This was my family's first time on site at Disney and our first time on the dining plan - absolutely loved the Deluxe Dining Plan and our stay at the Grand Floridian!
We liked doing the Deluxe Plan since we could do 2 credit dinners and not worry about running out of meal credits since we'd eat breakfast and dinners.
Our Favorites -
Le Cellier - absolutely loved the filet and the servers were very attentive
Brown Derby - meal and service was excellent. We did the Fantasmic Dining Package and while we don't do Fantasmic again (nothing compares to the Wishes or MVMCP/MNSSHP fireworks at MK for us) we will go back to Brown Derby
Cinderella's Castle - while the food was not that great, the experience of being in the castle plus having DD meet Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Belle, and Aurora was well worth it! Definately go there for the characters and fact you're in the castle since the food was not really that great compared to so many of our other meals
Crystal Palace - Food was great, service was great, characters were great. Ate breakast there and got into MK early.
Tusker House Breakfast with Donald Duck - food was great, service was great, got into AK early too! Make sure and take your own photo with Donald so you don't have to pay for the one the photopass folks take.
Grand Floridian Cafe - ate breakfast here our last day and it was very good.
Liberty Tree - ate dinner here, very good, great food and service.
Princess Dining in Norway - ate breakfast here - food was ok, would like to try it for lunch or dinner next time as breakfast was nothing unique but the characters were great (Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Ariel).
We plan to go back to all of the above restaurants on our next trip!
Not so good...
1900 Park Fare - ate dinner here with Cinderella. It felt like the 3rd rate Princess dinner in case you weren't able to book the Castle or Norway. They played VERY loud music and it was hard to talk to my husband and daughter. The food was not very good either - buffet style. We had planned to do the 1900 Park Fare breakfast with the Mad Hatter but had such a lackluster dinner we cancelled it and went to the Grand Floridian Cafe. I would not recommend the dinner here. Next time, we plan to try one of the Signature restaurants at the GF instead.
Chef Mickeys - ate breakfast here, nothing special. Felt very rushed by the server who just came and sat down orange juice and left and we had to catch her as soon as she came back to ask if we were able to get something other than orange juice (which we didn't order) to drink. The characters were good but you can see most of the same ones at Tusker House which is FAR better. I also didn't care for the Contemporary. Felt like a lame hotel buffet breakfast. Then we had to wait 40 mins at the Contemporary for a bus to HS.
Won't go back for either of these meals. I may try the 1900 breakfast but there is no way I will go back to the Contemporary or Chef Mickeys - just plain unimpressed.
Now I just have to wait until 6/7/11 to book ADRs for next trip - 12/4/11-12/9/11 at the GF again w/DDP. Absolutely loved the GF and DxDDP so doing it again!
We liked doing the Deluxe Plan since we could do 2 credit dinners and not worry about running out of meal credits since we'd eat breakfast and dinners.
Our Favorites -
Le Cellier - absolutely loved the filet and the servers were very attentive
Brown Derby - meal and service was excellent. We did the Fantasmic Dining Package and while we don't do Fantasmic again (nothing compares to the Wishes or MVMCP/MNSSHP fireworks at MK for us) we will go back to Brown Derby
Cinderella's Castle - while the food was not that great, the experience of being in the castle plus having DD meet Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Belle, and Aurora was well worth it! Definately go there for the characters and fact you're in the castle since the food was not really that great compared to so many of our other meals
Crystal Palace - Food was great, service was great, characters were great. Ate breakast there and got into MK early.
Tusker House Breakfast with Donald Duck - food was great, service was great, got into AK early too! Make sure and take your own photo with Donald so you don't have to pay for the one the photopass folks take.
Grand Floridian Cafe - ate breakfast here our last day and it was very good.
Liberty Tree - ate dinner here, very good, great food and service.
Princess Dining in Norway - ate breakfast here - food was ok, would like to try it for lunch or dinner next time as breakfast was nothing unique but the characters were great (Cinderella, Belle, Aurora, Snow White, and Ariel).
We plan to go back to all of the above restaurants on our next trip!
Not so good...
1900 Park Fare - ate dinner here with Cinderella. It felt like the 3rd rate Princess dinner in case you weren't able to book the Castle or Norway. They played VERY loud music and it was hard to talk to my husband and daughter. The food was not very good either - buffet style. We had planned to do the 1900 Park Fare breakfast with the Mad Hatter but had such a lackluster dinner we cancelled it and went to the Grand Floridian Cafe. I would not recommend the dinner here. Next time, we plan to try one of the Signature restaurants at the GF instead.
Chef Mickeys - ate breakfast here, nothing special. Felt very rushed by the server who just came and sat down orange juice and left and we had to catch her as soon as she came back to ask if we were able to get something other than orange juice (which we didn't order) to drink. The characters were good but you can see most of the same ones at Tusker House which is FAR better. I also didn't care for the Contemporary. Felt like a lame hotel buffet breakfast. Then we had to wait 40 mins at the Contemporary for a bus to HS.
Won't go back for either of these meals. I may try the 1900 breakfast but there is no way I will go back to the Contemporary or Chef Mickeys - just plain unimpressed.
Now I just have to wait until 6/7/11 to book ADRs for next trip - 12/4/11-12/9/11 at the GF again w/DDP. Absolutely loved the GF and DxDDP so doing it again!
