Graduation and Birthday Celebration!
- Thread starter ginalmarie
- Start date
cwiklamama
Mouseketeer
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Your choices look great, I look forward to your review!
Subbing
Subbing
ginalmarie
Street Rat
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Thank you!Can't wait to read your reviews..you have some great choices on your list of places to dine at. Have a great trip!
BuzzyBelle
DIS Veteran
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Subbing! We're going in Aug and have a lot of the same ressies, too
I'd suggest the fiesta margarita with a pomegranate liquor floater at the margarita bar in Mexico. I hate margaritas and tequila 
but these are so delicious and refreshing! It's the one drink I look forward to the most when we visit. I second the grand marnier slush 
I've also heard great things about the drinks in AK, but we usually go there in the morning so I have yet to partake
Congratulations and I can't wait to read how everything goes
I'd suggest the fiesta margarita with a pomegranate liquor floater at the margarita bar in Mexico. I hate margaritas and tequila but these are so delicious and refreshing! It's the one drink I look forward to the most when we visit. I second the grand marnier slush I've also heard great things about the drinks in AK, but we usually go there in the morning so I have yet to partake Congratulations and I can't wait to read how everything goes
ginalmarie
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thanks for the sub!
ginalmarie
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thanks for the sub and the recommendations! When you say that you hate tequila, and that you still drink the margaritas, does it have tequila in it still? I got sick off it a while ago and just the smell makes me sick unfortunately. I'll have to look at more ak drinks when I go!Subbing! We're going in Aug and have a lot of the same ressies, too
BuzzyBelle
DIS Veteran
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It does have tequila, but with the fruit flavors( I think mango and strawberry) I can't taste it. If you had a bad experience with it though you may be able to still tell it's there If that's the case then stick with the Grey Goose slushies. Can't go wrong with those! I also heard the pina colada based drink(maybe Sultan Colada or something) at the Spice table counter is really good. That's on my to do list this trip.
) I can't taste it. If you had a bad experience with it though you may be able to still tell it's there If that's the case then stick with the Grey Goose slushies. Can't go wrong with those! I also heard the pina colada based drink(maybe Sultan Colada or something) at the Spice table counter is really good. That's on my to do list this trip.
ginalmarie
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Ohh I'll have to put the Sultan Colada on my list. Thanks!It does have tequila, but with the fruit flavors( I think mango and strawberry
ginalmarie
Street Rat
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thank you!Congrats on graduating! I can't wait for you to get started on your reviews, it looks like you have some great places lined up.
ginalmarie
Street Rat
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thanks for the recommendation!Subscribing!! You chose some great places-- and as far as alcohol, I love Rosa Regale, a super sweet sparkling wine in Italy. Basically everything else I like is margaritas and beer, so no help there, unfortunately
ginalmarie
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24 hours till I'm at disney!
ginalmarie
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I was planning on starting my reviews the first night of the trip, but there have been many obstacles that prevented me from doing so. K and I arrived at the Orlando Airport at 5:00PM, and got to Coronado Springs at about 6:00PM. We briefly went to our room, and then went directly to Downtown Disney. Following our meal at Planet Hollywood, we went back to our room at 10:00PM, only to find out that only 2/3 of our suitcases were brought in from Magical Express. I had to call the front desk, and after speaking with the manager, we discovered that Magical Express only brought two suitcases of ours from the airport. We had registered all three through Southwest at the ROC, NY airport, so K and I were livid.
While we were figuring out what to do, we got a voicemail on K's cellphone. Some man left us a message saying he was on our flight, and someone in his traveling group took our suitcase by accident. He said that he was two hours from Orlando, and didn't know how to get the suitcase to us. How does stuff like that even happen?! It took two days, but he finally got it sent to us in our hotel room address. It was a crappy situation, but I'm just happy we put in our contact information in the luggage tag (I filled out our names and numbers before we drove to the airport!).
The hotel manager (at least I think she's the manager), Kim, was incredibly helpful and kind throughout this situation. Along with some little perks, we arrived to our room on Friday night to this:
It's so thoughtful and cute, and we were so thrilled with the Disney Magic we experienced! It's actually a little creepy because K and I were looking at the exact Mickey hats in Epcot earlier in the day...
Alright, here is the first review of the trip!
To make everything clear and consistent, I am creating a rating system. The scale is from 1 to 5. Number 1 is the lowest, and number five is the highest. I will rate the experience based upon service, food, and atmosphere.
