Picked a few not-so-populars... tell me about them!!

[Grendalynn]

Ok, so I am a little behind the 8-ball with my ADR's... Mostly because we just booked to take advantage of the Free Dining in late September. Needless to say, a lot of my first choices are booked!! I am hoping to call and call and call until I get what i want, but just to be on the safe side, this is what i have... Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated!! BTW - we have basic tix, no PH's...

Day1: Hollywood Studios - late lunch at Hollywood & Vine and then Fantasmic that night....

Day2: Magic Kingdom Day #1 - dinner at Tony's Town Square - not sure I had ever heard of this place, untill it was one of the only places left.... is that good ot bad?? PS Also our anniversary. Not many nice places to eat at MK... non-princess or buffett that is.

Day3: Animal Kingdom then dinner at Boma

Day4: Epcot and San Angel Inn for dinner - ate there as a kid, but not in a long long time... Tellme about it...

Day5: Magic Kingdom day #2 then back to PORS for dinner at Boatwrights dining hall... this is super flexible but had heard a lot of good things about it. And being right at our resort, its a great idea for an early, easy swimming pool kinda night.

Day6:Flex day - no schedule expect for Spirit of Aloha Dinner show at 5pm - I have wanted to go here for a long time and are finnaly fitting it into our schedule this trip!! Super excited!! No need to change anything this day!!

 

[kcmickey]

Congrats on booking your trip!

We have eaten at Tony's and I really don't have any complaints but we are pretty easy going/easy to please eaters! I know people might have negative things to say but my family enjoyed it. I think we had the steak..

Boma is good and different. I think you will enjoy it. I tried several things I had never had before! You must eat the zebra domes for dessert!!!! mmmmm soooo good. Plus its fun to check out some animals out by the pool after your meal.

We are eating at San Angel for the first time this upcoming October. I have read that its pretty authentic mexican. We love the atmosphere there and I think it will be good
Have fun!

 

[chrismom3]

Here's my opinion on some of your adr's:

Not crazy about Hollywood & Vine or Tony's. I would choose Mama Melrose at Hollywood Studios. (We love their flatbread pizza and the atmosphere is cozy). Instead of actually eating in MK, why not go to 1 of the resorts for dinner (especially if it's your anniversary). Citrico's and Narcossee's at the GF are very good (they take 2 TS credits if on the DDP). OHana's and Kona Cafe in the Poly are very good as well.

The only other restaurant we've been to that you have down is Boma. Our favorite restaurant (buffet) at WDW. Can't go wrong with that one!

 

[disneyj914]

Not sure of availability but I do have a few suggestions.

Day 1 - I've heard nightmare stories about Hollywood & Vine! Mama Melrose's also participates in the Fantasmic package and I had a really great meal there. I'm pretty sure they also just announced a lunch Fantasmic package so you might be able to get some extra availability with that as well.

Day 2 - you're right, for grown-ups (if there is such a thing at Disney), there's not alot of great choices at MK. Did you look into any of the monorail hotel restaurants? Even if you're not interested in signatures, you've got Kona Cafe, Grand Floridian Cafe, and The Wave which could all be great meals for your anniversary. Now if you've got two credits to burn, Narcoossee's, Citricos, or California Grill would be perfect for a romantic meal! Good luck getting what you want!

 

[HopperFan]

Ate at Boatrights last fall during FD. The wait was longer than I wanted but we did have a late ADR so over time guess they got behind. BUT .... it was probably one of the best meals we had the entire trip (10 days). Also great server who was super "up" considering she was probably exhausted. I wouldn't hesitate to go back again.

 

[Kathy Z]

I tried replying to this earlier but the disboards went down for a while & my post was lost.

I really like Boma. We went there for our first time last May. It was my favorite dinner of that trip. Even our 7 year-old granddaughter who is a picky eater found plenty of familiar foods that she liked in addition to trying a few new foods. I enjoyed the variety of African dishes; only found one that did not appeal to me. I love their soups! DH & I returned in Dec. because I liked it so much.

Our Spirit of Aloha was way back in the 70's when our own children were young and I think it was simply called the luau. Our daughter loved it. Adult friends just did it last May and they felt the food and entertainment were well worth the cost.

I have not been to the others.

