Food, Character meals, more food and fun! 10 days of Disney on DDP! 12/9 Update

[Guatemommy]

Welcome to my first dining review - I was so appreciative of the info I learned from reading other reports, that I decided to do one myself. This was our first all-Disney vacation. In the past DH and I had a few commando-style trips, but this was all Disney for 10 days with free dining - we upgraded to Basic from Quick-service.

Basic info - Me - Mom and crazy planning person, DH - greatest guy ever but never a planner, DD - almost 5 - my Mayan princess and light of our lives, BFF - lives on the gulf coast and came to stay with us for a few days. For all the juicy details about us, you can read my pre-trip report listed below in my siggy.

I also have to preface this by saying there is no food porno, so if you are looking for that, might as well stop here as DH would not allow it at all - he was totally eewww at the idea of taking pictures of our food. I will list what we ate, where we ate, how we liked it, how many credits we used and how much it would have cost. I saved all my receipts and have a pretty good memory so with my notes, it should still be a detailed review, albeit a photo-less one.

Day One - Arrival and short visit to Animal Kingdom
Magical Express was great as was check-in since I did it on-line ahead of time. We arrived around 11:30 AM and one of our 2 rooms was ready so we were able to at least wash up and put our carry-on stuff away. Our flight was extremely early and airport security was a nightmare and by the time we got to our gate area, they had just begun boarding so we went straight on and never got a bite to eat in the airport. Only got a snack of a mini muffin on the plane so we were famished by the time we got to ASMu.

We decided to check out our food court that I heard good things about.

DD - had the kid's pizza with grapes and applesauce and milk - nothing to write home about, but she liked it and I love the grapes and applesauce in place of junky stuff. She ate the applesauce and we took the grapes to the park for a later snack.

DH - had the special sandwich of the day - Marinated grilled steak on an onion roll. He was determined not to eat junk on the trip so he got a cucumber salad as his side instead of the standard chips and a fruit cup for dessert. He got a bottle of water for later in the park as his drink. He decided to buy the refillable mug as he needs his AM coffee and got his caffeine fix. He loved his sandwich and salad. I tried a bite and the meat was definitely yummy. I am just wondering how long he will go on salad and fruit before breaking down.

Me - I ordered the chicken penne alfredo meal, bottle of coke (for my headache from not eating all morning), and a Mickey rice krispie treat. I did not plan to watch what I ate - I was going to order whatever I wanted on this trip. I had been dealing with health issues for quite some time before the trip so this was a real celebration for me. I really liked the chicken - fried chicken breast - very moist and quite a large portion. The penne alfredo was just ok - it was a bit peppery for my liking and I would have liked more sauce, but I did add some parmesan packets and that helped. The breadstick was ok too. We are used to some of the greatest Italian food, coming from the NYC area and having both been to Italy, so honestly, this was not up to par with that. But it was a decent meal and like I said - the fried chicken breast was great! I took a bite of the rice krispie treat to 'test' it out and then saved the rest for the park.

I would rate the meal overall as pretty good for all of us.

Total cost = $37.81 Total entitlements used: 2 adult and 1 child counter service meals
Out of pocket cost = $14.97 for one refillable mug

By the time we finished lunch and got our bearings together, we headed to Animal Kingdom for a few hours to get in a few shows. We planned an early night as my BFF was arriving the next morning and we had been up very early with travel, etc. We saw the Nemo show, the Parade and the Festival of the Lion King show - all of which were great and we all enjoyed everything. I ate most of my krispie bar throughout the afternoon and DD munched on her grapes.

I am usually a big water drinker and we ordered a few things from Garden Grocer, but they weren’t arriving till later, so we stopped and used a snack credit on another bottle of water. My snack-aholic DD spotted the ice cream cart so we got a Mickey Bar to share.

Total cost - $7.00 - Total entitlements used: 2 snack credits

We left the park at closing and took the bus home. Back at ASMu, we got the rest of our room situation straightened out (a story I will share if I decide to do a full TR, but since this about the food, I'll skip it now). Garden Grocer had come early while we were at the park and everything we asked for was delivered and we unpacked the groceries as well as our clothes and went to have dinner at the food court. We were sooooo tired, but I was proud of all we accomplished for day one with no crying breakdowns, I might add.

We decided on one kids meal turkey dinner that we got mashed potatoes and grapes with, plus apple juice for DD. This was pretty good - they weighed the turkey and I was impressed by the portion size. DD suddenly decided she didn't like turkey (although she eats it all the time at home) so DH and I ended up eating it. It was yummy! I am a huge home-made turkey person - could eat it every day of the year - so as an expert, I would rate this excellent.

DH and I shared one adult meal of the 1/2 baked chicken. We got it with more mashed potatoes and a mushroom-spinach-red pepper side. I got a beverage cup to have some of the white citrus tea they serve. DH drank from his refillable mug. We got the key lime pie for dessert.

DH requested the spinach side for his healthy eating gig and I have to say, it was much better tasting than I expected. All three of us loved the mashed potatoes as well. I peeled off the skin (got to eat all of it myself ) and gave DD some white meat chicken which she ate nicely with some potatoes. DH only likes white meat so I gave him the breast meat. Now this 1/2 a chicken must have come from the steroid farm because it was HUGE! No way could I have eaten that whole dinner by myself. I ate the chix wing and the thigh. No one likes the drumsticks in our family, so we skipped that. We asked for an extra plates, but the chicken was so big, I wished I had a third plate to divvy things up better without mushhing up the potatoes and spinach!

Overall, another very good meal. We al loved the chicken - it was incredibly moist and juicy - something I wouldn't hesitate to eat again and would most certainly recommend it. I nibbled on the key lime pie and was surprised that DH wasn't breaking down yet. I saved the rest for my must-have before-bed snack.

Total cost = $24.48 Total entitlements used: 1 adult and 1 child counter service meals

Day 2 - BFF arrives and it's off to Epcot! Will we use snack credits at Food and Wine? Tune in to find out!

 

[buzzmom3]

I'm in! Love your review so far and can't wait for more!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

joining in...

 

[Guatemommy]

I had brought Ridemax plans with me, but BFF arrived later than we thought and since we hadn't seen her in over 2 years (due to my medical issues), it was slow-going to get to the park in the morning. We still managed to get most of the items in my plan done, but we didn’t get as much time at F&W in the World Showcase.

For breakfast, DD and I had cornflakes with a banana from our Garden Grocer stash. DH was gonna just have fruit, BFF called to say she was in the parking lot between ASSp and ASMu, but she didn't know where we were. It was confusing as I didn’t realize the parking lots were connected. After finally figuring out just where she was, DD and I went down to meet her and bring her to our rooms. DH wasn't quite ready and this would give him time to eat too. I really wanted DD to stay with him so I could get my first few moments with BFF alone but that was not to be.

DH left the room to get his coffee but only had a key to the adjoining room, which I forgot to unhook the extra locks, so he couldn't get back in. To top it off, he left the cell phone in the room so he couldn't tell us where he was. So he decided to go to the food court and get breakfast. This annoyed me, as we ordered stuff from Garden Grocer with the intent to eat breakfast in the room on the days we had no character breakfasts. I guess when you first start your trip, you are saving all meals and don’t realize you will have more than you will ever need by the end of the trip. Plus, as a planner, when you digress from the plan, it gets me all worked up. But we got over it!