Planet Hollywood
K and I went to Planet Hollywood right after we arrived at Coronado Springs. K was feeling sick, and I wasn’t feeling too hot, so we weren’t incredibly hungry.
The atmosphere of Planet Hollywood is overwhelming. We went on a Thursday night at about 9:00PM, and it was super packed. There’s normally a line out the door for people who haven’t had reservations, so I’d recommend making a reservation if you choose to go here. We always use the $10 Planet Hollywood voucher that we have in the Disney’s complimentary coupon book. We also normally redeem the “free gift” at the Planet Hollywood gift-store. It’s usually a small keychain- nothing too big.
I do not like the set-up of the restaurant. Once you walk up the huge flight of stairs to get into the restaurant, you’re told to stand in front of a green backdrop and get your photo taken. Last year, K and I thought that it would be fun, and so we willingly agreed to pose in front of the green screen. Midway through our meal, a photographer awkwardly came to our table and put the photo of us in our hand; it was printed and in a nice Planet Hollywood cardboard frame. I thought it was free for a quick second (hah!), and then realized they were trying to charge us for the terribly taken photo. No thank you. This year, I declined getting our photo taken. Sorry if I seem rude, but I don’t want to waste all that printed paper.
There are three floors, and you’re basically ushered from staff member to staff member, and then herd you like cattle to the next room/location. We found ourselves on the second floor, and were seated after about ten minutes of checking in for our reservation.
The Meal
Kayleen ordered the Lion King nonalcoholic beverage. She loves everything Lion King related, so she had to get it. This has orange juice, cranberry juice, grenadine, and Sprite. It came in a light-up cup.
Lion King: $6.99
Since we both weren't feeling too hot, we decided to split the VIP Platter appetizer. We've had the World Famous Chicken Crunch before, and it was AMAZING. So we knew the appetizer would feature some good things. Each item on the platter had four. By the time I took the picture, we had already had some of it, so please excuse the inaccurate portions.
VIP Platter: $24.99
Famous Chicken Crunch, Buffalo Wings, Texas Tostados and Spinach dip (Serves Four)
Texas Tostados- Crispy mini tortillas topped with barbeque chicken, sautéed onions, Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses with sour cream and pico de gallo
Buffalo Wings- Golden fried chicken wings tossed in our signature spicy wing sauce served with bleu cheese dressing
World Famous Chicken Crunch- Tender strips of chicken breast with a crunchy sweet coating served with Creole mustard
I didn't take a picture of the spinach dip because it was watery and looked disgusting. The picture of the platter overall is a decent representation of what it looked like.
The Verdict
Texas Tostados: This is said to come with sour cream and pico de gallo but I didn't receive any. The shell was chip-like, and tasted awesome. I honestly thought the BBQ chicken was unnecessary, and would have prefered regular grilled chicken instead. Overall, I thought it was pretty good! They weren't soggy, and were hot when served.
Buffalo Wings: Way too spicy. K, who LOVES wings, refused to eat any after taking a bite. They were dried out and there wasn't much meat. They were not high quality at all.
World Famous Chicken Crunch: This was our biggest upset. After two years of enjoying this chicken, K and I were disappointed. They were overcooked and very dry. The breading is sweet, and tastes amazing with the Creole mustard, but it was difficult to mask the dryness of the chicken.
Spinach Dip: The dip was decent. The issue that I had with it was that it was watery, and that made it look and seem pretty disgusting. There were tomatoes and mushrooms chilling in the dip, which made it kinda random and strange tasting. I did like that it came with a huge bowl of chips, so even though I didn't have much dip, I had tons of chips!
Overall, the experience was decent. Our server was friendly, but our seating and food wasn't too great. We sat right in the middle of two crowded tables, and found ourselves cramped. K was feeling sick, and it just so happened that a diner close to us requested a bottle of Vinegar... this smelled up our space, and it was pretty gross. The atmosphere was nice, but it was so loud that it was difficult to enjoy it. The pop culture theming and decor is cool, but after going for three years in a row, I think we're done for a while. The only thing that would keep us coming back is their Chicken Crunch.
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Up Next: Downtown Disney AMC Fork & Dine
While we were figuring out what to do, we got a voicemail on K's cellphone. Some man left us a message saying he was on our flight, and someone in his traveling group took our suitcase by accident. He said that he was two hours from Orlando, and didn't know how to get the suitcase to us. How does stuff like that even happen?! It took two days, but he finally got it sent to us in our hotel room address. It was a crappy situation, but I'm just happy we put in our contact information in the luggage tag (I filled out our names and numbers before we drove to the airport!).
