Nearly $1000 in FREE FOOD?! Thank you DDP! Updated 1/15!!

[katt789]

I caught some more dancing on video, and it just solidified my love for these two!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LNL3B7_NfA



And just before dessert (I think? Lol) they did their own little rendition of Clementine, which of course, 6 Bits couldn’t let it go un-interrupted! I started videoing a little late, but still managed to catch some of the shenanigans!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W-fmZ1qCjA

Like…what is this show…what is happening?…hilarity, and great food and a great time, that’s what! The servers all come out on the stage right before the dessert as they’re singing about the strawberry shortcake that you’re about to get to eat! Nom!



Yeah, I don’t know if it’s just that I don’t like strawberry shortcake, or if it’s just this variety, but I wasn’t into it so much. I found it to be “meh” and kind of dry? Not my cup of tea! Though it seemed like another round of sangria for us was! Lol!

When the show started up again, they were grabbing guests out of the audience to be part of the show, there was a table near us that had a large group of young pre-teens at them who were so into the show and it was great to see one of them get picked!









And as soon as the next audience member came out Mom of course made a comment that it clearly should have been me doing that part, bahaha, one day! One day it will be!



The story near the end has something to do with Davy Crockett and all the adventuring that he did in the olden days, but that’s about all I got for you.





And they dress an old guy up like a tooth fairy…





After the audience members return to their seats, everyone else is invited to participate with the washboards that they hand out all over the dining room to get everyone in on the fun!







And with that the show was over! We had no bill to settle as it was all paid before hand, when the reservation was made, so we made our way out of the theatre! At some point I thought I had lost Anne and Mom on our way to the washroom, but it did result in me having a lovely conversation with a manager looking cast member who was standing outside the door. We chatted for a bit about dinner theatre, as I do currently work at one, and how impressive it was that they pumped out 3 shows a night and still managed to keep the food fresh and tasty and the entertainment energetic and awesome! Along the way into the washroom once I’d found Mom and Anne we ran into the girl who was the can-can dancer in the show and we complimented her many times, she was great, baha! So, what are the final thoughts on the Hoop De Doo Revue??

Cost:
$60.00 each

We did pay out of pocket for this meal as I didn’t want to waste two dining plan credits on it. Also I booked way before the free dining promotion was released, so there’s that too. I know I could have switched it over to credits afterwards, but that’s just too much work and then we’d get more food later with those credits!

Food: 5/5
-Food was all fresh and hot and super delicious tonight!
-Cornbread on the table was still warm!
-Despite me not liking the chicken and Anne not liking the ribs, we still found something in the meal that we LOVED
-Potatoes were super creamy and delicious without tasting like they had enough dairy to kill me lol
-Sangria was the best! The wine flavouring and the juice parts blended together perfectly!
-The strawberry shortcake wasn’t the greatest, but I knew I wouldn’t like it so I filled up on everything else!

Service: 5/5
-Our sever was quick and to the point and awesome with the refills, ESPECIALLY after I spilt my drink and Mom made the “drunk” crack, it was lovely that she brought me another one
-She was enthusiastic enough, but nothing too crazy to be overboard for us, so that was fantastic!
-With the cornbread and salad on the table when you come in, it speeds up a whole lot during the pre show time, and since all the other items being dropped off are incorporated in the show it gets all the food out pretty quick!

Ambiance: 5/5
-We were seated literally a ROW away from the stage, and it was fantastic!!
-The show comes right out into the audience and the cast comes in from the doors, so it really is all around you, including up on the balconies, they do their best to involve absolutely everyone!
-The show is the main part of the ambiance obviously, and it was amazing.

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend the HDDR for anyone and everyone! Like, seriously, it was SUCH a fun night both times that I’ve seen it. The price is totally worth it, we paid the 60 and got main floor, category one seats, with all you can drink and all you can eat, it was absolutely WONDERFUL and so much fun for everyone involved!

 

[AliceandAriel]

First, I so have to say your reviews are awesome! Being still relatively new to the boards, I didn't know you could do food reviews without a TR review, lol. Guess that'll save me the grief when I want to post my stuff up from October!

And I wanted to ask, mainly because I'm a little dense... are you lactose intolerant? You didn't feel well after the red velvet cupcakes, but continued on eating... part of me kept thinking, "Uh-oh, was she getting sick on her magical trip? No fun!"

 

[DisneyJo]

It sounds as though you absolutely loved HDDR

 

[KCrystal]

Just joining in! Loving your reviews so far! We wanted to try HDDR this coming up trip but opted for CRT instead since DDs wanted to eat in the castle with the princesses. Next time it is at the top of the list!

