There are no peanuts in peanut butter! April 2015 WDW Dining Review w/2 picky kids and a Jr. Foodie!

[lilandvisma]

I enjoy reading so many of these reviews that I probably should give back a little

Soooo.....

Here goes another one of ours!

This trip wasn't exactly last minute, we knew we were going back with the kids this time, just needed the right opportunity to actually get up and go! What better time to get out of Michigan than Spring Break? LOL, I know....we are a crazy bunch so why the heck not! We've been blessed in so many ways and I am very thankful that we are able to travel as much as we do. With that being said, we decided to give it a go roughly 2 months out and booked a split stay @ POP Century and CBR for March 28-April 3.

Party of 5 here....

DH, not a very picky person, enjoys seafood and meats, hates complaining if something is wrong. I'd say he makes a pretty good foodie.

Myself, a very picky person, food snob, loves SUGAR and carbs, seafood and a good steak....but mostly desserts, don't know how I stay at 122 lbs LOL.

DD 13 (yikes, where did time go!), Meat eater, likes steak and has become more close minded to trying new things.

DD7 my princess!! She is a foodie in the making, loves giving her opinion on food and is usually pretty accurate with it. She loves local chili cook offs and such LOL. Enjoys crab legs, shrimp, fish and chicken. Cheese lover and enjoys the occasional sip of mommas coffee OOPS.

DS 4(turned 5 now!). He is the cookie cutter of his momma. This boy is very picky. In love with Ariel (more on that later). Rolls and bread are his fav. Hard to get him to eat any meat. He likes pancakes, cereal, fruit and cheese noodles. But not cheese. He likes peanut butter, but is under the impression that there are no peanuts in it. *sigh* Hes a sweetheart.

I'm a crazy ADR planner. As in, I plan then change my plans and then do it all over again. And again. Well, not really but I'm sure some of you will totally know what I mean

The line up....

Kona Breakfast
WPE Lunch
1900 PF Dinner
POP Breakfast
Tangerine Café Lunch
Cape May Dinner
BOG Breakfast
Pecos Bill Lunch
BOG Dinner
POP Breakfast
CBR Lunch
Ohana Dinner
50's PT Lunch
Cpt Cooks Dinner
CBR Lunch

LOTS OF MISC...Snacks, F&G Eats, Random Eats and Treats, Etc ...

This was obviously a trip that was geared more towards the kids as far as food goes but we did have a couple of highlights for us as well!

 

[lilandvisma]

The kids didn't know we were going to WDW. We didn't drop the D Bomb on them until they woke up the next morning in Tennessee! I've never been one to be able to keep a secret, especially w/ vacations and such so it was pretty cute and exciting ! We had breakfast at Dennys that morning (we drove) and then allowed them to open up a mini treasure chest after a cheesy trivia game DH came up with. Inside were all the Magic Bands and the secret was out. BTW, don't recommend Dennys LOL. But that shouldn't be a surprise since I'm a food "snob" according to DH LOL. Driving through Atlanta was madness. The worst we have ever encountered but we did eventually make it HOME!!!! I cried. DS could barely talk (he was only 1 the last time he was at WDW so it was all new again to him!). DD (13) was actually OFF her Ipod! And DD(7) was giddy as can be, already taking on the princess role. The looks on their faces and reactions....its what I live for in life. Its why I take them back as often as I can. Disney for me is so much more than just a park or vacation, etc. Its a lot of who I am.

Anyway, enough rambling. I know ya'll are here for some food pictures and reviews!

I'll get that going , just wanted to share some info with you all!!!

 

[lilandvisma]

This would be my baby bear, AKA PJ He is my sweetheart!


Vi, 7 year old daughter Epitome of a princess, with a tad of a wild side as well.



DD13, Lily...who has totally immersed herself into the world of all things Anime at which I am totally clueless of. She really came out of her shell this trip though, and OFF the dang IPOD which drives me NUTS!

