Surf and Turf Disney Style ..30 days of food on land and at sea! 06/16 WPE

[dizneeat]

I've never really had Boatwright's on my rader before, but I do now! It looks good. Maybe next time I stay at POFQ or POR I could try eating there.

WPE looks good as always. I'd really like to try that breakfast pizza you had Karin.

We loved Boatwright's when they still offered breakfast - I was in love with that Banana Stuffed French Toast and then Boatwright's was our only option during Hurricane Fay and we loved dinner too.
You should really try it for yourself one day. And by all means get that Breakfast Pizza at WPE. It is sooooooooo good!

Oh my goodness...ranch on a breakfast pizza??? That sounds absolutely amazing. I hadn't planned to go to WPE on my next trip but I think that now I have to do it! And your dinner at Boatwrights looks fabulous! I love your reviews.

Yes, ranch on a breakfast pizza - and it is as good as it sounds!
Hope you can fit in WPE next time - it is really worth travelling to DTD for!

I already knew we'd be doing lunch/dinner at WPE,thanks to your glowing reviews, but know we apparently have to add breakfast also!! You are a dangerous woman to read about

Hm, I have been called many things, but never dangerous! I'll take that as a compliment.
You are going to love WPE, it serves great food and the service is really good!

Breakfast looks yummy at WPE making me hungry now

You really need to check out WPE one day, their breakfast is so good and easy to share!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 4, August 16

Mama Melrose

After our WPE breakfast we went offsite shopping and ended up at Krispy Kreme, where we had to stop and buy a dozen of those wonderful, light and fluffy creations ......

We had one, right there and then before returning to the resort for some rest.

In the early afternoon we made our way over to the Disney Hollywood Studios, where we had a Fantasmic Package booked at Mama Melrose.

We arrived around 30 minutes early and were greeted by a huge crowd. They were turning away walk ins and told us that it would be at least a half hour wait and we were free to leave again and have a look at the shops nearby. That's what we did. Spent about 20 minutes outside the restaurant and when we returned, not much had changed. They were still packed, but we were sure we could deal with the 10 minute wait that was supposed to be left.
After 15 minutes we finally were able to sit down, still thinking it would not take much longer. Many groups who had arrived later than we had were already seated, but they were all other "size" groups, so we didn't really mind. It became increasingly more irritating when the first two tops were called and they had arrived quite some time after us.
I was about to walk to the podium when we were called, 65 minutes after we had checked in!

We were led to our table which turned out to be a 4 top and told that we would have the best server in the house.
It took quite some time for the "best server" in the house to slurp by, introduce himself and take our drinks order. He explained the Fantasmic package and how lucky we were, as we could order a starter too, even though we were on the basic DDP.

He disappeared and we watched how busy the restaurant was and how quickly some of the plates came out.

A short while later our server returned with our Diet Cokes and a

basked of warm rolls and

some olive oil with herbs for dipping. The rolls were nothing special and the olive oil was quite nice, but nothing premium and I would have preferred fresh herbs instead of dried ones, but I guess this is just too much to ask at a Theme Park restaurant.

We ordered our starters and main courses and our server was kind of upset we hadn't decided on dessert yet.

It took a while for our starters to be delivered, but we thought that was because they were busy and freshly made.

Tom had ordered the

Clams Oreganatta, oak-fired clams cooked in oregano butter with Italian sausage over toasted focaccia. He really enjoyed them, they were fresh and plump and juicy and wonderfully paired with the sausage.

I had ordered the

Mixed Greens - with dried cherry vinaigrette, candied walnuts, fresh pear and imported gorgonzola cheese. To me it sounded like an unusual combination, but I love my salads and the dried cherry vinaigrette sounded definitely intriguing.
There were lots of mixed leaves, some very ripe juicy slices of pear, lovely sharp creamy gorgonzola and lots of dried cherries which gave the salad a sweet touch, but not so overpowering that it would not compliment the cheese. I could have done without the candied walnuts, but that is just my personal taste, I am not a huge fan of nuts in salads. I really and truly enjoyed the salad, but since it had taken a while for our starters to come out, our main courses arrived while we were still working on the starters.
This is something I really HATE! And even though the food runner (note, not our server) offered to have them put under the heatlamp we both decided to just keep the plates on the table.

Tom had the

Charred Strip Steak, Italian Roasted Potatoes and Cipollini Onions, aged Balsamic-Shallot Butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction. The steak was awesome. Perfectly cooked and the onions and potatoes gave it a rustic feel. The butter melted all over the steak and enhanced the taste, but the Chianti reduction was a bit on the thin side. Nevertheless he loved his main course.

