Friday, November 29th - Saturday, December 7th
Cast:
Maryann & Andrew (Both 29)
2nd part of the trip adds
Maryanns' Father (Dad) who is 76 & Stepmother (SM) who is late 50's
This is Dad's first trip to Disney.
A few quick notes - all in all we had a great week food-wise. No huge complaints except that the only good hot chocolate I found all week was the ones with alcohol in them from the World Showcase.
It was quite cold a few days so I was hunting down anything hot to drink. I think Dad was in price-shock the first few days, but got over it eventually. There were a few times the service was less than desirable, but overall ok.
The hot Moroccan Mint Tea became one of my favorites this trip, try it!
PARKS
Flame Tree BBQ at AK
We used the coupon deal for our meal at the AK, great value IMO. I had the smoked chicken breast sandwich which was pretty good, the sides were excellent. Andrew & Dad had the ribs which looked ok, a little dry but seemed tender. I love the seating area for this place, it's a nice relaxing few minutes "lost" in the hustle.
Hollywood Scoops @ MGM
Yum! Great value for the amount of ice cream you get here! The Butter Pecan was to die for.
Toluca Legs Turkey Co @ MGM
Andrew swears by the foot long hot dogs with chili & cheese here. I didn't have any, but they did look really good.
Catalina Eddie's @ MGM
The pepperoni pizza was excellent for the price, straight from the oven & very fresh. Tons o' cheese. The lines here were super long & slow moving though.
***I had a pretzel at the stand across from Gertie's Ice Cream @ MGM - yuck! Save your $3.50. However, the spicy cheese stuffed pretzels from Epcot were SOO good.
Boulangerie Patisserie, France @ Epcot
I'm a bit embarrassed to list everything we had here. ;-) Most everything was excellent except for the hot chocolate which was really, really bad. The apple turnover(s) were wonderful.
Kringla og Bakeri, Norway @ Epcot
Super good rice pudding & cookies...that's all we tried but would like to go back for some cheesecake. Super friendly hosts in there too.
Rose & Crown, UK @ Epcot
We had lunch here on 12-6 which was one of the coldest days we were there. We ended up sitting on the patio with the plastic down & the patio heaters on, it was perfectly comfortable. Dad & I both had the Fish & Chips which was very good & HUGE. Andrew had the Chicken Pot Pie which he enjoyed too. Dad fell in love with the Lamb Barley Soup which they were kind enough to give him the recipe for.
San Angel Inn, Mexico @ Epcot
This is one of my favorite WDW restaurants & usually you would never hear a negative word from me. Once again, the food was excellent that being said I didn't really enjoy our visit this time. We ate there 11/29 as part of our CP dinner package. When we arrived we were sat in a timely manner & were really surprised to see how closely they had shoved the tables in. I kid you not, the edges of the tables were touching, we were kidding that thank goodness there were only two of us because you would have had to have the whole table next to you move so you could get in and out of the other chairs.
It was just TOO close for a nice restaurant like that, IMO. My other complaint was the service. As soon as he found out we were on the CP package we hardly saw him again. We ate at 8:45 pm so it wasn't horribly crowded, it took 10+ mins for drinks (non-alcoholic) and almost 20 mins to find someone to take our order with no drink refills during the entire time unless we hunted someone down. I might be jaded, but I blame this mostly on the package with gratuity already included. I can't stand arrangements like that. We did ask the manager several times for drinks, etc & he was nice but just didn't seem concerned.
We will eat here again as we love the food & ambience, but I really hope it's improved next time. (BTW, the ceviche was EXCELLENT)
Yorkshire County Fish Shop @ UK, Epcot
Dad had Fish & Chips here several times during our stay, he said they were excellent & always were piping hot.
