Food Glorious Food (please, may I have some more) Updated OPR & Sunshine Seasons!

[MassMom94]

DS was almost 6 the first time we went to Disney in 2003. He was a very picky eater and I was concerned about what he would eat there. Answer turned out to be, not much. So much so that we nicknamed him Popcorn Boy for the one food he ate the most. He survived.

 

[jayhjay]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long break between entries - DD5 has 103 fever so that has pretty much been sucking the life out of all of us this weekend. But things are settling down a bit so I figured I'd jump back into my report.

After our day at AK, we relaxed by the pool for a while and then headed over to the Grand Floridian for dinner at 1900 PF. First let me say, boy is parking far away! If you don't valet, you have to park across the street in a satellite lot - leave yourself 10-15 minutes to walk to the resort from there.

Once there we checked in and were seated within about 5 minutes (our ADR was around 6). This is the first time we have been to the new meal - last time it was still Cindy, Prince, the mice, and Godmother in the lobby. Now they take formal pics of you in the lobby in front of some sort of castle background but with no characters.

We were then led into our table in the first seating area (basically there is a seating area when you come into the room, then you can enter a larger main room with the buffet and more tables). Of course we were seated all the way in the back right up against the doors where you enter. We put the kids facing into the room so they could see what was happening, but this put their backs against the wall making it hard for the characters to get to them. Next time I'd reverse them.

Our server Bob came over, took drink orders, and gave us a basic overview of the buffet. Essentially there are four themed areas (Asian, Italian, etc), and then two kids pods. Plus a dessert area. I wasn't blown away by the selection at the buffet. The salads were pretty much the same on both sides. They had the standard carving station, some pasta dishes, some asian dishes that they were cooking behind the counter. Everything seemed hot and was kept full, but neither DH nor I found a ton of stuff we wanted. Kids choices included pizza (w/sauce so that was a no for my kiddies), maybe some pasta (again w/sauce), veggies. Can't remember what else. I think DD8 ate bread, fruit, and... that is about it. I don't think they had chicken nuggets (at least not the good ones) but they may have had mac and cheese. Honestly, I don't think anyone goes to buffets for the food, so I wasn't expecting much, but usually we have less trouble finding things we liked.

So why were we there? The characters of course! I had heard that the character interaction here is great. And since DD5 is still into princesses, but DD8 is not, I figured this would be a good match for both. For those not up on PF, characters include both stepsisters, Lady Tremaine, Prince Charming, and Cinderella. So a pretty good lineup. And I have read lots of reports of great teasing with Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters so I was looking forward to it a lot.

Alas, not to be for us that night. When we got there Lady Tremaine and Anastasia were right by our table. But then some sort of dance started in the main room (which we couldn't see from our seats) so they stopped going around. Once that ended, we first got a visit from Lady Tremaine. Her "shtick" was basically snapping to the kids "X, stand here" and glaring down her nose for pictures.

I honestly think she was at our table less than 10 seconds. Next up was Anastasia. She was the only one who really was into it. The little girl next to us was scared and hiding under the table, and Anastasia got down on the floor and crawled under after her. By then DD5 had decided she did not want to be in any pictures (maybe Lady Tremaine scared her? Or maybe she was just being 5). I said something about her pouting and Anastasia said, "Oh, I pout all the time - I pout for a pony, I pout for a new hair ribbon, I pout for pink nail polish". When I pointed out DD5 already had pink nail polish she said "See, it worked!"

Here she is with DD8:

And making pouty faces with DD5

We also saw Drizella (Drucilla?) and Cinderella, along with the always charming Prince (DD8 blushed when he kissed her hand - so cute!)

W/o exaggeration, our total face time with the characters combined probably was 45 seconds. I was quite disappointed that there seemed to be virtually no interaction, either with the kids or between characters, especially since I had heard such great things. On the plus side, their costuming and makeup was great, especially for the step sisters and Lady Tremaine. They made them look just like the movie!

As an aside, during our last trip we celebrated DD5's third birthday. So for DD8 who just turned 8 last month, we decided to have a b-day celebration dinner and this was it. They seemed to have scaled back on the birthday festivities. Last time the table was decorated with sprinkles, and DD got a crown and a placemat decorated with the character signatures. Then they brought a cupcake and sang. This time DD8 got a cupcake, but no other festivities. Here she is with the cupcake:

We used 2A and 2C credits on this meal. We paid OOP for a Stella beer for DH, plus tip. Overall I'd say it was just average. Food was ok, characters ok. Nothing I would run back for personally. But others have reported much better experiences so weigh that in your decision.

