Self - 30
DH - 31
DS - 13
As a bit of a preface, getting the gold plan was a bit of bribery on my part to get the hubby (he loves to eat!) to agree to go to Disney World. We basically ate our way through the World. For us it was a great way to explore, we saw many of the hotels we wouldn't have otherwise made it to.
Day 1
Lunch @ The Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom -
For appetizers, DH and I shared an Awesome Appetizer Sampler which had calamari, chicken tenders, chimichungas, guacamole, crab dip, and tortilla chips. DS ordered Fried Cheese. The calamari was great, even DS (picky eater) liked it.
As an entree, DH and I had the stuffed lobster plate with filet. The lobster was a bit rubbery, but the steak filet was good. DS had the Flying Dragon Pizza (pepperoni) that got a thumbs up.
For dessert, DH and I both had the Banana Cheesecake, which was very good and very rich. DS shared the volcano with his grandmother. She didn't even hear them yelling volcano when they brought it out because the restaurant was so loud!
For Drinks, DH, DS, and I got sodas and the server threw in the souvenier mugs.
All in all The Rainforest Cafe is a fun (albeit noisy) place to dine. Don't forget to check out the gift shop, and you can enter the park through the back.
Total including tip: $189.11
Dinner @ Jiko in the Animal Kingdom Lodge -
As appetizers we had Kalamata Olive Flatbread and Roasted Tomato and Spinach Flatbread which were almost like pizza. The Kalamata Olive Flatbread was the best. We also had the Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion Salad, which had lots of onion, and I had the Field greens, which were very good.
For entrees, DH had the Berbere Braised Lamb Shank that he liked, DS had the Wood-Grilled Pork Tenderloin with no comment, and I had the Pomegranate Glazed Quails which was disappointing, very little (almost no) quail meat and the stuffing was too sweet.
For dessert, I had a Flourless Chocolate Cake with Poached Pears, it was excellent! DH had and Expresso Sundae, and DS did not get a dessert so DH had the Tanzanian Chocolate Candies also.
To me, this restaurant was not worth the price, but it did have a great atmosphere.
Total including tip: $157.62
Day 2
Breakfast @ Spoodles on the Boardwalk -
DH had Pancakes with a side of sausage, he wasn't too impressed. DS had Mickey Waffles with a side of bacon, he loved them. I had the Fresh Fruit Plate which included watermelon, canteloupe, strawberries, kiwis, grapes, orange slices, and pineapple with a citrus dipping sauce. The fruit plate was wonderful and refreshing, I didn't even finish half of it, there would have been plenty to share.
The grapefruit juice was not so good, probably concentrate, but the orange juice was very good.
Spoodles is an excellent choice for breakfast. I also saw someone with the all you can eat skillet, it was pilled high with eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. Definitely worth the dollars.
Total including tip: $43.04
Lunch @ Coral Reef in Epcot -
As appetizers, DH had the new crab cake ( I forgot the name) that was on a bed of cucumber pasta, he really liked it. DS had the Mixed Greens Salad, he barely ate any. I had the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, which consisted of 3 huge boiled shrimp, nicely chilled with cocktail sauce to dip them in, this was probably the best appetizer I had during the whole vacation!
For the entrees, DH had the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp they didn't seem nearly as good as the shrimp appetizer. DS and I had the Diversity entree, which was Barbecued Pork Ribs with Sweet Potatoes and Coleslaw. It was very good.
For dessert, DH and I had the Chocolate Wave, I can only say YUM! It's a chocolate cake filled with a grand marnier center, it also came with ice cream (I'm lactose intolerant so I passed on the ice cream). DS had the new Adrift Chocolate, which was a chocolate mousse square with white chocolate curls, DS said it was too bitter for him.
The Coral Reef was a great break from the walking in Epcot. The Living Seas aquarium makes up one wall of the restaurant, they give you a fish identification guide for fish watching while you wait for dinner. This was one of the more memorable restaurants of our trip, and our server Michele was great.