 

[vettegirl]

Loving the reviews

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Disneylover76]

Loving the reviews so far! You're a good descriptive writer. Look forward to reading more!

 

[jesswindsor]

Just caught up, great reviews so far!!!

 

[Britard]

HDDR Looks like so much fun! I love the very detailed review you gave. It really makes me think about adding it to my next trip!

 

[katt789]

First, I so have to say your reviews are awesome! Being still relatively new to the boards, I didn't know you could do food reviews without a TR review, lol. Guess that'll save me the grief when I want to post my stuff up from October!

And I wanted to ask, mainly because I'm a little dense... are you lactose intolerant? You didn't feel well after the red velvet cupcakes, but continued on eating... part of me kept thinking, "Uh-oh, was she getting sick on her magical trip? No fun!"

Thank you very much!! You can definitely do a dining review! I like to do them when I'm waiting for photopass pictures to show up after a trip, help pass the time lol!!

Hahah, I am lactose to a point, it's usually okay in the baking, not great with the cheese, milkshakes, etc, are not so great. The cupcake wasn't the biggest issue, just a few days of not so healthy food, as I eat super healthy and clean when I'm at home haha! It's all good though, all worked out!

It sounds as though you absolutely loved HDDR

It was so much fun!! Definitely something that I will be doing again!

Just joining in! Loving your reviews so far! We wanted to try HDDR this coming up trip but opted for CRT instead since DDs wanted to eat in the castle with the princesses. Next time it is at the top of the list!

Glad you're here!! Thank you!! HDDR is so much fun and so great, although princesses are the best! Lol. Definitely check it out, it's a lot of fun for all!

 

[katt789]

Loving the reviews

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Thank you!! Glad you're enjoying!

Loving the reviews so far! You're a good descriptive writer. Look forward to reading more! [/QUOTE

Thank you!! I do enjoy writing them, and adding a little flair! Lol

Just caught up, great reviews so far!!!

Thank you!!

HDDR Looks like so much fun! I love the very detailed review you gave. It really makes me think about adding it to my next trip!

It was an absolute blast!! Definitely look into it, it's always great!

 

[katt789]

I also said that I was going to get breakfast at Sunshine Seasons, so we all figured we’d stop there for some food, I mean, it’s right there, and it’s DELICIOUS!

I went with the Berry Croissant Bread Pudding, and a water, while Mom grabbed the same and a coffee;



Anne went with the ever classic cinnamon bun:



And a water as well. We did end up using the last of our snack credits here, which, in hindsight, was probably not the best idea, as everything was pretty cheap, but hey, whatevs!

Anne enjoyed her cinnamon bun, and Mom and I both really liked the croissant pudding! It was super good, even if it was clearly unhealthy, bahah! Every so often it was super buttery in the bite you’d take, but still super good.

Cost:
$3.19 Cinnamon Bun
$2.79 x 2 Croissant Pudding
$3.50 x2 Water bottles
$2.29 Coffee

Total Cost: $18.06
We paid: ZERO! Again, thank you DDP! Seriously, when it’s free, it’s totally worth it! I’d have to do the math if it wasn’t free, but I’d think if you’re going to do a lot of TS places, it’s worth it! With our bellies full of delicious food, we headed out of the Land

 

[katt789]

Mom, Anne, Brian and I were already in Italy, which was super convenient as we approached our ADR time, as we were dining at Via Napoli!! I had originally been choosing between here and Teppan Edo, but upon finding out an original party member had a severe shellfish allergy, we decided Italy was the safer option, and I’m glad we ended up here!



Pretty! I checked us in and we didn’t have to wait very long at all before we were seated! Man, that place is HUGE! I don’t know how it isn’t INSANELY loud in there, there’s so many people at one time. We were led pretty much in a half oval over to our table, and ended up being RIGHT BESIDE THE OVENS! BEST DAY EVER!





I don’t know why I’m so excited over ovens, don’t ask me why, everything’s exciting in Disney, we’re a fandom who gets our picture taken with a garbage can…

And now…for the main love of Via Napoli, scroll back up to that top picture that you can see some of the Chef’s in…yeah…check out the far left hand one…HELLO! Seriously, I was very glad when I ended up sitting in a chair facing the ovens…he also REALLY reminded me of one of the instructors/dancers with my ballroom company. I said something to Mom and she didn’t know which teacher I was talking about, but once she saw the chef, she knew which one I meant, like, best day ever. Sadly, our server was a female…although she was lovely and gave us great service.

