dining from 12/25-12/30

[mouseclick1]

I Just spent an hour writing a detailed report of everywhere we ate during our trip. When I hit submit, it did not go through for some reason! So I am now going to enter a modified summary of where we ate.

Party consisted of me. DH, DS 12, DS turning 14 during trip.
Checked into BWV on Christmas day.

12/25
lunch at ESPN
very good nachos and chili. So-so chicken wings. Grilled cheese, how can you really go wrong with grilled cheese? Total price around $45.

Dinner at cape May Cafe
Tried steamed clams for the first time. Pretty good! Excellent desserts. Everything else seemed to be pretty standard buffet fare. Price: 26.99 per person

12/26
DS 14th birthday
lunch Prime Time
Birthday was noted on original ps 90 days in advance, at check-in, and twice to waitress. Nothing was done for his birthday-very disappointing. We had a great birthday in 2002 with Uncle Tim for younger DS's 11th birthday. Probably set us up with expectations too high. Food was average. Total bill: around $60.

dinner at Teppanyaki
This more than made up for our lame lunch. From what I could see, I think we had the most entertaining chef in the restaurant! Great food, fun experience, and a recognition of my son's birthday with dessert with candle, and song. We are all in agreement that this was our best dining experience from this trip! Total bill: around $128

12/27
Spoodles pizza window for lunch
very good pepperoni pizza
2 pizza = $26

dinner Beaches and Cream
We went to Cirque Du Soleil this evening (Go,go, go! The show is spectacular!), and we were undecided where to go after for dinner. DTD was pretty crowded all around, so we went back and had a late dinner at Beaches and Creams. Burgers and hot dogs, but very delicious! Total bill: around $45

12/28
Dinner at Crystal Palace
very good buffet dinner. IMO, better than Cape May. Very busy here tonight, we watched a lot of people try for a seating and get turned away. CM was telling guests that all sit-down restaurants were full, and was even recommending room service to guests who could not be seated. Bill: $93.68

12/29
Breakfast at Spoodles
Slow service, good food. We got 2 breakfast platters, Mickey waffles, and pancakes. Bill: about $45

Unrelated sidenote: DH did Richard Petty Driving Experience today, while boys did DQ on their own. Great fun all around!

Dinner ESPN again
DH's nachos were so good the other day, I had to have some of my own! DH had a burger, and DS got another grilled cheese. DS 14 did not join us, DQ must have worn him out! We did bring him back another Spoodles pizza! Total bill: I have no recollection

12/30 (last full day )
lunch at B&C again
More burgers and dogs. Excellent, just as before. This time DS got a creamsicle shake (not really what it was called, but the best I could come up with!). Wow, was this ever good! Can't believe we ate here twice and never ordered sundaes. I can tell you from past visits, that they are delicious! Total bill: somewhere around $45.

Dinner at Rose and Crown with CP package
We have ordered fish and chips from the counter service before and thought they were great, so we thought the restaurant would be great too! Right? Wrong. This was our most disappointing meal of all. DH and boys all got fish and chips, and all agreed they were better at counter service. I got steak and prawns which were OK, nothing spectacular. The Bailey's creme brulee was excellent, though, I must say! Maybe the restaurant was just too busy (we were there for over 2 hours) or we just caught it on a bad night. I know this happens at even the best restaurants. However, it did convince us that we are better off ordering from the counter service, finding a nice bench in World Showcase, and people watching. Total bill (CP package includes tax and gratuity) $149.

12/31 went home
Hope this was helpful to someone, and not too long! I would be happy to elaborate on any of the details!

 

[CamColt]

Great reviews! Thanks for taking the time, a second time, to post.
I had to laugh at your ESPN experience. It sounds just like ours. We went once on the trip and then had to go back. Those nachos are quite addictive, arent they?

 

[mouseclick1]

Yes, we love ESPN! And, even being the busiest time of the year, we never had to wait for a table. We did sit on the bar side, but got a booth right away on X-mas day, and a table the second time we went. There were people lined up for the other side of the restaurant. We have sat on that side before, and I really don't see what the advantage is. Unless they have some really important event on the big screen that you need to be a part of, I would say skip the line and sit on the other side. Same food, same service, less wait time!

 

[inky dinky doo]

I'm curious about your dinner at Beaches and Cream after Cirque du Soleil. Did you take Disney transportation back to the area or your own car, and how long did it take you to get there?