Total including tip: $ 134.69
Dinner @ Narcoosee's in the Grand Floridian
Appetizers were Stuffed Clams for DH, he liked them. DS had the Romaine Hearts and I had the Field Greens, the Romaine Hearts piled high with parmesan cheese were much better than my Field Greens!
For entrees, we all had Grilled Filet Mignon. It was very good, especially the potatoes au gratin.
For our desserts, DH and I had Cinderella's Slippers that I had pre-ordered. The raspberries on the shoe were the best part! There was just too much chocolate for me to eat ( I can't believe that's possible!). DS had Almond Cheesecake, which was one of his favorite desserts of the trip.
From Narcoosee's you look out over the lake outside M.K. It's a nice view, you can even see the castle. This was our most expensive meal, but by no means the best. It's a bit overpriced for the quality.
Total including tip: $199.26
Day 3
Breakfast @ Crystal Palace in M.K. -
This is a character breakfast buffet, and it was really good! Any place that has FRESH pineapple gets a thumbs up from me
. The characters we met were Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet. Tigger was the best!
This was by far the best breakfast we had, yes it was noisy, and yes we had to wait a bit even with PS, but the characters were great, the grapefruit juice tasted fresh, and they had fresh pineapple, what more can you ask for!?! Oh, did I mention they had fresh pineapple?
Total including tip: $61.94
Lunch @ Cinderella's Royal Table -
Appetizers were Castle Fries for DS and I, wow, there were a lot of waffle fries in that basket, and they sure were good! DH had a Tossed Salad, I bet he was jealous of our fries.
For an entree we all had the Focaccia Sandwich, it was huge, we each only managed to eat half of it. The focaccia bread was excellent.
For desert I had the lava cake, which was a non-alcoholic variation of the Coral Reef's chocolate wave, DH had the Cappucino Creme Brulee that he though was disappointing, and DS skipped dessert (he was too full from the sandwich and fries).
When we arrived Cinderella was in the waiting room, so we got pictures and an autograph. I think they lost our little seating slip as they were seating others that had come in behind us even though we had a PS, immediately after my husband asked about it we were seated. Still the wait was only about 25 minutes, which didn't seem that long while watching all the children with Cinderella.
The view from the restaurant was very pretty, our window looked out on the Carousel. The meal itself was an incredible value by disney standards. One focaccia sandwich with fries could easily feed two hungry people. With the sandwich costing $12 and the fries $7 that's a pretty good deal for a sit down restaurant with a view.
Total including tip: $88.18
Dinner @ Wolfgang Puck's Cafe in Downtown Disney
Our dining experience went awry here.
Appetizer's - DH had Quesadilla, DS had Calamari, and I had the Shrimp Spring Roll. Before I ordered the Spring Rolls I asked the waitress, Alice, to find out if they put any kind of onions in the rolls, she said she would, and I told her that if they don't I would like to have that as my appetizer. DS began feeling sick to his stomach before the appetizer made it out, so we were debating about going back to the hotel room. Appetizers arrived, instead of spring rolls they sent out a Spinach Dip, we sent that back, and ordered entrees; steak for DH, cheese pizza for me, and mushroom pizza for DS. DS didn't even touch the calamari and began to feel worse so we decided to get everything to go and head back to the room. Well, my spring rolls came out, I picked at them a bit while waiting for the server to pack up the food. Server comes back with the bag of food and the ticket (before we ordered we explained that we were on the gold plan, she didn't know what that was, asked around, then said she knew what to do when she came back), we gave her our room card. She came back with the receipt, the receipt showed she had taken off two meals per person. We explained once again that we were on the gold plan, not the silver plan, and she should have only taken off one per person. She said the manager told her that she was supposed to take off two coupons blah blah blah. At this point DH was getting mad, the waitress knew son was feeling ill, so we asked for the manager. Blah blah blah he's upstairs. Thirty minutes later (son turning green, food getting cold) manager shows up, we explain once again. He says no no no, we take off two coupons for this restaurant. We explain that this is the "GOLD" plan, not the Silver plan. He says he knows nothing about that. We tell him to call the hotel. Ten minutes of explaining and ten more minutes of waiting later, he returns, says he will take off the charge for 6 coupons and then charge the 3 it should have been. He gives a vague, weak apology and we leave with our groaning son and our cold food.
