Just back from a fabulous trip. I really enjoyed reading other people's reviews when I was doing my planning, so I thought I'd share these! Diners were me, dh, dd10 and ds7, DVC members staying at BCV and using the dining plan (which we loved, I have done a separate thread on the dining plan subforum with my thoughts). I eat no meat or pork, so that did affect our restaurant choices somewhat. We had adr's at all the ts restaurants, made anywhere from 60 to 90 days in advance. Didn't really have a bad meal the whole trip!
Here goes, hope its not too long!
Day 1: Spoodles
We arrived at BCV at 6pm and walked over to the Boardwalk for dinner after checking in. This was our first time at Spoodles and it was one of our favorite meals of the trip. The excitement of arriving probably helped, but the staff and servers really seemed to want to create a relaxing dining experience. They timed everything really nicely, took our appetizer orders up front and came back for entree orders. Since we didn't have anything else planned for the night it was great. Both kids had the kids' steak which they loved, dd started with fruit salad and ds with mixed green salad (which lived up to its name, it was not all iceberg and romaine so he wasn't too fond of it). Both kids finished with the kids' ice cream sundae which was adorable--it was served on an artists' palette and had small bowls of sauce, bananas, oreos, sprinkles, whipped cream, etc. Needless to say they ended the meal full and happy.
dh and I split the Mediterrean dips and Greek salad appetizers, both of which were great (the dip appetizer was huge, the kids joined in as well). I had the seafood stew (very good, I didn't find it at all spicy) and dh had a lamb osso bucco that was a nightly special and he said it was very well prepared. For dessert I had creme brulee and dh had the dessert sampler (they are very flexible with the dining plan here). The creme brulee was really wonderful. We also paid oop for a pitcher of sangria. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening and we will return in the future, but it is not cheap--our bill was over $160.
Day 2: Hurricane Hannah's / Beaches & Cream dessert
After an unexpected 4am fire alarm in our room left us very tired and dd not feeling well, we shifted our plans to a pool day and ate at Hurricane Hannah's, the poolside snack bar at Stormalong Bay. We ate here two more times during the trip. Kids always had the beach meal, which included two small burgers, chips, applesauce and animal crackers. They loved these. Over the visits I had the chicken caesar wrap and chicken sandwich and dh had the cape cod wrap, chicken sandwich and chicken strips. For snack bar food it was good, and they allowed peanuts or pretzels instead of chips. Dining plan dessert choices were ice cream, cookies or fruit. Our bills, including desserts and drinks, ran from $40 to $50. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here but if you are at Stormalong Bay it is a good choice.
We ate in the villa this evening but got two sundaes at Beaches & Cream, since we had promised the kids at least one visit. Although the posted to go menu is very limited, they will make any of the sundaes off their regular menu for you at the to go window if you ask. dh and I split a No Way Jose, the kids shared a fudge mud slide. Delicious!
Day 3: Pinocchio's / Crystal Palace
Ended up at Pinocchio's more due to timing than choice, but it turned out to be really good. I had the turkey panini minus the bacon and was pleasantly surprised. dh had an Italian sub which he said was ok. Kids liked the kids mac and cheese meal and chicken strip meal. They had the chocolate dipped Mickey rice krispy treats for dessert, shared two and gave two to another family.
We always eat at Crystal Palace, and for a buffet I think that the food is really pretty good even though I am not a big buffet lover. I especially liked the salmon, corn spoon bread and pasta with mushroom cream sauce. They had several interesting salads and a lot of vegetables to choose from. I liked that it wasn't typical buffet food. Everything was clean and replenished frequently. dh doesn't love buffets, so he thought dinner was just ok. Kids enjoyed the mac and cheese, carved meats, pasta and pizza. There was a nice selection of desserts. Characters were circulating well, we saw all four in under 45 minutes. We will keep this restaurant on our list.
