Fred and Wilma do DVC, DCL and DDP - the food!

[wilma-bride]

We had a 10 day trip to WDW in August, consisting of 3 nights at Saratoga Springs, a 3-night Disney cruise and 4 nights at All Star Music with free dining. To make things easier on me, I intend to review all our meals here, including the DCL food.

For the most part, I did take pictures although I was struggling to get to grips with the settings on my new camera so some of them didn’t come out as well as I could have hoped. We didn’t have ADRs for the first part of our trip but did for the last part.

So, I'll start by introducing us and letting you know what we like and, more importantly, what we don't

Me (Wilma) – I am what you might call a picky eater – I prefer to think of myself as selective. I know what I like and I like what I know. I like very plain food, no sauces, and I don’t like vegetables!

DH (Fred) – Much more adventurous than me but isn’t a great fan of seafood or anything with garlic.

This is us!

From memory, I will be reviewing the following:

Earl of Sandwich
Rainforest Café at DTD
Whispering Canyon Café
DCL
All Star Music food court
Crystal Palace
Le Cellier
50s Prime Time
Wolfgang Puck Café

There will be some other bits and pieces thrown in here and there (as I remember). Buckle up and hold on tight, here comes the food…

 

[wilma-bride]

We flew from London Heathrow to Miami International, arriving around 2:30 pm. By the time we had retrieved our rental car and driven the loooooong drive up the Florida Turnpike, it was gone 8 pm by the time we checked in at SSR.

We were given a room in the Paddock section, which is quite a walk from the main lobby, pool area and food court. The last thing either of us really felt like doing was walking all the way back to the food court to eat but I was determined I wasn’t going to miss out on a possible dining opportunity.

By the time we got back to the food court, it was gone 9 and, much to DH’s horror, I decided I didn’t really fancy anything on offer. I suggested that we catch the boat over to DTD and get something there. I could tell he wasn’t keen but he agreed (anything to shut me up, I suspect )

Over at DTD, it was a toss up between Wolfgang Puck Express and Earl of Sandwich. As we really weren’t all that hungry, we settled for EoS.

I haven’t got any pictures from today but here is one I took a few days later, in honour of Brenda (Oybolshoi)

I ordered the Earl’s Club with no lettuce, tomato or sauce – basically, just turkey bacon and cheese – yum!

DH ordered the BLT with no sauce (I think it came with mayo and DH doesn’t care much for mayo)

We also got 2 diet cokes and a bag of chips.

Service was pretty fast and, surprisingly, we were easily able to find a table indoors which we were both pleased about (even that late at night, it was really warm outside).

The sandwiches were great - hot and fresh - and I just love the bread they use. To be honest, I was that tired I didn’t really appreciate it as much as I should have. DH didn’t enjoy his sandwich as much as I did mine but he wasn’t really in the mood for eating. Earl of Sandwich remains a firm favourite of mine and a great option for counter service. We will definitely return here.

Total spend - $18.91
Rating - B+

 

[oybolshoi]

HOT ROAST BEEF SMOOTHIES!!!!

I feel so proud ... like I've finally done something with my life to make a difference.

Joh, you rock!

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[wilma-bride]

HOT ROAST BEEF SMOOTHIES!!!!

I feel so proud ... like I've finally done something with my life to make a difference.

Joh, you rock!

Looking forward to reading more!

Lol Brenda - I thought of you every time I saw that sign outside EoS. You feature (kind of) later in my report too

 

[wilma-bride]

Today we were at Islands of Adventure – it was hot, hot, hot! DH was fed up because we were so far from the food court, I couldn’t be bothered to do my usual early morning tea run so he was grouchy before we even left for IOA.

It was early entry for Annual Pass holders so we agreed that we would do a couple of rides and then get him a cup of tea (the man is unbearable unless he’s had his tea in the morning ).

After a couple of goes on Spiderman, we stopped at Croissant Moon bakery for refreshments.