All in all this was a bad night, the Spring Rolls did have onions and I got sick later that night, DS was fine, probably gas from all the food we had been inhaling previously. I know we should have just left and got it all sorted out later, but DS wasn't terribly ill (he kept saying he was okay enough to stay), and sometimes things get much harder to sort out after the fact.
Total including tip: $140.01 Definitely a high price for two barely eaten appetizers, 1 cold steak and 1 cold pizza.
Day 4
Skipped breakfast
Lunch @ The Brown Derby in Disney-MGM
Appetizers - DS and I had Portobello Mushroom, Chèvre Cheese Raviolo, it was wonderful. DH had the Coconut Shrimp which was wonderful as well.
Entrees - DS and I had the Famous Brown Derby Cobb Salad. We both liked it, but keep in mind it is a chopped salad. DH had the Sirloin Cobb Salad with a shrimp skewer added on. There was very little salad and mucho steak.
Desserts - I had the Grapefruit Cheesecake, I was expecting more grapefruit flavor, but it was still very good. DH had Banana Cheesecake, which he liked.
This was a quite place to eat if you happened to be on the upper tier. I would imagine it would be noisier below. Our server (I forgot her name
) was very cheerful and helpful.
Total including tip: $99.73
Dinner @ Yachtsman Steakhouse in The Yacht Club
Appetizers - I had Chipotle Barbeque Shrimp, very flavorful and spicy. DS had Oven Roasted California Asparagus with a hollandaise sauce, he thought the sauce was too rich but the asparagus was good. DH had Tomato and Buffalo Mozarella without much comment.
Entrees - I had the Yachtsman Filet Mignon, it was the best steak I have ever had. DS had the Vegetarian Entree, which was Pasta Primavera at the time, it had asparagus, brocolli, etc in it. He liked it, but he though that there was way too much for him to eat! DH had the Prime Kansas City Strip, a whopping 22oz steak! Needles to say, he ate it and like it.
Dessert - DH and I shared the Dessert Sampler, these were the best desserts. The Jack Daniels Cake and the Sorbet were the best. DS had the Haagen Dazs Ice Cream, it met with his approval.
This was the best restaurant we had the pleasure of enjoying during our stay. We felt underdressed having come straight from the park, it was definitely upscale. Ricardo, our waiter, was the best! I would recommend the Yachtsmen to anyone wanting a special place to dine.
Total including tip: $171.32
Day 5
Breakfast @ Chef Mickeys in the Contemporary
This was an all you can eat character breakfast. Characters included; Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Goofy. The buffet was good, character time was short, I would say Crystal Palace is a much better character breakfast.
Total including tip: $61.94
Lunch @ Pop Century Food Court
We had planned on going to Marrakesh in Epcot but got pooped out, so we ate at the hotel before catching the plane. The food court was a good value. DH had a chicken strip basket with fries, DS and I had hamburgers with fries. They had a nice healthy assortment of fruits, veggie sticks, and salads. All of the desserts looked very good.
I can't remember the total for this meal, and I lost my receipt! Oops!
Somehow we ended this trip with 4 meals remaining, I'm not sure how that happened. I got a printout that showed Wolfgang Puck's corrected their problem. I have a feeling the Food Court may have messed up.
All in all we ate Mickey into the poorhouse. We had a great time. I don't think we ever felt like it was way too much food (except for perhaps Cinderella's and the Pop Food Court) We usually just had a little of this and a little of that. The only time I ever finished all of my meal was at the Yachtsmen, it was so delicious.
I hope this helps some fellow DISers with future restaurant choices. I know I gleened a lot of info from the restaurant board here.
