DL Addicts Take Over the World... with the DxDDP! CRT Added 3/28
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mrsxsparrow
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After our Boma breakfast we headed towards Animal Kingdom, but only had a snack there (a pretzel, if you're wondering 
). We had reservations for the Wishes Dessert Party at 7PM, and we wanted to be sure we weren't too stuffed from dinner to eat there. So after a short Animal Kingdom day, we headed over to Epcot for our 3:20PM reservation at Coral Reef.
When we arrived I asked to be seated at a table next to the tank, because Alex loves aquariums and that's the whole reason we were eating there. There was no one else waiting for a table but I couldn't see the dining room so I wasn't sure how busy it was. We only had to wait a minute and they were ready to seat us.
Turns out the dining room was empty. I think there were maybe three other parties in there eating. And they took us straight to a table.... not by a tank. If you've never been to Coral Reef before or seen pictures, the dining room is set on three tiers. The first has tables right by the tank... four seaters and two seaters. The two seat tables are two deep, so that you have a table right next to the tank, a small aisle, then another two seat table, before a larger aisle separating these tables from the booths. They originally showed us to one of the two seaters that was not right next to the tank. With only three other parties I found that a little ridiculous so I asked if we could switch to the empty table that was right by the tank. It didn't have any silverware on it so one of the waitress rushed to get some for the table... when I suggested we could sit at one of the many two-seater tables that were right next to the tank and already had silverware, the girl seating us just kind of looked at me a smiled. But didn't say anything. Apparently she didn't know if this was allowed?
It was her first day though so I'll cut her some slack 
Anyway, when we finally got silverware and were seated, this guy came over to share some quality time with us:
Okay on to the food! I just have to say on more thing first. I always laughed at the food reports where the people forgot to take pictures until they ate part of something. I thought it wouldn't be hard to remember to take pictures before you dug in. I was wrong. And this is the first place you will see that
For appetizers, we split:
Appetizer for Two -- Crab Cakes with Tropical Fruit Salsa and Tequila Aïoli, Sea and Land Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Salad and Barbecued Beef Tenderloin Skewer with Creamy Polenta, and a Taste of our Creamy Lobster Soup.
Okay the first plate is what it comes out on, minus the shrimp and crab cakes. The second is what it looks like when you forget to take a picture and start eating
It isn't pretty but you can see the crab cake and at least remnant of shrimp.
I don't think either of us would order this again. The shrimp was not great, and kind of boring. I did not like the crab cake, but it was my first time having one, so I can't really compare it to anything. It was too mushy for me, but maybe that's how they're supposed to be? The sauce the beef was in was a little weird. I didn't really enjoy or eat it. I also don't like lobster soup, but Alex said she liked it. She'd probably order just the soup next time. I probably wouldn't get an appetizer since nothing else on the menu appealed to me.
For entrees, I had:
A caesar salad with chicken. Exciting I know. But I don't really like seafood and wasn't feeling the steak. Plus I like caesar salad
This salad was good, but nothing special. There was a little too much dressing for me -- I'd probably order it on the side next time. The chicken was fine, but not great. It was room temp, which doesn't exactly bother me, but it was cold in the restaurant too. I guess I would have preferred a nice warm chicken breast that was tender enough to cut with a fork... and instead got chicken that seemed to have been sitting out cooked for a while. Like I said, I liked the salad well enough, but I probably could have gotten the same thing pre-made for cheaper somewhere else.
Alex had:
A caesar salad with shrimp. If you were reading this review with hopes of finding pictures of some of the "fancier" seafood entrees I'm really sorry but we have none Alex said this was good. It was the same shrimp from the appetizer, which I thought was a little overcooked (I like my shrimp super tender, not chewy), but she liked. She was really excited about the parmesan crisp that came with it though. It doesn't take much to make her happy.
For desserts, I had:
The Chocolate Wave -- served with Raspberries
This was pretty good. Standard chocolate lava cake type stuff. I wish I tried the mousse. Once you got into the center I thought you could really taste the alcohol they used to cook with. I didn't eat much of this but we had a whole night of desserts ahead of us. Oh here's the center:
Alex had:
Butterscotch Créme Brûlée -- with seasonal Berries
She didn't say much about this, and I don't like creme brulee, so I didn't try any. (Wow, apparently there's a LOT of things I don't like
) I think she liked it but said you couldn't really taste the butterscotch. I think it was like the rest of our meal there -- satisfactory, but nothing special.
Towards the end of the meal our turtle left
But someone else came to take his place:
Were we glad we went? Sure.
Would we recommend this restaurant? Maybe if you really wanted to eat with the fishies.
Would we return? I doubt it. We went because it seemed cool and Alex really loves aquariums. We enjoyed the experience but I don't feel the need to ever return. Plus there are so many other places in Epcot to try.
Meal Credits Used: 2 (8 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $74.91
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $226.12
Next Up: Wishes Dessert Party
). We had reservations for the Wishes Dessert Party at 7PM, and we wanted to be sure we weren't too stuffed from dinner to eat there. So after a short Animal Kingdom day, we headed over to Epcot for our 3:20PM reservation at Coral Reef.When we arrived I asked to be seated at a table next to the tank, because Alex loves aquariums and that's the whole reason we were eating there. There was no one else waiting for a table but I couldn't see the dining room so I wasn't sure how busy it was. We only had to wait a minute and they were ready to seat us.
