Disney FD 17 thru 24 of sept 08 review

[WDisnut]

Free dining Upgrade to deluxe

Day 1) pepper market CS and Ohanas
Day 2) Crystal Palace Breakfast , California Grill dinner
Day 3) Tokyo dinning lunch and Kona cafe dinner
Day 4) 50's cafe lunch and Raglon Road dinner
Day 5) Boma breakfast and NARCOOSSEE'S dinner
Day 6) Yak and Yeti lunch and Jiko dinner:
Day 7) Le Cellier Lunch and Spirit of Aloha dinner
Day 8) Crystal Palace breakfast

First off let me say I have done Free dining the last 3 years and have gone around the same time. This year I allowed my DGF to bring her mother and step father, different rooms. Never again! He is a chain smoker. She, the mother, is just crazy. My DGF and I both love disney and love disney food. So this year I got the upgrade to the DXDDP. Oh did I mention they both parents eat like birds... I'm going to only talk about the dining locations and My meals, even though I could go on and on about just about everything.

Day one
we got to CSR and It was around noon and we all were hungry. SO pepper market food court. Everyone got what they wanted and I got the steak, the one everyone keeps asking if it's allowed on the DDP .. But the steak cooker said it would be about 12 minutes and that I should come back. SO I sat and watched everyone else eat. I then got my food , ribeye, vegetables mixed, and fries.. I have gotten this before, previous years, and this was nothing like it. The steak was smaller, tasteless and dry. the vegetables all tasted the same and all had a blueish tint to them. The fries were great.. They changed the dessert where you can get what ever you want, less confusion, wonderful ( but still have bakery 1 2 3 and side stamps, why?)... I got a peace of german chocolate cake. It was good. I wish I got anything else than the steak now and I wasn't the only one there talking about how bad it was. Then I had a wonderful time trying to get the coupons for the 2 snacks or bag when checking out ( the promotion disney had till sept 27 I believe where you can sub a TS for A CS and get this coupon ). not many Cast members new about it and the ones that did said you couldn't get it if you were on the dxddp. Lucky for me the pepper market nazi, the MGR that has been there for years who has never smiled and treats his employees like a micromanaging MGR, knew I could and saved the day. I went to the front desk and asked them to go in the cast portal in the main hub and look for a recent post about the coupon with dxddp and got a print out saying it was ok to do on the dxddp. I kept a copy on me the rest of the vacation and had to show it 3 other times. the parents I was with have already started saying how full they were . I then informed them about how the plan works and how they have 2 snacks each every day and by the way we have ressies for OHANAS at 5:30pm. It was around 1pm

We got to Ohanas and yes finally got to sit in the room with the food cooking fire area things. My DGF got the 14$ pineapple drink, wow 14 $.... I hate how they bring the food out now, kind of the same but different. Bread, bread ( didn't try), then salad (good) and noodles (not a fan), broccoli (didn't try and don't understand why they give it), Dumpling things ( really good), chicken wings (awsome). yes they are trying to fill you up on the cheap stuff before the meat! That's all I remember pre-meat. the parents are saying how full they are already and I explained to them how it works , but lucky for us it took about 20 mins plus for the meat to come and we had to ask for it. The waitress said how they are understaffed and that she was sorry... while we were waiting the lady who looks like a cross dresser sang and walked around with the kids. I miss the fat Hawaiian guy, much better IMO.. The meat came and all was good except the fact The shrimp was still in the shell, I didn't know that.. But still were good. The waitress said it always been like that since they got them back. I didn't know ! service was continual and great since getting the meats... The mother explain how she had been to a place like this before and how It made her sick, people getting more and more food when the stepfather went outside for his second smoke.. The dessert came and we all loved it. The mother ate the bread pudding like she was starved and yes I had seconds.. First tip, paid cash, it really sucked. It was easy writing cash on the recent and then leaving x% but I really missed the not having the tip already included...