Day 4: Hurricane Hannah's / Teppanyaki
After a day at the pool we were ready for dinner. The kids only recently discovered Japanese steak houses and were really looking forward to this, our first visit to Teppanyaki. ds had the kids shrimp dinner, I had the shrimp and scallop combo and dh and dd each had the filet. I started with soup, dd with salad and dh with edamame, and we shared a combo roll sushi appetizer (paid oop). This was an enjoyable night. Our chef was not the most animated we have had but still did a nice job and the food was all good. dd had ginger cake for dessert, which she said was great but she ate before anyone else could try it. I had the fresh fruit, which was pineapple, and ds and dh had ice cream. We would return here in the future but will probably try something new next trip.
Day 5: Tangierine Cafe / Sunshine Seasons
Went to Tangierine Cafe for lunch after reading good things here and we really enjoyed it. I had the chicken shwarma platter, dh the lamb and chicken shwarma platter, and the kids had the burger and chicken strips off the kids menu and shared our platters. The platters had a good variety and the food overall was much better than the typical counter service. Dessert was baklava which was very good but two pieces were enough for us, shared the rest with some kids down on a choir trip. We will definitely return here. Bill for lunch was over $60.
Sunshine Seasons was another pleasant cs surprise. dd had the Chinese food, some kind of steak dish with rice and broccoli as sides, and chocolate cake for dessert. I had the beet and goat cheese salad with chocolate cake, dh had the seared tuna salad with cheesecake and ds had the kids' chicken leg meal with worms in dirt for dessert. All of the food was well prepared, and the salads were very fresh and made up when we ordered. This is a great choice for a cs dinner. Our bill was over $50.
Day 6: Tusker House / Yachtsman Steakhouse
Decided to break out of our Pizzafari rut and try Tusker House and we were glad we did. dh and I had the salmon (which ds shared, along with his kids chicken leg meal). dd had the kids mac and cheese. Got three bowls of grapes for dessert to be healthy, and one chocolate cake to share. The cake here wasn't prepackaged like at Columbia Harbor House and was much better. We will definitely return.
For dinner dh and I went to Yachtsman Steakhouse. I was looking forward to grownup night but not so much to the restaurant, not being a meat eater, but we had a fabulous dinner. I started with the Caesar salad, dh with the shrimp cocktail (which was really nice, with large shrimp). Although it wasn't on the menu they will do a lobster tail for an entree, which I had along with the risotto which is normally served with the chicken. The lobster was great and the risotto is AMAZING! dh had the Porterhouse with the horseradish mashed potatoes, and we got a side of broccolini to share. For dessert we shared the key lime pie and something else that I can't remember but it was all good. They also serve nice bread with roasted garlic. I hope to come back here some day as we really enjoyed the meal!
Day 7: Sci Fi / Hollywood and Vine
Went to the Sci Fi for lunch because dd really wanted to try it. Stuck to the basics based on what we had read and had a decent meal in a fun setting. dd had the onion rings (which we all shared, pretty good) and burger, dh had the soup and burger and I had the salad and bbq chicken sandwich. We all had cookies and cream shakes. For what it was, the food was good. ds had the kids veggies and dip and burger and kids sundae. The rest of us were too full for another dessert after the milk shakes (which our server said counted as our drinks on the dining plan) but we got some kids fruit cups. This was definitely worth doing once, not sure we'll go back next trip but it was much better than I expected.
Hollywood and Vine, I did not like the food as much as Crystal Palace but I found several things that I thought were good, including the herb crusted salmon and the turkey pot roast, corn spoon bread and glazed sweet potatoes. Other things were average. dh was even less impressed, but the kids (as usual) were happy with the choices and ate from both the kids and adults buffets. Dessert choices were much more limited here, but they had a fun ice cream bar with lots of candy topping choices that the kids liked. The buffet was clean, and even though it was getting towards the end of their dinner service they did keep everything fresh and replenished. We did the Fantasmic dinner package and I liked the later seating times, but we had to wait about 25 minutes to be seated and the place was absolute chaos inside. VERY noisy (as people have commented here before) and it seemed like every kid was having a meltdown and every parent was yelling. I don't think we'll be back because of the atmosphere, just too stressful.
