Opinions wanted on BOG, CRT, Tutto Italia, HDDR and more

[KellyHonos]

Hey, guys. For all you veterans out there, I wanted to ask a few questions on restaurants because I have some concerns about my reservations and I wanted to give myself a chance to change anything before it got too late. I'm headed to WDW in July and there's only 2 in my party, so fingers crossed based off any criticism on here, I'll be able to change something if needed.

Day 1: going to Disney Springs, and we really would like to try the Poutine place. Any good? We love poutine, so it sounds delicious.

Day 2: ROL dining package/Tusker House. I've been to Tusker House once in 2016, and I enjoyed it. Has this restaurant stayed consistent? Is there a different AK restaurant that also does character dining that would honor the ROL package? I don't think so, but figured I'd ask just in case.

Day 3: Tutto Italia in Epcot. I've heard really mixed things about this place; any thoughts? We love italian food, so we'd like to go somewhere with great italian.

Day 4: Be our Guest; this restaurant is concerning to me because I feel like a lot of people claim the food sucks. We went in 2016, and I have to say, I quite enjoyed it. What do you guys think?

Day 5: Kona Cafe. I wanted to come here based off of great reviews on the dis unplugged. I definitely want to give it a try. Plus we love the Poly and want to stay here one day, so coming here to eat once a trip helps cure our craving. What are some favorites off the menu?

Day 6: Hoop De Doo Revue. This I also booked based off of excellent recommendations. Is it worth the 2 TS credits?

Day &: Cinderella's Royal Table. I booked this off of great recommendations as well, but again, it's 2 TS credits....thoughts?

My biggest concerns as of now is the 2 TS credit reservations I have. Trying to decide whether or not to keep both or let go of one...We didn't get a chance to do CRT last time, so we really want to do that, but then HDDR also sounds great. If I keep both, I'm going to have to look at paying for something out of pocket, which I think may be Kona, based off prices Ive seen on the menu.

What do you guys think? Any recommendations or suggestions would be so helpful.

 

[KellyHonos]

Shoot- I just looked at the HDDR menu, and it looks like there's only fried chicken. We are vegetarian. Hmmmm......

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I can only comment on a few, but here are my thoughts:

Day 2: ROL dining package/Tusker House. I've been to Tusker House once in 2016, and I enjoyed it. Has this restaurant stayed consistent? Is there a different AK restaurant that also does character dining that would honor the ROL package? I don't think so, but figured I'd ask just in case.
Keep it! TH has good food and is the only character dining in AK

Day 4: Be our Guest; this restaurant is concerning to me because I feel like a lot of people claim the food sucks. We went in 2016, and I have to say, I quite enjoyed it. What do you guys think?
We enjoy the dinner, but be aware it changes to 2 credits and a new menu end of July. Not sure what your trip dates are....

Day &: Cinderella's Royal Table. I booked this off of great recommendations as well, but again, it's 2 TS credits....thoughts?
I think it's a must do at least once just for the experience. The food is decent, but definitely not worth 2 credits. However, the experience is worth paying for once.

 

[KellyHonos]

I can only comment on a few, but here are my thoughts:

Day 2: ROL dining package/Tusker House. I've been to Tusker House once in 2016, and I enjoyed it. Has this restaurant stayed consistent? Is there a different AK restaurant that also does character dining that would honor the ROL package? I don't think so, but figured I'd ask just in case.
Keep it! TH has good food and is the only character dining in AK

Day 4: Be our Guest; this restaurant is concerning to me because I feel like a lot of people claim the food sucks. We went in 2016, and I have to say, I quite enjoyed it. What do you guys think?
We enjoy the dinner, but be aware it changes to 2 credits and a new menu end of July. Not sure what your trip dates are....

Day &: Cinderella's Royal Table. I booked this off of great recommendations as well, but again, it's 2 TS credits....thoughts?
I think it's a must do at least once just for the experience. The food is decent, but definitely not worth 2 credits. However, the experience is worth paying for once.

Thank you for the feedback!!! My trip is second week of july, so I think we should be okay. I think I'm going to let go of HDDR because the only thing I'm seeing on the menu is fried chicken.

 

[Vickie1016]

Our family of three (DH, DD12 & I) have been to several of these over the years, so I will comment where applicable:

Day 2: ROL dining package/Tusker House. Tusker House is a must for us every year. The characters are fun and the food is very good, lots of choices. Last year we did an early lunch ROL package. As PP responded, this is the only character dining in AK.

Day 3: Tutto Italia in Epcot. We have been many times and we were NOT impressed last summer - and we did not book it for this year. Last year we tried Trattoria al Forno (Broadwalk Hotel). Food was very good & we re-booked again for this summer.

