creativeamanda
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2008
Ugh. . .I hate that you had bad service. I hope mine is better in December. I have always wanted to try Narcoossee's
The Good, The Bad, The Cancelled and The Surprising ... Our Take on Deluxe Dining!!
- Thread starter ariel1025
- Start date
- Status
MickeyNicki
It is pretty darn sad when a valet picks you out a
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2005
Wow, while your meal sounds heavenly your service that you received just ruined it....I would have been miserable too!
Now you can get bad servers all over the place, not just at WDW, but when you are paying top dollar for food at a resort destination you would think they would kiss your butt and treat you like gold!
Now you can get bad servers all over the place, not just at WDW, but when you are paying top dollar for food at a resort destination you would think they would kiss your butt and treat you like gold!
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
I guess even Disney can have an off night
The meal and the fireworks view were definitely worth it and we will go back and give it a second chance in the future. I hope your experience is much better than ours 
I'm sure it was just an "off night" and I hope you have a much better experience than we did
Part of me still wonders if she treated us differently because we were on the dining plan and not paying cash
The whole thing was just weird, but I am on the road to forgetting ... really ... I am 
The food was definitely worth it - especially the Hubbys - and I'm sure we will be back one day.
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
Oh my goodness, I am such a goofball - I completely forgot to post about our lunch on our first day 
Now, after pulling up the receipt and sitting down to write about it, I can see why - I am a bad, bad Diser and do not have any pictures of this lunch.
It was a simple one, so I'll keep it short and to the point.
We originally had a reservation for 2:00 at the Plaza Restaurant. We had eaten here on our honeymoon and loved it. It's that type of simple yet delicious food that I think everyone craves every once in a while. Anyway, at about 12:45 we were both getting tired and hungry so we decided to see if we could check-in early. I went up to the hostess stand and explained that we had a 2:00 reservation but would like to see if there was any way to be seated earlier. She stated that we could get a buzzer and wait, but that more than likely it wouldn't be a possibility. As I turned to ask Candi what he would like to do another gentleman turned in his buzzer stating that they would just go somewhere else. A different hostess took the buzzer and was trying to turn it off when our hostess turned and told her "don't worry I never turned it on because he tried to check-in early"
I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we decided not to stay. Again, I don't expect to be seated early and possibly would have waited but that was just annoying to me, so we left.
I still just wanted some simple food so we decided to just head back over to the hotel and grab some food at Roaring Forks.
I had the chicken nuggets and fries, a bottle of lipton lemon iced tea and a Mickey rice krispy treat (the one with the ears dipped in chocolate).
Mmmmm, Mmmmm good. That's all I have to say - it was exactly what I had been craving and it didn't disappoint. There were 8 chicken nuggets and they were fresh and crispy and once I added Ken's honey mustard they just couldn't be beat. The french fries were nice and crispy too and didn't even need ketchup
I saved the rice krispy treat for later and Lipton lemon iced tea is my favorite no matter where I'm at. Perfect simple lunch!
Candi had a double cheeseburger with fries, a bottle of water and a magic cookie bar.
His comment was that he was surprised the cheeseburger was as good as it was and like always he drowned his fries in ketchup. He also saved his cookie bar for later but they are his favorite so he was thrilled they were a dessert option there. The water was Dasani which is his favorite choice of bottled water so all in all we were both happy 'lil campers
I don't have the individual breakdown on the cost of each item - sorry. I tried using the prices from allears.net but it came out to be a few dollars too little.
This counts as a quick service meal so anybody not on deluxe can use it as their quick service credit if you so desire. I would recommend it, especially if you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and need a quick break from the parks.
Starting Credits:
Snack: 28 total (14 each)
Meal: 44 total (22 each)
Credits Used vs Cost:
8 piece chicken nugget meal with fries, bottle of Lipton iced tea, Mickey rice krispy treat, double cheeseburger meal with fries, bottle of water and magic cookie bar: 2 (quick service) credits used - $29.12
* While writing this I also realized that I was putting in the wrong amount of credits - I was only listing the amount of credits left for one person but listing how many credits were used for two people. Oops, I have gone back and made those adjustments to the proper posts
I also adjusted the starting credits for our dinner that was posted out of order to reflect how many were remaining after this lunch - sorry for all the mistakes 
Now, after pulling up the receipt and sitting down to write about it, I can see why - I am a bad, bad Diser and do not have any pictures of this lunch.
