Flowers, fun, and FOOD! DxDDP 3/2 to 3/8
- Thread starter Colleen27
- Start date
loganpaulsmom
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I have loved all of your reviews so far.. i have alot of same places that i have planned for our may trip..
i am not that much of an adventurous eater.. i love shell fish but not regular white fish, and I had been thinking about the red snapper at flying fish.. and you may have convinced me.. It sounds amazing.. I can't wait to eat!
i am not that much of an adventurous eater.. i love shell fish but not regular white fish, and I had been thinking about the red snapper at flying fish.. and you may have convinced me.. It sounds amazing.. I can't wait to eat!
Colleen27
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
- Messages
- 24,190
I can't beleive how fast you are reviewing!
I also can't beleive how much Boo eats. I wish Claire would get an appetite like that. She goes in spurts, and is picky.
She eats more than her big sister. Always has. And she'll eat just about anything. With the age gap between her and the older kids, flexibility is probably a survival mechanism; she's been eating whatever we have on hand at ballgames and napping where ever we have to be practically her whole life.
I'm uploading another day's worth of pictures now, but I discovered yesterday that Webshots doesn't do real well with 100+ pic uploads so I'm doing them in smaller batches which is taking FOR. EVER.
Colleen27
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
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- 24,190
We did lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table once before, on our January 2008 trip, so I knew going in pretty much what to expect. I could happily have skipped this one but I booked it at DM's request because she'd never been there.
We checked in downstairs and were giving the tag for our photo package. The waiting area was a bit of a zoo; the check-in lines for CRT and BBB across the hall were both so backed up that it was hard to tell where one started and the other began.
Like at Tusker House, we had a bit of wait for Cinderella. I didn't mind so much here for a couple of reasons - first, the photo package is included and not an upcharge. Second, Cinderella signs autographs and interacts much more than Donald did at Tusker House. And third, Cinderella isn't a character that is easily met in every one of the parks with a minimal wait so she feels more "worth it" than Donald.
Besides, the area is pretty, air-conditioned, and has ample seating. Much better than standing around in the sun waiting for Donald!
Our server was David, and we saw very little of him. He was apparently in a really big hurry, even worse than I remember from our last visit here. He didn't bring out the appetizer sampler and I did remind him once, but our entrees arrived so quickly that it was soon forgotten all the way around.
DM and I both had the Major Domo's Favorite Pie.
"Major Domo's Favorite Pie - Shredded Beef simmered in rich Cabernet Sauce served with Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Vegetables, crowning a Light Pastry"
This is a pretty good dish. Not great, but the meat is well flavored from the wine sauce and cooked to fall-apart tender. The bottom crust of the pastry was rather tough, but aside from that it was an enjoyable but not memorable meal.
DD9 had chicken again, but mostly filled up on the grapes & cheese and corn.
This was all pretty standard kid-food; the nuggets were white meat but the breading was a bit on the heavy side.
For kids under 3, they bring a plate of plain noodles which DD2 enjoyed, especially with some of the meat & sauce from my plate.
With the draperies blocking the windows (because that part of the castle is currently behind construction tarps), the lighting in here is terrible for pictures! Between that and the closeness of the tables it was tough to get good shots of the girls with the princesses. And although I really didn't think they would, the draperies do sort of detract from the total experience because of the dimness of the restaurant with no natural light and the fact that the lovely view of Fantasyland through stained glass is hidden.
The princesses started entering the dining room around the same time our entrees arrived. Each princess spent less than a minute at our table, very business-like, autograph, quick picture and move on. Like at Tusker House, we ended up feeling like the character interaction had been much better in the parks, where most of the characters spent a little more time with the girls.
Belle was the exception to this, she noticed DD2's dress and told her how she has one just like it that she really should wear more often. Unfortunately, she got to our table about the same time as dessert and DD2 was in no mood for posing for pictures! She enjoyed it when Belle was talking to her, but then she wanted to get right back to her ice cream.
For dessert, there really wasn't anything on the menu that jumped out at me but DD9 wanted to try the chocolate mousse.
"Valrhona Chocolate Mousse - A light chocolate mousse presented with berries and raspberry sauce"
The presentation was very nice, but the mousse itself wasn't anything special. Good but not great chocolate mousse, not as light or flavorful as the one at La Hacienda. The highlight of this dish was the slightly tart raspberry sauce it is served with. I love the combination of berried and chocolate, so adding that sauce to the mousse made it much more enjoyable.
DM ordered the creme caramel.
"Créme Caramel - caramel topped with vanilla custard"
Another very nice presentation, though this wasn't exactly what my mother had envisioned from the menu description. It was something like a flan sitting in a thin layer of caramel. She enjoyed it well enough, and the bite I tried was nicely creamy though a bit over-sweet for me (along with not being a big chocolate fan, I'm also not big on vanilla or caramel
).
Both girls got make-your-own sundaes, which was a nice change from sharing with DD2.
The little cups held chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and Mickey-head sprinkles, and the celebration balloon accent was in the ice cream when it was brought to the table. DD2 liked the toppings more than the ice cream; she ate the marshmallows and sprinkles plain but only had a couple bites of her ice cream. DD9 pretty much finished hers, as usual.
