Dining Reviews for our Dream Trip, 12/15-23

[tiggrsbride]

We had another magical trip to the World from December 15 through December 23, 2007. We purchased the Dining Plan while booking our stay in October. ADR’s were made at that time. All of our requested TS locations were available, at super dining times, except for LeCellier. I called daily for about two weeks, and was finally able to add LeCellier…Yeah!

Our cast of characters:

Me-39, loves most foods, but needs to eat softer foods due to a recent bout of cancer that made swallowing difficult. I found plenty to eat during the trip!

DH-40, and loves to eat well!

DS-15, and more excited about our dining plans than the parks. Is a real meat lover!

DD-11, will try most things, but really loves chicken tenders!

December 15th Saturday-arrival day!

After checking in to the Poly, we hopped onto the monorail and walked down Main Street. It was about 1:00 and we were hungry from traveling. We headed into Columbia Harbor House and ordered. I got the clam chowder and tuna sandwich and chocolate milk. It was very good. The chowder was thick and creamy. The sandwich was tasty, served on a multigrain bread. DH had the BLT salad with Diet Coke and really liked it. DS and DD had Chicken Fingers and fries, with Coke and Lemonade. They were devoured. We shared 3 Apple Crisps for dessert. The total bill was $54. (I will round to the nearest dollar when giving price totals during this report.) We used 4 CS credits. This was our first visit, and we will definitely go back there again!

Dinner was a 7:00 pm ADR at LeCellier. DS chose this restaurant, as it is his favorite. We checked in 10 minutes late, got a pager, and were paged immediately. Patrick was our server, and he was really wonderful. I ordered the Shrimp Cocktail, Mushroom Filet, Iced Tea, and shared the Crème Brulee. The meal was wonderful! The Filet was delicious. It was a little chewy, but I am more cautious about foods than most people. The Risotto was rich and wonderful. The Brulee was creamy, sweet goodness. The Pretzel bread was devine, especially with the creamy butter balls that it came with. DH ordered the Chicken and Chipolte Sausage on Polenta, the Shrimp and Scallop pasta, a Mango Smoothie and shared the Crème Brulee. The appetizer was spicy and delicious, almost an entire meal in itself. The Smoothie was very good. He really enjoyed the Pasta and the Brulee. DS ordered the Steakhouse Caesar, the BBQ Filet with Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Coke and Chocolate Moose. He ate every morsel, and half of mine. DD had the Beef Barley soup, the BBQ Filet, Iced Tea, and Chocolate Moose. She did her best and shared her leftover steak with DH. She loved this meal. We all did. The steaks weren’t quite as tender as the last few visits, but our meal was very good and service was excellent. Our total was $206. We used 4 TS credits and tipped extra for the service.

 

[tiggrsbride]

December 16th Sunday

Breakfast was items from the room, supplemented with Kona Coffees from the Coffee Bar at the Poly. The kids had a Croissant and Krispy Kreme doughnut. The coffee was pretty good. The kids loved the pastries. A pattern began here! Total OOP-$9.

DD and I came back to the resort for lunch and purchased 2 refillable mugs at Captain Cook’s for $27 OOP. I ordered an Aloha Pork Sandwich with steamed veggies and Dole Whip. Delicious! DD ordered a Turkey Club on multigrain bread with Asian Cole Slaw and a Mickey Rice Krispy Treat. She really enjoyed it. We both ordered waters to bring back to the room, and used our mugs for Raspberry Iced Tea. The total came to $26. We used 2 CS credits. DH and DS went to ESPN to watch some Patriots football and had some drinks, then came back to join us for their lunch. DH had an Adult Grilled Cheese with Poly Chips, Dole Whip and Water. He said it was very good. DS had the Aloha Pork Sandwich with Poly Chips and a Powerade. DD snagged some of the chips and pronounced them great. The total came to $26. They used 2 CS credits. I thought that Captain Cook’s had quality CS items that were quite tasty. The staff was very helpful. Eating outdoors was a really nice treat, surrounded by the Polynesian’s tropical beauty.