It was a simple one, so I'll keep it short and to the point.
We originally had a reservation for 2:00 at the Plaza Restaurant. We had eaten here on our honeymoon and loved it. It's that type of simple yet delicious food that I think everyone craves every once in a while. Anyway, at about 12:45 we were both getting tired and hungry so we decided to see if we could check-in early. I went up to the hostess stand and explained that we had a 2:00 reservation but would like to see if there was any way to be seated earlier. She stated that we could get a buzzer and wait, but that more than likely it wouldn't be a possibility. As I turned to ask Candi what he would like to do another gentleman turned in his buzzer stating that they would just go somewhere else. A different hostess took the buzzer and was trying to turn it off when our hostess turned and told her "don't worry I never turned it on because he tried to check-in early"
I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we decided not to stay. Again, I don't expect to be seated early and possibly would have waited but that was just annoying to me, so we left.
I still just wanted some simple food so we decided to just head back over to the hotel and grab some food at Roaring Forks.
I had the chicken nuggets and fries, a bottle of lipton lemon iced tea and a Mickey rice krispy treat (the one with the ears dipped in chocolate).
Mmmmm, Mmmmm good. That's all I have to say - it was exactly what I had been craving and it didn't disappoint. There were 8 chicken nuggets and they were fresh and crispy and once I added Ken's honey mustard they just couldn't be beat. The french fries were nice and crispy too and didn't even need ketchup
I saved the rice krispy treat for later and Lipton lemon iced tea is my favorite no matter where I'm at. Perfect simple lunch!Candi had a double cheeseburger with fries, a bottle of water and a magic cookie bar.
His comment was that he was surprised the cheeseburger was as good as it was and like always he drowned his fries in ketchup. He also saved his cookie bar for later but they are his favorite so he was thrilled they were a dessert option there. The water was Dasani which is his favorite choice of bottled water so all in all we were both happy 'lil campers
I don't have the individual breakdown on the cost of each item - sorry. I tried using the prices from allears.net but it came out to be a few dollars too little.
This counts as a quick service meal so anybody not on deluxe can use it as their quick service credit if you so desire. I would recommend it, especially if you are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and need a quick break from the parks.
Starting Credits:
Snack: 28 total (14 each)
Meal: 44 total (22 each)
Credits Used vs Cost:
8 piece chicken nugget meal with fries, bottle of Lipton iced tea, Mickey rice krispy treat, double cheeseburger meal with fries, bottle of water and magic cookie bar: 2 (quick service) credits used - $29.12
* While writing this I also realized that I was putting in the wrong amount of credits - I was only listing the amount of credits left for one person but listing how many credits were used for two people. Oops, I have gone back and made those adjustments to the proper posts
I also adjusted the starting credits for our dinner that was posted out of order to reflect how many were remaining after this lunch - sorry for all the mistakes dr&momto2boys
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2006
I'm enjoying your reviews and all the pictures! Thanks!
Did you ever figure out the Goofy's Candy Co. snack credit thing? I believe they recently (obviously before you went) took the make-your-own treats off the snack options. Previously three pretzels would have qualified.
Did you ever figure out the Goofy's Candy Co. snack credit thing? I believe they recently (obviously before you went) took the make-your-own treats off the snack options. Previously three pretzels would have qualified.
I am really sorry that you had such a terrible waitress. She was cheeky to point out the tip part as well. I do not think I will be able to contain my mouth, if I get someone who gives me bad service and then points out the tip box. I hope if you give Narcoosse another try it works out better for you.
reneebaker
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2009
I would have been totally frustrated with that waitress as well. But like you I don't know if I would have had the gumption to say something at the time! I always think of better things to say after the moment has passed lol! The food looked delicious but I think I would have been a little broken hearted at the lack of the almond crusted cheesecake. Thanks for keeping us up to date! I just love living vicariously through other disers! I can't wait till next year and our next trip!
rebecca_boo
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2009
Wow I can't believe you had such bad service. I probably wouldn't have said anything either, however I am sure DF would have, or I would have been begging him not to make a big fuss about it. The food looks really yummy though.
maddysmommy5909
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2009
I'm in =] I love your reviews, they are very informative! I have been debating on wether or not to do the Deluxe Dining Plan for our trip next November, but after reading this I have decided to go ahead and book it.