Day 8: Hurricane Hannah's / Kona Cafe
First trip to Kona, and we will be back. Kids were allowed to order app off adults menu, so ds started with a Caesar salad then had the kids pasta. dd had the sticky wings and the prime rib, dh had the crab cakes and the filet, and I had the Kona salad and the shrimp and scallops. We all shared around and everyone's food was very good. Service was efficient and everything came out faster than at other places but we still had time to finish, and since we were planning an evening at MK it worked out well. For dessert dd had the kiddie kone, which she loved, and dh and I split the kilauea torte and the creme brulee, both of which were the best desserts we had all week besides at Yachtsman Steakhouse. ds decided not to order dessert but mooched the cotton candy and m&m's off the kiddie kone. It was very convenient to get here from MK, and we liked the food much better than anything we have ever had in MK.
Day 9: Columbia Harbor House / San Angel Inn
First trip to CHH, and we liked it but I think I prefer the greater variety at some cs places. I had the tuna sandwich, which was very good, dh had the chicken and fish combo and the kids each had the chicken meal. I mooched some fish and fries and they were pretty good. For dessert we got two bowls of grapes, which were really good, and two chocolate cakes, which were pretty bad (but of course the kids ate them anyway). Eating upstairs was a good tip I picked up here, it was very peaceful compared to downstairs.
San Angel Inn was ok but probably not the best choice for the last meal of our trip. It felt very rushed. I had the chicken sope, then the chicken mole, which was a lot of chicken but its a very beef heavy menu. dh had the ceviche, which was probably the best thing any of us ordered, and the combinacion cozumel which he thought was just ok but the shrimp were really good (I mooched some, and I agree). dd shocked us by wanting to order off the adult menu. She had the nachos and the filet, and split my rice side with her brother, and she liked it all. ds had the kids quesadilla, which he enjoyed. This was probably the most restrictive place on the dining plan, no apps for kids and they gave us a hard time about getting milk for ds. Desserts were also very limited, ice cream with caramel for the kids and dh and I split the flan and a bread pudding. Both tasted kind of similar, and I like this kind of dessert but no one else in the family does (well, more for me!). Nothing was awful, but it wasn't a memorable meal either. dh and I probably wouldn't put this on our repeat list but the kids always love it so we always seem to end up back here.
So that was our week! Thanks for reading, I hope you found this helpful or at least enjoyable. Happy to answer any questions, thanks to the dis for helping me plan out our dining!
Here goes, hope its not too long!
Day 1: Spoodles
We arrived at BCV at 6pm and walked over to the Boardwalk for dinner after checking in. This was our first time at Spoodles and it was one of our favorite meals of the trip. The excitement of arriving probably helped, but the staff and servers really seemed to want to create a relaxing dining experience. They timed everything really nicely, took our appetizer orders up front and came back for entree orders. Since we didn't have anything else planned for the night it was great. Both kids had the kids' steak which they loved, dd started with fruit salad and ds with mixed green salad (which lived up to its name, it was not all iceberg and romaine so he wasn't too fond of it). Both kids finished with the kids' ice cream sundae which was adorable--it was served on an artists' palette and had small bowls of sauce, bananas, oreos, sprinkles, whipped cream, etc. Needless to say they ended the meal full and happy.
dh and I split the Mediterrean dips and Greek salad appetizers, both of which were great (the dip appetizer was huge, the kids joined in as well). I had the seafood stew (very good, I didn't find it at all spicy) and dh had a lamb osso bucco that was a nightly special and he said it was very well prepared. For dessert I had creme brulee and dh had the dessert sampler (they are very flexible with the dining plan here). The creme brulee was really wonderful. We also paid oop for a pitcher of sangria. Overall it was a very enjoyable evening and we will return in the future, but it is not cheap--our bill was over $160.
Day 2: Hurricane Hannah's / Beaches & Cream dessert
After an unexpected 4am fire alarm in our room left us very tired and dd not feeling well, we shifted our plans to a pool day and ate at Hurricane Hannah's, the poolside snack bar at Stormalong Bay. We ate here two more times during the trip. Kids always had the beach meal, which included two small burgers, chips, applesauce and animal crackers. They loved these. Over the visits I had the chicken caesar wrap and chicken sandwich and dh had the cape cod wrap, chicken sandwich and chicken strips. For snack bar food it was good, and they allowed peanuts or pretzels instead of chips. Dining plan dessert choices were ice cream, cookies or fruit. Our bills, including desserts and drinks, ran from $40 to $50. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here but if you are at Stormalong Bay it is a good choice.
