AllyinWonderland
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2014
- Messages
- 573
On our last night we had a reservation for dinner at Be Our Guest. I figured that it would be a great way to end our trip and we would have better luck getting a reservation for the end of our vacation as opposed to the beginning. We arrived a few minutes before our reservation and we immediately could tell that dinner was more organized than lunch. When I checked in I asked if it would be possible to sit in a room other than the ballroom. The cast member informed me that it could be 45 minutes to an hour for a table to open up in there. Since I knew DD could not wait that long, I decided to just take the first available table. While I was at the check in podium, I saw at least 3 people ask if they had rooms for walk-ups….lol. I also saw 2 people try to add other members of their party to an existing reservation, those requests were granted. Here’s my quick rant: One of those people had a reservation for 2 but said that another person unexpectedly joined them. How did you not know that your 4 year old would be joining you for dinner? It really bothers me when people take a reservation for less than the number in their party and then just add on when they arrive, especially when those people get seated 15 minutes before me. Rant over.
We waited almost 30 minutes for our table which was a bit of a challenge with a toddler. While we were there I developed a great sense of compassion for all cast members at Be Our Guest. The cast member that was at the very end of the bridge, right before you enter the restaurant, kept having to tell people that they seriously were all booked and there were no tables available. It was non-stop and she kept a smile on her face the whole time, despite many rude guests. It also made me wonder how someone goes on vacation without doing research first; that will never make sense to me. Finally, our table was ready and we were led into the restaurant by a cheerful cast member. He gave us a quick tour on our way to our table in the ballroom. All 3 dining rooms were in use that night but the rose gallery only had a few tables seated. I do agree with many others that the ballroom feels like a cafeteria. It was beautiful, but definitely loud and chaotic. I felt like we were right on top of the tables next to us. The couple at the table next to us complained to the server about the atmosphere and I could tell they were not thrilled to be sitting next to a 1 year old, although DD was very well behaved for this meal.
Our server arrived at our table with a smile on her face and she asked if we had been there before. She cheerfully told us a bit about the restaurant and the menu. Despite working in the busiest restaurant on property, she acted as though she had all the time in the world for us. Throughout our meal she was friendly, patient and attentive. She was one of the best cast members that we encountered on our trip.
I was not in the mood for wine this evening but I knew I wanted something other than soda or water. I saw the Odwalla All-Natural Lemonade with Wildberry Foam and knew that I had to try it. This was very good and totally hit the spot. It was tart and refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness, I would definitely order this again.
Our meal started with the standard Disney rolls and butter. I really love these things, especially when they are served warm with softened butter.
For my entrée I ordered the Grilled Strip Steak with Garlic Herb Butter and green beans. Typically this is served with fries but I wanted something different so I substituted the Au Gratin Macaroni which is basically a baked macaroni and cheese. The steak didn’t look like anything special so I was surprised when it ended up being a good cut of meat with good flavor. It was slightly over done, but close to my requested temperature. The butter on top was flavorful and paired beautifully with the steak. The green beans were fresh and properly cooked with just the right amount of butter and seasoning. Unfortunately, the au gratin macaroni was a huge disappointment for me. It was very oily and flavorless. This steak was good but not as good as the one that I had at Kona earlier in the trip. I would definitely order this entrée again but I would probably opt for a different starchy side.
DH ordered the Pan-seared Salmon on Leek Fondue served with Creamy Saffron-crushed Potatoes. He absolutely loved this. I didn’t take good notes on this meal but he devoured it and said everything on the plate was amazing. It had a beautiful presentation.
When the dessert cart rolled around DH was easily able to make his decision. He ordered he strawberry cream cheese cupcake again and said it was just as good as the one he had earlier in the trip.
I could not make a decision at all. I finally asked the server what she would recommend. She raved about the Éclair à l’Orange, an éclair with custard filling, zested orange and finished with chocolate ganache. This dessert fell flat for me. The texture was off; I could tell that it had previously been frozen and then thawed. There wasn’t much flavor. I love sweets, so I finished it, but I would not order this again. I should also add that we did not receive any special occasion grey stuff despite our anniversary being noted on our reservation and we were wearing the buttons. I didn’t care but I know some people look forward to that.