Turns out the dining room was empty. I think there were maybe three other parties in there eating. And they took us straight to a table.... not by a tank. If you've never been to Coral Reef before or seen pictures, the dining room is set on three tiers. The first has tables right by the tank... four seaters and two seaters. The two seat tables are two deep, so that you have a table right next to the tank, a small aisle, then another two seat table, before a larger aisle separating these tables from the booths. They originally showed us to one of the two seaters that was not right next to the tank. With only three other parties I found that a little ridiculous so I asked if we could switch to the empty table that was right by the tank. It didn't have any silverware on it so one of the waitress rushed to get some for the table... when I suggested we could sit at one of the many two-seater tables that were right next to the tank and already had silverware, the girl seating us just kind of looked at me a smiled. But didn't say anything. Apparently she didn't know if this was allowed?
It was her first day though so I'll cut her some slack Anyway, when we finally got silverware and were seated, this guy came over to share some quality time with us:
Okay on to the food! I just have to say on more thing first. I always laughed at the food reports where the people forgot to take pictures until they ate part of something. I thought it wouldn't be hard to remember to take pictures before you dug in. I was wrong. And this is the first place you will see that
For appetizers, we split:
Appetizer for Two -- Crab Cakes with Tropical Fruit Salsa and Tequila Aïoli, Sea and Land Grilled Shrimp with Cucumber Salad and Barbecued Beef Tenderloin Skewer with Creamy Polenta, and a Taste of our Creamy Lobster Soup.
Okay the first plate is what it comes out on, minus the shrimp and crab cakes. The second is what it looks like when you forget to take a picture and start eating
It isn't pretty but you can see the crab cake and at least remnant of shrimp.I don't think either of us would order this again. The shrimp was not great, and kind of boring. I did not like the crab cake, but it was my first time having one, so I can't really compare it to anything. It was too mushy for me, but maybe that's how they're supposed to be? The sauce the beef was in was a little weird. I didn't really enjoy or eat it. I also don't like lobster soup, but Alex said she liked it. She'd probably order just the soup next time. I probably wouldn't get an appetizer since nothing else on the menu appealed to me.
For entrees, I had:
A caesar salad with chicken. Exciting I know. But I don't really like seafood and wasn't feeling the steak. Plus I like caesar salad
This salad was good, but nothing special. There was a little too much dressing for me -- I'd probably order it on the side next time. The chicken was fine, but not great. It was room temp, which doesn't exactly bother me, but it was cold in the restaurant too. I guess I would have preferred a nice warm chicken breast that was tender enough to cut with a fork... and instead got chicken that seemed to have been sitting out cooked for a while. Like I said, I liked the salad well enough, but I probably could have gotten the same thing pre-made for cheaper somewhere else.Alex had:
A caesar salad with shrimp. If you were reading this review with hopes of finding pictures of some of the "fancier" seafood entrees I'm really sorry but we have none
Alex said this was good. It was the same shrimp from the appetizer, which I thought was a little overcooked (I like my shrimp super tender, not chewy), but she liked. She was really excited about the parmesan crisp that came with it though. It doesn't take much to make her happy.For desserts, I had:
The Chocolate Wave -- served with Raspberries
This was pretty good. Standard chocolate lava cake type stuff. I wish I tried the mousse. Once you got into the center I thought you could really taste the alcohol they used to cook with. I didn't eat much of this but we had a whole night of desserts ahead of us. Oh here's the center:
Alex had:
Butterscotch Créme Brûlée -- with seasonal Berries
She didn't say much about this, and I don't like creme brulee, so I didn't try any. (Wow, apparently there's a LOT of things I don't like
) I think she liked it but said you couldn't really taste the butterscotch. I think it was like the rest of our meal there -- satisfactory, but nothing special.Towards the end of the meal our turtle left
But someone else came to take his place:
Were we glad we went? Sure.
Would we recommend this restaurant? Maybe if you really wanted to eat with the fishies.
Would we return? I doubt it. We went because it seemed cool and Alex really loves aquariums. We enjoyed the experience but I don't feel the need to ever return. Plus there are so many other places in Epcot to try.
Meal Credits Used: 2 (8 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $74.91
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $226.12
Next Up: Wishes Dessert Party
mrsxsparrow
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 12, 2010
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- 1,027
Okay, first I just want to say that I'm really sorry there's been so much time between posts lately! The only excuse I can offer is that I really can't seem to shake this whole "being sick" thing and it is really starting to annoy me After ten days of antibiotics I felt fine, and then a week later I don't feel fine anymore 
I'm on round 2 of antibiotics so hopefully this time I'll finally kick this thing!
On another note... I have a new going to WDW ticker
My mom really wanted to go to the Flower and Garden Festival and everything just kind of came together so we're going!! It's Easter weekend 
but we're not really planning on doing much more than walking around and enjoying Disney time. We got cheap flights and a cheap-for-Easter room so I'm pretty excited. We'll be eating at Tusker House for breakfast (we went in January and LOVED it) and La Hacienda de San Angel for dinner. Other than that we're going CHEAP but I'll come post pics here when I return!
Anyway... on to the WISHES DESSERT PARTY!! Honestly this was one of the best parts of our trip. Alex and I aren't usually the type to stake out a spot for fireworks... we're usually the ones that take advantage of shorter ride lines. But I really wanted to see Wishes. It was nice having some relaxing downtime after a busy day and I wouldn't ever hesitate to do this again.
Plate #1:
What you're looking at here, from the top going clockwise, are some grapes, a donut hole, chocolate mousse, and chocolate-peanut butter torte, a banana torte, a chocolate covered strawberry, and a mango shooter in the middle.
And here we have the banana torte in the back, a chocolate covered strawberry, a kiwi something?? (this isn't my plate sorry!!), a donut hole, chocolate mouse, another mango shooter, and a berry torte something?? Sorry I completely fail at this plate!
