Our Land Cruise: Special Diet and 14 nights of DxDDP

[disneypofq05]

Everything looks delicious! I'm enjoying your reviews. I've wanted to try many of the restaurants you ate at and look forward to reading more.

 

[wilma-bride]

Your meal at Flying Fish looked absolutely phenomenal. Loving your reviews so far

 

[valree]

Yay! GF reviews! The chocolate cake looks delicious. I can't wait to read more!

 

[itradehilton]

Today we went to Disney Hollywood Studios and we made it for EMH hours. EMH sure makes a difference when visiting the parks in July. We were able to hit all our major rides before lunch except Rockin Roll Roller-coaster which broke down just as our fastpasses became available. It was pouring rain and we were wearing our toxic smelling ponchos. (We just bought them at Tower of Terror). So we decided to see if The Brown Derby would seat of early. This is when the "Magic" began. It was July 4th.

The Brown Derby would be happy to seat us early, no problems. We waited a few minutes and the person who was seating us noticed that we all had wet ponchos so off he went and got a bag for us to store the ponchos in while we ate. When our smiling waitress arrived she asked us if we had seen Fantasmic yet and since we had not she asked if we would like tickets to tonight's show. Well of course we would what a wonderful treat. Off she went to get the chef and our drink order. The chef was very helpful and and was able to modify DH and Little yodas meal to make them GF.

Appetizers:

On the DxDDP the Brown Derby Cob salad for two was brought out for each DS. Little Yoda got his without the blue cheese and DH took off all the egg because we forgot to to ask for it to be taken off. He just doesn't like the taste of eggs. These salads were huge and for some reason I forgot to take pictures of any of the apps. DH had a bacon Dish and I ate the fresh tuna. Everyone had to help eat the salad which would have made a great main course.

Main course:

Every main course was cooked outstandingly. DH and the fish had the Duck two ways GF without some sauce. DH loved the slices of duck it was seasoned to perfection. I ordered the lamb. This is not a GF dish but for those of you who can eat gluten All I can say is WOW. This was some of the best lamb I have every had. The ribs were small but taste. Little yoda had ordered the salmon but only had a few bites since he was so full from the salad and wanted to save room for dessert. The salmon did not go to waste. we had it packed up and Little Yoda had it for breakfast one day.

Duck GF

Salmon GF

lamb

Dessert:

DH and Little Yoda went for the Fourless Chocolate cake again. The portion here is small enough to be eaten in one sitting. The Fish had the Banana White Chocolate dessert while I had the strawberry cheesecake. We all ate every bite of the desserts.

Flourless chocolate cake GF

Strawberry Cheescake

Banana White chocolate dessert


Overall we loved the service and the food was excellent. Next time we would not order the Cobb Salad as an appetizer since it was so large. Having the gift of the Fantasmic Tickets for the evening was the cherry on top. We loved the show.

 

[wilma-bride]

Oh my, that duck at Brown Derby looks delish!

 

[itradehilton]

After resting up and cooling off back at the BWV we walked over to the Beach Club since the boat wasn't at the dock. (We would walk if the boat was not in the dock)We headed for Cape May Restaurant a little early since we now had Fantasmic tickets. Originally I booked a 7 Pm time so we could see fireworks at Epcot afterwards. They were able to take us in early and the waitress who was a bit frazzled took our drink order and went to get the chef. Well there was no magic at Cape May tonight. I had indicated on our reservations about the Gluten allergy and faxed a form to special Diets with all the reservations, and Special Diets confirmed the fax and said they would inform the chefs. Well when the chef came to the table she told DH and Little Yoda about what choices would be good for them but she forgot to take the GF desserts out of the freezer so they could only have frozen prepackaged Brownie or chocolate chip cookie. They told her that they would have both. Then the chef walked DH and Little Yoda around the buffet.

Food:

The GF choices were limited and the seafood was okay. We were not feeling the magic at all. Little yoda ate some shrimp and a few other forgettable items. DH enjoyed the crab legs and ate many. He was surprised that they did a good job with them. Service here was s l o w.

When little yoda was ready for dessert the waitress "dropped" one frozen chocolate chip cookie and one frozen brownie on the table. Buffett? Doesn't that mean choices. Little yoda was watching the Fish eat a small plate of tiny fresh desserts and all he had was a frozen brownie. DH let him eat both desserts and he ate none. This was not the experience we came to Disney for knowing they could accommodate GF dining. Lucky for us this was the worst service for Little Yoda. Sorry no pictures I was really annoyed with Cape May.

We left soon after and took the boat back to DHS for the show. It was great having reserved seating. Not waiting in line was a major plus. We sat up top in the reserved section or the Fantasmic Dining guests where we had a great view of the show and we were only three rows down so exiting was very easy. It was a great ending to our night.

 

[itradehilton]

Oh my, that duck at Brown Derby looks delish!

DH said it was the best duck of the trip.

