Honeymoon Lovers and Seafood Lovers take on Disney Dining! - dining plan analysis

[librarygeek]

Wishes Dessert Party

I was really excited about booking this, since it looked so good from all of the pictures I'd seen. Our ressie was at 9:20 but we showed up at 9:05 and they seated us no problem. Our table was great - right by the railing. In this picture the person that took it stood right in front of our table so that was basically the view that we had:

Then it was time to get some of those desserts! Now, my poor stomach was not happy after the way I treated it on the wedding day, when I didn't really eat much all day. So it was still protesting and not letting me eat much. But I was determined to try these desserts!

Yum, they were so good! The creme brulee in the middle was very good. The chocolate covered strawberries were excellent. I discovered that I really like fruit tarts, as those two little ones at the front of the plate were my favorites. There was also some sort of banana dessert behind there that was quite good. The little key lime pie and the Mango shooter were just okay, I wasn't crazy about them. I also had hot tea with the desserts.

And because I had to try some of everything I went back for a few things I missed:

This plate was actually a dud so there was really no point in me going back. The chocolate mousse on the left was all right, a good chocolate mousse. But the little thing in the middle, I'm not sure what it was but it was WAY too rich for me. And then on the right is some sort of coffee or capuccino flavored dessert, and I hate anything that tastes like coffee so I only had one bite.

Here's Jason's plate:

He's a little boring for my taste! Why get a brownie and rice crispy treat when you can get those anywhere? Oh well, he liked it. He said the chocolate covered strawberries were his favorite and I believe he went back for a few more of those.

We decided to stand up at the railing in order to get a good view, since if anyone stood in front of us we would have absolutely no view from the table. Unfortunately my stomach was deciding that it wasn't going to let me off so easy and I started feeling a little ill. We still enjoyed Wishes though:

However, by the time it was over I was feeling really sick. I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the bus stop! The heat was really getting to me too and I was afraid I was going to pass out or vomit or something. So we sat for awhile afterwards and finally I had the strength to go back. Guess I ate a few too many desserts...

Overall we give the dessert party a 9 out of 10. The desserts were really excellent. However, it does seem a bit overpriced even for Disney and is probably not something that we could afford for every visit. I probably would've enjoyed it more overall if I wasn't feeling a little sick too, so that might contribute. The one other thing is that it would be nice if you could sit for the fireworks, but if you tried to your view would be blocked so you have to stand. I don't know if it would be possible for them to arrange it somehow that all the tables have good views and no would need to stand, but in an ideal world that would be great!

 

[ILoveMK2008]

That wishes dessert party looks yummy!! I have already told dh that we are definitely trying in next trip. We are planning on skipping the dining plan and paying oop for food next time, so hopefully we won't be overloaded on desserts!!

 

[tybrilinja]

YUM those desserts look delicious! I want some now and its only 9:35 am here I am really liking your review, as we are seafood lovers too, so can't wait for your next installment.

 

[Tinkerbellah]

Great Review so far & congrats!! WDW seems like a great place to start a marriage off right! Now the dessert party seems like agood idea, but we decided there would be no way we would get our money's worth w/o coming out sick. Since we r on the DDP our bellies will not have any room for EXTRA dessert. LOL!! Thank you for the great pics!!!

We used to go to CRT all the time. Now, I feel good that I'm not missing much since they changed the menu. However,I am rethinking Narcoosee's. Ur lobster just looks perfect!!!

 

[librarygeek]

That wishes dessert party looks yummy!! I have already told dh that we are definitely trying in next trip. We are planning on skipping the dining plan and paying oop for food next time, so hopefully we won't be overloaded on desserts!!

It was really yummy! We probably would be better off paying oop too except that the dining plan was free! But if it wasn't I don't know if we would do it.

YUM those desserts look delicious! I want some now and its only 9:35 am here I am really liking your review, as we are seafood lovers too, so can't wait for your next installment.

Yeah I just had cupcakes for breakfast because I was reading the cupcake thread on here! Glad to hear you are also seafood fans - I think we had some sort of seafood dish at almost every meal!

Great Review so far & congrats!! WDW seems like a great place to start a marriage off right! Now the dessert party seems like agood idea, but we decided there would be no way we would get our money's worth w/o coming out sick. Since we r on the DDP our bellies will not have any room for EXTRA dessert. LOL!! Thank you for the great pics!!!

We used to go to CRT all the time. Now, I feel good that I'm not missing much since they changed the menu. However,I am rethinking Narcoosee's. Ur lobster just looks perfect!!!