I had ordered the

Chicken Campanelle, wood-grilled chicken over Campanelle pasta tossed with Romanesco, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach and sweet Onions in a Four-Cheese Cream Sauce. Let me warn you, this is a very generous helping! And it is definitely wonderful. I loved everything about it, the perfectly cooked pasta and the still juicy chicken, and plenty of it too! The cheese sauce was awesome and I was very pleased with it.

Now, when we were finished it took a long time for our plates to be cleared and when our server finally "found the time" to clean the table, he asked if we knew what we wanted for dessert. No, we didn't know and could we have a dessert menu. He left us with a deep sigh! ...... only to return about 10 minutes later to hand us the menus and wait for our decisions.
Quite some time later a food runner brought out the desserts.

Tom had ordered the

Chocolate Cannoli Cake, with cannoli and nutella filling. It looked very nice, but looks can deceive. The cake was kind of dry and neither of us cared for it very much, not even me, and I LOVE chocolate!

I wanted to try

Mama's Panna Cotta, Tiramisu-flavored custard with ladyfingers and Cappuccino cream. HUGE mistake! The panna cotta tasted very much of gelatine and had a funny consistancy. The taste didn't really impress me either.
Desserts must be pretty tasteless if I don't finish them, and I left more than half on my plate - no good!

And again we sat there in front of dirty plates. Usually the bill is delivered while you are still eating, but this time our server was no where to be seen. When he finally showed up he started to take orders of a 10 top which had just come in. We asked for the bill and were ignored. We could see him standing at the side, watching the restaurant, but no, our bill was still not brought out.
Again a few minutes went by, he plopped the bill on the table and off he went again.
It was about then, that I really had had enough. I started getting mad. We added the "suggested" 18% tip and added the KTTW card and waited for the bill to be taken back and processed. And we waited and waited some more. When a CM in a suit, with an earpiece came by I flagged her down and told her to PLEASE process my bill, as I was done waiting.
Well, long story short, we got our card back rather soon and the "earpiece" CM came by to apologize (the server didn't) and handed us this ....

a guest of honor fastpass, good at any fastpass attraction to catch up on lost park time. She was super sweet and apologetic, even though it was not her fault.

And by the way ....... our dinner was 3 hours long from signing in until we left!

What we saved using the FREE Disney Dining Plan:
Total number of credits - 16 TS, 16 CS and 16 snacks
TS: Mama Melrose: 94 $ (12 TS credits remain)
CS: WPE: 26 $ (10 CS credits remain)
Snacks: Mickey Bar: 3,50 $ (15 credits remain)

Total saved: 272,30 $

Next up - Breakfast on the balcony

 

[TanzUnited99]

Wow at the wait for Mama Melrose and then the service being so slow I have been reading that about a lot of Fantasmic packages recently.

Your appetisers and mains look good - am glad you enjoyed your salad. I also hate when mains are bought the table whilst you are still eating.

A shame the desserts didn't taste as good as they looked. That was nice of the CM to apologise and give you a guest of honour FP.

Mmm Krispy Kremes =

 

[auntfrannie]

Wow! Three hours at Mama Melrose....from their best server! You would probably still be there if you weren't so lucky to get him!

You really need to seek professional help for your Krispy Kreme addiction!

 

[tinacaplan]

Sounds like a truly horrible server. So sorry. But your food looked good...where did you end up using the FP?

 

[annmarieda]

Three hours? We were in MM 2 last year, but not because of a horrible server..but because we had an excellent one who helped us and let us take our time with what we choose and what we ate. It looks like the menu has changed a bit, yes? One of my favorite desserts I have ever had was at MM. I think a hazelnut cheesecake. Sad when it wasn't there last time we went...and now it looks like new ones are there still.

At least the manager made some effort to make amends for your experience. A fast pass doesn't make it all better, but it helps.

 

[dizneeat]

Wow at the wait for Mama Melrose and then the service being so slow I have been reading that about a lot of Fantasmic packages recently.

Your appetisers and mains look good - am glad you enjoyed your salad. I also hate when mains are bought the table whilst you are still eating.

A shame the desserts didn't taste as good as they looked. That was nice of the CM to apologise and give you a guest of honour FP.

Mmm Krispy Kremes =

We are used to having a wait at Mama Melrose, but an hour was insane. And if that was their best server, than I do NOT want to come across about their worst.
I loved the salad and the pasta and Tom loved his choices too, the desserts .... well, they left something to be desired!

I was so stunned when that CM came by and handed us that Guest of Honour Fastpass. Disney definitely knows how to make you feel happy again.

Wow! Three hours at Mama Melrose....from their best server! You would probably still be there if you weren't so lucky to get him!

