The Grumpus
That's the money you could be saving by using Drea
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Messages
- 162
This dining review is conjuctinon with an overly verbose trip report in another section. For those of you who just want to know where I ate, and how it was, I'm saving you a lot of time that you would demand back otherwise. We did have the DP
First, some notes about the dining plan:
1) MAKE RESERVATIONS. At nearly every TS meal, I heard people being turned away. You have a certain number of TS and CS meals. They aren't interchangeable, and you will be stuck paying out of pocket if you aren't careful. I was talking with one of the women at the Concierge desk at POP about this, and she was telling me nightmares about families who left with 12-15 meals left on their plan.
2) DON'T WEAR A BELT. The dining plan is more food than anyone needs. It's almost too much. Almost
3) THINK ABOUT WHEN TO EAT. Try to have an earlier lunch and later dinner to space about the amount food you are entitled to. If you can, a quick breakfast bar or the like can hold you until lunch, at which time you can fill up to tide you over to dinner, which should get you more than through the night. Plus you still have that snack for hunger pains
4) BUY CHEAP SNACKS. The $$$ of snacks varies greatly from item to item. Your best bet is to buy the cheap ones and DP the expensive ones. A great example was with the pretzels they sell. The pretzels are 3.50 each, but for a $1.00 you can get cheese with it. The will charge you 2 credits for both, or 1 credit plus $1.00. Using a credit makes no sense in this case. You can do better.
5) GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH. This is really a compilation of all of the above. We made out like bandits on the plan because of a few simple steps.
As a note, we were in Disney last June as well, without the Dining Plan.
THE MEALS
Table Service:
1) Whispering Canyon - Just as we remembered it. If you're hungry and want as much food as "you care to enjoy", it's a good place. We got our share of pork this and pork that. If you're interested in the food without the showboating, ask to sit in the library in the back. We like it back there. You get a nice view of the hotel lobby without all of the noise. The waitress was very pleasant, although service was a little slower than I remember. The chocolate cake was quite good, although I couldn't eat it all.
2) Le Cellier - We had never been there before, but I've heard so many good things about it on the boards. One of my favorites lines from the trip was "Welcome to Le Cellier, my name is XXXX, I'll be your Canadian". I had a salad, the strip steak, and the raspberry sorbet. The Grumpette had the PEI mussels, the grilled shrimp, and the creme brule. I found everything to be very good, and like most others, enjoyed the bread selection. Grumpette said the creme brule is the best she has had. I found the sorbet to have some ice crystals in it, but otherwise was quite good. Also, the pecan shallot dressing on the salad was very tasty. The steak was cooked just right for me.
3) Marrakesh - Not my first choice, but Grumpette likes it. I did enjoy the Casa beer however. The chicken kebab seemed to lack flavor, especially for a cuisine that prides iteself on spices. Also, it came in a base of tomato, which, unfortunately, I do not like. The beef brewat rolls were quite good, I would have gotten a second order of those. The ice cream on the bastilla was completely melted when I got it, so it was more of a soup than a dessert. A week away reminds me that I don't recall what the Grumpette got, but she enjoyed it. This food did not hit my palette, but did hers.
4) Ohanas - Last year, Grumpette wanted to cancel all of our other reservations and make them here instead. She was disappointed when she heard that the menu had changed, but we went in with an open mind. The Kona beer was ok, nothing to write home about. The dipping sauces for the wontons were good, and the wings were good but very hard to eat. The shrimp was just ok, nothing like before. We had the server come around with the meat, and he suggested we take whatever we want, because he likely wouldn't come around for seconds (a departure from last year, when the meat continuously cycled around). We ate everything except the sausage, which didn't sound enticing. I particularly enjoyed the turkey. After finishing the meat, the potatoes finally came, which were very good and very buttery. The dessert was just ok, we're not big bread pudding fans, and the loss of the creme brule was felt by the Grumpette. We finally asked for a warm face cloth when we noticed everyone else had received one during their meal to help keep them clean. Service was very slow and the food was ok, but nothing like before. The server reminded us that Ohana means family, and that we are all cousins, but we left feeling more like step-cousins, twice removed...
5) Rose and Crown - We got the late seating at Rose and Crown to be able to get a good view of Illuminations. Appetizers were the cheese platter for her and the leek and barley soup for me. Both were quite good. For dinnner, she had the fish & chips, I had the guiness stew. Again, both were quite tasty. She did point out that I had two soups as meals, to which I likely called her a name. We again got desserts to go, which were prepared while we watch Illuminations from the patio. The view was spectacular, and I recommend it to everyone. The meal and show made this my second favorite, only behind Le Cellier.
6) Hollywood & Wine - We have never eaten a TS meal at MGM. We will never again eat a TS at MGM. This buffet was not only the worst meal at Disney, it is one of the worst I have ever eaten. The hot food was cold, the cold food was hot, the whole place was filthy, and service was quite poor. I'll spare details for those who like the place. We chose to eat here so we could just pop over to the nighttime show. Unfortunately, a few minutes after leaving the resturaunt, we were pushing people out of the way to get the the bathrooms. This was not a good way to end the night. After several painful hours, we felt a little better and got some stuff from the POP food court.