Neither of us enjoyed the mango shooter. Gross. But everything else was pretty good. I especially enjoyed the banana torte, but I love pretty much anything that tastes like bananas, except actual bananas (don't ask, it's a texture thing). When I went up to get a second one it was gone The strawberries were yummy too.
They had two big tables set up with desserts... they also had cookies and brownies and cheesecake shooters... pretty good selection. To drink there was coffee, milk, I think some juice??, hot chocolate, and tea. (Well, hot water and hot chocolate and tea packages.) There were enough desserts that as the fireworks were about to start the CMs let us all know we could go up and get some more. There were still a few things left afterwards but I didn't investigate that too closely.
So now... the views! We got there at the tail end of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Since this was a parade that made its debut at DisneyLAND, it was something we both grew up seeing. They piped in the music and you could see the bigger floats and we thought this was a nice bonus, though I'd definitely recommend seeing it up close if you haven't yet! Here's a float:
And now fireworks! Since we were a party of two, we were seated in the front row (it seemed the front was only tables of two). The CMs let us know as they sat us that we could move to the railing when the fireworks started, but only one little boy came in front of us and he only stayed a little bit. I'm not sure how the views were behind us, but we saw all this from the comfort of our chair (with coffee, nonetheless):
Tinkerbell!!
That's the little boy... he was so cute.
In conclusion...
Were we glad we went? Yes!
Would we go again? In a heartbeat!
Would we recommend this to others? No question!
The only downer is that it doesn't take DDP credits, so we payed out of pocket. I think it was something like $22 a person.
Next up: Sci-fi Lunch
After ten days of antibiotics I felt fine, and then a week later I don't feel fine anymore I'm on round 2 of antibiotics so hopefully this time I'll finally kick this thing!On another note... I have a new going to WDW ticker
My mom really wanted to go to the Flower and Garden Festival and everything just kind of came together so we're going!! It's Easter weekend but we're not really planning on doing much more than walking around and enjoying Disney time. We got cheap flights and a cheap-for-Easter room so I'm pretty excited. We'll be eating at Tusker House for breakfast (we went in January and LOVED it) and La Hacienda de San Angel for dinner. Other than that we're going CHEAP but I'll come post pics here when I return!Anyway... on to the WISHES DESSERT PARTY!! Honestly this was one of the best parts of our trip. Alex and I aren't usually the type to stake out a spot for fireworks... we're usually the ones that take advantage of shorter ride lines. But I really wanted to see Wishes. It was nice having some relaxing downtime after a busy day and I wouldn't ever hesitate to do this again.
Plate #1:
What you're looking at here, from the top going clockwise, are some grapes, a donut hole, chocolate mousse, and chocolate-peanut butter torte, a banana torte, a chocolate covered strawberry, and a mango shooter in the middle.
And here we have the banana torte in the back, a chocolate covered strawberry, a kiwi something?? (this isn't my plate sorry!!), a donut hole, chocolate mouse, another mango shooter, and a berry torte something?? Sorry I completely fail at this plate!
Neither of us enjoyed the mango shooter. Gross. But everything else was pretty good. I especially enjoyed the banana torte, but I love pretty much anything that tastes like bananas, except actual bananas (don't ask, it's a texture thing
). When I went up to get a second one it was gone The strawberries were yummy too.They had two big tables set up with desserts... they also had cookies and brownies and cheesecake shooters... pretty good selection. To drink there was coffee, milk, I think some juice??, hot chocolate, and tea. (Well, hot water and hot chocolate and tea packages.) There were enough desserts that as the fireworks were about to start the CMs let us all know we could go up and get some more. There were still a few things left afterwards but I didn't investigate that too closely.
So now... the views! We got there at the tail end of the Main Street Electrical Parade. Since this was a parade that made its debut at DisneyLAND, it was something we both grew up seeing. They piped in the music and you could see the bigger floats and we thought this was a nice bonus, though I'd definitely recommend seeing it up close if you haven't yet! Here's a float:
And now fireworks! Since we were a party of two, we were seated in the front row (it seemed the front was only tables of two). The CMs let us know as they sat us that we could move to the railing when the fireworks started, but only one little boy came in front of us and he only stayed a little bit. I'm not sure how the views were behind us, but we saw all this from the comfort of our chair (with coffee, nonetheless
):
Tinkerbell!!
That's the little boy... he was so cute.
In conclusion...
Were we glad we went? Yes!
Would we go again? In a heartbeat!
Would we recommend this to others? No question!
The only downer is that it doesn't take DDP credits, so we payed out of pocket. I think it was something like $22 a person.
Next up: Sci-fi Lunch
mrsxsparrow
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 12, 2010
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Joining in! We're staying at AKL, so I'm particularly interested in the room service food pics as we're trying to decide Boma vs. room service on a few days
Oh no! I'm really sorry to disappoint, but I didn't get any pictures of the room service breakfast
I was really sick at that point and couldn't even stand to look at the food.I'll put up a more detailed review soon, but I will say that the yummy Boma juice (jungle juice? Forget the correct name
) is available through room service, and if you order it as a drink with breakfast on the DDP it's the "large" size, which is actually two giant cups. That was the best part of breakfast for me 
rachel09985
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 6, 2009
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- 3,534
Did They have creme brûlée in those little tea cups?? That's the only reason I booked and if they got rid of that I might have to cancel!
On a side note contests on graduating!!
On a side note contests on graduating!!
sophie832
F&W Addict
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- Jul 22, 2010
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- 845
Great reviews so far! DH and I really enjoyed our Coral Reef dinner back in Dec., but I've read a lot of mixed reviews overall.
