Opinions Needed, Please

[Terk-1]

Was thinking of dining at some of the places below and wanted to get your opinions (good & bad):

Tusker House (Lunch)
50's Primetime (Lunch or Dinner before Fantasmic)
Brown Derby (Lunch or Dinner before Fantastmic) (Have not been to this place in a long time)
Mama Melrose's (Lunch) (Never dined here)
Garden Grill (Have not been in a long time)
Alfredo's (Never dined here)
Le Cellier (Dinner) (Have had lunch here, but not dinner)
Rose & Crown (CP Dinner package)
Cindy's (Lunch or Dinner)
Crystal Palace (Lunch or Dinner)
Cape May Cafe (Dinner) (Never been here)
Spoodles (Dinner)
California Grill (Dinner)
O'Hana's (Dinner)
Whispering Canyon Cafe (Lunch)

 

[LAWalz23]

You have some of my favorites (Cape May, Le Cellier, Ohans and primeTime) on your list, we have had great meals at these places. We have also had good meals at the Garden Grill and Rose and Crown. Have a great trip!

 

[lajones81]

I love the Tusker House (great chicken!)! I thought the food at Mama Melrose was ok. Garden Grill was fine and Alfredo's was ok. I love the Cystal Palace. You are making me hungry...good thing I leave in a few weeks!

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

You have picked several of my favorite places! We love Spoodles, Rose and Crown, LeCellier and 50's.

We did LeCellier for our CP package last year and had a great time. They were very busy, the place was packed and loud, but the food was very good. Please note it will take longer to walk over to Canada then you may think if you do dinner after the show. The crowds coming out of the theater are large and hard to get thru. Just an FYI

 

[GeorgiaTiggerGirl]

I've always had great meals at the Crystal Palace and Whispering Canyon.

 

[pennyplanner]

Last April, on a solo trip, I lunched at Brown Derby. It was just heavenly. I know it's expensive but the food was fabulous and the service was very good. I had a waitress in training who was really teriffic! I was on the dining plan and had the Cobb Sirloin. Yum!

Lunch at Tusker House was also very good. The portions are generous and the quality is some of the best on the property for a counter service. I had the salad with grilled chicken and foccacia. This place is a must-do when we vacation as a family too.

In 2003 as a family, we dined at Cindy's for dinner and WC for lunch. Both were a pleasant surprise. The whole castle experience was really fun. The food was surprisingly good.

WC was just the right amount of noise for us. We opted not to participate but rather watch. Our server was disappointed but complied. The food was really good here too. No one opted for the featured platter but had more conventional stuff. It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and the dining room was not crowded at all. There were shenanigans going on however, despite the less than full room!

--penny

 

[CamColt]

From what Ive tried....

Ohana and Mama Melrose are 2 of our favorite WDW restaurants.
LeCellier was good, but nothing outstanding.
We havent been to Alfredos in 10 years, but I remember we liked it.

 

[webray]

Tusker House ...we love this..we always eat lunch here when we are at AK.

50's Primetime ....we have only eaten here once, a while back and we were not really thrilled at all.

Brown Derby....We tried lunch here and it was totally unacceptable, the famous cobb salad was pretty much mush salad, the service was slow, nothing was tasted good enough to rate the prices they charge

Mama Melrose's ...has been one of our favorites for years

Garden Grill ...stopped eating there a while back as food just kept going down hill

Alfredo's ...we love this place..the food, atmosphere and service are all fantastic

Le Cellier ..not too bad, we prefer to have appetizers and dessert here rather than a full meal

Rose & Crown ...our least favorite of all the WS restaurants, the food is nothing special..just really not that good at all

Cindy's ...food is ok, we much prefer LTT for lunch in MK

Crystal Palace ..have only had breakfast here, but it is fantastic

Cape May Cafe...haven't had the pleasure of dinner here yet

Spoodles ...very enjoyable for dinner

California Grill ...highly over rated for dinner

O'Hana's highly over rated for dinner

Whispering Canyon Cafe...did this once, not all that impressive, won't do it again.

 

[henrylovespooh]

I would recommend CRT for dinner - ate there two weeks ago and loved my caesar salad and prime rib. I love the look of the restaurant as well.

We loved Flame Tree barbecue for lunch - had the ribs both times we were at AK.

We ate at Whispering Canyon in 2003 and liked it - if I wasn't staying at WL I probably wouldn't go there again, but I thought the food was good.

I really liked the food at 50's Prime Time (think I had the pot roast) but DH didn't like the servers' "schtick" - just wanted to be left alone.

We have small children so the Crystal Palace is a must for us. I think the food is good but we go there more for the characters. If the characters weren't there we probably wouldn't eat there while in the park.

 

[buzzriders]

Crystal Palace is great!! (been many times)
O'hana's only been for breakfast but really good and great view!
Primetime also had great food!
Cape May Cafe was ok but not our favorite!
Never been to any others but I recomend Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary for dinner!

 

[twocat]

Love Cape May Cafe for the Clambake Buffet. I gorged myself on the yummy steamed clams. The also have a cute character breakfast.

I tend to like the buffets believe it or not. I find it easier to eat "no white food" at a buffet.

Liked Crystal Palace for lunch buffet and the Pooh characters.

Not on your list but Hollywood and Vine at MGM is part of the Fantasmic dinner package which I really recommend. I think Mama Melrose's does too, don't think Sci-fi does though but not positive on that.

