Our Dining Review

[WDWBetsy]

Cast:
Me, 34, addicted to planning our trips and now planning for our baby
DH, 29, my sweet prince who doesn't get excited about WDW until the day before

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We were on the Dining Plan and absolutely loved it. It was great to have most of our meals paid for. Here is my review of where and what we ate last week. We used snack credits for mostly bottled water and ½ pints of milk.

We paid $490 for the dining plan and we received about $660 worth of meals/snacks. Well worth it for us for the convenience.

VIEW SOME PICS WE TOOK - I posted on the food porn thread.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Sunday, 11/27 Arrival Day

Lunch at The Mara A+
2 CS credits amount: $29
DH had the African chicken salad, chicken pepperpot soup, small fruit cup, and bottled water; I had the African stew, tossed salad, small fruit cup, and bottled water. Both of us loved it. We also bought our souvenir refillable mugs while there.

Dinner at Boma A+
2 TS credits amount: $61
We both loved the choices Boma offers – especially the bobotie! The prime rib was really good, although this meal was my first indication that I am starting to have an aversion to meat, especially chicken. We tried so many different items. During this meal, we decided we liked it so much that we would cancel our Jiko reservation for Thursday night and instead return to Boma. Our wonderful server brought us a sweet card from Boma CMs in honor of our 7th anniversary, along with a huge plate with mini desserts and Happy 7th Anniversary written in chocolate around the edges of the plate. We were very impressed with this gesture.

Monday, 11/28 2nd Day
Breakfast at The Mara A+
Paid OOP amount spent: $9
I had the adult breakfast platter w/sausage, while DH had the oatmeal and ate my biscuit. I loved the scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes – they were so good! The sausage was good too. I also found out my breakfast appetite was really good, while it was lacking at lunch.

Lunch at Backlot Express (Disney-MGM) A+
2 CS credits amount: $28
We both had the sesame chicken salad, sides of chili, strawberry parfaits, and ice tea. The food was really tasty. Will definitely return here in the future.

Dinner at Rose & Crown (Epcot) A+
2 TS credits amount: $59
We were seated outside in the back and loved it. Too early for Illuminations, but due to me being really tired, we didn’t stay out late most nights anyway. We both had the lamb barley soup which was really good. DH had the Guinness stew, while I had the cottage pie with a side of green beans – we both loved it. For dessert, I had the Happiest Celebration on Earth citrus trifle and DH had the apple crumble. Service and food were very good!!

 

[WDWBetsy]

Tuesday, 11/29 3rd Day
Breakfast at The Mara A+
Paid OOP amount spent: $9
Breakfast platter w/bacon for me and oatmeal for DH. A good start to the day.

Lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station C-
2 CS credits amount: $32
We ate at our normal 11:30AM time and were the only people there. The start of two days of a lack of appetite for lunch for me. I didn’t like my cashew chicken salad and the pot stickers I chose were greasy and chewy. The chocolate cake was good though. DH chose the beef and broccoli bowl, egg roll, and sugar free ice cream. He saw me picking at my salad so we switched and I ate the rest of his beef and broccoli (it was the best part!). Neither of us were impressed with this CS restaurant.

Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern before MVMCP A+
2 TS credits amount: $61
This was a fun meal. Loved the ham, turkey and beef, along with the macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes/gravy, and green beans. The service was very good, as was the character interaction. Gotta love posing with Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. Definitely a must-do for us.

Wednesday, 11/30 4th Day
Breakfast at The Mara A+
Paid OOP amount spent: $9
Again – the breakfast platter w/sausage for me and oatmeal for DH.

Lunch at Tusker House (AK) A+
2 CS credits amount: $28
Again my appetite was lacking, but I chose the ½ rotisserie chicken w/mashed potatoes and green beans, and the chocolate cake. DH chose the chicken salad and carrot cake. We both had ice tea. I ate mostly the potatoes and green beans, but I quickly filled up. DH ate most of my chicken. The desserts were really good.

Dinner at Raglan Road (DD) A++
gift certificate used amount: $62
This was one of our favorite meals. The service was wonderful, as was the food. We both had the Down the Middle soup and ice tea to drink. The soup was very good! DH had the planxty (pork shank with mashed potatoes and apple chutney) – he absolutely loved it. I had the shepherd’s pie and it was really good. The portions were larger than expected after reading previous reviews. We were both too stuffed for dessert. We ate shortly before 5:30PM, so the place wasn’t too busy. We loved taking in the Irish pub atmosphere.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Thursday, 12/1 5th day
Breakfast at The Mara A+
Paid OOP amount spent: $11
I had my standard platter with bacon, and DH had a banana nut muffin. Also ½ pints of skim milk. Again a good start.

Lunch at Le Cellier (Epcot) A++
2 TS credits amount: $72
This was our first visit and did not disappoint. We both enjoyed the various breadsticks – especially the pretzel one, and also the infamous cheese soup. DH had the petit filet on mashed potatoes and ice tea. I had the French dip sandwich with steak fries and a Diet Coke. I only finished one half of my sandwich and some of my fries. I think the soup and breadsticks filled me up. DH loved his petit filet. We asked for a to-go box for my sandwich and fries, and also asked if any desserts could be boxed since we were too full to eat anything else. Our server was glad to help and brought out two Chocolate “Moose” desserts. They were so tasty later that night! We loved Le Cellier.

Dinner at Boma A+
2 TS credits amount: $61
Another tasty dinner at Boma for us! I didn’t choose as much meat, and instead concentrated on the bobotie and pap, as well as the fresh fruit. DH had fun trying additional items and more desserts.

