Just back- questions?

[preemiemama]

We are just back from a 7 day stay at the World- all 18 of us! Stayed at BWV- first floor. We had the DDx plan, so had quite a few meals: Via Napoli, Kouzzina (breakfast), Crystal Palace, CRT, Hollywood and Vine, ESPN Zone, Ohana (breakfast), Norway (breakfast), Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, Rose and Crown, Tusker House (breakfast), HDDR. Visited all 4 parks.

Overall, it was what you would expect in July- hot and moderately crowded.

Let me know what questions you have!

 

[limace]

Was the DxDp with it? And what were your favorite and least favorite meals?

 

[preemiemama]

We purchased the DDxP- we stayed on a DVC reservation, so not free.

My favorite meal was the breakfast at Kouzzina. The staff there was wonderful- my DF has a dairy allergy and they were so willing to accomodate him- even bringing him dairy free cookies to try for a dessert. It was an overall great experience.

Least favorite was Via Napoli. The pizza and appetizers were great, but the veal and chicken entrees were not, and the pizza crust was somewhat soggy. That, combined with the fact that it took 2 and 1/2 hours from when we were seated to get the bill and it was not a great experience.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thanks for your report on Via Napoli, we haven't eaten there yet. It's the pizzas that I really want to try.

 

[preemiemama]

The pizza was good, even though it was a little soggy. I would still eat there again, but hope for faster service and stick to the pizza!

The frito misto and arancini appetizers were wonderful, as was the tiramisu, so it was not a total loss. Hope you enjoy it when you go!

 

[disneyfreak2127]

Our DD (then will be 18) remembers eating at CRT for breakfast when she was about 8. Since this is her last visit still in high school she wants to re-visit some of her favorite places to eat. CRT is at top of the list. Do you know if they still serve stuffed french toast?

Teppan Edo is also a family fav! Still pretty good?


TIA

 

[preemiemama]

I am not sure about the breakfast menu at CRT- we had dinner there. It was different for us from 2 years ago- it is now a princess meal- no Fairy Godmother and mice. The dinner menu had changed some as well, but was still good. I'd suggest looking at allears.net for the menu- they have updated ones.

I will say that the best princess we saw- both there and Norway- was Snow White. She was great about interacting with all the kids (we had 8 between the ages of 2 and 12!) and they all got autographs and pictures with her. My niece even got some extra attention as Snow White is her favorite.

Teppan Edo was great. We really enjoyed our meal there as well.

 

[Simba's Mom]

How was the Rose and Crown? I was looking forward to going there again, but I read a recent review that said it had declined recently.

 

[preemiemama]

It was not the best meal we had all week, but it was better than we expected. Fish and Chips, Steak, and Shepard's Pie were all very good. So was the appetizer trio. Really have no complaints in terms of food quality. Choices were a little heavy for a hot, humid day when we are eating outside, but that is not the fault of the restaurant!

We sat out on the patio, which was warm, but worth it for the view of Illuminations. This meal also took about 2 and 1/2 hours, which we felt was a little slow. The server was great, and even made sure that the umbrellas on the tables in front of us were down so we could see Illuminations unobstructed.

The end of the night at the bar gets interesting- members of our party who went to use the restroom in there said it was a bit rowdy. DH even saw someone washing their feet in the sink!

 

[RumpleMom]

Do you have any words of wisdom for traveling with a large group?

Would you do it again?

Did the group stay together the entire time or split up?

 

[preemiemama]

This is actually our 2nd full family trip- the last one was 3 years ago. And I believe we will probably do it again in a couple years...

The biggest advice I can give you is to not try to stay together the whole time. Everyone has their own routines and schedules, so plan some time together (meals, a couple rides everyone will like to do- one of ours was POTC...) but don't be afraid to go your own way as well. Last trip, we made ourselves nuts trying to stick together all the time. It was not enjoyable for any of us, and we argued a lot.

This trip my DH, DS, and I did the rope drop, pool/nap at midday, then back out for the evening. This helped us maximize ride time. My DS and her family did better "powering through" and coming back early- it fit with her kids' schedules better. So, we had one meal a day together (hence the number of character meals/breakfasts), and then went out on our own. A few times, groups of us stuck together to do things together, or got fastpasses to ride something after a meal, but for much of the time we did our own thing. Knowing we'd be together once a day, and texting in between in case we were able to meet up, helped us enjoy the full family time as well as have a real vacation.

Advanced dining reservations- especially for the large group meals- is imperative at the 18 day mark. Some of them we called the grand gathering number, or the restaurant directly, but others we split between a couple of us- 5 or 6 people in a party, then the restaurant could combine the groups as we arrived. This also worked well when we had a couple groups cancel at times (tired or overstimulated kids were usually the culprits). Then only one group would be canceled, not the whole reservation.