Dinner was back at Epcot at Chef’s de France. This was our first visit here. DD chose this night of dining. We checked in and waited for about 20 minutes for our ADR. It was a chilly night to wait outside! We were sat at closely placed tables in the dining room near the door. It was a bit cold, but our meals soon made us forget the temperature! I ordered the French Onion soup, the Tuna with Olive and Caper Sauce, hot tea, and the Strawberry cake with sorbet. My meal was delicious! The soup was hot and cheesy. The tuna, though cooked to a medium, not rare as advertised, was super. The fries were wonderful! We all shared desserts, and my cake was layers of yellow cake with strawberries and pastry cream served with a fresh-tasting strawberry sorbet. Yum! DH had the Cheese Plate, the Lamb Shank with White Beans, Diet Coke, Crème Brulee, and Cappuccino. He really loved his meal! It rivaled our meal at California Grill as being his best! Everyone raved about the Lamb! The Crème Brulee was excellent! DS ordered the Escargot, Filet Mignon, Coke and the Apple Crepes. He loved everything in his meal, and gobbled any morsel of DH’s Lamb that he could get his fork on. DD ordered the Salmon Tartare, Roasted Chicken, hot tea, and Profiterolles. She ate some of the Salmon, but she should have ordered Escargot, since both her and her brother really like the snails and garlic butter. I thought the Salmon was quite good, but it was a large portion. She liked the chicken and did her best on an enormous portion of food. She would have licked the last drops of chocolate off of her Profiterolles plates if we let her! It was a fabulous meal with outstanding service from our waiter, Ludovic. This was the only place that we had to show our Dining Plan card during the meal. Our bill was $201. We used 4 TS credits. We paid $5 OOP for the Cappuccino. We tipped extra for wonderful service. This restaurant is a must do for us from now on!

 

[tiggrsbride]

Monday, December 17th

Breakfast was Kona Coffee Bar again, two Croissants for the kids, and two coffees for us. OOP cost was $9.

Lunch was at MGM. Counter Service options at MGM aren’t that great, and I was concerned about my options for eating there. We stopped at ABC Commissary and found a menu that we could live with. I ordered the Chicken Curry and White Rice, Chocolate Milk, and Chocolate Mousse. The Curry was a huge bowl in a red sauce. It was good, warm (today was a very chilly day, in the 50’s with lots of wind…not very Florida-like weather!) and soft to eat. DH had the Cuban Sandwich with French Fries, Iced Tea and Chocolate Mousse. He said it was fine. DS ordered a Hamburger with Fries, Coke and Chocolate Mousse. He ate it all. DD ordered from the kids menu, and got Chicken Nuggets, Lemonade, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie. She ate it all. The food was fine here, but the restaurant was quite cold! The total was $43. We used 4 CS credits.

DH and DS got Ice Cream at Hollywood Scoops. They didn’t write down the price, but used 2 Snack Credits.

Dinner was at Kona Café at the Polynesian. We had a marvelous meal here! We checked in and waited less than 5 minutes to be seated. It is loud here, and the tables are close together, but the food was super! The Hawaiian bread was really wonderful, sweet, with the Macadamia Nut Butter. I had the Crab Cakes, Tuna Oscar, Hot Tea, and White Chocolate Cheesecake. This was my favorite meal!!! We all shared appetizers, but the Crab Cakes were the best, in my opinion. The Tuna…beautifully rare, topped with a melt-in-your-mouth tempura crab bites, with baby asparagus spears and creamy Wasabi hollandaise sauce, delicious! The Cheesecake was very good. DH ordered the Duck Pot Stickers, Asian Prime Rib, Iced Tea, and Crème Brulee. Everything was fantastic. He really loved the Pot Stickers. DS ordered the Sticky Wings, Filet Mignon, Coke and the Kilahuea Torte. He ate every drop, and part of his sister’s meal, too! DD ordered Chicken Soup, Filet Mignon, Hot Tea, and Chocolate Fondue. She ate some of her soup and half of her Filet, and all of her Fondue. She was really liked everything she ordered. Our service here was fine, but not exceptional. Our server didn’t engage with us, or seem particularly happy. We didn’t tip additional here. Our total was $208, and we used 4 TS credits here. I wish I could order that Tuna dish again…it was so good!

 

[tiggrsbride]

Tuesday, December 18th

Our day began at Magic Kingdom, and we breakfasted at the Main Street Bakery. DH, DS, and DD had 3 Croissants, I had French Toast Loaf. Wow! The French Toast Loaf was really good! DH and I had coffee, and the kids ordered Strawberry Smoothies. I don’t have a total for this meal, but we used 8 Snack Credits here.