Erica

DH - 31
DS - 13
As a bit of a preface, getting the gold plan was a bit of bribery on my part to get the hubby (he loves to eat!) to agree to go to Disney World. We basically ate our way through the World. For us it was a great way to explore, we saw many of the hotels we wouldn't have otherwise made it to.
Day 1
Lunch @ The Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom -
For appetizers, DH and I shared an Awesome Appetizer Sampler which had calamari, chicken tenders, chimichungas, guacamole, crab dip, and tortilla chips. DS ordered Fried Cheese. The calamari was great, even DS (picky eater) liked it.
As an entree, DH and I had the stuffed lobster plate with filet. The lobster was a bit rubbery, but the steak filet was good. DS had the Flying Dragon Pizza (pepperoni) that got a thumbs up.
For dessert, DH and I both had the Banana Cheesecake, which was very good and very rich. DS shared the volcano with his grandmother. She didn't even hear them yelling volcano when they brought it out because the restaurant was so loud!
For Drinks, DH, DS, and I got sodas and the server threw in the souvenier mugs.
All in all The Rainforest Cafe is a fun (albeit noisy) place to dine. Don't forget to check out the gift shop, and you can enter the park through the back.
Total including tip: $189.11
Dinner @ Jiko in the Animal Kingdom Lodge -
As appetizers we had Kalamata Olive Flatbread and Roasted Tomato and Spinach Flatbread which were almost like pizza. The Kalamata Olive Flatbread was the best. We also had the Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion Salad, which had lots of onion, and I had the Field greens, which were very good.
For entrees, DH had the Berbere Braised Lamb Shank that he liked, DS had the Wood-Grilled Pork Tenderloin with no comment, and I had the Pomegranate Glazed Quails which was disappointing, very little (almost no) quail meat and the stuffing was too sweet.
For dessert, I had a Flourless Chocolate Cake with Poached Pears, it was excellent! DH had and Expresso Sundae, and DS did not get a dessert so DH had the Tanzanian Chocolate Candies also.
To me, this restaurant was not worth the price, but it did have a great atmosphere.
Total including tip: $157.62
Day 2
Breakfast @ Spoodles on the Boardwalk -
DH had Pancakes with a side of sausage, he wasn't too impressed. DS had Mickey Waffles with a side of bacon, he loved them. I had the Fresh Fruit Plate which included watermelon, canteloupe, strawberries, kiwis, grapes, orange slices, and pineapple with a citrus dipping sauce. The fruit plate was wonderful and refreshing, I didn't even finish half of it, there would have been plenty to share.
The grapefruit juice was not so good, probably concentrate, but the orange juice was very good.
Spoodles is an excellent choice for breakfast. I also saw someone with the all you can eat skillet, it was pilled high with eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. Definitely worth the dollars.
Total including tip: $43.04
Lunch @ Coral Reef in Epcot -
As appetizers, DH had the new crab cake ( I forgot the name) that was on a bed of cucumber pasta, he really liked it. DS had the Mixed Greens Salad, he barely ate any. I had the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, which consisted of 3 huge boiled shrimp, nicely chilled with cocktail sauce to dip them in, this was probably the best appetizer I had during the whole vacation!
For the entrees, DH had the Grilled Jumbo Shrimp they didn't seem nearly as good as the shrimp appetizer. DS and I had the Diversity entree, which was Barbecued Pork Ribs with Sweet Potatoes and Coleslaw. It was very good.
For dessert, DH and I had the Chocolate Wave, I can only say YUM! It's a chocolate cake filled with a grand marnier center, it also came with ice cream (I'm lactose intolerant so I passed on the ice cream). DS had the new Adrift Chocolate, which was a chocolate mousse square with white chocolate curls, DS said it was too bitter for him.
The Coral Reef was a great break from the walking in Epcot. The Living Seas aquarium makes up one wall of the restaurant, they give you a fish identification guide for fish watching while you wait for dinner. This was one of the more memorable restaurants of our trip, and our server Michele was great.