The biggest complain I have with this meal is the pacing. It was a very rushed meal, less than an hour even including the wait for Cinderella, and it is that way by design. About 45 minutes in the dining room is enough to meet all the princesses and do the wishing ceremony. I understand why it is that way and I'm sure there are some families who appreciate it, but I prefer a more relaxed restaurant experience and CRT is not it.
Also, a bit of a pet peeve of mine - David was clearing the table around us almost as soon as we set down our forks, before the wishing ceremony had even started. No offer of refills or "How is everything?", just clearing away the plates to get things ready to turn the table ASAP.
All in all this isn't a restaurant I have any desire to go back to. I didn't have any desire to repeat it at all, and this lunch just reinforced that feeling. I'm sure we will go back eventually, though, when DD2 is old enough to ask to eat in the castle or we finally get a trip planned with BIL & DNephew. It is fun as a one-time experience, but the food and service don't justify a return visit unless eating in the castle is the primary goal.
Cost if paying OOP - $140.29 (includes tip)
Total DxDDP value so far - $969.48
We checked in downstairs and were giving the tag for our photo package. The waiting area was a bit of a zoo; the check-in lines for CRT and BBB across the hall were both so backed up that it was hard to tell where one started and the other began.
Like at Tusker House, we had a bit of wait for Cinderella. I didn't mind so much here for a couple of reasons - first, the photo package is included and not an upcharge. Second, Cinderella signs autographs and interacts much more than Donald did at Tusker House. And third, Cinderella isn't a character that is easily met in every one of the parks with a minimal wait so she feels more "worth it" than Donald.
Besides, the area is pretty, air-conditioned, and has ample seating. Much better than standing around in the sun waiting for Donald!
Our server was David, and we saw very little of him. He was apparently in a really big hurry, even worse than I remember from our last visit here. He didn't bring out the appetizer sampler and I did remind him once, but our entrees arrived so quickly that it was soon forgotten all the way around.
DM and I both had the Major Domo's Favorite Pie.
"Major Domo's Favorite Pie - Shredded Beef simmered in rich Cabernet Sauce served with Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Vegetables, crowning a Light Pastry"
This is a pretty good dish. Not great, but the meat is well flavored from the wine sauce and cooked to fall-apart tender. The bottom crust of the pastry was rather tough, but aside from that it was an enjoyable but not memorable meal.
DD9 had chicken again, but mostly filled up on the grapes & cheese and corn.
This was all pretty standard kid-food; the nuggets were white meat but the breading was a bit on the heavy side.
For kids under 3, they bring a plate of plain noodles which DD2 enjoyed, especially with some of the meat & sauce from my plate.
With the draperies blocking the windows (because that part of the castle is currently behind construction tarps), the lighting in here is terrible for pictures! Between that and the closeness of the tables it was tough to get good shots of the girls with the princesses. And although I really didn't think they would, the draperies do sort of detract from the total experience because of the dimness of the restaurant with no natural light and the fact that the lovely view of Fantasyland through stained glass is hidden.
The princesses started entering the dining room around the same time our entrees arrived. Each princess spent less than a minute at our table, very business-like, autograph, quick picture and move on. Like at Tusker House, we ended up feeling like the character interaction had been much better in the parks, where most of the characters spent a little more time with the girls.
Belle was the exception to this, she noticed DD2's dress and told her how she has one just like it that she really should wear more often. Unfortunately, she got to our table about the same time as dessert and DD2 was in no mood for posing for pictures! She enjoyed it when Belle was talking to her, but then she wanted to get right back to her ice cream.
For dessert, there really wasn't anything on the menu that jumped out at me but DD9 wanted to try the chocolate mousse.
"Valrhona Chocolate Mousse - A light chocolate mousse presented with berries and raspberry sauce"
The presentation was very nice, but the mousse itself wasn't anything special. Good but not great chocolate mousse, not as light or flavorful as the one at La Hacienda. The highlight of this dish was the slightly tart raspberry sauce it is served with. I love the combination of berried and chocolate, so adding that sauce to the mousse made it much more enjoyable.
DM ordered the creme caramel.
"Créme Caramel - caramel topped with vanilla custard"
Another very nice presentation, though this wasn't exactly what my mother had envisioned from the menu description. It was something like a flan sitting in a thin layer of caramel. She enjoyed it well enough, and the bite I tried was nicely creamy though a bit over-sweet for me (along with not being a big chocolate fan, I'm also not big on vanilla or caramel
).Both girls got make-your-own sundaes, which was a nice change from sharing with DD2.
The little cups held chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and Mickey-head sprinkles, and the celebration balloon accent was in the ice cream when it was brought to the table. DD2 liked the toppings more than the ice cream; she ate the marshmallows and sprinkles plain but only had a couple bites of her ice cream. DD9 pretty much finished hers, as usual.
The biggest complain I have with this meal is the pacing. It was a very rushed meal, less than an hour even including the wait for Cinderella, and it is that way by design. About 45 minutes in the dining room is enough to meet all the princesses and do the wishing ceremony. I understand why it is that way and I'm sure there are some families who appreciate it, but I prefer a more relaxed restaurant experience and CRT is not it.
Also, a bit of a pet peeve of mine - David was clearing the table around us almost as soon as we set down our forks, before the wishing ceremony had even started. No offer of refills or "How is everything?", just clearing away the plates to get things ready to turn the table ASAP.