FWIW, I think this was our least impressive food day overall (hard to top the profiteroles and fondue from the previous two days!). But don't worry, it gets better from here! Next up, Pecos Bills and WPE!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Joining a bit late but can't wait for more! Great job so far. I am laughing (with you) at the trials and tribulations of traveling with such picky eaters. You have a great sense of humor about it. And DH is so generous with his meals!

As a burger lover I am very interested in hearing what burgers topped the Beaches 'n Cream burger!

 

[jayhjay]

Joining a bit late but can't wait for more! Great job so far. I am laughing (with you) at the trials and tribulations of traveling with such picky eaters. You have a great sense of humor about it. And DH is so generous with his meals!

As a burger lover I am very interested in hearing what burgers topped the Beaches 'n Cream burger!

Glad to have you!

 

[MelanieC]

Ahh sorry you didn't like the Hot Italian sandwich at Pizzafari. That is one of our families favorites and a MUST do at AK!

 

[jayhjay]

Ahh sorry you didn't like the Hot Italian sandwich at Pizzafari. That is one of our families favorites and a MUST do at AK!

Yeah, like I said, I think it was bad ordering on my part, not bad food. I shouldn't have ordered a sandwich with ham on it when I don't like ham! I guess I thought it would be easier to pick off. Oh well.

 

[jayhjay]

We spent another day at MK and decided to try lunch at Pecos Bill's. Surprisingly, we had never been there even with all our MK trips. But I had read good reviews and we decided to go for it, despite the fact that neither of my children would eat anything there!

We got there around 11:45 and it was already pretty busy, especially at the bustling entrance/food line. There are some outside tables and DH was able to grab one in the shade. I didn't look through the dining room too much but it appeared quite busy.

So both DH and I ordered the Cheeseburger and fries with sodas and carrot cake for dessert. I got the food and headed over to the fixings bar. I was pretty impressed with the set up here - lettuce, tomato, pickles, skillets of grilled onions and mushrooms, melty cheese in a frightening shade of orange, and assorted condiments. As you can see I ended up with a big delicious mess!

I was pretty impressed with the burger. For those of you following my reviews, you know that I gave the B&C burger just an ok. In all honesty, this one was better. I would be willing to stake money that the burgers themselves are identical patties. Once I added the yummy toppings, this was better than my fairly bland B&C burger. (FWIW, I have heard rumors that at times B&C uses premade patties versus the good stuff. That could explain why my burgers in the past have been better there and why they get such rave reviews. But for whatever reason, my Pecos Bill burger won out over my B&C burger).

Here is the carrot cake. Nothing exciting and certainly not as good as the CHH chocolate cake! But really, we are comparing carrots to chocolate, so is that really fair?

As DH got the identical meal, I didn't take pictures of his. For the DDs we had to get creative since burgers will not pass their lips. For DD5 I brought the leftover uncrustable I had bought the day before, along with a yogurt tube and some pretzels from our room. I honestly have no idea what DD8 had. Apparently an apple...

I hope that wasn't all! I don't have any receipts that show I bought her something, so I am thinking it may have been cereal from the room or leftover blueberry muffin? How embarrassing - I am sure it was something really healthy and chock full of veggies!

Overall we used 2 CS credits here. I was very pleased and enjoyed my meal. I even broke my cardinal rule for all ballparks, stadiums and amusement parks - never order the hamburger. They are always gross! But in this case it was a good meal and we would definitely be back.

FWIW, later in the day we snacked on 2 Itzakadoozie pops (DDs) and one Dole Whip Pineapple float (me). Three snack credits and enjoyed by all!

Coming up - WPE and Goofy's Candy Co.

 

[torsie24]

Sorry 1900PF wasn't they best for you guys - the burger looks great though!!!

Can't wait for your WPE review and to see your Goofy creations!!! Mmmmm, is it bad I'm drooling already?

 

[jayhjay]

Hi all, I'm back with reviews from our night at DTD! First off, we had dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express, my favorite CS place at WDW. The food is always great and you get a lot for your money when on the DDP.