We ate in the villa this evening but got two sundaes at Beaches & Cream, since we had promised the kids at least one visit. Although the posted to go menu is very limited, they will make any of the sundaes off their regular menu for you at the to go window if you ask. dh and I split a No Way Jose, the kids shared a fudge mud slide. Delicious!
Day 3: Pinocchio's / Crystal Palace
Ended up at Pinocchio's more due to timing than choice, but it turned out to be really good. I had the turkey panini minus the bacon and was pleasantly surprised. dh had an Italian sub which he said was ok. Kids liked the kids mac and cheese meal and chicken strip meal. They had the chocolate dipped Mickey rice krispy treats for dessert, shared two and gave two to another family.
We always eat at Crystal Palace, and for a buffet I think that the food is really pretty good even though I am not a big buffet lover. I especially liked the salmon, corn spoon bread and pasta with mushroom cream sauce. They had several interesting salads and a lot of vegetables to choose from. I liked that it wasn't typical buffet food. Everything was clean and replenished frequently. dh doesn't love buffets, so he thought dinner was just ok. Kids enjoyed the mac and cheese, carved meats, pasta and pizza. There was a nice selection of desserts. Characters were circulating well, we saw all four in under 45 minutes. We will keep this restaurant on our list.
Day 4: Hurricane Hannah's / Teppanyaki
After a day at the pool we were ready for dinner. The kids only recently discovered Japanese steak houses and were really looking forward to this, our first visit to Teppanyaki. ds had the kids shrimp dinner, I had the shrimp and scallop combo and dh and dd each had the filet. I started with soup, dd with salad and dh with edamame, and we shared a combo roll sushi appetizer (paid oop). This was an enjoyable night. Our chef was not the most animated we have had but still did a nice job and the food was all good. dd had ginger cake for dessert, which she said was great but she ate before anyone else could try it. I had the fresh fruit, which was pineapple, and ds and dh had ice cream. We would return here in the future but will probably try something new next trip.
Day 5: Tangierine Cafe / Sunshine Seasons
Went to Tangierine Cafe for lunch after reading good things here and we really enjoyed it. I had the chicken shwarma platter, dh the lamb and chicken shwarma platter, and the kids had the burger and chicken strips off the kids menu and shared our platters. The platters had a good variety and the food overall was much better than the typical counter service. Dessert was baklava which was very good but two pieces were enough for us, shared the rest with some kids down on a choir trip. We will definitely return here. Bill for lunch was over $60.
Sunshine Seasons was another pleasant cs surprise. dd had the Chinese food, some kind of steak dish with rice and broccoli as sides, and chocolate cake for dessert. I had the beet and goat cheese salad with chocolate cake, dh had the seared tuna salad with cheesecake and ds had the kids' chicken leg meal with worms in dirt for dessert. All of the food was well prepared, and the salads were very fresh and made up when we ordered. This is a great choice for a cs dinner. Our bill was over $50.
Day 6: Tusker House / Yachtsman Steakhouse
Decided to break out of our Pizzafari rut and try Tusker House and we were glad we did. dh and I had the salmon (which ds shared, along with his kids chicken leg meal). dd had the kids mac and cheese. Got three bowls of grapes for dessert to be healthy, and one chocolate cake to share. The cake here wasn't prepackaged like at Columbia Harbor House and was much better. We will definitely return.
For dinner dh and I went to Yachtsman Steakhouse. I was looking forward to grownup night but not so much to the restaurant, not being a meat eater, but we had a fabulous dinner. I started with the Caesar salad, dh with the shrimp cocktail (which was really nice, with large shrimp). Although it wasn't on the menu they will do a lobster tail for an entree, which I had along with the risotto which is normally served with the chicken. The lobster was great and the risotto is AMAZING! dh had the Porterhouse with the horseradish mashed potatoes, and we got a side of broccolini to share. For dessert we shared the key lime pie and something else that I can't remember but it was all good. They also serve nice bread with roasted garlic. I hope to come back here some day as we really enjoyed the meal!
