michygoomy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2003
- Messages
- 822
Gosh, I can't believe it is over! I'm going to share some short reviews of our dining. Overall, it was a great experience. Travelers were me, DH, DS13, DD11 and DD2, on the dining plan.
6/8 Boma--dinner
I've always been reluctant to try Boma, despite all the great reviews, because my family is just not very adventurous. However, I really, really wanted to see AKL, so this was a good excuse! I had to book us two tables, but we had about a two-minute wait and they seated us all together.
Everyone loved the Potatoes with Afritude. I loved the Durban Spiced Roasted Chicken, especially with the mustard sauce for dipping. Yum! DH liked the prime rib with the mustard dipping sauce. I found everything to be very flavorful, spicy but not hot. The kids tried a variety of different things. The toddler ate fruit, which would be a continuing theme.
I thought the Zebra Domes were OK, but not spectacular. The coconut taste turned me off. I loved the little blueberry tarts, though! I wish I had more room to eat more.
6/9--Nine Dragonsdinner
It is beautiful inside here! DD11 and I shared the Tri-Star appetizer. The pot stickers were pretty good, but not great; the pork spring roll was way to crunchy/flakey and difficult to eat, but the Shao Mai was really good! DS13 had the pot stickers, which he liked, and DH got fried rice as an appetizer to have with his dinner instead of the steamed rice.
For entrees, DS13 and I had the Honey Sesame Chicken, which was really sweet and good! My only problem is that there was a huge serving of meat and only a little of the rice. I'd prefer the opposite proportion. DH and DD had the General Tso's Chicken, which they both liked, but didn't think it was any better than our typical carryout place.
For dessert I had a ginger cake which was fabulous--too bad I was so full from the massive portions of meat. The rest had a chocolate cake-thing that they said was pretty good.
6/10--Crystal Palace--breakfast
DH took the kids to this last year and really enjoyed it, so he really wanted to go again this year. We usually do Chef Mickey's. The made-to-order omelets were really good, but took quite a while to get. The raspberry coffee cake was really yummy! Overall, the food was better than at Chef Mickey's, but it seemed to take a really long time to get anything. The toddler saw three characters while I was still getting her food. We did have good character interaction. No one wanted to get up to do the march around the restaurant, though, because we were just so hungry!
In the future I think I'll be really torn between this breakfast and my much-loved Chef Mickey's.
6/11--Whispering Canyon Cafe'lunch
This was our favorite meal last year, but I had a hard time getting dinner ADRs so I settled for lunch. I think it's better to wait for dinner--I should've tried the two-table thing, but I didn't know it would work out so well.
DH, DS & I got the skillet. For lunch it doesn't have the salad, yet you still don't get to pick an appetizer. That's really odd to me--I loved the salad last year. Also, there is no pulled pork in the lunch skillet, which is the best part! Overall, it was still good, and there was a little pulled pork in the beans. DH ate many portions of the mashed potatoes, DS really liked the chicken, and I liked the ribs best. DD2 ate corn on the cob and that's it, but she had two pieces. DD11 had the pulled pork sandwich, which was the size of a house. She had to take a lot of the pork off to enjoy it.
For dessert, we got two chocolate cakes and two apple pies to go and had them later at night. I still loved the pie, but it's much better at dinner warm. The others liked their cake.
6/12--Ohana'sdinner
Again, I had to book two tables to get an ADR here, but we barely had a wait and were all seated together. Our "cousin" said we could order anything we wanted for the toddler off the kids' menu, and it was all included. They brought the salad, which was wonderful, and the wontons, which were OK. DD11 loved them, though. Then quickly came the sticky wings and shrimp, and about a second later, we were bombarded with meat and sides. I would've liked a little time to savor each course, but DH actually preferred that everything came at once. I loved the sticky wings, DH ate a ton of the shrimp--I did manage to grab one and it was quite good. I liked the steak and turkey best (and I don't usually like turkey!) while the others thought the pork was great. No one really cared for the sausage.
