Deluxe Dining Review coming right up! (some pics)

[danielle.st]

We were in WDW from 4/21-4/27. This was our 2nd time on deluxe dining, the first time being in a December trip. Much different experience with all that food and a huge difference in weather!
I took some photos, mostly of things I have't seen here on the Dis.
Our plans were:
Pop dinner
H&V breakfast
50's lunch
MM dinner
1900 PF breakfast
LTT lunch
CP dinner
Pop breakfast
WPC lunch
TH dinner
CM breakfast
Biergarten lunch
GG dinner
CP breakfast
Plaza lunch
CRT dinner
Pop breakfast

We mostly stuck with our plan because we didn't want to give much up We did cancel the Mama Melrose dinner and the WPC lunch while there.

Our cast:
My dh who likes simple foods, especially chicken and turkey, potatoes, etc. Not a big sweet eater
dd9 likes almost everything and loves to try new things
dd6 is super picky. dislikes most breakfast foods, prefers grilled cheese and pizza to almost anything else.
me: mostly vegetarian although don't mind if there is bacon or sausage mixed into something (especially in breakfast foods). Not vegetarian on moral grounds, just really dislike the taste of most meats and prefer non meat dishes.
I'll get started more when I have a few pics loaded into photobucket.

 

[danielle.st]

I'll do Pop pics at the end since we ate there more than once and there were some things chosen more than once, etc.

Lets' go right to our first full park day. We went to Hollywood Studios. It was a lovely day We just missed the 7:15 bus going from Pop to DHS but only had to wait about 10-15 minutes for the next (I think it was closer to 10). We got to DHS in plenty of time. We waiting in line until someone from H&V came out to make sure we had a reservation. Our name was at the top of her list We went with a small crowd of people who had ADR's for the 8ish time period. We checking in and were maybe the 3rd family brought in. It was very, very fast. We had a nice, friendly server. He got us juice and chocolate milk (for dd6) and we went up for food. There was not as big a selection as other breakfast buffets we would see later and it looked even smaller since it was only on one side. Still, we found plenty to eat here. I snapped a couple of food pics:

the pineapple was great. Loved the cheesy potatoes and enjoyed the egg dishes. Loved the strawberry sauce for the Mickey waffle too.

one of my girls plates. She liked the eggs and bacon, loved the cheesy potatoes, enjoyed the yogurt, disliked the raisin bread (I don't think she'd ever had it before).

It was all fresh and tasted good dh was surprised they only had one toaster and double checked. The guy behind the line (cook, food runner? I don't know) confirmed there was only one and dh said he was surprised since a lot of people liked to toast things and one didn't seem to be enough. The guy said he'd get out another and he apparently did, dh was able to have a toasted bagel and was pleased I had sucked up my oj and really wanted a water (too much oj in the morning is too sweet for me) and was starting to get annoyed that the server hadn't been back to ask if we wanted refills when he appeared with two new full glasses of oj. I stopped being annoyed quickly, since he did notice we were empty, although both dh and I said we couldn't drink more oj (before he placed it on the table) and didn't want to waste it and we asked for water. He brought it right out.
We saw all of the characters a couple of times. They were all friendly and excellent as they were our last visit. A couple of character pics:

next up: a couple of snacks and 50's PT lunch

 

[beautyqueen]

Yay, can't wait to read more!

 

[mandibc11]

Sounds like you had a lot of great meals! Count me in

 

[vinotinto]

In! In! In! Since we're also booked with the deluxe dining plan and have two kids, I love to read DxDP reports, especially from those with kids!

I keep reading that 3 table meals per day is too much, but my kids eat small portions and do eat 3 meals a day, so definitely looking forward to your reviews since I see that you vventured into the world of 3 TS meals on multiple days!

edit: I must have been so excited about report, because my previous sentence made no sense, so I'm editing.

 

[danielle.st]

In! In! In! Since we're also booked with the deluxe dining plan and have two kids, I love to read DxDP reports, especially from those with kids!

I keep reading that 3 table meals per day is too much, but my kids eat small portions and do eat 3 meals a day, so definitely looking forward to your reviews since I see that you vventured into the world of 3 TS meals on multiple days!

edit: I must have been so excited about report, because my previous sentence made no sense, so I'm editing.

It was more a problem (the too much food) for dh and me. The girls didn't care how much they left, lol. I know we would do 3 meals a day, no matter how we paid. I loved going to all of the restaurants. But I guess I am getting ahead of myself here I should save that until the end!

