Astrid
<font color=9933CC>Shoot for the moon. Even if you
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2000
- Messages
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MINUTES OF ASTRID'S WDW MEETING
Held Between Monday 11th and Wednesday 27th March 2002
Location: All Star Music, Walt Disney World
Chairmans Report: The Food
1. Present: Astrid - Chairman and Treasurer
Bryn (9) - Junior Partner
Carys (6) - Trainee (but learning fast!)
2. The Food - Pre-amble and Star Rating System
One of the Chairpersons main priorities this trip was to sample some different restaurants and also to try out some WDW Resort Restaurants. After all, in this Chairpersons book: Orlando = Great Grub = No diet - therefore: Lets go for it Committee. (I havent bothered writing about any of the fast food places we visited because none of them made any lasting impression!)
This Committees Star Rating System is based on simplicity, so .
* = Poor
***** = Excellent
You can choose the words to use for the stars in between! Now, in my book most of the time nothing should ever be given the top rating because then there is nothing that can better it, however, on this occasion Ive chucked that book in the garbage (because were in America now you know!).
So, in no particular order, here goes:
3. Character Meals
a) Crystal Palace, MK - Lunch (but should have been breakfast!): Due to an almighty mess up on our first morning which will be reported on in full if I ever get around to doing the Magic Kingdom Trip Report, we never actually got to MK in time for our Character Breakfast at Crystal Palace, however, a frantic telephone call at the last minute and we luckily managed to get this changed to lunch - big sigh of relief from Junior Partner who might otherwise have had to spend the rest of his holiday being glared and snarled at by this Chairperson (aka his ever-loving Mother!).
So, to lunch, we checked in at our allotted time and were collected shortly afterwards and taken to our table. Our Server was superb and almost immediately Eeyore was upon us, swiftly followed by Tigger and Piglet!! Then came our first experience of napkin twirling, Carys joined in happily and sang along, Bryn looked about embarrassed for a moment then decided that this was pretty good fun and joined in too!! The atmosphere was excellent and our Server couldnt have been more attentive. Pooh came around to say hello during our meal and then another visit by all of the other characters, Tigger especially being very playful.
The buffet was good, though Im afraid to say I cant remember exactly what we ate, knowing Carys, chicken fingers will have featured heavily on her menu. I do recall being completely stuffed by the end of the meal and had difficulty moving from my chair, so it must have been good!!
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - *****
Food - ***
b) Garden Grill, Epcot - Lunch: We like to visit here every year as there never appears to be a need to book beforehand and we like the character interaction and the food is good too.
Sadly, this year was a disappointment, probably compared to our previous visits. The characters didnt seem interested and our Server left a lot to be desired. However, the food was once again delicious, served on big platters and loads of it. My bread with honey butter was to die for and the steak, chicken and various vegetables truly lovely. The kids enjoyed their macaroni cheese, chicken strips and helped themselves to bits from my plate too. There was far too much but of course theres always room for dessert. I had apple pie and the other two had something called worm mud pie!
Farmer Mickey, Chip and Dale, and Pluto came to visit various times during the meal but apart from the obligatory photo and autograph stop didnt want to hang around. I love the way this restaurant revolves and the consistently high standard of food will keep it on my must visit list, but I do hope that next time the characters and staff have an extra dose of pixie dust!!
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - **
Food - ****
c) Chef Mickeys, Contemporary Resort - Dinner: Maybe we were suffering from character meal overload by the time we visited here, it was at the end of our holiday, but this really was one of our least favourite meals.
We had to wait quite a time for our priority seating and once seated had the most unfriendly and unhelpful server in the whole of WDW!! What a huge restaurant this is, and pretty noisy due to the people and also the monorail rumbling overhead every few minutes.
Chef Mickey and Minnie visited us shortly after being seated but didnt hang around which was a shame as Bryn had just dashed to the loo so that was a shame - I suppose with all those people they had a busy schedule!!
There were some different things on the menu here, pizzas for the kids which made a change and a lot of starters such as prawns and other nibbly bits! The beef was delicious as was the mashed potato - now why cant my mash ever taste like that!!
There was a large dessert area where the kids could make their own cookies (or in my twos case make their own mess!) and the squishy type ice-cream makers with various toppings.
Chip and Dale came around and were slightly more enthusiastic but Characters of the Meal award goes to Goofy and Donald who were in the foyer area and surprisingly free of children when we went to visit them!! They were the saving grace of this disappointing meal as were the nice family who sat next to us and tried in vain to mend my camera!! Im afraid our Server was so appalling I didnt leave any tip - sorry, but he just didnt deserve it.
