Remember when?: Disney Restaurants

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Scandalous!!!!

Well, I still wouldn't wear that out in public. I just didn't have much choice that night! No reason to get a divorce after 2 days of marriage.

PS, We will be celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary in WDW next month!

 

[hulagirl87]

When LeCellier was a Cafeteria

Oh my gosh! I was just talking to DH about this yesterday!!

I miss the character breakfast on the Empress Lilly

and Soundstage restaurant where Playhouse Disney is now

oh, and when there were Villians at 1900 Park Fare! That was awesome!!

 

[Mysteria]

Concourse Steakhouse. Many meals there and never a bad one. Was always underrated imo. CRT with non-character lunch (I'm sure dinner too but I only ever made it for lunch.) Prime Rib in general. They cut it from so many menu's it's sad.

 

[Joshua_me]

Ooo !

Thought of another...

The clam chowder served in a "bread bowl" at Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square !

Even during the hottest months, this soup and bread was SO delicious !

I'll never understand why they discontinued it...

(Of course, this was back in the days when eating in the uncrowded second floor of the restaurant was still kind of a secret...)

Shh ! Don't tell anyone !

 

[plwheel]

I remember being a kid and going to Fort Wilderness when MK was the only park and they were building Epcot. We used to go get these giant dill pickles out of a barrel in the country store. It's a small thing, but as kids we loved it!

 

[GoofyLo]

- there were no dining plans! I understand many people like them, but I miss the days of NOT having to make dining reservations months before my trip. I used to call while I was at my resort to make a dining reservation for the next day. Sometimes I would even call and make a reservation for the same day. I don't like My park schedule revolving around a dining reservation.

That being said, we're leaving for WDW in a week and, being 6 months pregnant, traveling with my three year old DD, DH, and 74 year old dad, we're doing the dining plan. Everyone always looks to me to be tour guide Disney when we go and I thought it would be one less headache since our last visit I couldn't get any readies we wanted even a month before our trip. Who knows? Maybe trying it will change my mind...

 

[Simba's Mom]

Not only no dining plans, but I could swear there was a time when you couldn't make dining reservations. I remember on our thirs trip to the FW trailer homes in the late 80s when we could finally make dining reservations up to 3 days in advance and we thought it was great. But I can't help but wonder if that's really the case, or did we just not know before!

 

[crzy4mk]

I remember when Biergarten wasn't a buffet and they had an AMAZING thick, rich bean soup that they served with dark brown breads....sooooo good!

Also, I remember when you could go to the Communicore in Future World to make your dining reservations for that day. If I remember correctly, there was a bank of computers you could use and you would actually "talk" face to face with someone to make your ressie. Sort of a predecessor of Skype.

 

[Goofydiane]

I remember when Biergarten wasn't a buffet and they had an AMAZING thick, rich bean soup that they served with dark brown breads....sooooo good!

Also, I remember when you could go to the Communicore in Future World to make your dining reservations for that day. If I remember correctly, there was a bank of computers you could use and you would actually "talk" face to face with someone to make your ressie. Sort of a predecessor of Skype.

I remember the Communicore as well! One of my first trips was with my nephew who was around 7 or so and he loved talking to the person and making the reservation.

I too loved making a decision based on what I felt like eating that day, not what I think I'll feel like eating 6 months from now.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Thinking back about the reservations in Communicore -- I will say one positive thing about Disney dining today...

back when we first married...we couldn't afford to go to any Table Service restaraunts.

That "scandalous" night at the Top of the World, and our last lunch at the Plaza were our ONLY Table Service meals on our honeymoon 20 years ago.

Matter of fact, we ended our trip with the Plaza because we had eaten fast food hamburgers for every meal for 5 days...and were sick of them. NOW, hubby and I end every trip no matter how decadent with a lunch at the Plaza.

Perhaps we should go to the California Grill on the day after our anniversary, but we've decided to go to Narcoosees on our actual anniversary.

 

[Belle5]

Breakfast at Boatwright's.