With the dining plan, all of our credits were combined under one card- which worked well since many of our meals were together. We could still access them separately, but having an entire meal charged to one card instead of 4 was a plus. The down side was that meant that you also shared snack credits- so you had to be sure everyone used them relatively equitably. We ran out the last day, but at least we used all the credits!

Hope that answers your questions? Let me know if you have any more, and enjoy your trip!

 

[es45]

Our DD (then will be 18) remembers eating at CRT for breakfast when she was about 8. Since this is her last visit still in high school she wants to re-visit some of her favorite places to eat. CRT is at top of the list. Do you know if they still serve stuffed french toast?

Teppan Edo is also a family fav! Still pretty good?


TIA

CRT has a plated breakfast of breakfast meats, eggs, and potato casserole. They had a bread basket and I remember the stuffed french toast being in that. Of course, it may have changed since she last had it. It was like a puffed pastry with cream cheese in the middle. HTH.

 

[supersuperwendy]

We've never been to CRT! I'm hoping our little toddler with be a true princess in a few years and we can take her dine in the castle!! We are taking her to Hollywood and Vine and Tusker House on this trip to see Mickey and the Little Einsteins!!

How was Hollywood and Vine? Did you have breakfast?

 

[preemiemama]

We had 2 toddlers (both 2 and 1/2 years old) in our party. They loved the characters at Tusker and Hollywood and Vine. They also got quite a bit of attention at CRT and Norway from the Princesses...

We had lunch at Hollywood and Vine, and it was good. We did not care for the BBQ meatballs (even my DH who usually eats anything!). They had sandwiches and salads, with a few chicken and pasta dishes on the buffet. Nothing truly memorable, but all decent. The characters were Agent Oso, Handy Manny, June, and Leo. They all interacted well with the kids- even the two 11 year old boys. My one niece is an Einsteins fan, so loved "Big June" (as opposed to "Little June", her doll!).

We did eat at Tusker for breakfast, and it was basic eggs, meat, potatoes, mickey waffles, with a few interesting pastries and regional dishes (fried plantains, sweet potato casserole). It was all on a buffet, and you could pop in and out of the buffet where you wanted to instead of a "line". That took a little getting used to, but otherwise a pretty good breakfast.

 

[wildernessDad]

We love the authentic Italian pizza at Via Napoli. They really nailed it. It reminds us of our vacation in Italy. I definitely would not personally characterize it as soggy.

 

[paults]

We purchased the DDxP- we stayed on a DVC reservation, so not free.

My favorite meal was the breakfast at Kouzzina. The staff there was wonderful- my DF has a dairy allergy and they were so willing to accomodate him- even bringing him dairy free cookies to try for a dessert. It was an overall great experience.

Least favorite was Via Napoli. The pizza and appetizers were great, but the veal and chicken entrees were not, and the pizza crust was somewhat soggy. That, combined with the fact that it took 2 and 1/2 hours from when we were seated to get the bill and it was not a great experience.

were all 18 of you there? If so I could see why it took 2 1/2 hours .

 

[preemiemama]

Only 10 of the 18 of us were there, and it was at 4:30 in the afternoon. They just really needed to pick up the pace a little!

The pizza was good, but my DS's crust was soggy. He was on the adult plan, so there was no chance it was because of a kids meal. It may have been after sitting for a few minutes, though. I would certainly visit there again for the pizza- it tasted good in spite of the sogginess. It was really the veal and chicken we did not care for.

 

[cloudnut220]

I was also disapointed in the Via Napoli experience. It was slow when we were there (the people next to us had one entree come out so late everyone else was finished) and the prices seemed high. We joked that it was just like Italy--where you get the special "American prices!" of $20 a pie!

We ate at CRT in January. They did have stuff French Toast as a choice, as well as an eggs and meat plate. The Snow White when we were there was amazing!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I've travelled with 13, just this past June! 18, I applaud you and totally agree about doing some things together but also many things seperate!

What would you say was the best part/or highlight of your trip and what was the worse?

We enjoyed the pizza a Via Napoli, the mushroom being my favorite, crisp crust but I can see when they are super busy with large parties, stuff can sit and get soggy! We had some of our items really hot, and some that had sat waiting for the others to be ready. Overall, I did enjoy it!

 

[limace]

Was the DxDp with it? And what were your favorite and least favorite meals?

Argh! Meant to ask if you felt the DxDP was WORTH it, not with it. Sheesh