All in all this isn't a restaurant I have any desire to go back to. I didn't have any desire to repeat it at all, and this lunch just reinforced that feeling. I'm sure we will go back eventually, though, when DD2 is old enough to ask to eat in the castle or we finally get a trip planned with BIL & DNephew. It is fun as a one-time experience, but the food and service don't justify a return visit unless eating in the castle is the primary goal.
Cost if paying OOP - $140.29 (includes tip)
Total DxDDP value so far - $969.48
Great reviews!! I would love to try La Hacienda, but it's a no from the rest of the family.
We'll be doing CRT Lunch again this time (April 1), and I'm disappointed with the menu changes. I loved that Chocolate Buckle. DD is getting older, though, so this will be our last time most likely. I hope we don't feel so rushed!
We'll be doing CRT Lunch again this time (April 1), and I'm disappointed with the menu changes. I loved that Chocolate Buckle. DD is getting older, though, so this will be our last time most likely. I hope we don't feel so rushed!
serendipity
DIS Veteran
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- Aug 18, 2006
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I really need to stop reading your reviews. Every time I do I change my ADRs! 
Colleen27
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
- Messages
- 24,190
The Magic Kingdom was open until 3am the day we were there, so after lunch we took a nice long break and arrived at the Contemporary all fresh and rested. We checked in on the 2nd floor about 5 minutes before our ADR time and were taken right up to the restaurant.
I love the stroller check here; it is so nice to leave it with the hostess on the 2nd floor and not think about it again until you're ready to leave!
Once upstairs we were given a pager and went down the hallway to the restroom. DD2 likes cleaning up for dinner here because they have a sink that is just her size. For a toddler in the "do it myself" stage, that's true luxury. We'd barely gotten our hands washed when the pager started buzzing.
We were seated at a wonderful table off to the lounge side of the restaurant, right at the window with a wonderful view of the Magic Kingdom. The sun was just starting to set and they had the semi-sheer shades down to block the glare but they don't entirely block the view.
Our server was Ellen, and she was simply delightful, just conversational enough without being overly chatty and very aware of our needs. She suggested drinks for the girls that were something like a Shirley Temple but made with Sprite instead of ginger ale, and brought a small dish of maraschino cherries along with the one that came in each drink.
California Grill serves goldfish crackers with the bread course, one of several small touches that make it the most child-friendly of the signature restaurants in my opinion, and that really got the evening off to a good start with the girls. They were both a bit hungry and aren't big fans of sourdough, so having their own "bread" was perfect.
Ellen also brought the girls' appetizer out ahead of ours, a thoughtful touch. They ordered the fruit cup, which as always here had more variety of fruit in a cuter presentation than you find at other Disney restaurants.
It is a really little thing, but that's what make the signatures signature - you can tell that the fruit cups here aren't plated in advance like they seem to be at most one credit restaurants. Apples and bananas are such kid favorites, but you don't often find them served in mixed fruit assortments because they begin to lose their color and texture so quickly after cutting. This was clearly freshly prepared, and the girls loved having it to snack on while we watched the sun set.
For an appetizer I ordered my usual - the spicy kazan roll from the sushi menu.
"Spicy Kazan Roll - crab, shrimp, bay scallops, tuna and fireball sauce"
This is heaven on a plate. Sweet, cool, fresh seafood wrapped in sticky rice and absolutely perfect seaweed that is never even a little bit tough like it can be in less upscale sushi restaurants, all topped with a sauce that is both flavorful and very spicy, with the tempura crunch topping to add texture. the pairing of sweet crab and scallops and the fireball sauce is delicious, and this remains my favorite sushi dish. Not just at Disney, but anywhere.
DM ordered the lobster salad, which comes and goes from the menu seasonally and isn't on any I can find online.
This was quite delightful. Chilled, sweet seafood (lobster and crab) in a very light dressing, with a delicious avocado cream accompaniment on the plate. DM loved it (as did DH when he tried it on our first visit to CG).
For my entree, I tried something new to the menu.
"Dragon roll - Spicy and Tataki Tuna with Shrimp Tempura, Bell Pepper, Avocado, and Chili Soy Glaze"
This replaced the Snake in the Grass, which was a barbeque eel roll that on the dining plans counts as an entree rather than an appetizer. The same is true for this new roll, and the price is the same ($26). As you can see from the pic, the portion is huge for sushi - it is a long roll and a very thick one, with spicy tuna and tempura shrimp inside and tuna and avocado rolled on the outside.
This was excellent, incredible, amazing. I adore sushi and I've never been disappointed in Yoshi's creations at California Grill. The sushi is really the reason we keep coming back. The tuna was nicely chilled and as always perfectly fresh with just the right texture, and the tempura shrimp paired nicely to make this a very "meaty", filling roll. The avocado added just a little creaminess and the accompanying sauce was just slightly spicy and slightly salty without being overwhelming. DD2 really liked this one as well; she ate one whole piece on her own (the fireball sauce kept her away from my appetizer).
DM ordered the veal, something that tends to be hard to find prepared well here at home.
"Cast Iron-seared Veal Tenderloin with Sweet Potato and Applewood Bacon Hash, Chanterelles, and Port Syrup"
The veal was prepared just right, nicely crusted but medium-rare inside. The sweetness of the potato hash contrasted well with the earthiness of the meat and the richness of the chanterelles. The meat itself was amazingly tender and flavorful, and the whole dish just worked perfectly.