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - ** (wouldve been * if not for Goofy & Donald!)
Food - **
d) Cinderellas Castle, Magic Kingdom - Breakfast: Yes, the sought after Cindys Breakfast!! Coincidentally, my best friend Terri and her family had managed to get a breakfast on the same day as us and as they got their table early we ended up being able to wave at each other throughout the meal!! (well, it made us happy!). Its a lovely restaurant set up and overlooks Fantasyland which was a great view.
We had really high expectations of this meal and as far as the food was concerned we werent disappointed!! It was a lovely breakfast, lots of fresh orange juice and fresh fruit and various breads to start with and then plated meals for the three of us. I juggled around the kids plates so Bryn had Caryss pancakes whilst she devoured his scrambled eggs and they were both very happy!
My breakfast was eggs, bacon, sausage, err apple crumble??? Didnt seem to go in my books, but there again I suppose it made a change! Delicious potatoes and I think there were pancakes (but I might have stolen those from the kids!). The server came round endlessly with more juice, coffee and more plates of whatever was desired food wise and we were all truly stuffed (once again!) by the end.
As for the Princesses hmmm . Huge disappointment, considering they were characters who could speak they really could have made bit more of an effort. To be perfectly frank they all looked bored out of their brains and could barely make the effort. Jasmine made the same joke to us as she did to Terri - Did you come here by flying carpet? and Mary Poppins had the worst English accent in the world - could they not find an English person to play her?!! Snow White should have finished the apple as far as Im concerned and Belle wasnt much better. Cinderella was certainly the best of not a very good bunch!! I would like to think that we really hit unlucky here and Im also glad that Carys isnt a mad Princess fan because she would have been sorely disappointed. It might well be that considering the hype of the restaurant my expectations were too high.
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - ** (down to the location & our Server!)
Food - *****
Oh yes, forgot to mention Prince Charming was in the foyer who bore an uncanny resemblance to Prince Edward?!! (do you think hes moonlighting?!)
4. Resort Meals
Yes, ok, I know the Contemporary is a resort as well but I had to have some sort of headings system!!
a) Ohanas at The Polynesian
We went here for dinner with SpottyDog (Dave) et al and this was my first experience of a meal at a Resort Hotel.
Wow!! Is the first word that springs to mind!! The surroundings were fabulous and the food was delicious! The servers and the atmosphere felt like we really were sitting in the South Pacific. The food was cooked on open fires and there was loads of it. There were salads and chicken wings and lots of different dips to start with followed by huge skewers of various meats and fish. The Steak and Giant Shrimp were my favourites but the Pork and Turkey were also pretty good too, along with more servings of the starters and the dips it was very yummy (Im scraping the barrel with my superlatives now!).
The kids enjoyed it but couldnt do the delicious food justice - give them a few more years and it will certainly appeal to them more!
I honestly cannot remember whether or not I had a dessert, though seem to recall that Valerie had one and I know that Julie ended up with a bucket and spade so she must have had the shaved ice!! Valerie also had a delicious looking pineapple concoction to drink which I believe contained rather a large portion of alcohol!!
After the food there were a couple of games for the children which Carys joined in wholeheartedly, not doing the best at the hula-hoop (though shes certainly improved since then!) and coming last in the coconut race but she loved it!!
Atmosphere & Staff - ****
Food - *****
b) Bomas at Animal Kingdom Lodge
Another dinner with the Robinsons (thanks so much yet again for letting us join you!).
What a fantastic hotel this is, how amazing it must be to stay here. We had a good look around before it was time to get our table, the kids were fascinated by all the animals and how close you could stay to them and we loved the pool area.
It was a big, busy restaurant and a bit overwhelming at first to be honest. The food was laid out buffet style and was certainly very African in its theme. Im always a bit wary of African/Asian food as they tend to use coconut a lot and that is one thing I cannot stand, however, nothing I came across tonight had that ghastly taste!!
Everyone mentions the soups here and I have to agree they are simply fantastic, the most peculiar mixtures taste delicious and I think I could have filled myself up just on those. Sad to say I cant for the life of me remember the flavours I had though - sorry!
There was loads on the buffet table, far too much to recount, suffice to say my plate was full and I tried most of everything!! The kids had their usual macaroni cheese and chicken fillets, one of these days theyll get a bit more adventurous in their culinary decisions!!
The dessert table was loaded!! Lots of small desserts so the opportunity of loading up your plate with something of everything - I particularly loved the Zebra Dome things!!
