Three Generations on the DDP--our 11 day dining adventure! 3/11 update Tokyo Dining

[Mich123]

I'm relatively new to these boards, but wanted to share my thanks for all the wonderful reviews and research that helped to make our trip great! I love to plan for any trip, but I especially enjoy Disney planning. Before our trip, my family thought I was losing my mind, every spare minute was spent planning, I was obsessed!

I read all the guides: the official, the unofficial, Zagat's and Frommer's. I checked out the menus online and read various online reviews, lurking and then finally joining the DIS. I put together my DDP spreadsheet and quizzed my parents, DH and children about their preferred foods...I made my ADRs at the 90 day point, then I changed them! (Don't we all??)

When we booked the trip, I had two requirements, that we stay on premises and that we do the DDP. I did debate DDP v. DxDP, but ultimately, DDP seemed to make the most sense and I was willing to pay out of pocket (OOP) if necessary so that we could experience all the wonderful Disney meals that I thought would make our vacation great.

We spent the first 6 days with my parents at POR, then on the 8th day we switched to the Poly. Here's the cast of characters:

me: the planner who loves an awesome meal!
DH: never thought he wanted to go to WDW, but was converted in 2007 when my mom took us on a trip to celebrate her retirement. Likes good food and can snack on an hourly basis, won't eat fish, ever!
DG'ma and DPopPop: Took me to WDW and DL as a kid, they really like WDW! Both appreciate a good meal.
DD12: Loves to plan, but not for WDW! Enjoyed the choices of the adult DDP, but still pined for mac 'n cheese and the kid's menu.
DD9: Loves to eat and is adventurous, we were worried that the kid's menu would be too boring for her.

So, here's what we ended up with for our TS meals:
Biergarten
Ohana -- dinner
Akershaus -- breakfast
Tokyo Dining
Boma
Hollywood Brown Derby
Wolfgang Puck Cafe
California Grill
Kona Cafe
Ohana -- breakfast
Tutto Italia
Restaurant Marrakesh

We also sampled lots of CS, which I'll review as well:
Riverside Mill
El Pirata y el Perico
Sunshine Seasons
Yak and Yeti
Starring Rolls
Toluca Legs Turkey Company
Columbia Harbour House
Flame Tree BBQ
Capt. Cook's
Backlot Express
Main Street Bakery

Plus, we snacked and snacked and snacked around the World. DDP snacks are our favorite snacks! We used every last one of them...with a twist...can't wait to tell you about that!

And finally, my apology and disclaimer, I do not have pictures of the food, but felt encouraged to review anyway--next time THERE WILL BE PICTURES!

Coming up...our arrival at the World!

 

[MinnieMom]

Yay! More reviews! You ate at many of the places we have ADR's for on our upcoming trip. Can't wait to read your reviews!

 

[loralie]

It's funny...I am not eating at ANY of the places you listed for my trip in May! I am still looking forward to reading your reviews and I can't wait to hear about the "twist" with the snacks.

Loralie

 

[brokenlola]

Sounds delicious! I can't wait to read more!

 

[KatMark]

I'm in. Let the reviews begin!

 

[Mich123]

Welcome All!

I've just graduated from "Earning My Ears" to "Mouseketeer", but right now I'm feeling like I should be demoted! Just lost a huge entry...oh well, they always say that the second draft is better.

About a month before we left, we found out that DH's co-worker was going to WDW the same week that we were. I immediately inquired as to where they were staying and where they were eating. DH knew where they staying, but looked at me quizzically when I asked about the eating.

Well, one day a week before we left, DH said that his co-worker had asked where WE were eating and said that he hadn't been able to get reservations ANYWHERE. The light bulb went off! DH now understood my ADR mania! And he totally appreciated it, too. During the week, the co-worker checked in with DH and he said that they really had to work hard to get ressies and the choices were limited. Yes, my obsession was a necessity!

So we left early on a Saturday morning and our plane actually landed early--love that! Disney magic already! We took the Magical Express to POR, which, in case you're wondering, did not take that long. Even with the lines, I really think it was comparable to the amount of time it would have taken us to pick up our luggage, wait in the car rental line, find the car and drive to WDW. We arrived at POR at 1:20 p.m. and I then waited in line to check in while DH and the DDs checked out POR and ruled out Boatwright's for lunch (we'd had a so-so meal there in 2007). Somehow they missed Riverside Mill...

 

[Mich123]

So, as you can imagine, my hungry and tired family was thrilled when I led them to Riverside Mill Food Court, just a minute away from the main lobby of POR. We'd stayed at POR two years ago, but Riverside Mill was under construction, so we'd trekked to Sassagoula Floatworks for our meals (and yummy beignets!) in 2007.

