We are two adults and an 8 year old child. We are are not picky eaters and will try anything at least once. We do enjoy fine dining while on vacation, but also like our cheeseburgers too. With that said, here's our mini reviews from our WDW vacation (4/28-5/4):
Arrival Day: We stayed the first four days of our trip at the AKL concierge. We had Cirque du Soliel tickets for 9 p.m. (awesome show!!) and decided to have dinner at Wolfgang Puck's cafe beforehand in West Side DDD. We had a PS for 6:30 p.m. and were seated within five minutes of our arrival. The restaurant is extremely loud and having any kind of conversation without shouting is impossible. Service was extremely rushed to the point of being pushy. I had the salmon, DD had cheese pizza and DD had the meatballs with a thick spaghetti. The food came out of the kitchen within about 3-4 minutes after placing our orders which indicated to us that everything was likely pre-cooked and finished to order. The salmon came in a deep bowl with a broth that would have been nice to have eaten, but no spoons were on the table and the server was never seen again until the bill came. DD did not care for the pizza and switched entrees with DH. DH didn't care for the meatballs, but both were satisfied with their meals after switching with one another. We thought the prices were high and felt we probably would have enjoyed our "fast food" better had we skipped the Cafe and served ourself at the Express next door. Food: C, Service: C-, Atmosphere: F
Day 2:
Breakfast: Cinderella's Royal Table. We were seated within about 10 minutes of our arrival for our 9:45 a.m. PS. We had the hot meal choice which came with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potato casserole and stuffed french toast with blueberry sauce. An assortment of rolls was also served. The food was hot and tasty. Although the meal was "all you can eat" the portion that was served was, in fact, all we could eat. The character interaction was very nice. The characters did seem to spend a lot of time with each child and did not seem rushed at all. The fairy godmother in the lobby spent lots of time writing in autograph books and speaking with the children. Our server disappeared after taking our orders and we had to flag down someone to get refills on our coffee and water. Food: B; Service: C; Characters: A; Atmosphere: A
Lunch: Columbia Harbor House at MK. This was a great counter service experience. The only downside was standing in line to place our orders. I had the salad which was a large portion with feta, chicken, pineapple and nuts. It was very nice and refreshing. DD had the chicken strips and fries and gave it two thumbs up. DH had the fish and fries and said it was one of the best fried fish meals he ever had. We escaped the madness of the first floor of the restaurant and secured a window seat table on the second floor. It was almost deserted and provided a nice, quiet spot to relax in the late afternoon. Be sure to go upstairs for your table. I think a lot of people don't realize it is there (oops, I guess they do now
) Food: A; Counter service: B+, Atmosphere: B+
Dinner: Stuffed from our large breakfasts and lunches, we enjoyed the AKL concierge lounge snacks for dinner this evening which included marinated chicken and salmon skewers with various dipping sauces and veggies. The AKL concierge lounge offerings were absolutely terrific and changed every evening we were there. The lounge itself is very peaceful and has ample, comfortable seating. There were several bottles of very nice South African red and white wines offered dring the 5-7 p.m. food service in the lounge and soft drinks were made available in a small fridge on the counter throughout the day. Food: A+; Concierge Staff: A++++, Atmosphere: A+++++
Day 3:
Breakfast: Boma breakfast buffet. This was a fantastic breakfast buffet. There were the usual American type breakfast foods (eggs, sausage, bacon, danish), along with some African foods, including a wonderful spicy corned beef casserole and spicy potatoes. We ordered a pot of the Kenyan Press Pot coffee (extra cost). We all enjoyed the food, our server was great and the ambience of the restaurant was nice. Food: A; Service: A, Atmosphere: A.
Lunch: Skipped lunch due to large breakfast.
Dinner: Back to Boma for the dinner buffet. We loved it. It's hard to remember everything we ate (we took our server's advice and took small portions of many different things to try them out and then went back for more of what we enjoyed). Some of the things we thought were great included a terrific curry seafood chowder; salmon in curry sauce; spiced prime rib, zebra domes and coconut tirimisu for dessert. I also enjoyed a glass of a South African merlot which was out of this world. Our server was extremely helpful and came around quite a bit to see if we needed anything and to answer questions about the various food offerings. DD found lots that she enjoyed at the buffet, both in the "adult" section and in the "Children's" section. Food: A+++, Service: A+++, Atmosphere: A.
