Four Days of Disney Dining and 10 Pounds Later...

[DancinDaisyDuck]

..well, it only feels like I gained 10 pounds in 4 days. Maybe it's more like 4 or 5.

Hi! I just got back from a four day Disney excursion. It was four days of good food, good company, and some stomach aches! Over all my experiences were very good. Unfortunately there are no pictures because I was vacationing with my friend and I didn't know him well enough to whip out my camera and take pictures of his food!

I was on the Disney Dining Plan (more thoughts on that later) and ate at the following restaurants:
Colombia Harbor House (lunch)
Sci-Fi Drive In (Dinner)
Kona Cafe (breakfast)
Pinnocchio Village Haus (lunch)
Liberty Tree Tavern (dinner)
Coral Reef (lunch)
Le Cellier (dinner)
Flame Tree BBQ (lunch)

Colombia Harbor House
Always a fave for me. I got the chicken strips and fries with chocolate cake and a diet coke. Friend got the chicken and fish basket with the apple crisp and a lemonade. I was skeptical of the chocolate cake but pleasantly surprised. There was way too much frosting on it and once I took it off the cake was nice and moist and chocolatey. Friend enjoyed his fish and chicken and raved about the apple crisp. Sitting upstairs is highly recommended, especially when it is busy! We were there around 12:15pm and found a table upstairs right away.
Rating: 3 out of 4 mouse ears for decent food (for counter service) and value

SciFi Drive In Theatre
Okay, okay. I know how most people feel about this restaurant. You either love it, hate it, or love to hate it. We were curious, and since neither one had been there before we decided to form our own opinions. We checked in 15 minutes early and were seated about a minute later. I was surprised how quiet it was in there, even though the floor was about a third of the way full. The atmosphere was great! I loved the tables and the lighting and the movie screen- it really was like we were outside! We were seated in the way back, in the last row on the right side of the screen.

I got a cherry coke, Friend a Shirley Temple. I love cherry cokes from the fountain and they were free refils. We both had the spinach and artichoke dip appetizer, which was very good. I ate the whole thing! Menu Change AlertThere are two new items on the menu. The serloin has been renamed "Butcher Steak" which is a 7oz serloin served with a red wine glaze, veggies and potatoes. Friend ordered this with the sauce on the side and enjoyed it. The BBQ Chicken sandwich is now the Italian Chicken Sandwich. It's a marinated chicken breast on a roll with fries.

Maybe it was the atmosphere, but I was in the mood for a burger, which is not on the dinner menu, but can still be ordered. I got mine with American cheese and bacon. I could only eat half of it and a few fries before I was full! It was very tasty. For dessert Friend had the hot fudge sundae and I was too full but ordered a chocolate shake anyway.

Overall, we really enjoyed this restaurant and will be back next trip. I understand that compared to other restaurants in MGM that are in the same price range it's not as good quality food for the money. But being on the dining plan I don't think it was that much of a waste.
Rating: 3 out of 4 mouse ears for great atmosphere, good food, and good (if slow) service.

More to come later!

 

[Busymom85]

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to more.

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Kona Cafe
My first time eating at Kona. We had a breakfast ADR at 9 but got there around 8:40 and checked in. We were seated around 8:45! I ordered a Kona Press Pot cloud9: ) and the plain old french toast with bacon. Friend had a strawberry smoothie and the tonga toast with bacon and a side of potatoes. Friend doesn't drink coffee so I had the press pot to myself! I'd never had 100% Kona before and it was heavenly!!!! I polished off two and a half cups and was caffinated enough to keep a third world country awake for two weeks! My regular french toast was delicious. There were four pieces lightly dusted with powdered sugar and butter. The bacon was nice and crisp and very flavorful. The tonga toast looked amazing but much too sweet and large for me, plus I have a tropical fruit allergy so the bananas would have ment a trip to the hospital for me. Friend loved it and also gave the potatoes and bacon a thumbs up. His strawberry smoothie was also very good. We paid OoP for this one and price wise it was just enough food for the ammount of money. Without the press pot I would have gotten a delicious and filling breakfast for under $10.