The hotel manager (at least I think she's the manager), Kim, was incredibly helpful and kind throughout this situation. Along with some little perks, we arrived to our room on Friday night to this:
It's so thoughtful and cute, and we were so thrilled with the Disney Magic we experienced! It's actually a little creepy because K and I were looking at the exact Mickey hats in Epcot earlier in the day...
Alright, here is the first review of the trip!
To make everything clear and consistent, I am creating a rating system. The scale is from 1 to 5. Number 1 is the lowest, and number five is the highest. I will rate the experience based upon service, food, and atmosphere.
Planet Hollywood
K and I went to Planet Hollywood right after we arrived at Coronado Springs. K was feeling sick, and I wasn’t feeling too hot, so we weren’t incredibly hungry.
The atmosphere of Planet Hollywood is overwhelming. We went on a Thursday night at about 9:00PM, and it was super packed. There’s normally a line out the door for people who haven’t had reservations, so I’d recommend making a reservation if you choose to go here. We always use the $10 Planet Hollywood voucher that we have in the Disney’s complimentary coupon book. We also normally redeem the “free gift” at the Planet Hollywood gift-store. It’s usually a small keychain- nothing too big.
I do not like the set-up of the restaurant. Once you walk up the huge flight of stairs to get into the restaurant, you’re told to stand in front of a green backdrop and get your photo taken. Last year, K and I thought that it would be fun, and so we willingly agreed to pose in front of the green screen. Midway through our meal, a photographer awkwardly came to our table and put the photo of us in our hand; it was printed and in a nice Planet Hollywood cardboard frame. I thought it was free for a quick second (hah!), and then realized they were trying to charge us for the terribly taken photo. No thank you. This year, I declined getting our photo taken. Sorry if I seem rude, but I don’t want to waste all that printed paper.
There are three floors, and you’re basically ushered from staff member to staff member, and then herd you like cattle to the next room/location. We found ourselves on the second floor, and were seated after about ten minutes of checking in for our reservation.
The Meal
Kayleen ordered the Lion King nonalcoholic beverage. She loves everything Lion King related, so she had to get it. This has orange juice, cranberry juice, grenadine, and Sprite. It came in a light-up cup.
Lion King: $6.99
Since we both weren't feeling too hot, we decided to split the VIP Platter appetizer. We've had the World Famous Chicken Crunch before, and it was AMAZING. So we knew the appetizer would feature some good things. Each item on the platter had four. By the time I took the picture, we had already had some of it, so please excuse the inaccurate portions.
VIP Platter: $24.99
Famous Chicken Crunch, Buffalo Wings, Texas Tostados and Spinach dip (Serves Four)
Texas Tostados- Crispy mini tortillas topped with barbeque chicken, sautéed onions, Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses with sour cream and pico de gallo
Buffalo Wings- Golden fried chicken wings tossed in our signature spicy wing sauce served with bleu cheese dressing
World Famous Chicken Crunch- Tender strips of chicken breast with a crunchy sweet coating served with Creole mustard
I didn't take a picture of the spinach dip because it was watery and looked disgusting. The picture of the platter overall is a decent representation of what it looked like.
The Verdict
Texas Tostados: This is said to come with sour cream and pico de gallo but I didn't receive any. The shell was chip-like, and tasted awesome. I honestly thought the BBQ chicken was unnecessary, and would have prefered regular grilled chicken instead. Overall, I thought it was pretty good! They weren't soggy, and were hot when served.
Buffalo Wings: Way too spicy. K, who LOVES wings, refused to eat any after taking a bite. They were dried out and there wasn't much meat. They were not high quality at all.
World Famous Chicken Crunch: This was our biggest upset. After two years of enjoying this chicken, K and I were disappointed. They were overcooked and very dry. The breading is sweet, and tastes amazing with the Creole mustard, but it was difficult to mask the dryness of the chicken.
Spinach Dip: The dip was decent. The issue that I had with it was that it was watery, and that made it look and seem pretty disgusting. There were tomatoes and mushrooms chilling in the dip, which made it kinda random and strange tasting. I did like that it came with a huge bowl of chips, so even though I didn't have much dip, I had tons of chips!
Overall, the experience was decent. Our server was friendly, but our seating and food wasn't too great. We sat right in the middle of two crowded tables, and found ourselves cramped. K was feeling sick, and it just so happened that a diner close to us requested a bottle of Vinegar... this smelled up our space, and it was pretty gross. The atmosphere was nice, but it was so loud that it was difficult to enjoy it. The pop culture theming and decor is cool, but after going for three years in a row, I think we're done for a while. The only thing that would keep us coming back is their Chicken Crunch.
Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Up Next: Downtown Disney AMC Fork & Dine
ginalmarie
Street Rat
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many thanks! Hope you enjoy!
ginalmarie
Street Rat
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- Apr 9, 2014
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A few weeks ago, K and I reserved seats at AMC Fork & Dine for the Maleficent midnight premiere on May 29. This was unfortunately the same night that we discovered our baggage was missing, so we weren't able to enjoy the experience as much as we would have liked.
AMC's Fork & Dine is a very interesting experience. You give your ticket stub to the front desk like at any other movie theater, and then they direct you to what theater you will be dining at. Each ticket is a specific seat, so K and I knew exactly where to sit.
It is incredibly dark in the theater, so much so that I had extreme difficulty taking pictures.
This was basically our visibility throughout the meal.
You take a seat in your theater/dining seat, and you have the option of reclining a few inches backwards, or leaning the chair straight up so you can eat at the table. In theory Fork & Dine is awesome, but the execution of eating in the dark attempting to watch a movie wasn't graceful or enjoyable.
If you can figure out a way to actually SEE the menu, and if you determine you're willing to order an overpriced menu item, you must push the button that is on the ledge in front of your counter space. We pressed the button and it lit up the color red, I believe. It took a good 15 minutes for someone to come take our order.
I couldn't get any pictures of the food- but K got a Classic Cheeseburger at $9.99 and a Sprite for about $4.00. They were all very basic and overpriced, and I didn't feel the need to order anything. The burger was apparently tasty, but I personally thought the fries were disgusting. I normally enjoy a good fry, but these were left uneaten.
The uneaten food and plates were left on the table for the remainder of the meal, and we got our bill after the movie ended and the credits began rolling. By the time our credit card was used to charge us, most people had already exited the theater.
The Verdict
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
I don't think I'd ever want to go to Fork & Dine again. It was costly, confusing, and just overall not as fun as I thought it would be. I like to look at my food before/during/and after I eat it. I also believe that going to a movie theater while at Disney World is a waste of time, as I'd rather be doing other fun things in Downtown Disney.
Up Next: Tusker House
AMC's Fork & Dine is a very interesting experience. You give your ticket stub to the front desk like at any other movie theater, and then they direct you to what theater you will be dining at. Each ticket is a specific seat, so K and I knew exactly where to sit.
It is incredibly dark in the theater, so much so that I had extreme difficulty taking pictures.
This was basically our visibility throughout the meal.
You take a seat in your theater/dining seat, and you have the option of reclining a few inches backwards, or leaning the chair straight up so you can eat at the table. In theory Fork & Dine is awesome, but the execution of eating in the dark attempting to watch a movie wasn't graceful or enjoyable.
If you can figure out a way to actually SEE the menu, and if you determine you're willing to order an overpriced menu item, you must push the button that is on the ledge in front of your counter space. We pressed the button and it lit up the color red, I believe. It took a good 15 minutes for someone to come take our order.
I couldn't get any pictures of the food- but K got a Classic Cheeseburger at $9.99 and a Sprite for about $4.00. They were all very basic and overpriced, and I didn't feel the need to order anything. The burger was apparently tasty, but I personally thought the fries were disgusting. I normally enjoy a good fry, but these were left uneaten.
The uneaten food and plates were left on the table for the remainder of the meal, and we got our bill after the movie ended and the credits began rolling. By the time our credit card was used to charge us, most people had already exited the theater.
The Verdict
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
I don't think I'd ever want to go to Fork & Dine again. It was costly, confusing, and just overall not as fun as I thought it would be. I like to look at my food before/during/and after I eat it. I also believe that going to a movie theater while at Disney World is a waste of time, as I'd rather be doing other fun things in Downtown Disney.
Up Next: Tusker House
BuzzyBelle
DIS Veteran
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- Apr 26, 2014
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That's awful about your bag, but yea for the pixie dust 
left in your room! Great reviews so far I had a similar experience at the AMC locally and hoped it would be better at Disney, but I guess not Can't wait to read Tusker House
left in your room! Great reviews so far I had a similar experience at the AMC locally and hoped it would be better at Disney, but I guess not Can't wait to read Tusker House
ginalmarie
Street Rat
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That's awful about your bag, but yea for the pixie dust
Tusker House is my next review- it was amazing!
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