 

[danielle.st]

We went to 50's PT for lunch. This was mostly my dh's request and the girls were in favor since last time even they were allowed to order milkshakes as their beverages.
We had a 12:35 ADR. We walked in about a minute early and my heart sank. The waiting area was wall to wall people and many looked like they had been waiting awhile (just basing this opinion on their body language and bored looking facial expressions). I thought for sure we were in for a long wait. But that was not so! Just a couple of minutes after checking in, our name was called! We were seated at a table with a tv, which we liked There was a birthday being celebrated in our room (Happy Birthday Rufus!). Our waited intriduced himself (I forget his name, I am terrible with those) and explained that the adults could get milkshakes, malts or floats as their beverage on the dining plan, but the kids could only get milk, juice or pop. Rats. I had been planning on a float, but knew the girls wanted milkshakes, so dh and I each got a chocolate milkshake and asked for an extra glass so we could share with them. He was kind of surprised we didn't also want to order something else for them since it was included, but it seemed a waste since we knew they only wanted the milkshakes anyway. After he left to get our shakes and as we contemplated our menus, we were handed a birthday card to sign for Rufus. I signed for all of us, that was a neat little thing
Our waited came back and the milkshakes were huge. We each had a full glass and there was enough in the metal mixer thingies for us each to have another fill. Yes, we drank every drop, they were yummy! I like them much better than the PB&J that everyone else loves so much.
For appetizers, dh and I ordered onion rings. dd9 definitely wanted us to get them and they are one of the few things on the menu dh likes. I like them too, but if it had been my choice and I wasn't sharing, I'd have ordered the crab cake. It's better I didn't though because no one would have shared and I'd have tried to eat the whole thing myself :O
For entrees, dh got the chicken sandwich and fries. He asked for no cheese and later it was brought out with cheese. He spoke right up and the waiter called him a brat, lol. Still, he took it back and fixed it and when he came back he admitted it was his mistake. We enjoyed the name calling
I got the new vegetarian dish. Uncle Dana's Artichoke and Ricotta Agnolotti. It was excellent. I ate every bite. The tomoto broth had nice flavor (not bland or anything) and there was little pasta bits kind of pasta and what tasted like cheese ravioli. A bit of squash and mushrooms... I loved it. I was completely happy with my choice
dd9 got salad (it was ok), macaroni and cheese (she said it was good) and I think fruit salad (she enjoyed it, melon and grapes).
dd6... looked at the menu and declared there was nothing she'd eat. I said how about a hot dog? She said I could order it if I wanted but she wasn't going to eat it. I asked what she'd been hoping for and she said grilled cheese. So when the waiter came back I asked it if was possible for her to have grilled cheese and fries? He said it was. She could also have had an appetizer, but she wouldn't have eaten one so we skipped it. She ended up skipping dessert too since she was too full. She enjoyed her lunch, I was grateful they were willing to make her something that wasn't on the menu.
Oh, and I forgot to mention mine and dh's desserts. He didn't get one. He was too full from everything else and the milkshake was already plenty dessert like for him. I got the smores because the girls had absolutely insisted they wanted to try them. Ariel ate one bite, Audret ate one marshmellow. I ate a few more bites but I couldn't finish it.
We left 50's about an hour after checking in. We were stuffed to the gills and ended up cancelling our Mama Melrose dinner. I know I could have made it, but no one else was willing. drat. They are such wimps
Instead of MM, about 6:30 dh got a powerade, dd9 got a Itzakadoozie and dd6 got an ice cream bar. I looked around hoping someone offered a float, but no one did so I skipped that snack. Later, after DHS closed and we went back to our hotel, we each got a snack from the foodcourt. dh got apple clices, I got carrots and celery with dip (and shared, it was yummy and refreshing!), dd9 got an orange and dd6 got... a chocolate cake. It was all we needed until the next day.
A few photos...

 

[vettegirl]

Loving the reviews so far!

 

[danielle.st]