Always glad to see pics and reviews of the fireworks dessert party, since we've thought about doing that someday. It seems pretty reasonable for all those desserts and a reserved spot for the fireworks.
DH and I really enjoyed our Coral Reef dinner back in Dec., but I've read a lot of mixed reviews overall. Always glad to see pics and reviews of the fireworks dessert party, since we've thought about doing that someday. It seems pretty reasonable for all those desserts and a reserved spot for the fireworks.
mrsxsparrow
DIS Veteran
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Yes! They did have them! I'm not a creme brulee fan so they didn't immediately come to mind when I thought about all the desserts, but now that you mention it, i do remember them there.
And thank you!
mrsxsparrow
DIS Veteran
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So I had calculated out that if we wanted to have enough credits to eat lunch on our last day, there would have to be one morning where we used snack credits for breakfast. Today was that day I ended up with a bagel and cream cheese and Alex got a yogurt parfait, both from the Mara. There's not very much you can do to a regular bagel or yogurt to make them special, and there isn't much you can do to mess them up either. We were already starting to feel the effects of all the food from the deluxe plan, so it worked out well for us.
Then we headed to DHS! It was my first time being there. Of course, we already of Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, and Fantasmic! over here in California, but I loved Rockin' Rollercoaster!
For lunch we headed to Sci-fi. Is it just me, or is DHS an incredibly easy place to get lost in? Anyway, we eventually made our way over there and only waited a few minutes to be shown to our car.
We were seated in the third row. I was worried about feeling close to the people in front of us but it wasn't a problem. It WAS weird being so close to the car next to us... The guy in the back row of the other car kept looking at my food!
To drink, we both had Diet Coke with Cherry flavor. It was a nice change of pace after all the regular Diet Coke we'd been drinking.
I also got this:
Space Monkey -- A delicious blend of Chocolate Shake, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, and Banana Liqueur
It was a pretty yummy grown-up milkshake, but also very heavy. I might order it again for dessert or something, but not with my meal. It also came with a glow cube, which was awesome since I'm a fan of any drink that glows! You can't see it in the picture because I used it to try to get some light in the pictures. It was really hard to get pics because it was so dark in there and I didn't want to use flash!
For appetizers, we both had:
Mixed Greens -- with diced Tomatoes and Onion tossed with Ranch Dressing
This was a good salad, but there was TONS of ranch on it. If you're not a big ranch person definitely ask for it on the side!
For entrees, I had:
Smoked Turkey Sandwich -- Smoked Turkey, crispy Bacon, Lettuce, and Vine-ripened Tomatoes with Avocado Mayonnaise on Multigrain Bread served with Cucumber Salad
I asked if I could sub onion rings for the cucumber salad on the dining plan and my waitress said she thought so. Turns out, you can't, and I was charged
$2.29 for them. By the time we paid we were so ready to leave so I didn't fight it, I just paid, but I was bummed. Had I been thinking I would have order the onion rings as an app and subbed a side salad, but all I could think about at the time was how the salad sounded soooo good!
The food itself was not good. And I'm rarely disappointed in food. I did NOT enjoy the onion rings. I like mine super crispy, and these were not. I've heard such great things about them I hope it was just a bad day. The sandwich wasn't too hot either. I think I ate half.
Alex had the reuben. I didn't get a picture She didn't like it at all and ended up taking it apart and picking at it.
We got our desserts to go, and I didn't get a pic of those either! I'm a terrible reviewer I know. She got the peanut butter chocolate cake, minus the ice cream. I had the NSA brownie. We ate them later while watching the Beauty and the Beast show. I thought my brownie was pretty good for an NSA dessert, and I think she liked the cake. I'm sure they would have both been better at the restaurant.
I think this was the only meal that truly disappointed both of us. I was worried going in because I had read bad reviews, but I wanted to eat there anyway. I probably won't eat there again. Before we went we were debating whether we should go to Starring Rolls instead, and I wish we had. Those sandwiches look HUGE and one of those cupcakes for dessert... definitely would have preferred that to this.
Anyway, in conclusion:
Were we glad we went? No.
Would we recommend this restaurant? I guess if you really wanted to see the inside or eat in a car. Based on the food? No. On the decor? Only if you think someone in your party would reeeeaaaally like it.
Would we return? No.
Meal Credits Used: 2 (10 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $66.67
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $292.79
Next Up: Rose & Crown and IllumiNations
I ended up with a bagel and cream cheese and Alex got a yogurt parfait, both from the Mara. There's not very much you can do to a regular bagel or yogurt to make them special, and there isn't much you can do to mess them up either. We were already starting to feel the effects of all the food from the deluxe plan, so it worked out well for us.Then we headed to DHS! It was my first time being there. Of course, we already of Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, and Fantasmic! over here in California, but I loved Rockin' Rollercoaster!
For lunch we headed to Sci-fi. Is it just me, or is DHS an incredibly easy place to get lost in? Anyway, we eventually made our way over there and only waited a few minutes to be shown to our car.
We were seated in the third row. I was worried about feeling close to the people in front of us but it wasn't a problem. It WAS weird being so close to the car next to us... The guy in the back row of the other car kept looking at my food!
To drink, we both had Diet Coke with Cherry flavor. It was a nice change of pace after all the regular Diet Coke we'd been drinking.