ONTO THE REVIEWS....KONA CAFE NEXT!

 

[mimi'sgirl]

I'm in..looking forward to reading more.

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

I'm in! Another clueless mom of a teen anime fan. IDGI either, but what the hey, she has fun.

Looking forward to the reviews!

 

[lilandvisma]

We decided to drive to the Poly that morning before checking into POP Century (kids request!). I was anxious to see what the lobby looked like minus the water fountain. I was a little upset when I found out they were removing it to be honest LOL. All of my worries were put down the drain when we got there. It really looks much better this way ! Much cleaner and spacious looking with LOTS more seating. As you can see by the pictures, we all were handed Leis, which is something the kids (OK I !) enjoy! We were handed a buzzer and had just enough time to go potty before it started buzzing!

I had never been to Kona for breakfast before but have always wanted to ! We were seated and I already had planned ahead on what we were going to order (pretty much). I ordered the Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes with Ham, DH had the Samoan, DD#1 had the Tonga Toast w/ POG juice, DD#2 had the pancakes w/ chocolate chips and DS had pancakes. It was brought out quickly and everything was fresh!


She is a bacon lover, I mean a REAL bacon lover. I gag at the smell of it but this girl can put it away! Here she is examining her bacon. Probably wondering where the rest of it is? LOL. She devoured her pancakes and enjoyed smearing the melting chocolate chips over them and drowning them in syrup They were practically perfect for my Vi. She was happy!

*Note* Her battle wounds from fighting w/ DS in the car on the long drive from Michigan LOL*



DS attacking his chocolate milk. One of his favorite things is Milk, doesn't matter if its chocolate. His pancakes didn't stand a chance, as they are one of his favorite things to eat. My Carb loving man He took a bite out of Mickeys ear before I was able to cut them up for him and add syrup . I'm pretty sure the bacon ended up going to DD Vi. Hes not a meat eater.





DD#1 Tonga Toast. She this, but did note that it was VERY Sweet. No surprise there.


Cross section before the strawberry goodness was added



Annnd after! This was really good, I had a couple of bites and it totally lived up to its hype for me! The outer parts were crispy, coated with sugar and the inside was piping hot, airy and packed with banana. Pair that with the strawberry sauce that was nice and tarty and some warm, sweet syrup YUM! My daughter joked that she was going to get diabetes from eating this. It was super good!



DH's Samoan. This was yet another hit! It was perfect for DH, as he is not into sweet stuff too much (THE HORROR!). The hollandaise was just right, not too thick with a great consistency. It paired great with the smokey pulled pork and fresh greens atop the dish. It was filling enough for DH but he didn't leave anything behind on his plate either A nice, savory breakfast option for sure and he very much enjoyed this dish



The best breakfast ever. Seriously. I had seen picture after picture of this dish and just always drooled over it. And now, I had it in front of me. I wasted no time, I was starving! The pancakes were light and fluffy! LOADED with macadamias! I loved how the airy pancake tasted with the crunch of the nuts. I like textures in food and this was perfect. I added warm syrup and let a little bit of the whipped, sweet honey butter melt on top of the stack. The pineapple was like the cherry on top of it all. This was Breakfast bliss for me. I love sweets and carbs. Mmm! The ham was lean and had a great flavor to it as well. But those pancakes were the star on my plate! I knew I'd never finish it all, but for me, I ate an entire pancake which is a lot for my tiny appetite! I was totally taking my leftovers back to POP hehe.


What I thought was great at Kona, was that the chef actually came out and checked on tables ...interacted with the customers. That says A LOT about any restaurant. The food was incredibly good, though nothing too fancy its for sure on our MUST do list now. I think we will make this our first day breakfast for all future visits from now on. Its very relaxed, the Poly is beautiful and the cost is minimal in Disney terms. All 5 of us left happy and full ! Ready to start off our WDW vacation!

Up next...DTD & WPE

 

[JMSTANLEY110]

The Tonga Toast looks amazing! Random question, but does the POG juice offer refills? It's pretty expensive for just one glass.

