Luv Bunnies
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2006
- Messages
- 9,114
Well, we're back after a fun-filled, 10-day trip to WDW. Since we were on the Dining Plan, we got to sample many of the wonderful restaurants (and at least one that wasn't so wonderful). I didn't feel compelled to take pictures of our food since I've seen everything we ate pictured here many times. So, if you haven't seen pictures of the food I'm going to describe, your imagination will work just as well (if not better!). Here's the scoop:On the trip was me (41, OK 42 in a couple more days but let's not split hairs), my husband, Steve - 45, and 2 sons Andy11 and Ryan8. Both boys are very, very picky. Andy has a mild autistic condition which gives him problems with food textures. I always carried Jif peanut butter singles so I could make him an old, reliable peanut butter sandwich if all else failed.
Day 1 - We arrived at Pop around 8:30 p.m. after a long day of flying from California.
We were starving! We had bagels at the airport before taking off and little bags of peanuts on the flight to Dallas. The boys had GoTarts and Goldfish crackers in their backpacks to keep them happy. Our connection to Dallas was so tight that we got right on the plane to Orlando with no time for a bathroom break, much less lunch. So, needless to say, the Pop foodcourt was a welcome sight. I had the parmesean crusted chicken with pasta and red sauce and Ryan8 had a cheese pizza. Steve had a burger and fries and Andy11 had some chicken fingers and fries. We all had various desserts and drinks. I don't remember the food that well because none of it lasted long and anything tastes good when you're that hungry! We also bought our refillable mugs. These were a good value for us. Since we had a rental car, we would take our mugs with us to breakfast each day, leave them in the car all day, and then hit the foodcourt for more drinks before returning to our room. The kids loved the blue icees and I liked having the option of caffiene-free Diet Coke in the evenings.Day 2 - We hit the foodcourt for bagels, cereal and juice in the morning, then it was on to Epcot. We had lunch at the Electric Umbrella in Future World. Steve and I had burgers and fries. I got a plain cheeseburger with no meat for Ryan8 (our standby when there's no grilled cheese available- we just ask for bread and cheese only). I ordered a plain hamburger bun and fries for Andy11 so I could make him a PB sandwich. I asked if I could get a bun that wasn't toasted since he likes them soft. The girl at the counter said all the buns were already toasted. Huh?
Like, do they come that way? Then she relented and appeared with a non-toasted bun. I think she just didn't want to do any actual work and have to get another bun. The food here was OK. We had chocolate cake for dessert and the boys had cookies. It was nothing special, but fine for park food.Dinner was another story - Le Cellier!
Andy11 was content to put his PB on the pretzel bread and sourdough bread sticks. Ryan8 had the cheese pizza and they both had ice cream for dessert. Steve and I ordered the cheese soup (to die for!) and the maple-glazed filets with cream cheese mashed potatoes (wonderful!). Our waiter was excellent and spent a lot of time talking to us. I had the creme brulee for dessert and Steve had the chocolate cake. We loved everything from the food to the hostesses who played Disney 20 questions with us while we were waiting for our table (we rocked at that game!
). This was, by far, our favorite meal of the trip.Day 3 - We had planned a non-park day for today. We slept a little late and went to our 10:10 a.m. reservation at Chef Mickey's. We really liked this place and the food was good. The boys had their beloved donuts, bacon and cereal. We had eggs, potatoes, bacon and all the other wonderful stuff they serve there. We also had a lot of fun with the characters. I told Donald I needed to have a little talk with him so he leaned down. I said, "Dude, you know you really need to wear pants! Weren't you banned in Sweden because you don't wear pants?" Donald covered his mouth and acted embarrassed. Then, everytime he turned his back to us he would cover his butt with his hands. It was so funny! I also told Mickey that Donald should wear pants and Mickey wound his finger around his ear to indicate that Donald was crazy.
Ryan8 loves the characters and gives them big hugs while we take pictures. Andy11 still isn't sure about them and he buries his head in my shoulder if they get too close. His autistic condition makes his social skills a little funky in some areas and big creatures in colorful costumes just don't compute with him. He doesn't mind them from a distance but he sure doesn't want them to get too close. I just tell the characters that Andy is shy and they back right off. We told the waitress we were concerned about the cleanliness of the restaurant because giant rodents were running around. She just laughed and said, "Don't worry, they don't touch the food!" Chef Mickey's was our favorite character meal (we had 3).Next, we headed to Downtown Disney and spent several hours a Disneyquest. We didn't sample the food there expect for sodas. Our big, late breakfast left us without a need for lunch so we shared some pretzels later at Wetzel's Pretzels. After some shopping, it was time for our 7:00 p.m. reservation at Planet Hollywood. I had heard mixed reviews about this place, but I liked the one in Las Vegas in October. I don't have many good things to say about this place.