For drinks, I started off with a Bellini, much different from those you get in America, which was nice!



To describe it, I would say it’s like a Mimosa, but with less fruity flavoring. Mom and Anne split a jug of the Italy beer (I have no idea what it was called, but the server said they had Bud Lite and the Italy one, and like, I’m not letting my Mom drink Bud Lite…). Brian ended up getting a glass for it too just in case, but he ended up not liking it.





There was bread waiting for us on the table, and I really do wish there had been some vinegar in there to balance out the oil, so I didn’t eat a whole lot of it, but it was good! Brian chose to get some Calamari as an appetizer and he was nice enough to share it with all of us!



Guys…this calamari was SERIOUSLY the GREATEST calamari I had EVER tasted. It was amazingly tasty, the batter was light, and he sauce had a bit of a kick to it, but nothing you wouldn’t be able to handle. I was blown away by the food already and it hadn’t even hit the main course! Speaking of, it wasn’t long until it came out, along with another round of bellini for myself! Lol.



Yup.. YUM! Margherita pizza! It’s tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese, and it’s huge, in case you didn’t notice. This was my entrée, and boy was it DELICIOUS! MORE NOMS THAT ARE AMAZING HERE! My only complaint was that the pizza crust nearer to the middle might have been a tiny bit undercooked, it was a little chewy for me. What can I say, I’ve moved on to love thin crispy crusts! I did love the outer edges of the crust though, so obviously I highly recommend it! It’s also definitely enough to feed two people!

Onto Mom, she got the Piattai Alla Parmigiana, with Veal! “Traditional preparation with tomato sauce, parmesan and mozzarella, served with roasted potatoes”



She thought it was lovely! Though she did say that it could have used a little more veggies, and I do agree, even some more green garnish to fill up the plate space, but she was satisfied, so we’re all good.

Anne got the “Mezze Rigatoni alla Crema con Pollo” pasta with cream, chicken and peas!



Her verdict said that it needed more garlic, but aside from that it was all delicious!

Brian went the plain option and got some plain spaghetti, I think with butter on the side? Maybe no sauce, my memory is fading here:



It was good. Oh, and Mr Fancy Pants here, turns out he’s Italian and can speak it, so he went all out and ordered in Italian and had a little chat with our waitress while ordering. You go Glen Coco (10 points to you if you get that reference!)

Throughout the meal we talked a lot about the college program again, as it was Brian’s second semester doing it, and the International programs, you know, since we were in Epcot. I made the very bold statement in saying that I’m seriously not interested in doing the Cultural Rep program, my heart just wouldn’t be in it. Epcot is lovely and great and all, but I’d rather be in MK or AK, or serving anywhere but Le Cellier, bahaha! I also really don’t like that the rent for the provided accommodation is taken off your pay cheques whether you stay in them or not. Considering that you’re sharing a room with someone no matter what, I just wouldn’t want to do that. I’ve been living on my own and for too long, and I know I need my space, I get way too grumpy. Lol.

It definitely solidified that I wouldn’t do either program, despite the fact that I would accept ANY full time roll at Disney (which is what I’m currently trying to do. I need full time hours so I’d make enough to live off of, and I’m on the Disney careers website daily checking for something, it’s gonna happen!) Eventually, it was time for dessert! To tell you the truth, I have no idea what Anne had, but it was a dairy based dessert, and it was tasty!



Mom went for the Tiramasu;



And after much agonizing over which delicious looking dessert to chose, I got the Gelato e Sorbetto;



GUYS I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH!! IT WAS THE MOST DELICIOUS THING IN THE WORLD!! As you might remember, I’m not the biggest dairy fan, and after pizza, was hesitant on this, but it was absolutely amazing, like, the perfect balance of sorbetto and gelato, and not too creamy but just AMAZING. Also, forgot to mention, but the pizza was light on the cheese, so that was WONDERFUL.

We all tried each others desserts and shared around the table which was nice, mine was still my favorite, but all of them were really good. Soon enough, we were all finished up with desserts, and we asked the server if she could split off Brian’s part of the bill for us, as he would be using his CM discount, and we had the DDP to cover our meals. She was nice enough to mention how many credits we had left and that we could cover his meal with one as well, but I politely declined, saying that all those credits were accounted for.