DD9 ordered her usual as well. She loves macaroni and cheese but only homemade, no Kraft or Stouffers type, and on our first visit here she was thrilled to see that they serve a housemade mac & cheese that was to her liking.
The was good as always, creamy and just a bit sharp with a nice blend of cheeses. The girls had plenty to share, especially with DD9 sampling DM's veal and DD2 trying my sushi.
For dessert, again I went with my usual - the valhrona chocolate cake - and DM ordered the same.
This is something of a signature dessert at the California Grill and it is always on the menu, but the ice cream/sorbet pairing with the cake changes seasonally and can make or break the dish in my opinion. This pairing was one I've never been lucky enough to catch before - strawberries. Since they are in season right now, it was housemade Plant City strawberry ice cream and compote. There is nothing quite as nice as the combination of chocolate and strawberry, and this was a warm, dense chocolate cake with a rich, dark molten chocolate filling that went perfectly with the slightly tangy taste of the strawberry compote and the creamy strawberry ice cream. It was far better than the peppermint pairing I had on our '09 trip, but not quite as good as the blood orange accompaniments from '08.
The girls shared their usual too, the rice crispy sushi. Ellen brought it out pre-divided so that each girls would have their own chocolate "soy sauce" and marshmallow "wasabi" and "ginger", and it was cute as always.
I cannot say enough about the marvelous service we had for this dinner. Ellen kept our drinks refilled and even brought out a refill of the girls extra cherries while we were waiting for our entrees. The pacing of the meal was perfect, not rushed but not overly long either, and from start to finish dinner took about an hour and 40 minutes. During that time, we watched the amazing sunset, and after dark the girls were quite entertained with watching the castle change colors.
California Grill remains at the top of my must-do list as one of my favorite restaurants anywhere, my absolute favorite Disney restaurant, and right there with Flying Fish as the best meals of this trip.
Cost if paying OOP - $170.38
Total DxDDP value so far - $1139.86
A note on the DxDDP value - at this point in the trip we passed the breakeven point on the plan with 4 meals per person still remaining and only a handful of our snack credits added into the total.
I love the stroller check here; it is so nice to leave it with the hostess on the 2nd floor and not think about it again until you're ready to leave!
Once upstairs we were given a pager and went down the hallway to the restroom. DD2 likes cleaning up for dinner here because they have a sink that is just her size. For a toddler in the "do it myself" stage, that's true luxury.
We'd barely gotten our hands washed when the pager started buzzing.We were seated at a wonderful table off to the lounge side of the restaurant, right at the window with a wonderful view of the Magic Kingdom. The sun was just starting to set and they had the semi-sheer shades down to block the glare but they don't entirely block the view.
Our server was Ellen, and she was simply delightful, just conversational enough without being overly chatty and very aware of our needs. She suggested drinks for the girls that were something like a Shirley Temple but made with Sprite instead of ginger ale, and brought a small dish of maraschino cherries along with the one that came in each drink.
California Grill serves goldfish crackers with the bread course, one of several small touches that make it the most child-friendly of the signature restaurants in my opinion, and that really got the evening off to a good start with the girls. They were both a bit hungry and aren't big fans of sourdough, so having their own "bread" was perfect.
Ellen also brought the girls' appetizer out ahead of ours, a thoughtful touch. They ordered the fruit cup, which as always here had more variety of fruit in a cuter presentation than you find at other Disney restaurants.
It is a really little thing, but that's what make the signatures signature - you can tell that the fruit cups here aren't plated in advance like they seem to be at most one credit restaurants. Apples and bananas are such kid favorites, but you don't often find them served in mixed fruit assortments because they begin to lose their color and texture so quickly after cutting. This was clearly freshly prepared, and the girls loved having it to snack on while we watched the sun set.
For an appetizer I ordered my usual - the spicy kazan roll from the sushi menu.
"Spicy Kazan Roll - crab, shrimp, bay scallops, tuna and fireball sauce"
This is heaven on a plate. Sweet, cool, fresh seafood wrapped in sticky rice and absolutely perfect seaweed that is never even a little bit tough like it can be in less upscale sushi restaurants, all topped with a sauce that is both flavorful and very spicy, with the tempura crunch topping to add texture. the pairing of sweet crab and scallops and the fireball sauce is delicious, and this remains my favorite sushi dish. Not just at Disney, but anywhere.
DM ordered the lobster salad, which comes and goes from the menu seasonally and isn't on any I can find online.
This was quite delightful. Chilled, sweet seafood (lobster and crab) in a very light dressing, with a delicious avocado cream accompaniment on the plate. DM loved it (as did DH when he tried it on our first visit to CG).
For my entree, I tried something new to the menu.
"Dragon roll - Spicy and Tataki Tuna with Shrimp Tempura, Bell Pepper, Avocado, and Chili Soy Glaze"
This replaced the Snake in the Grass, which was a barbeque eel roll that on the dining plans counts as an entree rather than an appetizer. The same is true for this new roll, and the price is the same ($26). As you can see from the pic, the portion is huge for sushi - it is a long roll and a very thick one, with spicy tuna and tempura shrimp inside and tuna and avocado rolled on the outside.
This was excellent, incredible, amazing. I adore sushi and I've never been disappointed in Yoshi's creations at California Grill. The sushi is really the reason we keep coming back. The tuna was nicely chilled and as always perfectly fresh with just the right texture, and the tempura shrimp paired nicely to make this a very "meaty", filling roll. The avocado added just a little creaminess and the accompanying sauce was just slightly spicy and slightly salty without being overwhelming. DD2 really liked this one as well; she ate one whole piece on her own (the fireball sauce kept her away from my appetizer).