Day 4: Be our Guest. This one gets mixed reviews all the time. We have never had a bad meal here (lunch or dinner). As the PP responded - they are changing the menu & table service credits some time in July.

Day 6: Hoop De Doo Revue. We have done this twice, several years ago. It is worth doing once, jokes are funny, audience participation is great! If you are vegetarian, not sure what they offer.

Day &: Cinderella's Royal Table. As PP responded - this is worth doing once - for the experience of eating in the Castle. We have done several times, for dinner, the last time in 2015 and will not go back, service and food were severely lacking.

Happy Planning!

 

[KellyHonos]

Our family of three (DH, DD12 & I) have been to several of these over the years, so I will comment where applicable:

Day 2: ROL dining package/Tusker House. Tusker House is a must for us every year. The characters are fun and the food is very good, lots of choices. Last year we did an early lunch ROL package. As PP responded, this is the only character dining in AK.

Day 3: Tutto Italia in Epcot. We have been many times and we were NOT impressed last summer - and we did not book it for this year. Last year we tried Trattoria al Forno (Broadwalk Hotel). Food was very good & we re-booked again for this summer.

Day 4: Be our Guest. This one gets mixed reviews all the time. We have never had a bad meal here (lunch or dinner). As the PP responded - they are changing the menu & table service credits some time in July.

Day 6: Hoop De Doo Revue. We have done this twice, several years ago. It is worth doing once, jokes are funny, audience participation is great! If you are vegetarian, not sure what they offer.

Day &: Cinderella's Royal Table. As PP responded - this is worth doing once - for the experience of eating in the Castle. We have done several times, for dinner, the last time in 2015 and will not go back, service and food were severely lacking.

Happy Planning!

Thank you so much for your feedback. Helps a lot! I should have mentioned in my original post that I would prefer to keep the 3rd day within Epcot because we intend on spending the whole day there. Any specific reason why you weren't impressed? Do you recall what you ordered?

 

[Vickie1016]

Glad to help! The day we have Trattoria booked is our Epcot Day as well (we are a park open to park close family...lol). The walk to the Broadwalk is not that far - I think we might even be able to take a Friendship Boat??? (have to research that)

We have been to Tutto several times over the past 8 trips. In 2016 the food was good (not great but not bad) so we tried it again in 2017. Last summer, the food was salty. (I think I had a chicken dish (not parm), DD pasta (did not like the meatballs at all last year), DH I don't recall). I think we all just felt the food had steadily declined from previous trips. We decided to take it off our list for 2018.

Tutto Gusto Wine Bar (which is next door & I do not believe is on the dining plan) is worth a stop into! Very cozy location to enjoy a quick bite (small plates & salads & desserts). Another restaurant we tried last year for the first time is Chef's de France and we enjoyed the food & the service was great (needless to say we booked again this year).

 

[KellyHonos]

Glad to help! The day we have Trattoria booked is our Epcot Day as well (we are a park open to park close family...lol). The walk to the Broadwalk is not that far - I think we might even be able to take a Friendship Boat??? (have to research that)

We have been to Tutto several times over the past 8 trips. In 2016 the food was good (not great but not bad) so we tried it again in 2017. Last summer, the food was salty. (I think I had a chicken dish (not parm), DD pasta (did not like the meatballs at all last year), DH I don't recall). I think we all just felt the food had steadily declined from previous trips. We decided to take it off our list for 2018.

Tutto Gusto Wine Bar (which is next door & I do not believe is on the dining plan) is worth a stop into! Very cozy location to enjoy a quick bite (small plates & salads & desserts). Another restaurant we tried last year for the first time is Chef's de France and we enjoyed the food & the service was great (needless to say we booked again this year).

Awesome! Good to know. I'm revisiting all the menus for our reservations to make sure there are actually vegetarian options. Silly me just assumed there'd be something on the menu for vegetarians, but I shouldn't have assumed that. Thank you for sharing your experience, I may reconsider my choice for that evening.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

CRT - IMO everyone should do it at least once. It's a great experience, even for just 2. I have eaten there 3 times without children, although that will probably change now that we have a "little princess".

BOG - Again, IMO everyone should try it at least once, for DINNER. The food is just OK but just eating inside is worth the effort at least once. You can also have your picture made with Beast at Dinner only.

KONA - Never done dinner here, always try to eat at OHANA, but their breakfast is GREAT!

We don't eat Italian at Disney but CORAL REEF is a nice experience, at least once, IMO. Also, AKERSHUS is a different option, only 1 credit, and we enjoy the food and experience there too.

We plan to do HOOP DE DOO when we stay at the campground one day, although I'm not sure it's the place for vegetarians.

We never do DDP, always out of pocket for just the 2 of us.

 

[KellyHonos]

CRT - IMO everyone should do it at least once. It's a great experience, even for just 2. I have eaten there 3 times without children, although that will probably change now that we have a "little princess".