He ordered a cheese omelette that comes with potatoes, an apple instead of a second drink and a coffee. You will note that I make no mention of the refillable mug. That's because he left it in the room too!!!!!!! I love the guy but sometimes I wonder if he would forget his head if it weren't attached! (One of my mom's favorite lines when I was growing up - never thought I would be using on my DH!!!).

Total cost = $11.49 - Total entitlements used: 1 adult counter service meal

We finally made it to Epcot and DD wanted to go in the Earth right away so that was our first stop - not how Ridemax wanted to work, but a DD always trumps a computer program any day! We made our way thru Future World. The Seas was first - including Turtle Talk which was pretty neat. Then it was on to The Land. We were ready for lunch by then (getting going took way longer than we ever thought that morning) so we went to Sunshine Seasons first. DD was cranky and I was trying to get her to rest on the seats, but it wasn't working too well. She said she wasn't too hungry and I had some snacks for her in our travel bag, so I didn't push it.

DH ordered the Tuna Salad over noodles, fruit salad cup for dessert and a bottle of Smart Water. He ended up sharing some tuna with DD, but both of them said the noodles were a bit spicy.

I wasn't as hungry as DH or BFF, so I ordered a kid's meal of the sweet and sour chicken with noodles, and got grapes and chocolate milk for DD. I also couldn't resist the bakery area and got a strawberry shortcake for myself. I just finished water from one of the many bottles we brought with us.

BFF got something from the Chinese food area, but she was paying by herself, so I didn't track everything she ate. It was more than enough just trying to ensure I had each of our receipts accurately recorded! I thin ske has like Cashew chicken, but her feelings were about the same as ours were.

This meal was not as good as I had hoped. I liked the sweet and sour chicken, but it wasn't fried bits of chicken like I expected. Very little pineapple in with the veggies. I also found my noodles to be spicy, which I totally didn’t expect - not as sweet overall as I would have liked. I specifically chose this restaurant for its variety, but somehow it didn't seem as interesting as I thought it would be.

DH liked his seared tuna, but he prefers his dishes dead and buried and partial searing only makes it taste ok to him. He was so focused on the healthy, I think he was missing out on burgers and fries etc. which he usually likes a lot.

I did like the strawberry shortcake though and was especially glad I splurged on it. DH looked at me cross-eyed - couldn't believe I was spending a snack already, but as I said before, as the days went on, we got less frugal about spending our meals and snacks.

Total cost = $28.30 - Total entitlements used: 1 adult and 1 kids counter service meals, 1 snack credit

We went on to do the boat ride in The Land which DD loved as she learned all about gardening this past summer. Then we watched the Circle of Life show. Afterwards, it was onto Imagination and Figment. We skipped right over Captain EO as none of us were interested in that. I saw that back in the 80's and it was just ok back then - never was a big Michael Jackson fan. Then it was on to Innoventions where DD had lots of fun and both DD and DH were on stage in 'What's Your Problem?'. We skipped Soarin and Test Track as DD is too small and DH and BFF were too afraid. DD is a daredevil and one day when she gets big enough she and I will take on every thrill ride Disney has to offer. But this trip was no-thrills for me and that was ok since it was meant to be all about DD anyway.

We made our way over the bridge to the World Showcase where DD could hold on no longer and finally fell asleep in the stroller. This was fine with me as she needed some rest before our first table meal and her first princess contact.

We were still in the frugal stage so we weren't willing to throw snack credits around too much, plus we knew that we would be having a big dinner at Akershus, so the only F&W snack we tried was the Kefta in Morocco. Now, my grandmother was Morrccan and my mother was from Sudan so I grew up on this type of food. While the kefta was tasty, it doesn't come close to my grandmother's homemade - or even mine for that matter. I found it to have way too much cumin, which I have never been big on. Even DH said mine was better and I don't think he just said it to score points with me either!

Total cost = $5.35 - Total entitlements used: 1 snack credit

We made our way thru several countries looking around while DD got her much-needed beauty sleep. It was getting way too crowded for our liking and we didn't want to be late for our much-anticipated princess encounter. I know people must think we are nuts for missing out on F&W stuff, but I wasn't interested in the alcohol on such a hot day, and quite honestly, I wasn't overly impressed. DH and I were at F&W back in 2003 when it wasn't as big of a deal as it is now and we rather enjoyed it. But we were relative newlyweds then and didn't have a wee one in tow. I just didn't find the choices to be so outstanding that I needed to wait on long lines to try stuff.

My one regret was not trying the lamb chops - one of my favorite foods. But we were close to dinner time and I knew that would put me over the fine line of being stuffed to the max or stuffed to sickness.

We finally wake DD up and get her dressed in her Belle costume. We arrive about five minute early for our ressie at Akershus and wait outside with the swarms of princesses. I don't think I ever saw so many costumes in one place like that - not even on Halloween! While waiting, I went over to Maelstrom and got fast passes so we could ride after dinner.

Finally, our party is called and DD is about to explode because she can see Belle but still isn't close enough to touch her! She gets her picture with Belle and the first of many autographs. She and I made her autograph book together and she was so proud to have Belle sign it. We took a dollar store picture book and decorated It with stickers. For each 'picture', we had an index card with a sticker of the character so DD would know who was who. I put them in the book in the order of who I thought we would meet first, so Belle was page one and boy was DD thrilled! Belle and DD hugged and DD had to be forcibly taken away so another young princess could get her turn.

I will start the dinner report by saying this was fantastic - we all really enjoyed the food as well as all the princess contact. Everyone gets the cold bar as an appetizer - we had some amazing cheeses - they stand out as the best thing - there was a Norwegian goat cheese that I initially did not take because it was brown and looked like something I would not like, but it turned out to be deliciously smooth and nutty. We all commented on how nice and different it was. There was smoked salmon, and cooked salmon with dill sauce, a potato salad, shrimp salad, various olives, salamis and such. We all agreed that we could have eaten that as our meal and been satisfied.

Our order did feel rushed and we hadn't finished our salads when our main dishes arrived. That is the only negative regarding the service here.

DD chose the ravioli - sauce on the side. She loved it and ate every last bite! The sauce - just a bit. I liked the sauce, though - it was chunky and veggie-tasting, which is probably why DD didn't want it. Once she sees a chunk of tomato, it is all over.

I ordered the Kjottake, which is the dumpling and mashed potatoes. It was basically a huge meatball. It was good, but again a bit too spicy. I was expecting something more along the lines of IKEA's Swedish meatballs, so seeing such a huge meatball threw me off a bit. But we all tried it and agreed it was pretty good.

DH ordered the Mushroom-Stuffed Pasta - and I loved it the best - wished I had ordered it. It came with swiss chard or spinach and that is why I probably didn’t order it. Nothing like a mushy green to ruin a good pasta.

BFF ordered the Mahi-Mahi which had a nice citrusy taste. We all tried everyone's food and we were all in agreement that this was an impressive meal.

DD got to meet Cinderella, which we weren't expecting to see here, Ariel, Aurora and Jasmine. Because the parade went on right before Jasmine was supposed to come to our table, she ended up skipping us. I asked the waiter to get her back for us, and after waiting for what seemed forever to DD, Jasmine finally came over and definitely had an attitude about the whole thing. Even her autograph had attitude - this was a very non-Disney moment for us, but thankfully the only one for the entire trip. I had said something about having family from Morocco just like her and she snapped at me by saying she was NOT from Morocco but rather from Agraba. Of course I knew that, but when I watch the movie, I always just think of Morocco - plus she didn’t need to be snippy in front of my DD.