It was loud, obnoxious and downright disgusting. Since Andy11 was considered an adult on the Dining Plan, the waiter insisted we order 3 appetizers. We had already ordered bruschetta and potato skins to share. I told him the boys don't like appetizers unless they can get chips and salsa, both of which were on the menu but just not together. This is the first place we encountered that wouldn't give us chips and salsa. I said, so give us the spinach dip with chips, hold the dip and add a side of salsa - we'll even pay for it if necessary. Nope! Mr. Inflexible refused so we declined to order a 3rd appetizer. I think he was trying to jack up the bill and, thus, his tip. So I asked if I could get some plain, white bread for Andy11's sandwich. He said they didn't have any. I pointed out that they have a club sandwich. He said that bread comes already cut into little triangles. Excuse me?
Do I have stupid written on my face? You're telling me that the club sandwich bread comes pre-cut? Is the ham, turkey, lettuce and tomato also pre-cut into perfect little triangles? Dude! If you're gonna tell a little white lie at least think it through first! So, we said just get us the hamburger bun and fries and we'll deal! Ryan8 had the pizza - OK, nothing special. My Cobb Salad was so gross that I just picked at it. The lettuce was wilted, there was too much greasy dressing and the parmesean crisp on top was just ewww! Steve had a rib platter that he said was pretty good but not great. Between the atmosphere, lousy food and deceptive waiter with an attitude, I found myself almost in tears. It was like, "How dare this place try to ruin my Disney trip!" And I usually roll with the punches and blow things off easily. That's how bad this experience was. As we were leaving, Andy11 said, "Mommy, when we were in there it's like we weren't even in Disneyworld anymore." Good observation, my boy! Andy11's autism gives him very powerful observation skills and when he comes out with a gem like that, you know it's got to be true! Day 4 - Off to MGM we go! Breakfast was bagels and cereal in the Pop food court again. A word on the food court - this place is pretty reliable. The quality was always good. The service was fine. It did get crowded around 8:00 a.m. and it was hard to figure out what everyone wanted, go around and collect the stuff and then meet back to check-out and find a table. We found that you have to go in there with a plan (like - Kid1, you go with Daddy and get the pancakes, Kid2 - you stay with Mommy; we'll all meet back by the cereal when we're done). It also helps to send an older kid or adult to scout a table while someone is paying for the food. Andy got good at claiming us a table and standing there until we saw him.
Lunch was at Sci-Fi. This place was fun, especially with kids the ages of ours. We put them together in the front seat so Mommy and Daddy could sit together in the back.
At 11 & 8, they're old enough to handle their own meals, but we were right there if need be. Steve had the onion rings and I had the BLT soup. The soup was good, but lettuce in soup is kind of weird. I'd order it again without the lettuce. We both had burgers and fries. Ryan8 had his old standby - cheese pizza while Andy got the bread and fries so I could make his PB sandwich. We all had hot fudge sundaes for dessert - Ryan's was the kid version. We thought the place was pretty quiet and the low-lighting made it relaxing after being in a crowded park all morning. We would definitely go to Sci-Fi again.Dinner that night was snacks at the Pop foodcourt except for Steve who got some kind of wrap and fries. Lunch was big enough and late enough that the rest of us weren't hungry. I took the opportunity to try a rice crispy Mickey. Always a winner! Steve and Andy11 took cereal and drinks back to the room because they had an early morning wake-up call.
Day 5 - Magic Kingdom!!! Steve and Andy11 were up at 5:30 a.m.! They had to be in front of MK at 7:15 for the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour. There was a 6:30 bus from Pop that they wanted to catch. So, as Ryan8 and I tried to sleep, I could hear Andy crunching his cereal at the table. They were out the door at 6:20 and caught their bus in plenty of time. Ryan and I munched on Go-Tarts and water before taking the bus to MK around 9:00. By the way, they loved the Train Tour, but more about that in my Trip Report. Let's stick to restaurants.
Lunch was at 11:30 at the Plaza Restaurant. Thank goodness it was early because we were all hungry. I ordered the Plaza Club and Steve had a burger and fries. They had PB sandwiches for Andy11 and grilled cheese for Ryan8. Steve and I also ordered side salads as our appetizers. The waitress was kind of crabby and abrupt. When she brought the salads, she also brought tomato soup for the kids which we hadn't ordered. I said, "Oh, thanks, but the kids won't eat soup." She said (in a snippy tone), "Well, it comes with their meals so they might as well take it." There was no mention of soup previously. I think it's weird to bring you something just because it comes with your meal without asking first if you want it.