Counter Service: To be continued...
First, some notes about the dining plan:
1) MAKE RESERVATIONS. At nearly every TS meal, I heard people being turned away. You have a certain number of TS and CS meals. They aren't interchangeable, and you will be stuck paying out of pocket if you aren't careful. I was talking with one of the women at the Concierge desk at POP about this, and she was telling me nightmares about families who left with 12-15 meals left on their plan.
2) DON'T WEAR A BELT. The dining plan is more food than anyone needs. It's almost too much. Almost
3) THINK ABOUT WHEN TO EAT. Try to have an earlier lunch and later dinner to space about the amount food you are entitled to. If you can, a quick breakfast bar or the like can hold you until lunch, at which time you can fill up to tide you over to dinner, which should get you more than through the night. Plus you still have that snack for hunger pains
4) BUY CHEAP SNACKS. The $$$ of snacks varies greatly from item to item. Your best bet is to buy the cheap ones and DP the expensive ones. A great example was with the pretzels they sell. The pretzels are 3.50 each, but for a $1.00 you can get cheese with it. The will charge you 2 credits for both, or 1 credit plus $1.00. Using a credit makes no sense in this case. You can do better.
5) GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH. This is really a compilation of all of the above. We made out like bandits on the plan because of a few simple steps.
As a note, we were in Disney last June as well, without the Dining Plan.
THE MEALS
Table Service:
1) Whispering Canyon - Just as we remembered it. If you're hungry and want as much food as "you care to enjoy", it's a good place. We got our share of pork this and pork that. If you're interested in the food without the showboating, ask to sit in the library in the back. We like it back there. You get a nice view of the hotel lobby without all of the noise. The waitress was very pleasant, although service was a little slower than I remember. The chocolate cake was quite good, although I couldn't eat it all.
2) Le Cellier - We had never been there before, but I've heard so many good things about it on the boards. One of my favorites lines from the trip was "Welcome to Le Cellier, my name is XXXX, I'll be your Canadian". I had a salad, the strip steak, and the raspberry sorbet. The Grumpette had the PEI mussels, the grilled shrimp, and the creme brule. I found everything to be very good, and like most others, enjoyed the bread selection. Grumpette said the creme brule is the best she has had. I found the sorbet to have some ice crystals in it, but otherwise was quite good. Also, the pecan shallot dressing on the salad was very tasty. The steak was cooked just right for me.
3) Marrakesh - Not my first choice, but Grumpette likes it. I did enjoy the Casa beer however. The chicken kebab seemed to lack flavor, especially for a cuisine that prides iteself on spices. Also, it came in a base of tomato, which, unfortunately, I do not like. The beef brewat rolls were quite good, I would have gotten a second order of those. The ice cream on the bastilla was completely melted when I got it, so it was more of a soup than a dessert. A week away reminds me that I don't recall what the Grumpette got, but she enjoyed it. This food did not hit my palette, but did hers.
4) Ohanas - Last year, Grumpette wanted to cancel all of our other reservations and make them here instead. She was disappointed when she heard that the menu had changed, but we went in with an open mind. The Kona beer was ok, nothing to write home about. The dipping sauces for the wontons were good, and the wings were good but very hard to eat. The shrimp was just ok, nothing like before. We had the server come around with the meat, and he suggested we take whatever we want, because he likely wouldn't come around for seconds (a departure from last year, when the meat continuously cycled around). We ate everything except the sausage, which didn't sound enticing. I particularly enjoyed the turkey. After finishing the meat, the potatoes finally came, which were very good and very buttery. The dessert was just ok, we're not big bread pudding fans, and the loss of the creme brule was felt by the Grumpette. We finally asked for a warm face cloth when we noticed everyone else had received one during their meal to help keep them clean. Service was very slow and the food was ok, but nothing like before. The server reminded us that Ohana means family, and that we are all cousins, but we left feeling more like step-cousins, twice removed...
5) Rose and Crown - We got the late seating at Rose and Crown to be able to get a good view of Illuminations. Appetizers were the cheese platter for her and the leek and barley soup for me. Both were quite good. For dinnner, she had the fish & chips, I had the guiness stew. Again, both were quite tasty. She did point out that I had two soups as meals, to which I likely called her a name. We again got desserts to go, which were prepared while we watch Illuminations from the patio. The view was spectacular, and I recommend it to everyone. The meal and show made this my second favorite, only behind Le Cellier.
6) Hollywood & Wine - We have never eaten a TS meal at MGM. We will never again eat a TS at MGM. This buffet was not only the worst meal at Disney, it is one of the worst I have ever eaten. The hot food was cold, the cold food was hot, the whole place was filthy, and service was quite poor. I'll spare details for those who like the place. We chose to eat here so we could just pop over to the nighttime show. Unfortunately, a few minutes after leaving the resturaunt, we were pushing people out of the way to get the the bathrooms. This was not a good way to end the night. After several painful hours, we felt a little better and got some stuff from the POP food court.
Counter Service: To be continued...
for the review. Haven't eaten at H&V, guess I can cross that off my list of maybe sometime. Sept. with be our 3rd time on the 
)
Thanks for the reviews 