Just when we thought we wouldn't eat another bite, the waiter brought our desserts - served family style so we all picked together - rice cream with strawberry sauce, chocolate mousse and a pastry with cream inside. They were all good and we each had a different favorite.

Total cost = $108.60 plus $17 tip - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and 1 kids table service meals

(BFF paid on her own since she didn’t have the DDP)

We rolled out of the castle and rode Maelstrom with no waiting and went on our way to Mexico where we rode the boat ride and made it out just in time to get a spot for Illuminations.

I so wanted to get snacks from the bakery in Norway or France, but our afternoon of countries was rushed due to the late start in the AM. I also thought we would be back at Epcot to go through the countries again, so I figured it was no big deal. Plans changed and we only ended up with this one day at Epcot, so I guess I will have to wait for another trip to get yummy sweets!

All in all, it was a great day. Up next - Hollywood Studios - Smith-family style!

 

[Guatemommy]

We were better at getting out earlier but not early enough for rope drop and neither DH or BFF were remotely interested in a mad dash for TS fast passes, so we just took in all the sites and made sure to get plenty of phot pass shots since we were getting the PhotoCD. We had breakfast in our room - corn flakes, yogurt, bananas, etc.

We did The Voyage of the Mermaid, a lot of walking around and taking in sites, photos with Handy Manny and the backlot tour. By then we were pretty hungry so we at the Studio Catering Company.

Both BFF and DH had the pressed Turkey sandwich ,except that BFF got chips or fries (I forget) and DH got apple slices. DH got a bottle of water for his drink and he didn't want dessert, but I still got a chocolate cake for us all to eat anyway. We all liked this sandwich - it was better than I expected, but I did have to add some honey mustard to it to really be yummy for my liking.

I got the buffalo chicken sandwich with fries - I really liked this except that it was really messy to eat. The buffalo dressing was not too spicy so it was just right. I liked the fried chicken breast - same as the one that I had at ASMu with the penne alfredo - nice and juicy - not too heavily fried. DH and I split our sandwiches and we both had a hard time choosing which one we liked better, I give the pressed turkey the best for it's ease to eat, but I liked the taste of the buffalo chicken a bit better with its nice mix of cool fresh tomatoes against the buffalo dressing. It just gets a thumbs down because it was really, really messy! I got an Iced tea for my drink and the cheesecake for dessert.

DD got the Kids chicken nuggets - the only time we got nuggets the whole trip. I was disappointed - they were kinda small and had way too much breading and too little chicken. But she did eat all of them, so they must have been good and she doesn't always like the breading on nuggets. I got her fries because she was being a pretty good girl and also, kinda to set DH off - he wants her to only eat healthy all the time. But she is a kid and a kid at Disney for that matter and she should have some treats along the way! She also had the usual Apple juice box and applesauce for dessert, which she ate all off so she must have really been hungry.

All four of us tried the 2 desserts - of course DH had just one bite of each, trying not to break his healthy eating thing. We all liked the cheesecake over the chocolate cake. DD loved the icing on the cake, but didn't care for the chocolate cake part. Truth is, I think she just wanted the mickey head sprinkles! I do think it wouldn't kill them to add a fruit cup to the menu for those who really don't eat sweets. They were pretty strict here - I wanted another bag of apples for DH's dessert but they would not allow it or a bag of grapes for that matter.

Total cost - $36.95 - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and I kids counter service meals (BFF paid on her own)

We went on our day to watch the parade, the muppets show, the animation building where we did lots of character stops, and then on to DD's must-do - the Beauty and the Beast show. We all really enjoyed it. But DD said she didn't like to watch Gaston because he was such a bully.

We had snacks with us from our room - water, cotton candy, Pringles, peaches, cookies, so we just ate from that during the day.

The park was still open for another hour or so, but BFF was pooped so we went back to our hotel and beat the crowds at the bus line. We decided to eat at the ASMU food court for dinner since we had no reservations and wanted to go swimming that night.

DD got the kids meal spaghetti with one meatball, sauce on the side. She got her usual grapes bag and applesauce along with apple juice box. She barely ate the meatball as she is not a big red meat girl. It was just ok - nothing magnificent.

DH got the create-your-own salad with the steak, a V8 juice, and a bowl of grapes for dessert. It was at this point that we started to get grape-overload. He and I planned to split our choices, which we do quite often.

I had the nightly special, open face chicken pot pie, It comes with a puff pastry and they put the chix pot pie filing right over it. No extra sides as you already get the veggies in the pot pie. I also got a white citrus tea with my meal which was quickly becoming my new favorite drink along with the pomegranate lemonade at some table service restaurants. I love Coke, but I try not to drink soda too much and the citrus tea was really quite nice.
I liked the pot pie, but I have to say, mine is a bit better - even DH said so. Nonetheless, it was very good and I was able to get DD to eat some chicken to replace the meatball she was frowning at. I make mine in puff pastry shells which are a bit easier to cut than this big pastry piece was, but again, it was still pretty good.

We both really LOVED the steak salad. DH added chick peas, olives, crunchy noodles - all of hwihc i love to the regular salad stuff like cukes, tomatoes, etc. I was surprised by how much meat they give you. I usually shy away from those things because it is all lettuce and very little meat which doesn't cut it for me. But we both ate quite a bit and there enough meat to have a piece in every bite with the salad all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. The grilled steak was very tender and marinated nicely. We think it was the same steak we had with our sandwich on Day One.
BFF ordered the same salad with the chicken and she agreed about how great it was too.

Now for my dessert situation: I had read that you could get the brownie sundae or the cookie ice cream sandwich for a dessert at this hotel. Well, when I got to the ice cream station, there was a sign that said neither of these are allowed anymore as a dessert OR as a snack. They are priced over $4.00 and all the snacks these days are lower cost than that. But I kept remembering my disboard advice and decided to ask the girl anyway. She was the most confusing person I ever spoke to at Disney and the final outcome was that she said you couldn't use it as a snack, but if you were getting a meal on the dining plan, it could be your dessert. WHAT?????? But hey, I really wanted it, so I went for it. DH wanted to go to a cashier who looked like they were as clueless as the ice cream girl so we wouldn't have a problem, but the lines werea mess. He told me to avoid the older lady with glasses because she seemed like a "picker" and we were gonna have a problem with the ice cream. LOL. Because of the line confusion, we ended up with her and of course she says we can't have it as a dessert and wants to charge me. No way am I paying for food on this trip when we have this meal plan so I begin my argument, explaining that the girl insisted I could have it and how I asked her every which way till Sunday and she still said yes. So she reluctantly gave in and rang it as a hot fudge sundae instead. She announced that she would be going over there to straighten the girl out as they just had a meeting about this very same thing right before the dinner rush.

DD and I ate every last bite of our brownie sundae and loved it. I can assure you I wasn't going to try that again as it is obvious Disney is starting to cut out some of these 'tricks".

Total cost - $36.92 - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and I kids counter service meals (BFF paid on her own)

We finished up and went on to swim for a bit before washing up and calling it a night.

Next up - First time at Magic Kingdom - does my slow-moving group make it in time for rope drop??