I also got this:
Space Monkey -- A delicious blend of Chocolate Shake, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, and Banana Liqueur
It was a pretty yummy grown-up milkshake, but also very heavy. I might order it again for dessert or something, but not with my meal. It also came with a glow cube, which was awesome since I'm a fan of any drink that glows! You can't see it in the picture because I used it to try to get some light in the pictures. It was really hard to get pics because it was so dark in there and I didn't want to use flash!
For appetizers, we both had:
Mixed Greens -- with diced Tomatoes and Onion tossed with Ranch Dressing
This was a good salad, but there was TONS of ranch on it. If you're not a big ranch person definitely ask for it on the side!
For entrees, I had:
Smoked Turkey Sandwich -- Smoked Turkey, crispy Bacon, Lettuce, and Vine-ripened Tomatoes with Avocado Mayonnaise on Multigrain Bread served with Cucumber Salad
I asked if I could sub onion rings for the cucumber salad on the dining plan and my waitress said she thought so. Turns out, you can't, and I was charged
$2.29 for them. By the time we paid we were so ready to leave so I didn't fight it, I just paid, but I was bummed. Had I been thinking I would have order the onion rings as an app and subbed a side salad, but all I could think about at the time was how the salad sounded soooo good!
The food itself was not good. And I'm rarely disappointed in food. I did NOT enjoy the onion rings. I like mine super crispy, and these were not. I've heard such great things about them I hope it was just a bad day. The sandwich wasn't too hot either. I think I ate half.
Alex had the reuben. I didn't get a picture
She didn't like it at all and ended up taking it apart and picking at it.We got our desserts to go, and I didn't get a pic of those either! I'm a terrible reviewer I know. She got the peanut butter chocolate cake, minus the ice cream. I had the NSA brownie. We ate them later while watching the Beauty and the Beast show. I thought my brownie was pretty good for an NSA dessert, and I think she liked the cake. I'm sure they would have both been better at the restaurant.
I think this was the only meal that truly disappointed both of us. I was worried going in because I had read bad reviews, but I wanted to eat there anyway. I probably won't eat there again. Before we went we were debating whether we should go to Starring Rolls instead, and I wish we had. Those sandwiches look HUGE and one of those cupcakes for dessert... definitely would have preferred that to this.
Anyway, in conclusion:
Were we glad we went? No.
Would we recommend this restaurant? I guess if you really wanted to see the inside or eat in a car. Based on the food? No. On the decor? Only if you think someone in your party would reeeeaaaally like it.
Would we return? No.
Meal Credits Used: 2 (10 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $66.67
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $292.79
Next Up: Rose & Crown and IllumiNations
HuskerFaninIL
DIS Veteran
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- Jan 23, 2011
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Are you typing on an iPad or iPhone? Everytime I type on mine it changes congrats to contests and that is the sillliest autocorrect... drives me bonkers
rachel09985
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 6, 2009
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- 3,534
Are you typing on an iPad or iPhone? Everytime I type on mine it changes congrats to contests and that is the sillliest autocorrect... drives me bonkers
Yea haha an iPad! I didnt notice it until after I posted and didn't want to change it. It is silly!!!
mrsxsparrow
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 12, 2010
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- 1,027
Time for one of my favorite meals of the trip!
So after Sci-fi and some more Hollywood Studios we took the boat over to Epcot for a late dinner at Rose & Crown.
We had an ADR for 7:45PM but checked in around 7:30. We asked to wait for a table on the patio with an Illuminations view, and they said it might take longer but they'd do what they could. We waited about 5 minutes before we were led to our table. We were on the patio, but on the side. It wouldn't be a good Illuminations view but it was a nice night outside so we were still happy.
I really enjoyed the service here. Our server was cute and called me "love" and had that great English accent He also didn't card me when I ordered alcohol, and as a 22-year old who has recently been mistaken for a 16-year-old, that was not normal.
Actually, now that I think about it, I wasn't carded at Sci-fi lunch for my adult milkshake. OR the Grand Marnier slush from France before dinner either. Maybe I just looked old this day?
Anyway onto the meal....
For drinks, I had:
Welsh Dragon -- Peach Schnapps, Melon Liqueur, Crème de Menthe, Orange Juice, and Pineapple Juice served in a Souvenir Cup
This was very yummy!!
For appetizers, I had:
Mixed Greens with Bread Croutons, crispy Bacon, Roasted Onions, Irish Cheddar, and warm Bacon Vinaigrette
I thought it was funny that they specified that the croutons were bread croutons. All joking aside, I really enjoyed this salad! It was different than a normal green salad but I thought that was a good thing. I really like caramelized/roasted onions so this was definitely my kind of salad.
Alex had:
Scotch Egg -- Golden-fried Hard-boiled Egg wrapped in Sausage Meat with Mustard Sauce
She said she wanted to try something new and somewhat unique. I was too scared to try this but she said it was pretty good. I think her exact words were that "It tastes like breakfast all wrapped around an egg."
For entrees, I had:
Surf and Turf -- Grilled Filet of Beef topped with English Stilton Cheese and Fried Fish with Yorkshire Pudding, Irish Potato Gratin, seasonal Vegetables, and Shallot Gravy
I got this without the cheese as I am not really a cheese lover, especially weird cheeses. I really wanted to try fish and chips, but I've never had it before and generally don't enjoy fish, so I figured this was a good compromise. I thought everything in this entree was awesome! The steak was good and cooked perfectly, the potatoes were delicious, it turns out I really like the fish part of fish and chips (or at least this fish), and the veggies were yummy! The Yorkshire Pudding was kind of boring, but its basically just bread, so what can you do? Like I said though... one of my favorite meals!