Lunch was at Cosmic Ray’s. I ordered the Chili Cheese Hot Dog with Fries, Iced Tea, and Chocolate Cake. It was good. The cake was very rich. DH had the Bacon Cheeseburger with Fries, Iced Tea, and Carrot Cake. His food was fine. DS ordered the Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans, Coke and Chocolate Cake. The Ribs weren’t his favorite, but the portion was huge! The cake was too chocolaty for him, and he didn’t finish his ribs, so this wasn’t a great meal for him. DD had Chicken Nuggets, Fries, Lemonade and Chocolate Cake. She enjoyed the entire meal. Our total would have been $52, we used 4 CS credits.

Our ADR was scheduled for 8:00 at Teppan Edo, but when we arrived, we saw that DD was developing a case of Conjunctivitis, so we didn’t want to share a table with other guests. Instead we cancelled, and headed over to Morocco, where we ordered from Tangierine Café and got a table outdoors. DD and I shared a Chicken and Lamb Shawarma Platter, Iced Tea, and Baklava. It was very good. She ate the Lamb, and I ate the Chicken. DH had his own platter with Iced Tea and Baklava, and enjoyed every drop. DS had a Lamb Platter and ate every drop of Lamb and Couscous, but none of the other salads. He had this with Coke and Baklava. This was one of his favorite meals! The total came to $60, and we used 3 CS credits. This is an amazing value for a really good counter service meal!

More to follow, Thanks for reading!

 

[phabric]

Loved reading your review. Looking for more.

 

[danalee]

Cant wait to read more!

 

[TigerKat]

We loved Chefs De France as well !

 

[John's Mom]

Great reviews!

 

[TiggerGuy67]

Sounds delicious. Makes me feel like I was there.

Mmmmmmmm!

 

[WNYDISNEYFAN]

Thanks for the reviews makes us wish we were with you.

 

[tiggrsbride]

Thanks for your comments! This is my first dining review. It is a fun way to keep the trip alive! Here is the next installment.

Wednesday, December 19th-

We began the day with Kona Coffee Bar coffee and Croissants again, with an OOP cost of $9.

Lunch was at Epcot in the World Showcase. The kids ordered from Refreshment Port, and both had 9 piece McNuggets, Fries, Cokes and Crunch McFlurries. It was McDonalds, what more can I say. The kids were happy. The total came to $28. We used 2 CS credits. DH and I got our lunch at Harry Ramsden’s Fish and Chips. We both ordered Fish and Chips, Shortbread, and Iced Teas. We brought our lunches to the benches behind England, overlooking the World Showcase lagoon. The seagulls were persistent, but we were not sharing one bite of the delicious fish. It was batter dipped and fried to a golden crisp. I could finish half of the meal as fried food is pretty filling, but I loved each and every bite! I didn’t try the shortbread, but it was prepackaged, and not memorable, according to DH. The total came to $26, and we used 2 CS credits. I can’t believe that we have never tried this before, considering DH absolutely loves Fish and Chips. We will definitely return! Later on DS and DH tried a Churro as we walked around the countries. DH forgot to use a snack credit and paid OOP. I tried a bite. It was good.

Dinner was at California Grill in celebration of my birthday. It was really neat checking in and taking the private elevator up to the top. The view was amazing! We were all excited for the meal. It didn’t disappoint! We checked in and were given a pager. The hostess explained the restaurant to us, and told us to check out the open kitchen area. Our pager went off within 5 minutes of sitting down. We were led to a table with Mickey confetti all over it. DH had called and told them about my birthday. I got many birthday wishes! Charmaine was our server, and she explained the menu to us. She was great about answering questions and offering suggestions. One of the hosts came over and took our picture. He soon returned with a folio with our picture, and a picture of the castle in it. What a special touch! I ordered the Maine Lobster Salad, Veal Cheeks with buttery potatoes, Iced Tea, and the Valrhona Cake with Coffee Ice Cream. The Lobster was fresh, and perfectly cooked. It was a claw and half of a tail in a light citrus sauce, with avocado, hearts of palm and Serrano Ham crisps on top. It was fantastic! Veal Cheeks were really different, and totally delicious. There were 4 ovals of red meat served on a bed of buttery potatoes, garnished with carrots. The Veal Cheeks were so tender they broke up with a push of a fork. The flavor was like a rich, buttery pot roast, but the Cheeks melted in my mouth. Everyone tried them and liked them. The Valrhona Cake was rich, deep chocolate with a oozing center tempered by cool, creamy coffee ice cream. The cake came with a chocolate sign wishing me a happy birthday, and a candle burning. It was a nice touch on the best dessert of the vacation! DH had the Spicy Sensation Sushi, which contained tuna and scallops, in a rich, spicy sauce. He raved about it, and said it was the best he ever had. He had the Oak-Fired Filet, Iced Tea, and the Cheese Board. The Filet was a cut above other beef at Disney, and was enjoyed. The Cheeses were fabulous, and he managed to finish all of them, since they were so good! DS had the Sausage Flatbread, the Filet, Coke and the Honey Crunch Cake. The Flatbread was flavorful and large enough to share. The Filet was fabulous, though DS didn’t like the root vegetables that were served with the steak. He adored the Honey Crunch cake, and left his plate clean. DD ordered Cucumber Roll, Crispy Petite Chicken, Iced Tea and Banana and Butterscotch Buzz for dessert. Cucumber Roll was made special for her. It is her favorite food, and she really filled up on that. The Chicken was good, but she didn’t eat much, after her appetizer. The Banana Buzz was delicious, and the portion was huge. She worked hard on it, but left plenty on her plate. All of us agreed that the meal was really special and one of our best meals ever! We look forward to returning again!
The total was $301, and 8 TS credits were used. We left Charmaine an additional tip. We are all still talking about this meal, one week later!