Cost
$30.00 Veal Parm
$17.00 Margherita Pizza
$24.00 Pollo Pasta
$9.00 Tiramasu
$9.00 Gelato E Sorbetto
$6.00 Anne’s dessert ? Totally a guess

$12.00 x 2 Bellini

As for the beer jug, I have NO way of finding this out, next time, I’ll try to keep receipts, it looks like a single beer is $10.00 so a jug is probably upwards of $25. Either way:

Total cost: $119.00 approx (plus beer jug)

We paid: Booze only! THIS my friends, was a DDP WIN! I can understand if you’re just having the pizza’s to pay OOP, but if you’re getting ANYTHING else, it’s seriously worth it to use credits, I mean, look at the price of that PASTA, it’s insane! However, so, so worth it!

Food 5/5
-Everything was hot and fresh
-Delicious food
-Lots of options, pasta, meat dishes, pizza, salad, etc
-Dessert was seriously the greatest thing ever
-Calamari was the best I’d ever had

Service 5/5
-Our server was very attentive and friendly and speedy with the food, not much else to say there lol

Ambiance 5/5
-This place is awesome
-HELLO sexy chefs and waiters, seriously, scroll back up to that top picture…just look at that face again for a moment. And yes, for all you dudes out there (mainly looking at you Rob heh heh heh) there are plenty of pretty females working here too, bahaha
-It’s HUGE, but still manages to stay quiet with a ton of people in it, the only point it got loud was when the cast members would get together to do birthday songs for tables

All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this place, Via Napoli for the WIN, I will definitely be returning someday soon….maybe after I’ve eaten in every other country? Aw heck, that’s a lie, I’ll be back before we know it, lol. You should probably all go too!

 

[mort1331]

WOWOW GREAT REVIEWS,,, We will be there at the height of the busy march break season in 2014 and now glad that I switch the breakfast in the castle to the HDDR. The question I have about the seating,,I know you were on the floor, but is there a bad seat in the house? We have a 3 and 7 dd, wondering about best location.
Thanks again and keep it up.

 

[ahair005]

I want to eat there my next trip!! The food looks so yummy

 

[RGirl]

Okay, that's it! We are definitely doing HDDR next time - I think we would love it!!! And I'm totally sold on the WL too, so it would be super-convenient. Oh, when? Um, maybe 2015?

VN looks great too! Everything but those plain noodles.

 

[katt789]

WOWOW GREAT REVIEWS,,, We will be there at the height of the busy march break season in 2014 and now glad that I switch the breakfast in the castle to the HDDR. The question I have about the seating,,I know you were on the floor, but is there a bad seat in the house? We have a 3 and 7 dd, wondering about best location.
Thanks again and keep it up.

Thank you!!! Lol, that's great!! HDDR is a great fun time! There in my opinion, is not a bad seat, they come right up into the balcony seats , and some of the category 2 is on the main floor. I would suggest spending the extra money for the category 1 seating though!

I want to eat there my next trip!! The food looks so yummy

HI! Lol It's the best!

Okay, that's it! We are definitely doing HDDR next time - I think we would love it!!! And I'm totally sold on the WL too, so it would be super-convenient. Oh, when? Um, maybe 2015?

VN looks great too! Everything but those plain noodles.

Definitely! I do liike WL, it's not my favorite, but looks super awesome. Lol, hey, 2015 isn't THAT far away when you're talking Disney! This time last year I had Sept booked and this year nothing for May is even booked! EEK!

It was great! Bahahaha. Brian's a weird eater I guess? Lol. Everything was amazing there!

 

[katt789]

Our next day began bright and early, as we were down at the bus stop for 7:15! Luckily, we didn’t have to worry about eating while getting ready, as we were headed into the parks to stuff our FACES at one of my favorite places! My Disneybound for today was my favorite villain, and it was sure to be a fun one! Anne, Mom and I arrived over at Magic Kingdom at 7:45 perfectly on time for breakfast! We headed over to the reservations and tours entrance and were just LET RIGHT IN. Seriously, they didn’t once even ask if we had an ADR, much less our last name/confirmation number like years previous! Whoot! A beautiful and empty Main Street was ALL OURS next!







I really love the first shot we got there! The second one is super dark…eck…photopass so not cool this time around. We’ll see how it works out next trip… Our group headed around the corner at the end of the street and checked in at the Crystal Palace!





I’m pretty sure we had one of the first ADR’s of the day, so the restaurant wasn’t even open yet! We didn’t wait long and were soon escorted to our table by a friendly cast member. Upon entering Crystal Palace we took a right and were up against the windows with a lovely view of the Magic Kingdom! The characters weren’t on our side of the restaurant yet, so we made a beeline for the DELICIOUS FOOOOOODDDDD.