Cinderella's Royal Table @ MK
We had an early dinner here before the Christmas party. We had eaten here before, but this time they outdid themselves. We had a great server (who I am writing WDW about) & the food was wonderful. I think I found the best park value here & that was Her Majesty's Caesar Salad for $5. It was big & so fresh. (I have butt-lettuce issues so it was a treat for me) We also had the crab cakes, prime rib, seafood risotta & salmon. Everyone raved about their food & just wish we could have eaten dessert too. The hot tea was so good, I'm trying to find somewhere to buy the bags for home.
Aloha Isle @ MK
Got Dad addicted to Dole Whips & floats, don't want to tell you how many we had over a 10 day period.
Main Street Bake Shop @ MK
Had a quick snack here, was very good except for the hot chocolate. The lines just get so long in here, otherwise we would have gone back more.
RESORTS & MISC
Boma @ Animal Kingdom Lodge
Once again, excellent food & service. I was worried about taking Dad here because I wasn't too sure if he would like the food HA! I've never seen a person eat so much in my life. It was a great meal & the perfect way to start their week off at Disney. The pods were so crowded though, it was a challenge to get up to one & get what you wanted.
Mara @ Animal Kingdom Lodge
Last year when we stayed at AKL I was very impressed with Mara. This year I wasn't so much. The line to order food seemed very disorderly and chaotic, people were everywhere coming & going and Dad had a hard time figuring out what he was supposed to be doing. The food was average food court fare. The drink/condiments area was a crammed mess IMO.
Victoria Falls @ Animal Kingdom Lodge
I found this lounge to be very relaxing if you wander in & sit at one of the tables to unwind. We went down on Sunday night to watch Sunday Night Football & were less than thrilled with the bar. Those pretty lamps that I admired from the tables were a pain in the rear when you were actually sitting at the bar. They're bolted down with large shades so it completely blocks you from conversing with people around you except for the one person you are in between lamps with. Poor planning IMO, the bartender said they constantly have complaints about them & the lack of viewing area for the TV. I know the Lodge isn't made for sitting around & watching TV, but it was late & we just wanted to hang out somewhere other than our room to watch.
Cape May Café @ Beach Club
We had dinner here the food was excellent with one of two complaints being that there were only clams, no mussels. Dad & I stuffed ourselves, though. The service was not good here at all. He acted like he was bothered we were there & it kind of put a damper on the meal. Still, great food & yummy desserts - if you're a steamers fan don't miss it.
ESPN @ The Boardwalk
We had a great meal here! Every other time has been good, but this time the food was excellent as was the service. Dad really enjoyed it here even though he was grumbling before going that it was going to be cruddy sports bar food. He kept saying how good his clam chowder was & my buffalo chicken strips rocked.
Tambu Lounge @ The Polynesian
We might be staying at the Poly next time so we can just drink here & stagger to our rooms. I fell in love with the Lapu Lapu's (who wouldn't love drinking out of a pineapple) and Dad constantly wanted to "swing by" for a Zombie. Very comfortable atmosphere & good service.
Boatwright's @ Riverside
We only ate here once this time for breakfast. It was very good, as was the service. I thought it was reasonably priced as well, but I kind of miss the breakfast buffet they used to offer. The guys raved about their omelets.
Riverside Mill Food Court @ Riverside
Well. I This used to be my favorite food court. My biggest complaint would be the drink bar. Yuck. I don't blame this solely on Disney as they can't control the kids (and some adults) running up from everywhere spilling, dumping & generally just being gross. I didn't want to touch anything up there or set my tray down, it was a mess the whole time we were there. The food was decent, but nothing to write home about. (although I guess I just did) It was kind of disappointing, we like to just grab a meal sometimes & it was just a hassle this time with the crowds & mess.
Sassagoula Pizza Express @ Riverside
One word - Don't. It was late, we were tired so figured the pizza we had at the food court before was ok so why not. $24, large with 2 toppings - it was horrid.
Gourmet Pantry @ Downtown Disney
This has always been a favorite of mine when shopping down there we grabbed both breakfast & lunch and both were excellent.
Phew, now I'm tired & hungry. Hope this helps!!