 

[Jedi]

this thread needs some pictures!!!!

 

[BabsBunny]

Remember when you could walk into any restaurant and get a table in under 30 minutes?

Remember when Chef Mickey's was in Downtown Disney and it wasn't a buffet?

I remember before the DDP when Portobello Yacht Club and it's extensive Northern Italian menu was a must-do for us.

And I also remember when DH and I stayed at the Buena Vista Palace in 1991 and ate at The Outback. We ordered a decent bottle of red wine, appetizers, filet mignon and dessert. We got the bill and it was $80!! We had never spent such a huge sum of money for dinner before. Speaking of which, I still have the bill for our room at the GF for our honeymoon in 1990. It was $200 a night. I almost fainted!

 

[River Country]

This is a great thread! We did the deluxe dining plan on our honeymoon in 1987, but back then it was the Gold Key Plan. I remember that we really enjoyed King Stefan's Banquet Hall, but that we loved the Empress Lilly. We had two wonderful meals on that boat, at the Fisherman's Deck and The Steerman's Quarters. Fulton's Crab House definitely does not meet the standards of the Empress Lilly restaurants - they are still missed.

OMG The Gold Key Card

I think i still have one LOL

I remember one time we took out boats with them. the CM says we only have an hour and 1/2 my dad says we have this....The CM responds we close at 7 PM have it back before that. I wish i could remember where that was. I wanna say it was where the Epcot resorts are now

We used to stay at the Vacation Villas which is now Saratoga Springs Resort so i bought a DVC membership there LOL

No one remembers the Heidelberg Deli????

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

I miss the old Disney restaurants/food more than the old attractions!

This thread has been great! I have a couple to add:

Breakfast at "Little Oscar's" Town Square Cafe, on the porch.

When you checked in for dinner at the Papeete Bay Veranda, ladies received a flower to put behind the appropriate ear . . .

When Chef Mickey's was at the Shopping Village (now DTD)

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

No one remembers the Heidelberg Deli????

I do! But I can't recall if we ever ate there.

 

[mcd2745]

I miss the old Disney restaurants/food more than the old attractions!

This thread has been great! I have a couple to add:

Breakfast at "Little Oscar's" Town Square Cafe, on the porch.

I guess that pre-dated Tony's. I was going to say I missed breakfast at Tony's. It was a nice, relaxed breakfast inside MK as opposed to the chaos of CP & CRT.

 

[shortchange1026]

I agree, totally miss the original Akershus buffet without the princesses and their original smorgasboard. Also miss Bonfamilles, they had great breakfast. We loved the days when you could walk up to the kiosk in EPCOT and make your reservation for that night or at least call the same day and make a ressie. We do not like having to make ressies 6 months in advance or the dining plan. Does not work for us.

I also remember when there was no dining plan, but if you booked a complete package you got coupons for a meal that was included in your package, either a breakfast or a dinner or both (can't remember) and it included everything from soup to nuts. I remember one time my BFF and I ate breakfast at the Rainforest Cafe with one of our coupons and it included everything, "appetizer" coffee, smoothies, entree..

Oh, and also miss the orange drink in the plastic orange with the green straw!!!

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

I guess that pre-dated Tony's. I was going to say I missed breakfast at Tony's. It was a nice, relaxed breakfast inside MK as opposed to the chaos of CP & CRT.

Yes, this was pre-Tony.

But the rest of your experience was the same - I absolutely loved eating breakfast on Main St., watching the park come alive.

Little Oscar was an actual person who was the "ambassador" for Oscar Mayer when they sponsored the restaurant. He made the wonderful location even better! Here's a link with more info about him, but it's down a bit in the article: http://www.allears.net/ae/issue604.htm .

 

[Gorechick]

Before DDP there was the Food n' Fun coupon book that you could add on. It was the precursor to the Dining plan being added to your KTTW. I wish I still had my book from 1996. I remember having to put the coupon on our table so the server would know we were on the plan. The Fun tickets were for recreation like the water mice, boats, bikes, etc...