The kids were so excited when we walked into RM, there were so many choices. RM is set up with various counters which have somewhat themed choices (grill, sandwiches, pizza and pasta and salad) in addition to a bakery section and a scooped ice cream/ice cream treat section. There were lots of bottled drink selections in addition to prepared foods to go such as yogurt and fruit.

I had read on these boards about the dearth of veggies at WDW so I was glad to see the salad bar. To call it a "salad bar" is a bit misleading, all the veggie and topping choices are behind glass and a CM prepares your salad at your direction. I had mesculun mix, grilled chicken, broccoli, feta cheese, tomoatoes, cucumbers, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries with balsamic vinaigrette. It was delish! All the veggies were fresh and crunchy, the tomatoes at WDW were consistently awesome. The chicken was perhaps the best chicken I had all trip, moist and tender.

DH had the muffaletta sandwich which contained salami, ham and cheese with an olive spread. The bread was really fresh and lighter than it appeared, something I didn't realize until a few days later when I commented on an egg sandwich made with the same bread. DH really liked the olive spread, it made the sandwich different from a sub you could get anywhere else.

DD12 had a personal pan sized cheese pizza, that was the one and only time anyone ate pizza on the trip. DD12 said it was too saucy which, of course, led to pizza dissection...ick! I was quick to let my family know that WDW is not known for its pizza.

DD9 had chicken fingers and french fries with apple wedges. I have to say that DD9 was often baffled by all of the side dish options for the kid's meals, but by day 9 she finally got it! The side dish options change from place to place and for a kid who doesn't like to be rushed, standing in line and having to make choices annoyed her. I was glad that there were good fruit choices with apples and grapes and I was amused that DD9 chose "double grapes" on day 11 at Capt. Cook's when she ordered on her own meal at the computer monitor. But I digress...DD9 did enjoy the chicken fingers and picked at the fries.

For dessert, DD12 and DD9 had chocolate cake and the carrot cake which were the standard Disney cakes served at all the CS restaurants. For CS day one, they loved the ooey gooey frosting, by day four, the frosting was scraped off and left as a pile of goo on a side plate. I think DH got a chocolate chip cookie, which he seemed to get every meal. He developed a habit of saving the cookies for an extra snack. The cookies looked dry to me, but they must have been decent because DH kept choosing them.

I knew from reading the boards that you can pick ice cream on the DDP and ask to get it after you eat your lunch. So, with receipt in hand, I ordered a mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone. After leaving 20 degree weather that morning, to eat an ice cream cone outside in 75 degree sunshine was heavenly! The ice cream was very good and the cone was a decent size.

I would definitely recommend RM if you're staying at either of the PO resorts. I'm not sure it's worth a trip from another resort, but it was nice to have so many choices in a very clean and updated restaurant.

Up next...the family reunion and Biergarten!

 

[msce2]

Awesome reviews!!! Can't wait to hear more!!

I was confused about the kids sides as well. It seems like most times they offer grapes, applesauce and carrots, but some say french fries and a cookie available on request. Are the other options clearly listed somewhere or do you have to ask every time?

 

[Mich123]

I was confused about the kids sides as well. It seems like most times they offer grapes, applesauce and carrots, but some say french fries and a cookie available on request. Are the other options clearly listed somewhere or do you have to ask every time?

I don't think anything was clearly listed! Some of the CS places had a french fry, fountain soda and cookie exception in italics underneath the kid's choices, but I don't think that was everywhere. I'm guessing that if you ordered those items and they had them, they'd substitute them. I also might not have noticed other exceptions listed because I was trying to figure out my order, DD12's order and my own order in the midst of a line with a crowd in front of me! And DH was there as well, also trying to figure it out. Of course, it doesn't help that children naturally change their minds an average of three times by the time you get to the CM!

 

[Colleen27]

I'm in. It seems there aren't many reviews of Tokyo Dining, especially on the DDP, so I'm really looking forward to yours!

 

[Mich123]

I'm in. It seems there aren't many reviews of Tokyo Dining, especially on the DDP, so I'm really looking forward to yours!

I should be at that review later this week, we ate there on day three...thanks for joining in!

 

[Mich123]

In real life, my parents live five minutes from my house. They are both retired and had decided to travel for the last week of January and the month of February, fitting in our trip between a cruise to the Panama Canal and a week in Miami (retirement is hard work!). This trip was, in a way, their idea...when we went to the World in 2007, my dad said, "If you ever go to Disney again, we'd love to go with you." I took that as a plan! (DH to coworker: "Well, my wife has been planning this trip for two years...").

Since we hadn't seen my parents in three weeks, we were all excited to see them. Their plane arrived about an hour and a half after theirs, so we had a head start to POR. I'd requested adjoining rooms with the evil plan of taking over their room when they left POR on Friday, since we were staying until Saturday and they'd booked the room through Saturday on the stay 4, get 3 days free plan (which saved them $200 and got them a $200 gift card--they were thrilled!). No one would confirm that we actuallly had adjoining rooms, though, so I wasn't sure until the CM checking me in said, "I can't tell you where they will be, but I can tell you that you will definitely hear their voices from your room."