Alex had:
Filet of Beef -- topped with English Stilton with Irish Potato Gratin, seasonal Vegetables, and Shallot Gravy
Alex liked this but didn't think it was as amazing as I thought mine was. She thought the cheese was really overpowering and ended up trying to scrape it all off. Otherwise, though, she was satisfied.
For dessert, I had:
Sticky Toffee Pudding
This was really good, but I was so full from my meal I couldn't eat much of it. I'd definitely order it again though.
Alex got:
Bakewell Tart (to go)
I don't think she ever ended up eating this so I can't really comment on whether or not it was good, sorry!
We finished dinner at about 8:59PM. Our server was going to lead us down to the viewing area, but a big group that was sitting on the part of the porch with a view left and so he let us sit there. Here's our view:
All in all, we were pretty satisfied. Good meal, cute server, nice view of Illuminations without waiting a long time.
In conclusion:
Were we glad we went? Very.
Would we recommend this restaurant? For sure.
Would we return? Eventually, but there are other Epcot restaurants I'd like to try first.
Meal Credits Used: 2 (12 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $77.44
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $370.23
Next Up: Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast
So after Sci-fi and some more Hollywood Studios we took the boat over to Epcot for a late dinner at Rose & Crown.
We had an ADR for 7:45PM but checked in around 7:30. We asked to wait for a table on the patio with an Illuminations view, and they said it might take longer but they'd do what they could. We waited about 5 minutes before we were led to our table. We were on the patio, but on the side. It wouldn't be a good Illuminations view but it was a nice night outside so we were still happy.
I really enjoyed the service here. Our server was cute and called me "love" and had that great English accent
He also didn't card me when I ordered alcohol, and as a 22-year old who has recently been mistaken for a 16-year-old, that was not normal.Actually, now that I think about it, I wasn't carded at Sci-fi lunch for my adult milkshake. OR the Grand Marnier slush from France before dinner either. Maybe I just looked old this day?
Anyway onto the meal....
For drinks, I had:
Welsh Dragon -- Peach Schnapps, Melon Liqueur, Crème de Menthe, Orange Juice, and Pineapple Juice served in a Souvenir Cup
This was very yummy!!
For appetizers, I had:
Mixed Greens with Bread Croutons, crispy Bacon, Roasted Onions, Irish Cheddar, and warm Bacon Vinaigrette
I thought it was funny that they specified that the croutons were bread croutons. All joking aside, I really enjoyed this salad! It was different than a normal green salad but I thought that was a good thing. I really like caramelized/roasted onions so this was definitely my kind of salad.
Alex had:
Scotch Egg -- Golden-fried Hard-boiled Egg wrapped in Sausage Meat with Mustard Sauce
She said she wanted to try something new and somewhat unique. I was too scared to try this but she said it was pretty good. I think her exact words were that "It tastes like breakfast all wrapped around an egg."
For entrees, I had:
Surf and Turf -- Grilled Filet of Beef topped with English Stilton Cheese and Fried Fish with Yorkshire Pudding, Irish Potato Gratin, seasonal Vegetables, and Shallot Gravy
I got this without the cheese as I am not really a cheese lover, especially weird cheeses. I really wanted to try fish and chips, but I've never had it before and generally don't enjoy fish, so I figured this was a good compromise. I thought everything in this entree was awesome! The steak was good and cooked perfectly, the potatoes were delicious, it turns out I really like the fish part of fish and chips (or at least this fish), and the veggies were yummy! The Yorkshire Pudding was kind of boring, but its basically just bread, so what can you do? Like I said though... one of my favorite meals!
Alex had:
Filet of Beef -- topped with English Stilton with Irish Potato Gratin, seasonal Vegetables, and Shallot Gravy
Alex liked this but didn't think it was as amazing as I thought mine was. She thought the cheese was really overpowering and ended up trying to scrape it all off. Otherwise, though, she was satisfied.
For dessert, I had:
Sticky Toffee Pudding
This was really good, but I was so full from my meal I couldn't eat much of it. I'd definitely order it again though.
Alex got:
Bakewell Tart (to go)
I don't think she ever ended up eating this so I can't really comment on whether or not it was good, sorry!
We finished dinner at about 8:59PM. Our server was going to lead us down to the viewing area, but a big group that was sitting on the part of the porch with a view left and so he let us sit there. Here's our view:
All in all, we were pretty satisfied. Good meal, cute server, nice view of Illuminations without waiting a long time.
In conclusion:
Were we glad we went? Very.
Would we recommend this restaurant? For sure.
Would we return? Eventually, but there are other Epcot restaurants I'd like to try first.
Meal Credits Used: 2 (12 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $77.44
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $370.23
Next Up: Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast
lilandvisma
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2009
- Messages
- 1,245
Just now found your reviews and I've enjoyed reading them! Congrats on graduating as well
SPOERLX3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2007
- Messages
- 2,829
I really hate to hear that you didn't like Sci-Fi.
We are going in December and when I ask my family where they wanted me to try and get ressies at there were only a few unanomous choices; Sci-Fi for late lunch and Tusker House for breakfast for our TS and WGPE in DTD for CS.
We go to Sci-Fi every trip since and we have LOVED it every single time. We are now taking our grandkids and when I am planning the trip, my kids (now grown) always say, don't forget to take them to Sci- Fi. BUT with that being said.....we always get a burger, the onion rings and a shake. Their burgers are big and delicious.
I love your reviews and can't wait to follow along for the rest of your eating adventures
We are going in December and when I ask my family where they wanted me to try and get ressies at there were only a few unanomous choices; Sci-Fi for late lunch and Tusker House for breakfast for our TS and WGPE in DTD for CS.