Total including tip: $ 134.69
Dinner @ Narcoosee's in the Grand Floridian
Appetizers were Stuffed Clams for DH, he liked them. DS had the Romaine Hearts and I had the Field Greens, the Romaine Hearts piled high with parmesan cheese were much better than my Field Greens!
For entrees, we all had Grilled Filet Mignon. It was very good, especially the potatoes au gratin.
For our desserts, DH and I had Cinderella's Slippers that I had pre-ordered. The raspberries on the shoe were the best part! There was just too much chocolate for me to eat ( I can't believe that's possible!). DS had Almond Cheesecake, which was one of his favorite desserts of the trip.
From Narcoosee's you look out over the lake outside M.K. It's a nice view, you can even see the castle. This was our most expensive meal, but by no means the best. It's a bit overpriced for the quality.
Total including tip: $199.26
Day 3
Breakfast @ Crystal Palace in M.K. -
This is a character breakfast buffet, and it was really good! Any place that has FRESH pineapple gets a thumbs up from me

This was by far the best breakfast we had, yes it was noisy, and yes we had to wait a bit even with PS, but the characters were great, the grapefruit juice tasted fresh, and they had fresh pineapple, what more can you ask for!?! Oh, did I mention they had fresh pineapple?
Total including tip: $61.94
Lunch @ Cinderella's Royal Table -
Appetizers were Castle Fries for DS and I, wow, there were a lot of waffle fries in that basket, and they sure were good! DH had a Tossed Salad, I bet he was jealous of our fries.
For an entree we all had the Focaccia Sandwich, it was huge, we each only managed to eat half of it. The focaccia bread was excellent.
For desert I had the lava cake, which was a non-alcoholic variation of the Coral Reef's chocolate wave, DH had the Cappucino Creme Brulee that he though was disappointing, and DS skipped dessert (he was too full from the sandwich and fries).
When we arrived Cinderella was in the waiting room, so we got pictures and an autograph. I think they lost our little seating slip as they were seating others that had come in behind us even though we had a PS, immediately after my husband asked about it we were seated. Still the wait was only about 25 minutes, which didn't seem that long while watching all the children with Cinderella.
The view from the restaurant was very pretty, our window looked out on the Carousel. The meal itself was an incredible value by disney standards. One focaccia sandwich with fries could easily feed two hungry people. With the sandwich costing $12 and the fries $7 that's a pretty good deal for a sit down restaurant with a view.
Total including tip: $88.18
Dinner @ Wolfgang Puck's Cafe in Downtown Disney
Our dining experience went awry here.
Appetizer's - DH had Quesadilla, DS had Calamari, and I had the Shrimp Spring Roll. Before I ordered the Spring Rolls I asked the waitress, Alice, to find out if they put any kind of onions in the rolls, she said she would, and I told her that if they don't I would like to have that as my appetizer. DS began feeling sick to his stomach before the appetizer made it out, so we were debating about going back to the hotel room. Appetizers arrived, instead of spring rolls they sent out a Spinach Dip, we sent that back, and ordered entrees; steak for DH, cheese pizza for me, and mushroom pizza for DS. DS didn't even touch the calamari and began to feel worse so we decided to get everything to go and head back to the room. Well, my spring rolls came out, I picked at them a bit while waiting for the server to pack up the food. Server comes back with the bag of food and the ticket (before we ordered we explained that we were on the gold plan, she didn't know what that was, asked around, then said she knew what to do when she came back), we gave her our room card. She came back with the receipt, the receipt showed she had taken off two meals per person. We explained once again that we were on the gold plan, not the silver plan, and she should have only taken off one per person. She said the manager told her that she was supposed to take off two coupons blah blah blah. At this point DH was getting mad, the waitress knew son was feeling ill, so we asked for the manager. Blah blah blah he's upstairs. Thirty minutes later (son turning green, food getting cold) manager shows up, we explain once again. He says no no no, we take off two coupons for this restaurant. We explain that this is the "GOLD" plan, not the Silver plan. He says he knows nothing about that. We tell him to call the hotel. Ten minutes of explaining and ten more minutes of waiting later, he returns, says he will take off the charge for 6 coupons and then charge the 3 it should have been. He gives a vague, weak apology and we leave with our groaning son and our cold food.