Love 'Ohana as do most.

Not impressed with Spoodles; it was probably one of the most ehhh meals I've had in the World. Just had appetizers (which I often do with no entree) and nothing was what I would call really good.

Have seen mixed reviews on Brown Derby lately but for every good review, you're bound to find a bad one, too LOL.
One thing I DID notice is that you've got MANY sit down restaurants on your list. Eating at all these will take a great deal of time, especially if you leave a park and go to a resort. You have to count in transportation time, too. To have lunch at Whispering Canyon was 2+ hours (waited a long time for boat from MK) for instance. It was good though, got the skillet and felt it was a good value.

Donna

 

[Terk-1]

Didn't plan on doing all those, just some of them. I'm going solo, so I have the time to do sit-down meals. Plus, I have the MYW dining package, so it will be nice to have one nice sit-down meal per day. Have narrowed things down to the one's listed below:

Tusker House (Lunch)
50's Primetime (Early Dinner before Fantasmic)
Le Cellier (Dinner)
Rose & Crown (CP Dinner package)
Cindy's (Lunch)
Crystal Palace (Lunch)
Yachtsman Steakhouse(Dinner)
Whispering Canyon Cafe (Lunch)

 

[princesstommi]

You have some really great choices there!

Tusker House - Had lunch there. Was just *okay* for us. Would probably do it again though if we were having lunch at DAK.

50's Primetime - Love this place! Have always had great experiences, and great food. Would definitely recommend.

Le Cellier - Had lunch here. Was very good. Will definitely go back.

Rose & Crown - Had a lovely meal there on my honeymoon. While there are other places I would eat before R&C again, I have nothing bad to say about the place.

Cindy's - never done lunch, but had a great time at breakfast on my honeymoon. Loved the atmosphere. V. *Disney*.

I haven't been to the other three on your list, sorry.

 

[Terk-1]

I thought about O'Hana's, but since it's just going to be me, I thought it would be fun to enjoy this one with family.

I changed my mind on the CG and thought the Yachtsman would be a great place to dine. I dined there once back in 2001 and thought it would be fun to try again. Also, since Tusker House is a "counter-Service", I can combine that sit-down meal with another to cover the costs.

I was thinking of doing WCC for an early lunch on a day to the Magic Kingdom. This was it's a nice break from the park, then I can just hop the boat back over to the MK or to the Contemporary and head for EPCOT. Plus it's a great excuse to see the decorations.

I was also thinking about the GF Cafe for lunch/dinner. How is the food & service there?

 

[juliesue]

We LOVE California Grill, Yachtsman Steakhouse, and Whispering Canyon. All of your choices look pretty good. I notice you didn't put BOMA on your list - this is one of our Must Do dinners.

 

[Terk-1]

I thought that since the California Grill & the Yachtsman both were "signature" dining experiences and they took 2 meal credits each, I should just do one. I may do the CG one night and just pay out of pocket. I thought the Rose & Crown would be a good place to dine & watch Illuminations after the Candlelight Processional (would buy the dinner package).

 

[eeyore0062]

Tusker House (Lunch)-- excellent, best counterservice on property!!
50's Primetime (Lunch or Dinner before Fantasmic) one of our favorites. Love the fried chicken, trout dip and s'mores! DH loves the pot roast and meatloaf. The chicken pot pie is really tasty, too! Ask for a "fun" mom, sister, cousin to take care of your family!
Brown Derby (Lunch or Dinner before Fantastmic) (Have not been to this place in a long time)-- love the salads. Service is very good!
Mama Melrose's (Lunch) (Never dined here)-- we also love Mama Melrose. The atmosphere is nice and the service is good! The Sangria is to die for!
Garden Grill (Have not been in a long time)-- Our favorite character meal. Go to the lunch, it is cheaper and you get just about the same meal. The flank steak and mashed potatos are fantastic.
Alfredo's (Never dined here)-- LOVE Alfredos. The service was top notch, and the food is delicious. Portions are huge!
Le Cellier (Dinner) (Have had lunch here, but not dinner)-- nice steak, good service, and nice atmosphere, although when we went, it did seem that the tables are awfully close to one another, and that you can hear everything said at the table next to you. If you are looking for a great steak, I would suggest the Yachtsman at the Yacht Club Resort instead!
Rose & Crown (CP Dinner package)-- Make sure that you have your dinner planned WELL in advance of the CP. The service is slow and I have heard that some have missed the CP because they couldn't get out of there in time, or that they had to take their dinners with them in a to go box.
Cindy's (Lunch or Dinner)-- never eaten there, but just to let you know, lunch will be a character meal by the time you go.
Crystal Palace (Lunch or Dinner)-- never eaten there, but it is beautiful looking from the outside.
Cape May Cafe (Dinner) (Never been here)-- one of the best values on WDW property. The food is delicious, the service is great and make sure to leave enough room to enjoy the dessert bar!
Spoodles (Dinner)-- I haven't personally eaten there, but my parents have and really enjoyed it.
California Grill (Dinner)-- We are not into that type of food, so we have never eaten there. If you can get a window seat, the view is really nice, though!
O'Hana's (Dinner)--- lots of fun, lots of good food and great service. You will feel right at home.
Whispering Canyon Cafe (Lunch)-- Fun, but the food is just OK. The breakfast here is FANTASTIC!