DM ordered the veal, something that tends to be hard to find prepared well here at home.
"Cast Iron-seared Veal Tenderloin with Sweet Potato and Applewood Bacon Hash, Chanterelles, and Port Syrup"
The veal was prepared just right, nicely crusted but medium-rare inside. The sweetness of the potato hash contrasted well with the earthiness of the meat and the richness of the chanterelles. The meat itself was amazingly tender and flavorful, and the whole dish just worked perfectly.
DD9 ordered her usual as well. She loves macaroni and cheese but only homemade, no Kraft or Stouffers type, and on our first visit here she was thrilled to see that they serve a housemade mac & cheese that was to her liking.
The was good as always, creamy and just a bit sharp with a nice blend of cheeses. The girls had plenty to share, especially with DD9 sampling DM's veal and DD2 trying my sushi.
For dessert, again I went with my usual - the valhrona chocolate cake - and DM ordered the same.
This is something of a signature dessert at the California Grill and it is always on the menu, but the ice cream/sorbet pairing with the cake changes seasonally and can make or break the dish in my opinion. This pairing was one I've never been lucky enough to catch before - strawberries. Since they are in season right now, it was housemade Plant City strawberry ice cream and compote. There is nothing quite as nice as the combination of chocolate and strawberry, and this was a warm, dense chocolate cake with a rich, dark molten chocolate filling that went perfectly with the slightly tangy taste of the strawberry compote and the creamy strawberry ice cream. It was far better than the peppermint pairing I had on our '09 trip, but not quite as good as the blood orange accompaniments from '08.
The girls shared their usual too, the rice crispy sushi. Ellen brought it out pre-divided so that each girls would have their own chocolate "soy sauce" and marshmallow "wasabi" and "ginger", and it was cute as always.
I cannot say enough about the marvelous service we had for this dinner. Ellen kept our drinks refilled and even brought out a refill of the girls extra cherries while we were waiting for our entrees. The pacing of the meal was perfect, not rushed but not overly long either, and from start to finish dinner took about an hour and 40 minutes. During that time, we watched the amazing sunset, and after dark the girls were quite entertained with watching the castle change colors.
California Grill remains at the top of my must-do list as one of my favorite restaurants anywhere, my absolute favorite Disney restaurant, and right there with Flying Fish as the best meals of this trip.
Cost if paying OOP - $170.38
Total DxDDP value so far - $1139.86
A note on the DxDDP value - at this point in the trip we passed the breakeven point on the plan with 4 meals per person still remaining and only a handful of our snack credits added into the total.
lilandvisma
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2009
- Messages
- 1,245
So excited to try the sushi @ CG. So glad to hear you all had a wonderful dinner there! I'm so looking forward to dining there and at Flying Fish as well 
The new sushi looks fantastic!
The new sushi looks fantastic!
Colleen27
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
- Messages
- 24,190
I almost hate to write this one, because it ended up being one of the biggest disappointments of the trip and our last table service meal to boot.
We checked in at Via Napoli about five minutes before our ADR time and were seated very quickly. The restaurant was about 1/4 empty, which surprised me given how scarce ADRs seemed to be before we left home. Our table was at the back of the restaurant against the wall, which was good for DD2 who likes booths better than a high chair, but the tables along the wall are very close together.
Our server was Fabio, and he had a rather interesting understanding of the deluxe dining plan. Basically he told us that since the credits aren't separated he'd let DD9 order an adult meal, which was both a good and bad thing because the menu here is so different. We ordered our drinks, which came out quickly, but DD9 still hadn't decided so we let him know we needed another minute. That was when he disappeared for the first time.
When he finally came back, we ordered our appetizers and entrees.
DM ordered the tomatoes and mozzarella, I ordered the fritto verdura, and DD9 ordered the arancini.
We all shared these around, and all three were pretty good. The arancini were a little greasier than I'd prefer, but the flavor was good and the sauce was tomato-y and fresh-tasting. The fritto verdura was the best of the three, with nice crisp breading and vegetables that were well cooked without being overly soft. The sauce was a slightly sweet marinara that worked well for dipping. The caprese was good but basic, with very little basil, and the olive oil drizzle was almost too mild; I prefer a more full-flavored oil or balsamic dressing.
For our entrees, DD9 & I ordered pizza. She had the prosciutto e melone, which I thought was an odd choice for her and not something I especially expected her to like. But the build-your-own pizzas are excluded from the dining plan and of the fixed combinations this was the one she wanted to try.
Unfortunately, I was right about her opinion of this. Fabio described prosciutto to her as "like ham", and while I tried to explain the difference I think she was expecting a ham & melon pizza along the lines of what you'd get when you order ham & pineapple at a chain pizza place. I rather enjoyed the combination, but the crust was chewy and tough and not at all good.
I ordered the ortolano, which is described as tomato, mozzarella, and vegetables.
The veggies were zucchini and eggplant and were sadly overcooked. The crust was overdone on one side, which made it hard and tough rather than chewy and tough like DD9's. And this was very bland. It could have benefited immensely from a wider variety of vegetables, maybe some onion or mushrooms or artichoke, and a stronger sauce like the one that was served with the appetizers.
