We stayed in a 2-bedroom villa at WL, so we ate breakfast and lunch in our room (with a couple exceptions). We do like to have a nice sit-down dinner each night though. Our family consists of me, DH, DD14 and DS6. DS ate the standard kids meal fare, so I won't comment much on that.
8/16: Whispering Canyon Cafe -- 6pm PS. We ended up in the overflow room which is more in the lobby and out of all the action. We were pretty tired from the trip and my family isn't much for joining in with all the activities, so maybe it was for the best. Our server, Bob, was great though and really tried to make up for being away from the main room. We had the all-you-can-eat skillet meal and loved the ribs and pulled pork. We'll definitely eat here again. It was a fun way to start the vacation.
8/17: Le Cellier -- 6pm PS. DH and I both had the cheese soup and loved it. We all had filets, cooked just right and seasoned well; DD's and mine came with the wild mushroom risotto which we enjoyed. We all had the Canadian Club Cake for dessert. Service was also good. This was one we'd like to return to next year.
8/18: Starring Rolls Bakery. I had been hoping to get a Brown Derby Cobb salad here. Unfortunately, they had just stopped selling them the week before. So to make up for this, we got a few of the mini-desserts. DS had a chocolate cupcake, DD got an eclair, and I got the flourless chocolate cake. I think this was actually the best dessert I had all week. These desserts are not a bad deal because they're a nice size and only a couple dollars each.
Sci-Fi Dine In Theater -- 5:55pm PS. Based on the reviews I'd read, I wasn't expecting much here beyond the atmosphere. DS is a car fan, so we decided to check it out. So we were pleasantly surprised at the food. The ribs were good, and we really liked the sauce. We split some delicious onion rings. They also had a couple new yummy desserts -- one like chocolate moon pies, and one called "Cookie Monster". The service was quite painful, though. Our server was great in the beginning, but pretty much disappeared toward the end. By the time we were into the second round on the movie clips (at about an hour), we were ready to move on. It wasn't even crowded at that point. I don't think we'll be back here anytime soon, but the atmosphere is definitely one to see.
8/19: Artist Point -- 6pm PS. We had been here last summer while checking out the WL for this year's trip, so we knew we'd enjoy it. DD and I split the venison spring rolls, which were good with a spicy dipping sauce. I had the cedar-planked salmon, DH had the tenderloin and DD had the buffalo sirloin. We all had the chocolate cake for dessert. Everything was fantastic. I also tried the wine flight and had them choose a small glass of wine with each course. This was fun, although a bit pricey. All in all this was our most expensive meal but fun to do once during the trip.
8/20: Chef Mickey's -- 6pm PS. DS just loves the basic characters they have here, and the character interaction didn't disappoint. It was also funny that we noticed him really scrutinizing the characters while we were there. Later he informed us that there were people inside, although he's still not sure about Mickey. He seems to be ok with it, though. As for the food, there was something for everyone. We thought it was good for buffet food, with plenty of great desserts.
8/21: Tusker House. I had the vegetable sandwich which I liked very much. DH and DD had the fried chicken sandwich which they thought was ok. We also did the Meal Plus Certificate which allowed us to get a big bottle of water and an ice cream treat later in the day. It made for a nice break to cool off, and was a great deal.
Boma -- 6:10 PS. I'm the adventurous eater in my family, so I was really looking forward to this meal. And I thought it was fantastic. DD and DH had a little more trouble with it. They tended to stick with basic meats and kid entrees like chicken strips, but had plenty to choose from. We all agreed that the desserts were great though. Favorites were the zebra domes and chocolate mousse crunch. We'll probably go back, although maybe not next year. DH says I should get to choose a place like that for putting up with their picky eating habits all year. What a nice guy.
8/22: Tangierine Cafe. Years ago I spent several months in Saudi Arabia and loved eating shwarma sandwiches there. So I wanted to try the shawarmas here. DD and I split a chicken and lamb shawarma platter. It wasn't the same because they weren't sandwiches, but rather two piles of meat with some bread between and several side dishes. It was good though, particularly the hummus.
San Angel Inn -- 6pm PS. We had parked at the Boardwalk, hoping to take a look around before continuing through the World Showcase prior to this meal. Unfortunately, it rained/poured for about four hours straight, starting just as we got to the Boardwalk. Just making it to the SAI was a soggy trek, so I'm not sure how much our impression of the meal suffered from this. I had the beef tips which were ok, DH had a great steak on the Combinacion Cozumel, and DD enjoyed the Plato Mexicano although parts were a little spicy for her. All in all a ho-hum meal for the price. No rush to return here.
8/23: O'hanas -- 5:20 PS. The early PS allowed us to have a seat by the windows with a great view of the castle in MK. We loved the atmosphere here, and at the Polynesian in general. The food was all good. I think I liked the side dishes brought out first the best. I ate the whole bowl of salad myself (and printed out the salad dressing recipe when I got home), and also loved the green beans. DD loved the shrimp wontons. The meat served was beef, turkey, pork and shrimp, and all were good. The pineapple for dessert didn't do much for us, so DH had the coconut snow ball, DD had the Beach Bomb (too big and brain-freeze inducing), and I had the Passion Fruit Cheesecake (yum). We think this would be a fun place to come on the arrival evening of next year's trip.
8/24: Kona Cafe -- 8:30am PS. This was our last morning, and an attempt to extend the good eating a little. DH and I had the Tonga Toast. It was a bit sweet but I loved it--didn't need any syrup. The Lilikoi juice was delicious and very tropical. DH also enjoyed the Kona coffee press pot.
If you made it through all this, thanks for reading and I hope it helps someone with their planning.