-Maryann
Feel free to mail me if you have any questions... izzarelli@aol.com
Cast:
Maryann & Andrew (Both 29)
2nd part of the trip adds
Maryanns' Father (Dad) who is 76 & Stepmother (SM) who is late 50's
This is Dad's first trip to Disney.
A few quick notes - all in all we had a great week food-wise. No huge complaints except that the only good hot chocolate I found all week was the ones with alcohol in them from the World Showcase.
It was quite cold a few days so I was hunting down anything hot to drink. I think Dad was in price-shock the first few days, but got over it eventually. There were a few times the service was less than desirable, but overall ok.The hot Moroccan Mint Tea became one of my favorites this trip, try it!
PARKS
Flame Tree BBQ at AK
We used the coupon deal for our meal at the AK, great value IMO. I had the smoked chicken breast sandwich which was pretty good, the sides were excellent. Andrew & Dad had the ribs which looked ok, a little dry but seemed tender. I love the seating area for this place, it's a nice relaxing few minutes "lost" in the hustle.
Hollywood Scoops @ MGM
Yum! Great value for the amount of ice cream you get here! The Butter Pecan was to die for.
Toluca Legs Turkey Co @ MGM
Andrew swears by the foot long hot dogs with chili & cheese here. I didn't have any, but they did look really good.
Catalina Eddie's @ MGM
The pepperoni pizza was excellent for the price, straight from the oven & very fresh. Tons o' cheese. The lines here were super long & slow moving though.
***I had a pretzel at the stand across from Gertie's Ice Cream @ MGM - yuck! Save your $3.50. However, the spicy cheese stuffed pretzels from Epcot were SOO good.
Boulangerie Patisserie, France @ Epcot
I'm a bit embarrassed to list everything we had here. ;-) Most everything was excellent except for the hot chocolate which was really, really bad. The apple turnover(s) were wonderful.
Kringla og Bakeri, Norway @ Epcot
Super good rice pudding & cookies...that's all we tried but would like to go back for some cheesecake. Super friendly hosts in there too.
Rose & Crown, UK @ Epcot
We had lunch here on 12-6 which was one of the coldest days we were there. We ended up sitting on the patio with the plastic down & the patio heaters on, it was perfectly comfortable. Dad & I both had the Fish & Chips which was very good & HUGE. Andrew had the Chicken Pot Pie which he enjoyed too. Dad fell in love with the Lamb Barley Soup which they were kind enough to give him the recipe for.
San Angel Inn, Mexico @ Epcot
This is one of my favorite WDW restaurants & usually you would never hear a negative word from me. Once again, the food was excellent that being said I didn't really enjoy our visit this time. We ate there 11/29 as part of our CP dinner package. When we arrived we were sat in a timely manner & were really surprised to see how closely they had shoved the tables in. I kid you not, the edges of the tables were touching, we were kidding that thank goodness there were only two of us because you would have had to have the whole table next to you move so you could get in and out of the other chairs.
It was just TOO close for a nice restaurant like that, IMO. My other complaint was the service. As soon as he found out we were on the CP package we hardly saw him again. We ate at 8:45 pm so it wasn't horribly crowded, it took 10+ mins for drinks (non-alcoholic) and almost 20 mins to find someone to take our order with no drink refills during the entire time unless we hunted someone down. I might be jaded, but I blame this mostly on the package with gratuity already included. I can't stand arrangements like that. We did ask the manager several times for drinks, etc & he was nice but just didn't seem concerned.
We will eat here again as we love the food & ambience, but I really hope it's improved next time. (BTW, the ceviche was EXCELLENT)
Yorkshire County Fish Shop @ UK, Epcot
Dad had Fish & Chips here several times during our stay, he said they were excellent & always were piping hot.
Cinderella's Royal Table @ MK
We had an early dinner here before the Christmas party. We had eaten here before, but this time they outdid themselves. We had a great server (who I am writing WDW about) & the food was wonderful. I think I found the best park value here & that was Her Majesty's Caesar Salad for $5. It was big & so fresh. (I have butt-lettuce issues so it was a treat for me) We also had the crab cakes, prime rib, seafood risotta & salmon. Everyone raved about their food & just wish we could have eaten dessert too. The hot tea was so good, I'm trying to find somewhere to buy the bags for home.