 

[lilandvisma]

I wish I knew. DD and I shared, but it was I think $4 for a smaller glass....yikes ! It is goooood though; )

 

[tluvstink]

If I ever make it to Kona Cafe for breakfast I am so getting the macadamia nut pancakes!!

You're off to a great start and I'm looking forward to reading more

Terri

 

[suse66]

Great reviews so far! I share your daughter's love of Tonga Toast but am definitely going to try the Samoan next time... it looks so good!

 

[lilandvisma]

The Samoan was very good!! I'm more into my sweets, but the flavors and textures worked well together! I've actually made the pineapple mac pancakes and tonga toast since coming home and they both turned out extremely YUMMY!

 

[lilandvisma]

After our wonderful breakfast at Kona, we knew we wanted to ride the monorail! What better way to officially kick off the start of a WDW vacation, right? My Son was BEAMING from ear to ear and my Vi Vi was thrilled with the fact that she could stand and ride, reciting that famous "Please stand clear of the doors...." line over and over again. Even my 13 year old was smiling, it was a HAPPY moment for sure! I love moments like these ones





During our little ride, we received the text from POP saying our rooms were ready! We made our way back to the Poly and headed to POP! Everything was perfect, like always! The younger 2 decided to go swimming ASAP in the smaller bowling pin pool as our rooms were facing it and I was happy to let them get some energy out even though it ways pretty much empty since it wasn't that hot out. Being from Michigan, my kids were just fine with that! BTW, the new MB check in system is extremely convenient! I really like it...a LOT.

We kinda chilled a little, then headed to DTD. Before we knew it, lunch was approaching....WPE was calling my name!

We split some pizzas. BBQ Chicken, which is one of my favorites! And the pepperoni for the kiddies.

Key lime Pie and fresh fruit.


BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA


Pepperoni Pizza


The chicken pizza was a little bit lightly done, but it was still very good. I've had it better in the past but the flavors were the same, I enjoy the different flavors and lightness of it. I like that it isn't greasy. I don't do pepperoni, but the kids enjoyed their pizza, while also attacking the BBQ Chicken as well. Preston was zonked out in the stroller, but he would have enjoyed the fresh fruit as it was chilled and had a nice variety. DH and DD#1 really liked the key lime pie. I tried a bite and it was good, though not the same as what you get in the keys LOL.

Splitting seems to work out well for us, I'm a very light eater (as is PJ for the most part). I believe we even had pizza leftover, so they are very good sized and easily split between 2 adults even. I always enjoy eating on the patio part of WPE and def. recommend it, esp. if on the DDP.

 

[lilandvisma]

After our lunch, I figured it would be a good time to get the littles dressed for dinner @ 1900PF. I'm pretty sure I had said never again after our last visit there, back in 2009...but the girls really wanted to go and PJ was wanting to see Prince Charming (OK, momma was wanting him to meet PC LOL). I ended up changing them both into their costumes in DTD -on purpose- since we couldn't seem to get a BBB ressie and knew that at the very least they would sprinkle my girls with fairy dust at World of Disney.









She was quite happy with this, and embellished ALL attention after her sprinkling and being all fancied up!

My poor DS was a little grumpy, with just waking up and all..but he LOVES his beast costume!



As you can see, we had to make a detour and head to Goofys Candy Co. They were handing out free slushie samples and my Son was thirsty from his nap, he LOVED the orange slushie. Like, seriously, he devoured that thing and held it near and dear to his heart. The sample I tried was really good, not overly sweet and just right for a hot Florida day for sure!

Some pictures of the treats inside....





I fell in love with the Cinderella Carriage Rice Crispy treats So cute!! I don't believe anyone got anything that evening, apart from PJ. Dinner was just around the corner and I had *HOPED* it had improved since our last visit.

 

[ursalita]

Following along! That samoan is now at the top of my list of things to try next trip. And those pizzas look great. I love seeing the princess pictures. I have boys so it's fun to see.