 

[Guatemommy]

So I finally get my crew to realize that getting out early is a good thing and we just made it in the turnstiles in time for Mickey's grand entrance. It is definitely worth seeing at least once in a trip! We went in and it was as magical as I hoped it would be for DD. It has always been my favorite place, but the 3 times I had been in the past, it was always a commando-style run through and I skipped over stuff that was more for kids. This time we relished in all that so DD could enjoy all the magic Disney has in store. We mosied slowly down Main Street - saw some singers, posed for photopass, took a deep breath as we walked thru the castle - DD was beyond happy. We made our way thru a bit of Fantasyland and all of Toon Town towards Tomorrowland where it was now lunchtime as indicated by our growling tummies.

I had planned to eat at Cosmic Ray's since they had more than just burgers for choices. I went for the Chicken and Rib combo meal. Way too much food for any one person to eat, but I couldn't decide between the chicken and the ribs and hey, we were on the DDP, so why not go for the most expensive item, right?

I got it with mashed potatoes and string beans. The whole plate was yumm-o as Rachel Ray would say! This was a meal meant for a coke so I got that along with carrot cake for dessert. Everyone loved the ribs - they were falling off the bone delicious! The chicken was very good too, similar to the baked chicken at ASMu. This can definitely be a meal split between two people. And they gave me the big 32 oz. drink because I was on the DDP so I had more coke than I needed that day!

DD was getting to the cranky time of day and she likes soup so we got a chicken soup for her instead of a whole meal - the kids meals weren't too great for our liking. Plus I knew before we got there that she would eat some of my chicken so I was happy that she got some protein in her.

Well, the time has finally come! DH fell off the healthy wagon!!! After much searching, he comes back with the cheesesteak sandwich! But to be healthy, he asks for apple slices instead of fries!!! Follows that up by getting strawberry yogurt for dessert (what a waste of dessert in my opinion!). He also gets an Iced Mocha Cappuccino as his drink, So you all be the judge - is this a healthy meal?

The steak sandwich was very good - we all liked it. The chicken soup - not so much. DD didn’t care for it all, but it was ok because she ate a lot of chicken from my way-too-big meal. And she ate DH's yogurt so I was happy.

BFF got a hot dog and fries, which DD immediately swooped in on. Good thing her auntie adores her!

DD loved Sonny Eclipse so we ended up staying there a bit longer than we expected.

Total cost - $40.21 - Total entitlements used: 2 adult counter service meals, 1 snack (BFF paid on her own)

With full bellies and one toddler tantrum averted, we went on our way thru Tomorrowland - PeopleMover, Carousel of Progress, and made our way to the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique. Once again, we did have snacks but they were from our Garden Grocer stash - chips, cookies, water plus leftover grape bags and applesauce.

The boutique was a magnificent experience for not just DD, but for all of us. BFF asked if she could give it to DD as an early birthday present and it will be a present she will never forget. I couldn't ask BFF to buy the huge package, so I brought a Cinderella costume, gloves and ring from home with us. DD got her hair and nails done. We went to the store next door to get photos taken for our photopass CD. Now we had hoped to get Cinderella's castle for dinner, but that was not meant to be - we got it for a different night when BFF was not with us. But I just had to have my little Mayan Princess eat with Cindy after her makeover, so we were able to get a ressie a bit later at 1900 Park Fare.

Meanwhile, we hit a few more rides like Dumbo and the Carousel again before taking a break at Pinocchio's Festhaus. It was way hot and we were way tired from not drinking enough water, so I ended up buying a bottle of water since ours was all gone and also got a large cup with ice. We sat for a bit in the air conditioning to rehydrate and have a few snacks from my never-ending snack bag.

Total cost - $2.76 - Total entitlements used: 1 snack

We made our way to Adventureland and rode the magic carpets. We planned to go to the Tiki Room, but my little princess could hold on no longer and pooped out for a nap, which is good since I wanted her energy level up for dinner. So after sitting to let her nap a bit, we made our way towards the park entrance to take our first monorail ride to the Grand Floridian.

After what seemed the longest monorail ride ever, we finally arrived at 1900 Park Fair for Cinderella and Prince Charming's dinner. We had great seats right in the main room where we could see Cindy and her Prince waltz. Lady Tremaine and her two daughters were there and provided some comedy for the evening.

This was considered an international buffet as each section had food from various countries. There was basically a bit of everything from everywhere. Items I had included coq au vin, carved roast beef, beef stir fry with jasmine rice, tomato and mozzarella salad, a broiled fish - not sure what kind - but it was a white flaky fish that was very nice, pasta and chicken francaise, mashed potatoes and veggies. There were several soups - I had cream of asparagus which was pretty good, but the best of all was the strawberry soup. I wasn't sure it would be for me when I read about it, but the reviews are correct - it was to die for!

All 3 adults had our share of everything and there were two kid's stations that had some nice choices like Pasta, corn, chicken, etc. I had hoped DD would eat more, but she could hardly contain herself waiting for the Prince.

He finally came to our table and after signing her book, he kissed her hand and told her she was as beautiful as his own Cinderella. DD was in heaven! She has been in love with this guy since she first saw him at Disney on Ice and he is all she talked about for months and now he kissed her hand!!!!! Cindy followed shortly and she said it was quite alright that her man kissed DD as DD was a beautiful girl and Cindy liked her too.

DH and I got two large cupcakes as we were celebrating our anniversary and we packed those up as we had way too many choices for dessert at the buffet. I really love the way all the desserts are small in size. It gives you a chance to have a good sampling of everything - cheesecake, mousse, key lime tart, bread pudding with vanilla sauce, apple crisp with ice cream.

We all agreed that this was an excellent buffet with a wide variety that all tasted delicious. Top it off with a handsome prince and we had one terrific night - until we lost DH on the monorail back, but I will leave that one for a full trip review at a different time.

Total cost - $113.81 + $17.99 tip - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and 1 kids table service meals (BFF paid on her own).

Our plan was to return to MK in time for the parade and fireworks, but everyone except me was too pooped so we headed home. It was an extremely hot day, so I think that took a toll on things - not to mention the park was crowded.

Next up - Chef Mickey's and more magic Kingdom fun!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for the update, glad you had a good experience with 1900 (we had a wonderful character experience...when Cinderella asked my son to dance but the meal was awful)

 

[girlswhowearglasses]

Subbing so I can find out more about Chef Mickey's! Based on everything else I've read it seems like our tastes might be similar, so I can't wait to hear that review! I keep getting such mixed ones, but you never know what people like unless you read nice reviews like these! Thanks for being so thorough!
Wendy

 

[Guatemommy]

Subbing so I can find out more about Chef Mickey's! Based on everything else I've read it seems like our tastes might be similar, so I can't wait to hear that review! I keep getting such mixed ones, but you never know what people like unless you read nice reviews like these! Thanks for being so thorough!
Wendy

Sorry, Wendy - Chef Mickey's was not one of my faves! Read on!

 

[Guatemommy]

We slept a bit late this morning and then we were off to Chef Mickey's for breakfast. I will preface this by saying I chose Chef Mickey's for the character interaction with DD, not because of the food. The food was, well breakfast food. Not the best buffet breakfast I ever had either. No omelette station or anything. I will say that I like the kids' size stations, but the mickey waffles weren't even there for them - they were at the adult level, which didn't make sense to me.

One of my favorite items was the corned beef hash with corn bread. I love a good hash and the corn bread on top just made it for me. Yummy! Who can pass up good cornbread? Other favorites at the table were the mickey waffles, but nothing else really stood out from the hot foods. There was an egg-quiche thing that I tried but it was flat in flavor. There was also an egg strata or something that looked very similar, only with different vegetables and left me feeling the same way.