Thank you! Yeah, I would probably skip dinner if I was going to do the dessert party again! It was enough food on its own But definitely try Narcoossee's! That lobster was one of the best things I've ever eaten!

 

[librarygeek]

Jason started out our Epcot day by getting a bagel from the Riverside Mill Food Court. He only used a snack credit for it:

Then it was on to Epcot! It felt so empty. We went on Mission Space, Test Track, and then over to the Land to ride Soarin'. It was a 20 minute wait so we grabbed a fast pass (it was so empty in the parks that 20 minutes seemed like a long wait time!) and we went to the Circle of Life show and the boat ride in the Land. Soarin' was great and by the time we were done it was around 11:30. We were already in the Land, so it was the perfect time to try Sunshine Seasons!

Jason got the Togarashi Seared Tuna Noodle Salad:

He really enjoyed this and gave it an 8 out of 10. It was served under the salad section but really didn't seem much like a salad to me. He loves tuna though so this was perfect.

I got the spicy chicken cashew dish with noodles:

This was good! I gave it an 8 out of 10, and it definitely had a kick to it! For me it was the perfect level of spiciness. You could definitely feel it, but you weren't sweating either.

For dessert I had the Strawberry Shortcake, and Jason had the NY style cheesecake:

I gave the strawberry shortcake an 8.5 out of 10. It was really yummy! Jason gave the cheesecake a 7.5 out of 10. He's kind of a cheesecake snob and said that "it was cheesecake." Meaning it was just average cheesecake, nothing special but not bad.

Overall we give Sunshine Seasons an 8.5 out of 10. It's most definitely our favorite CS that we did, and the only CS option we would really consider doing in the Future World of Epcot. There are lots of other items on the menu there that we would also want to try!

Prices are from AllEars so I don't know if they are still 100% accurate:

Chicken cashew: $9.99
Tuna Salad: $9.99
Strawberry Shortcake: $3.99
NY Cheesecake: $3.99
Regular soda: $2.39
Regular soda: $2.39

Total (without tax): $32.74

Since this is beverage related: we also headed to Club Cool to sample the different sodas!

Jason's favorite was the one from Japan, and I liked the Fanta one from Costa Rica. It was sweet and tasted very similar to Irn Bru, a soda from Scotland that I grew to love when I studied abroad.

We headed back to the hotel for a break before dinner and we stopped by the food court so I could get one of these with a snack credit:

Magic Cookie bar! I give it a 7.5 out of 10. It was good but pretty dense. Took me a few days to finish it!

 

[mousegear]

Congrats!!!

All caught up~! I love your review of Wishes Dessert Party and Columbia Habour House. We skipped Sunshines Seasons this time but would love to go back next trip.

 

[Tinkerbellah]

Now that cheesecake look soo amazing!!! I might have to sample that to make sure it's not really a 10!LOL!!!
Let me add that I think mini samples of pop @ club cool is one of the BEST WDW treats!!! I love it!!!

 

[jedi jen]

Love your reviews!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Congrats on the wedding!

Loving the reviews so far and looking forward to more. EoS sure is yummy and I agree in that Caprese sandwich was very good.

Wow at the amount of time it took to get to Narcoossee's - I'm glad it was worth it.

Wishes Dessert Party looks soo good - would love to try that one day.

 

[librarygeek]

Congrats!!!

All caught up~! I love your review of Wishes Dessert Party and Columbia Habour House. We skipped Sunshines Seasons this time but would love to go back next trip.

Thank you! Yes, Sunshine Seasons was definitely a good one!

Now that cheesecake look soo amazing!!! I might have to sample that to make sure it's not really a 10!LOL!!!
Let me add that I think mini samples of pop @ club cool is one of the BEST WDW treats!!! I love it!!!

Definitely sample the cheesecake! Haha, I think DH is just a bit spoiled because we live down the street from The Cheesecake Factory

Love your reviews!

Thanks!

Congrats on the wedding!

Loving the reviews so far and looking forward to more. EoS sure is yummy and I agree in that Caprese sandwich was very good.

Wow at the amount of time it took to get to Narcoossee's - I'm glad it was worth it.

Wishes Dessert Party looks soo good - would love to try that one day.

I think that the travel time to Narcoossee's almost gave me a heart attack though - I really thought we'd never get there! So delicious, but in the future we will definitely think about renting a car. There were many occasions where it would have been useful for us on this trip. But it was expensive, especially since we get hit with an extra "under 25 years old" charge.

 

[Sandy321]

CONGRATULATIONS Indeed!

Thank you so much for taking the time to review your meals! Unfortunately for me, my mouth is watering!