8/16: Whispering Canyon Cafe -- 6pm PS. We ended up in the overflow room which is more in the lobby and out of all the action. We were pretty tired from the trip and my family isn't much for joining in with all the activities, so maybe it was for the best. Our server, Bob, was great though and really tried to make up for being away from the main room. We had the all-you-can-eat skillet meal and loved the ribs and pulled pork. We'll definitely eat here again. It was a fun way to start the vacation.
8/17: Le Cellier -- 6pm PS. DH and I both had the cheese soup and loved it. We all had filets, cooked just right and seasoned well; DD's and mine came with the wild mushroom risotto which we enjoyed. We all had the Canadian Club Cake for dessert. Service was also good. This was one we'd like to return to next year.
8/18: Starring Rolls Bakery. I had been hoping to get a Brown Derby Cobb salad here. Unfortunately, they had just stopped selling them the week before. So to make up for this, we got a few of the mini-desserts. DS had a chocolate cupcake, DD got an eclair, and I got the flourless chocolate cake. I think this was actually the best dessert I had all week. These desserts are not a bad deal because they're a nice size and only a couple dollars each.
Sci-Fi Dine In Theater -- 5:55pm PS. Based on the reviews I'd read, I wasn't expecting much here beyond the atmosphere. DS is a car fan, so we decided to check it out. So we were pleasantly surprised at the food. The ribs were good, and we really liked the sauce. We split some delicious onion rings. They also had a couple new yummy desserts -- one like chocolate moon pies, and one called "Cookie Monster". The service was quite painful, though. Our server was great in the beginning, but pretty much disappeared toward the end. By the time we were into the second round on the movie clips (at about an hour), we were ready to move on. It wasn't even crowded at that point. I don't think we'll be back here anytime soon, but the atmosphere is definitely one to see.
8/19: Artist Point -- 6pm PS. We had been here last summer while checking out the WL for this year's trip, so we knew we'd enjoy it. DD and I split the venison spring rolls, which were good with a spicy dipping sauce. I had the cedar-planked salmon, DH had the tenderloin and DD had the buffalo sirloin. We all had the chocolate cake for dessert. Everything was fantastic. I also tried the wine flight and had them choose a small glass of wine with each course. This was fun, although a bit pricey. All in all this was our most expensive meal but fun to do once during the trip.
8/20: Chef Mickey's -- 6pm PS. DS just loves the basic characters they have here, and the character interaction didn't disappoint. It was also funny that we noticed him really scrutinizing the characters while we were there. Later he informed us that there were people inside, although he's still not sure about Mickey. He seems to be ok with it, though. As for the food, there was something for everyone. We thought it was good for buffet food, with plenty of great desserts.
8/21: Tusker House. I had the vegetable sandwich which I liked very much. DH and DD had the fried chicken sandwich which they thought was ok. We also did the Meal Plus Certificate which allowed us to get a big bottle of water and an ice cream treat later in the day. It made for a nice break to cool off, and was a great deal.
Boma -- 6:10 PS. I'm the adventurous eater in my family, so I was really looking forward to this meal. And I thought it was fantastic. DD and DH had a little more trouble with it. They tended to stick with basic meats and kid entrees like chicken strips, but had plenty to choose from. We all agreed that the desserts were great though. Favorites were the zebra domes and chocolate mousse crunch. We'll probably go back, although maybe not next year. DH says I should get to choose a place like that for putting up with their picky eating habits all year. What a nice guy.
8/22: Tangierine Cafe. Years ago I spent several months in Saudi Arabia and loved eating shwarma sandwiches there. So I wanted to try the shawarmas here. DD and I split a chicken and lamb shawarma platter. It wasn't the same because they weren't sandwiches, but rather two piles of meat with some bread between and several side dishes. It was good though, particularly the hummus.
San Angel Inn -- 6pm PS. We had parked at the Boardwalk, hoping to take a look around before continuing through the World Showcase prior to this meal. Unfortunately, it rained/poured for about four hours straight, starting just as we got to the Boardwalk. Just making it to the SAI was a soggy trek, so I'm not sure how much our impression of the meal suffered from this. I had the beef tips which were ok, DH had a great steak on the Combinacion Cozumel, and DD enjoyed the Plato Mexicano although parts were a little spicy for her. All in all a ho-hum meal for the price. No rush to return here.
8/23: O'hanas -- 5:20 PS. The early PS allowed us to have a seat by the windows with a great view of the castle in MK. We loved the atmosphere here, and at the Polynesian in general. The food was all good. I think I liked the side dishes brought out first the best. I ate the whole bowl of salad myself (and printed out the salad dressing recipe when I got home), and also loved the green beans. DD loved the shrimp wontons. The meat served was beef, turkey, pork and shrimp, and all were good. The pineapple for dessert didn't do much for us, so DH had the coconut snow ball, DD had the Beach Bomb (too big and brain-freeze inducing), and I had the Passion Fruit Cheesecake (yum). We think this would be a fun place to come on the arrival evening of next year's trip.
8/24: Kona Cafe -- 8:30am PS. This was our last morning, and an attempt to extend the good eating a little. DH and I had the Tonga Toast. It was a bit sweet but I loved it--didn't need any syrup. The Lilikoi juice was delicious and very tropical. DH also enjoyed the Kona coffee press pot.
If you made it through all this, thanks for reading and I hope it helps someone with their planning.
We're planning to try both Ohana's & Le Cellier next trip so I really appreciated the info on those. During previous trips, the kids expected characters at every sit-down meal, but now they're becoming more interested in the food (though characters are still cool). So we're going to try some new things. Thanks again!
Great reviews, thanks for sharing!