DAY 2 comming soon

 

[WDisnut]

Day 2 the first morning

Crystal palace 8:05 AM ressies: The smoker was a no show in the morning and slept in, we were told from the mother he would meet us later that day.. Breakfast I love.. we got right in no problems, beautiful day! I got a meat plate ( omlete to order, everything omlete), a fruit plate, pastry plate, and a bowl of frosted flakes, its been a while and I was really hungry. The mom got a small fruit plate and a muffin... nothing else and kepted saying to me and my DGF "ANOTHER plate?". I love the character interaction as always, Eeyore is my fav.. One of the cast members was a little person (trying to be PC) following around the characters. He brought a smile to my face. I wish I meet him. Tipping sucked again, easy done, but sucked..

California GRill
6:10 pm ressie: the best all around meal of the trip. great views, wonderful environment, clean, no real smells, Good service. The dress code was spoken of but in some cases I saw not enforced. I wish all of my meals were like this.. I did not even notice the other party was with my DGF and I. Even they had nothing to say bad about it during or after. I got the California roll app half shrimp half crab (wOnderful), Pacific Halibut, I hate fish and I loved this entree, Valrhona Chocolate Cake. also tasty.. Everyone loved their meal. I believe I drank 6 "shirley temples" (ms) And as soon as it was over 3 hours later.. yes the meal took 3 hours, we watched wishes from atop of the contemporary resort. The story that is played in the park to go along with wishes is also played next to you on top of the contemporary resort. The meal was around 400.00 after tip. and you guess it the tip sucked again, really sucked. After the fireworks we walked over to the buses at MK to go home (back to CSR) and the mother acted like a 3 year old whining and complained about having to wait for the buses , at one point she sat on the floor and complained....

Day three comming soon

 

[WDisnut]

Day 3

We used snack credits for pastries and juices in the morning. Sitting outside eating breakfast is nice on a beautiful day on the lake at CSR.

Lunch was at noon in Tokyo at Tokyo dining.. Remember left side china right side tokyo in world showcase. Inside the restaurant felt and looked like a well lit lounge / bar area at a marriot or hilton with big windows on one side and a silde show on the other side. the waitresses were nice and japan like, you know lots of bowing and talking while bowing. I always like the hot towel. I had hot tea, shrimp cocktail app ( cute box ). tempura mix for entree ( was ok I have had better). Dessert tea pudding, ( really good). The mother and step dad left before dessert said they were full and tired ( both looked at each other did an eye thing to each other before saying they were going like it was planned) and wanted to go back to the hotel and would meet up again with us later after 4pm. Which happen to be right when the mother soaps ended.

I have to say so I don't forget I had the school bread in Norway and it is the best snack I had all trip.

The next time we see them was at kona cafe for dinner about 5pm before mickey's not so scary Halloween party. I did not like kona. I had chicken wings for app, too crispy and over cooked. Pork chop for dinner was also dry and not to tasty. Dessert I had the cheese cake and ate it in one bite, with a few chews. I will never again order cheese cake from anywhere if it will come out looking like a hockey puck. The waitress were a little slow, but nice and I would rather of ate at ohanas again or some other place...

day four comming up

 

[KatMark]

Day 3

We used snack credits for pastries and juices in the morning. Sitting outside eating breakfast is nice on a beautiful day on the lake at CSR.

Agree with you! We love getting our breakfast and sitting outside by the lake at the CSR and enjoying the peacefulness of the resort.

 

[WDisnut]

sorry I forgot tipping sucked

day four : 50s cafe and raglon road

breakfast again We used snack credits for pastries and juices in the morning. Sitting outside on the lake at CSR...

lunch 1:30 ,50s, got right in , wait time without ressie about 1 1/2 hr.. The other party we were with kept getting yelled at for everything , elbows on the table to not eating vegetables to not finishing their plate, just about everything ... I had crab cake app ( sad little crab cake ) taste was ok. Fried chicken same as last year but I think the portions everywhere have changed or the lunch size was just that much smaller.. dessert Seasonal Cobbler with ala mode. I like this a lot.