 

[itradehilton]

About a week before the trip I discovered that they changed the EMH for July 5th to MK and since the night before MK had late hours due to the holidays I thought I would check again for a breakfast reservation at CP for before the park was open. Well I was lucky because someone must have cancelled at the last minute and I picked up a 8:05 reservation. We decided to drive over to MK since we were leaving so early and didn't want to rely on the buses so early. It was a quick drive to the park and we were able to get into MK before the crowds. I loved being in the park before everyone. we got some great picks of the castle.

Since we already had lunch and dinner reservations for today doing TS the family knew we were going to eat a lot today so we kept our plates small. We only had a few minutes wait to be called to our table. After juice and coffee orders our waiter sent for the chef for DH and Little Yoda. So off the Fish and I went to fill our plates with delish berries and omelets. When we got back to the table DH and little yoda were discussing what they wanted from the chef that was not on the buffet line. DH and Little Yoda both asked for 2 GF muffins and 2 GF waffles. Little Yoda was so happy with his warm fresh waffles. To me they looked liked Vans Waffles but DH said they tasted better than the frozen ones we get at home. Now add Pooh, DH's favorite and this meal was a great way to start our day.

GF waffles and muffins

GF

 

[itradehilton]

After getting into the park early we were able to hit all of the big rides before our lunch reservations at 12:00. Today we are dinning with our good friends and their children. Before lunch their daughter went to BBB to be made up as Tinkerbell and their DS was suppose to be a pirate but he wanted nothing to do with that. After about a 15 minute wait we were led into the picture area. Since we were a party of 8 we got to take two poses. It was so exciting to see our friends daughter take pictures with Cinderella. Next we were led upstairs to our tables. We sat at the banquet and they just pulled the two tables together.

Reservation back story: I made the reservations online at 180 days out since I was going to get up at an ungodly hour to be sure to get reservations to key restaurants. Since I was on the dinning plan I did not have to pay in advance.

We informed the waiter that 4 were on the dining plan and our friends and their children would be paying by credit card. No problem with the waiter he easily figured it out (now the restaurant was another story).

The appetizer plate and drinks were brought out quickly, before the chef could arrive. The waiter actually scolded my DH for poaching cheese of the appetizer plate because he was not sure if it was GF. After everyone else was done with the appetizer plate they brought out another plate minus one item as the GF option. The salad on the appetizer plate was so flavorful.

Main course: Our friends both ordered the salad one with salmon and the other with chicken. Both were very happy with the meal and thought it was perfect for a hot summer day. Both salad's could have been GF if needed. The fish and I ordered the Major Domo because this is something we would not eat at home due to the gluten. Boy was it taste. I loved the crust. DH and Little Yoda both had the pork but the chef had to substitute the grain with another grain. The chef asked if they wanted rice and mashed potatoes. DH said yes and OMG it had two scopes of grain one huge scope of rice and one huge scoop of potatoes. Little Yoda could not finish the meal because he had to save room for dessert.

Salad with Salmon

salad with chicken

Major Domo

Pork with rice & potatoes GF

Dessert: Little Yoda wanted ice cream but DH went for the Rice pudding and almost licked the bowl it was that good. To make it GF they just had to leave off the cookie. The Fish and I ate the buckle which was warm and tasty but I had much better dessert at the signature restaurants.

The Buckle

Adult vanilla ice cream GF

Rice Pudding GF

The Billing: The next night I noticed we were short dining credits so I went downstairs at the Boardwalk to figure out when were the error occurred. I knew it was Disney's error because I have a excel spreadsheet with all of our dining plans on it and I kept track with the receipts. Well, I figured out when we were double billed for CRT. At the end of the night of day 4 CRT billed us for 8 more adult credits. I explained that I had made the reservations but our friends payed for their own food. The staff did not want to budge. I stated that I couldn't pay for their meals anyhow because we our a party of 4. Staff again would not budge. Finally I asked to use their phone to call DH and have them bring our receipt and also call our friends (they are in another room on site) to have them bring down their receipt. After producing the evidence that all 8 meals were paid for they actually copied the receipts before returning our 8 dining credits. The whole process took about 45 minutes and was very annoying. The waiter got it correct why couldn't the CRT?

 

[pixiedust1125]

I am loving you reviews-both of my parents have Celiac's Disease as well and they Love Disney too cause its the one place were they know they are in good hands. I am very glad you and your family had a great experience there and keep up the great reviews!

 

[Lisa29]

Brilliant reviews. Wish my tastebuds would eat fancier food like this!!

Can't wait for the next bit

 

[barbanm]

subscribing... love the gluten free reviews. thanks

 

[vinotinto]

Great reviews! Sorry to hear about the 45 minutes wasted clearing up the double-billed dining credits. Makes you wonder what would have happened if all of you would not have saved your receipts. I often don't keep my receipts, but will make sure to keep them in our next trip.

 

[itradehilton]

This was our first trip and I wanted to know the value of the DxDDP so I kept all the resorts in my Passporter book. The receipts also help with the dining review because they have the names of the dishes which helps jar the old memory. I too wonder what would have happened if our friends did not have their receipt.

