Just Engaged and Eating in Disney! Review with pics :)

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

Hey everyone! I've always enjoyed reading the reviews here on the board so I thought I'd share mine too!

Was at Disney with my fiance John from January 9th to January 16th. Originally, it was just supposed to be a celebration of our 5 year anniversary (he also took me for our 4yr anniversary -- can you see why I'm marrying him??) but John popped the question on Christmas Eve so we had something else to celebrate!

We arrived at the airport around 2:30 and were ready to hit Downtown Disney in time for our 5:30 dinner reservation. We spent some time changing from our sloppy airport comfy clothes to our fancy "Hello, Disney!" clothes.

Our first stop was the House of Blues.

Neither of us had ever eaten here before, but from the wonderful people on this site, I heard about the restaurant.com coupons and snagged a $25 coupon for $4. Great deal!

This is John (22):

And this is me, Kate (21):

You may notice our Just Engaged buttons! They were amazing; so many people congratulated us and asked lots of fun questions. Started wonderful conversations.

Ceiling:

Decor (It's acually a lot darker but I'm not great with my flash settings):

Onto to the food! We decided to share an appetizer - the Voodoo Shrimp with Rosemary cornbread.

About how much you get if you share:

This was a great start to the meal. Not as spicy as we thought it would be, but nice flavor. The cornbread was great...not too dry or crumbly. Definite rosemary taste! The sauce was delicious and the shrimp were pretty large. Next time, I would try something different but this was good.

John's meal first:

The Chicken Elwood. The description from wdwinfo.com: Blackened Chicken Sandwich with Chili Garlic Mayo, Green Chilis and Sour Cream served on a onion kaiser roll with Seasoned House of Blues French Fries.

He liked it a lot. The bite I tried didn't really have any chicken on it. The fries were incredible! Nicely seasoned and super crisp. Personally, I wouldn't want just a sandwich for dinner but it would be a good lunch option.

Now, mine:

This is a ribeye that I didn't see on any online menu. It's topped with crispy onion strings and underneath it are mashed potatoes. I'm not ordinarily a steak person but I decided to change things up a bit and get it. Best decision ever! The steak was beautifully tender and I literally said "Oh my god" after each bite. Everything was delicious and there was plenty to share (for which John was happy!). Even the carrots, which I don't normally love, were amazing. I would highly recommend this.

As usual, we stuffed ourselves and didn't want dessert. Plus, we were eager to get to the Magic Kingdom for extra magic hours.

For Christmas, John's brother bought us the Photopass CD so we were determined to get as many pictures as possible. We left with about 200! It was well worth it for us so I'll include a few photos throughout the review if anyone is considering buying it (you save $50 if you pre-purchase it before your trip).

So, in the end for the House of Blues, we paid:

2 Dt. Cokes - 6.50
VooDoo Shrimp - 11
Elwood - 11
Ribeye - 25
(Coupon for $25 so my ribeye cost $4)
Total (they include gratuity if you use the coupon) - $42

I rate this meal a 10 b/c I loved my steak so much, the atmosphere is so fun (great music and sports on TV -- imperative for football season), the service was good, and the coupon really helped with the price. I would love to come back.

John rated it an 8. He said it he had my meal, it would have been a 10, but said he should have gotten something more entree-ish and not just a sandwich. He would also go back.

Up next: Crystal Palace

 

[maciemouse]

So far so good. Love the pictures. It is funny you said that about the fries. That was the first thing I noticed in the food picture. They look yummy. I have never eaten there before. We will have to give it a shot.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Congratulations on your engagement!

Looks like you had a great meal at House of Blues - looking forward to reading more!

 

[mandibc11]

Can't wait to hear more! What a great start to your engagement!!

 

[amandadisney]

Congrats on the engagement! I was celebrating my engagement down in Disney too during part of your trip. I'm sure you had just as much fun as us. Can't wait for the rest of the reviews!

 

[amandadisney]

I also just realize you wrote basically the same thing I did just a second ago on my food review. I thought your username sounded familiar, and then I remembered it was because I thought it was awesome when I saw your post on my review. Such a cute and unique name.

 

[marcyinPA]

First of all, Congratulations on your engagement!!

I ate at the House of Blues in November in Disney Land when I was in Anaheim for a conference and had that same rib eye with the onion straws...OMG, it was SOOOO good!!! I felt like a load afterwards, but it was totally worth it!

 

[Disney_Mama]

Congratulations on your engagement
Great pictures and review. Can't wait for the rest.

 

[wdwfanatic316]

Congrats on your engagement! Great start to your dining review!

 

[Symans3honeybees]

congratulation on your engagement Can't wait to read more of your review.

 

[kupperman]

Great review and pics so far!! Can't wait for more!

 

[MickeyNicki]

I'm in!

Congrats on the engagement!

