Reviews 8/13-8/20

[jjohnson]

Cast: ME; will try almost anything, DH; meat & potato kind of guy, DS11; slightly picky & has nut/egg allergies, DD9 & DS8; like there mother

We had some great meals & some not so good. We ended up cancelling 5 AR's for 8:00 breakfast because the kids were wiped out & wanted to sleep.I had the DDE so all prices listed are after the 20% discount.

LUNCH/Kona Cafe
We had a 12:00 AR & arrived at 11:55 & given a beeper at 12:00 it went off & we were seated.We all enjoyed our first meal but I only finished 1/2 of my kona club (too excited to eat)
DH Island chicken sand.
me kona club
DS Big Kahuna
DD & DS KM pasta
$45.77 (used disney gift card)


DINNER/OHANA's
Our AR was for 7:10 & we weren't seated until 7:35 so we enjoyed some drinks at Tambu
Except for DS11, we all loved it here & devoured 4 bowls of wontons! I ended up asking for a chicken KM for DS since he was so miserable. I was quite pleased when the bill came & we were only charged for his KM & not the $25.00 adult price. Extra tip for CM David.
$83.40

LUNCH/GF CAFE
We arrived here very hot from the parks & I had a horrible headache. We waited 20 minutes to be seated 20 minutes for CM to take our drink order & another 30 minutes for our food to arrive (we actually stood up to leave when the food magically came out) I made a comment to the CM about the wait & she said alot of people had arrived at the same time & they were having a hard time keeping up. We didn't order anything difficult to make either.
ME: GF club
DH: cheeseburger
DD & DS KM chicken
DS11: KM triple header
$40.23(used disney gift card)

DINNER/CONCOURSE
I had plans to walk over to MK for Wishes after this meal so I was glad we were seated right away.
Good meal but I let DD & DS order apps & milkshakes so they weren't very hungry when there meal came. DH & I preferred what the other had ordered so we switched. I was told at checkin DS11 would be charged double for a KM but I didn't care & let him order what he wanted. When the bill came we were not double charged. Possibly because we all ordered apps.
DH: salad,beer,14oz.prime rib (yum)
ME: shellfish bisque (i took a picture it was so good) Filet
DS11: salad, KM pizza
DD: salad, chicken (I was surprised she ordered this because she loves steak)
DS: KM shrimp,Grilled Cheese
$90.30


LUNCH/NORWAY
We ordered a bunch of different sandwiches & desserts. LOVED the school bread. I wish I had some right now.
approx. $40.00 (Lost receipt)
Also had churros from mexico.

DINNER/HDD
I had made this reservation 18 months ago so DS11 was still considered a child at the time. We had seat 12 which is front & center. Perfect spot. Really enjoyed the show & food. DS12 said it was the best chicken & ribs he's "ever" had. I had 3 plates of the salad. the dressing used is fantastic. DH ate a whole bowl of Shortcake himself! CM seemed sad & I tried to make small talk & cheer her up.
$175.00

BREAKFAST/KONA
Good meal & great service. We were seated at our 8:50 AR.
DH: ham & cheese omelette (said it was good but too much ham)
ME: Big hahuna (DS8 ended up eating 1/2 of mine)
DS12: Chef made special egg free waffles for him & he was thrilled
DD: pancakes
DS: KM eggs & bacon
Pressed pot
$42.95

LUNCH
We were going to eat at B&C but it took over 3 hours to get checked in so we ended up skipping it.

DINNER/CMC
We were seated at our 5:30 AR. This was one of our favorite meals of the week. Everything was hot & fresh & our CM Sandra was so sweet. The menu on allears states beverages are extra but we weren't charged.
$82.61

LUNCH/SCI-FI
AR was for 11:25 & we were seated right away. This was a fun meal & a nice break from the heat (we had a hard time dealing with the heat in this park)
Another friendly CM Drew who had a great sense of humor.
Everyone had burgers except me who ordered the Ham & cheese sandwich.DH forgot to order the burger medium so he was dissapointed but ate it anyway. I only ate 1/2 again because I stuffed myself with onion rings.(great way to ruin your appetite/so good)
$58.00

DINNER/H&V FDP
So this ends up being everyone's worst meal of the week. Possibly because we had been at MGM during the day & no one wanted to return. When we arrived at the park the parade was starting so it took longer to arrive at H&V. We were about 10 minutes late for our 5:40 AR & after waiting outside in the heat, we were seated at 6:15.I would have cancelled if there wasn't a deposit required. Really didn't like anything & I tried most items. Kids did enjoy the make you own sundae. Good CM & beverages were refilled almost too often. They did accept my DDE for FDP.
$$82.27

BREAKFAST/CMCI had cancelled our AR at Donald's the night before so everyone could sleep in (kids were getting burnt out by the 5th day) we took a chance & walked up to the podium at 9:30 & were seated with 15 minutes. Great meal & good character interaction they came by our table just as we had finished our meal.
$63.01

LUNCH/EARL OF SANDWICH
DH: plain beef & swiss
ME: beef 'n bleu
kids: 3 cannonballs
DH was the only one to finish & the rest of us ate 1/2. I do not consider our family "light" eaters but the heat really cuts down on your appetite. Great for a dieting but I should have had us share more. I loved the lemonade.
$38.31

GHIRARDELLI
1 brownie sundae
1 Hot fudge
2 for 1 coupon (thanks disboards)
I would have been happy to just have this for lunch!