 

[wilma-bride]

CRT looked great although that pork looked very underdone. Sorry they made such a mess of your dining credits but glad you got it sorted out in the end. What a waste of your time though

 

[itradehilton]

The Yachtsman was the best restaurant of the entire trip. Wow, service and a great chef. It is certainly worth the two dining credits per person. We loved it so much we canceled our 2nd reservation for the California Grill and booked the Yachtsman for our last night also.

Aging meat

We were seated within a few minutes of our reservation time. The hostess walked us over to our table where we soon met our server, Alex, and his assistant. Yes, two people would be assisting our table. We never waited long for anything. We ordered drinks and wanted to look over the menu before ordering wine tonight. The server had the chef come out to go over the menu with DH and Little Yoda. Most items were naturally gluten free but the fries and potato gratin would have to be substituted with a different potato dish. The chef gave them two different choices for potatoes. After deciding on our apps and entry (the chef would come out later to go over dessert) we decided to get the suggested bottle of wine.

Great wine with steak.

To start the meal they brought out a basket of regular bread with butter and roasted garlic and fresh GF rolls and another butter plate for the GF rolls so there would be no cross contamination.

Appetizers

DH wanted the Black and Blue beef tartare so the chef said, "Why don't I slice up one of the rolls and toast it to go with your tartare." Nice GF crustini to go with the tartare. DH was impressed. Little Yoda and the fish both ordered the Tomato and Mozzarella salad, very fresh mozzarella cheese. I enjoyed the cheese course.

Beef Tartare

GF Tomato with Mozzarella Salad

Regular Tomato with Mozzarella Salad

Main Course

For the Main course DH ordered the Cowboy Steak. 20 once bone in rib eye. DH likes his meat red and I do mean barely dead. He orders almost everything rare. They had to leave off the fried onions to make it GF and change the potatos to garlic mashed potatoes. The rest of the family ordered the NY strip steak. They age this meat for a week and it is their signature dish. This was the best steak I have ever eaten. I thought my strip was great then DH gave me a bite of his rib eye OMG talk about melting in your mouth. I swear it did.

cowboy steak

NY strip with potatoes gratin (little yoda had same steak but with mashed Potatoes to make it GF)

Dessert

Dessert continued to be just as good as the rest of the meal. DH and the Fish had the creme brulee with fresh berries while Little Yoda had the ice cream with wings of chocolate pieces. I decided to try the Pistachio Trio, three little tastes all very good.

Creme Brulee GF

Ice Cream with berries and chocolate wings GF

Pistachio Trio

Overall the service at the Yachtsman out shined every other restaurant we dined in at Disneyworld.

The next morning DH had his leftover Rib Eye with eggs in the room.

 

[itradehilton]

CRT looked great although that pork looked very underdone. Sorry they made such a mess of your dining credits but glad you got it sorted out in the end. What a waste of your time though

Yeah, I like my pork cooked longer but DH likes his meat rare.

 

[Krissalee]

Your reviews are fantastic! You are eating at some of my favorite places. I have a trip planned for October, and these meals are making me anticipate it even more. Plus, now I am second guessing the ADRs I made, and may want to change some of them to include Yachtsman's, Flying Fish and Brown Derby!

 

[itradehilton]

After 4 days of TS meals we still hadn't used many of our snack credits since there is so much food included in the DxDDP. It was EMH morning at Magic Kingdom (and we overslept) we decided to use snack credits for a quick bite for breakfast. Since I had not yet had my fill of coffee today I graciously volunteered to pick up a few items at the Main Street Bakery while the rest of the crew (our friend's family and mine) headed to Fantasyland to ride Dumbo.

For breakfast we went the healthy route and had grapes, carrots & celery, OJ, and coffee. It was a great use of the snack credits and all we really wanted after dinner at the Yachtsman. Plus all of these items are GF.

After going on rides all morning we decided to hit Pecos Bill's for lunch. This was our first counter service in Disney World. When we walked in DH was impressed with the fixens bar. Great assortment of condiments for your burgers. When placing your order the cashier will have you wait while the chef comes out with the special diets book to go over your options. We had to wait a few minutes but it was something we were prepared for.

Lunch:

DH and Little Yoda both ordered the deluxe Cheeseburger and Fries. They have GF buns and a dedicated frier for the french fries. For dessert they only had one option, yogurt. We got the yogurt and ended up sharing them with our friends kids. Both the burger and fries were fresh and hot. Little Yoda loved having a bun since in the real world (back home) restaurants don't have GF buns.

The Fish and I had the Angus Cheeseburger and fries. Excellent burger. He also took a yogurt for dessert but I didn't want any dessert. Hearing this the cashier said I could have a bottle of water instead of dessert. Well I took him up on that offer since it was so hot outside.

Sorry, no photos because by the time we got settled I was so happy to be out of the heat I forgot to take pictures.

After a couple more hours of rides my family decided they needed a break and started to head back to the Boardwalk. On the way out DH was looking for Mickey bars but did not see a cart but I remembered that we could get ice cream at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor was so before leaving the park we stopped for some scoops in a cup. DH couldn't believe he could have a double scoop as a snack credit. So the family got their ice cream fix before heading back on the bus to the Boardwalk.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Your reviews are great! Fab photos too.