 

[smiths02]

KONA breakfast...yum! We had to cancel last trip (2011). I really want us to make it this trip. I hope I can order the Samoan and convince my son to share Tonga Toast with me.

 

[Luv0fDisney]

Joining in. Can't wait to see your pictures and review of Cape May Cafe Dinner as we are going there in november for the first time.. wondering if it is worth it.

 

[Juliet25]

Looking forward to a kid-centric review. Especially since your kids are so close in age to mine -- DD12, DD7, and DS almost 5.

 

[kastoney]

Just finding your thread and subbing in.

Love, love, love Kona - glad it worked out so well for your crowd too.

I'm with you on sharing. My hubby and I used to split all our meals before the little one came into the mix. My daughter and I almost always share a meal since 1. most are so huge and 2. my way north of 120 lb self needs all the help I can get ; )

Your kids look adorable for 1900 PF. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

[lilandvisma]

Sorry for the delay, my cat is 18 years old and its been a bumpy week w/ his congestive heart issues All is well as of now, he's on Lasix for it..Seems to be working good, thank GOD ! Working on 1900 PF next! Thanks for reading everyone !!!

 

[lilandvisma]

I never understood why the busses from DTD to the Deluxe Resorts are so crappy...It took a good while to get to the GF from DTD but we made it

Checked in after getting 1224354 compliments on the kids, lots of pointing (ESP regarding my Sons beast costume LOL) and smiles. The kids really enjoyed this. We were given the buzzer and decided to check out the beautiful GF.

Easter Egg Displays...




Our buzzer began buzzing and we were taken into the doors and shown to our table. The kids were hungry but I refused to let them eat until the characters had come through They know the deal ! Cinderella was first....She was a real sweetheart. Spent a TON of time with the kids.

Cinderella w/ Vi





She offered to give my Son a kiss...however, he refused. He turned beet red and politely told her that "ONLY ARIEL can give me kisses". I tried to push for it, cuz lipstick kisses are adorable on the little guys--- but he wanted nothing to do with it. You see, he has a thing for redheads and mermaids...and Ariel gave him his first kiss when he was 11 months old. He stayed true to his "Girlfriend". I think he's going to make a good man when he gets older LOL.


Lady T

Drizella



Anas


I was very disappointed when I found out that Prince Charming was NOT there that evening. UGH. I actually still am to a point. Last time, the saving grace of this dinner was the interaction between PC and Cinderella, the dancing and involvement of the children in all of that. No dancing tonight It was a let down for me for sure. The characters were great though, I have some adorable video of their interaction with the kids and the looks on the little ones faces made it worth it. But we won't be going back for a while now.

Vis Dessert creation ...rice crispy treats with a chocolate chip cookie on top and gummy bears.

PJ checking out the dessert selection


Complimentary Cupcakes--these actually became breakfast for the kids 2 days later LOL. They liked them and it was a nice touch. Our waitress was very nice



PJs choice--Fruit tart and rice crispy treat


My plate...Roast beef with horseradish sauce, chicken marsala, mashed potatoes, slaw/salad (Asian maybe?) tomato w/ mozerella and a fried ravoli w/ a side of sauce.




As far as the food goes here, it was pretty yucky. Its sad, the breakfast is a total opposite! I really had some hope left for this dinner, as the recent tripadvisor reviews had been decent. Hubby was not impressed at all either, neither one of us finding something that was worthy of saying "mmm" to The kids ate but didn't compliment anything. It was typical buffet food, pretty flavorless. I know you pay for the characters here but they could REALLY up the quality of the food, at the very least add some FLAVOR! The one Character buffet for Lunch or Dinner at Disney I can say that is really good is Crystal Palace.

Unfortunately, we aren't in any hurry to get back here. I'm glad the kids got to have some special time with the characters here though for sure!!

Thought this was funny on our way out... (Not staged LOL)
Vi losing her shoe