Fabio also brought out a kids' pizza for DD2. It was the margherita, which is the only pizza on the kids' menu, and it was the best of the bunch though that wasn't saying a whole lot. The crust was still chewy but less so than ours, and the smaller size meant that the slices could actually be picked up and eaten rather than requiring a fork & knife.
DM wasn't in the mood for pizza, so she ordered the veal Parmesan.
This was excellent. The veal was pounded thin and perfectly breaded, topped with just the right amount of cheese and a tasty sauce that didn't overwhelm the meat.
Fabio disappeared again after dropping off the dessert menus, and when I say dropping off I mean that in the literal sense. We knew what we were going to order but didn't catch him in time to let him know that.
When he came back DM ordered the zeppole, which are served with chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream.
This was very good. The zeppole are deep fried, slightly sweet ricotta cheese fritters that are plain on their own but very enjoyable when paired with the rich chocolate sauce.
I ordered what I almost always order at Italian restaurants, the lemon sorbet.
What is there to say about this? It was good and it really hit the spot after a rather heavy meal, but it is just basic lemon sorbet. Cold, refreshing, slightly tart but the same dessert you can get in any Italian restaurant anywhere.
The girls shared the kids' ice cream cookie sandwich, which may be the prettiest kids' dessert Disney has to offer.
They didn't say much about this but they cleaned the plate so it must have been good.
Something else worth noting - Via Napoli has excellent fresh-brewed iced tea with a slightly unusual flavor to it. It was a fabulous change from the Gold Peak just about every other restaurant at WDW serves.
All in all this ended up being a very disappointing meal. The pictures looked so good even though the early reviews were mixed, and in the end it turned out that the place I'd hoped would mean we'd finally get good pizza at Disney does everything else better than they do pizza. I don't see us going back; we all agreed Tutto Italia was the better Italian meal from start to finish.
Cost if paying OOP - $125.67
Total DxDDP value so far - $1265.53
We checked in at Via Napoli about five minutes before our ADR time and were seated very quickly. The restaurant was about 1/4 empty, which surprised me given how scarce ADRs seemed to be before we left home. Our table was at the back of the restaurant against the wall, which was good for DD2 who likes booths better than a high chair, but the tables along the wall are very close together.
Our server was Fabio, and he had a rather interesting understanding of the deluxe dining plan. Basically he told us that since the credits aren't separated he'd let DD9 order an adult meal, which was both a good and bad thing because the menu here is so different. We ordered our drinks, which came out quickly, but DD9 still hadn't decided so we let him know we needed another minute. That was when he disappeared for the first time.
When he finally came back, we ordered our appetizers and entrees.
DM ordered the tomatoes and mozzarella, I ordered the fritto verdura, and DD9 ordered the arancini.
We all shared these around, and all three were pretty good. The arancini were a little greasier than I'd prefer, but the flavor was good and the sauce was tomato-y and fresh-tasting. The fritto verdura was the best of the three, with nice crisp breading and vegetables that were well cooked without being overly soft. The sauce was a slightly sweet marinara that worked well for dipping. The caprese was good but basic, with very little basil, and the olive oil drizzle was almost too mild; I prefer a more full-flavored oil or balsamic dressing.
For our entrees, DD9 & I ordered pizza. She had the prosciutto e melone, which I thought was an odd choice for her and not something I especially expected her to like. But the build-your-own pizzas are excluded from the dining plan and of the fixed combinations this was the one she wanted to try.
Unfortunately, I was right about her opinion of this. Fabio described prosciutto to her as "like ham", and while I tried to explain the difference I think she was expecting a ham & melon pizza along the lines of what you'd get when you order ham & pineapple at a chain pizza place. I rather enjoyed the combination, but the crust was chewy and tough and not at all good.
I ordered the ortolano, which is described as tomato, mozzarella, and vegetables.
The veggies were zucchini and eggplant and were sadly overcooked. The crust was overdone on one side, which made it hard and tough rather than chewy and tough like DD9's. And this was very bland. It could have benefited immensely from a wider variety of vegetables, maybe some onion or mushrooms or artichoke, and a stronger sauce like the one that was served with the appetizers.
Fabio also brought out a kids' pizza for DD2. It was the margherita, which is the only pizza on the kids' menu, and it was the best of the bunch though that wasn't saying a whole lot. The crust was still chewy but less so than ours, and the smaller size meant that the slices could actually be picked up and eaten rather than requiring a fork & knife.
DM wasn't in the mood for pizza, so she ordered the veal Parmesan.
This was excellent. The veal was pounded thin and perfectly breaded, topped with just the right amount of cheese and a tasty sauce that didn't overwhelm the meat.
Fabio disappeared again after dropping off the dessert menus, and when I say dropping off I mean that in the literal sense. We knew what we were going to order but didn't catch him in time to let him know that.
When he came back DM ordered the zeppole, which are served with chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream.
This was very good. The zeppole are deep fried, slightly sweet ricotta cheese fritters that are plain on their own but very enjoyable when paired with the rich chocolate sauce.
I ordered what I almost always order at Italian restaurants, the lemon sorbet.
What is there to say about this? It was good and it really hit the spot after a rather heavy meal, but it is just basic lemon sorbet. Cold, refreshing, slightly tart but the same dessert you can get in any Italian restaurant anywhere.