 

[judaloo]

We just returned a couple of weeks ago from a POR stay. We did hear some really negative things while on our trip about Boatwrights. I was going to try it, even though reviews were mixed. A woman who we talked to on the bus said she had planned on eating there twice, but cancelled her second dinner there after the horrible first meal. It could have been just a whim. If for some reason you don't do that one, the build your own pasta station in the food court is good. Or a pizza by the pool?
I know alot of people said they didn't care for Hollywood and Vine. We had an early lunch reservation there and thought it was great. The buffet had wonderful turkey sandwiches, salmon, tomato/mozzarella salad, great desserts. The characters have recently been changed a bit, and Handy Manny is now there, which our two year old loved. Plus, there really isn't alot to choose from in HS. Another option that day would be to take the boat to the Boardwalk area and eat. I think there is a Micro-brewery type place over there that gets good reviews.
We always like the Crystal Palace in the MK for dinner. The buffet is always good as is the character interaction. If you're having a hard time getting it, why not try the online dining reservations. I called every day for awhile, and had no luck; however, after talking to someone at our resort who did a last minute trip.,.I was shocked to find out she got LeCellier 2 weeks out doing the online ressies! She said she got EVERYTHING she requested. It's worth a try!
Also, we've eaten at the San Angel Inn and loved it. We were sad not to get a reservation there this time. The atmosphere and margaritas can't be beat! We did Marrakesh in Morocco instead..it was okay, but I missed Mexico
Have a great time!

 

[mfd25wife]

Not sure of availability but I do have a few suggestions.

Day 1 - I've heard nightmare stories about Hollywood & Vine! Mama Melrose's also participates in the Fantasmic package and I had a really great meal there. I'm pretty sure they also just announced a lunch Fantasmic package so you might be able to get some extra availability with that as well.

Day 2 - you're right, for grown-ups (if there is such a thing at Disney), there's not alot of great choices at MK. Did you look into any of the monorail hotel restaurants? Even if you're not interested in signatures, you've got Kona Cafe, Grand Floridian Cafe, and The Wave which could all be great meals for your anniversary. Now if you've got two credits to burn, Narcoossee's, Citricos, or California Grill would be perfect for a romantic meal! Good luck getting what you want!

Yes, MM is now doing it with lunch also. We just were able to get a same day reservation for 2:45 yesterday with a 9:00pm Fantasmic seating. We really like it. DH and another person got the steak. I got the seafood spaghetti (obviously not the name, but you'll know). DD got a penne. The calamari was excellent. With the Fantasmic package you get an appetizer included as well as the entree and dessert even with the DP.

 

[MARCIAKAZ]

LOVE Boma...and Kona Cafe is also great....just a hop and a skip from MK for your anniversary.

 

[angelmav]

I think you did fine with your ADR's. Tony's gets just as good of reviews on here as Mama Melrose and given the whole Lady and the Tramp theme, probably your best bet for the anniversary meal your going for.

We loved Hollywood and Vine, the spooned cornbread and several of the dishes were great, although the theming isnt as good, if you like buffets there will be plenty to your liking!

My only question is if you have another night you havent listed as the Spirit of Aloha dinner is 2 credits.

 

[winterman]

Have you thought about the Wave or Kona for your 1st MK day? They are both easy to get to from MK and a step up from Tony's.

 

[Halbleib1]

Tony's is probably the worst spagetti I have ever had. So if you can not change this I would suggest you order something besides the spagetti. Personally I would not go back. I would eat counter service first. But everyone has different tastes and unless you try it for yourself you will not know. Of all the restaurants we have tried on a total of 4 trips there are very few that we would and have gone back to.

The Spirit of Aloha dinner show wasn't bad. I enjoyed the food better than the show though. That being said the food is nothing special. It is something to try once and that is enough.

Boma is great if you are not a picky eater. Although even picky eaters can find something on their buffet that will fill them up.

If you haven't done so already check out the menus here on the dis or over at allears. This was really helpful to me when planning our trips in the past. More so than reviews even. I had an idea about if it was something we were going to like or not just based on the menu.

 

[lblume91]

We always stay at POR & have never had a bad experience at Boatwright's. We "settled" on going there one night when we were just too exhausted to hassle with getting to Cape May at the Beach Club. We were very pleasantly surprised & have loved it ever since.

I also agree with a PP who said that pasta station in the food court is delicious! I have a friend that just returned Sat from 5 days at POR & they ate the pasta 3 different times! If you need a filling meal to free up the extra TS credit for the luau, this is a good meal!

 

[TxRabbit]

Day1: Hollywood Studios - late lunch at Hollywood & Vine and then Fantasmic that night....

We had an early dinner ADR for a Fantasmic package. Somewhere in the 3 o'clock hour? It was great timing for several reasons. First, check-in. We didn't wait but 5 minutes, if that, to be seated. When we left, the waiting area was absolutely PACKED. We had time to grab an FP before going in, had time afterwards to ride the FP and doodle around and stretch our legs before going to the show. We were munchy again for the show (something about any show, and my family has to have popcorn!LOL.)

We thought the food was really good. Like a PP, we LOVED the corn spoonbread. The salads were fresh. There were good entree choices. I remember really liking my dinner. And I remember thinking that there were more dessert options there than at CP where we had eaten lunch earlier that week. The only negative that I remember was that our server started to get a major influx of customers right as we were getting ready to leave and our check took forever. To make up for it, she brought us our drinks in to go containers. I wouldn't be scared about this one, when I read reviews, when people eat here on an "off" time, they generally have good things to say about it.

