My first dining review! Mmmmm - updated 1/26 with Tutto Italia

[Shleedogg]

We started planning our trip back in April and I quickly found these message boards and was drawn to the restaurant boards. Since I was pregnant and would have a 2 month old on this trip I decided that instead of trying desperately to ride all the rides multiple times and go as quickly through the parks as possible that food would be the focus of this trip. Meet our Disney diners:

Me: 25, LOVES Disney and food, especially Italian, lots of pastas. Not a big meat eater, chicken and burgers only. Prior to the trip had only eaten at two TS, Sci-Fi and Crystal Palace. I had also tried 50s PTC when I was 7, but it was so long ago it doesn't count, lol.

DH: 25, also loves Disney. Generally is a CS kinda boy. He likes burgers, chicken fingers, pizza and a good steak...along with any other kind of meat I won't cook for him . But he likes everything plain! No sauces, etc.

FIL: Loves his meat, and I mean loves. Willing to try lots of different things though. Also loves fine wines.

MIL: Likes meat, doesn't eat much red meat though, also likes pastas. Pretty easy to please.

Niece24: 24, Really I don't know what she likes to eat, lol. She didn't seem to like much of the TS meals I picked

Niece14: 14, Likes pretty simple, American food, and plain.

DD: 2 mos. Mmmmm milk.

The main purpose of our trip was so DH could run the marathon (or so he thinks ) so you will see that our meals reflecting that, carb loading, all you can eat after the marathon. I tried to get as many pictures as possible, did pretty well w/ table service, terrible w/ cs. Then the batteries on our camera died on the second to last day during dinner and DH didn't want to pay for expensive Disney batteries so I don't have pictures for every meal, I'm sorry!

I was very nervous about all our reservations. I had read as many reviews as possible trying to accommodate everyone's taste. No one was really interested in helping plan so eventually I just decided what I would like

We got into Orlando around 3:30 on Friday 1/9, by the time we got to the hotel it was about 4:30. DH had to go to Wide World of Sports to check in for the marathon and get his package. I stayed at the hotel (ASSp) and fed DD so we'd be ready to go get dinner when he got back. FIL, MIL, and the nieces returned from the parks around 6. We had planned on using a CS for dinner that night and I really wanted to try WPE. FIL & MIL were beat so they just ate at the food court and said it was pretty good. The rest of us went to DTD to find WPE.

Me: I had the 4 cheese pizza with pesto, a pop and carrot cake. I really enjoyed it until I got to the goat cheese in the middle. I'm a huge cheese lover, so I didn't think twice about there being some new cheeses for me on the pizza, but now I know I do not like goat cheese. Yuk. I tried as best I could to scrape it off. It wasn't bad, but there was still a hint of the goat cheese. The carrot cake was very very yummy. I got a lot while we were there and I think this was the best I had the whole trip.

DH: Pepperoni pizza, chocolate chip cookie, pop. He said the pizza was ok, he was still hungry after. He was a little annoyed w/ me because he wanted pasta and even though I had read on allears.net that they had spaghetti and meatballs, they didn't. Oh well, he survived

Niece24: Caesar salad, key lime pie, pop. She said it was ok. The chicken on it was odd, it looked shredded instead of a nice cut chicken breast. The chicken was also cold which really seemed to bother her.

Niece14: Pepperoni pizza, key lime pie, pop. Didn't even eat half of her pizza, I'm guessing she didn't like it. She's such a sweet girl I think she didn't want to hurt my feeling since I was so excited about this meal, lol. She did say that the pie was much better than the key lime pie that she had for lunch at the ASSp food court.

Overall, not the amazing experience I had hoped for. I had bombed on pick number one for my dining companions. Luckily the rest of my picks seemed to be more of a hit!

 

[TigerKat]

Great start!

 

[pumba]

trust me......it is soooooo hard to please a large group of people.....we have been to Disney with as little as four and as many as 11 ......You did good I think to go to a restauarant that had enough to please the crowds.....
looking forward to more
Thanks for taking the time

 

[Shleedogg]

We chose MGM (it just doesn't feel right to call it DHS, lol) because it was the smallest park and easiest for DH so he didn't have to do a lot of walking.

After a quick bagel in the foodcourt, we headed out for the day. I just have to say I love childswap, especially when combined with the fastpass. Amazing! After we hit the big rides TOT and RNR twice each we headed for lunch. The rest of our group had used their CS for a big breakfast so they just sat with us, nieces had a snack.

Catalina Eddie's

Me: Cheese pizza with salad, water, carrot cake. The pizza was ok. It took awfully long to get considering it just sat there under a heating lamp. For the amount of time it took you would think they made it fresh for me, lol. I didn't try the salad as we were running late for something so I gave it to niece 14 who seemed to like it. The carrot cake was ok, definitely not as good as WPE.