During the meal there was plenty of entertainment, and the girls did the coconut races and the hula. It was great fun!
I don't eat bread pudding, even the though of it grosses me out. They brought little bowls of ice cream separately so DS & I just ate those, which was plenty for us! DH put the whole bread pudding bowl in front of him, and ate almost the whole thing except for a little that DD11 wanted. I guess he liked it!
6/13--Alfredo'sdinner
This was our longest wait, even though we checked in a few minutes early. Now, DH loves Alfredo and orders it just about everywhere we go back home. He decided to just get the appetizer portion, which was a good thing, because he took one bite, made a face, and pushed it aside. The kids didn't like it either. I thought it was OK, but I'm not a big Alfredo fan.
The kids and I all had the Caesar salad. It was pretty good, but the giant thin crouton was a little weird, and too crunchy for the salad.
For entrees, DH and I had the Trittico di Pasta. He loved the lasagna, but said it tasted like Stouffers! I didn't like it as much--too meaty. I liked the pasta dumplings a lot, but the sauce was so rich I couldn't eat much of them. I gave pretty much all my ziti to the toddler. The kids had the lasagna and liked it a lot.
For dessert, DH and I had the Tiramisu, which was very good. DD had the chocolate mousse, which she liked a lot, and DS ordered a chocolate gelato, which he said was great. We ordered and extra gelato for the toddler, which she enjoyed very much, as evidenced by her chocolate-stained shirt at the end of dinner.
Not bad, but I wouldn't run back here. I also get annoyed by the wait staff faking that they can't speak good English. After a slip by our waiter on our honeymoon, I'm not buying it anymore.
For what its worth, this was the only place all week that charged for DD2s milk, but we did order her a dessert so that may be why.
6/14--Capt'n Jack'sdinner
DH took one look at the menu and said "Mommy booked this for the crab cakes" Darn tootin'. DD11 and I ordered the crab cakes for appetizers. DD got the sauce on the side because she wasn't sure if she'd like it, but she loved it and ended up getting way more sauce than I did! DS got the Caesar salad, which looked better than Alfredo's, and DH got the claim chowder, which he liked.
For entrees, DD and I got the lobster tails. I'm not a big lobster eater, because I like it but don't "love it", at least for the price, but that's what the dining plan is for, right? It was good, but outshined by the crab cakes. It was a real treat for DD. DS got the pot roast, which he LOVED. DH got the seafood pasta, mainly so he could share with the toddler. My dinner came with green beans, which she ate more of the than the pasta.
For dessert, DH and I were too full, so he got the chocolate cake to go and I got the fruit plate to give to the toddler (see a trend here? fruit, veggies and dessert is all she ate all week!). The kids got the cake and loved it. We ended up carting DH's chocolate cake all over Epcot and the Boardwalk that night, and he never ended up eating it. There's just too much food!
6/15Garden Grilldinner
This was a last-ditch effort when I couldnt get any of the other places I wanted, and I wanted another character meal. Im so glad I ended up with this ADR! It was really good.
I dont really care for fruit-based salad dressings, but Ive had good ones at WCC and Ohana, so I thought I might like the strawberry-based dressing. Not. I just didnt like it and neither did DD, which was a shame because the greens looked really good.
I was unclear how family-style meals would work with four adult diners and one free toddler. Not to worryour server told us hed bring out everything; both the adult and kids meals. Which was good because the other three ended up eating a lot of the chicken fingers and macaroni & cheese! The flank steak was really good and I had many portions of it, and I actually liked the turkey (again! Odd for a non-turkey eater). It was very moist. Also, the veggies were really good, and Im not a big veggie eater at all! I had a few helpings of these dainty little tasty mini squashes.
The character interaction was great and I got some of my best pictures there. Goofy did shun us once, but he came back. Revolving around the ride was pretty cool.