 

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

So far so good. Love the pictures. It is funny you said that about the fries. That was the first thing I noticed in the food picture. They look yummy. I have never eaten there before. We will have to give it a shot.

Thanks. Personally, I think I'm a shotty photographer at best, but food always looks good, right? The fries were amazing! John and I swapped fries and bites of steak (b/c I'm nice...the fries were not THAT good). I was super impressed by HoB. If you go, definitely check out the restaurant.com coupon and hand it to the waiter as soon as they take your order. Very great deal!

P.S. Get the steak. You won't be sorry

 

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

I also just realize you wrote basically the same thing I did just a second ago on my food review. I thought your username sounded familiar, and then I remembered it was because I thought it was awesome when I saw your post on my review. Such a cute and unique name.

So glad you're reading! Thanks about the name. When I was joining the boards, I asked John what my user name should be and he quickly came back with The Princess And The John. He thought I would think it was dumb, but I had just seen (and fallen in love with) The Princess and The Frog so I immediately wrote it down.

 

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

First of all, Congratulations on your engagement!!

I ate at the House of Blues in November in Disney Land when I was in Anaheim for a conference and had that same rib eye with the onion straws...OMG, it was SOOOO good!!! I felt like a load afterwards, but it was totally worth it!

I know, I loved that meal...it was probably the best thing I've ever had! HoB may have become a must-do (it's certainly a strong try-to-do). I wasn't super stuffed b/c I probably gave a third to my fella, which he loved!

 

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

First, thanks to everyone for their congrats and warm words!!

Now, Crystal Palace. This was my first time there and since I love both buffets and Winnie-the-Pooh characters, I was so excted.

The building is gorgeous and just puts you in such a classic and old-fashioned mindset.

There was confetti on the table to celebrate our engagement, which was a simple but really fun touch. Then, we waited a minute for Tigger to come over before grabbing our food.

My first plate:

I did not like the beef at all. It was far too rare for my taste and bled a lot when I cut it. It had absolutely no flavor. The ratatouille (which I had never had before) was nothing special. That being said, I loved the rest of it. The chicken tenders were amazing -- served piping hot, crispy, and moist. The pasta primavera was just a touch too soft, but with great flavor. The mushroom chicken pictured above the meat was one of the best buffet items I have ever tried. This is the kind of meal (the chicken and pasta items) you'd be happy to have at home, but maybe a bit sub par if you went out to lunch.

John's first plate:

As you can see, he was pacing himself. He agreed with me, that the chicken tenders were incredible. The broccoli was just that - cooked broccoli. Not much to add. The mashed potatoes were very good and filling. I honestly have no idea what the other thing is, but he never got it again so it didn't compare to other items.

My second plate:

John's parents had just gone to CP in December and raved about the baked chicken on the right side of the plate. John and I were excited to try it. The verdict? We saw nothing special about it and I didn't even bother finishing the piece b/c I loved the two chicken items and pasta. I even got some mashed potatoes of my own because they were really good. Next to the broccoli is spoonbread, which I was vary about...for good reason. It simply wasn't very good, mushy, with an odd taste. I didn't finish even that small amount...not when I could have more mushroom chicken!

John's second plate:

From John's plate, you can tell we both were addicted to the pasta and mushroom chicken. I would go back for those two things alone. The meat was not memorable for him. The salmon was enjoyable, but not really worth mentioning. He remarked that when CP tried to cook fancy items, they failed, but when they stuck to the basics, they were amazing.

Dessert plates:

Frankly, I did not like a single dessert at CP. And I LOVE dessert. John's parents had raved about the cookies, but I didn't bother eating more than a third of each of the choc chip and white macadamia nut b/c they really weren't worth the calories. The lemon square and marble cheesecake square weren't good either. The choc cake was terrible...neither the icing nor the cake was any good.

But, the absolute worst thing we tried all trip was CP's bread pudding. I was really excited for it but it was so bad I actually spit my spoonful out into a napkin. I didn't even want to swallow it.

Instead of finishing dessert, we considered it a loss and enjoyed more pasta and chicken!

Then Piglet came over:

Then, as we were finishing up, Tigger rejoined us:

We left, and sadly, I almost left my fiance in Disney b/c I got a better offer:

But then Stitch tried to steal the ring, and I returned to my man.

So in the end, for CP, we paid:

Adult buffet - 50
Tax - 3
Total, before tip - 53

We tipped very well b/c out waitress was awesome, talked a lot to us about the engagement, and took nice pictures for us

Overall, I gave CP a 7 b/c the desserts were awful, but most of the food was good. The restaurant is beautiful, inside and out. The characters are great, but Eeyore and Pooh never made it to us. Oh well, a goal for next time!
John gave it a 6.5 due to not liking the fancier food, and food is about all he cares about.