I'll definately return to Kona for breakfast again, just for the press pot alone!
Rating: 4 out of 4 mouse ears for quick service and delicious food

Pinnocchio Village Haus
We stopped here for lunch around 12:30pm. I was still full from breakfast so I opted for the chicken ceaser salad and cannoli with a diet coke. Friend got the roast beef sub (I think it may be called something different) fries, and chocolate cake with a Coke. He reported his sub was very good but gave the chocolate cake to the family next to us because he was full. The dad looked at us and said "Meal plan?" in a knowing tone. It was funny. My ceaser salad was just okay. There was a lot of lettuce and not enough chicken. The chicken was cold and chewey and I definately got some pieces of fat in there. No dressing came on it so I grabbed honey mustard from the condiment table and that was a nice addition. My cannoli was very good, though. It had chocolate chips mixed in. Not as good as my Nana's home made, but good enough! I was given regular coke instead of diet but I was too tired and thirsty to fight my way through the crowd to get another one. It was pretty crowded in there and we had to scout for a table, but it wasn't too bad.
Rating: 2 1/2 out of 4 mouse ears for hit-and-miss food and loud when crowded

Liberty Tree Tavern
We ate dinner here before the MNSSHP. Our ADR time was for 5:30 but we took a risk and checked in at 5. Our timing was just so this trip that we checked in early for almost all of our TS meals. We were seated about 5 minutes later to the left of the stairs at a table for two. Our server brought us our drinks and warm rolls with honey butter, YUM-O! I didn't try the salad because of the strawberry vinnegarette (allergic to tropical fruits, strawberries and melons) but my server offered to bring me one dry. I declined, but thought it was fantastic she would accommodate me like that. By this time something I had been eating earlier in the day had gotten to my digestive system and the good old IBS started to flare up. I was in the ladies room when our platters came, but I was feeling better when I got back and dug in. The turkey was a little dry but gravy fixed that! The sides were good, but not exceptional. It's all comfort food that I could make any day of the week: mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. I didn't try the pork or the beef but Friend said they were just okay. The green beans were cooked very nicely, bright green and crisp, but EXTREMELY garlicky. We were chomping on Orbitz for a while after dinner. Dessert was apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. Again, good but not great.

Even though the food was a little lack luster what you really pay for is the character interaction, which was GREAT! Probably the best character interaction I've ever had at a character meal. We were there through two cycles. We had Minnie, Goofy, Chip, Dale and Pluto. They were very fun and Goofy even gave us neck massages!

Even though this meal was very fun, price wise I don't think it's worth the money for food you can make better at home. We paid Oop. Next time I'm trying Crystal Palace if I want a character meal in the Magic Kingdom, or return to LTT for lunch instead of dinner.
Rating: 3 out of 4 mouse ears mostly for the character interaction. And the honey butter.

 

[Minniespal]

Excellent

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Coral Reef
We ate here for lunch. Our ADR was for 11:30 and we just made it. It was pretty empty when we were seated but around noon it picked up and was getting pretty loud in there. I was surprised how small it was in the dining room (this was consistent throughout the trip with me), but it was very pretty in there with the mosaics and the huge aquarium windows. We were seated in the second tier by the barrier in the middle of the floor. We had a great view of the tank! Our server was very good, she was quick to refill drinks and very friendly.

We both got the cod cake for the appetizer, which came with a salad of micro-greens on top and a tangy tartar sauce. It was very good, mostly cod and little breading. It was the perfect size appetizer, but expensive (this is an instance where the DP actually saves money). For our entrees Friend got the mahi mahi over Israeli cous cous, and I had the blackened catfish with pepper jack grits and tomato compote. I had a pretty big sized filet for a lunch portion, and while it was spicy it was seasoned just right. The grits were creamy and cheesy and the perfect side dish with the spicy fish. It was very, very good! Friend's mahi mahi is his favorite dish and said it was delicious as usual. We both had the chocolate wave for dessert. I could only eat a few bites of mine because I was so stuffed. It was good, warm and gooey.

