently lucky enough to stay at the AKL for 6 glorious nights! We were there from 9-16 to 9-22, and chose to stay on the premium plan. The premium plan entitles you to 3 meals for each night of your stay. All meals use one credit, including CRT and the dinner shows. It was expensive, but after adding all the goodies we enjoyed, and the cost of our meals, we came out just short of calling it even. Oh well. One more round of mini-golf would have put us at just even, or even another 30 minutes on those stupid Sea-raycers. We all had a blast, and I would definitely do it again. This was my nieces first trip, and our second. We were last there in 2000, so I don't consider myself a regular visitor, although now we want to go back. We had a cruise planned as next year's vaction, but the DH and I are considering a trip to the world, just us! We'll have to see!

Anyway, on to what you are really here for, the food! We did quite a few TS places, but had lunch at several CS places, just to make up some time. I was very impressed with the food (mostly), the service (mostly), and the time we waited at each meal. When I found out we were going during free dining, I was a bit worried. But, we held straight to our course and were extremely happy. On to Day 1!

We are looking forward to going back to Narcoosie's and that took 2 credits on the 07' DDP.

We ate at Narcoosie's , Cinderella's Castle , Germany's Beirgarten (too late for show! ), Maya Grill (never again ).

We want the extra benefits of the Deluxe plan if the price is worth it.

 

[DLo]

Great reviews. I like your rating system - too cute.

 

[Tink rules]

Great reviews!!!

Thanks for reviewing the Premium for us... I did the old deluxe plan and loved it even though my mom thought it was too much food for her... and Cirque wasn't around then...

So... how about a family picture????