We go to Sci-Fi every trip since and we have LOVED it every single time. We are now taking our grandkids and when I am planning the trip, my kids (now grown) always say, don't forget to take them to Sci- Fi. BUT with that being said.....we always get a burger, the onion rings and a shake. Their burgers are big and delicious.
I love your reviews and can't wait to follow along for the rest of your eating adventures
mrsxsparrow
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2010
- Messages
- 1,027
First off, I'd like to apologize for how stinking long my reviews are taking! Life's a little crazy right now. My little brother and my dad got really sick last week, so I had to help my mom take care of them (no offense to any males, but why are boys such babies when they're sick??). Plus, I've officially decided I want to apply to law school 
scared1
so I've been doing lots of research and working as much as possible to earn some money. On top of that, I've been planning my next trip to WDW (four weeks!) and trying to find an awesome deal so we can stay at AKL or WL rather than POR -- hasn't happened yet.
Anyway, now that that's out of the way, here's breakfast at CRT!
Okay I lied, one more thing. The morning of the breakfast was not good. I scheduled a wake up call as usual, but instead of answering it and getting up, I answered it and went back to sleep. I woke up about 20 minutes before our 8:05AM reservation. Not good. We clearly didn't have time to take a shower, and since Florida is a wet, humid heat, felt totally gross. Then we had to rush to get ready and down to the lobby. Luckily an MK bus pulled up right as we got outside so we didn't need to take a taxi. We got there on time and everything... just not looking like the pretty princesses we wanted to be
Also, at some point, I got a smudge on my camera. So there's a little blurriness in the middle of the pictures. I noticed it in the middle of the meal and cleaned it, but it was too late to get new pictures of breakfast.
Okay, so FINALLY, breakfast at CRT!!
I seriously loved being in the castle. At Disneyland, the castle is tiny in comparison, and there's no restaurant inside. There is a walk through you can do, where they tell the story of Sleeping Beauty (since the DL castle is, after all, Sleeping Beauty's, not Cinderella's). It's pretty awesome and a true hidden gem, but you don't really feel like you're inside the caste. So I loved the experience of CRT for that.
Cinderella was super nice. Alex and I both had Cinderella shirts on (mine had a shoe and said "And she lived happily ever after..." and Alex's had a picture of Cinderella and said "True love never dies") and she commented on both our shirts and said she loved them. Then we went upstairs and were seated right next to a window! Which would have been beautiful, I'm sure, if they weren't covered with tapestries. I knew they'd probably be like this -- we were warned when we made the reservation -- but it was still disappointing. I would have loved watching MK wake up for the morning through the stained glass. Oh well.
As far as character interaction... Well, I hate characters. I mean they're fine, and all, and I can see the appeal, but I never know how to interact. It makes me feel awkward. But this wasn't too bad. I loved how they told each princess' story before she came out. They were all perfectly nice and spent a good amount of time talking to us, even though we weren't kids.
We also got a wishing star and a wand! Which was awesome
On to the food...
Pastries and fruit. And some OJ hiding. I don't think either of us ate the fruit. I had a few pastries and they were good, nothing special though.
For breakfast, you got a choice of a traditional breakfast (eggs, sausage, etc), french toast (I think it was stuffed with something?), or the cold/healthy breakfast, which was low-fat yogurt, berries, granola, and caramelized bananas.
We both went with:
The healthy choice! Sorry for the smudge
Anyway, this was pretty much perfect. After eating like we had the past two days, this was light and fresh and felt good to eat. And OMG there was sooo much of it! Neither of us could finish. I'm a sucker for any type of banana that isn't in original banana form -- dried, as a chip, especially caramelized -- so that was awesome.
Also, this was the only place on our entire trip that gave us something (besides buttons) for our graduation:
I'd like to be able to tell you how this was, but truthfully we didn't touch it. It was a nice gesture, but it was breakfast, and we both felt the need to eat as light and healthy as possible.
We also had coffee with our meal -- not awesome. But normal Disney coffee. I do have to say, out of the three breakfast buffets I've done at WDW (Tusker House on a previous trip, Boma, and here), this was the only place that didn't offer to give us some coffee in a to go cup as we left. Sad.
One more thing. I know CRT can get extremely expensive when you're dealing with a family, but the individual price isn't so bad. I think it was like $45 a person? Yes, that IS a lot. But look at it this way. A normal Disney character breakfast is what, somewhere around $20? Chef Mickey's is almost $27, right? Then you'd buy a photo package, so that's another $30? Thats $50 - $60 right there, plus tip. At CRT breakfast, for $45, you get breakfast, a 5x7 photo of the castle and a 5x7 as well as four normal sized pictures of you + Cindy. AND the wishing star and wand (sword for boys). AND tip is included in the price. I think that's pretty reasonable.
Still, I get that for a family it is expensive. I think it'd be helpful if the individual price was lowered, then each group was charged a flat, single rate for the photo or something. But Disney pretty much fills CRT reservations already, so that probably will never happen
IN CONCLUSION:
Were we glad we went? Yes, just wish we were in better shape when we got there
Would we recommend this restaurant? For little girls... and little girls at heart
Would we return? Yes. Probably not every trip, and probably only for breakfast, but yes.
Meal Credits Used: 4 (16 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $94.73
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $464.96
Next Up: Lunch at The Plaza
scared1 so I've been doing lots of research and working as much as possible to earn some money. On top of that, I've been planning my next trip to WDW (four weeks!) and trying to find an awesome deal so we can stay at AKL or WL rather than POR -- hasn't happened yet.Anyway, now that that's out of the way, here's breakfast at CRT!