That’s my plate: at the top we’ve got a sausage, some watermelon, PINEAPPLE, grapes, cheese, smoked salmon and some cheesy potatoes! I was super excited about the pineapple as it’s super delicious and super good for you and I had been searching for it ALL WEEK and hadn’t managed to see any until now, so WHOOT. I also had a second plate with a Mickey Waffle on it, because, you need to!



Mom’s plate has starting at the top, a biscuit, some breakfast lasagna, breakfast pizza, some kind of pastry, a Mickey waffle, and some fruit.



And Anne’s plate has: some bacon, eggs, surprise, a cinnamon bun, a Mickey waffle with strawberry sauce, some fruit and potatoes!

Verdicts on the food; we all loved it! I am always super impressed with breakfasts at CP, the food is always super delicious! There’s TONS of options, the carb and sugary choices, the fruit, the salmon and other protein types and of course, they have the omelet station! Our server was Karen, and she was the BEST service I’ve ever had, not just at Crystal Palace, but at all the Disney buffets! She was nice and speedy and quick, and didn’t abandon the table, especially when she brought the bill around before the characters did, so that we could take care of things early on THANK YOU!!

Pooh Bear came around with Anne, since he was her favorite, she jumped up there first for hugs and pictures!





So cute! He was super cute and great with Anne too which was an amazingly nice change from the first character meal of our trip!





Tigger was up next, and apparently I was the only one who got in for some fun with him, naturally, I was up first as he’s my favorite!





Mom of course took the opportunity to let Tigger know that he was her future son in law, and he proceeded to get super excited and take my hand and started to walk away! Cuuute! There was a quick break in friends and I booked it up to the buffet for ROUND TWOOOOO.





Fruit loops and a cinnamon bun! Heck yes! Seriously, fruit loops are the greatest cereal ever…cept for maybe cocoa puffs ….and in Disney, let’s splurge! The cinnamon bun was amazingly delicious too! It was super gooey in the middle which was the best part! Yum!



Piglet came by pretty quick and apparently no one was super concerned with him but me…lol. I love all the 100 Acre Wood Gang! Eeyore was the last to swing by our table and Mom took the lead there!





A hug and some talk about how he shouldn’t be gloomy, he was her favorite…



And now a happy one!



Anne and I figured he’d probably cheer up if we all jumped in there for some hugs and pictures too!





Once we were finished eating and done with our coffees, it was AMAZING to just be able to leave! Seriously, I’m so used to the waiter disappearing just before now and then you sit there for an extra half hour before they turn up with the bill. I was so happy and thankful to Karen for dropping the bill off earlier before she got busy, THANK YOU KAREN.

Cost:
$23.00 x3

Total: $69.00

We only had to tip! Perfect!

Food: 5/5
-Food was all hot and fresh
-Tons of choices ranging from kids cereal to sugary goodness to healthy choices, everything you could want
-3 years ago they had chocolate Mickey waffles, this is the only way this place could get better
-I seriously JUST remembered this now, but while I was headed through the buffet the first time I noticed a hair somewhere in one of the dishes…gross...but I didn’t pick anything up from it, so I could care less, BAHHA.

Service 5/5
-Karen was AMAZING
-Super efficient, super friendly, and brought the bill early on, she could not have been better!

Ambiance 5/5
-I love the atmosphere and look of CP, it’s so beautiful and lovely in there
-Never too loud either, just right!
-Not super crowded either, and fun to watch everyone else interact with characters on one side, and have the castle on the other!
-Character interactions were all awesome, and Mom even mentioned how awesome of a meal it was for us as it had one of each of our favorite characters, added bonus!

Would we go again: I think that’s pretty obvious, I’ve been nearly every trip I’ve gone to Disney! It’s a great meal, though breakfast definitely does win over dinner in my honest opinion. Buffets are also always a good way to get the value for your money, you get ALL YOU CAN EEEAAATTT….

 

[Dislover1991]

Crystal Palace looks great! We had a lunch ADR booked but chose Cape May for breakfast instead. Since we'll be dropping Ohana on our next trip, we plan to try CP for breakfast. It looks so good!

 

[RGirl]

Great CP review - that place is so much fun!

 

[LittleMissDisney]

We did Crystal Palace on our honeymoon. My fav was Eeyore. I'm loving your food trip report. I totally agree with you on Sci-Fi-it is way too dark in there. I'm using your posts as inspiration for food choices when we go back in July!