$7.40DINNER/BIERGARTEN
We had considered cancelling & going to B&C but this was DH #1 pick & there was no other night left to go. We had arrived about 10 minutes late for our 6:30 AR (I didn't realize it would take 25 minutes to walk from the BC) We were still seated within 10 minutes of arrival. DH & I were happy we did but all 3 kids had a hard time finding anything that they liked. DS & I had fun doing the chicken dance. DH has pictures that he may use against me one day.
2 liters of Franzikaner (I'm not a big drinker & didn't realize how big this would be) but it did give me the courage to dance.
$90.93

LUNCH/Beaches & Cream
Oh why did we wait so long to do this! So good. Four of us had hamburgers & DS had the hot dog (it's huge!). Both DS had a mud slide each & DS11 finished his. DH had the chocolate cake & DD & I split the milky way sundae.
$85.30 (used 4 vouchers that I bought on ebay for $54.00 + $7.00 for DD) we also left an extra $5.00 tip since the vouchers only covers 15%

DINNER/CRT
We arrived on time for our 6:55 AR & were seated within 5 minutes. We were also told at this meal that my DS11 would be charged double for a KM but it was not reflected in the bill. We all liked this meal but I was the only one who "loved" my entree. Dinner arrived just as we were finishing our appetizers so there was no break in between. We were out of the restaurant within 45 minutes. Sad to say I didn't have my slipper dessert but we did see Cinderella downstairs when we were leaving.
DH: Prosciutto & mozz., Kingdom cut prime rib
ME: Seafood Eggroll (sauce a little too spicy for me)
DS12: KM veg & cheese app. & KM hot dog
DD: KM veg & cheese app. & KM chicken
DS: KM veg & cheese app. & KM pasta w/salad
$86.12

BREAKFAST/SPOODLES
This place was hands down favorite breakfast of the week & the CM Keith was outstanding! All food was very hot & fresh. The Chef made special no egg waffles for DS. We all ordered the all-you-care-to-eat platters. I sweat DS8 ate at least 7 eggs (his favorite)
$53.92

LUNCH/Airport
We were suppossed to eat at B&C & use my last 4 vouchers but BC lost our carryon bags & I got stuck trying to find them so we missed out. If anyone wants the vouchers, they expire in December PM me.

MCD's & Nathans
Nothing to say most everyone has eaten here once in there lives.
$25.00

I had originally booked the Dining Plan but chose to buy an AP & DDE. I worked up some quick numbers to compare & came up with this.

$1150 - Total
($195) DDE savings
($525) AP room discount

$875 - meal plan
$525 - added rack rate to room
$1400- total

So about $250 saved not including water purchased in park & we would have done more counter service with the plan.

Random thoughts for me to remember next year:

Never attempt to make an early breakfast AR again (ever!).
Try not to schedule as many sitdowns & shows (I felt like we were always racing to get to our AR on time)
Do counter service (sitdown were very time consuming)

If anyone needs more details, just ask.

Joyce

 

[dsnymoners]

Where did you find a 2for1 coupon for giradelli? I am leaving to go on sunday and could really use one.

Thank you

 

[ntmec]

Thanks for the great info! We are going next month with my DS4 & DS1 and I only have a couple of ADRs - I don't want to plan too much around meals with two little ones. I have been a little worried that I should plan more ADRs, but your advice helped confirm my plans. Thanks!

 

[natalielongstaff]

thanks for the review

 

[jjohnson]

Where did you find a 2for1 coupon for giradelli? I am leaving to go on sunday and could really use one.

Thank you

Click on this link & when you fill out the form check off yes that you live within 50 miles. They will send you an email with the coupon to print.
http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/ghrdl/lp/join/join.htm

 

[dsnymoners]

Thank you so much!

 

[jjohnson]

Thank you so much!

Enjoy!

 

[Fast Pass]

Did you happen to see the price of a pitcher of beer?
My BIL said he paid 20.00-seems kinda steep.

 

[gigi1313]

thanks for the reviews... and the ghiradelli coupon!

couple of quick questions... were you worried at all about all that peanut sauce in 'ohana and your ds w/the allergy? my ds is peanut/tree nut allergic and i am just too nervous to try it, but i know we would love the meal... how confident were you that it was safe? (and how allergic is your ds? mine is life-threatening)

if you paid $175 for HDDR doesn't that mean it was charged as 3 adults/1 child? ($50x3 + $25) i also made our ressie before the "new" policy of over 10=adult and assumed that we'll have to pay adult price for dd... how do i go about telling them that i only want to pay child for my dd?

thanks again

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your report ~ Thanx for posting.

