Free DDP reviews! Photos and lots 'o opinions! Updated 11/5 with 50's PT

[tink6137130]

Love your review! Thanks for sharing

 

[Pixiedust34]

UOTE=Pixiedust34;27803182]


Be glad that they were so persistent about that. We had a very bad experience at the Coral Reef restaurant last week during our stay. There were 6 in our party and 5 of us ordered the non-alcoholic smoothies and when the waitress got to my Dad he said Margarita. Well, my Dad is a recovered alcoholic and hasn't had a drink in 18 years, so my Mom piped up and asked the waitress if it was non-alcoholic, she said yes, of course. Well when she brought our drinks, I made the comment that his drink sure looked like a "real" margarita, and wondered how they did a virgin margarita. She smiled and left, well long story short, when we got our bill, we were on the dining plan, there was a charge for a drink. We asked her about it, and she said, well that is for your margarita, alcolholic beverages are not included!!! This is after my dad and my 4 year old son had drank about half of the margarita!!!! We were mortified, and she just didn't quite get why it was such a problem. Not a good experience for us, so be glad that they were so persistent about your drink being adult only.

Wow! She should have been a lot more careful! I'm sorry this happened with your dinner.

Awesome pics! Thanks for including the bonus shots!

Love your review! Thanks for sharing

Thank you both for reading our reviews!

 

[Pixiedust34]

At the Main Street Bakery they will make you an ice cream cookie sandwich and that'll count as a snack credit. You can pick the type of cookie you want, and then they hand scoop the ice cream and make the sandwich. I was bound and determined to give these a try while we had free dining, but the only time convenient for us to eat here was dinner time. My original plan was to have dinner at Columbia Harbour House (my favorite counter service in the MK) but I decided that we could just do the ice cream for dinner. : ) It was a treat for the kids, and they loved it!

Main Street Bakery

First a quick note about Cosmic Ray's--We eat here when it's convenient but it's not our favorite place. JMHO. You have to wait in line in different stations to get food, it's loud, and the theme doesn't do much for us. When we ate here on this trip, it was immediately before the Wishes Meet-Up with some friends and Cosmic Ray's was indeed the most convenient place to go. It's a very short walk from there to the Castle area.

Our ice cream dinner was fun, but after a while ds wanted some "real food." We stopped at Cosmic Ray's for a "real food" snack. I used a snack credit to get ds some chicken noodle soup. It was hot outside, but that's what he wanted! He did eat the whole thing and said it was good. Neither dd nor I was hungry though I did think that we should eat something, so I used 1 counter service credit for us to split an order of chicken nuggets and grapes. I was disappointed that the grapes were prepackaged and not fresh, though they did taste OK.

Overall, Comsic Ray's was fine this evening until a group of Brazilians invaded and began their singing/chanting. LOL But that was OK because what's a Disney Trip without at least one Brazilian Encounter!?

Cosmic Ray's

Bonus MK Photo:

We're not into the parades much, but we happened upon the parade when we were returning to the MK after an afternoon break and we decided to watch it since we were right there and had a great view. It is fun to see all of the characters in the parade!

 

[Nancy for Disney]

For the third trip in a row, our DHS day was humid and hot, hot, hot. I gave the kids a choice on whether they wanted to stick it out for a few more hours at the park and see Fantasmic or go back to the resort and swim. They have seen the show and know what the show is like, but they picked swimming. We could have pushed ourselves to stay, however I think that happy kids = a happy vacation and they were more OK with swimming than putting up with the humidity at that point in our day. It turned out that a storm blew in that evening, and I wouldn't have wanted to be sitting in those bleachers getting soaked, so we made a good decision!


QUOTE]

That was a good call. When we went in Aug it started to down pour duing the last five minutes of the show. Getting 9,000 people out of the theater in that kind of weather was miserable.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Loving these reviews, the best I've read for ages on these boards. particularly interested with your children's choices as our next trip will be the first time DS classes as an adult at aged 10. Although he's a good eater I'm a bit concerned about the choices of food he will get.

Can't wait for more.

 

[Disney owl]

great reviews thanks

 

[marynpaul]

Just happened upon this report. Glad you included photos and information on ASMU. It will be our 1st time staying there.

 

[Pixiedust34]

For the third trip in a row, our DHS day was humid and hot, hot, hot. I gave the kids a choice on whether they wanted to stick it out for a few more hours at the park and see Fantasmic or go back to the resort and swim. They have seen the show and know what the show is like, but they picked swimming. We could have pushed ourselves to stay, however I think that happy kids = a happy vacation and they were more OK with swimming than putting up with the humidity at that point in our day. It turned out that a storm blew in that evening, and I wouldn't have wanted to be sitting in those bleachers getting soaked, so we made a good decision!


QUOTE]

That was a good call. When we went in Aug it started to down pour duing the last five minutes of the show. Getting 9,000 people out of the theater in that kind of weather was miserable.

That would be miserable! We were grateful that we did get in a little bit of swimming time and then we could hang out in our room when the storm came.