I also appreciate the time you have taken to add the prices, we're going in January and will be venturing OOP for the first time! I also appreciate that you mentioned that when you get the receipts on the Dining Plan - its $00.00 out! thank you for adding the prices - even if you went to get them from alleasrs - it adds to your reviews for me - and I appreciate it! (even tho I have been pouring over menus from there and prices - I still appreciate your effort!)

Our favorite CS is also CHH - dont think I knew they had a lobster roll!
Our favorite Epcot CS in Future world hands down is Sunshine Seasons, we'll pass the other places - but we're stuck on the variety and quality at Sunshine Seasons - its been awhile since we've been - glad to see your pictures and reviews - YUM!

I made the mistake of trying to navigate resort to resort once too - very frustrating - I know they have a boat from MK to GF and the Grand is the first stop - but that can also take a long time if there is a line of people waiting for it!

I still am not sure if its worth the price of renting a car for a week tho - we spend those $$ at the bar!! and there is no way we want to even contemplate drinking and driving around the traffic areas in Disney! But the time to get to places sometimes is ridiculous... so we may rethink that some time in the future - we can always stop at a Publix and make our drinks in the room!

 

[librarygeek]

CONGRATULATIONS Indeed!

Thank you so much for taking the time to review your meals! Unfortunately for me, my mouth is watering!

I also appreciate the time you have taken to add the prices, we're going in January and will be venturing OOP for the first time! I also appreciate that you mentioned that when you get the receipts on the Dining Plan - its $00.00 out! thank you for adding the prices - even if you went to get them from alleasrs - it adds to your reviews for me - and I appreciate it! (even tho I have been pouring over menus from there and prices - I still appreciate your effort!)

Our favorite CS is also CHH - dont think I knew they had a lobster roll!
Our favorite Epcot CS in Future world hands down is Sunshine Seasons, we'll pass the other places - but we're stuck on the variety and quality at Sunshine Seasons - its been awhile since we've been - glad to see your pictures and reviews - YUM!

I made the mistake of trying to navigate resort to resort once too - very frustrating - I know they have a boat from MK to GF and the Grand is the first stop - but that can also take a long time if there is a line of people waiting for it!

I still am not sure if its worth the price of renting a car for a week tho - we spend those $$ at the bar!! and there is no way we want to even contemplate drinking and driving around the traffic areas in Disney! But the time to get to places sometimes is ridiculous... so we may rethink that some time in the future - we can always stop at a Publix and make our drinks in the room!

Thanks, I'm glad the prices can help! Most of the table service meals I do have exact prices, because they gave you a bill and then when you paid with the dining plan they brought out another one with the zeros.

I heard the lobster roll is a new addition at CHH!

And you make a good point about renting a car... puts a damper on the drinking! We probably will next time since we are most likely doing a trip with my parents and they want to go to Universal. Ah well, I guess there will always be a way to work it out!

 

[librarygeek]

Coral Reef

After taking a quick break back at the resort, we came back to Epcot, rode Nemo (very cute!) and then headed to dinner at the Coral Reef.

We checked in about five or ten minutes early and had to wait about fifteen minutes. But we were seated right next to the tank, in a great spot!

First we got drinks. I ordered the Pina Colava (Bacardi Razz Rum blended
with Piña Colada Mix and Raspberry Puré):

This was quite tasty, though it needed to be stirred up a little to get all of that yummy raspberry flavor throughout. Definitely a good choice

DH got a drink too, I believe this was the Captain's Rum Runner (Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Blackberry Brandy, Créme de Banana, and Tropical Juices topped with a float of Myers’s Original Dark Rum):

He enjoyed this, I tried it too and it was very good.

For my entree I got the Grilled Mahi Mahi (with Rock Shrimp, Hearts of Palm, Jasmine Rice, Cilantro, and a Coconut-Lime Sauce):

This was definitely tasty, I gave it an 8 out of 10. The fish was very well cooked. There could have been a few more shrimp and I wouldn't have minded, but that wasn't the main focus of the dish so it was okay. The one thing I thought was that it really could have used more coconut lime sauce! That is the part of the dish that sounded so appealing to me, and I could barely taste the coconut/lime flavors.

Jason ordered the Seared Rainbow Trout (with Warm Salad of White Beans, Arugula, Tomatoes, Crispy Bacon, Aged Balsamic Vinegar, and Brown Butter):

He gave it a 9 out of 10. His only comment on the dish was that "it was really yummy." I didn't try it because I'm not a huge fan of trout.

For dessert I had the chocolate wave:

This was delicious! 9.5 out of 10! It was rich, but in a good way. I wish I had more room in my stomach to eat it all, I think I ate most of it. You really can't beat the combo of chocolate and raspberry sauce.