Dinner at raglon road 8pm got right in but there was a long wait ( go go ADRs), I requested the grand room and we were right in front of the dance stage whic also made us in front of the band, great seats. I won a baseball cap they ( raglon road) threw in the air. I then got beads and a plastic irish hat very festive. The band played U2 music and girls did step dancing to Irish music. But the food . I loved this place in the past, and it was a good thing for the entertainment because the food was not so good. I had drunk chicken which wasn't on the menu , the waiter said they have it but its different now and called something different. Yep it was different, dry and tasteless. I got kevin's bacon, now called kevin ham which I got before and loved. Extra dry this time , something about dry meats at RR this year, I guess its way to get you to order more drinks . dessert bread pudding and as always wonderful . tip sucked! Waiter was as good as one can hope for with a mad house like the way it was. We then went to the comedy club (warehouse) one last time before it closed, I well really miss this place.. People talk about the adventurers club, I think is nothing compared to the comedy club..

day five comming soon

 

[WDisnut]

Day 5 Boma breakfast and NARCOOSSEE'S dinner

The mom and steda wanted to sleep in: nice

Boma in Animal kingdom lodge we got there at 8am from CSR. How did we do that? Well about 7:30am we told a bus driver going to the animal kingdom what we were doing and he said after dropping off the people at animal kingdom he would drive us over to the lodge. NICE! Boma is located on the bottom of the AKL right next to Jiko. Boma is a buffet and I found out there is a omelet station. Oh and if you order an everything omelet here it comes with jalapenos and a spicy sausage. It was really good but a shocker to the system if you weren't prepared. I drank OJ and hot chocolate. Being a buffet I sampled a lot of different thing and tried like always to go where the kids are not .. Kinda hard to do at disney. we meet some nice couples which sat near us. Oh and forget character interaction there is non but crazy kids were a plenty. I'll just speak of the best ones. one, an 8 to 10 year old boy at a party of 8 to 10 was screaming/crying for like 5 mins. and finally the "dad" older gentlemen. threw the boy while screaming over his shoulder and ran out of the buffet. all I understood was the kid kept saying no I don't want to. I think it was to go to world showcase, just kidding I have no idea.... . father of the year award goes to this next guy, he had a son with MS, really saddening, but the kid sneezed and coughed in the dad's face about non lie 40 times and one time it wasn't a sneeze or cough. lots of others but first off I don't have kids and what I saw here was enough to never want any. but the food was good... and wonderful visual surroundings. A really pretty buffet.

NARCOOSSEE'S dinner at 5:30pm
Pretty place ok view. we were going to be sat on the second level but my DGF want to be at a window table over looking the water and magic kingdom. SO we were brought back to the podium and then brought to the only table which wobbled , I checked all the others. We were one of the first parties in there. So don't asked to be moved to be near the windows you might get the one good wobbly table.. I told the next waiter I saw and he brought over napkins to level us off, no more tables changes for us, we get the fine dining with the napkin leveler. I though California grill beat this place hands down.. waitress was fine but only gave me one refill on my beverage. My app was Fried Calamari, talk about a rip off, you get like 10 to 12 pieces on top of some wired Cole slaw. But they use the plate tricks to make things look bigger and larger amounts. taste normal. I got the Surf and Turf. I found out the lobster used in this meal are frozen, so I subbed it for sea scallops. the fillet medallions which added together are 2 less ounces than a normal size one were over cooked and tough, not good and scallops were fine. This is not a 58 dollar meal. maybe 39.99 at best. Strawberry Shortcake for dessert was ok tasting pretty hockey puck with chocolate stick garnishes. Oh and my DGF got another cheese cake hockey puck and we laughed. The dad got Premium Signature Blend Coffee the only one at the table , I hate coffee. but it was cool looking , it come out in a neat looking brew see through poorer. and he said it was the best coffee he had on site.. I'm glad I did this once and probably never again. Tip sucked!

Day six comming soon!!!