Day 4:
Breafast: This morning we went on the Sunrise Safari which is offered to AKL concierge guests at an additional charge. The safari was terrific in itself and I highly recommend it. We got to see many animals up close, including a giraffe which came right up to the safari vehicle. After the safari, we had a terrific buffet breakfast in a room at the Tusker House restaurant in Animal Kingdom park. The chef was on hand to answer questions about the dishes. There were traditional, American breakfast foods, plus an assortment of different kinds of sausages, spicy potatoes and different kinds of mixed fruit juices. It was a very nice breakfast. Food: A, Service: A, Safari: A++++++
Lunch: Skipped lunch due to the large breakfast, but we did enjoy a large soft pretzel and frozen lemonade from a stand at Animal Kingdom which was a nice treat during the hot afternoon.
Dinner: Jiko. We had kind of a mixed reaction to this restaurant. We had an 8 p.m. priority seating and were seated within five minutes at a nice table with a view of the stream outside. The restaurant itself is very beautiful with birdlike light fixtures and a quiet ambience. After being seated, we ordered a bottle of a South African merlot and placed our orders. We chose the goat cheese and olive flatbread as an appetizer. DH ordered the filet mignon with macaroni and cheese, I chose the monkfish and DD ordered cheese pizza. We thought the flatbread was just OK. The flavors of the cheese, black olives and spring greens sprinkled on top did not seem to really compliment each other. Strangely, our server brought a basket of bread to the table after our entrees arrived. We noticed that this occurred with most of the other tables as well. It would have been nice to have had the bread served while perusing the menu instead of later in the meal. DH liked the filet, but did not care for the macaroni and cheese that came with it. I really liked the monkfish. It comes with a red cream sauce with lots of vegetables. DD enjoyed her cheese pizza which is made in a flatbread style with a very thin, crisp crust. The main dishes here are large, so I would recommend that you come hungry and not load up on the appetizers. DH and I passed on dessert, but DD ordered the white chocolate puzzle with "mini" banana split. Don't let the "mini" in the title of this dessert fool you. It is huge and was way too much for DD to finish. Food: B+; Service: B+; Atmosphere: A.
Day 5:
We moved over to the Beach Club concierge this day and skipped breakfast due to the large meal we had the night before.
Lunch: Tangerine Cafe, Morroco, Epcot. It was getting really hot outside and we were looking for a spot to eat indoors and stumbled across the Tangerine Cafe. DD had the child's hamburger and fries, DH had the chicken sandwich and I had the lamb wrap. This is a counter service restaurant. We did not have to wait very long to order or receive our meals. DD enjoyed her hamburger, DH liked the chicken sandwich and I thought the lamb wrap was just OK. It was kind of bland. The wrap came with small side servings of couscous and a lentil salad. Everything was OK, just bland. DD saw a squirrel come into the restaurant near where we were sitting and dropped one of her fries on the floor for it. Big mistake. That squirrel spent the rest of our meal under our DD's chair waiting for more. Beware and don't feed the squirrel unless you want a permanent dining companion. Food: B, Counter Service: B, Atmosphere: B.
Dinner: Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club Resort. This was the best meal of our trip. The restaurant is very nice, quiet and relaxing. Our server was extremely professional. The food was excellent. We started with the truffled asparagus appetizer. The asparagus was not overcooked and came with a nice sauce with a small amount of truffle shavings. It was very good. For our main courses, DD ordered the Mickey pasta with Marinara sauce and gave it two thumbs up. DH had the prime rib with mashed potatoes and said it was excellent. I had the bourbon marinated strip steak and it was also excellent. We also split an order of sauteed mushrooms which were only so-so. I also enjoyed a glass of the La Crema pinot noir and it was perfect with the meal. DH had the key lime pie for dessert and said it was excellent. The presentation was very nice as well. I skipped dessert, but DD had the white chocolate puzzle dessert here. It came with paints to brush on the puzzle and a cupcake. DD loved the dessert and the presentation was very cute. Food: A, Service: A+, Atmosphere: A.
Day 6:
Skipped breakfast due to the large dinner the night before. DH had to depart a day early due to a project at work, so it was just the two gals for the last day which we spent enjoying the pool at the Beach Club Resort which is a destination itself.
