My "Week of Counter Service" dining reviews

[chocolateMinnie]

great pictures, adorable children and disney food - what's not to like?

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Sorry, I kind of fell off the review wagon. But I'm back and I'm going to try to finish this up before I forget everything.

Next up is Tortuga Tavern. This used to be called el Pirata y Perico (I think). It's a covered (but not air conditioned) location across from POC that serves Mexican food. It's only open for lunch during the busy times, which IMO, is just silly. Pecos Bill could use the relief during the dinner rush.

This time DH sat down with the kids while I went to get the food. It was HOT that day, so much so that we left the park after only two hours that morning, we just couldn't take it. But, after a good rainstorm the temperature when way down and we had a great evening.

The kids both had the quesadilla meal with milk and grapes. DH got the taco salad, and I had the nachos. Essentially when you order you get the chips, meat and tortilla part of your meal. Then you head to the toppings bar for all your veggies, cheese and salsa fixings. It's not as big a toppings bar as Pecos Bill, but still very good.

Pictures are not great, and DH will probably kill me for posting the one of him eating, but it's what I have. The ground beef is flavorful, but kind of greasy. Not that we mind that sort of thing

Kids quesadilla. I think he'd eaten half already. You could add toppings to it, but DS is picky so I left his plain.

DH's taco salad in progress

My nachos (excuse the messy tray, this is what happens when I have to prep 4 people's meals all by myself)

Overall, Tortuga Tavern gets a B+ from me. The food was very good, but the seating was limited (you have to hover to find a spot) and it was HOT. It's a nice break from the burger/chicken nugget monotony that can set in when doing lots of CS meals.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

This one is a sentimental favorite of mine. I have eaten here every single trip to WDW. So, I most certainly could not do a CS trip without making a stop at Ray's.

We ate here for dinner and even though it was about 7:00 on a busy summer day there were lots of empty tables. And the air conditioned indoor seating is always a plus. I sat with the kids while DH got the food this time.

I got the Chicken Caesar salad, which was the same one I'd had at Pecos Bill's. It's a surprisingly good salad, though I'm sure the Ken's dressing has a lot to do with that. DH got a Philly Cheesesteak and he said it was very good. He had fries with it and those were good as well. Our meals were an A.

Now, here is where I rant about WDW kid's CS meals. My kids are still young (2 & 4) and sort of picky, so they will happily eat chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jelly all week. Since it's vacation I don't fuss too much about it. But the portion sizes for the kids are small. If my child were 9 I'd have to order them an adult meal. And the selection is sooo limited. The kids got the chicken nuggets meal with grapes and fries this time (I think it was the only time all week they got nuggets) and it was so pathetic. 4 tiny little sad nuggets. Tyson frozen nuggets are better then these. For their meals, I give it a C.

I was able to get all our meals in one shot this time:

Overall Ray's gets another B from me. The adult meals are good (I usually do the ribs and chicken meal but I wasn't feeling like heavy food that night) but the kids meals just remind me of his lacking Disney is in this department. And the location and seating are also good.

 

[mkleinbe]

Thank you for your reviews! This is something that we're wanting to try the next time we head to WDW. We have some TS can't misses, but we really want to cut down on our ADRs so we can relax more. (or do more lunch ADRs rather than dinner)

 

[bigal'sdaughter]

Yeah! Y'all are back...As I have kids the same age (basically) I really appreciate the reviews. I never thought about the size of kids meals because my DD will always snab a fry or two from me.... I'll totally think about it this fall....
good food for thought...

 

[jadingirl]

Thanks for all the reviews and photos. Your kids are so sweet!

Thanks especially for the macaroni description - my daugher is Kraft dinner all the way and judging by what they gave your kids she will be sharing my dinner sometimes!

 

[MomsOf2boys]

They need a big kids meal size. Its really hard because the adult offerings usually have ingredients on them that warrant the price (well somewhat..) and my kids don't eat those things. So I would order it plain and pay adult prices for extra fries basically. I get it.

I love your reviews and that salad did look really good!

 

[averysmom]

I totally agree about the kid's meals. Our son was 9 on his last trip, and he found the meals small and the quality lacking. Even at Pop century, adults get chicken fingers and kid's get those crappy nuggets. Why couldn't they just serve the fingers, and get less? Although I am not thrilled that he is now a "Disney adult" at 10, he is looking forward of being able to order off the adult menu on the dining plan.