All in all this was a bad night, the Spring Rolls did have onions and I got sick later that night, DS was fine, probably gas from all the food we had been inhaling previously. I know we should have just left and got it all sorted out later, but DS wasn't terribly ill (he kept saying he was okay enough to stay), and sometimes things get much harder to sort out after the fact.
Total including tip: $140.01 Definitely a high price for two barely eaten appetizers, 1 cold steak and 1 cold pizza.
Day 4
Skipped breakfast
Lunch @ The Brown Derby in Disney-MGM
Appetizers - DS and I had Portobello Mushroom, Chèvre Cheese Raviolo, it was wonderful. DH had the Coconut Shrimp which was wonderful as well.
Entrees - DS and I had the Famous Brown Derby Cobb Salad. We both liked it, but keep in mind it is a chopped salad. DH had the Sirloin Cobb Salad with a shrimp skewer added on. There was very little salad and mucho steak.
Desserts - I had the Grapefruit Cheesecake, I was expecting more grapefruit flavor, but it was still very good. DH had Banana Cheesecake, which he liked.
This was a quite place to eat if you happened to be on the upper tier. I would imagine it would be noisier below. Our server (I forgot her name

Total including tip: $99.73
Dinner @ Yachtsman Steakhouse in The Yacht Club
Appetizers - I had Chipotle Barbeque Shrimp, very flavorful and spicy. DS had Oven Roasted California Asparagus with a hollandaise sauce, he thought the sauce was too rich but the asparagus was good. DH had Tomato and Buffalo Mozarella without much comment.
Entrees - I had the Yachtsman Filet Mignon, it was the best steak I have ever had. DS had the Vegetarian Entree, which was Pasta Primavera at the time, it had asparagus, brocolli, etc in it. He liked it, but he though that there was way too much for him to eat! DH had the Prime Kansas City Strip, a whopping 22oz steak! Needles to say, he ate it and like it.
Dessert - DH and I shared the Dessert Sampler, these were the best desserts. The Jack Daniels Cake and the Sorbet were the best. DS had the Haagen Dazs Ice Cream, it met with his approval.
This was the best restaurant we had the pleasure of enjoying during our stay. We felt underdressed having come straight from the park, it was definitely upscale. Ricardo, our waiter, was the best! I would recommend the Yachtsmen to anyone wanting a special place to dine.
Total including tip: $171.32
Day 5
Breakfast @ Chef Mickeys in the Contemporary
This was an all you can eat character breakfast. Characters included; Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Goofy. The buffet was good, character time was short, I would say Crystal Palace is a much better character breakfast.
Total including tip: $61.94
Lunch @ Pop Century Food Court
We had planned on going to Marrakesh in Epcot but got pooped out, so we ate at the hotel before catching the plane. The food court was a good value. DH had a chicken strip basket with fries, DS and I had hamburgers with fries. They had a nice healthy assortment of fruits, veggie sticks, and salads. All of the desserts looked very good.
I can't remember the total for this meal, and I lost my receipt! Oops!
Somehow we ended this trip with 4 meals remaining, I'm not sure how that happened. I got a printout that showed Wolfgang Puck's corrected their problem. I have a feeling the Food Court may have messed up.
All in all we ate Mickey into the poorhouse. We had a great time. I don't think we ever felt like it was way too much food (except for perhaps Cinderella's and the Pop Food Court) We usually just had a little of this and a little of that. The only time I ever finished all of my meal was at the Yachtsmen, it was so delicious.
I hope this helps some fellow DISers with future restaurant choices. I know I gleened a lot of info from the restaurant board here.
Erica