Obviously here you are paying for the characters and not the food. I really enjoyed myself and would love to go back, probably for breakfast next time.

Fun Photopass:

Up Next: Snacks at Hollywood Studios and Whispering Canyon Cafe.

 

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

We made our way to Hollywood Studios.

At the Villian's Sweet Shop, I had to try a cupcake. I chose chocolate with vanilla icing.

I paid about $3.50 for the cupcake. John and I rushed to Rock and Roller Coaster and shared the cupcake while we waited in line. I was surprised that the cupcake was so big and rich that we shared it and it took us almost our entire wait time to finish it.

The cake itself was nice and moist. The icing was super sweet and good, but incredibly dense. I don't think I'd ever be able to eat a whole cupcake by myself. Great snack and well worth the price tag. I'd rate it about a 7, but only because the icing was a bit too sweet for me.

For lunch, John and I shared a chicken finger meal from the stand next to Rock and Roller Coaster:

We were full enough with sharing it. We didn't want to be too full as we knew we would be stuffing our faces at dinner that night.

The chicken and fries were good, pretty standard stuff. They cost around $10 with a drink. We each rated them a 6. Again, standard food you can get anywhere that hit the spot.

We were really excited for dinner that night! When we went to Disney in 2010, someone recommended we check out the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge - we loved it so much we had to go back this trip.

We got to our 7:15 reservation late, around 7:45, due to some transportation trouble. But they had no trouble seating us almost immediately. In fact, we realized we loved having a later time because the restaurant wasn't packed.

Having been there before, we knew there was only one option for us: the all-you-can-eat skillet:

Our waitress, who was very nice and got into the spirit of the restaurant without being over-the-top, immediately brought us out two diet cokes each, which we loved:

We didn't have to wait long for the skillet. In fact, it came out before the salad and cornbread. I think one of the perks of going later is that they make your food much faster.

The skillet:

Delicious chicken (meat as good as the skin!):

Ribs, brisket, and beans (the brisket is the only thing we don't like):

You can see the mashed potatoes and corn on the cob also:

The salad has an apple vinagrette, which is very good. But we saved more room for meat and potatoes:

Oh, the cornbread! So sweet, light, fluffy, and delicious with a smear of butter. We never order dessert there b/c the cornbread is too good! Think we finished two orders of it.

My first plate:

Ribs are great. They are my favorite food so I ate a ton of them. Lots of meat, that falls off the bone. And the BBQ sauce is tangy and sweet and to-die-for. So is the chicken. I was glad I took the time to eat some mashed potatoes and corn first b/c I never went back for it - the meat was too good!

Somehow I missed John's plate, but you see everything in the skillet - he had all that

Our refill of corn and ribs:

Mashed potatoes refill was overwhelming. We barely touched it!

The restaurant was quieter that night, but there was the call for ketchup once or twice as well as singing for someone's birthday. What I thought was really fun was that they had everyone stand and do a short hokey pokey. It was cute and fun. Oh, and I love the horse races that the kids do there - they have sooo much fun! Will definitely take my future kids there.

Oh, by the way, the family next to us had two kids, including a daughter of maybe nine or ten. She obviously didn't want anything on the menu and asked for a grilled cheese. The waiter made us laugh b/c as he set down her meal, he said, "Enjoy it. This will be the most expensive grilled cheese of your life."

Anyway, at WCC, we paid:

Canyon skillet, per person: 29
Diet coke, per person: 3
Tax: 4
Total, before tip: 66

We both rate this meal a 10 as WCC is our favorite restaurant (with Ohana super close behind!) and is our number one must-do! Next time we go, we're doing the deluxe dining plan and we can't wait to try their desserts as they look delicious (deep dish bourbon pecan pie, smore cheesecake, omg). I would recommend this to anyone who loved BBQ food and didn't mind loud antics at dinner. Also, the restaurant is open to the beautiful Wilderness Lodge so the view is so nice.

Photopass:

Up next: Epcot lunch and snacks

 

[emmysmommy]

Congratulations on your engagement! You are an adorable couple.

Reading your WCC review I had to go back to my dining "master plan" to see if I could fit in one more TS meal since it looked so amazing! Those ribs and chicken are making me very hungry right now!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[ThePrincess&TheJohn]

Congratulations on your engagement! You are an adorable couple.

Reading your WCC review I had to go back to my dining "master plan" to see if I could fit in one more TS meal since it looked so amazing! Those ribs and chicken are making me very hungry right now!

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks so much! If you can fit it in, WCC is well worth the TS credit. On our next trip, we are going to go there for breakfast and dinner, haha.

 

[TanzUnited99]

That cake looks yummy...could eat one right now!

Your review of WCC sounds great - as a pescetarian the food doesn't appeal to me but will definitely be checking out the resort.

Great photopass pics! :