Lunch: Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort. DD and I had cheeseburgers and fries. DD also had a root beer float. Having read the raves about the burgers here, I was a little disappointed. They were just "OK", but are better than the burgers available at the parks. The server was pleasant and efficient. DD enjoyed her rootbeer float. Food: B, Service: B+, Atmosphere: B
Dinner: Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort. This was probably the worst meal of the trip. We had an 8 pm PS. and were seated promptly within a couple of minutes of our arrival. By this time, the buffet seemed pretty much picked over. There was supposed to be grilled salmon, but the chafing dish where the salmon was supposed to be had only some tired looking veggies and no salmon was in sight. The salad offerings were tired looking and there was very little cesaer salad left in the bowl on the buffet which I passed on. There was some kind of beef stew with mushrooms that was plentiful on the buffet, but I found out why when I tasted it. It was nasty and had some weird aftertaste. A man was slicing sirloin to order, but was very stingy - offering only two small, paper thin pieces per request. The steamed mussels were good, but the peel and eat shrimp were very small and tough. I tried a piece of the marinated chicken, but it was extremely salty and rubbery. DD enjoyed the kid's buffet section, tho, which included cheese pizza, chicken strips, and mac and cheese. She also had some penne pasta from the main buffet which she also enjoyed. DD also enjoyed a chocolate brownie from the dessert section. I tried some of the cheesecake, but found it almost tasteless. The bill for the two of us, including one glass of wine, was about $46. This was not a good value for the money. The ambience of the restaurant was almost that of a cafeteria and was noisey. Food: D, Service: D (due to the tired buffet and the stingy meat server. The table server who brought the beverages and cleared the plates was OK)., Atmosphere: C Will not be going back to this one unless things improve greatly.
Day 7: Departure day
Breakfast: Spoodles on the Boardwalk. We did not have a PS, but were seated immediataly at about 9:00 a.m. I had the ham and cheese frittata and DD had the mickey waffles. I also had a giant latte served in a huge cup. The frittata was very good and was served with very nice, spicy potatoes and a croissant. DD's waffles came with a side serving of fresh fruit. The server was professional and courteous and the restaurant itself is nice. Food: A, Service: A, Atmosphere: A.
Day 8: Back Home and will not be eating much for a good long time!!
Arrival Day: We stayed the first four days of our trip at the AKL concierge. We had Cirque du Soliel tickets for 9 p.m. (awesome show!!) and decided to have dinner at Wolfgang Puck's cafe beforehand in West Side DDD. We had a PS for 6:30 p.m. and were seated within five minutes of our arrival. The restaurant is extremely loud and having any kind of conversation without shouting is impossible. Service was extremely rushed to the point of being pushy. I had the salmon, DD had cheese pizza and DD had the meatballs with a thick spaghetti. The food came out of the kitchen within about 3-4 minutes after placing our orders which indicated to us that everything was likely pre-cooked and finished to order. The salmon came in a deep bowl with a broth that would have been nice to have eaten, but no spoons were on the table and the server was never seen again until the bill came. DD did not care for the pizza and switched entrees with DH. DH didn't care for the meatballs, but both were satisfied with their meals after switching with one another. We thought the prices were high and felt we probably would have enjoyed our "fast food" better had we skipped the Cafe and served ourself at the Express next door. Food: C, Service: C-, Atmosphere: F
Day 2:
Breakfast: Cinderella's Royal Table. We were seated within about 10 minutes of our arrival for our 9:45 a.m. PS. We had the hot meal choice which came with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potato casserole and stuffed french toast with blueberry sauce. An assortment of rolls was also served. The food was hot and tasty. Although the meal was "all you can eat" the portion that was served was, in fact, all we could eat. The character interaction was very nice. The characters did seem to spend a lot of time with each child and did not seem rushed at all. The fairy godmother in the lobby spent lots of time writing in autograph books and speaking with the children. Our server disappeared after taking our orders and we had to flag down someone to get refills on our coffee and water. Food: B; Service: C; Characters: A; Atmosphere: A
