May 2014 dining review - Favorites & not-so-favorites

[GirlGoneTexan]

Just returned from our 5 day trip! We were on dining plan, 2 adults & 2 kids (boy age 8, girl age 5)...

Favorite dining (I'd definitely go back):

- Akershus Princess Dining at Epcot. Best character meal we had, loved that it was buffet appetizer but you ordered your entrée. Great service and fun princesses. Even the pizza for the kids was really bubbly crust and tasty.

- Be Our Guest (lunch FP+) - best bang for your buck. Food was very good. Wish Belle had been there, but otherwise, neat place & quick service.

- Kona Café (Poly) - we went out of pocket for this impromptu meal. The wait for seating was annoying because it's just bar seating and it's very limited, but it was worth the wait. We had an order of dumplings (DELICIOUS!!!), 4 orders of sushi (sashimi & rolls - very good!), a kids meal (cool Mickey head ravioli with huge sundae for dessert), and 4 beers for right at $100 - great deal!

- Katsura (Japan - Epcot) - we did 2 adult orders of the sushi combo, a snack order of edamame, a kids' chicken teriyaki to feed all 4 of us, and 2 Kirin lights to top it off. Very good. Small and crowded, so next time I'd eat outside.


OK dining

- Tusker House character lunch- food was good and interesting variety, characters came around twice and were fun, but it was really really loud, and our waiter, while he was VERY nice, was very talkative with patrons, so it took forever to get drinks.

- Mara (AKL) - had lunch here and it was pretty good, nothing to get too excited about. Tried the famous Zebra domes - way too rich for me, but tasty.

- Hollywood and Vine character lunch - Loud and Chaotic! The buffet was OK. Service was good. Characters were fun and interactive for the little ones. Do not go here unless your kids are little and fans of these characters!

- 1900 Park Fare dinner - I was very disappointed. The characters were fun for the kids, but I'd heard how "hilarious" they were.. not so much. Food was just OK. Kids loved the characters so that would be the only reason we'd go back. The hotel itself was very elegant.

-Contempo Café (Contemporary) - the only reason we came here was that we wanted a QS meal near MK but really wanted a beer... so we came here. Food was OK. At least more variety than other places- I had a steak salad which was pretty good.

Overall, I would probably not do so many character meals next go round. It was our first trip as a family so we didn't really know what to expect.

 

[disney meema]

Thanks for you dining reviews, great info : )

 

[OasterP]

Great information - thanks! We are going in September with our (will be by then) four year old son for his 4th birthday and are definitely doing a lot of character meals. I had heard the same about H&V so I dropped that. I hope 1900 is decent when we go, and I can't wait for Tusker House! Thanks!

 

[The Librarian]

Thanks for the reviews.

Hmm...what about the food at 1900 PF? We have already done an Akershus dinner (we also really liked it, Snow White was verrrry smart, she noticed DH's camera lens cover was on ) so if we can't get CRT dinner I'm thinking about 1900 PF as our #1 backup since it seems easier to get an ADR.

Can you please outline a little more what didn't you like about it?

 

[vettegirl]

Great reviews

 

[kastoney]

Thanks for the run down. Always appreciate hearing from other sushi and beer lovers ; )

 

[GirlGoneTexan]

Thanks for the reviews.

Hmm...what about the food at 1900 PF? We have already done an Akershus dinner (we also really liked it, Snow White was verrrry smart, she noticed DH's camera lens cover was on ) so if we can't get CRT dinner I'm thinking about 1900 PF as our #1 backup since it seems easier to get an ADR.

Can you please outline a little more what didn't you like about it?

It wasn't BAD, I just expected more, I guess. Underwhelmed?

The place itself reminded me of a Holiday Inn restaurant, décor and set up. It did not have a royal or special feel to it at all.

Food-wise, I guess it seemed a little all over the place. Like Chinese food in one area, sushi, random rice dishes, random salads, Chicken marsala (which was just OK, kinda dry), Guinness stew and mashed potatoes (probably the most tasteful thing on the buffet). Desserts were only OK. I had cobbler which was OK.

The characters were also just so-so. I expected more interaction, more "hilarity" because that seemed to be why people kept saying to go. They were sort of funny, but they moved through the room VERY quickly.

Also I thought they'd have more interaction with the kids. At Akershus, they did the Princess procession. At H&V, they had the kids get up several times & participate. At Tusker House, the characters came around at least twice, and while they didn't talk, they messed around with the kids and high fived, etc.

This dinner was in place of CRT because I was not able to get a reservation there. The kids loved it, but I thought it would be a little fancier. Also the photo you get included is not with Cinderella or any of the characters, which I felt was a little odd.

Hope that helps!

 

[GirlGoneTexan]

Thanks for the run down. Always appreciate hearing from other sushi and beer lovers ; )

As far as beer goes, of course we did Garden Grocer to have beer in our room. We did find Epcot's best deal was the Yuengling, I think he figured out you got more for your money.

I did drink a "Moroccorita" from Morocco and holy moly, it knocked me off my feet! It was very tasty, and I'm not a fruity drink person, more of a wine and beer girl.

Still don't get why MK has no booze, and all the other parks do. Amidst all the chaos, one sometimes just needs a cold beer to stay sane!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Thanks for sharing!