Atmosphere & Staff - ***
Food - ***
5. Other Restaurants
a) San Angel Inn, Mexico, Epcot - Dinner
This was our last night meal with Terri and her family. It was a lovely way to end the holiday.
Terri and I decided that Lime Margheritas had to be sampled in vast quantity and this was followed by us all sharing some Nachos to start with. For main course I had Filete Motuleno (Beef with stuff!) which unfortunately I had to send back as it was only lukewarm but once returned, hot, it was lovely! Top marks to our Server tonight, he was great, really chatty and informative but not over the top.
We were too full for desserts so just had coffee to finish up and relaxed in the lovely atmosphere. Its just like sitting outside with the boat ride alongside and what seems like stars above, really idyllic.
Atmosphere & Staff - ****
Food - *** (Drink - *****
!)
b) Sizzler
Woo hoo, thanks to the Dis Boards and the assistance of The Robinsons we now know what to do in these restaurants!! No more do I have to sit there like a lemon wondering how I get to choose from the buffet, I just go up and pile my plate!!
We ate at Sizzler for breakfast three times and once for lunch and in my books its great, plentiful, reasonable wholesome food and a good price to boot. The price gets upped a bit by the drinks but even so I couldnt find much fault with any of the meals there. I especially like the breakfasts (but then I am a bit of a breakfast freak!) even though I didnt figure out till I got home the reason why one of the scrambled eggs tasted different - it had cheese in it!! (doh!). There was loads to eat too for the lunch menu and it stays on my list of good places to eat!
Atmosphere & Staff - **
Food - *** (and an extra * for breakfast!)
c) Wolfgang Pucks
We ate a hasty meal at the smaller Wolfgang Pucks at Downtown Disney on our last day. I had a pizza as did Bryn, Ive a feeling Carys had pasta, the food served a purpose but there wasnt a great deal on the menu and I felt it a bit overpriced. However, the staff were friendly and it made a change to go somewhere different.
Atmosphere & Staff - ***
Food - **
6. Final Food Comments
Re-reading this it appears that I wasnt completely happy with many meals!! However, I dont want you to think that Im fussy, I love my grub and probably my expectations are just too high and there wasnt any meal I had that I felt so strongly about that I made a complaint - so I suppose that says it all!!
There are still restaurants that I really want to try out, some more resort ones and perhaps some others a bit more off the main tourist trail - you see theres always a reason to come back!!
Astrid x
Held Between Monday 11th and Wednesday 27th March 2002
Location: All Star Music, Walt Disney World
Chairmans Report: The Food
1. Present: Astrid - Chairman and Treasurer
Bryn (9) - Junior Partner
Carys (6) - Trainee (but learning fast!)
2. The Food - Pre-amble and Star Rating System
One of the Chairpersons main priorities this trip was to sample some different restaurants and also to try out some WDW Resort Restaurants. After all, in this Chairpersons book: Orlando = Great Grub = No diet - therefore: Lets go for it Committee. (I havent bothered writing about any of the fast food places we visited because none of them made any lasting impression!)
This Committees Star Rating System is based on simplicity, so .
* = Poor
***** = Excellent
You can choose the words to use for the stars in between! Now, in my book most of the time nothing should ever be given the top rating because then there is nothing that can better it, however, on this occasion Ive chucked that book in the garbage (because were in America now you know!).
So, in no particular order, here goes:
3. Character Meals
a) Crystal Palace, MK - Lunch (but should have been breakfast!): Due to an almighty mess up on our first morning which will be reported on in full if I ever get around to doing the Magic Kingdom Trip Report, we never actually got to MK in time for our Character Breakfast at Crystal Palace, however, a frantic telephone call at the last minute and we luckily managed to get this changed to lunch - big sigh of relief from Junior Partner who might otherwise have had to spend the rest of his holiday being glared and snarled at by this Chairperson (aka his ever-loving Mother!).
So, to lunch, we checked in at our allotted time and were collected shortly afterwards and taken to our table. Our Server was superb and almost immediately Eeyore was upon us, swiftly followed by Tigger and Piglet!! Then came our first experience of napkin twirling, Carys joined in happily and sang along, Bryn looked about embarrassed for a moment then decided that this was pretty good fun and joined in too!! The atmosphere was excellent and our Server couldnt have been more attentive. Pooh came around to say hello during our meal and then another visit by all of the other characters, Tigger especially being very playful.
The buffet was good, though Im afraid to say I cant remember exactly what we ate, knowing Carys, chicken fingers will have featured heavily on her menu. I do recall being completely stuffed by the end of the meal and had difficulty moving from my chair, so it must have been good!!