Lunch: Columbia Harbor House at MK. This was a great counter service experience. The only downside was standing in line to place our orders. I had the salad which was a large portion with feta, chicken, pineapple and nuts. It was very nice and refreshing. DD had the chicken strips and fries and gave it two thumbs up. DH had the fish and fries and said it was one of the best fried fish meals he ever had. We escaped the madness of the first floor of the restaurant and secured a window seat table on the second floor. It was almost deserted and provided a nice, quiet spot to relax in the late afternoon. Be sure to go upstairs for your table. I think a lot of people don't realize it is there (oops, I guess they do now
) Food: A; Counter service: B+, Atmosphere: B+Dinner: Stuffed from our large breakfasts and lunches, we enjoyed the AKL concierge lounge snacks for dinner this evening which included marinated chicken and salmon skewers with various dipping sauces and veggies. The AKL concierge lounge offerings were absolutely terrific and changed every evening we were there. The lounge itself is very peaceful and has ample, comfortable seating. There were several bottles of very nice South African red and white wines offered dring the 5-7 p.m. food service in the lounge and soft drinks were made available in a small fridge on the counter throughout the day. Food: A+; Concierge Staff: A++++, Atmosphere: A+++++
Day 3:
Breakfast: Boma breakfast buffet. This was a fantastic breakfast buffet. There were the usual American type breakfast foods (eggs, sausage, bacon, danish), along with some African foods, including a wonderful spicy corned beef casserole and spicy potatoes. We ordered a pot of the Kenyan Press Pot coffee (extra cost). We all enjoyed the food, our server was great and the ambience of the restaurant was nice. Food: A; Service: A, Atmosphere: A.
Lunch: Skipped lunch due to large breakfast.
Dinner: Back to Boma for the dinner buffet. We loved it. It's hard to remember everything we ate (we took our server's advice and took small portions of many different things to try them out and then went back for more of what we enjoyed). Some of the things we thought were great included a terrific curry seafood chowder; salmon in curry sauce; spiced prime rib, zebra domes and coconut tirimisu for dessert. I also enjoyed a glass of a South African merlot which was out of this world. Our server was extremely helpful and came around quite a bit to see if we needed anything and to answer questions about the various food offerings. DD found lots that she enjoyed at the buffet, both in the "adult" section and in the "Children's" section. Food: A+++, Service: A+++, Atmosphere: A.
Day 4:
Breafast: This morning we went on the Sunrise Safari which is offered to AKL concierge guests at an additional charge. The safari was terrific in itself and I highly recommend it. We got to see many animals up close, including a giraffe which came right up to the safari vehicle. After the safari, we had a terrific buffet breakfast in a room at the Tusker House restaurant in Animal Kingdom park. The chef was on hand to answer questions about the dishes. There were traditional, American breakfast foods, plus an assortment of different kinds of sausages, spicy potatoes and different kinds of mixed fruit juices. It was a very nice breakfast. Food: A, Service: A, Safari: A++++++
Lunch: Skipped lunch due to the large breakfast, but we did enjoy a large soft pretzel and frozen lemonade from a stand at Animal Kingdom which was a nice treat during the hot afternoon.
Dinner: Jiko. We had kind of a mixed reaction to this restaurant. We had an 8 p.m. priority seating and were seated within five minutes at a nice table with a view of the stream outside. The restaurant itself is very beautiful with birdlike light fixtures and a quiet ambience. After being seated, we ordered a bottle of a South African merlot and placed our orders. We chose the goat cheese and olive flatbread as an appetizer. DH ordered the filet mignon with macaroni and cheese, I chose the monkfish and DD ordered cheese pizza. We thought the flatbread was just OK. The flavors of the cheese, black olives and spring greens sprinkled on top did not seem to really compliment each other. Strangely, our server brought a basket of bread to the table after our entrees arrived. We noticed that this occurred with most of the other tables as well. It would have been nice to have had the bread served while perusing the menu instead of later in the meal. DH liked the filet, but did not care for the macaroni and cheese that came with it. I really liked the monkfish. It comes with a red cream sauce with lots of vegetables. DD enjoyed her cheese pizza which is made in a flatbread style with a very thin, crisp crust. The main dishes here are large, so I would recommend that you come hungry and not load up on the appetizers. DH and I passed on dessert, but DD ordered the white chocolate puzzle with "mini" banana split. Don't let the "mini" in the title of this dessert fool you. It is huge and was way too much for DD to finish. Food: B+; Service: B+; Atmosphere: A.
Day 5:
We moved over to the Beach Club concierge this day and skipped breakfast due to the large meal we had the night before.