Once we finished dinner we went to meet the Beast. This was the only character al week that caused DD to have a full blown meltdown. She was all tears and didn’t want anything to do with him. To be fair, she hasn’t really watched Beauty and the Beast and the Beast is kind of a big scary dude.
Overall, I was pleased with our Be Our Guest experience. The food was good and service was fantastic. Next time I will attempt to get a table anywhere other than the ballroom.
We waited almost 30 minutes for our table which was a bit of a challenge with a toddler. While we were there I developed a great sense of compassion for all cast members at Be Our Guest. The cast member that was at the very end of the bridge, right before you enter the restaurant, kept having to tell people that they seriously were all booked and there were no tables available. It was non-stop and she kept a smile on her face the whole time, despite many rude guests. It also made me wonder how someone goes on vacation without doing research first; that will never make sense to me. Finally, our table was ready and we were led into the restaurant by a cheerful cast member. He gave us a quick tour on our way to our table in the ballroom. All 3 dining rooms were in use that night but the rose gallery only had a few tables seated. I do agree with many others that the ballroom feels like a cafeteria. It was beautiful, but definitely loud and chaotic. I felt like we were right on top of the tables next to us. The couple at the table next to us complained to the server about the atmosphere and I could tell they were not thrilled to be sitting next to a 1 year old, although DD was very well behaved for this meal.
Our server arrived at our table with a smile on her face and she asked if we had been there before. She cheerfully told us a bit about the restaurant and the menu. Despite working in the busiest restaurant on property, she acted as though she had all the time in the world for us. Throughout our meal she was friendly, patient and attentive. She was one of the best cast members that we encountered on our trip.
I was not in the mood for wine this evening but I knew I wanted something other than soda or water. I saw the Odwalla All-Natural Lemonade with Wildberry Foam and knew that I had to try it. This was very good and totally hit the spot. It was tart and refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness, I would definitely order this again.
Our meal started with the standard Disney rolls and butter. I really love these things, especially when they are served warm with softened butter.
For my entrée I ordered the Grilled Strip Steak with Garlic Herb Butter and green beans. Typically this is served with fries but I wanted something different so I substituted the Au Gratin Macaroni which is basically a baked macaroni and cheese. The steak didn’t look like anything special so I was surprised when it ended up being a good cut of meat with good flavor. It was slightly over done, but close to my requested temperature. The butter on top was flavorful and paired beautifully with the steak. The green beans were fresh and properly cooked with just the right amount of butter and seasoning. Unfortunately, the au gratin macaroni was a huge disappointment for me. It was very oily and flavorless. This steak was good but not as good as the one that I had at Kona earlier in the trip. I would definitely order this entrée again but I would probably opt for a different starchy side.
DH ordered the Pan-seared Salmon on Leek Fondue served with Creamy Saffron-crushed Potatoes. He absolutely loved this. I didn’t take good notes on this meal but he devoured it and said everything on the plate was amazing. It had a beautiful presentation.
When the dessert cart rolled around DH was easily able to make his decision. He ordered he strawberry cream cheese cupcake again and said it was just as good as the one he had earlier in the trip.
I could not make a decision at all. I finally asked the server what she would recommend. She raved about the Éclair à l’Orange, an éclair with custard filling, zested orange and finished with chocolate ganache. This dessert fell flat for me. The texture was off; I could tell that it had previously been frozen and then thawed. There wasn’t much flavor. I love sweets, so I finished it, but I would not order this again. I should also add that we did not receive any special occasion grey stuff despite our anniversary being noted on our reservation and we were wearing the buttons. I didn’t care but I know some people look forward to that.
Once we finished dinner we went to meet the Beast. This was the only character al week that caused DD to have a full blown meltdown. She was all tears and didn’t want anything to do with him. To be fair, she hasn’t really watched Beauty and the Beast and the Beast is kind of a big scary dude.
Overall, I was pleased with our Be Our Guest experience. The food was good and service was fantastic. Next time I will attempt to get a table anywhere other than the ballroom.