The dessert was the very best by far! We ordered two helpings. DH doesnt like berries, but he loved it plain. I wouldnt have minded a third serving, myself, but didnt want to look like pigs! The DDs both got the make-your-own cupcake. DD11 made a perfect one and loved it, while DD2 just ate the M&Ms out of the bowl.
6/16Coral Reefdinner
This was another favorite meal of ours last year, but we almost cancelled it this time because we waited so long to eat lunch and had an early ADR that we didnt think wed be hungry. I couldnt get later ADRs anywhere else, so we just had snacks for lunch and kept the ADR.
I was pretty bummed when I saw they removed the crab cake from the menu (hence the Captn Jacks ADR), but here the server talked me into the Cod Cake. It was goodbut its still no crab cake. DD had the crab claw salad, which she didnt know how to eat so we had to ask for help. She didnt care for it much. DH had the lobster soup (which he liked, but its rather mild) and DS got the Sea and Land, and gave the Sea away to his sister.
For entrées, DH, DS and I all got the NY Strip Steak. It was very tasty, and it was a huge piece of meat. DD got the Shrimp Pasta. She ate most of the shrimp, but not much of the pasta. We ended up ordering DD2 some macaroni and cheese, but for her appetizer we asked to substitute fruit. Yes, more fruit.
For dessert, the other three all got the chocolate wave, which DS loved last year. Still good, but everyone was so full! We really wish the dining plan could have an option to come back for dessert later! Its such a shame to not be able to enjoy such fabulous desserts! I had the cheesecake, which I remember nothing about, so it must not have been that impressive!
Overall, the dining plan was still a good deal for us because we got to try new things and eat at so many nice places. For CS, we ate back at POP as often as we could, because there were more dessert optionssuch as fruit for the toddler, or bakery foods that we could save for breakfast. DD even got an ice cream cone one day for her dessert, and ate it while we waited in line. We were sure to tell the checkout to ring it up!
Oh, but the very best part of our dining experience? The slushies at POP! They were so addictive! DH and I had to get one at every break, and every night when we got back to the room. We even dug out our mugs while we were waiting for ME to arrive so we could get our last fix! Definitely made our refillable mugs worth it!
6/8 Boma--dinner
I've always been reluctant to try Boma, despite all the great reviews, because my family is just not very adventurous. However, I really, really wanted to see AKL, so this was a good excuse! I had to book us two tables, but we had about a two-minute wait and they seated us all together.
Everyone loved the Potatoes with Afritude. I loved the Durban Spiced Roasted Chicken, especially with the mustard sauce for dipping. Yum! DH liked the prime rib with the mustard dipping sauce. I found everything to be very flavorful, spicy but not hot. The kids tried a variety of different things. The toddler ate fruit, which would be a continuing theme.
I thought the Zebra Domes were OK, but not spectacular. The coconut taste turned me off. I loved the little blueberry tarts, though! I wish I had more room to eat more.
6/9--Nine Dragonsdinner
It is beautiful inside here! DD11 and I shared the Tri-Star appetizer. The pot stickers were pretty good, but not great; the pork spring roll was way to crunchy/flakey and difficult to eat, but the Shao Mai was really good! DS13 had the pot stickers, which he liked, and DH got fried rice as an appetizer to have with his dinner instead of the steamed rice.
For entrees, DS13 and I had the Honey Sesame Chicken, which was really sweet and good! My only problem is that there was a huge serving of meat and only a little of the rice. I'd prefer the opposite proportion. DH and DD had the General Tso's Chicken, which they both liked, but didn't think it was any better than our typical carryout place.
For dessert I had a ginger cake which was fabulous--too bad I was so full from the massive portions of meat. The rest had a chocolate cake-thing that they said was pretty good.
6/10--Crystal Palace--breakfast
DH took the kids to this last year and really enjoyed it, so he really wanted to go again this year. We usually do Chef Mickey's. The made-to-order omelets were really good, but took quite a while to get. The raspberry coffee cake was really yummy! Overall, the food was better than at Chef Mickey's, but it seemed to take a really long time to get anything. The toddler saw three characters while I was still getting her food. We did have good character interaction. No one wanted to get up to do the march around the restaurant, though, because we were just so hungry!