BOG - Again, IMO everyone should try it at least once, for DINNER. The food is just OK but just eating inside is worth the effort at least once. You can also have your picture made with Beast at Dinner only.

KONA - Never done dinner here, always try to eat at OHANA, but their breakfast is GREAT!

We don't eat Italian at Disney but CORAL REEF is a nice experience, at least once, IMO. Also, AKERSHUS is a different option, only 1 credit, and we enjoy the food and experience there too.

We plan to do HOOP DE DOO when we stay at the campground one day, although I'm not sure it's the place for vegetarians.

We never do DDP, always out of pocket for just the 2 of us.

Okay, I think we will still do CRT and BOG. After this coming trip, we may skip BOG since it will be our second time doing it and since it's going up to 2 credits versus one. It's always a bitter sweet thing letting a place you like go, but then it opens up your trip for a new place to try.

I would really like to try Kona, but I'm sad that you don't get a view of the magic kindgom from the seating there. Ohana was cool to do once, but it was just regular breakfast food, so I don't see the point in using a dining credit for it. We got the experience once, that's enough for us. I can understand why people love it though!

We let go of Coral Reef this time. I've gone there the past 3 times i've visited WDW, but honestly, the place is getting a little dated. I love the aquarium, but other than that, we are interested to try something new. We used to love it though, so I can totally understand why you guys would enjoy it.

I have never done Akershus yet. I'm interested to check out the menu. I've heard lots about it.

Already canceled HDDR--I called a dining agent and they said the only vegetarian options would be macaroni and veggies. if it was one credit, I would have kept it, but with it being worth 2, mac and cheese and veggies ain't gonna cut it! We booked 50's prime time. We didn't do it last time, but I've done it a couple times previous. I'm so so about it. I'm not wild about any restaurants in Hollywood studios, that's why we booked elsewhere, but since we will be there, I'm willing to give it a try, plus i saw they have vegetarian lasagna.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Hey, guys. For all you veterans out there, I wanted to ask a few questions on restaurants because I have some concerns about my reservations and I wanted to give myself a chance to change anything before it got too late. I'm headed to WDW in July and there's only 2 in my party, so fingers crossed based off any criticism on here, I'll be able to change something if needed.

Day 1: going to Disney Springs, and we really would like to try the Poutine place. Any good? We love poutine, so it sounds delicious.

Day 2: ROL dining package/Tusker House. I've been to Tusker House once in 2016, and I enjoyed it. Has this restaurant stayed consistent? Is there a different AK restaurant that also does character dining that would honor the ROL package? I don't think so, but figured I'd ask just in case.

Day 3: Tutto Italia in Epcot. I've heard really mixed things about this place; any thoughts? We love italian food, so we'd like to go somewhere with great italian.

Day 4: Be our Guest; this restaurant is concerning to me because I feel like a lot of people claim the food sucks. We went in 2016, and I have to say, I quite enjoyed it. What do you guys think?

Day 5: Kona Cafe. I wanted to come here based off of great reviews on the dis unplugged. I definitely want to give it a try. Plus we love the Poly and want to stay here one day, so coming here to eat once a trip helps cure our craving. What are some favorites off the menu?

Day 6: Hoop De Doo Revue. This I also booked based off of excellent recommendations. Is it worth the 2 TS credits?

Day &: Cinderella's Royal Table. I booked this off of great recommendations as well, but again, it's 2 TS credits....thoughts?

My biggest concerns as of now is the 2 TS credit reservations I have. Trying to decide whether or not to keep both or let go of one...We didn't get a chance to do CRT last time, so we really want to do that, but then HDDR also sounds great. If I keep both, I'm going to have to look at paying for something out of pocket, which I think may be Kona, based off prices Ive seen on the menu.

What do you guys think? Any recommendations or suggestions would be so helpful.

Day 1: no feedback at Poutine since I haven't been there.

Day 2: haven't been there

Day 3: haven't been there but the small plate menu and wine offerings read well. it will move further up on our want list when we travel without juveniles.

Day 4: Had no interest in BOG until they recently changed the dinner menu; the old menu sounded good but there were too many negatives associated w/ the execution and too many other places to try. I would be remiss if I didn't state that up until recently I viewed MK as a food wasteland.

Day 5: Kona Cafe overcame my initial concerns about whyyyyyy exactly I was at Disney World and how much weight I could lose there as a consequence, LMAO! The salmon dish was cooked and seasoned nicely; fish filet was a center cut thus it was cooked evenly. the veggie sides were neither over or under-cooked. Other dishes tried were the veggie + tofu stir fry, a chicken dish and various sushi. All were enjoyed.

Day 6: In a word, yes but have no idea what the vegetarian offerings are.