Loving these reviews, the best I've read for ages on these boards. particularly interested with your children's choices as our next trip will be the first time DS classes as an adult at aged 10. Although he's a good eater I'm a bit concerned about the choices of food he will get.

Can't wait for more.

Thanks! My kids are opposites--the 12 y.o. will eat just about anything and the 10 y.o. (turned 10 just a couple of days before our trip) is very picky. Some places let dd order off of the kid's menu without an issue. I had to pay OOP for her at WCC. I didn't mind paying for dd's kid's meal at WCC as I didn't want to make an issue of it and make dd feel bad about wanting just a burger and fries, but I was baffled that they didn't let that count as an adult credit. You'd think Disney would be glad that she was "downgrading" her meal choice, which saved them money.

At Chefs de France (review coming), I was told that she had to order off of the adult menu or pay, but luckily she wanted an adult entree there anyway. Our Le Cellier server was thrown off by the kid's meal but didn't charge us for it. Kudos to 50's Prime Time for offering dd an adult portion of any kid's menu item, and to our Coral Reef server who not only let dd order from the kid's menu but also brought ds ice cream for dessert.

Buffets were easy because dd could eat anything she wanted to there without worrying about the kid/adult entree choices.

great reviews thanks

Thank you!

Just happened upon this report. Glad you included photos and information on ASMU. It will be our 1st time staying there.

Thanks! We enjoyed our stay at AS Music. In fact, we liked it better than Pop! The room rehabs are nice and have some extra comfort features such as a curved shower curtain rod and hooks on the walls that Pop doesn't have which enhanced our stay. The nightly games were fun and there is an outdoor movie shown at the pool every night. The cast members were friendly, too. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Coral Reef was a fun place to eat! We ate an early dinner here on our arrival day and this was our first visit to Coral Reef.

The underwater theme was great. Check out the light fixtures as you walk to the restaurant. I love these details!

Every seat gives you a view of the aquarium, and we enjoyed using the "Find a Fish" guide to identify the fishes we saw! I think we had the best seats in the house--the 1st row of booths. I would not want to sit right be the aquarium because I noticed that people let their kids go over there all of the time for pictures and to get close to the fish and the people sitting at those tables had little peace and privacy during their meal. As it was, I felt guilty taking pictures in the direction of the tanks (everyone does that, though) because I kept snapping my camera over the heads of the 2 women seated next to us. I apologized and they were very friendly, saying that they were taking pictures too and were fine with it.

Coral Reef is the one and only place I was asked about taking pictures of our food. The 2 women were curious about it. I explained that I'm writing food reviews upon returning home and that having the photos helps jog my memory of each meal. They were impressed! LOL

OK--and now for the important stuff like food & service.......

We were given bread with olive oil as a starter. It was good, warm, and fresh.

Me: New York Strip Steak with potatoes and broccolini, the Chocolate Wave, iced tea
Ds: Seafood Linguini and make-your-own sundae (the dessert is from the kid's menu), milk
Dd: Mac & cheese with fries and make-you-own-sundae, milk

We ate at Coral Reef on our arrival day so I was learning the ropes about what happens when "adult" dd wants a kid's meal while we're on the dining plan. I asked the server if it's OK if dd ordered a kid's meal. He said, "That's fine by me, but the other servers aren't OK with it." At the time I didn't know what he meant, and later at a couple of other restaurants we did have issues with getting a kid's entree. I realized in hindsight that the server was cutting us a break with letting dd using an adult credit for a kid's meal.

As for the reviews.........this steak was one on the best steaks I've had in my entire life! It was that good!! It cut like butter. I ordered it medium and it was cooked just right with the outside being done and a bit pink in the middle. The potatoes had a nice cheesy flavor and went well with the steak. I'm not a fan of broccolini (it's hiding under the steak in the photo) but it was OK. It was slightly limp. Overall, this was a wonderful meal and my only regret about the entree was that the steak was so big that I couldn't finish it. LOL

Ds inhaled his seafood linguini and said it was "Excellent!" Dd's meal was pretty generic, but she liked it.

Service here was spotty. Our server was quick and prompt up until he brought the entrees. Then it seemed like he disappeared for a long time to take the dessert order, bring the desserts, and bring the check. But he was nice in letting dd get the kid's meal and he took his time to explain tipping. I asked how it worked if I left a tip by charging it to our room and that's what we did for all of our meals except Crystal Palace, where I left a cash tip. It worked well to put the tips on our KTTW card.


Bread

Ds' Seafood Linguini

My steak

Dd's kid's meal

Let's talk desserts. Both kids wanted ice cream and our server said it was no problem and they both got the kid's make-you-own sundae.


Ice cream dessert (make your own sundae)

Onto the The Chocolate Wave....................

I'm going to commit blasphemy here on the Disboards. Here it goes.........I didn't like the Chocolate Wave at all.