Also your snacks from Goofy's Candy Company made my mouth water! They looked delicious!
Can't wait to read more!
Also your snacks from Goofy's Candy Company made my mouth water! They looked delicious!
Can't wait to read more!
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
Thank you
With the Goffy's Candy thing I'm guessing we were just there after they made the change. Sad but still worth it
Thanks! I think I was just so frustrated that I didn't even know what to say at the moment. I didn't really want to give her a tip but I felt guilty not doing so, but I still can't believe she pointed it out to us. The funny thing is she was one of the only two that did this
I hear ya! I live daily through other disers. That and planning our next trip is what keeps me going when life isn't the greatest
Oh trust me, DH definitely wanted to say something. I begged him not to because I didn't want to make a scene. I just wanted to get out of there and do something to end the night on a better note
Thank you very much - I love to know that my reviews help other people out
You definitely have to get a snack from Goofy's they taste even better than they look!!!
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
All things aside, I think it is a great use of the dining plan. Especially for us, since we don't eat breakfast everyday it makes it easier to do more 2 credit signature restaurants.
ariel1025
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2008
Normally we are not big breakfast eaters but I had read about so many awesome places for breakfast that I had a hard time figuring out which ones to book for us. I had promised Candi we wouldnt do breakfast every morning as this was supposed to be a more relaxed trip
HA! Who am I kidding?
Anyway, this morning we were headed to
I was SO excited because I had read so many amazing reviews on this restaurant. Once again we arrived about 20 minutes early, but this time it appeared to be for the better as there was quite a long line when we arrived. After finding the end of the line we realized it wasnt quite as bad as it seemed it was sort of mixed in with the Ohana line. By this I just mean that you couldnt really tell where the line for one ended and the line for the other began until you got close enough to see which way people were standing. We hopped in line and I took pictures as we moved along
Kona is somewhat open to the Polynesian hotel there arent any walls on one side and you can see the pretty waterfall that they have in the lobby.
I liked all the unique light fixtures I kept seeing everywhere
After about 10 minutes we were already at the front of the line. Then this couple walked up and cut everybody in line and walks directly up to the check-in podium. Apparently she didnt find it necessary to wait in line because she had an ADR. Ummmmm, sweetie pretty much all of us have ADRs. The hostess politely let her know this and that it should only take a few minutes before it would be her turn. To which the customer stated well, Im late and my ADR time was for 10 minutes ago so you should check me in now. WHAT?!?!? In the end she got mad and stormed off yelling at her Husband to get on the phone and find somewhere else to eat.
Once we checked in we only had to wait about 10 more minutes before we were seated which was only 5 minutes or so after our ADR time.
We were seated to the side of the restaurant in a little booth for two I love these and think they super cute. Candi hates booths but did not make a fuss or asked to be moved to a regular table or anything.
Our waitress came to the table within 2 minutes of us being seated and took our drink orders. She let us know that we could get 2 drinks and that most people get one hot (coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate etc) and one cold drink (water, tea, juice etc). She also informed us that smoothies were included in the dining plan and then gave us a minute to decide while she gave the same information to the table next to us. She quickly came back and got our drink orders and left us to go over the menus.
It took her about 5 minutes to get back with our drinks and take our order but she was super apologetic and it was completely obvious that she was in charge of WAY too many tables.
Candi ordered the supercharged tropical smoothie ($4.29) and the Big Kahuna ($11.99)
The smoothie was a blend of tropical juice with yogurt and I believe a protein powder. The big kahuna included: Eggs (he ordered them over easy), ham, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, French toast and macadamia-pineapple pancakes.
He enjoyed the smoothie A LOT, he said it was super refreshing and loved the juices in it. For his actual meal he said the eggs were perfect not too runny but not too cooked; the potatoes needed salt and were fine after that, the bacon was too crispy, the sausage was good, the ham was incredible, the French toast was ok and the pancakes were delicious. I believe this was the only meal he couldnt actually finish and he said it was because he was too full and not because of the way it tasted or anything. I had a bite of the French toast and agreed that it wasnt anything worth ordering and the potatoes tasted great but didnt seem like breakfast food in my opinion. I also had the pancakes and agreed that they were really good and I had a drink of his smoothie. It was good but not my favorite combination of flavors.