DH: Pepperoni pizza with salad, chocolate cake, pop. Same opinion as mine as far as pizza quality. It was ok, nothing fabulous, but not terrible. He said the cake was pretty good, a little dry though. He doesn't eat salad and so gave his to MIL.

Mama Melrose (yea finally some pics!)

We had ADRs for 5:55pm and had been told that we would have to book at two separate tables. We got there and checked in about 5 min early and were seated by 6:05, not too bad. Even more exciting was that we were seated all together!

I don't remember our waitresses name, but she was great. She explained the dining plan and didn't once mention gratuities. Ok, on to the good stuff!

We were started with a basket of warm rolls and olive oil, which was delicious. I was the only one to enjoy the olive oil for dipping, everyone else looked relieved when our waitress brought out butter, lol.

FIL: Spicy Italian Sausage with rigatoni pasta, peppers, onions, and a tomato basil sauce topped with caprino cheese (from allears.net) Didn't get a pic as he was on the far side of the table. He loved it! He cleaned his plate before I had had half of my dinner.

MIL, Niece14, DH: Oven Baked Chicken alla Parmesan over spaghetti

I think the general consensus was that it was pretty good. MIL finished all except some of the pasta, DH cleaned his plate, niece left some but she doesn't seem to have a big appetite.

Niece24: Penne Alla Vodka with pancetta and sweet onion, finished with tomato basil sauce, cream, vodka and pecorino romano. I think this was the only dish I actually heard her say was good, lol. She ate a good portion of it but didn't finish so she could save room for dessert. These portions were huge!

Me: Wood-grilled Chicken tossed with Pipette pasta with artichokes, peas, roasted red peppers in a basil and four cheese cream sauce. I got it without the artichoke. It was really really good! It is my second favorite dinner of the trip. It had a bit of a kick to it which I wasn't expecting but really enjoyed.

Dessert:

FIL: Vanilla gelato. It's pretty simple, due to where we were each seated, no picture agan, but I don't think everyone is reading this for a picture of vanilla gelato . He ate it all so I'm assuming it was good.

Niece24 & DH: Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake. She wasn't impressed. I have to agree. DH didn't want dessert but as we were on DDP I ordered for him so I could try it. The chocolate tasted bitter. The cake was ok, pretty spongy though, I prefer a denser cake. Overall a bad dessert.

I didn't get a pic of this one, sorry!

MIL, Niece14, Me: Tiramisu. Yum! This was the first time I had ever had an entire tiramisu for dessert. I had tried a bit of a friend's before. I ate the whole thing. I would have preferred a thicker cream, I seem to remember the other kind I had was thicker, this was almost whipped. It still tasted very good though!

At the end of the meal we had a few rolls left so I asked our waitress if we could get them to go as DH was running the marathon the next day and might want some extra carbs tonight or tomorrow morning. She told us no problem and then threw a bunch more in the container. Really, she was great. DH really appreciated having those rolls so he could grab something to eat on his way out the door in the morning.

Overall everyone seemed pretty content with this restaurant choice. I know it gets bad reviews, but I really liked it, we will be back!

 

[Shleedogg]

Aaaah, marathon day. The reason for our trip. DH was up at 3:15 and out the door w/ 2 rolls from Mama Melrose for breakfast and running by 5:50am. He finished which he was really happy about. Initially he had been really training and trying to run around 3hrs 20min. Then I went overdue with my pregnancy and was induced so we were in the hospital for almost a week where he couldn't run, then with a newborn it was almost impossible. Considering all he had going against him in the end of his training, I think he did pretty well not only finishing his first marathon but finishing in 4hrs and 7min. Ok, brag over I'm just so proud of him and his awesome Mickey medal!

I too had leftover roll. We left the room around 8 to go catch the finish at Epcot. Yea DH! After the race, as you can probably guess, we were all starving, including DD. Everyone headed to the foodcourt to grab something while I headed to the room to feed DD.

DH: Spaghetti and meatballs, cookies and cream Mickey sandwich, water. He ate it all, I'm assuming it was edible as it was all gone by the time I got downstairs. He did say he really like the sandwich though, lol.

Me: Chicken nuggets, fries, Mickey sandwich, water. I know there's been some complaining about the nuggets but I don't see why. They are delicious, no complaints from me! Niece24 had said the fries there were the "sooo good." I wouldn't go that far, lol. They were fries.

DTD

DH napped for a couple hrs and we headed to DTD. I wanted to find a baby Cinderella dress for DD for our dinner that night. No such luck, they don't make them that small . I did get her a little pink dress that says princess though with a flowy skirt that is very cute. I also wanted to go do a make your own treat at Goofy's. Like most obsessive Disney food planners I had been planning for awhile what I wanted to make. Unfortunately I got there and found out they didn't have peanut butter cups anymore it was Reeses pieces. The horror!!

I survived. I made a Mickey rice krispy treat, dipped in milk chocolate, covered in Reeses pieces and drizzled with milk chocolate. It took me 3 days to eat. When I was reading reviews I couldn't believe it took people so long to eat their treats. I never fully comprehended how huge they actually are!