You really need to seek professional help for your Krispy Kreme addiction!

I don't mind taking my time at restaurants, that's the way it is here. You spend a whole evening at the restaurant, having dinner and then chatting and having a drink or two. You are not supposed to leave right after you have swallowed the last bite, but having my starter and main course at the table at the same time and still needing 3 hours was a bit too much!

Oh, yes, I know that KK addiction - better go and join KK anonymus

Sounds like a truly horrible server. So sorry. But your food looked good...where did you end up using the FP?

We love the food at MM. The desserts not so much any more, but to us it is the best choice for a Fantasmic Package.
I only hope that we won't be seated in their "best server's" section ever again. I'd rather have someone earning their ears.

We actually went to the tip board and checked which ride had the longest wait and this is where we used our FP at ........ guess what the ride with the longest wait was ....... no, no problem, you got it, TSM!

Three hours? We were in MM 2 last year, but not because of a horrible server..but because we had an excellent one who helped us and let us take our time with what we choose and what we ate. It looks like the menu has changed a bit, yes? One of my favorite desserts I have ever had was at MM. I think a hazelnut cheesecake. Sad when it wasn't there last time we went...and now it looks like new ones are there still.

At least the manager made some effort to make amends for your experience. A fast pass doesn't make it all better, but it helps.

Ann, we don't mind spending some time at a restaurant - that's the way it works here, but I was really done after three hours.
Yes, the menu has changed a bit, unfortunately the dessert menu has changed for the worse.

That CM was very nice and made the whole evening turn around with her gesture. It showed that she cared about her customers. I know a FP is nothing big, but it was more than we had expected and made our evening much more magical.

 

[Linda67]

Eek - three hours

I had the same salad as you ordered when we ate at MM and I loved it

We really enjoyed our lunch but the desserts were just nasty looks like that hasn't changed

Great update as always Karin, can't wait to read more

 

[Tinkerbellah]

Wow what a review on MM. Last time I ate there I got the eggplant & it was really, really good. But we had one in our party get sick so we missed dessert. Now, I know we didn't miss much on dessert.

When someone says "the best" server & that is the service you got? Ughh!! We went to a local restaurant this past weekend & this 22ish male server was huffin' & puffing when my 1year old kept dropping his menu & crayons. THe server picked it up a few times & I told him, leave it, it's ok, we will get. [b/c he drops everything..ummm he's 1!!!] Anyways, he then groaned for the last time & took it off of him!!!Then I got mad. I told him he was just going to cry.& sure enough...
I was ready to leave b/c this guy was so irritated. So, I understand 100% how you must have felt after your 3 hour meal. It's like hey it's good but not 3 hours good!!! & definitely not put up w/ a jerk of a waiter good!!!

 

[podsnel]

WOAH! Bad service kills the whole meal every time- doesn't matter how good those clams were...I have never been to Mama Melrose, and now....I think it will be even longer until I give up one of my precious ADRs for it (besides, I can make those clams MYSELF anytime I want. So THERE! ).

Very nice that MGR gave you the FP, though- I'm glad there was something magical about your meal!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Three hours at Mama Melrose's is insane! I think my dinner there was just over an hour when I went.

 

[mousegear]

3 houors at MM would make me crazy! We've done F! pk at MM last year and it went smooth and took about little over an hour. I wanted to do it again this year but DS wasn't impressed with F! so we skipped this year.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Interesting we had the same experience with Mama Melrose on the Fantasmic package. I'm sorry to hear that is the normal for Mama Melrose. We went in June. We arrived and the waiting area was packed. I remember it being our longest wait of the trip. We had never eaten at Mama Melrose so I had no idea what to expect. Normally, we eat at Brown Derby for our Fantasmic Package. The other issue was the weather it was pouring down rain. I don't think our meal was 3 hours but definitely in the 2 hour range which hasn't been our experience at most Disney restaurants. We found most of the time we are served within 1 hour for sitdown and about 1 1/2 hours for buffet. I even ordered the same thing you did and loved it. Now, the disappointing thing was Fantasmic was canceled because of the weather and we didn't see the show.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Woah I'm behind. All I know is that I want to go to WDW and eat NOW.

 

[dizneeat]

Eek - three hours

I had the same salad as you ordered when we ate at MM and I loved it

We really enjoyed our lunch but the desserts were just nasty looks like that hasn't changed

Great update as always Karin, can't wait to read more

I don't mind spending three hours at an Austrian restaurant, it's the norm, but then by that time we have long eaten and are just chatting away over a glass of wine, not waiting for the bill.