Lunch: Tangerine Cafe, Morroco, Epcot. It was getting really hot outside and we were looking for a spot to eat indoors and stumbled across the Tangerine Cafe. DD had the child's hamburger and fries, DH had the chicken sandwich and I had the lamb wrap. This is a counter service restaurant. We did not have to wait very long to order or receive our meals. DD enjoyed her hamburger, DH liked the chicken sandwich and I thought the lamb wrap was just OK. It was kind of bland. The wrap came with small side servings of couscous and a lentil salad. Everything was OK, just bland. DD saw a squirrel come into the restaurant near where we were sitting and dropped one of her fries on the floor for it. Big mistake. That squirrel spent the rest of our meal under our DD's chair waiting for more. Beware and don't feed the squirrel unless you want a permanent dining companion
. Food: B, Counter Service: B, Atmosphere: B.Dinner: Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club Resort. This was the best meal of our trip. The restaurant is very nice, quiet and relaxing. Our server was extremely professional. The food was excellent. We started with the truffled asparagus appetizer. The asparagus was not overcooked and came with a nice sauce with a small amount of truffle shavings. It was very good. For our main courses, DD ordered the Mickey pasta with Marinara sauce and gave it two thumbs up. DH had the prime rib with mashed potatoes and said it was excellent. I had the bourbon marinated strip steak and it was also excellent. We also split an order of sauteed mushrooms which were only so-so. I also enjoyed a glass of the La Crema pinot noir and it was perfect with the meal. DH had the key lime pie for dessert and said it was excellent. The presentation was very nice as well. I skipped dessert, but DD had the white chocolate puzzle dessert here. It came with paints to brush on the puzzle and a cupcake. DD loved the dessert and the presentation was very cute. Food: A, Service: A+, Atmosphere: A.
Day 6:
Skipped breakfast due to the large dinner the night before. DH had to depart a day early due to a project at work, so it was just the two gals for the last day which we spent enjoying the pool at the Beach Club Resort which is a destination itself.
Lunch: Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort. DD and I had cheeseburgers and fries. DD also had a root beer float. Having read the raves about the burgers here, I was a little disappointed. They were just "OK", but are better than the burgers available at the parks. The server was pleasant and efficient. DD enjoyed her rootbeer float. Food: B, Service: B+, Atmosphere: B
Dinner: Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort. This was probably the worst meal of the trip. We had an 8 pm PS. and were seated promptly within a couple of minutes of our arrival. By this time, the buffet seemed pretty much picked over. There was supposed to be grilled salmon, but the chafing dish where the salmon was supposed to be had only some tired looking veggies and no salmon was in sight. The salad offerings were tired looking and there was very little cesaer salad left in the bowl on the buffet which I passed on. There was some kind of beef stew with mushrooms that was plentiful on the buffet, but I found out why when I tasted it. It was nasty and had some weird aftertaste. A man was slicing sirloin to order, but was very stingy - offering only two small, paper thin pieces per request. The steamed mussels were good, but the peel and eat shrimp were very small and tough. I tried a piece of the marinated chicken, but it was extremely salty and rubbery. DD enjoyed the kid's buffet section, tho, which included cheese pizza, chicken strips, and mac and cheese. She also had some penne pasta from the main buffet which she also enjoyed. DD also enjoyed a chocolate brownie from the dessert section. I tried some of the cheesecake, but found it almost tasteless. The bill for the two of us, including one glass of wine, was about $46. This was not a good value for the money. The ambience of the restaurant was almost that of a cafeteria and was noisey. Food: D, Service: D (due to the tired buffet and the stingy meat server. The table server who brought the beverages and cleared the plates was OK)., Atmosphere: C Will not be going back to this one unless things improve greatly.
Day 7: Departure day
Breakfast: Spoodles on the Boardwalk. We did not have a PS, but were seated immediataly at about 9:00 a.m. I had the ham and cheese frittata and DD had the mickey waffles. I also had a giant latte served in a huge cup. The frittata was very good and was served with very nice, spicy potatoes and a croissant. DD's waffles came with a side serving of fresh fruit. The server was professional and courteous and the restaurant itself is nice. Food: A, Service: A, Atmosphere: A.
Day 8: Back Home and will not be eating much for a good long time!!