We're debating whether to eat before or after Cirque in Oct/Nov . . . and where, and we'll be staying at the Beach Club Villas.

Oh, and that creamsicle thing is called a "Frozen Sunshine" or something like that. It is wonderful, isn't it? I had one for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

Pat

293 days and counting . . . again!

 

[SnowWitch]

This is off topic but I noticed your boys ages and I have a question or two. Our next trip isn't scheduled until Dec 2004 but my boys who will be 12.5 and almost 15 are begging to have some touring time on their own and I feel pretty comfortable allowing them to do so with walkie talkies and mandatory meeting times. How did you handle it? How often did you let them experience their freedom? And were you worrying the whole time you were apart from them?

 

[tammydel]

Just a little "here, here" to the Frozen Sunshine.
That is the name as inky dinky doo posted. That is a "Must have" for me each trip. Really when I'm at the BCV it is a "Must have" each day!

Thanks for the report!
Tammy

 

[mouseclick1]

inky dinky doo-
We did not have a car so we used Disney transportation for our trip. This might not be all that accurate, but it was at least a half hour to get back. Because we did a little walking around DTD before leaving, we ended up at the Market Place, which is where we caught the bus. It seemed like the bus for every other resort came before our bus finally came. The bus then did a pick-up at the Pleasure Island stop, which is the closer stop to Cirque. I can't remember if the bus stopped at Swan and Dolphin before BC, but it definitely stopped at YC before arriving at BC. We saw the 6:00 show, which was out at 7:30. We could have been back much sooner if we didn't walk around DTD for so long. Eating before the show would have been way too early for us. You will love the show! It was so good I would like to see it again!

SnowWitch-
This was the first and only time we let the boys off on their own. I knew they would be bored to death at Richard Petty, so we let them go to DQ instead. They did the entire thing on their own, rode the bus, bought their tickets, and bought their lunch. I gave them $80 to cover everything, and they came back with change. I figured it was much more confined than the parks, and that they would be OK there. We set some rules before they left, and both of the boys had cell phones with them. This way, if they did get separated (which they were told not to do!), they could still locate each other, or get in touch with me. They also checked in with me multiple times throughout the afternoon. Everything went fine and I'm glad we gave them the freedom. I thought about them a lot, but I really wasn't worried. I'm sure the next time we head down (which probably won't be for two years), they will have more time to head out on their own.

 

[padisneylover]

Inky Dinky Doo
We did Cirque in Dec and ate at House of Blues right after the show. It is right next door and they now have PS's. The food was good and the service was excellent.

 

[Epcotgal8]

Great reviews! Thanks for posting them. Doesn't it seem there are always computer glitches when you've written something really long lol? I recently wrote an email to a friend I haven't had the time to write in a long time, was at the end of a long email and got knocked offline somehow. I wonder if you had the same waitress we had at 50's Prime Time last year. She was a real dud and other tables were having lots more fun. As for them forgetting about the birthday....that stinks. I understand them forgetting or not getting the original notation but once you reminded them they should have done something. Last year we were celebrating a birthday at Ohana for dinner (which we enjoyed btw). I had them make a notation when I made the p.s. and also reminded the hostess when we checked in. It was starting to be clear that they forgot so I excused myself from the table like I was going to the restroom and politely told the hostess again and said I didn't expect a free dessert or anything just for them to sing Happy Birthday like they were doing all over the restaurant and still nothing so I finally had to whisper in our "cousins" ear. They came over and sang (and did bring a dessert anyway) so it all worked out. I know they get busy so I wasn't angry but if they had still ignored my request I would have been ticked after spending $180 there. On the other hand, I made the same request at time of making p.s. for lunch at CRT, never had to remind anyone, had confetti and our table all decorated when we were seated, and after we were done they brought out dessert and all sang Happy Birthday. I guess my point is sometimes they forget, sometimes they don't, but they may need reminding so just be patient and they usually will come through (unlike your experience at PT Oh and btw, you know I've NEVER been able to order dessert at Beaches and Cream since I love their burgers and fries so much I am always too full for dessert! Thanks again for the reviews.

 

[Princesstimes2]

Thanks for posting. I am hoping to get to see Cirque one day.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Thanks for the great reviews. We ate at Teppanyaki for the first time this past Sept. and really loved it also.

 

[Krissalee]

Thanks for the reviews!

 

[Minniespal]

Thanx for sharing.