Jason's dessert was the Key Lime Mousse (With roasted pineapple, mango glaze and chocolate pearls):

He gave it an 8 out of 10. He decided he doesn't really like fresh mango though so he didn't like that part. Personally I think he didn't like it nearly enough to give it an 8 but he felt bad because he ordered it knowing he doesn't really like mango. I tried a bite and thought it was good, I really liked the crunchy chocolate pearls that went with it!

I also got a hot tea with dessert. I did this pretty much every meal that I ordered alcohol at, because I didn't use my non-alcoholic drink credit that came with the dining plan during dinner. I like tea and they have a good selection, I always had the earl grey and enjoyed it.

Overall we give the Coral Reef an 8.5 out of 10. We didn't have an issues that I've read on the boards - no obnoxious children hovering over our table, the noise level was normal for a Disney restaurant, and the food was cooked well. We would definitely come back at some point!

Rum Runner: $8.50
Pina Colava: $8.25
Trout: $19.99
Mahi Mahi: $24.99
Chocolate Wave: $7.99
Key Lime Mousse: $7.99
Hot Tea: (not sure exactly, maybe around $3?)

Total with tax: $85.31


Drinks!

We decided to head into the World Showcase that evening to watch Illuminations, and managed to find a bench in China right next to the Tea Cart. So we got some drinks to enjoy while watching the fireworks.

I had the Plum Wine:

This was a sweet wine. I love sweet wines, but this was ridiculously sweet - like, too sweet even for me. I wouldn't get it again. It was $4.99.

Jason got the Peach Snap:

This was much better. We both really liked it, though Jason didn't realize it was a frozen drink and he doesn't care for that as much. Poor guy had to deal with me trying to drink most of his too It was $7.50.

 

[ChrissyBeth29]

Firstly...congratulations on your wedding. You two are so stinking cute I can't stand it! I wish you a long life full of happiness and love. Secondly...great reviews so far! I can't wait to finish reading them!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Love the review of Coral Reef!

We never made it here but if we had I would've ordered the main and dessert you did. I'm glad you enjoyed the food and the atmosphere - yay on being seated next to a tank!

 

[Jonesloonybin]

Loving your reviews!

Congrats on the Wedding too!

We are still debating about the Wishes Dessert Party..(and by we, I really mean me!)

Terri

 

[mousegear]

Love reading your reviews! Enjoyed reading your Coral Reef review! DS really wants to try Coral Reef but it always gets left our in the end b/c there are so many places to eat in Epcot! We also felt that Epcot seems very emty during our visit!

 

[archdandy]

Great reviews. It can feel a little icky sometimes in the hot florida heat with all the food that you can on the dining plan. We usually go with DDXP and I only ever eat half of the appetizer (if I order one) and half to three quarters of my entree and of course dessert. Congrats on getting married!

 

[librarygeek]

Firstly...congratulations on your wedding. You two are so stinking cute I can't stand it! I wish you a long life full of happiness and love. Secondly...great reviews so far! I can't wait to finish reading them!

Thank you!

Love the review of Coral Reef!

We never made it here but if we had I would've ordered the main and dessert you did. I'm glad you enjoyed the food and the atmosphere - yay on being seated next to a tank!

The tank was definitely cool! The food was tasty but I think dessert was the best part!

Loving your reviews!

Congrats on the Wedding too!

We are still debating about the Wishes Dessert Party..(and by we, I really mean me!)

Terri

Thanks! I think the dessert party is definitely worth doing once, especially if you love desserts! Just leave plenty of room

Love reading your reviews! Enjoyed reading your Coral Reef review! DS really wants to try Coral Reef but it always gets left our in the end b/c there are so many places to eat in Epcot! We also felt that Epcot seems very emty during our visit!

I know what you mean, we always want to try the different countries. We did one day in Epcot where we spent the entire day in future world and another day where we did just the world showcase. Since we weren't planning on going into the world showcase anyway it made sense to try Coral Reef!

Great reviews. It can feel a little icky sometimes in the hot florida heat with all the food that you can on the dining plan. We usually go with DDXP and I only ever eat half of the appetizer (if I order one) and half to three quarters of my entree and of course dessert. Congrats on getting married!

Thanks! Yeah, I dunno, I used to be able to eat a lot more than I do now, I guess my body has officially exited the ravenous young adult mode! The heat and the thought of going on rides and stuff doesn't help either. I would love to do the DDxP since we love apps, but I worry I wouldn't have any self control! If it's good I will want to eat all of it.