Friday, 12/2 6th day
Breakfast at The Mara A+
Paid OOP amount spent: $9
Again the breakfast platter w/sausage for me, and DH ate my biscuit. DH got a kick out of me getting excited about the potatoes.

Lunch at Liberty Inn (Epcot) A+
2 CS credits amount: $25
We were going to eat at Sunshine Seasons, but I had a craving for a hotdog. So DH was glad to help out with my newfound lunch appetite. I had the hotdog and fries combo, strawberry shortcake, and Diet Coke. DH had the Southwest chicken salad, ice tea, and sugar free ice cream. It was very tasty, and we both finished our meals. A good choice for us.

Dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh A++
2 TS credits amount: $78
After a wonderful 5PM Candlelight Processional (we had the dinner package), we proceeded to Restaurant Marrakesh, and it was so good! After eating some bread, we both had the harira soup (very good). I had the shish kebabs, and DH had the chicken kebabs. I also liked the rice that came with it. For dessert we both had the crepes atlas. A wonderful meal with great service – and entertainment!

 

[WDWBetsy]

Saturday, 12/3 7th day
After such a busy day without a break on Friday, I was exhausted from all the walking so we stayed at the resort all day. I cancelled our dinner at Cinderella’s, and didn’t even mind. I didn’t want to risk the health of our baby from overdoing it with too much walking.

Breakfast at The Mara A+
Paid OOP amount spent: $6
I had the breakfast platter w/bacon, and DH ate my biscuit. Our last Mara breakfast…

Lunch at The Mara A+
2 CS credits amount: $29
After lounging around in the room, we went down to The Mara for a late lunch. We were somewhat surprise at how busy it was at 2PM, but we easily found seats and had a tasty, pleasant lunch. I had the double bacon cheeseburger w/fries, small fruit cup, and bottled water. DH had the Caesar salad and chicken pepperpot soup combo, small fruit cup, and bottled water. I also bought butternut squash soup to take back to the room for later (paying $2.49 OOP for it).

Dinner at The Mara A+
1 CS credit amount: $14
DH didn’t want a big dinner, so we paid $5.49 OOP for his cheese pizza. I also chose the cheese pizza, fruit cup, tossed salad, and bottled water. We both thought the cheese pizza was really good!

Sunday, 12/4 8th day
Breakfast at Boma A++
2 TS credits amount: $40
This was a great way to end our stay at AKL. Our server said we were also allowed to get a specialty smoothie drink. DH chose the strawberry raspberry, while I chose the mango. Both had whipped cream on top and were delicious! I, of course, quickly spotted my beloved scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes on the buffet and was so happy! I also tried the corn beef bobotie and the cornbread, which was good. I prefer the dinner buffet’s bobotie. I was so engrossed in my breakfast, I don’t know what DH ate.

Lunch at Pecos Bills (MK) A+
1 TS credit amount: $13
We split a chicken wrap, fries, and Diet Coke. It was warmer this day, and the chicken wrap was a good choice. A great lunch!

We left AKL around 5PM for the airport. We had a relaxing, fun trip with wonderful dining. Hopefully we’ll be going back in a few years.

 

[LoveWDW]

Thank you for the reviews! And Congratulations on the increase to your family!

 

[zippehsmom]

Thanks for the reviews. Meat kind of grossed me out in my first trimester of pregency, actually anything hot, second trimester hit and I ate everything in sight.

Congrats on the new addition.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Great review! TFS... Also Congrats!

Tina

 

[John's Mom]

I really enjoyed reading your reviews. Congratulations to you and your husband on the upcoming addition to your family!

 

[Belle5]

Thanks for your reviews! Sounds like you really enjoyed your resort's counter service! Anyway, congrats on the new addition. Start planning your trip now for bringing the new little one!

 

[WDWBetsy]

Thanks for your reviews! Sounds like you really enjoyed your resort's counter service! Anyway, congrats on the new addition. Start planning your trip now for bringing the new little one!

Normally we would have eaten at more places, but with me being so tired, the Mara was perfect.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks so much for your reviews! And congratulations on your pregnancy! What an exciting time for you and your DH!

We are going to AKL for the first time next August and I am really looking forward to it. Glad to hear you had good experiences at Mara!

DH really wants to eat at Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station. He wanted to eat there in October but we never got around to it. I keep reading not-so-great things about it but I think he will be really sad if I say "We can't go there because everybody on the boards says it isn't very good." I am a huge commando and he doesn't get to make many decisions. So I guess we'll go and if it is bad I will be quiet.

 

[bellenbuzz]

And CONGRATS Big Time !!!! I have two precious miracles, and loved being pregnant!!! ENJOY, its truly an amazing adventure!!
AND, its fantastic when they are old enough to take to WDW, we are taking our 2 princesses on their 2nd trip there next year!
Best Wishes !!!
AND......love reading Dining Reviews, I Learn Alot !

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for posting.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Bellenbuzz,

The Mara is the resort counter service/food court near the pool area at AKL.

 

[GADISNEYGIRL]

Many congrats on your pregnancy! I'm impressed that ANYONE can go to WDW while pregnant...I threw up for nine months, and can't imagine how miserable I would've been! I also had the meat aversion thing going on, the whole time. Couldn't even look at chicken. Ground beef was just about the meat I could tolerate.

The best part is taking the little one to WDW! My DS (not quite 4) is getting ready for his 10th trip!!

Enjoyed all your reviews!