Now, here is where I rant about WDW kid's CS meals. My kids are still young (2 & 4) and sort of picky, so they will happily eat chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter and jelly all week. Since it's vacation I don't fuss too much about it. But the portion sizes for the kids are small. If my child were 9 I'd have to order them an adult meal. And the selection is sooo limited. The kids got the chicken nuggets meal with grapes and fries this time (I think it was the only time all week they got nuggets) and it was so pathetic. 4 tiny little sad nuggets. Tyson frozen nuggets are better then these. For their meals, I give it a C.

I was able to get all our meals in one shot this time:

Overall Ray's gets another B from me. The adult meals are good (I usually do the ribs and chicken meal but I wasn't feeling like heavy food that night) but the kids meals just remind me of his lacking Disney is in this department. And the location and seating are also good.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

So, I totally had forgotten about this thread But a few of you posting recently brought it back up and I'm going to try to finish it.

Next up is Pizza Planet. This one is simple, but is a favorite. I thought I had more pictures but I can't seem to find them. This will have to do:

Seating Tip: Go upstairs. We were there at prime dinner hour of 7pm on a busy summer day and there were dozens of empty tables upstairs. I think just like CHH, no one knows about it so it never fills up. We've eaten here 3 or 4 times now and it was my first time venturing up there.

The pizza here is pretty much exactly like Pizzafari at Animal Kingdom, a lot like those pizza hut personal pan pizzas you find in other places. I got the veggie, DH got the pepperoni and the kids got cheese. Adults come with salad, kids with fruit or applesauce. It's by no means awesome pizza, but for what it's supposed to be, it's a satisfying meal. For that, Toy Story Pizza Planet gets a B from me.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We decided to take a break from CS spots to sit down for lunch on our DHS day. We decided on The Sci Fi Dine-In for the atmosphere. We'd been before we had kids, but not since. I knew the kids would love it, and they did.

We requested a "car table." It still looks like a car, but allows us to sit with the kids and interact with each other. I prefer it to the "car booths."

DS had the kids hot dog and fries while DD had macaroni and fries fromt he kids menus. Portions were generous and they both enjoyed their meals.

DS and I both had the burgers. They were good, not the best I've ever had but they hit the spot. As most people report, the service here was slooooow. It takes a while to get seated even after your ADR time. Once seated, a long wait for drink orders. When we did see our waitress (which was rare) she brought the wrong drinks. We waited even more time to tell her that, which meant another long wait to get the right drinks. Don't go here if you are hungry or in a hurry.

Sci Fi gets an A for atmosphere and food (though we've never ventured beyond the burgers and fries. It gets a C- service. That averages to a B, but if you choose to eat here just consider yourself warned. This is my 3rd time over 10 years and the service has been the same. We've been there-done that enough that I don't think we'll be back.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We weren't planning to eat the the Studio Catering Company. It was our second day at DHS and we'd were waiting for the LMA stunt show to start so we decided to give this place a try. I was pleasantly surprised. The seating is outdoor, but it's covered, plentiful and there are big fans that keep the air moving so it doesn't feel so hot (unlike Tortuga Tavern). I grabbed a seat with the kids while DH went and got the food.

He came back with Pressed Tuscan Deli Sandwiches for us (which came with fries) and PB & J for the kids (which came with applesauce.) I think I've mentioned this before, but the PB&J are those Unscrustable things that the kids love but I hate. They just look like little blobs of processed nothingness, but the kids loved them and we're on vacation so I let it go.

The Tuscan sandwiches were surprisingly good. It was nice to get some variety from a Counter Service spot (Well, for us anyway. Same old, same old for the kids.) I would definitely go back. The only thing to make it perfect would be indoor, air conditioned seating. Studio Catering Company gets a B+ from me.

 

[cajunbaby1]

Kids are too cute!! I'm not that far from you. Just outside Bossier City/Shreveport Great review. I'm headed to wdw in May and trying to plan a little ahead of the places I want to try for lunch. Keep it up.

 

[buy24me]

Hope you don't mind me joining in as well. Going in May and plan on doing all CS and just one TS. Need good reviews and suggestions. Your kids are so cute!

 

[teacherjmc]

Thanks for sharing your reviews! I love your realistic perspective and your kids are too cute!

 

[janatmovies]

Hi! Can I just say i LOVE your signature and your kids are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!