 

[BCV23]

Your reviews are so much fun to read. Looking forward to more.

Isn't CG a special place? It is our #1 can't miss dinner at WDW.

 

[Crazy4disknee]

Great reviews, can't wait to read more!

 

[Magic2000]

Great reviews - can't wait to read more! These are some of our favorite restaurants too! We tried California Grill for the first time last month, and boy - what a great place to eat!!!! We will definitely return!!!

 

[poohluvrs]

Thanks for great review! We're going w/ my parents & young kids, is the DDP worth it?

 

[tiggrsbride]

Thanks for great review! We're going w/ my parents & young kids, is the DDP worth it?

I thought the 2007 plan was absolutely worth it, and when I finish the review, I will total up what we saved on the DDP. I am not sure if it is worth it in 2008. We like one or two appetizers, and they won't be included. Tip will be eliminated from the plan too. That adds 20% to the cost of each TS meal. I will be watching the Disboards to see the analysis. I would love to see Disney offering a choice of appetizer or dessert, but doubt they will change the plan again!

 

[tiggrsbride]

Thursday, December 20th


Today we had lunch at Animal Kingdom. We waited in line for Yak and Yeti Counter Service, got up to order, and decided that it wasn’t for us. We hightailed it over to our favorite CS meal at AK…Flame Tree BBQ. I scouted the area for a clean, bird-poop free table, and DH ordered our meals. Soon we were eating, and the birds were hovering nearby, hoping for a meal. I ordered a BBQ Pork Sandwich with beans, coffee (since we skipped our visit to Kona Coffee Bar) and Key Lime Pie for dessert. The Pork was delicious, and very tender. I ate half of the pork and all of the very sweet Baked Beans and shared the rest of the sandwich with DS. I wanted to come here for the Key Lime Pie. It is my favorite CS dessert in the world! I love the creamy sweetness of Key Lime Pie. The crust was a bit soggy, but it was still a winner. DH devoured the Chicken and Baked Beans. He said that the chicken was really flavorful, and the portion was quite large. He didn’t eat the corn muffin (actually, no one ate their muffins) since we got a side of Onion Rings. They were thick cut and greasy looking, but each and every one of them got eaten. He also had a Diet Coke and Frozen Lemonade. DS had the BBQ Pork Sandwich, no Beans, Coke and Lemonade. He was very happy with this lunch. DD ordered the BBQ Ribs and ate about half of them, and shared the rest with DH and DS. She skipped the Beans and muffin, but enjoyed her Key Lime Pie. The total for lunch was $59, plus $4 for the Onion Rings. We used 4 CS credits and 1 snack credit.

DD and I stopped to get a Chai Latte and a Coffee at Joffrey’s Tea Cart. They don’t take DDP or room charges. I paid OOP $6.50 for these. Coffee was really good here, fresh-brewed, not Nescafe.