In the future I think I'll be really torn between this breakfast and my much-loved Chef Mickey's.
6/11--Whispering Canyon Cafe'lunch
This was our favorite meal last year, but I had a hard time getting dinner ADRs so I settled for lunch. I think it's better to wait for dinner--I should've tried the two-table thing, but I didn't know it would work out so well.
DH, DS & I got the skillet. For lunch it doesn't have the salad, yet you still don't get to pick an appetizer. That's really odd to me--I loved the salad last year. Also, there is no pulled pork in the lunch skillet, which is the best part! Overall, it was still good, and there was a little pulled pork in the beans. DH ate many portions of the mashed potatoes, DS really liked the chicken, and I liked the ribs best. DD2 ate corn on the cob and that's it, but she had two pieces. DD11 had the pulled pork sandwich, which was the size of a house. She had to take a lot of the pork off to enjoy it.
For dessert, we got two chocolate cakes and two apple pies to go and had them later at night. I still loved the pie, but it's much better at dinner warm. The others liked their cake.
6/12--Ohana'sdinner
Again, I had to book two tables to get an ADR here, but we barely had a wait and were all seated together. Our "cousin" said we could order anything we wanted for the toddler off the kids' menu, and it was all included. They brought the salad, which was wonderful, and the wontons, which were OK. DD11 loved them, though. Then quickly came the sticky wings and shrimp, and about a second later, we were bombarded with meat and sides. I would've liked a little time to savor each course, but DH actually preferred that everything came at once. I loved the sticky wings, DH ate a ton of the shrimp--I did manage to grab one and it was quite good. I liked the steak and turkey best (and I don't usually like turkey!) while the others thought the pork was great. No one really cared for the sausage.
During the meal there was plenty of entertainment, and the girls did the coconut races and the hula. It was great fun!
I don't eat bread pudding, even the though of it grosses me out. They brought little bowls of ice cream separately so DS & I just ate those, which was plenty for us! DH put the whole bread pudding bowl in front of him, and ate almost the whole thing except for a little that DD11 wanted. I guess he liked it!
6/13--Alfredo'sdinner
This was our longest wait, even though we checked in a few minutes early. Now, DH loves Alfredo and orders it just about everywhere we go back home. He decided to just get the appetizer portion, which was a good thing, because he took one bite, made a face, and pushed it aside. The kids didn't like it either. I thought it was OK, but I'm not a big Alfredo fan.
The kids and I all had the Caesar salad. It was pretty good, but the giant thin crouton was a little weird, and too crunchy for the salad.
For entrees, DH and I had the Trittico di Pasta. He loved the lasagna, but said it tasted like Stouffers! I didn't like it as much--too meaty. I liked the pasta dumplings a lot, but the sauce was so rich I couldn't eat much of them. I gave pretty much all my ziti to the toddler. The kids had the lasagna and liked it a lot.
For dessert, DH and I had the Tiramisu, which was very good. DD had the chocolate mousse, which she liked a lot, and DS ordered a chocolate gelato, which he said was great. We ordered and extra gelato for the toddler, which she enjoyed very much, as evidenced by her chocolate-stained shirt at the end of dinner.
Not bad, but I wouldn't run back here. I also get annoyed by the wait staff faking that they can't speak good English. After a slip by our waiter on our honeymoon, I'm not buying it anymore.
For what its worth, this was the only place all week that charged for DD2s milk, but we did order her a dessert so that may be why.
6/14--Capt'n Jack'sdinner
DH took one look at the menu and said "Mommy booked this for the crab cakes" Darn tootin'. DD11 and I ordered the crab cakes for appetizers. DD got the sauce on the side because she wasn't sure if she'd like it, but she loved it and ended up getting way more sauce than I did! DS got the Caesar salad, which looked better than Alfredo's, and DH got the claim chowder, which he liked.