There was plenty of fruit which DH loved along with hard-boiled eggs - another of is favorites. We did get one very small chocolate cupcake when they sang the celebration song for our anniversary. Kinda stingy compared to the two big ones we got from 1900 Park Fare the night before.

The main focus of this meal was to meet Mickey and Company and that was most certainly accomplished! DD had her pink Minnie Mouse outfit on. When Minnie came by, I pointed out that Minnie had bloomers just like her and they both picked up their dresses to show each other their bloomers! That was a really cute moment! DD kept messing with Donald's fluffy bottom when he was with nearby tables. It was funny to see her face in his fluffy butt

The one true yummy treat of the morning were the chocolate croissants. DH announced that he could eat those all day, which was a surprise because he is not a huge sweet-eater - just a volume eater. Me, on the other hand, could eat sweets and pastries all day, every day. By the way, how do you think his healthy eating deal is going after this???

Overall, I was glad we came for DD to see the characters, but I don't think I would put Chef Mickey on the must-do list for another trip. It was extremely pricey and nothing to write home about (although I am writing about it now, hmmmm). Service was strained - the place is huge and the staff seemed over worked. We had to wave our server over several times and she kept forgetting things like extra napkins and more cream that we had to ask for more than once.

Total cost - $93.57 + $14.79 tip - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and I kids table service meals (BFF paid on her own).

We took the monorail back to Magic Kingdom and said our goodbyes to BFF. She could only spare a few days off from work so she had to head home. I was so happy to see her because it was the longest we went without seeing her, but because our time was spent so actively, we didn't get the quiet girl-time we always manage to sneak in when we come to Florida. But DD didn't remember our last visit to BFF's house as she was rather young then. So even though we speak to her on the phone all the time, it was the first time for them to really bond together and for that I am grateful. They shared a room together and the last night, DD hopped into her bed and said she wanted to 'share secrets' which just filled my heart as I knew then that BFF touched her in the way she has touched me for the last 22 years. Well, I really have known her since I was 3, but if you want the details on that wonderful story, you will have to read the first few chapters of my PTR (see the link in my siggy).

We had planned to go back to Epcot today and go through the countries at depth, but we didn't get as much done the day before at MK, and DD didn't seem interested in the countries all that much so when we gave her a choice, she chose MK again. When we originally were planning a shorter trip, we were going to leave Epcot out altogether because it is the least interesting for a 4 year old, so I was glad we had the opportunity for one day there. I know as she gets older it will become much more enjoyable, but as I have said before, this trip was all about DD so MK for another day it is!

We saw Pinnocchio, the show outside the castle, got to roam around, ride Dumbo and the carousel again, ride the jungle cruise and found a place to watch the afternoon parade in Liberty Square/FrontierLand. We had to take care of business with Guest Relations and then the Kodak people, so it was actually good we came to MK!

While waiting for the parade, none of us were wanting a full meal after the big breakfast, so we had some snacks from my bag and I got a bottle of water from Pecos Bills along with a big cup of ice so we could keep hydrated during the parade. I am good at finding a perfect parade place for both my wheelchair and DD's stroller so she was right up front. Of course, the parade-pushers who come at the last minute with their stomachs at your back trying to get the perfect picture are majorly annoying. But I was feeling the Disney-love so I let these two young girls come in front of my wheelchair so they could have as good a view as DD even though their mother was jerky-pushy.

Total cost - $2.68 - Total entitlements used: 1 snack

We went home to rest up a bit and stopped by the food court for a small bite to tie us over till dinner. We ordered 2 soups - Chicken orzo and Minestrone. Dh refilled his mug and we went back to our room to eat. We also added some cheese sticks from our fridge to our meal.

Total cost - $7.05 - Total entitlements used: 2 snacks

After a much needed rest, we got ready for our trip to Downtown Disney. Now I have to confess, tonight I actually had double-booked dinner reservations. I really tried not to be a ressie-hog for the most-part, but I had a feeling this day would not go as planned so I hedged my bet. Had we stayed at Epcot as planned, we were going to dine at Le Cellier, which I was really looking forward to. But DH didn't seem to get all that excited as we live in the NY metro area and have our fill of good steakhouses, so he didn't see the need to create our day around a steak reservation. I mean, after all, once you've been to Peter Luger's, it is hard to find a more enjoyable steak. We've done them all - Mortons, Ruth Chris, Emerils, Smith and Wollensky to name a few and Peter's is still ranked number one.

I had also reserved Wolfgang Puck since DH really loves his food and we hadn't been to one of his places in a very long time (none in our NY area). We weren't park hopping, so we couldn't go to Epcot after having been in MK, so Wolfgang won out. I know, I know, so many of you were dying for Le Cellier and now I will probably never eat there because it is going to 2 TS meals, but I am sure I am not the first person to skip out on a ressie there.

So DTD won out and we strolled along the West Side and got there a bit early but they still seated us right away. DD got the grilled chicken and we subbed the carrots for mashed potatoes and she ate most of it after I cut off the blackened grilled part LOL!!! Dh and I had that and it was good!

This was the only place we ordered something extra out-of-pocket. I just HAD to have the butternut squash soup - it is so yummy here. So DH and I split that. The roasted pepper puree in the middle was a bit spicier than I remembered and I much preferred the soup without it. DH is the spicy eater so he enjoyed the sweet and spicy balance.

I went on to continue with the pumpkin ravioli which I had here back in 2003 and it was as good now as it was then, which you don't always hear. Many times good food memories are better left at that, but Wolfgang didn't disappoint. He knows a good thing when he sees it and keeps it going. The raviolis are in a brown butter with fried sage and pignoli nuts. Oooh - just thinking about it is making my mouth water. The combination of flavors plus just the right seasonings make this a wonderful dish. I could eat this once a week for the rest of my life and it would never get boring!

DH ordered a steak - I guess in homage to Le Cellier! He knew it would be good as he trusts Wolfgang's meals wholeheartedly. He got a flat-iron steak that came with blue cheese butter or something. That is one of his favorite combos - meat and blue cheese. He prefers his meat well done, so I only tried a bite as I like my meat medium and anything more kinda ruins it for me. I will say it was excellent, but nothing tops the pumpkin ravioli.

There are so many things on his menu that I wanted to try but I just can't pass up the ravioli! DH loved his steak. DD loved his fries so I think they switched potatoes at one point.

For dessert, DD got the artist pallete sundae and I was disappointed because there was no artist palette, which I was looking forward to. It was just ice cream with little containers of toppings, but she loved it just the same.

I had a new dessert - snickers cheesecake which was good but not wow. Dh ordered the key lime pie which was better and we took part of it home.

Total cost - $84.42 + $24.18 for tip and the soup- Total entitlements used: 2 adult and I kids table service meals

We strolled over to the Marketplace - this area is so different from when we were here last in 2003 with Pleasure Island having changed and all. I'd wished we had more time to shop, but it was getting late. If I ever did a free dining plan again, I might do the Quick service plan and come to DTD more nights as there were other places I wanted to eat too - Like Earl of Sandwich and Cooks of Dublin. I could also still get a Wolfie fix at his express places. Plus all the extra snacks would work well at DTD too!

Tomorrow - a Fantasmic Day at Hollywood Studios!

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Great review so far! I can't wait to read more!