I had an apple danish and a diet coke.
DH had a cherry danish and a large hot tea.

The pastries were absolutely delicious. Slightly chilled, the apple filling was fruity and sweet and the icing complemented it perfectly. The pastry itself was light and flaky, but also slightly gooey. DH really enjoyed his cherry Danish and was starting to seem like my husband again, now he’d had his ‘fix’. It was really nice to sit inside and get out of the heat for a little while – it was only 9 am but we could tell it was going to be a scorcher!

Total spend - $8.58 (with 10% AP discount)
Rating – A

We stopped a couple of hours later, after getting soaked on Ripsaw Falls and Bilge Rat Barges, to get a drink and dry off a little.

I really wanted ice cream but the Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop didn’t open until 12 and it was only 11:30. We were desperate for liquid refreshment, so went into Snookers and Snookers. While paying for my diet coke, I noticed these yummy treats called Gourmet Smores and couldn’t resist so got one each for DH and I. We had no idea what they were but they had chocolate on – how bad could it be?

In reality, it was a deliciously crisp cookie with a marshmallow filling covered in thick milk chocolate and sprinkled with chocolate chips. For anyone reading from the UK, think Wagon Wheel without the jam – and about 1000 times nicer.

We polished these off quickly, firstly because they were so nice and secondly because they were melting in the sun. Washed down with a diet coke, they set us up for the rest of the day.

Total spend - $8.13 (with 10% AP discount)
Rating - B+

Later on, after spending a couple of hours at the SSR pool, we decided to get the boat over to DTD again and find some place for dinner. I guessed that we would have a bit of a wait wherever we went as we hadn’t made any ADRs. Seeing as the boat docked just by Rainforest Café, we decided to try for a table there.

When I enquired at the podium, we were told a 90 minute wait. DH was reluctant but I pointed out that we would be likely to wait just as long anywhere else at that time of night – and, to be honest, I couldn’t be bothered to walk down to Planet Hollywood, which is where he wanted to go. We decided to try and get a couple of seats at the bar and have a couple of drinks while we waited for our table.

As luck would have it, a couple had just vacated their seats at the bar and we quickly grabbed them. We were handed a couple of menus and I decided I might try a cocktail. In hindsight, given that I had eaten nothing but a Danish and a chocolate cookie all day, this might not have been the sensible thing to do – but, hey, I’m on vacation.

I’m afraid I really can’t remember the name of the drink I ordered (a side effect of drinking alcohol on an empty stomach ) but I think it was a Raspberry Rainfall or something like that. It was a raspberry/pineapple frozen concoction with copious amounts of vodka thrown in for good measure – and it was delicious. Very refreshing on a hot day.

DH had something similar but without alcohol (he is the sensible one out of the two of us), which was like a raspberry-flavoured frozen lemonade. I tasted his and it was really yummy.

This is what they looked like – mine is on the left.

After a couple more drinks, our table was finally ready. We were seated in the gorilla section, next to a large fish tank. By now, I had a bit of a headache and was feeling decidedly off-colour I assumed it was because I was so hungry so we ordered straight away, having had plenty of time to peruse the menu.

Me – Blue Mountain Chicken Sandwich with no peppers, lettuce or sauce (are you sensing a theme here )
DH – Honk Kong Chicken Stir Fry with no mushrooms (I’m actually thinking DH is a lot more picky than he makes out!)

We also ordered a couple more drinks, although I opted for the non-alcoholic version this time.

The food came quite quickly, even though we had been told there was a 30 minute wait on food orders.

DH began to tuck into his stir fry but I was feeling even worse and, no sooner had I started eating then I felt sick. I excused myself and headed to the rest rooms, where I closed the cubicle door and sat on the toilet with my head between my knees. I stayed like that for about 15 minutes, thinking I was going to pass out and DH wouldn’t even realise because he was so busy eating

To cut a long story short, after returning to the table, I attempted to eat and decided against it. DH finished his meal, we paid the check and left. It took everything I had to stop myself from being ill on the boat back to SSR but I learned a valuable lesson – make sure you eat something before you drink lots of alcohol

DH enjoyed his meal but he didn't like the long wait for the table. I didn't think it would be fair to rate this restaurant as I didn't really eat much at all.