Day 7: Sci Fi / Hollywood and Vine
Went to the Sci Fi for lunch because dd really wanted to try it. Stuck to the basics based on what we had read and had a decent meal in a fun setting. dd had the onion rings (which we all shared, pretty good) and burger, dh had the soup and burger and I had the salad and bbq chicken sandwich. We all had cookies and cream shakes. For what it was, the food was good. ds had the kids veggies and dip and burger and kids sundae. The rest of us were too full for another dessert after the milk shakes (which our server said counted as our drinks on the dining plan) but we got some kids fruit cups. This was definitely worth doing once, not sure we'll go back next trip but it was much better than I expected.
Hollywood and Vine, I did not like the food as much as Crystal Palace but I found several things that I thought were good, including the herb crusted salmon and the turkey pot roast, corn spoon bread and glazed sweet potatoes. Other things were average. dh was even less impressed, but the kids (as usual) were happy with the choices and ate from both the kids and adults buffets. Dessert choices were much more limited here, but they had a fun ice cream bar with lots of candy topping choices that the kids liked. The buffet was clean, and even though it was getting towards the end of their dinner service they did keep everything fresh and replenished. We did the Fantasmic dinner package and I liked the later seating times, but we had to wait about 25 minutes to be seated and the place was absolute chaos inside. VERY noisy (as people have commented here before) and it seemed like every kid was having a meltdown and every parent was yelling. I don't think we'll be back because of the atmosphere, just too stressful.
Day 8: Hurricane Hannah's / Kona Cafe
First trip to Kona, and we will be back. Kids were allowed to order app off adults menu, so ds started with a Caesar salad then had the kids pasta. dd had the sticky wings and the prime rib, dh had the crab cakes and the filet, and I had the Kona salad and the shrimp and scallops. We all shared around and everyone's food was very good. Service was efficient and everything came out faster than at other places but we still had time to finish, and since we were planning an evening at MK it worked out well. For dessert dd had the kiddie kone, which she loved, and dh and I split the kilauea torte and the creme brulee, both of which were the best desserts we had all week besides at Yachtsman Steakhouse. ds decided not to order dessert but mooched the cotton candy and m&m's off the kiddie kone. It was very convenient to get here from MK, and we liked the food much better than anything we have ever had in MK.
Day 9: Columbia Harbor House / San Angel Inn
First trip to CHH, and we liked it but I think I prefer the greater variety at some cs places. I had the tuna sandwich, which was very good, dh had the chicken and fish combo and the kids each had the chicken meal. I mooched some fish and fries and they were pretty good. For dessert we got two bowls of grapes, which were really good, and two chocolate cakes, which were pretty bad (but of course the kids ate them anyway). Eating upstairs was a good tip I picked up here, it was very peaceful compared to downstairs.
San Angel Inn was ok but probably not the best choice for the last meal of our trip. It felt very rushed. I had the chicken sope, then the chicken mole, which was a lot of chicken but its a very beef heavy menu. dh had the ceviche, which was probably the best thing any of us ordered, and the combinacion cozumel which he thought was just ok but the shrimp were really good (I mooched some, and I agree). dd shocked us by wanting to order off the adult menu. She had the nachos and the filet, and split my rice side with her brother, and she liked it all. ds had the kids quesadilla, which he enjoyed. This was probably the most restrictive place on the dining plan, no apps for kids and they gave us a hard time about getting milk for ds. Desserts were also very limited, ice cream with caramel for the kids and dh and I split the flan and a bread pudding. Both tasted kind of similar, and I like this kind of dessert but no one else in the family does (well, more for me!). Nothing was awful, but it wasn't a memorable meal either. dh and I probably wouldn't put this on our repeat list but the kids always love it so we always seem to end up back here.
So that was our week! Thanks for reading, I hope you found this helpful or at least enjoyable. Happy to answer any questions, thanks to the dis for helping me plan out our dining!
