Marathon Eating on the Deluxe Plan Updated 2/17 Final Update

[BBH]

Welcome to my dining review. We spent 11/26-12/4 at Disney World, and 7 of the 8 nights were on the Deluxe dining. I titled my review marathon eating because we had to keep pacing ourselves, the Deluxe was way too much food. I don't regret that we used the Deluxe Plan, it was fun to try a wide variety of restaurants, but I am not sure if I would do it again. The main reason I did it was that we received free regular dining, so I only had to pay the upgrade portion.

A quick background before I get started. This is our 3rd trip to Disney World since 2006, so we dined at a mixture of old favorites and new places.
The diners:
Stacey (35)- I like a wide variety of foods, but I am not a big meat eater, just poultry and fish.
Bob (40)- Can be a picky eater, but tends to eat beef and pork out since we don't eat it at home.

The Wave
Since there wasn't anywhere I really wanted to eat while spending the day at the Magic Kingdom we took an afternoon break and headed over to the Contemporary Resort for lunch at the Wave. This is the start of the marathon, our first meal on the Deluxe Dining Plan, where we had to get used to each having an appetizer, entree and dessert for lunch and dinner.

Appetizers

The Wave Cobb with Artisan Greens, “All Natural” Eggs, Florida Avocado-Buttermilk Dressing, Farmer’s Cheese, and Locally Sourced Tomatoes. (This is also typically served with bacon, but I had them leave it off the salad).

Pan-seared Sea Scallops with Sweet Onions, Applewood-smoked Bacon, and Chili Cream Corn Sauce.

Entrees

Curry Vegetable Stew with Butternut Squash, Asparagus, Heirloom Apples, seasonal Vegetables, and Jade Rice.
Asian Chicken Salad with Soy-Ginger Vinaigrette, Grilled Pineapple, and Napa Cabbage.
Desserts

Creamy Indulgence Trio
Holiday Trio

Rating 4.5/5
This was our favorite lunch. I really enjoyed the curry stew and the scallops were one of his favorite items on the trip.

Cobb 7.49
Iced Tea 2.99
Curry Stew 16.49
Holiday dessert trio 7.99
Chinese Salad 15.49
Iced Tea 2.99
Scallops 10.99
Creamy Indulgence Trio 7.99
Tax 4.71
Total 77.13
Value per Dining Credit 38.57

 

[Linda67]

Great start

I really don't think I could do the Deluxe DP, well maybe for a couple of days but we are normally there for two weeks and we would probably have to be rolled out of WDW after so much food

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Don't think I've ever seen a review of the Wave at lunchtime - great start.

We did the dxdp in 2010 mainly because we wanted to do a couple of signatures and both dinner shows so it worked out better value than paying oop but you are right - the waste is guilt-inducing. Did save us a fortune on gifts home though - we only used about 8 of our 56 snacks in the week and brought Mickey Treats etc. home with us as presents.

Looking forward to more

 

[BBH]

Citricos
Appetizers

Forest Mushroom Bisque Sautéed Lobster Mushroom, Thyme-scented Mascarpone, and Black Truffle
Tomato Salad- I couldn’t find the menu description, but this was basically a Caprese salad with prosciutto.

Entrees

Grilled Swordfish Trenne Pasta, White Anchovy-Poma Rosa Tomato Sauce, Kalamata Olives,
Roasted Fennel, Baby Artichokes, and Black Truffle Vinaigrette

Oak-grilled Filet of Beef Spanish Onions, Peppadew and Banana Peppers,
Quattro Formaggi-Potato Purée, and Glace de Viande

Desserts

Warm Chocolate -Banana Torte with Vanilla Ice Cream and Handcrafted Belgium CouvertureChocolate Crown

Vanilla Rooibos
Sweetened with vanilla bean, this rich and full-bodied tea has a creamy vanilla finish.

Rating 5/5
This was a wonderful meal with great service. I fell in love with the vanilla rooibos tea, and ordered it a couple more times over the course of the trip. Please note this is a signature restaurant and cost 2 dining credits per person.

Wild Mushroom Soup 9
Swordfish 36
Pumpkin Cheesecake 9
Vanilla tea 6.29
Tomato Salad 15
Filet 41
Choc Banana Tort 11
Tax 8.28
Total 135.57
Value per Dining Credit 33.89

 

[Linda67]

Great review of Citricos

We have an ADR for our trip in May but I am thinking I may have to cancel it as we have so much to fit in

Every review I read of it is wonderful though - glad you enjoyed it

 

[BBH]

Great review of Citricos

We have an ADR for our trip in May but I am thinking I may have to cancel it as we have so much to fit in

Every review I read of it is wonderful though - glad you enjoyed it

You should definitely give it a try sometime. I also wanted to add that I always enjoy reading your reviews.