 

[emememem]

Great report....My DS is also 11.. my DD is 14 both ate off the kids menu which was given to us when we arrived at GF cafe (didnt ask for them, figured they would order off the adult menu) we were'nt charged double either

 

[kdtwiss]

sent you pm about the vouchers

Great reviews - we will be going to Kona Cafe, Concourse and CM, glad to see you enjoyed most!

 

[DanaHesson]

Did they not have it, not hungry enough, or felt too rushed? I JUST booked Cindy's for my Bday dinner.... Should I change it to Concourse?

 

[jjohnson]

Did you happen to see the price of a pitcher of beer?
My BIL said he paid 20.00-seems kinda steep.

I do not recall pitchers being available. A liter of Frazikaner was $9.60 and the 1/2 liter around $7.50.

 

[jjohnson]

thanks for the reviews... and the ghiradelli coupon!

couple of quick questions... were you worried at all about all that peanut sauce in 'ohana and your ds w/the allergy? my ds is peanut/tree nut allergic and i am just too nervous to try it, but i know we would love the meal... how confident were you that it was safe? (and how allergic is your ds? mine is life-threatening)

if you paid $175 for HDDR doesn't that mean it was charged as 3 adults/1 child? ($50x3 + $25) i also made our ressie before the "new" policy of over 10=adult and assumed that we'll have to pay adult price for dd... how do i go about telling them that i only want to pay child for my dd?

thanks again

I had my son retested 2 years ago & his egg allergy came up moderate & bees high & no nut allergy but he ate a peanut butter sandwich last summer & 1/2 his face swelled up & he broke out in hives so now we just stay away as much as possible. I spoke with the chef before the meal & he said the only item he could not eat was the wontons or the peanut sauce (its served on the side). As things turned out he didn't want to try anything & we ordered the chicken strips for him. Our last day at Spoodles the chef told me alot of items at Disney are made with peanut oil so you might want to ask before ordering anything if his is life threatening.

We paid $175 for HDD 2 adults @50 & 3 children at $25.00. I'm assuming your on the meal plan? & want to pay OOP for your DD? I'm not sure how that would work & I haven't read on the boards of anyone doing that yet so I couldn't answer that. Sorry.

 

[jjohnson]

Did they not have it, not hungry enough, or felt too rushed? I JUST booked Cindy's for my Bday dinner.... Should I change it to Concourse?

It was a combination of my DH wanting to leave & go to Boardwalk & me wanting to stay at MK & watch Spectro (it was starting in 15 minutes) It's still on the menu. Not getting the slipper was one of my few regrets last week. Yes it was rushed. We had barely finished our appetizers when they came out with the entree.I don't know if that's the "norm" but the atmosphere for a birthday would be better at CRT than concorse. Maybe you should tell the CM your not in a rush, it might help.

 

[WDW1st-timers]

WOW ...thanks for the report. It sure helps on alot of the resturants that we are going to. Glad you had a good time.

 

[disneyobessed]

great report. we were there the 12-17th and you are right IT WAS HOT.

 

[jjohnson]

great report. we were there the 12-17th and you are right IT WAS HOT.

Wasn't it strange that it never rained? I packed the ponchos everyday. Not a drop!

 

[gigi1313]

I had my son retested 2 years ago & his egg allergy came up moderate & bees high & no nut allergy but he ate a peanut butter sandwich last summer & 1/2 his face swelled up & he broke out in hives so now we just stay away as much as possible. I spoke with the chef before the meal & he said the only item he could not eat was the wontons or the peanut sauce (its served on the side). As things turned out he didn't want to try anything & we ordered the chicken strips for him. Our last day at Spoodles the chef told me alot of items at Disney are made with peanut oil so you might want to ask before ordering anything if his is life threatening.

We paid $175 for HDD 2 adults @50 & 3 children at $25.00. I'm assuming your on the meal plan? & want to pay OOP for your DD? I'm not sure how that would work & I haven't read on the boards of anyone doing that yet so I couldn't answer that. Sorry.

oops, my bad on the math... i was adding two children, not three... sorry for misreading (and omitting one of your kids! LOL!)

our plan is to just use our TS credits... hoping that they only take one for DD but if they do take two, so be it... i was just wondering how to "inquire" and explain that when i made my ressies she was still considered a "child"

when we made our ps' we had it noted that ds has peanut/tree nut allergies... and we were given the direct phone number to each restaurant we are planning to visit and instructed to call the chef 48 hours before the meal to alert them... my travel agent has offered to call for us so we don't spend an hour each day on the phone for the upcoming meals! (my 'ohana concern is that the table did not get wiped down properly from the peanut sauce or it dripped onto something that my son touches, etc... am i being overly paranoid? )