I ordered pineapple juice ($2.29) and the tonga toast with bacon ($10.99)
Mmmmmmmmm tonga toast this was the entire reason I chose Kona Café. I LOVE bananas and cinnamon so this was like a heavenly creation for me! I tried a bite with the strawberry stuff first but didnt like the way it changed the flavoring so I ate it without it for the most part. I really, really enjoyed it the bananas were perfectly warm and the breading was delicious. I do have to admit that I couldnt finish it both because I got too full and it got too sweet at the end. However, if we go back to Kona I will definitely order it again. This was the only thing I ever ordered that Candi didnt want to try because he hates bananas as much as I love them. However, a promise is a promise so he did it anyway. I honestly think he had to force himself to swallow it and didnt even have to respond for me to know he hated it
Again, this has everything to do with the fact that he hates bananas so his opinion really doesnt count on this one! Whereas Candi thought the bacon was too crispy I thought it was perfect and ate it all and enjoyedit! As far as the pineapple juice goes it tasted really watered down and didnt have a very strong pineapple taste to me so I was disappointed. Candi agreed with me on this one.
At one point Candi really wanted to order the Kona blend coffee but since coffee in general gives him massive heartburn he decided against it. As our second drink we both got a bottled water to take with us this was suggested by our waitress when she realized we hadnt ordered a second drink. It was a great idea and I never would have thought of it.
When our waitress brought our check, which by the way wasnt the only time we saw her, she also brought us a special surprise
Coco Puffs! They were SO good and super thoughtful of Kona to do for us! I dont normally eat dessert for breakfast but these were delicious and we LOVED them. Im not sure if these are offered as a dessert option for lunch or dinner but if they are I would definitely get them!
This was the chocolate stamp on the plate so super cute!!!
Our overall thoughts on Kona Café:
It did seem as though they were understaffed, as I said our waitress had more tables than she probably should have. Im not sure if this is normal or if they were just short staffed that day It did affect the service a little bit, but our waitress (Donna) was always super friendly and apologetic about it. The food was great, with the exception of the pineapple juice, and the dessert was a sweet gesture by the restaurant. There are so many places we want to try so I dont know if we will be back on our next trip since we dont do breakfast every day. However, we will definitely be back sometime in the future!
Starting Credits:
Snack 28 (14 each)
Meal 38 (19 each)
Credits Used vs Cost:
Smoothie, pineapple juice, tonga toast with bacon and big kahuna: 2 table service credits used - $31.49 after tax
* I just realized when looking at the receipt that she didnt put the bottled waters on there so Im not sure how much those were sorry!
Anyway, this morning we were headed to
I was SO excited because I had read so many amazing reviews on this restaurant. Once again we arrived about 20 minutes early, but this time it appeared to be for the better as there was quite a long line when we arrived. After finding the end of the line we realized it wasnt quite as bad as it seemed it was sort of mixed in with the Ohana line. By this I just mean that you couldnt really tell where the line for one ended and the line for the other began until you got close enough to see which way people were standing. We hopped in line and I took pictures as we moved along
Kona is somewhat open to the Polynesian hotel there arent any walls on one side and you can see the pretty waterfall that they have in the lobby.
I liked all the unique light fixtures I kept seeing everywhere
After about 10 minutes we were already at the front of the line. Then this couple walked up and cut everybody in line and walks directly up to the check-in podium. Apparently she didnt find it necessary to wait in line because she had an ADR. Ummmmm, sweetie pretty much all of us have ADRs. The hostess politely let her know this and that it should only take a few minutes before it would be her turn. To which the customer stated well, Im late and my ADR time was for 10 minutes ago so you should check me in now. WHAT?!?!?
In the end she got mad and stormed off yelling at her Husband to get on the phone and find somewhere else to eat.Once we checked in we only had to wait about 10 more minutes before we were seated which was only 5 minutes or so after our ADR time.
We were seated to the side of the restaurant in a little booth for two I love these and think they super cute. Candi hates booths but did not make a fuss or asked to be moved to a regular table or anything.
Our waitress came to the table within 2 minutes of us being seated and took our drink orders. She let us know that we could get 2 drinks and that most people get one hot (coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate etc) and one cold drink (water, tea, juice etc). She also informed us that smoothies were included in the dining plan and then gave us a minute to decide while she gave the same information to the table next to us. She quickly came back and got our drink orders and left us to go over the menus.