 

[WDisnut]

Day 6 Yak and Yeti lunch and Jiko dinner:

Breakfast from pepper market yum good same. What happened to the older short lady with the glasses who was like a soup nazi ( I loved her ) she controlled the desserts in 2005-6-7? I didn't see her once this year.

11:30am Yak and Yeti . As soon as it opened the yak was mobbed with people. I don't get it. More expensive than PF changs with average to poor quality food. I really wish I went to flame tree BBQ instead. Now once again I have the DXDDP. After sitting down we tried to order drinks and we could only get refillable soda/beverages. NO tea or icey drinks. Nope I was given a third party speech and I should have left then.. All other restaurants I have been to allowed you to get something other than soda or water. As we were there I saw a couple and a family sit down over look then menu and leave , one was very verbal about the prices. Lettuce Cups for app, I didn't like the taste of the meat/chicken. I asked what to get for entree and I was told to get Crispy Mahi Mahi ( gross, and bland) . MY DGF got the baby back ribs ( cold and tasteless ) She also said we should have gone to the flame tree BBQ. For dessert I had the Chocolate Brownie Sundae, It counts as 2 desserts, lucky for me the step dad left again before dessert to go back to the room. I have no idea why it was like a normal friendly's dessert. But it was the best thing I ate there. Service was good. and when we got the bill it was no where near what I should have been. way cheaper. Someone told me in another post that disney only gives then 25 $ per person on the DDP no matter what they order. If so they should charge everyone that 25$ for soda, app, entree and dessert... and not scare people away with their ridiculous prices. tip sucked

Jiko 6:15pm very pretty , nice, almost as good as the california grill. Not as good of view thought. The whole reason we were there was I saw on some show on tv featuring the fillet on top of Mac and cheese. Nether one of the parents dressed up, both wearing baseball caps. Lucky for me they took them off when arriving . Mixed Field Greens and Vegetable Salad for app ( was ok). Oak-Grilled Fillet Mignon for dinner on top of Mac and cheese ( meat was really good mac and cheese sucked). Warm Peach Crumble for dessert ( wish I asked for just the sorbet ice cream, I didn't like the ginger ice cream. It was a really nice place.. tip sucked!

Day 7 soon

 

[WDisnut]

Day 7 Le Cellier Steakhouse - Lunch and Spirit of Aloha Polynesian Luau dinner

Le Cellier, I was only able to get lunch here even calling as soon as I thought I was able to get dinner adrs. The basement was the same as always. Pretzel bread , cheese soup and steak (strip) lunch size I believe is a smaller ounce than dinner or they changed it . Beverage of choice was mango something really good. dessert was the chocolate cake , an actual piece , better than a hockey puck even in CANADA. waiter was great. And yes people were being told at the front sorry we are booked for 4 months. Tipping you guest it.

Spirit of Aloha Polynesian Luau dinner 8pm, This was more fun than I thought it was going to be. The food was good and the show was entertaining and the night moved right along. dessert was ok at best... the waitress, I don't remember her name but she was an older lady who I swear was drinking.. She touched the guys and rubbed their shoulders every time she came to the table.. weird, but gave us a story. The refillable beer tasted like watered down ale. stick with the soda... The show was ok to fun to over the edge... The fire guy was more like a chip and dale dancer and I don't mean the munks... BUt my DGF liked it and her mom.... NO TIP , its included YES

DAY 8 Last day
Breakfast At Crystal Palace again, Getting in 1 hr before the park opens is always awesome. Same as always nothing new but the smoker came this time.. TIP

we used are last TS on food to bring on the airplane from pepper market..

Snacks
Mesh bag (promo)
water, juice, milk
school bread
MSB Ice cream sandwich
MSB other ( most of the store)
Goofy candy Company RCT
Goofy candy Company ICEY grape
Breakfast danishes
frozen lemonade
various good from the hotel to bring back home..

I didn't get dole whip, mickey bar , popcorn , or chocolate covered banana, my normals, till next time...

My opinion on the delxue plan is it was nice once but I would never pay fully for it , and even with the Free dining upgrade I would rather have the normal DDP with app and tip included of course..