Before you read my Chocolate Wave review, I should mention right off the bat that I don't like chocolate cake. I know that's weird. I like chocolate and I like cake. I just don't care for chocolate cake. I do eat it (many times at b-day parties!) but it's far from my favorite dessert.

I ordered the Chocolate Wave because it's the signature dessert at Coral Reef and I wanted to see what it was like.

Even if I did like chocolate cake, I don't think I would have cared for the Chocolate Wave. First, the cake was warm and for some reason I was expecting a room temperature or chilled cake. But perhaps most people like warm chocolate cake so maybe that's too much of my personal taste weighing in with the review.

Second, the center of the CW is filled with brandied cherries. I like cherries a lot, and I'm not opposed to an alcohol flavor. However, in this case, the alcohol flavor was *so strong* that it overwhelmed the rest of the dessert too much.

I'm glad I tried the CW because I've been wanting to do so, but it was my least favorite dessert of the trip and I would not order it again. I was glad that the kids didn't order it. I know that the brandied cherries would have been a big turn off to them, too. It turned out to be OK that I didn't care for the dessert because I was pretty full from my steak anyway. : )

But even though I didn't like the dessert, the entree was excellent and we loved the restaurant as a whole! I could spend all day looking at the aquarium! And it was such a nice and relaxing place to have dinner on our arrival day.

Bonus Epcot Photo:

"Mine, Mine, Mine...."

 

[auntfrannie]

As much as I love chocolate and cake, I agree with you! Chocolate cake tends to be very dry and not nearly as moist as most yellow or white cakes. Good thing Disney TS restaurants have such a great variety so I can always find something I like! Counter service is usually disappointing for desserts because it seems like they all carry the same chocolate cake.

 

[disneydreamin247]

I love the reviews. Glad you enjoyed CR. We will be trying it for the first time next week. It's one of the only places DS asked for.

 

[jeminni]

Great reviews


Go Steelers

 

[distherapy]

I've enjoyed the glazed pretzel at the Kringla on another trip and on this trip I gave the school bread a try for the first time. I liked it! The kids wanted the Viking cookies so that's what they had.

I read on another thread that the school bread has recently changed to a caramel and perhaps a toasted coconut (?) pastry, and I'm so glad I had a chance to try the original before the change. I wish they could sell both the new and old versions of the school bread!

Love the hidden Mickey here!

And great reviews! Thanks!

 

[Pixiedust34]

As much as I love chocolate and cake, I agree with you! Chocolate cake tends to be very dry and not nearly as moist as most yellow or white cakes. Good thing Disney TS restaurants have such a great variety so I can always find something I like! Counter service is usually disappointing for desserts because it seems like they all carry the same chocolate cake.

It's nice to meet someone who gets the chocolate cake aversion! LOL Most people seem to love chocolate cake and it's what's served at most b-day parties around here. What's sad to me about the cs desserts is not only the over abundance of chocolate cake but that many of the desserts seem to be pre-packaged and not fresh.

I love the reviews. Glad you enjoyed CR. We will be trying it for the first time next week. It's one of the only places DS asked for.

I hope you enjoy the Coral Reef as much as we did! The food was great and the aquarium was interesting to watch!

Great reviews


Go Steelers

Thanks!! And for the Steelers!

Love the hidden Mickey here!

And great reviews! Thanks!

Thanks for reading our reviews!


I knew that a Dis'er would appreciate the Hidden Mickey!

 

[jinkies04]

Thanks for the reviews! My family will be eating at many of the same places in two weeks!

 

[Pixiedust34]

Thanks for the reviews! My family will be eating at many of the same places in two weeks!

If you write reviews, I'll be looking forward to reading them when you get back from your trip!

 

[Pixiedust34]

Dh has had a meal at Sommerfest in the past and enjoyed it, and we also like Biergarten. This time we just stopped by Somerfest for a snack. It was raining on the afternoon we did the WS, and Sommerfest was a good place to find shelter for a while.

We got a pretzel and apple strudel to share and both were yummy. Germany has good desserts (Black Forest cake, cheesecake, the apple strudel, etc.) that you can get at counter service. The apple strudel came with a vanilla sauce which was a nice touch.

Bonus Germany photo:

We always enjoy the train garden, even in the rain! Does anyone remember the old Hidden Mickey in the train garden? I think it might have been gone for a while. We couldn't find any Hidden Mickeys in the train garden on this trip. And, believe me, we looked! : )

 

[Joshua_me]

^ Yum Yum !^ That looks de-lish !

These are great reviews ! Thanks for posting them.

We would never have found that hidden Mickey in MM's in 100 years...

Thanks again.

 

[Pixiedust34]

^ Yum Yum !^ That looks de-lish !

These are great reviews ! Thanks for posting them.

We would never have found that hidden Mickey in MM's in 100 years...

Thanks again.

It was de-lish! That steak was sooooooo good! Thanks for reading our reviews!

I've been busy, but I hope to continue with my reviews soon. Next up will be Tusker House, a new favorite!

 

[suzimar57]

great photos - especially of the old school bread - i miss it already...