Ok, before I start, am I crazy or did this place move? Or at least get redone? I swear last time there was a little lobby and all outside seating. Now it is bigger with both inside and outside tables. Presumably I am not losing it and something changed (but it could just be me).

Anyway, DH grabbed a table outside and I ordered the food. Pretty much everything is allowed on the DDP which is amazing considering the prices. I ordered the rosemary rotisserie chicken with a side of caesar salad (it comes with garlic potatoes but I subbed the salad. You can also get fries I think).

This was super delicious. Juicy, nicely seasoned, huge portion. With all things on the menu I sort of wish I had picked something I couldn't get anywhere, but there is no denying that this was delicious chicken! The salad was good too - dressing was tangy and light.

DH got the better (or at least more creative) choice - the roast beef and cheddar focacia (thinly sliced Niman Ranch beef, sharp cheddar, mixed baby greens, tomato, Horseradish sauce and Dijon Aioli $11.95). It was so good. I wasn't sure about the bread b/c sometimes focacia is too thick, but in this case it was perfect. The chips on the side were so good too!

DD8 got the chicken fingers and fries. She is pretty picky about her chicken nuggets - I know, you are all surprised - but she liked these. Of course the fries had the dreaded green stuff (probably parsley) that made them inedible to her picky palate (why garnish kids food? do any of them like it?). But the rest of us munched on them and they were good.

DD5 had the side order of macaroni and cheese (mozzarella, fontina, cheddar and Gorgonzola cheeses with fresh artisan elbow macaroni, baked until bubbly and golden brown). Since this wasn't a "meal" we paid OOP.

Ok, there is nothing to say about this besides - OMG Yum! This was SOOO good. Now I must admit, I have become way more familiar with mac and cheese than I want to be considering this is what DD orders 95% of the time. So I have tried everything from the gross runny boxed stuff to the fancy gourmet. This was excellent, not too runny, not to "adult" tasting. She really liked it (and so did DH and I who finished it up!). If your kids only like Kraft or Stouffers, this might be a bit much, but it wasn't too fancy for my picky eater, FWIW.

Our meals each came with dessert and we got two chocolate chip cookies (which the girls and I split) and one creme brule for DH. All were good, not really on par with the amazing food. If it comes with your DDP, get it, otherwise I'd take advantage of the amazing dessert options at DTD (we did both of course!)

Overall, this was an excellent meal and a great value. It was one of the few places that gave me a bill with prices, so I can tell you it cost $52.29 w/tax for our three meals, plus $4.21 w/tax for DD5's mac and cheese. Well worth three credits and an excellent meal!

Goofy's Candy Company

For us, no trip to DTD is complete without a trip to Goofy's candy company, especially when you have snack credits to burn! For those who haven't been there, it is a giant candy shop with both bagged snacks, a cookie/candy counter, and assorted other things, like bag your own jellybeans and m&ms, make your own slushies, etc. But the best part is the "make your own" dessert area. Basically you fill out a little form that let's you choose rice crispy treats, pretzel rods, marshmallows, apples, cookies, etc to dunk in your choice of chocolate and cover with your choice of candy.

When we got there, the DDs went for the candy/cookie case right away. I tried to convince them to hold out for the good stuff, but they both insisted so DD5 got a flower shaped sugar cookie and DD8 a huge rice crispy treat with chocolate on top.

DH and I went for the make your own candy of course! He got a rice crispy treat with chocolate and m&ms, maybe something else? It was so big it didn't even resemble a mickey anymore! I got pretzel rods with milk chocolate, two with reeses and one with m&ms, and caramel and chocolate drizzle. MMMMM! It looks like a big mess of sweet stuff in this picture, but it was good!

So we managed to use up four more snack credits. Of course, none of us were hungry enough to actually eat any of it! So we brought it back to the resort and munched for the next few days (and still brought some home!).

Definitely give Goofy's a thumbs up!

Let's see, what was next... Oh yeah, brunch at Tusker House and dinner at Jiko

 

[torsie24]

Ummmm, pretzel rods!! Good toppings choice!!!!!!!

 

[jayhjay]

Ummmm, pretzel rods!! Good toppings choice!!!!!!!

Yeah, I am a big sweet/salty person so these hit the spot!