Trish

 

[Yummy]

I had read that you could get the brownie sundae or the cookie ice cream sandwich for a dessert at this hotel. Well, when I got to the ice cream station, there was a sign that said neither of these are allowed anymore as a dessert OR as a snack.

That sucks!!! They were still included as desserts on our trip in August! What makes me mad is they keep increasing prices, but giving less and less. In 2-3 years from now, the Chrystal Palace will be considered Signature dining

Other than learning the bad news about the brownie sundae, I'm enjoying your review

 

[Guatemommy]

We slept in a bit as the tiredness was taking its toll on DD and DH. Plus, we had a late night so I wanted her to be well-rested. We ate breakfast from our stash - yogurt, corn flakes, banana, etc., packed our bags full of water and snacks and headed to Hollywood Studios. Our stroller finally died - the wheel came off and DH went back to the room to repair it, but it wasn't working. We decided to leave it in our room and rent a stroller at the park and then figure out what to do for the rest of the trip. I was upset that we would have these unplanned extra expenses, but as DH pointed out, this travel stroller that we bought for $29 in 2006 served us more than well. It went to 2 countries outside the US and ten states in 4 years so I think we got our money's worth. We ended up buying a new stroller instead of renting one when we got to the park. We paid way more than if we bought one in a store, but seeing as we didn't have a car and still had 5 Disney days plus an airport to be in before we got home, it was a good deal.

After the stroller hubbub, we made our way to Mama Melrose's as we had a Fantasmic lunch reservation. Now this is one of the best Disney deals - dining plan or not. You get a set price for a meal that includes appys for everyone, plus you get seats in the reserved section for the Fantasmic show later on. I really wanted this because I didn’t want to wait on a huge line for over an hour just to see a show. The food was great and our waiter was too.

DD ordered the fish meal - she got grilled salmon which she ate quite a bit of and I felt good since it wasn't fried or processed food. It came with whole grain rice. She got the yogurt as her appetizer and he let her switch out the veggies for fruit salad, which she had as her dessert. DD was eating way too much junky stuff and carbs so I had to give her a reality check with some healthy stuff. I did promise that she could have ice cream later, but at least I got a decent meal in her. I had some of her fish and rice and was quite impressed at how good it was.

We were struggling with what to get for appys and we really wanted to try the antipasto but we wanted a second appy too. Walter, our wonderful waiter, said we could order anything even if it said it was for 2 people so we ordered the antipasto platter and also the minestrone soup. We aren't big on calamari and I didn't feel like salad. The soup was calling me and I am glad I listened - it was really good. Maybe not the best choice on a hot day, but we both liked it nevertheless. Now the antipasto - that was oh so very very good!!! There were olives, parm cheese, salami and prosciutto, and toasted pistachios that really made everything come together! We both really liked everything and wiped the plate clean!

DH ordered the grilled tuna over veggies like asparagus and zucchini which came in a light broth. I can't remember now, but I think there might have been some pasta like orzo or something in it as well. It was very good and I think DH felt good because it fell into his healthy eating plan. The fish was tasty, but I am a meat and potatoes girl. Also, being on the free dining plan, you have a tendency to order the more expensive items well, just because you can.

I had the sirloin steak and was not disappointed. It came with roasted potatoes, which are my favorite style of potatoes, along with carmelized onions (put the word carmelized in the description and I am so there!). It came in a wine sauce and had shallot butter - another two words I adore!. It was an excellent dish and I ate every last bit. I will confess, I loved the sauce so much, I wiped it all up with some bread! We were starving by the time we were finally were seated so that may have had something to do with it.

I assure you by the time dessert came, we were pretty full, but had just enough room for sweets. DH ordered the Crema Limone as it was listed as sugar-free. It was a lemon custard with some berries and whipped cream and it was very good even if there was no sugar added.

I had the chocolate cake - it had a warm lava thing and was very good, but not outstanding. Looking back, I think I ordered it because DD wanted a piece and since she had eaten her meal so well, I couldn't say no.

Overall, it was a great meal and a good deal as the Fantasmic Package. You cannot reserve the package online and I had been calling almost daily in the weeks before our trip hoping something would open up. I would definitely do this again - we all enjoyed everything. The only bad spot - this place was overbooked and the wait was a bit too long for my liking - especially that we were hungry. I brought a princess bingo game to keep DD busy and that came very handy here.

Total cost - $105.91 + $16.74 tip - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and I kids table service meals

We went on to enjoy our day - saw the muppet show again, the playhouse Disney show, animation academy where we had the chance to draw Eeyore, strolled Sunset Blvd and the stores. Before you knew it, it was time for Fantasmic. We got seated before the terrible mass of crowds and DH set off to get DD her promised ice cream snack. He brought back an Itzkadoozie bar and a bottle of water. We had chips and cotton candy in our bag along with our water.

Total cost - $6.17 - Total entitlements used: 2 snacks

The show was nice, but not sure I would center a day around this show again. It was worth seeing once though.

We went home and decided we wanted pizza so we ordered from Flippers and they delivered to the hotel - DH met them in the lobby. It was just ok. But the convenience was great and I was not digging the Disney pizza so this was a bit better. We were also able to get DD and I washed and ready for bed.

I didnt save that receipt so I dont remember the exact amount, but it was just a regular, plain pizza.

Next up - Pooh and breakfast in MK - will it be better than Chef Mickey's?

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

I loved Peter Luger's.
Thanks for the updates, sorry you had to buy another stroller but as you husband said you had alot of good use. Hopefully this new one can be a good use for more Disney trips.

 

[Guatemommy]

We got a nice, early start to our morning as we had 8:15 reservations at the Crystal Palace. It was really nice to walk through Main Street without it being so overly crowded.

We made our way to the Crystal Palace, saw the opening announcement and shortly after we were called in. That part is a bit funny as each server comes out and announces the family's name. Ours is Smith so you can imagine there was some confusion. But our waiter Vinnie, confirmed it was us he was calling and we made our way inside.

Vinnie turned out to be from Northern NJ like us, and worked 22 years down the road from where I grew up so we shared some nostalgia during our breakfast, which was nice.

This breakfast was by far way better than Chef Mickey's. First off, there was an omelette station here, which is DH's favorite. Secondly, there was much more fresh fruit choices here as well, including lots of various berries, a favorite of mine. And last but quite important for those who are paying for their meals, it was much cheaper than CM for equal, if not better value.

The atmosphere was nicer - the CP is such a beautiful place and we really enjoyed the ambiance. DD got to see all the characters - some came around twice and she joined in for the Pooh-rade which was really cute. The place is split in two, with the food area in the middle. So the characters split up - two on each side to cover the room nicely and then switch places.

We ate eggs, puffed pooh French toast which was better in my opinion than a mickey waffle, It was almost like eating a zeppole with cinnamon sugar on it! Meat was plenty, there was an breakfast pizza, some frittata, potaotes, grits, oatmeal, cold cereals, etc. The fresh fruit and cheeses were really good too. Also had hard boiled eggs for those that prefer them that way. We actually stayed till about 9:30 and didn't feel rushed at all. I do think that coming early here helped to make it a better experience. Every time we passed CP during our days at MK, there was always long lines there, so as the day goes on, it must get worse and more crowded.

Definitely one of our favorite stops in this trip. It doesn't hurt that Pooh is my all-time favorite since I was very young!

Total cost - $62.81 + $11.79 tip - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and I kids table service meals

Being in MK very early also helped maximize our ride time. We went on the carousel, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, saw Philharmagic two times and the Riverboat cruise. We watched the band play in front of the Hall of Presidents while we had a popcorn snack.