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - *****
Food - ***
b) Garden Grill, Epcot - Lunch: We like to visit here every year as there never appears to be a need to book beforehand and we like the character interaction and the food is good too.
Sadly, this year was a disappointment, probably compared to our previous visits. The characters didnt seem interested and our Server left a lot to be desired. However, the food was once again delicious, served on big platters and loads of it. My bread with honey butter was to die for and the steak, chicken and various vegetables truly lovely. The kids enjoyed their macaroni cheese, chicken strips and helped themselves to bits from my plate too. There was far too much but of course theres always room for dessert. I had apple pie and the other two had something called worm mud pie!
Farmer Mickey, Chip and Dale, and Pluto came to visit various times during the meal but apart from the obligatory photo and autograph stop didnt want to hang around. I love the way this restaurant revolves and the consistently high standard of food will keep it on my must visit list, but I do hope that next time the characters and staff have an extra dose of pixie dust!!
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - **
Food - ****
c) Chef Mickeys, Contemporary Resort - Dinner: Maybe we were suffering from character meal overload by the time we visited here, it was at the end of our holiday, but this really was one of our least favourite meals.
We had to wait quite a time for our priority seating and once seated had the most unfriendly and unhelpful server in the whole of WDW!! What a huge restaurant this is, and pretty noisy due to the people and also the monorail rumbling overhead every few minutes.
Chef Mickey and Minnie visited us shortly after being seated but didnt hang around which was a shame as Bryn had just dashed to the loo so that was a shame - I suppose with all those people they had a busy schedule!!
There were some different things on the menu here, pizzas for the kids which made a change and a lot of starters such as prawns and other nibbly bits! The beef was delicious as was the mashed potato - now why cant my mash ever taste like that!!
There was a large dessert area where the kids could make their own cookies (or in my twos case make their own mess!) and the squishy type ice-cream makers with various toppings.
Chip and Dale came around and were slightly more enthusiastic but Characters of the Meal award goes to Goofy and Donald who were in the foyer area and surprisingly free of children when we went to visit them!! They were the saving grace of this disappointing meal as were the nice family who sat next to us and tried in vain to mend my camera!! Im afraid our Server was so appalling I didnt leave any tip - sorry, but he just didnt deserve it.
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - ** (wouldve been * if not for Goofy & Donald!)
Food - **
d) Cinderellas Castle, Magic Kingdom - Breakfast: Yes, the sought after Cindys Breakfast!! Coincidentally, my best friend Terri and her family had managed to get a breakfast on the same day as us and as they got their table early we ended up being able to wave at each other throughout the meal!! (well, it made us happy!). Its a lovely restaurant set up and overlooks Fantasyland which was a great view.
We had really high expectations of this meal and as far as the food was concerned we werent disappointed!! It was a lovely breakfast, lots of fresh orange juice and fresh fruit and various breads to start with and then plated meals for the three of us. I juggled around the kids plates so Bryn had Caryss pancakes whilst she devoured his scrambled eggs and they were both very happy!
My breakfast was eggs, bacon, sausage, err apple crumble??? Didnt seem to go in my books, but there again I suppose it made a change! Delicious potatoes and I think there were pancakes (but I might have stolen those from the kids!). The server came round endlessly with more juice, coffee and more plates of whatever was desired food wise and we were all truly stuffed (once again!) by the end.
As for the Princesses hmmm . Huge disappointment, considering they were characters who could speak they really could have made bit more of an effort. To be perfectly frank they all looked bored out of their brains and could barely make the effort. Jasmine made the same joke to us as she did to Terri - Did you come here by flying carpet? and Mary Poppins had the worst English accent in the world - could they not find an English person to play her?!! Snow White should have finished the apple as far as Im concerned and Belle wasnt much better. Cinderella was certainly the best of not a very good bunch!! I would like to think that we really hit unlucky here and Im also glad that Carys isnt a mad Princess fan because she would have been sorely disappointed. It might well be that considering the hype of the restaurant my expectations were too high.
Atmosphere & Characters/Staff - ** (down to the location & our Server!)
Food - *****
Oh yes, forgot to mention Prince Charming was in the foyer who bore an uncanny resemblance to Prince Edward?!! (do you think hes moonlighting?!)
4. Resort Meals
Yes, ok, I know the Contemporary is a resort as well but I had to have some sort of headings system!!
a) Ohanas at The Polynesian
We went here for dinner with SpottyDog (Dave) et al and this was my first experience of a meal at a Resort Hotel.