Dinner was in MGM after the Osborne Lights and before Fantasmic. We had an ADR at 50’s Prime Time for 6:40, and were early. We were quickly seated. We saw our server from last time, Tim, who was a hoot and really made the experience great. This time our server was a sweet woman named Helida. She wasn’t over-the-top, but she quietly pulled some of the tricks that make 50’s Prime Time one of our must-do’s. I like the more obnoxious servers there, though. Dinner was good here. I had the Shrimp Cocktail, Glazed Salmon with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Corn Relish, Iced Tea and the Brownie Sundae. The Shrimp were large and cooked properly. The Salmon was good, but I was getting tired of fish at this point. It is soft and easy to eat, so I kept ordering it. The corn was delicious! We shared the Sundae and an order of Smores. I tried the Sundae, and it was as good as I remembered. It is a brownie covered with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, M & M’s, caramel popcorn, whipped cream, and a cherry. Yum! DH ordered the Root Beer Float, Fried Herb Cheese, and Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes. He said that his Cheese appetizer reminded him of Alouette Cheese. The Pot Roast was good, and he really enjoyed his float. DS ordered Onion Rings, Pot Roast, Chocolate Shake, and Smores for dessert. The Onion Rings were large, not the thinly sliced rings that we had their previously. They liked them. DS liked his Pot Roast. The Chocolate Shake was so thick that it had to be spooned into the glass. DS was happy. The Smores were shared, and they enjoyed them. DD ordered Onion Rings, Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes, and a Vanilla Shake. She liked everything, including the Meatloaf, but it “Wasn’t as good as Mom’s!” That kid sure knows what to say! The service was very good. I got the airplane treatment since I didn’t finish my meal. The meal came to $152. We used 4 TS credits. We tipped extra for service. We were able to get to Fantasmic with time to spare, so this was a quick meal! We will probably skip this next time, since we have done it the last 4 visits.

 

[tiggrsbride]

Friday, December 21st

Our day began with Croissants, 2 Coffees and an apple from Captain Cook’s. The lines were getting too long two visit two locations for grab and go breakfast. The coffee was OK. Total OOP $10.

We grazed for our midday meal. You can tell we are on vacation by our choices. DH got the homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies stuffed with three scoops of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream from Main Street Bakery. The Cookies were huge! He actually had to eat this with a spoon, as it started to melt on the journey from Magic Kingdom to the Poly pool, where he generously shared a few bites with me! Oh my goodness, it was heaven! The best use of a snack credit in WDW! It was $4.99, but DH was able to use ONE snack credit. I love the Disboards, because I had no idea!!! DD got Sushi, grab and go from Captain Cook’s. She took the crab and avocado out, and munched happily on Cucumber Rolls. I got a Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla frosting that I had been eyeballing all week. It was sugar heaven! We also got a milk. The total of this meal came to $16, and we used 1 CS credit. DS skipped his meal to work out at the Gym. He will make up for it at dinner!

Dinner was at Boma. DH was so looking forward to this meal! We arrived on time and were seated within minutes. Our server took our drink order and sent us off to the buffet. I tried some Prime Rib, Coconut Curry Salmon, Corn Salad, Crab Soup, Seafood Curry Soup, Honeydew Melon and a Zebra Dome. The Prime Rib was really tasty and tender, and very rare, as I like it. The Salmon was very good. I didn’t like the Corn Salad and the Crab Soup, but I really liked the Seafood Curry Soup. Honeydew was delicious and fresh, and the Zebra Dome great. DH tried Rotisserie Chicken, Potatoes with Afritude, Roast Pork, Bobtie, Coconut Curry Salmon, Seafood Curry Soup, Falafal, Black Olive Hummus, a Zebra Dome and Fruit. He loved everything! The Bobtie and the Seafood Curry Soup really stood out, but everything was savored and enjoyed. DS enjoyed this as much as his Dad! He had Prime Rib, Roast Pork, Bobtie, Potatoes with Afritude, Lamb Stew, Zebra Domes, and other desserts. DD tried the Prime Rib, Potatoes with Afritude, Chicken Tenders, Mac and Cheese, Black Olive Hummus, Watermelon Salad, Fruit, and desserts. She ate very well here, and found lots that she would eat. Our server was mostly absent here, and didn’t do a good job clearing plates off of our table. DD had a stack of 3 plates at her spot. We left no additional tip. There was a Christmas surcharge on the buffets (I believe it was $3 per person) and our total was $155. We used 4 TS credits.

 

[poohluvrs]

I thought the 2007 plan was absolutely worth it, and when I finish the review, I will total up what we saved on the DDP. I am not sure if it is worth it in 2008. We like one or two appetizers, and they won't be included. Tip will be eliminated from the plan too. That adds 20% to the cost of each TS meal. I will be watching the Disboards to see the analysis. I would love to see Disney offering a choice of appetizer or dessert, but doubt they will change the plan again!

Thanks! I found the DDP thread & looks like 2008 may not be worth it, though we do plan to do a lot of TS. Thanks again for such detailed reports!

 

[ciera321]

Thank you for your reviews!!! I really enjoyed reading them.