Day &: No idea as we haven't eaten there.

 

[pattyw]

Our family of adults enjoyed CRT! DS wanted to take his girlfriend who loves Cinderella! I thought the food was wonderful and the character interaction was good. We even saw a proposal! Maybe it gave DS an idea??

Yes- we've done HDDR and my DS is vegetarian. They brought him a pasta dish. He did enjoy the cornbread, salad, potatoes and dessert. But yes, it's a lot for 2 TS.

 

[KellyHonos]

Day 1: no feedback at Poutine since I haven't been there.

Day 2: haven't been there

Day 3: haven't been there but the small plate menu and wine offerings read well. it will move further up on our want trip when we travel without juveniles.

Day 4: Had no interest in BOG until they recently changed the dinner menu; the old menu sounded good but there were too many negatives associated w/ the execution and too many other places to try. I would be remiss if I didn't state that up until recently I viewed MK as a food wasteland.

Day 5: Kona Cafe overcame my initial concerns about whyyyyyy exactly I was at Disney World and how much weight I could lose there as a consequence, LMAO! The salmon dish was cooked and seasoned nicely; fish filet was a center cut thus it was cooked evenly. the veggie sides were neither over or under-cooked. Other dishes tried were the veggie + tofu stir fry, a chicken dish and various sushi. All were enjoyed.

Day 6: In a word, yes but have no idea what the vegetarian offerings are.

Day &: No idea as we haven't eaten there.

I totally agree about MK being a wasteland. I personally enjoyed my visit at BOG last time, but i think 30% of that satisfaction came from being able to dine in the West Wing? Whatever room it is that has the rose and the picture of the best. The ball room is beautiful to look at but SO NOISY! We were happy to dine in the West Wing? Gosh I think that's what it's called. Or is it Beast's study? LOL i dont remember.

You make me excited to go to Kona!

 

[KellyHonos]

Our family of adults enjoyed CRT! DS wanted to take his girlfriend who loves Cinderella! I thought the food was wonderful and the character interaction was good. We even saw a proposal! Maybe it gave DS an idea??

Yes- we've done HDDR and my DS is vegetarian. They brought him a pasta dish. He did enjoy the cornbread, salad, potatoes and dessert. But yes, it's a lot for 2 TS.

Ah, yes. I already canceled our reservation for HDDR. For 2 TS, I wouldn't want to have to scrap things together to make a meal. Maybe next trip we will skip other faves to finally give this place a try. For now, we're gonna skip because I don't want to pay for a meal OOP if it's not absolutely necesssary.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

Wanted to add: Akershus has a huge, really good, salad bar that comes with the meal and I believe there is also a vegetarian entree to choose. The 3 desserts are really "yummy" too!

 

[KellyHonos]

Wanted to add: Akershus has a huge, really good, salad bar that comes with the meal and I believe there is also a vegetarian entree to choose. The 3 desserts are really "yummy" too!

Akershus is in Epcot correct? i'm going to check out the menu now

 

[KellyHonos]

Wanted to add: Akershus has a huge, really good, salad bar that comes with the meal and I believe there is also a vegetarian entree to choose. The 3 desserts are really "yummy" too!

The akershus menu has a couple vegetarian options I see! yay! i am asking my sister to look over the menu and compare it to tutto italia to see what sounds better to her

 

[NYCgrrl]

I totally agree about MK being a wasteland. I personally enjoyed my visit at BOG last time, but i think 30% of that satisfaction came from being able to dine in the West Wing? Whatever room it is that has the rose and the picture of the best. The ball room is beautiful to look at but SO NOISY! We were happy to dine in the West Wing? Gosh I think that's what it's called. Or is it Beast's study? LOL i dont remember.

You make me excited to go to Kona!

Your experience @ BOG reminds me of dinners we used to eat at Tavern on the Green in NYC's Central Park. The man managed a hotel in the city and as a consequence frequently received invitations to dine at many eateries. We were invited to eat at ToG at least once a year and would ohh and ahh at the setting ( plus booze) but accept the food rarely lived up to the setting. Except when Patrick Clark was the chef which was short lived as was he.
Same could be said for the "old" Rainbow Room (that rotating dance floor!) and Windows on the World to a certain degree. Sometimes you just want your eyes to feast instead of your belly.

 

[3gr8boys]

If this was already suggested, I missed it. Be sure to check out the Vegan/Vegetarian thread pinned to the top of the Disney Reastarants forum ... Maybe going through recent pages will help you target options at various restaurants.

 

[KellyHonos]

If this was already suggested, I missed it. Be sure to check out the Vegan/Vegetarian thread pinned to the top of the Disney Reastarants forum ... Maybe going through recent pages will help you target options at various restaurants.

I did see that thread, as a matter of fact! Thanks for reminding me to check it out