We had done dinner here before and while we enjoyed the characters, I disliked our seat (this little room on the side and out of the action) and the food was just ok. My dd9 desperately wanted to see Mary Poppins, so we decided to give breakfast a try.
Our ADR was for 8 am. We got there about 15 minutes early and there was a massive line. I had assumed, like Chef Mickey and Cape May Cafe, that it opened at 7:30, but I was wrong. Guess I should have looked ahead of time! Anyway, first we got in line to check in. After that, we could have gotten in line to have our photo taken in front of a wall with a painted scenery, but we knew we wouldn't buy it so we said we'd skip that. We then got into another line to wait to be seated. Once they did the opening ceremony with the 1st family of the day, we got in very quickly. As they began walking us through the room, my heart dropped because we seemed to be heading for the same little room off to the side. I closed my eyes tightly and whispered a couple of times "not that side room, not that side room" and it must have worked! lol. We were seated in the main room, a couple of tables away from the dreaded side room. Whew! There were no characters coming around yet, so we had time to get food. Dh took off for the buffet tables befor ethe waitress even made it over to take our drink orders, he must have been hungry. I ordered drinks for all of us and told the waitress none of us would be drinking coffee. This part is important only because the carafe and 4 cups/saucers were not removed from the table. The table was a bit small, so it was actually kind of annoying. I did eventually ask for them to be removed, but I was surprised that I had to. My dh and I never drink coffee and those things are always removed right away in restaurants. Anyway, just a little thing, but that's what a review is for, right?
The food was just ok, IMO. I tried the lobster eggs benedict and it was just ok. Kind of dry. The bisuits and eggs were very dry and the sauce wasn't enough to undry them, if that makes sense. Also, I didn't notice any lobster chunks or anything. I've never had it before though, so maybe it was just what it's supposed to taste like?
The little potatoes looked so good. You could see the spices and I expected to really enjoy them because I love anything potatoey (or, let's be honest, almost any carb, lol). Unfortunately, they seemed a bit under done and overly spicey. bummer. The fruits were great. The bread pudding was nice. The strawberry soup remains the best part of any 1900 Park Fare meal. Soooo good.
dd6 had a piece of french toast, bacon, sauce and some toppings that were supposed to have gone on yogurt (she only likes vanilla yogurt and no one had it all week). She tried and disliked the potatoes as well. She swiped a few grapes from one of us.
I don't remember all that dd9 had, but there is a pic of the breakfast pizza. She said it was ok but not as good as the breakfast pizza at Pop (which she loves).
The characters were great. dd9 loved meeting Mary Poppins and was completely happy. First Pooh and Tigger came out, then when they were done or about done with the room, Mary Poppins and then Alice and the Mad Hatter came out.
Would we go back? I don't know. If we did deluxe again and if one of the girls desperately wanted to see Mary Poppins again, probably. Otherwise, we'd skip 1900 Park Fare altogether. It wasn't horribly inedible or anything, just ok. For character breakfast buffets, IMO Crystal Palace and Cape May Cafe are both much, much better... and they are cheaper than this one.
Some pics:

 

[vettegirl]

I would love to try that strawberry soup. I have the recipe to make it, just don't want a whole batch of it.

 

[vinotinto]

I got the new vegetarian dish. Uncle Dana's Artichoke and Ricotta Agnolotti. It was excellent. I ate every bite. The tomoto broth had nice flavor (not bland or anything) and there was little pasta bits kind of pasta and what tasted like cheese ravioli. A bit of squash and mushrooms... I loved it.

That sounds delish! I booked an ADR at 50's at my DH's request. I'm not sure how my kids will react to the 'activities.'

We also have ADRs at 1900 at 8 am. I had been reading good reviews about this breakfast, but recently they have been very lukewarm - dry/stale breads, etc. Seems it has slipped up a bit. I was pretty sure I was keeping this ADR, but now I'm not so sure.

Finally, we also have ADRs at H&V for 8:05. My kids like the einsteins. I am close to cancelling this one, but the reviews recently have been good and Manny's now coming. So, maybe I'll keep it!

 

[triciari]

We'll be doing the deluxe plan in November with our 7, 5 and almost 3 year old. Can't wait to read more!

-Tricia

 

[DoryDorito]

Danielle those are great pics. We had dinner last Dec at 1900 park fair and really enjoyed every minute of it. I'll keep checking back for reviews.

Jenny

 

[dancin Disney style]

I'm in.....keep the review comin'

 

[danielle.st]

This one I was really looking forward to. We had eaten there for dinner when it was a character dinner and it was just ok to me, only worth it for the characters really. I like more options than the fixed menu presented.
Our ADR was for 12:00 and we got there just before it. It wasn't super crowded inside, but not empty either. I was disappointed that the outside was being refurbished and had a big screen covering everything except the door. Still, once we got inside it wasn't noticeable. It was dark and cool and I enjoy the atmosphere. While dh checked us in and dd9 colored at a table in the foyer area, dd6 and I ran up to the bathroom. I was shocked when we walked out a couple minutes later and got downstairs just in time to hear our name called. I had been sure it would take awhile!
We ordered drinks first. dd9 and I got the pomegranete lemonade. It was ok, I don't think I'm a huge pomegranete fan. I didn't hate it though. dh tried mine and thought it tasted like cold medicine, lol. dd6 got either chocolate milk or soda, I just can't remember. Whatever she got was eclipsed by my poor dh just trying to order a water. Perrier or Evian? Like we are fancy people and know? lol dh said, just water! The waiter said one has bubbles and the other does not, dh ended up with the one with no bubbles. It was just so funny because it really showed how unsophisticaed we are.
dh skipped an appetizer. He'd have gotten salad but he only really likes Thousand Island or Italian dressings and neither are offered. I got the Tavern Fried Cheese and it was really good. At least the little I got to have of it. The girls ate most of it, lol.
For entrees, dd9 got the kids turkey dinner. It was really good, she enjoyed it. dd6 got the kids pizza. She enjoed it, but I didn't think it looked very good. Pop's pizza looked way better. She also had carrots and celery with dressing, which I knew she wouldn't eat. I figured dd9 and I would snack on it but the dressing was horrid. Neither of us are picky about dressings, but this was yucky.
dh got the adult turkey dinner meal and liked it. I got the vegetarian pot pie and thought it was really good. Just they gave way, way too much. I ate most of the bisuity thing on top but could only eat about 1/3 of the bean part. Maybe if I hadn't been saving room for dessert I would have eaten more.
For dessert, I know dd6 and dh skipped, dd9 got the fruit cup since she planned on sharing with me. They had a few bites of my brownie sundae. It was really good. I'd have gone for the ooey gooey toffee cake, but it sounded too sweet when I was so full and I knew dd6 and dh wouldn't have helped with it.
I would definitely go back here. The only drawbacks were that it was a slightly longer meal than many (about 1hr 10 minutes, if I remember right) and dd6's pizza with carrots/celery wasn't as good as the other items on the menu.