Okay I lied, one more thing. The morning of the breakfast was not good. I scheduled a wake up call as usual, but instead of answering it and getting up, I answered it and went back to sleep. I woke up about 20 minutes before our 8:05AM reservation. Not good. We clearly didn't have time to take a shower, and since Florida is a wet, humid heat, felt totally gross. Then we had to rush to get ready and down to the lobby. Luckily an MK bus pulled up right as we got outside so we didn't need to take a taxi. We got there on time and everything... just not looking like the pretty princesses we wanted to be
Also, at some point, I got a smudge on my camera. So there's a little blurriness in the middle of the pictures. I noticed it in the middle of the meal and cleaned it, but it was too late to get new pictures of breakfast.
Okay, so FINALLY, breakfast at CRT!!
I seriously loved being in the castle. At Disneyland, the castle is tiny in comparison, and there's no restaurant inside. There is a walk through you can do, where they tell the story of Sleeping Beauty (since the DL castle is, after all, Sleeping Beauty's, not Cinderella's). It's pretty awesome and a true hidden gem, but you don't really feel like you're inside the caste. So I loved the experience of CRT for that.
Cinderella was super nice. Alex and I both had Cinderella shirts on (mine had a shoe and said "And she lived happily ever after..." and Alex's had a picture of Cinderella and said "True love never dies") and she commented on both our shirts and said she loved them. Then we went upstairs and were seated right next to a window! Which would have been beautiful, I'm sure, if they weren't covered with tapestries. I knew they'd probably be like this -- we were warned when we made the reservation -- but it was still disappointing. I would have loved watching MK wake up for the morning through the stained glass. Oh well.
As far as character interaction... Well, I hate characters. I mean they're fine, and all, and I can see the appeal, but I never know how to interact. It makes me feel awkward. But this wasn't too bad. I loved how they told each princess' story before she came out. They were all perfectly nice and spent a good amount of time talking to us, even though we weren't kids.
We also got a wishing star and a wand! Which was awesome
On to the food...
Pastries and fruit. And some OJ hiding. I don't think either of us ate the fruit. I had a few pastries and they were good, nothing special though.
For breakfast, you got a choice of a traditional breakfast (eggs, sausage, etc), french toast (I think it was stuffed with something?), or the cold/healthy breakfast, which was low-fat yogurt, berries, granola, and caramelized bananas.
We both went with:
The healthy choice! Sorry for the smudge
Anyway, this was pretty much perfect. After eating like we had the past two days, this was light and fresh and felt good to eat. And OMG there was sooo much of it! Neither of us could finish. I'm a sucker for any type of banana that isn't in original banana form -- dried, as a chip, especially caramelized -- so that was awesome.
Also, this was the only place on our entire trip that gave us something (besides buttons) for our graduation:
I'd like to be able to tell you how this was, but truthfully we didn't touch it. It was a nice gesture, but it was breakfast, and we both felt the need to eat as light and healthy as possible.
We also had coffee with our meal -- not awesome. But normal Disney coffee. I do have to say, out of the three breakfast buffets I've done at WDW (Tusker House on a previous trip, Boma, and here), this was the only place that didn't offer to give us some coffee in a to go cup as we left. Sad.
One more thing. I know CRT can get extremely expensive when you're dealing with a family, but the individual price isn't so bad. I think it was like $45 a person? Yes, that IS a lot. But look at it this way. A normal Disney character breakfast is what, somewhere around $20? Chef Mickey's is almost $27, right? Then you'd buy a photo package, so that's another $30? Thats $50 - $60 right there, plus tip. At CRT breakfast, for $45, you get breakfast, a 5x7 photo of the castle and a 5x7 as well as four normal sized pictures of you + Cindy. AND the wishing star and wand (sword for boys). AND tip is included in the price. I think that's pretty reasonable.
Still, I get that for a family it is expensive. I think it'd be helpful if the individual price was lowered, then each group was charged a flat, single rate for the photo or something. But Disney pretty much fills CRT reservations already, so that probably will never happen
IN CONCLUSION:
Were we glad we went? Yes, just wish we were in better shape when we got there
Would we recommend this restaurant? For little girls... and little girls at heart
Would we return? Yes. Probably not every trip, and probably only for breakfast, but yes.
Meal Credits Used: 4 (16 total)
Meal Cost Covered by Plan: $94.73
Total Cost Covered by Plan: $464.96
Next Up: Lunch at The Plaza
mrsxsparrow
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2010
- Messages
- 1,027
Just now found your reviews and I've enjoyed reading them! Congrats on graduating as well
Thank you!
I really hate to hear that you didn't like Sci-Fi.
We are going in December and when I ask my family where they wanted me to try and get ressies at there were only a few unanomous choices; Sci-Fi for late lunch and Tusker House for breakfast for our TS and WGPE in DTD for CS.
We go to Sci-Fi every trip since and we have LOVED it every single time. We are now taking our grandkids and when I am planning the trip, my kids (now grown) always say, don't forget to take them to Sci- Fi. BUT with that being said.....we always get a burger, the onion rings and a shake. Their burgers are big and delicious.
I love your reviews and can't wait to follow along for the rest of your eating adventures
I was really sad to not like Sci-fi
But I have heard that if you stick with a burger it's good. Unfortunately, we just aren't big burger people (except in a few select cases!). I'm going back to WDW in a few weeks with my mom and a family friend, both of whom shared their first trip with me in January, and the only requests they had were to return to San Angel Inn for lunch... and the Tusker House breakfast! I think Tusker for breakfast is going to become a tradition I would highly recommend the dessert party! One of my favorite parts of the trip, for sure.
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