Total spend - not known (I lost the receipt)
Rating - C (The drinks get an A+ though )

 

[natalielongstaff]

love your report so far !! EOS was a real find for us we ate there twice and even the kids loved the food....i agree the bread is outstanding

keep it coming !!

 

[mandymouse]

Keep 'em coming Joh, I can't wait to hear your opinions on the DCL food - did you go to Palo ?

I look forward to reading some more

Mandy

 

[Minniespal]

Great start Joh, looking forward to reading more

 

[Booknut]

Looking forward to the rest...am already super hungry!!!

 

[saratogagirl]

great start Joh, looking forward to more

 

[tony64]

Great report Joh, keep um coming.

 

[BRobson]

Great start Joh I love EoS too !! Cant wait to read some more

 

[TigerKat]

I'm joining the party!!

 

[Busymom85]

Can't wait for more. Thanks for posting.

 

[wilma-bride]

We were at Epcot today and, again, DH was grouchy first thing, having not had his tea. After securing FPs for Soarin’ and riding once, we headed to Sunshine Seasons for breakfast.

We bumped into some friends from the DISboards and ended up eating breakfast with them, which was nice.

Anyway, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to eat here. I’m not really a breakfast person but, as we hadn’t yet got any plans for meals later in the day and we were heading to Jellyrolls that night, I figured I ought to make a start on lining my stomach

DH and I both ended up with a bacon, egg and cheese croissant. DH had tea and I got a diet coke. We also got a bottle of water for later, as it was extremely hot again today.

The breakfast croissants really hit the spot. The croissants themselves were light and flaky and the egg was perfectly cooked (as you will see from my tag, I’m strange about my eggs ). The bacon was a little chewy (rather than crisp) but that was only to be expected, given that it had been stuck in between a warm croissant and an omelette for a little while.

Total spend - $16.36
Rating – B-

With breakfast over, we hit a few more rides. A bit later on we were thirsty. Again, I fancied ice cream and, again, I was disappointed as Fountainview Café was closed. I couldn’t think where else to get ice cream so we decided on Club Cool, where we got a frozen coke and a frozen raspberry Fanta.

The coke was really not to my taste. I was kind of expecting it to be fizzy and was disappointed that it wasn’t (yes, I know…) and I really didn’t care much for the taste. The raspberry Fanta was nice, though, and very refreshing. The coke really wasn’t.

Total spend – not known (another lost receipt)
Rating – D

We had pretty much finished everything we wanted to do in Future World so we decided we would leave and get a late lunch somewhere. I fancied the idea of visiting a resort and getting lunch there. We stopped by guest relations and were able to get a reservation for Whispering Canyon Café just over an hour later, which gave us enough time to take a slow stroll out to the bus stops, catch a bus to Wilderness Lodge and take a look around the resort before checking in for our ADR.

We were slightly early checking in but were seated right on time. Our server was Doc Willis who, to be honest, freaked me out a little. He had some kind of squeaker thing in his pocket, which he kept pressing when he was at our table. It was just kind of weird - the kind of thing I would have expected him to do if we'd had kids with us. We saw some tables around us having fun but our server just didn’t seem to be into it much, although he did throw our straws and napkins at us

He asked if we were on the dining plan, which we weren’t at that point, and took our drinks orders. DH ordered diet coke and I decided on the bottomless milkshake – chocolate flavour, of course

The drinks came fairly rapidly and the milkshake was very nice, although it could have been a bit more chocolatey (is that even a word?). DH tried it and didn’t like it – he said it tasted ‘odd’.