We enjoyed this meal, and I especially liked passing the time staring at the fish tank. We saw the most enormous grouper I've ever seen! Our server said he's legend in the aquarium and is very old and weighs something like 5,000 pounds. I don't know if that's true, but I swear that thing was the size of a five year old child. Price-wise the dining plan did save us some money here. I would still eat at Coral Reef not on the DDP but only for lunch.
Rating:3 1/2 out of 4 mouse ears for great food and atmosphere, but LOUD when full.

 

[TigerKat]

Subscribing.....

 

[maraki527]

I have an adr for CR in November I am so excited to eat here ...Great to hear you had a wonderful time.

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Le Cellier
We ate at Le Cellier for dinner, but our ADR was for 4:50pm. It was the last one available when we called four months prior to the trip, and I'm sure the only reason we got it was because someone cancelled. After a big lunch at Coral Reef I wasn't sure if I would be hungry enough for a full meal at Le Cellier, but I was going to try to eat what I could. The waiting area inside is very small, but at that time of the day no one was there. I was waiting for my friend to come meet me for our reservation and during that time I saw many people walk up to the host station and be turned away because they didn't have a reservation. The entire restaurant was booked the whole day.

We were seated in the Nova Scotia section and our server's name was Tracy. She was actually from Ontario, near Toronto, and was FABULOUS! She had that Canadian sense of humor and was the best with drinks and more bread and chatting with us about our day and our trip. She got some extra tip money from us.

I had the cheddar cheese soup for my appetizer and Friend had the beef and barley. I dipped the pretzel bread into my soup and it was . The breadsticks were nice and fresh and soft and the soup had a good consistency and very cheesey. Friend enjoyed his soup as well because it wasn't as heavy as the cheese.

We went back an forth over the mushroom filet and the regualr filet. All I had read about in Le Cellier reviews is the muchroom filet, and I am a mushroom fan so I decided to go with that. Friend settled with the regular 7oz filet with mashed potatoes. Both our meat were cooked perfetly, you could cut it with a fork and it melted in your mouth. The mushroom rizotto was good and creamy and the fried parsnips added some crunch. Friend also loved his filet and the mashed potatoes.

I was so full it was disgusting, but still had room for a little dessert. I decided to go with sorbet, which was mandarin that day. It was light and refreshing and the perfect finish to a rich and heavy meal. Friend went with the newest addition to the dessert menu, an apple crisp with pumpkin filling and caramel over top with ice cream.

Over all, Le Cellier lived up to most of the hype. Even though the food isn't particularly authentic Canadian, it was tasty and probably the best table service credit I used all trip. If not on the dining plan I might go back for lunch, but probably not next trip. I'd rather try new cuisine like Restaurant Marrakesh or Kakigori.
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 mouse ears

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Flame Tree BBQ
We had one counter service meal left on our last day, which we spent at Animal Kingdom. Since Pizzafari did not entice us one bit, the only option was Flame Tree (RIP Tusker House counter service). The lines were very long at 12:30, but it was a Sunday and the park was quite crowded (whatever happened to a low season in October???). The line moved quickly though, and we got our food within a few minutes of paying. Disney definately has quick service down to a science.

I had the 1/2 chicken with baked beans, a corn muffin, diet Coke and frozen lemonade. Friend got the pulled pork sandwich with one side (I forgot which one. I didn't pay much attention because we weren't getting along well on this day). My chicken plate was big! It was very good, tender and juicy and the skin (my favorite part) was crisp and seasoned very well. The corn muffin was big, and being a partly southern girl I do love me some cornbread. I didn't touch the baked beans or the frozen lemonade because I was way too full. Friend liked his pulled pork sandwich but was bent out of shape because he wasn't allowed to substitute the corn muffin for the side that came with the meal (it might have been baked beans). So I made sure to tell him how good my corn muffin was (I told you we werne't getting along ).