 

[BBH]

We started out the morning with breakfast at Kouzzina. Unfortunately we forgot to take pictures. We enjoyed how the menu featured different takes on traditional breakfast items.
French Toast Baklava – Grilled Fig and Anise Country Bread with Honey, Walnuts, and Cinnamon with Chicken Sausage
Classic Golden Waffle with Whipped Mascarpone Cheese, Honey, and Chopped Pecans and Chicken Sausage
Our score for Kouzzina is 4/5.
Kouzzina
French Toast 11.99
Orange Juice 2.79
Waffle 10.49
Orange Juice 2.79
Tax 1.82
Total 29.88
Value per dining credit 14.94

Via Napoli
Appetizers

Arancini fried risotto balls filled with mozzarella and meat ragu

Fritto di Verdura Crisp fried vegetables, marinara piccante
Entrees

Margherita Pizza tomato, mozzarella, basil
Piccante Italian Spicy Sausage, tomato, mozzarella
Desserts

Coppa Di Brutti Ma Buoni - Ugly, but good. Amarena cherry and vanilla gelato sundae with ugly, but good cookies of carnevale
Torta Di Sarena - Applecake with almond Sorbetto

The only thing that wasn’t fabulous was the apple cake. It tasted good, it just wasn’t as memorable as the other items. Via Napoli gets a score of 4.5/5.

Via Napoli
Fried Veggies 10
Iced Tea 3
Margherita 16
Apple Cake 8
Arancini 10
Piccante 18
Iced Tea 3
Cherry Sundae 8
Tax 4.94
Total 76
Value per dining credit 38

Next Up La Hacienda de San Angel

 

[dixonsontour]

All looks great

 

[BBH]

La Hacienda de San Angel
Appetizers

Ensalada de la Hacienda - spinach salad with queso fresco, tomatoes, pomagranate, pine nuts and avacado, with mustard vinaigrette dressing
Chiles toreados y chorizitos - roasted sweet peppers with lime and sea salt, served with mini "cantimpalito" chorizos.
This one was a little different than expected. From the description it sounds like sweet peppers and spicy sausage, but the peppers were spicy too.

Entrees

Tacos de Camarones - Fried shrimp, chipotle-lime aioli, cabbage, lime and salsa verde, all served over flour tortillas
Tasted fine, but I was disappointed overall. This seemed like something I could have at any chain Mexican restaurant for half the cost or less.
Puerco en Salsa de Mole Negro - Roasted pork tender loin with mole negro sauce, served with esquites (roasted corn), sweet potato mash, beans and vegetables.

Desserts

Empanada de Manzana - puff pastry filled with sauteed caramel apples and vanilla bean ice cream with Kahlua sauce.
Crema de Chocolate “Abuelita”-
Chocolate custard served with crunchy buñuelo strips
and caramel syrup.

La Hacienda was our least favorite meal and earned a score of 3/5. It wasn’t bad, just not memorable enough to want to return to next time. I did really enjoy the empanada, you can’t really go wrong with apples and caramel.

La Hacienda de San Angel
Chiles Toreados 12.25
Pork Mole 25.95
Chocolate Natilla 7.95
Salad 7.75
Shrimp Tacos 22.95
Empanadas 7.95
Tax 5.51
Total 90.31
Value per Dining Credit 45.16

Next Up Beaches & Cream

 

[sarahewoods]

Loving your reviews, we did the dxddp for 2 whole weeks in November 2010. It was fantastic for choice of signatures, however, due to cost we are only on the regular ddp come October.

Looking forward to Citricos.

Thank you for sharing xx

 

[BBH]

Beaches & Cream

Cheeseburger - (single or double) A juicy beef patty served on a fresh baked bun.
Veggie Burger - Grilled Vegetable and Grain Patty on a Multi-Grain Bun.
Both items were served with fries.

Sorry no pictures of the main course.

No Way Jose - A Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge Delight with Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels, Whipped Cream and a Cherry.
Milky Way Sundae - Bundt Cake topped with three scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Butterscotch, Whipped Cream and a Cherry.

Beaches & Cream gets a rating of 4/5. The burger was basic, but good, the sundaes were yummy, and we enjoyed the chocolate Cokes. The sundaes are BIG. I had read in other reviews that you can ask for a smaller version; however I forgot about this when I ordered. If you aren’t going to share, I recommend downsizing your sundae.