We ordered our entrees – chicken and mashed potatoes for DH and the chicken sandwich for me (I still had a chicken sandwich craving to satisfy after the episode at RFC the night before).

While waiting for our entrees, I was laughing at another server giving some kids next to us a hard time. He had brought out plates with massive desserts on them, paraded them past the kids and said ‘Guess what these are?’. When the kids asked ‘What?’ quick as a flash he replied ‘Not yours!’ It was hilarious and I laughed out loud, only to be told by the server to ‘quit staring’ and try holding a conversation with my husband ‘for the first time in years’

The food came out shortly after and looked yummy - I realised I was pretty hungry.

DH said his chicken was delicious, tender and juicy, and the mashed potatoes were cooked and seasoned perfectly.

My chicken sandwich was exactly what I wanted – again, the chicken was slightly spicy, tender and juicy and the bacon was crispy. The bun was soft and tasted fresh and the fries were crispy but needed salt. My only criticism (and this is not just WCC but WDW in general) is that the fries just don’t taste the same now they use all these non trans-fat oils or whatever it is. I am sure it is healthier and everything but the fries just aren’t what they used to be.

Having finished our entrees, Doc asked us if we wanted dessert. I was dying to try the Smores cheesecake but was pretty stuffed at this point. I tried to persuade DH to share with me but he was having none of it. So I did the only thing I could – ordered dessert anyway

Me – Smores cheesecake
DH – Banana dustbowl

The cheesecake was incredible – melt in the mouth crust, rich and creamy filling with a decadent chocolate topping and mini marshmallows. It was extremely sweet, though, and after a few bites I was done.

DH really enjoyed his banana thing – the tortilla was light, crisp with a lovely cinnamon taste. The bananas and sauce were sweet and sugary. He finished every last drop – and then finished the rest of my cheesecake

All in all, a great meal and a positive experience. We will definitely come back here again – next time with the kids.

Total spend – An extremely reasonable $45.82 (with 10% passholder discount)
Rating - A

I just wanted to add, at this point, that the totals I have included are for the meals only - we always left at least 20% tip in addition at TS restaurants.

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Your reviews are awesome and I'm lovin' the pictures. Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

[disneyjunebug]

Great pics and Great review! Looking for more -- especially more Smoothies, roast beef or otherwise!

 

[wilma-bride]

Today we were driving to Port Canaveral to board the Disney Wonder for our 3-night Disney cruise. Whilst I was excited about the cruise, I was filled with some trepidation about the food. I will readily admit that I am fairly choosy about what I eat and, from what I had read and seen of the food served on board, I was thinking that I would find myself either going hungry or living on fries for 3 days. Having paid out the money to go on the cruise, I really wanted to experience all the restaurants that the Wonder had to offer so I steeled myself and went with an open mind, determined that I would make the effort to be a little more adventurous.

We didn’t have time for breakfast this morning – after a late night at Jellyrolls last night, we just had time to go check out and get straight into the car to begin the drive. We had some Lays potato chips left over from earlier in the stay so munched those on the way.

I won’t go into too much detail about the cruise itself as I am hoping to write a full trip report (someday ) but suffice to say the ship was everything I had imagined – and more!

Once on board, we headed up to Beach Blanket Buffet, where there was plenty to choose from – even for me

We loaded up a couple of plates, grabbed two diet cokes and found ourselves a table outside.

My plate, which contained carved cold roast beef, cold pork schnitzel, potato wedges, turkey, ham, cheese and bread.

DH’s plate, with pork schnitzel, rice, ham and bread.

The beef was pretty horrible, to be honest. It was very tough and chewy and I didn’t eat much of it. Everything else was pretty good. DH said the rice was perfectly cooked. We’re not massive fans of cold buffets but there was loads of other stuff to choose from, including lots of hot dishes and seafood.