It took her about 5 minutes to get back with our drinks and take our order but she was super apologetic and it was completely obvious that she was in charge of WAY too many tables.
Candi ordered the supercharged tropical smoothie ($4.29) and the Big Kahuna ($11.99)
The smoothie was a blend of tropical juice with yogurt and I believe a protein powder. The big kahuna included: Eggs (he ordered them over easy), ham, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, French toast and macadamia-pineapple pancakes.
He enjoyed the smoothie A LOT, he said it was super refreshing and loved the juices in it. For his actual meal he said the eggs were perfect not too runny but not too cooked; the potatoes needed salt and were fine after that, the bacon was too crispy, the sausage was good, the ham was incredible, the French toast was ok and the pancakes were delicious. I believe this was the only meal he couldnt actually finish and he said it was because he was too full and not because of the way it tasted or anything. I had a bite of the French toast and agreed that it wasnt anything worth ordering and the potatoes tasted great but didnt seem like breakfast food in my opinion. I also had the pancakes and agreed that they were really good and I had a drink of his smoothie. It was good but not my favorite combination of flavors.
I ordered pineapple juice ($2.29) and the tonga toast with bacon ($10.99)
Mmmmmmmmm tonga toast this was the entire reason I chose Kona Café. I LOVE bananas and cinnamon so this was like a heavenly creation for me! I tried a bite with the strawberry stuff first but didnt like the way it changed the flavoring so I ate it without it for the most part. I really, really enjoyed it the bananas were perfectly warm and the breading was delicious. I do have to admit that I couldnt finish it both because I got too full and it got too sweet at the end. However, if we go back to Kona I will definitely order it again. This was the only thing I ever ordered that Candi didnt want to try because he hates bananas as much as I love them. However, a promise is a promise so he did it anyway. I honestly think he had to force himself to swallow it and didnt even have to respond for me to know he hated it
Again, this has everything to do with the fact that he hates bananas so his opinion really doesnt count on this one! Whereas Candi thought the bacon was too crispy I thought it was perfect and ate it all and enjoyedit! As far as the pineapple juice goes it tasted really watered down and didnt have a very strong pineapple taste to me so I was disappointed. Candi agreed with me on this one.At one point Candi really wanted to order the Kona blend coffee but since coffee in general gives him massive heartburn he decided against it. As our second drink we both got a bottled water to take with us this was suggested by our waitress when she realized we hadnt ordered a second drink. It was a great idea and I never would have thought of it.
When our waitress brought our check, which by the way wasnt the only time we saw her
, she also brought us a special surprise
Coco Puffs! They were SO good and super thoughtful of Kona to do for us! I dont normally eat dessert for breakfast but these were delicious and we LOVED them. Im not sure if these are offered as a dessert option for lunch or dinner but if they are I would definitely get them!
This was the chocolate stamp on the plate so super cute!!!
Our overall thoughts on Kona Café:
It did seem as though they were understaffed, as I said our waitress had more tables than she probably should have. Im not sure if this is normal or if they were just short staffed that day
It did affect the service a little bit, but our waitress (Donna) was always super friendly and apologetic about it. The food was great, with the exception of the pineapple juice, and the dessert was a sweet gesture by the restaurant. There are so many places we want to try so I dont know if we will be back on our next trip since we dont do breakfast every day. However, we will definitely be back sometime in the future!Starting Credits:
Snack 28 (14 each)
Meal 38 (19 each)
Credits Used vs Cost:
Smoothie, pineapple juice, tonga toast with bacon and big kahuna: 2 table service credits used - $31.49 after tax
* I just realized when looking at the receipt that she didnt put the bottled waters on there so Im not sure how much those were sorry!
meloneyb21
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2005
Subscribing!
onelilspark
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2008
I miss Kona...
everythingisplastic
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2009
Wow great pics! I'm drooling here!
MomsOf2boys
<font color= deeppink ><marquee>Has obsessive fing
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2007
I just found your report and have read every page already! You do a great job and now I feel I need a bedtime snack.
Kona is on my list this next visit and i have never been so I loved reading your thoughts... I have one problem...
I don't know if I want the pancakes or the tonga toast. Decisions, decisions... life can be so hard.
Kona is on my list this next visit and i have never been so I loved reading your thoughts... I have one problem...
I don't know if I want the pancakes or the tonga toast. Decisions, decisions... life can be so hard.
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