Total cost = 3.49 - Total entitlements used: 1 snack credit

The Hall of presidents was closed which was only a disappointment for DH, so we mosied on down to stake our place for the afternoon parade. I went into Pecos Bill's for a cup of ice - we had plenty of water with us - just needed it to be cooled plus snacks for DD in my bag. After enjoying a nice parade, we headed home for the afternoon, as we wanted to take a swim and a nap before our special Wishes night.

Back at our hotel, we decided to have a little snack for lunch - our CP breakfast kept is pretty full all day at MK. So we just got a kids meal of the roasted chicken we loved so much with mashed potatoes as a side and an apple juice box for the drink, and grapes for dessert. We all shared in this in our room.

Total cost = 6.95 - Total entitlements used: 1 kids counter service meal

After our swim, we had some snacks in our room and had a short nap. DD had a yogurt, I think and we had some cheese sticks and crackers with some fruit. We didn't want to eat a big dinner because we were going to go to the Wishes Dessert Party.

We made our way back to MK and it was quite difficult making our way through the crowds to get to the Tomorrowland Terrace, but we got there before the line started moving. We met a young couple who were from DH's neck of the woods in NJ and DD was showing them all her autographs. It was a nice way to kill some time on line.

Once we went in to the Dessert Party - the tables are reserved so we had a nice table almost to the railings. Our waiter was a sweet, elderly man who advised us to eat as much as we wanted since we paid good money and if we didn't like something, not to worry - just leave the yucky stuff on the dirty plates and he would remove them! He also said that everyone moves up to the railing for the fireworks and no chairs are allowed with the exception of wheelchairs. He suggested I move mine to a prime location so if I couldn't stand the whole time, I could at least be comfortable in my view, plus provide a place for DD to stand on so she could see well too. It was a very good tip!!!

Boy did we eat!! At least I did - I love the tiny size of everything so you can try every last thing if you want. I had several chocolate covered strawberries - both white and dark chocolate (those count as fruit not dessert, right?). There were chocolate peanut butter tarts, a mango smoothie drink, key lime tarts, brownies, cookies, cappucino cheesecake, chocolate mousse.

My favorite of all was the pistachio crème brulee in the tiniest demi-tasse cup I ever saw. Boy was that good!!!!! I will confess - I had THREE of them!! Truth be told, I would have had another, but they were all gone! There was also a set-up of fresh fruit, which I used as a break in between rounds to ease the sugar rush. It was definitely a sugar rush and I don't know if I would do it again, but this was one of the few things DH requested, so we had to try it at least once in a lifetime.

The view was perfect! Tink flew right over our heads and that became another special moment for DD that made it worthwhile. We had a wonderful view of the show and everyone played nice at the railings - no pushing or shoving and we all enjoyed a great show.

I am a huge dessert freak, and even I have to say, it was a bit too much - you only have about an hour to eat and they begin to consolidate stations pretty early on. They are all cleaned up by the time the show is over. I was way oversugared well into the next morning, bordering on almost being sick, but thankfully not. It was worth it for one time.

Since this is not eligible for the free dining plan, we paid $76.98 out of pocket for 2 adults and 1 child

We headed back home to ASMu with very full bellies and pumped up 4 year old!

Next up - A day full of Africa, Hawaii and Halloween sparkles

 

[mommytocac]

love your reports! i am heading to WDW with a 4, 6, and 1 year old on the dining plan so it is very helpful to me!!

 

[Guatemommy]

love your reports! i am heading to WDW with a 4, 6, and 1 year old on the dining plan so it is very helpful to me!!

Glad this helps - I really appreciated the many reports I read before going.

3 little ones?? You must have lots of energy!!!!

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Im enjoying your detailed reviews, its fun making my own imagery probably why I love reading so much ...never was a picture book kid in school!

 

[Guatemommy]

We woke up after our sugar-crash to head out to Animal Kingdom. DH wanted eggs for breakfast so we had planned to stop at the food court, but somehow, we ended up straight at the bus stop and decided we would grab something at the park. My plan was to send them to Hester and Chester while I whizzed on my electric scooter to get fast passes at the safari. DH wanted us to all stay together so we walked to Africa together - they stopped for a potty break near Pizzafari and I headed the rest of the way to get the fastpasses. When I returned, DH said he liked what they had for breakfast so we still had time before the early Nemo show to eat.

We ordered a kids meal French toast that came with grapes and applesauce plus two drinks - an apple juice box plus a kid size water. We also had the egg and sausage breakfast ordered an orange juice and a hot chocolate. DH still had coffee from his resort mug with him. We shared everything and had a nice meal in a very, very quiet restaurant.

Total cost - $17.76 - Total entitlements used: 1 adult and one child counter service meals

We headed over to Dino land where we had just enough time to ride Hester and Chester, play a few games and win two dragons and one shark before settling in to see Nemo once again. This was definitely one of DD's favorites.

After that we headed over to the Lion King show - another family favorite. We skipped Camp Mickey as there were too many people on line and we had already met all the characters up close at our previous meals. We headed to Africa and boarded the train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch. We ended up spending quite a bit of time there. We were lucky enough to see Jiminy Cricket and went out to check out the animals. DD wanted ice cream, but surprisingly picked a strawberry bar instead of ice cream.

Total cost = 3.48 - Total entitlements used: 1 snack credit

We went back in to seek out Rafiki and hung around looking at everything they had to offer while we waited for his grand appearance. After that, we realized that Pocohontas was soon to come, so we hung out a bit more so DD could meet her too. We made our way back to Africa to ride the safari.

We were a bit hungry so we decided to eat some lunch first at Tamu Tamu. There was a limited menu, so we settled on the Tuna in a pita with apple slices, a bottle of water for a drink and we were able to get the chocolate shake as dessert. It was really more like a Wendy's Frosty than a shake, but yummy nevertheless. DD nibbled a bit of tuna with the pita, which was disappointingly not very fresh, and added a cheese stick from our stash. DH and I shared the rest of the sandwich and DD had the apples while I "sipped" my shake. This meal was just ok and if I had really paid for it, it would have been overpriced and felt disappointed.

Total cost - $15.26 - Total entitlements used: 1 adult counter service meal

We made our way thru the safari with the best driver ever who pointed out everything and went nice and slow for great pictures. We all enjoyed our trek. On the way out, we stopped for a soft pretzel snack. We were nearing the end of our trio and realizing how many snacks we still had left.

Total cost = 4.05 - Total entitlements used: 1 snack credit

We headed home for a swim and a rest before a late dinner at Ohanas. We stopped at the food court for a few munchies - a chocolate chip cookie for DD and 2 muffins for a snack.

Total cost = 7.68 - Total entitlements used: 3 snack credits

After water fun, showers and rest, we headed out to O'hanas. DH wanted to go by boat instead of monorail so we did. We had an 8:35 reservation which we right on time for, but there was a huge wait. After pleading with the hostess several times, we were finally seated around 9:20 - way too late for DD to be eating. Of course, then our server is rushing with our food. We barely get started on our salad and we hear the entertainer say this is her last song of the night so we get up to do a quick hula. A bit disappointing as we expected more of that. Also disappointing was that the show never came by where we were seated. It did appear in the pics I had seen that they went around the room, but they did not.