The seating at Flame Tree is interesting. It's not like the other counter service placed I have visited at Disney. Once we got our meals we had to walk around to the back side of the restaurant and weave through the pavillions to find a table. Eating al fresco was nice, though. I'll be eating here again but probably getting a kids meal because I was so full!!!
Rating: 3 out of 4 mouse ears

Up next: Dining recap and DDP final thoughts

 

[lizzyb]

Great reviews!

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to more.

Thanks for reading along!

Excellent

Thanks for reading!

Subscribing.....

WOW! This is a first for me, no one has ever subscribed to any of my treads before (that I know of)! Thanks!

I have an adr for CR in November I am so excited to eat here ...Great to hear you had a wonderful time.

You'll have a great time! I know you didn't ask about seating but here's a tip: try to avoid the third tier. You can still see the tank but the farther you are away from it the murkier the water is and makes it a little more difficult to see all the fish. If you sit at a table directly next to the tank window you have the best view of individual fish that swim up close, but you don't get the "big picture view." If your reservation is early enough I'd recommend requesting a table in the second tier by the barrier when you check in.

Great reviews!

Thank you, I've enjoyed writing them!

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Dining Reviews Recap
Colombia Harbor House: 3/4, will eat here every trip
SciFi Drive In:3.5/4, will eat here again!
Kona Cafe: 4/4, the only one to receive this rating. Will eat here every trip!
Pinnocchio Village Haus: 2.5/4, will not eat here if I can help it
Liberty Tree Tavern:3/4, would come back for character interaction, but not worth it otherwise. Might try lunch in the future.
Coral Reef: 3.5/4, will eat here again for the atmosphere but not worth the price out of pocket
Le Cellier: 3.5/4, same as Coral Reef. I'll come back for lunch on a future trip
Flame Tree BBQ: 3/4, will definately eat here again!

Over all, the only meals I was disappointed with were Pinnocchio Village Haus and Liberty Tree Tavern. Sometimes the food at Disney gets a bad rap, but I think in comparison to other places at similar theme parks it's the best bet. The good thing is that there are so many choices if you have a bad experience on place you can always find a different place to eat next time.

The Disney Dining Plan
Even though I was with my friend for meals, I was technically traveling solo on my own reservation. With the current dining plan I saved about $100 in food costs than if I paid out of pocket. Factor in that when I eat out under normal circumstances, I never get an appetizer and rarely order dessert. With the changes in the new year to the plan, I do not think that getting less food for the same ammount of money per day (which is more than I would pay out of pocket) is worth it for my particular dining preferences even though the new plan does not include appetizer. I also have IBS, which flared up almost immediately during my first full day on the plan. I know that has a lot to do with the choices I was making and eating foods I knew might effect my digestive system, but there was simply way too much food for me on this plan. I DID like that I didn't have to worry about exchanging money, the servers just took my card, gave it a swipe and done! It was nice not having one more thing to "pay for."

For my next trip in June I have decided not to go with the DDP. Not because I think it is bad or anything, it's just not economical for me based on my dining preferences. My other friend who is going with me is the same way. We have decided to bring our own snacks and water every day, as well as eating one or two character buffet meals. We will mostly stick with counter service as we want to maximize our time in the parks, and not spend up to 2 hours at a sit down dinner.

Thanks to everyone for reading along! Feel free to browse my trip report as well (link in my sig) where I have plenty more details about my time at Disney last weekend and lots of pictures!

 

[wilma-bride]

Thanks for the reviews. I agree with your comments about the Dining Plan.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Excellent job with your report and thank you for doing it!

 

[DancinDaisyDuck]

Thanks for the reviews. I agree with your comments about the Dining Plan.

You're welcome! Thank you for reading. The Dining Plan is interesting, for some people it can save a boat load of money, but for me, not so much.

Excellent job with your report and thank you for doing it!

Thank you! I've really enjoyed writing them, and will probably write a short one of my one day magic Kingdom trip from back in March.