The girls shared the kids' ice cream cookie sandwich, which may be the prettiest kids' dessert Disney has to offer.
They didn't say much about this but they cleaned the plate so it must have been good.
Something else worth noting - Via Napoli has excellent fresh-brewed iced tea with a slightly unusual flavor to it. It was a fabulous change from the Gold Peak just about every other restaurant at WDW serves.
All in all this ended up being a very disappointing meal. The pictures looked so good even though the early reviews were mixed, and in the end it turned out that the place I'd hoped would mean we'd finally get good pizza at Disney does everything else better than they do pizza. I don't see us going back; we all agreed Tutto Italia was the better Italian meal from start to finish.
Cost if paying OOP - $125.67
Total DxDDP value so far - $1265.53
Colleen27
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
- Messages
- 24,190
When the sun went down it started getting chilly and we were all tired by this point from what had been a go-go-go trip. We intended to stay for Illuminations and had an 8pm ADR at Rose & Crown, but we decided to cancel it in favor of counter service, a little shopping at Mousegears, and calling it a night a little earlier than planned.
We hit Electric Umbrella for burgers and chicken strips. The girls split an adult chicken strip meal, DM got a bacon cheeseburger, and I had a beef & bleu burger. It was basic, American, counter service food but the bleu cheese on the burger was a nice touch, the girls' chicken was nice sized chunks of white meat, and the fries were hot and fresh. After a week of nice restaurants and all sorts of good food it certainly wasn't a stand-out, but it was just the thing for our tired selves.
Cost if paying OOP - $45.28
The next morning the girls wanted to play rather than eat so we decided against a sitdown breakfast or lunch in favor of splitting up to make the girls happy. DD2 & I shared a muffin from the Main Street Bakery as we went for one last ride on the magic carpets and saw a couple of characters we missed. DD9 and DM had the leftover fruit cups from the prior evening's dessert while they hung out at the pool.
For lunch, we met up at Everything Pop to grab a quick bite before going back to the pool. DM & I split a Greek salad and DD9 & DD2 shared another cheese nacho and tye dye cheesecake. The salad was surprisingly good for counter service, with plenty of feta and olives and beets.
Cost if paying OOP - $23.28
After our swim, we picked up a roast beef & blue cheese sandwich, a turkey ciabatta, and a Reuben flatbread to take with us to the airport, with blueberry muffins and a chocolate chip cookie as desserts. We also used up the handful of snack credits we had left on some giant suckers for the girls and for DS.
The roast beef was very good, with nice sized crumbles of bleu cheese in a horseradish sauce. The turkey was too much bread and not enough filling. The ciabatta was good but too thick, and even though the sandwich was huge it was mostly bread. I didn't get a chance to try the Reuben flatbread but my mom ate it on the plane and really enjoyed it. We picked bowls of grapes and yet another muffin for dessert, and by the time we touched down in Detroit all that was left was a bowl of grapes that the girls shared in the car on the long drive home from the airport.
Cost if paying OOP - $42.64
Total DxDDP value so far - $1331.45
We hit Electric Umbrella for burgers and chicken strips. The girls split an adult chicken strip meal, DM got a bacon cheeseburger, and I had a beef & bleu burger. It was basic, American, counter service food but the bleu cheese on the burger was a nice touch, the girls' chicken was nice sized chunks of white meat, and the fries were hot and fresh. After a week of nice restaurants and all sorts of good food it certainly wasn't a stand-out, but it was just the thing for our tired selves.
Cost if paying OOP - $45.28
The next morning the girls wanted to play rather than eat so we decided against a sitdown breakfast or lunch in favor of splitting up to make the girls happy. DD2 & I shared a muffin from the Main Street Bakery as we went for one last ride on the magic carpets and saw a couple of characters we missed. DD9 and DM had the leftover fruit cups from the prior evening's dessert while they hung out at the pool.
For lunch, we met up at Everything Pop to grab a quick bite before going back to the pool. DM & I split a Greek salad and DD9 & DD2 shared another cheese nacho and tye dye cheesecake. The salad was surprisingly good for counter service, with plenty of feta and olives and beets.
Cost if paying OOP - $23.28
After our swim, we picked up a roast beef & blue cheese sandwich, a turkey ciabatta, and a Reuben flatbread to take with us to the airport, with blueberry muffins and a chocolate chip cookie as desserts. We also used up the handful of snack credits we had left on some giant suckers for the girls and for DS.
The roast beef was very good, with nice sized crumbles of bleu cheese in a horseradish sauce. The turkey was too much bread and not enough filling. The ciabatta was good but too thick, and even though the sandwich was huge it was mostly bread. I didn't get a chance to try the Reuben flatbread but my mom ate it on the plane and really enjoyed it. We picked bowls of grapes and yet another muffin for dessert, and by the time we touched down in Detroit all that was left was a bowl of grapes that the girls shared in the car on the long drive home from the airport.
Cost if paying OOP - $42.64
Total DxDDP value so far - $1331.45
Disneyfreak616
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2010
- Messages
- 3,933
Great Via Napoli review!! 
Can't wait for our lunch ADR there in August!!! 
You are giving me a better idea of what to order. But I know I definitely want those zeppoles!! 
Can't wait for our lunch ADR there in August!!! You are giving me a better idea of what to order. But I know I definitely want those zeppoles!!
Colleen27
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
- Messages
- 24,190
The receipt totals for our deluxe plan meals came to $1331.45.