 

[Gina35]

First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to give such great reviews.
You are doing an amazing job! The pics are fantastic, and you're so thorough that you've included everything one would like to know! We are going back to DW in August, so I've been hanging out at Disboards all of the time lately. Your
reviews are making me super excited about our upcoming trip (and super hungry each time I read a new entry; you've been making me drool over the desserts). Secondly, thanks for posting entries soooo quickly. I know how hard it is to get these done AT ALL, so I appreciate it tenfold because you're so efficient!! Finally, I absolutely LOVE your sense of humor and the way you infuse it into your writing (e.g., how your DD "apparently" had an apple at Pecos Bill's....and something healthy and chock full of veggies). This really is much more than a typical TR with dining reviews....it's like Allears or Deb's during comedy hour!! Thanks so much for making it so informative and entertaining!!!

 

[jayhjay]

First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to give such great reviews.
You are doing an amazing job! The pics are fantastic, and you're so thorough that you've included everything one would like to know! We are going back to DW in August, so I've been hanging out at Disboards all of the time lately. Your
reviews are making me super excited about our upcoming trip (and super hungry each time I read a new entry; you've been making me drool over the desserts). Secondly, thanks for posting entries soooo quickly. I know how hard it is to get these done AT ALL, so I appreciate it tenfold because you're so efficient!! Finally, I absolutely LOVE your sense of humor and the way you infuse it into your writing (e.g., how your DD "apparently" had an apple at Pecos Bill's....and something healthy and chock full of veggies). This really is much more than a typical TR with dining reviews....it's like Allears or Deb's during comedy hour!! Thanks so much for making it so informative and entertaining!!!

Aw thanks, you are so sweet! I am glad that you are enjoying the reviews and finding them helpful. It is nice to know someone is reading!

 

[medicgirl911]

We also order cheese quesadillas "light on the cheese". My kids have also been know to eat frozen waffles still frozen! Seriously, DH and I eat virtually everything, I don't know where this comes from.

I will buy my daughter uncrustables at home occasionaly, and she prefers to eat those FROZEN! What is with kids lol!!!

 

[medicgirl911]

OK all caught up! Lovin the reviews of course, I really want to try WPE but I think on our DTD day we are going to go to T-Rex since we dont have that or even a Raintree ANYWHERE near Hicksville Illinois. But I really want WPE LOL I do have to say Shame On You for no pics of your delecious dole whip!!!

 

[ShannonMB]

Just joining you now, but I must say I'm really enjoying your reviews!!! You guys are adorable, your pics are great, and I'm enjoying your style!! And your quick posting, as a PP said.

Thanks for sharing, I love it!!!

 

[TXMomof3boys]

I am looking forward to our dinner at WPE - enjoyed reading your review. Question - was it just the cookies that were not up to par or was it the cream brulee as well? I love Cream Brulee so I was wondering if I should go with something else if it was just okay (we are on the DDP)?

Thanks for describing Goofy's. We did not go there on our first trip and are planning to use some snack credits for treats to take back home. I have showed my boys the Mickey rice crispy treats and pretzel rods (here on DIS) and they are so excited about tasting them!

 

[Jenvenza]

Great reviews!

 

[jayhjay]

I am looking forward to our dinner at WPE - enjoyed reading your review. Question - was it just the cookies that were not up to par or was it the cream brulee as well? I love Cream Brulee so I was wondering if I should go with something else if it was just okay (we are on the DDP)?

I think they were both good, just not amazing. I mean, for CS creme brulee, you really can't complain. I just wouldn't choose one of those desserts over Ghiradelli or Goofy's if I was paying OOP. But if you have the DDP and get dessert anyway, I wouldn't hesitate to get either one.

 

[jayhjay]

OK all caught up! Lovin the reviews of course, I really want to try WPE but I think on our DTD day we are going to go to T-Rex since we dont have that or even a Raintree ANYWHERE near Hicksville Illinois. But I really want WPE LOL I do have to say Shame On You for no pics of your delecious dole whip!!!

LOL! Sorry about that! It was actually a Dole Whip Float - even better in my opinion! Picture yellow juice in a glass with yellow ice cream!

Just joining you now, but I must say I'm really enjoying your reviews!!! You guys are adorable, your pics are great, and I'm enjoying your style!! And your quick posting, as a PP said.

Thanks for sharing, I love it!!!

Thanks, I am glad you are enjoying reading!

Great reviews!

Thanks!