So, Steve and I had a few spoons each of the soups and it was good. We all had sundaes for dessert. Plaza was good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there again.At snacktime around 3:00, I saw the sign for Aloha Isle. After reading so much about Dole Whips, I had to try one. Steve and I both had the pineapple floats and the kids had chocolate/vanilla swirls. I loved mine!
Steve was it was too much pineapple for him and would have been better with vanilla ice cream and pineapple juice. Just as he said that, a woman walked by our table with just that exact thing. He pointed and said, "That's what I should have ordered." He still liked it, though. Dinner was at 7:30 at the Grand Floridian Cafe. I had the Crab Cake appetizer which was very good and the shrimp pasta for an entree. The boys had their usual stuff! Steve had french onion soup and strip steak. He also had the chocolate fondue for dessert. He said it tasted kind of weird with the orange flavoring and would have been better as straight chocolate. I had the little key lime pie and the little cheesecake. You get to choose two of the mini desserts on the Dining Plan. The service at the place was a little uneven. The waiter was nice enough, but dessert and coffee took forever to appear. He had trainee waitress working with him and I don't know if that slowed him down or not. It was a pleasant enough restaurant and the food was good.
Coming up in future installments: Whispering Canyon, Cape May Buffet breakfast, Crystal Palace dinner, Pizzafari, Tangierine Cafe, Schoolbread in Norway, Concourse Steakhouse and more Pop!
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I know, I know, I should lose my membership in the "Disney Addict's Club" but we left for a good reason. Andy11 is a total space nut. He can name every Apollo mission including the names of the astronauts, what their purpose was and the outcome of the mission. He can also name every shuttle mission and anything else you want to know about space. So, we had to take a trip to Kennedy Space Center. It was educational for the boys and us, too! We did a counter service meal at Pop for breakfast. This was the day I finally tried the breakfast pizza. All I can say is Mmmmmmm! It's a flatbread with gravy, eggs, bacon and cheese on top. It looked kind of weird to me since we gravy isn't much of a breakfast staple in California. But I was tired of pancakes and bagels and gave the pizza a try. I ended up ordering it again later in the week. That's how much I liked it!
Luckily, we had 7:00 p.m. reservations at Whispering Canyon Cafe over at Wildnerness Lodge. I had read a lot about this place and was looking forward to going there. It did not disappoint!
He covered his eyes and shook his head. Then he made a slashing motion across his neck with his finger. Ryan8 said, "Don't worry Piglet. You're too famous to eat!" Crystal Palace was fun and the food was good. We would probably go there again. 
Can't wait to hear the rest.
We had been considering cancelling our Rainforest dinner since we had about 12 counter service credits left and only a few days to use them. Rainforest is not on the Dining Plan and we would have been paying out of pocket. We figured it was better to use the credits we already had than torture the Mastercard any further. So, I went inside to cancel the reservation before we hopped on the soggy parking lot tram, found the car and made our way back to Pop. Since it was still pouring, we decided not to change clothes until after dinner so we wouldn't ruin yet another set of clothes. So, we at the Pop Foodcourt with our pants sticking to us and our shoes sloshing. We had ponchos but they didn't keep all of the rain out. Steve and I had the old reliable burgers and fries, Ryan8 had his favorite cheese pizza. I don't even remember what Andy had! He may have just snacked that evening or had a side of fries. But, once again, the food was good and everyone went away happy. I filled my mug with hot water and grabbed a decaf tea bag on the way back to the room. It was nice to get out of the wet clothes and drink a nice cup of tea before bed!
- We had 4 more Counter Service credits to use so it was off to the Pop foodcourt. I had the breakfast pizza one last time before leaving. Steve and the boys went with french toast, pancakes and bacon. After packing the car, it was off to the airport. We had used all of our snack credits the previous day so we didn't have anything left to use up before leaving. Our Christmas lunch was at a foodcourt in the Dallas airport. Christmas Dinner was a turkey and all the fixings that my parents had been working on all day. Since we flew back to California, we got our 3 hours back so we landed at 2:10 p.m. We still had plenty of time for presents and dinner with the family. Since we woke up on the east coast and went to bed on the west coast, our Christmas Day was 27 hours! I guess if you're going to extend one of your days, might as well make it Christmas. Stil, by 7:00 p.m., we were falling asleep at my parent's table. So, we went home early and were in bed by 8:30, dreaming of Mickey, Pluto, Donald and.....food!