That only includes 9 of our 36 snack credits, the ones that were used as meals. The remaining credits split pretty evenly between low-value things like bottled water or oversized suckers and higher cost items like Dole Whips, root beer floats, frozen coke, or kaki gori. The receipts and prices I have (missing a few) work out to a rough average of $3.26 per snack credit for the ones we used as actual snacks. Adding in the remaining snacks at that average brings the total DxDDP value to $1419.47.
The cost of the deluxe plan for this trip was $1079.82. That is the full, undiscounted price because I take the free dining promotion into account as a room discount in my planning sheet for the sake of simpler comparisons to other promotions.
So for us for this trip the deluxe plan was about a 24% savings off of menu prices, and that was eating where we wanted, when we wanted, without any effort to maximize the plan.
The last couple days of the report illustrate well what I love about the deluxe plan - flexibility. When DD2 decided she really wanted to see Woody on our last morning, and DD9 said she'd rather be in the pool than a park or restaurant, we didn't have to worry about the "lost" value of not sitting down for a meal or how to use up the "extra" credit. Changing a meal or two from TS to CS doesn't destroy the value of the plan the way "wasting" a TS credit would on the basic plan, and it is so nice never to look at menu prices when ordering, or try to convince the girls to share a kaki gori when one wants strawberry and the other rainbow, or think about the ridiculous price of another bottled water on a hot afternoon.
As far as the question of time, we only had one in-park counter service meal that I can use as comparison. We spent 50 minutes at Electric Umbrella. With most of our one credit meals taking between an hour and an hour and a half, the DxDDP likely added about an hour of dining time to each of our days. For us, that's a welcome hour of sitting and resting between park sessions, particularly on days when we're on the go from rope drop to park closing.
And after all that glowing praise for the DxDDP, I have to admit I don't think we'll be using it next trip.
By the next trip DD9 will be 10 and DD2 will be 3, which is a big jump in both price and quantity of food, and DD9 is interested in a YES class which would mean a nice ticket discount but no way to add dining. Plus the kids want to try the Fort Wilderness cabins next, with plenty of evenings enjoying the resort rather than getting back to our room just in time to fall into bed. So I think we're going to try a trip without the plan to see how it works just once.
So I'll be back, probably in the fall, with an entirely different sort of dining review - Mickey's Backyard BBQ, our must-do California Grill, all the sushi the dining plan doesn't offer (at Tokyo Dining and Kimonos), afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian, and maybe a go at the kitchen sink over at Beaches & Cream. Oh, and plenty of roasted marshmallows with Chip & Dale because that is what got my girls fixated on the campground.
That only includes 9 of our 36 snack credits, the ones that were used as meals. The remaining credits split pretty evenly between low-value things like bottled water or oversized suckers and higher cost items like Dole Whips, root beer floats, frozen coke, or kaki gori. The receipts and prices I have (missing a few) work out to a rough average of $3.26 per snack credit for the ones we used as actual snacks. Adding in the remaining snacks at that average brings the total DxDDP value to $1419.47.
The cost of the deluxe plan for this trip was $1079.82. That is the full, undiscounted price because I take the free dining promotion into account as a room discount in my planning sheet for the sake of simpler comparisons to other promotions.
So for us for this trip the deluxe plan was about a 24% savings off of menu prices, and that was eating where we wanted, when we wanted, without any effort to maximize the plan.
The last couple days of the report illustrate well what I love about the deluxe plan - flexibility. When DD2 decided she really wanted to see Woody on our last morning, and DD9 said she'd rather be in the pool than a park or restaurant, we didn't have to worry about the "lost" value of not sitting down for a meal or how to use up the "extra" credit. Changing a meal or two from TS to CS doesn't destroy the value of the plan the way "wasting" a TS credit would on the basic plan, and it is so nice never to look at menu prices when ordering, or try to convince the girls to share a kaki gori when one wants strawberry and the other rainbow, or think about the ridiculous price of another bottled water on a hot afternoon.
As far as the question of time, we only had one in-park counter service meal that I can use as comparison. We spent 50 minutes at Electric Umbrella. With most of our one credit meals taking between an hour and an hour and a half, the DxDDP likely added about an hour of dining time to each of our days. For us, that's a welcome hour of sitting and resting between park sessions, particularly on days when we're on the go from rope drop to park closing.
And after all that glowing praise for the DxDDP, I have to admit I don't think we'll be using it next trip.
By the next trip DD9 will be 10 and DD2 will be 3, which is a big jump in both price and quantity of food, and DD9 is interested in a YES class which would mean a nice ticket discount but no way to add dining. Plus the kids want to try the Fort Wilderness cabins next, with plenty of evenings enjoying the resort rather than getting back to our room just in time to fall into bed. So I think we're going to try a trip without the plan to see how it works just once. So I'll be back, probably in the fall, with an entirely different sort of dining review - Mickey's Backyard BBQ, our must-do California Grill, all the sushi the dining plan doesn't offer (at Tokyo Dining and Kimonos), afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian, and maybe a go at the kitchen sink over at Beaches & Cream. Oh, and plenty of roasted marshmallows with Chip & Dale because that is what got my girls fixated on the campground.
lilandvisma
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2009
- Messages
- 1,245
thanks so much for your reviews Colleen! We fly out early Monday morning and I am excited to try the DxDP and see how it works for us.
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