Day3: Animal Kingdom then dinner at Boma

Boma is great fun. It can be loud and crowded because it is popular. I don't think I have ever seen the waiting area not teeming with people. The food variety is excellent. There are good buffet standbys for the unadventurous, like the carving station, and there are African influenced dishes peppered throughout the offering. I especially LOVED the soups there for dinner, but I am a HUGE soup fan.

Day4: Epcot and San Angel Inn for dinner - ate there as a kid, but not in a long long time... Tellme about it...

The atmosphere here totally reminded me of San Antonio's Riverwalk, if you have ever been. It has one of the most unique atmosphere's. The tables appear to be very close together, but they are strategically placed in diamonds with narrow pathways for the servers, so there is a little bit of elbow room. The food is traditional Mexican, not Tex-Mex. When we ate here, we ordered a grilled meat dish, which was EXCELLENT. I wrote a review of our meal here:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=20550900&postcount=51

HTH! I only responded on the restaurants we have eaten at in the past!

 

[DisneyLover83]

Hollywood and Vine is the only ADR you listed that I would think about changing. When we were there the place was dirty, food was not very warm, food quality seemed low and it was freezing inside.

Well my DH and I have enjoyed several meals at Tony's there is always the option of hopping on the monorail and going to The Wave, Kona or Grand Floridian Cafe.

 

[Nadjalu]

I can comment on 2 of your choices.

San Angel Inn.....was great. We love this place. The food is not tex mex though, it is more traditional mexican foods, so be aware of that. Many people give it bad reviews, but I think they are expecting something different than what is offered.
The atmosphere is fantastic there. So romantic and relaxing. Even though you are inside it feels as if you are dining outside next to a small river....so cool.

Boma....we did NOT like. The food wasn't bad, but we were not expecting the overwhelming sweetness of all the dishes.
(again, if you aren't expecting something it usually isn't good)
Many people make the mistake and think African foods are spicey (me included) but they aren't....they use sweet spices like cinnamon and fruits in just about everything. Even the strip loin was covered in cinnamon. For me that isn't cool. But again, not bad just not for us.
The atmosphere was like any other buffet. Wouldn't go back there, but wouldn't discourage anyone just know that everything tastes sweet.

 

[PoohsFan1]

Your ADRs sound really good to me. Out of the ones you chose we have only been to Tony's Town Square. We really enjoy this restaurant, we have only been for lunch and will be dining here again in September. If you like the movie Lady and the Tramp you will really enjoy the themeing to this restaurant. If you could score a table outside, it makes the experience that much more enjoyable. There are many DISers that have negative reviews on here about Tony's but we are definitely not one of them. As for Boatwright's we have never eaten here for dinner, but are trying it for the first time in September (staying at POR also), we have only had breakfast here and unfortunately they got rid of it (it is a shame, the breakfasts there were outstanding). And we are also eating at Boma for the first time too and can't wait for that one. Have a wonderful trip

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Everyone's tastes and expectations are different but honestly, you have reservations at some of my worst dining experiences. I hope your experience is better than ours.

San Angel -- Horrible service and disappointing, luke warm food
Hollywood and Vine -- poor upkeep of the buffet at our late lunch.
Spirit of Aloha -- long and slow moving show- food was just ok, not worth the time or the price.
Boma- I liked it but everyone else in our group thought it was "weird and gross".

 

[beroh2253]

Just go have a great time and form your own opinion, if you do not care for any of these then next time try different restaurants. Everybody chops down San Angle and that is our first day of the trip must do for the past 4 trips and the one coming up in October.

 

[Grendalynn]

bellybuttons... everyone has one!! I totally knew what I was getting into by asking this question. I appreciate everyone's feedback - good or bad. I will add it all up and take the average. Just like Resort reviews, you have to take the good with the bad.

Just to clarify - We are doing the Hollywood & Vine for the characters. DS3 loves Little Einsteins, so it more about him, than us and our dining preferance. And we ate at Mama Melrose's last trip. We are not a picky eater family, well maybe DS7 is, but all in all we are easy to please.

I have to change my San Angel Inn ressie - seems I didn't realize I booked at 8pm, which will over-run IllumiNations. But I cant seem to find anything earlier there... nor at Coral Reef or Le Celier - the other top choices for Epcot.

I also went ahead and dropped Tony's at MK and added the Grand Flordian Cafe. DH was happy with that idea since it was one of his faves from our previous trip... Narcoossee's would have been my 2st choice, but since we are staying at PORS the getting back and forth to change from park cloths to fancier dinner cloths would have soaked up a lot of time. Yes, its our anniversary but being at WDW is amazing in it self!

Boatwrights is expendable since I will have used up all our TS's with Boma(1), Spirit of Aloha(2), San Angel Inn(1), Hollywood & Vine(1), Gran Floridian Cafe(1)...