Aloha Isle @ MK
Got Dad addicted to Dole Whips & floats, don't want to tell you how many we had over a 10 day period.
Main Street Bake Shop @ MK
Had a quick snack here, was very good except for the hot chocolate. The lines just get so long in here, otherwise we would have gone back more.
RESORTS & MISC
Boma @ Animal Kingdom Lodge
Once again, excellent food & service. I was worried about taking Dad here because I wasn't too sure if he would like the food HA! I've never seen a person eat so much in my life. It was a great meal & the perfect way to start their week off at Disney. The pods were so crowded though, it was a challenge to get up to one & get what you wanted.
Mara @ Animal Kingdom Lodge
Last year when we stayed at AKL I was very impressed with Mara. This year I wasn't so much. The line to order food seemed very disorderly and chaotic, people were everywhere coming & going and Dad had a hard time figuring out what he was supposed to be doing. The food was average food court fare. The drink/condiments area was a crammed mess IMO.
Victoria Falls @ Animal Kingdom Lodge
I found this lounge to be very relaxing if you wander in & sit at one of the tables to unwind. We went down on Sunday night to watch Sunday Night Football & were less than thrilled with the bar. Those pretty lamps that I admired from the tables were a pain in the rear when you were actually sitting at the bar. They're bolted down with large shades so it completely blocks you from conversing with people around you except for the one person you are in between lamps with. Poor planning IMO, the bartender said they constantly have complaints about them & the lack of viewing area for the TV. I know the Lodge isn't made for sitting around & watching TV, but it was late & we just wanted to hang out somewhere other than our room to watch.
Cape May Café @ Beach Club
We had dinner here the food was excellent with one of two complaints being that there were only clams, no mussels. Dad & I stuffed ourselves, though. The service was not good here at all. He acted like he was bothered we were there & it kind of put a damper on the meal. Still, great food & yummy desserts - if you're a steamers fan don't miss it.
ESPN @ The Boardwalk
We had a great meal here! Every other time has been good, but this time the food was excellent as was the service. Dad really enjoyed it here even though he was grumbling before going that it was going to be cruddy sports bar food. He kept saying how good his clam chowder was & my buffalo chicken strips rocked.
Tambu Lounge @ The Polynesian
We might be staying at the Poly next time so we can just drink here & stagger to our rooms.
I fell in love with the Lapu Lapu's (who wouldn't love drinking out of a pineapple) and Dad constantly wanted to "swing by" for a Zombie. Very comfortable atmosphere & good service. Boatwright's @ Riverside
We only ate here once this time for breakfast. It was very good, as was the service. I thought it was reasonably priced as well, but I kind of miss the breakfast buffet they used to offer. The guys raved about their omelets.
Riverside Mill Food Court @ Riverside
Well. I This used to be my favorite food court. My biggest complaint would be the drink bar. Yuck. I don't blame this solely on Disney as they can't control the kids (and some adults) running up from everywhere spilling, dumping & generally just being gross. I didn't want to touch anything up there or set my tray down, it was a mess the whole time we were there. The food was decent, but nothing to write home about. (although I guess I just did) It was kind of disappointing, we like to just grab a meal sometimes & it was just a hassle this time with the crowds & mess.
Sassagoula Pizza Express @ Riverside
One word - Don't. It was late, we were tired so figured the pizza we had at the food court before was ok so why not. $24, large with 2 toppings - it was horrid.
Gourmet Pantry @ Downtown Disney
This has always been a favorite of mine when shopping down there we grabbed both breakfast & lunch and both were excellent.
Phew, now I'm tired & hungry. Hope this helps!!
-Maryann
Feel free to mail me if you have any questions... izzarelli@aol.com
Thanks for taking the time to write such great restaurant reviews! Now I am hungry too 