 

[MousekaMaddi]

thx for sharing!

 

[danielle.st]

Danielle those are great pics. We had dinner last Dec at 1900 park fair and really enjoyed every minute of it. I'll keep checking back for reviews.

Jenny

We probably would have liked dinner more if we'd been in the main dining room. Where we were at dinner, we couldn't see any of the dancing or anything. We liked our breakfast location better and it wasn't horrible food, just not as good as I was hoping for.

 

[KarBear]

Looks great - can't wait for more!
And tell your DH I can understand only wanting Thousand Island dressing - it's the best!

 

[danielle.st]

We had a hard time deciding between trying the Crystal Palace dinner and just staying with the breakfast we already knew we loved. So we decided to go to CP for both during the trip!
Our dinner ADR was for 4:40, which was a little too early after a huge lunch but I had tried and tried to move it to a later time over the last 6 months and it wasn't happening. We went and checked in on time and I figured we'd have to wait a bit longer than we had been (as CP is more popular than many we went to already). I was right, it did take about 15 minutes We had fun taking a few pics from the porch with Cinderella's Castle behind us while we waited.
We went in and were seated and our waitress came over to take drink orders. My dh noticed she was from Rochester, NY (we are from that area too!) and commented. She told us her story of coming to Disney. She said 17 years ago she came for vacation and told her family they were moving here, and they did! lol. She said over the years she worked in other areas, specifically mentioning resorts. Her dh used to work for Disney too, and at least one (maybe both? can't remember) of her kids worked there at various times as teens. She then mentioned that one of the other servers was from Buffalo (like my dh) and then they started chatting about hockey. They lost me there and I went up for food. It was excellent. I don't remember everything I ate and unfortunately, realized that my camera memory was almost out so I was afraid to use it too much and not have any left for characters. I do remember loving the fresh veggies (the tomatos were sooooo good) and all of the pastas were excellent. I'm pretty sure there were fruits. I know I had desserts, dd9 and I tried a little bit of every one, lol.
I have one food pic and a few characters and ambiance ones as well.
This was a place I would definitely come back to again for dinner.

 

[danielle.st]

Our plan this day was Pop for breakfast, WPC for lunch and then Tusker House for dinner.
After breakfast, we went to DTD, spent our souvenier money, and then decided to avoid the DTD crowd that was building and go back to Pop for lunch before heading to AK. I'll describe the Pop meals all in one post with other Pop meals later in the review (not this post).
So dinner at Tusker House. We had eaten there for breakfast and enjoyed it last time. This time, the kids were very disappointed that there were no characters (even though I told them over and over there would not be... they didn't believe me until they saw for themselves, lol). Our ADR was for 5:45 and we checked in and were immediately seated. The park closed at 6pm that day, but the food was still yummy! There were not a lot of people in there at that time, so getting to eat was easy, peasy. I remember having a lot of pasta type dishes. Orzo, cous cous, pasta salad, hummus, plus fresh fruits. It was great! I also hit the dessert area pretty hard. The only one I remember well was a little chocolate thing with a chocolatey straw piece on top. Unfortunately, I don't have pics because I didn't have my own camera and frankly, just felt like eating without messing with the girls cameras Sorry!
My only slight disappointment was when the waiter asked for our drink orders, my dh specifically asked what juice choices there were and there was no Jungle juice or whatever it was called listed. I didn't think to ask about it, but noticed someone at another table had it a few minutes later. Rats, I liked that stuff at breakfast before! Oh, well. My diet coke was good too

I'd go back for lunch or dinner again if we weren't going to be there at park opening. I did like eating breakfast there with the kids more, just because they love the characters so much. But AK isn't my favorite park so I like spending only a 1/2 day there.