For entrees, DD and I got the lobster tails. I'm not a big lobster eater, because I like it but don't "love it", at least for the price, but that's what the dining plan is for, right? It was good, but outshined by the crab cakes. It was a real treat for DD. DS got the pot roast, which he LOVED. DH got the seafood pasta, mainly so he could share with the toddler. My dinner came with green beans, which she ate more of the than the pasta.
For dessert, DH and I were too full, so he got the chocolate cake to go and I got the fruit plate to give to the toddler (see a trend here? fruit, veggies and dessert is all she ate all week!). The kids got the cake and loved it. We ended up carting DH's chocolate cake all over Epcot and the Boardwalk that night, and he never ended up eating it. There's just too much food!
6/15Garden Grilldinner
This was a last-ditch effort when I couldnt get any of the other places I wanted, and I wanted another character meal. Im so glad I ended up with this ADR! It was really good.
I dont really care for fruit-based salad dressings, but Ive had good ones at WCC and Ohana, so I thought I might like the strawberry-based dressing. Not. I just didnt like it and neither did DD, which was a shame because the greens looked really good.
I was unclear how family-style meals would work with four adult diners and one free toddler. Not to worryour server told us hed bring out everything; both the adult and kids meals. Which was good because the other three ended up eating a lot of the chicken fingers and macaroni & cheese! The flank steak was really good and I had many portions of it, and I actually liked the turkey (again! Odd for a non-turkey eater). It was very moist. Also, the veggies were really good, and Im not a big veggie eater at all! I had a few helpings of these dainty little tasty mini squashes.
The character interaction was great and I got some of my best pictures there. Goofy did shun us once, but he came back. Revolving around the ride was pretty cool.
The dessert was the very best by far! We ordered two helpings. DH doesnt like berries, but he loved it plain. I wouldnt have minded a third serving, myself, but didnt want to look like pigs! The DDs both got the make-your-own cupcake. DD11 made a perfect one and loved it, while DD2 just ate the M&Ms out of the bowl.
6/16Coral Reefdinner
This was another favorite meal of ours last year, but we almost cancelled it this time because we waited so long to eat lunch and had an early ADR that we didnt think wed be hungry. I couldnt get later ADRs anywhere else, so we just had snacks for lunch and kept the ADR.
I was pretty bummed when I saw they removed the crab cake from the menu (hence the Captn Jacks ADR), but here the server talked me into the Cod Cake. It was goodbut its still no crab cake. DD had the crab claw salad, which she didnt know how to eat so we had to ask for help. She didnt care for it much. DH had the lobster soup (which he liked, but its rather mild) and DS got the Sea and Land, and gave the Sea away to his sister.
For entrées, DH, DS and I all got the NY Strip Steak. It was very tasty, and it was a huge piece of meat. DD got the Shrimp Pasta. She ate most of the shrimp, but not much of the pasta. We ended up ordering DD2 some macaroni and cheese, but for her appetizer we asked to substitute fruit. Yes, more fruit.
For dessert, the other three all got the chocolate wave, which DS loved last year. Still good, but everyone was so full! We really wish the dining plan could have an option to come back for dessert later! Its such a shame to not be able to enjoy such fabulous desserts! I had the cheesecake, which I remember nothing about, so it must not have been that impressive!
Overall, the dining plan was still a good deal for us because we got to try new things and eat at so many nice places. For CS, we ate back at POP as often as we could, because there were more dessert optionssuch as fruit for the toddler, or bakery foods that we could save for breakfast. DD even got an ice cream cone one day for her dessert, and ate it while we waited in line. We were sure to tell the checkout to ring it up!
Oh, but the very best part of our dining experience? The slushies at POP! They were so addictive! DH and I had to get one at every break, and every night when we got back to the room. We even dug out our mugs while we were waiting for ME to arrive so we could get our last fix! Definitely made our refillable mugs worth it!
The corner store used to have them, but switched to Kool-Aid. I don't drink soft drinks, but I love Coke slushies! 