Yep, I couldn't even fit the whole thing in my mouth. I got so many stares as I was sitting there in DTD trying to take a bite, a couple of which were looks of disgust by people wearing their marathon shirts. They're just jealous


Dinner 1900 PF

but I have to say how beautiful the Grand Floridian is. I told DH we have to stay there next time, I'm in love.

Not so much can be said for 1900 PF. Our reservations were for 7:20pm. When DH checked in at 7, we were seated shortly after. Niece 14 and I shared the same opinion, really not that good. Everyone else eats prime rib and so enjoyed it. FIL said it was excellent, DH enjoyed it, I just don't like prime rib so I sampled the other offerings.

Mac&Cheese-really, how can you screw this up? I can't describe it, but it really wasn't good.
Cheese pizza-ok.
Broccoli-was good, I very much enjoyed it!
pasta on main buffet (I think bolognese)-it was ok, nothing I'd ever feel the need to order again
Mashed potatoes-looked really good, had the texture of glue.
Bread-delicious!

Dessert:
They did have cute little desserts. I don't think I tried any of them.
I did get the chocolate ice cream...woah. It was double chocolate, too much chocolate for me, lol. The gummi bears were delicious! Mmmm.

I had a second dessert of my Mickey treat when I got back

My general feeling for 1900 PF was that if you have a little one that would enjoy meeting Cinderella, do it, the food isn't terrible. If you're just going for the food, pick somewhere else unless you REALLY like prime rib.

The antics were fun. One of the step-sisters asked Niece24 to join the dance. She is VERY short for her age and so we all had fun guessing how old the step-sister actually thought she was, lol.

I only took character pictures this meal as I didn't think the food was worth it. That's a pic of DD in her princess dress with Anastasia.

Well, that's it for tonight, if DD takes a nap longer than 20 min tomorrow morning or afternoon I'll post another one. Otherwise you'll have to be in suspense until tomorrow evening . These catnaps are a killer, tell me naps get longer, lol!

 

[KatMark]

Loving your reviews. So glad you liked Mama Melrose--we go every year and have always had great service and good food. Your daughter is simply adorable.

 

[bluechic03]

Love your first reviews! Congrats on your DD too, she's adorable and a princess for sure! Also I was wondering where you are from because you say "pop". I grew up in Chicago but now live in New England and get made fun of a lot for saying "pop" instead of "soda"!

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Great start! Naps do get longer thank goodness. Your dd is adorable! Tell your hubby great job sorry he did not meet his goal but finishing is a huge accomplishment.

 

[TigerKat]

Congrats to DH! Your DD is beautiful!

 

[natalielongstaff]

Great reviews im a huge fan of MM

 

[aprilmommy]

Good job! Looking forward to more!

 

[luckytobeme88]

nice report

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

You're little girl is beautiful!

Thank you for sharing...I look forward to reading more!

 

[danalee]

your little girl is so cute, and I love the dress! great reviews as well count me in!

 

[msce2]

Your daughter is beautiful! A little princess in training.

Great reviews so far!!!

 

[Shleedogg]

Loving your reviews. So glad you liked Mama Melrose--we go every year and have always had great service and good food. Your daughter is simply adorable.

Great start! Naps do get longer thank goodness. Your dd is adorable! Tell your hubby great job sorry he did not meet his goal but finishing is a huge accomplishment.

Congrats to DH! Your DD is beautiful!

You're little girl is beautiful!

Thank you for sharing...I look forward to reading more!

your little girl is so cute, and I love the dress! great reviews as well count me in!

Your daughter is beautiful! A little princess in training.

Great reviews so far!!!

Thank you!

 

[Shleedogg]

Love your first reviews! Congrats on your DD too, she's adorable and a princess for sure! Also I was wondering where you are from because you say "pop". I grew up in Chicago but now live in New England and get made fun of a lot for saying "pop" instead of "soda"!

Thank you! I'm from western NY, Rochester/Buffalo area. There is a mixture here of pop vs soda, but I remember in high school finding that most people that said "soda" had parents that weren't from the area.

 

[MHSweb79]

I grew up in Chicago but now live in New England and get made fun of a lot for saying "pop" instead of "soda"!

On my first trip to Disney when I was a kid, we ordered "tonic" with our lunch. The waitress got so excited because she realized we must have been from her home state of Massachusetts. Turned out she grew up less than 10 miles from where we lived.

 

[bluechic03]

On my first trip to Disney when I was a kid, we ordered "tonic" with our lunch. The waitress got so excited because she realized we must have been from her home state of Massachusetts. Turned out she grew up less than 10 miles from where we lived.

Thats funny! My FIL says tonic, my DH grew up in Hanover, MA. We have family in Hanover, Braintree, Weymouth, and Taunton. He also lived in Quincy and Hingham (sp?) as a kid!

 

[Krissalee]

Great reviews - looking forward to more!