Beaches & Cream
Chocolate Coke 3.99
Burger w/ bacon 9.98
Milky Way Sundae 7.99
Chocolate Coke 3.99
Veggie burger 7.99
No Way Jose
Sundae 7.99
Tax 2.67
Total 44.6
Value per Dining Credit 22.3

Next up Les Chefs de France

 

[wilma-bride]

We love Beaches and Cream - you can't beat it for burgers and ice-cream

Great reviews so far. I could never eat everything you get on the Deluxe Dining Plan - we are considering doing the regular DP in August and I don't even know if I am going to be able to eat all the food you get on that.

 

[sarahewoods]

Those sundae's look very yummy

 

[Linda67]

Oh how I loved the 'No Way Jose' but I did ask for the smaller version and even that nearly killed me

 

[Pinkgirl]

Fantastic start to your review. We have upgraded to deluxe for our wedding trip so will be following along closely.

Its nice to see a lunch review of Wave. We are looking for lunch somewhere the day we have our family portrait session at the GF.

 

[DLFan123]

Looking forward to reading the rest of your reviews. We have enjoyed Linda67's reports as well! We will be taking our first trip on the Deluxe Dining Plan in April and aspire to post as many great pics and reviews as you both.

 

[BBH]

Les Chefs De France

Appetizers

Assiette de fromages de France - French imported cheese plate

Crab & Shrimp Salad

Entrees

Trio de fruits de mer au bouillion de homard - sauteed scallops, mahi mahi, and black tiger shrimp served in a lobster broth with gnocchi.

Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre vert Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts - Grilled tenderloin of beef with green peppercorn sauce original potato gratin of Savoy and green beans.

Desserts

Gauteau au chocolat - Chocolate mousse cake, vanilla ice cream.
Profiteroles au chocolat - Puff choux with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Les chefs de France earned a score of 4/5. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant and that elevated the overall experience. I was disappointed with the chocolate cake. This is a really busy restaurant, we had to wait about a half hour for our table, and we only waited 5-10 minutes for all of our other ADR’s.

Les Chefs de France
Iced Tea 2.99
Cheese Plate 14.5
Coquilles St Jacques 31.99
Gauteau au Chocolat 8.99
Cappuccino 3.99
Crab Salad 14.99
Beef 34.99
Profiteroles 8.99
Tax 7.90
Total 129.33
Value per Dining Credit 64.67

 

[BBH]

Kona Café

Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes
with Macadamia Nut Butter, Pineapple Sauce, and fresh fruit. (They let me sub the fruit instead of having the bacon or sausage listed on the menu).

Tonga Toast
Banana-stuffed Sourdough French Toast rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and served with a Strawberry Compote and Bacon.

Kona café received a score of 5/5. This was a delicious breakfast and we will definitely go back on our next trip. I also wanted to note that we got here not long after they opened and were seated after a few minutes without an ADR.

Kona Café
Tonga Toast 12.99
Mocha 4.79
Macadamia Pancakes 9.99
Hot Chocolate 2.39
Tax 1.97
Total 32.13
Value per Dining Credit 16.07

Next up 50's Prime Time Cafe

 

[Pinkgirl]

The food at Les Chefs looks amazing.

 

[BBH]

50's Prime Time Cafe

Appetizers

Cousin Amy’s Iceberg Lettuce Wedge
Blue Cheese Dressing, Bacon, and Chives (shown without bacon).

This was smothered with blue cheese dressing and had the most blue cheese crumbles I have ever seen on a salad, which worked for me, but I could see how it could be too much of a good thing for some.

Blue Claw Crab Cake
Lump Crab Cake served in Succotash with Chili Sauce and Crispy Onions.

Entrees

A Sampling of Mom's Favorite Recipes - Crispy-fried Chicken, Fork Tender Pot Roast, and Traditional Meatloaf with all the fixings.

The pot roast was the best of the three.

Grandma's Chicken Pot Pie - A creamy cheese mixture of chicken, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, and peas topped with a flaky pastry.

Desserts

S'mores

50’s Boston Cream Parfait
Layers of Chocolate Fudge, Vanilla Cream, and Pound Cake topped with Whipped Cream.

50’s Prime Time Café scored 3.5/5. The vanilla Coke’s were delicious. The food was average, but the atmosphere is a lot of fun. This was my second time dining here. It isn’t a must for every trip, but I am sure I will dine here again.

50's Prime Time Café
Wedge Salad 5.49
Vanilla Coke 3.19
Chicken Pot Pie 17.99
S'mores 4.79
Vanilla Coke 3.19
Crab Cake 9.49
Sampler 19.99
Boston Parfait 5.49
Tax 4.53
Total 74.15
Value per Dining Credit 37.08