The food was all very good as everyone had said, but the whole meal felt so rushed and it was so late, that it didn’t seem as enjoyable as some of our other table service meals. They did bring DD some plain noodles as I knew she wouldn't go for the flavored ones. We had the pot stickers and wings - although the wings were way messy to eat. They then come out with meat on a stick - pork, chicken, steak and shrimp. The steak was great and I was looking forward to the shrimp, but that didn’t go over well. First off, they had to be peeled - making another mess. Secondly, they were way spicy - so much so, that as much as I love shrimp, I actually passed after a few because they were too hard to peel and too spicy to enjoy. I just had some more steak while DH loved the pork.

Now this was by no means a Hawaiian dinner. It was more like a Brazilian churraciera (sp). We were enjoying our meal to some nice Don Ho music when all of a sudden we hear Monster Mash and I couldn’t understand why they would change the music mid-song. I was a bit annoyed with how the evening was going and now this music? All of a sudden DD screams "Look purple fireworks!" I am reminded that they pipe in the music at the monorail hotels while the fireworks go at MK. It was a NSSHP night so we were able to enjoy the Halloween fireworks show that we would otherwise not have seen.

They brought DD a dish of plain ice cream and we had the bananas foster thing that was yummy. Overall, it was yummy but disappointing due to the late seating and the rush of our dinner as they close at 10 PM.

Total cost = $103.69 + 16.39 tip - Total entitlements
used: 2 adult and 1 child table service meals

Next up - Cinderella castle magic and more MK fun! - Will we finally see Snow White?

 

[Guatemommy]

DH wanted eggs again so got breakfast at the food court. For DD - just a side order of eggs that counted as a snack. She likes plain scrambled and we didn't need any accompaniments for her as she had yogurt and fruit in the room. DH and I split a cheese omelette order that comes with some potatoes and we got 2 bottles of water. We are big water drinkers and our case of 32 was long since gone. DH filled his mug with coffee.

Total cost = $16.76 - Total entitlements used: 1 adult counter service meal and 1 snack

We got to MK just after rope drop and headed to Toon Town - DD was dying to ride the Barnstormer again - this time with DH who hates roller coasters. We all went on and had a good time. She wanted to see Mickey and Minnie's houses again so we did that as well. The only princess we had not yet met was Snow White - I checked at the tent and she wasn't there so no use waiting in the line.

We decided to head to Tomorrowland to catch some things we had missed or had really long lines on other days. We saw Monsters Inc. show that she really liked a lot. We were going to Stitch but were told it could be scary so we nixed it. We went to the go-cars and DD drove them like a pro. She took a spill on the way out so in order to calm the crying down, we got her a twist cup of ice cream at 10:45 AM - never did that before!

Total cost = 3.40 - Total entitlements used: 1 snack credit

We rode a few more rides that we had to do again before leaving Disney and headed front to go home around 1:45. We heard that Snow was supposed to be out front - we had never seen her there in all the days so far. I see a cast member who informs me she wont be back till 2:30. We didn’t want to wait that long, so we headed home and hoped that she would make an appearance later at Cindy's Castle.

We stopped at the ever-popular food court again for lunch. We had dinner ressies at Cindy's castle later so we wanted to eat something basic - not too stuffing. DD got nuggets with fries and grapes - I caved in - we had avoided them for most of the trip so I let her have them again. She also had a chocolate milk for later on.

DH got the Flank steak sandwich again that he liked so much the first day with a side salad and an orange juice. He picked a strawberry bar to share with DD for dessert.

I went for the Beef Taco salad in a taco bowl. Since all the food here was good so far, I went for this - and it was pretty good. Nothing amazing, but I am hesitant with taco salads sometimes because they can taste nasty, but this one hit the spot nicely. I drank a Coke and had a rice krispie bar for dessert (truly one of my favorite snacks ever!).

Total cost - $35.57 - Total entitlements used: 2 adult and 1 child counter service meals

We headed back to our room and planned to go swimming for a bit. I ended up letting DH and DD go and I stayed behind to begin the task of packing our stuff. We wanted to get the most out of our last day so I wanted to get a few bags fully packed so that we weren't running around crazy the next morning.

After their swim, my packing, showers and a short nap, we were headed back to MK for our final table service meal of the trip at Cinderella's castle. I contemplated cancelling this as we had already seen Cindy twice now and this was costing a 2-for-1, but DH reminded me that this was all about DD and how could we miss eating inside the castle. So we got DD in her Cindy dress and went to MK for one final night of magic.

I know some think the castle is all hype and the food not so great, but they actually had changed the menu a few weeks before we got there so I was surprised to find items I had not read about. Here you get an appetizer with the meal included for the hefty price. DH ordered the trio of cheesed and it was very interesting. One was served with honeycomb which DH loved, one had some nuts with it. They were all very good. I had the rock shrimp cocktail and it was very good. Even DH who is not a big shrimp lover liked it too. Rock shrimp tend to be smaller but these were decent sized and had absolutely no stale fishy taste. The sauce was nice too - not just your average cocktail sauce.

DD got the child's meal of pizza - not my choice, but she seemed to like it. It came with an appetizer of yogurt and I forgot what her side was - must not have been a great choice. She got Apple juice to drink with it. None of this mattered because of all the princess stuff going on.

DH ordered a new item called the Cobia - a white fish that was braised and came in a pomodoro sauce over angel hair pasta. This was very delicious and light. We both enjoyed it.

I went heavy with the beef tenderloin, potatoes and asparagus in a tomato-based hollandaise sauce. I love classic hollandaise so this sauce was not as good, but tasty nonetheless. We both enjoyed this dish as well. I am a classic meat and potatoes girl so unless you overcook or burn the meat, I am happy.

Now we had stopped at Guest Relatons when we arrived around 5:00 PM to see if Snow White would be back out front and they said no and they called the castle for us to see if she would be there and were told not that night. The CM let DD know that Snow had a cold because Donald sneezed on her so she was not feeling well. DD seemed to take the news well and was happy that she would see the other girls. Well, what a surprise when we got settled upstairs in our seats at the castle to find out that Snow White was there and DD was so happy that she recovered from her cold! She kept hugging her and asking if she felt ok - it was too funny!

DD ordered the make your sundae for dessert and was obsessed with the mickey sprinkles.

I ordered the new chef's trio for dessert and it was ok - a small white chocolate thingy, a little pastry with cream inside and a chocolate mousse ball - it reminded me of the dessert at Akershus - just a little bit of everything.

DH ordered the Flan, but was a bit disappointed because it wasn't as good as my mom's. Flan is one of those things that you have to have a special touch for when making it great and my mom had that with all her desserts and baking. It is very hard to repeat that even in the finest restaurants, IMO. When DH saw the no-sugar sorbet come out, he wished he had ordered that instead.

All in all, a better meal than I was expecting and a great princess show for DD - she really enjoyed it. Especially when Cinderella remembered her from the other night!!!
Would I do this again? I don’t know if it is worth 2 TS meals - I mean I could have gone to Le Cellier or somewhere in DTD or both for what this meal 'cost' us.

Total cost = $130.70 + 25.08 tip - Total entitlements used: 4 adult and 2 child table service meals

We ended our evening with a ride on Dumbo and the carousel, followed by a spot at the front of the castle to watch Wishes one last time. I wanted to get some sweets with our leftover snacks from Main St Bakery but it was just sooooo busy so we skipped it.

Next up our final Disney day - which park will we choose and what about all those snacks we had left?