There was a dessert buffet also and, when we’d finished eating, we got a couple of plates of dessert. We didn’t want to go too overboard (pardon the pun ) with dessert so I got a piece of chocolate cake and a cookie and DH opted for fresh fruit salad. The chocolate cake was really good – fresh and light, with just the right amount of chocolate icing on top. The cookie was chewy and tasty. I tried some of DH’s fruit, which was – well, fruity!

I also got one of these from a guy who was wandering around the tables – my first ever Bahama Mama!

DH drank most of this as it wasn’t really to my taste (sorry Mandy )

We were on late dining and were eating at Animators Palate tonight, which I was really excited about as I’d read so much about the ‘show’ they put on there.

Our servers, Grace and Alfredo were absolutely fantastic – nothing was too much trouble for them. To start with, they were both very professional and courteous and, although, they remained that way throughout the cruise, it was fun to see how they loosened up a little with us as we got to know them over the 3 nights.

Neither of us ordered appetisers as nothing on the menu really appealed to us. For entrée, I opted for the bacon-wrapped filet with a jacket potato.

DH settled for simple roast chicken and a jacket potato, from the ‘lighter bites’ section of the menu. I didn’t take a picture but just imagine a piece of juicy, roasted to perfection chicken and a large, perfectly cooked jacket potato.

My filet was delicious, although the ‘sauce’ was a bit overpowering. I felt very proud of myself for ordering – and eating – a meal which had sauce on it. DH tried mine and didn’t like the flavour at all but I enjoyed it and ate every bite.

For dessert, DH ordered the much-anticipated peanut butter pie.

And for me it was flourless chocolate cake.

It’s a good job I was quick with the camera as DH devoured his in just a few bites, despite having protested he was really full. He declared it the best peanut butter pie he’d ever had. One of the things he really loves about Florida and WDW is the ability to get lots of peanut butter flavoured stuff. The UK isn’t big on it, for which I am eternally grateful as I hate it.

My chocolate cake was good but could have used some ice-cream as it was a bit dry on its own.

Our table mates were most amused at me taking pictures of our food but, from the conversations we had with them over the 3 nights, it was obvious they weren’t DISers so it’s hardly surprising they thought I was strange.

After a couple of hours entertainment in Wave Bands, we returned to the room and, amazingly, I was hungry. No problem – the cruise ship has 24 hour room service. I quickly ordered some chicken strips and fries (no picture), which came within 20 minutes. The chicken strips were typical Disney fare – crunchy and slightly spicy but the fries were cold and soggy. It was no surprise, really, that I felt slightly sick when I finished eating. That's the trouble with free food, as we were to discover in the coming days...

Total spend - $26.40 (the Bahama Mama and drinks in Wave Bands)
Ratings:
Beach Blanket Buffet – C
Animators Palate – B
Room service - C

 

[Booknut]

Yummy yum yum!!!

That drink looks great, what's in a Bahama Mama? I've heard so much about them

PS sorry you weren't that keen on the food!

 

[wilma-bride]

love your report so far !! EOS was a real find for us we ate there twice and even the kids loved the food....i agree the bread is outstanding

keep it coming !!

Thanks Nat - I agree about EoS,a lthough Gary is not as keen as I

Keep 'em coming Joh, I can't wait to hear your opinions on the DCL food - did you go to Palo ?

I look forward to reading some more

Mandy

Mandy, we didn't go to Palo with it only being a 3-night cruise - we didn't want to miss any of the main restaurants.

Great start Joh, looking forward to reading more

Looking forward to the rest...am already super hungry!!!

great start Joh, looking forward to more

Great report Joh, keep um coming.

Great start Joh I love EoS too !! Cant wait to read some more

Thanks for the comments guys

I'm joining the party!!

Welcome

Can't wait for more. Thanks for posting.

Your reviews are awesome and I'm lovin' the pictures. Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks for taking the time to post.

Great pics and Great review! Looking for more -- especially more Smoothies, roast beef or otherwise!

Thanks so much - I must admit, now I've started, I am really enjoying writing these and reliving all that wonderful food