The salad was wonderful, as were the other dishes apart from the desserts which were yuk!

Wow what a review on MM. Last time I ate there I got the eggplant & it was really, really good. But we had one in our party get sick so we missed dessert. Now, I know we didn't miss much on dessert.

When someone says "the best" server & that is the service you got? Ughh!! We went to a local restaurant this past weekend & this 22ish male server was huffin' & puffing when my 1year old kept dropping his menu & crayons. THe server picked it up a few times & I told him, leave it, it's ok, we will get. [b/c he drops everything..ummm he's 1!!!] Anyways, he then groaned for the last time & took it off of him!!!Then I got mad. I told him he was just going to cry.& sure enough...
I was ready to leave b/c this guy was so irritated. So, I understand 100% how you must have felt after your 3 hour meal. It's like hey it's good but not 3 hours good!!! & definitely not put up w/ a jerk of a waiter good!!!

Please, don't get me wrong, the food was really nice apart from the desserts, but the service was horrible.
Oh my gosh I think I would have thrown something at that server at your local restaurant. I don't know what people think sometimes.
The "earpiece" CM knew exactly how to handle the situation and she was VERY apologetic, even though it wasn't her fault at all. And using that FP at TSM when it had a 90 minute wait wasn't bad either.

WOAH! Bad service kills the whole meal every time- doesn't matter how good those clams were...I have never been to Mama Melrose, and now....I think it will be even longer until I give up one of my precious ADRs for it (besides, I can make those clams MYSELF anytime I want. So THERE! ).

Very nice that MGR gave you the FP, though- I'm glad there was something magical about your meal!

We are used to waiting before getting into the restaurant, but the meal itself was just taking too long.
Ellen, the food itself isn't bad as long as you stir away from the desserts. and it is a fun restaurant to be at, but that visit definitely was over the top.
That's one thing I love about Disney - they usually know how to make you happy again. And even though it was just a FP, the way it was presented to us just made us smile again!

Three hours at Mama Melrose's is insane! I think my dinner there was just over an hour when I went.

It was the longest we ever were in there and even though it sometimes took us half an hour to be seated (with and ADR) it never had taken an hour to be seated.
The thing is, that we often saw the server lean against the open kitchen, chatting and laughing and never care about his customers - this was something that really ticked me off.

 

[dizneeat]

3 houors at MM would make me crazy! We've done F! pk at MM last year and it went smooth and took about little over an hour. I wanted to do it again this year but DS wasn't impressed with F! so we skipped this year.

We have done the F-Package a few times and always eaten at MM, as we have always liked the food, but this was just a bit too much.
And even though we had booked the package we usually gave away our entry pass, as we don't usually watch Fantasmic.

Interesting we had the same experience with Mama Melrose on the Fantasmic package. I'm sorry to hear that is the normal for Mama Melrose. We went in June. We arrived and the waiting area was packed. I remember it being our longest wait of the trip. We had never eaten at Mama Melrose so I had no idea what to expect. Normally, we eat at Brown Derby for our Fantasmic Package. The other issue was the weather it was pouring down rain. I don't think our meal was 3 hours but definitely in the 2 hour range which hasn't been our experience at most Disney restaurants. We found most of the time we are served within 1 hour for sitdown and about 1 1/2 hours for buffet. I even ordered the same thing you did and loved it. Now, the disappointing thing was Fantasmic was canceled because of the weather and we didn't see the show.

We have done the Fantasmic package before and never had such trouble. We always are kept waiting to be seated, but food and service were usually nice. Only this time the service was really "non existent".
We have been to BD before too, but I just feel so out of place in my park clothes there.

Woah I'm behind. All I know is that I want to go to WDW and eat NOW.

Don't worry, you're all caught up again!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 5, August 17

Breakfast on the balcony

We didn't want to follow my plans this morning, but instead go and check out some resorts, so we decided to have breakfast on the balcony.
Tom prepared some coffee and tea and we made sandwiches and there were still some leftover Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

It was a wonderful morning and we really enjoyed the breakfast out on our balcony.

What we saved using the FREE Disney Dining Plan:
Total number of credits - 16 TS, 16 CS and 16 snacks
TS: Mama Melrose: 94 $ (12 TS credits remain)
CS: WPE: 26 $ (10 CS credits remain)
Snacks: Mickey Bar: 3,50 $ (15 credits remain)

Total saved: 272,30 $

Next up - Breakfast on the balcony

 

[annmarieda]

That view on your balcony is amazing!!!

 

[podsnel]

That view is glorious!! It just looks soooo relaxing....

 

[Linda67]

Oh wow Karin, the view from your balcony is wonderful

What a way to start the day