Wow!! Is the first word that springs to mind!! The surroundings were fabulous and the food was delicious! The servers and the atmosphere felt like we really were sitting in the South Pacific. The food was cooked on open fires and there was loads of it. There were salads and chicken wings and lots of different dips to start with followed by huge skewers of various meats and fish. The Steak and Giant Shrimp were my favourites but the Pork and Turkey were also pretty good too, along with more servings of the starters and the dips it was very yummy (Im scraping the barrel with my superlatives now!).
The kids enjoyed it but couldnt do the delicious food justice - give them a few more years and it will certainly appeal to them more!
I honestly cannot remember whether or not I had a dessert, though seem to recall that Valerie had one and I know that Julie ended up with a bucket and spade so she must have had the shaved ice!! Valerie also had a delicious looking pineapple concoction to drink which I believe contained rather a large portion of alcohol!!
After the food there were a couple of games for the children which Carys joined in wholeheartedly, not doing the best at the hula-hoop (though shes certainly improved since then!) and coming last in the coconut race but she loved it!!
Atmosphere & Staff - ****
Food - *****
b) Bomas at Animal Kingdom Lodge
Another dinner with the Robinsons (thanks so much yet again for letting us join you!).
What a fantastic hotel this is, how amazing it must be to stay here. We had a good look around before it was time to get our table, the kids were fascinated by all the animals and how close you could stay to them and we loved the pool area.
It was a big, busy restaurant and a bit overwhelming at first to be honest. The food was laid out buffet style and was certainly very African in its theme. Im always a bit wary of African/Asian food as they tend to use coconut a lot and that is one thing I cannot stand, however, nothing I came across tonight had that ghastly taste!!
Everyone mentions the soups here and I have to agree they are simply fantastic, the most peculiar mixtures taste delicious and I think I could have filled myself up just on those. Sad to say I cant for the life of me remember the flavours I had though - sorry!
There was loads on the buffet table, far too much to recount, suffice to say my plate was full and I tried most of everything!! The kids had their usual macaroni cheese and chicken fillets, one of these days theyll get a bit more adventurous in their culinary decisions!!
The dessert table was loaded!! Lots of small desserts so the opportunity of loading up your plate with something of everything - I particularly loved the Zebra Dome things!!
Atmosphere & Staff - ***
Food - ***
5. Other Restaurants
a) San Angel Inn, Mexico, Epcot - Dinner
This was our last night meal with Terri and her family. It was a lovely way to end the holiday.
Terri and I decided that Lime Margheritas had to be sampled in vast quantity and this was followed by us all sharing some Nachos to start with. For main course I had Filete Motuleno (Beef with stuff!) which unfortunately I had to send back as it was only lukewarm but once returned, hot, it was lovely! Top marks to our Server tonight, he was great, really chatty and informative but not over the top.
We were too full for desserts so just had coffee to finish up and relaxed in the lovely atmosphere. Its just like sitting outside with the boat ride alongside and what seems like stars above, really idyllic.
Atmosphere & Staff - ****
Food - *** (Drink - *****
!)b) Sizzler
Woo hoo, thanks to the Dis Boards and the assistance of The Robinsons we now know what to do in these restaurants!! No more do I have to sit there like a lemon wondering how I get to choose from the buffet, I just go up and pile my plate!!
We ate at Sizzler for breakfast three times and once for lunch and in my books its great, plentiful, reasonable wholesome food and a good price to boot. The price gets upped a bit by the drinks but even so I couldnt find much fault with any of the meals there. I especially like the breakfasts (but then I am a bit of a breakfast freak!) even though I didnt figure out till I got home the reason why one of the scrambled eggs tasted different - it had cheese in it!! (doh!). There was loads to eat too for the lunch menu and it stays on my list of good places to eat!
Atmosphere & Staff - **
Food - *** (and an extra * for breakfast!)
c) Wolfgang Pucks
We ate a hasty meal at the smaller Wolfgang Pucks at Downtown Disney on our last day. I had a pizza as did Bryn, Ive a feeling Carys had pasta, the food served a purpose but there wasnt a great deal on the menu and I felt it a bit overpriced. However, the staff were friendly and it made a change to go somewhere different.
Atmosphere & Staff - ***
Food - **
6. Final Food Comments
Re-reading this it appears that I wasnt completely happy with many meals!! However, I dont want you to think that Im fussy, I love my grub and probably my expectations are just too high and there wasnt any meal I had that I felt so strongly about that I made a complaint - so I suppose that says it all!!
There are still restaurants that I really want to try out, some more resort ones and perhaps some others a bit more off the main tourist trail - you see theres always a reason to come back!!
Astrid x
).