My parents arrived at about 3:30 p.m. and the kids loved that they were right next door. DH, diplomat that he is, stayed mum on the subject! At about 4:30, we headed to Epcot.

Ah, the thrill of walking into a park...I love everything about the entrances...the music, the smells, even the crowds (since I'm not waiting in line with them at that point). The kids wanted to get in a ride right away and Mission Space has a short wait, so Mission Space it was! After that, DPopPop thought a snack was in order, DG'ma rolled her eyes and reminded us that dinner was in 45 minutes...snacking family that we are, we got the snack! We all shared a yummy pretzel from the cart outside of Mission Space and DD9 got a coke, the first of as many as she could drink on the trip since we'd relaxed our usual no caffeine and no sugar rules for vacation.

We checked in at Biergarten at 6:30 p.m. for our 6:35 p.m. ressie and picked up a beeper, we were told it would be a very short wait. After about eight minutes, we were ushered into the restaurant. I had decided that Biergarten would be fun because I'd remembered eating there in 1985 on a family trip so the nostalgia factor was big. Within minutes, I realized that my nostalgia was actually for...Busch Gardens! Oh the embarassment. But let me redeem myself by saying that Disney being Disney, I would go to Biergarten any day over BG and there were a zillion more choices than they had at BG, which was mostly a sausage fest.

Our first order of business was to study the beer menu. DH had long dreamed of that first Disney beer and here it was! DH, DPopPop and I all opted for a liter of beer in the gigantic stein, how perfect is that? DH and DPopPop picked the dark Beck's beer and I had the lighter one, it was delicious. That big stein helped keep the beer cold, which was great since it took me the entire meal (about an hour and a half) to drain it. The kids and DG'ma ordered iced tea that they sweetened on their own.

Off to the buffet! Food glorious food! I have had dreams of this buffet since leaving WDW. It was clean and plentiful, it seemed that nothing was empty, even though it was a full house that night. I started with the salads, taking a little of each, I had the Bayrischer Kraut Salat (Bavarian Cabbage Salad), Gurken Salat (Cucumber-Dill Salad), and Rote Beete Salat (Pickled Red Beet Salad) and, of course, the Kartoffel Salat (Warm German Potato Salad). All were crisp and fresh. I especially liked the Cabbage Salad, it had an interesting texture and crunch and I really like vinegar, which was a predominant flavor. On the side, I sampled the sausages, there was a smaller light pink sausage that was the best--it was flavorful, but not heavy.

I also picked up a bowl of the Potato Leek Soup and I had to try the much touted pretzel bread. I thought I'd share the Soup with DD9 who loves soup, but she already had a bowl, which she downed and then went to get another. She would love it if there was a DSP (Disney Soup Plan). She pretty much had nothing but soup, despite the 40 other items offered at the buffet that evening. I also loved the soup, it was creamy without being heavy and it was delightfully bland with a hint of leek. The pretzel bread did not seem to be the freshest and I just didn't love it. I'd take a soft pretzel any day over that clunky roll. Perhaps the fact that we'd just snacked on a perfectly warm and delicious soft pretzel ruined me for the pretzel roll.

On the hot buffet, I tried the roasted potatoes, the Sauerkraut, the braised red cabbage, the Salmon in lemon dill sauce, the pork roast from the carving station, the Roulades (which I would call "Rouladen") and the potato dumplings. I have to say that I liked it all! The roasted potatoes were the best and I had to stop myself from filling up on them. I am a cabbage fiend (my poor family!) and I was very happy with the variety.

The Rouladen was fabulous--thinly sliced beef rolled with bacon (I believe) in a rich, dark brown gravy. Absolutely perfect. you can never go wrong with bacon, but the beef itself was so tender that you could have cut it with your fork. While the Salmon was good, next time I will skip it, there's so much good food that you have to mete out your portions and I'd gain room by skipping the Salmon which was well prepared, but nothing extraordinary.

My whole family was intrigued by the potato dumplings. I thought they were good, crisp on the outside, soft and squishy on the inside. DPopPop explained that they are not easy to make and are a time intensive process so we were all sure to sample them.

The kids were not as thrilled with Biergarten as the adults, DD12 would probably say it was one of her least favorite meals as she pretty much stuck to the sausage and mac 'n cheese (ugh...is that neglect on my part??). And she complained that the Bavarian Chocolate Cake was just not chocolaty enough.

Other than that, we all enjoyed the desserts, especially the Bavarian Cheesecake. Now I thought that to describe cheesecake as light would be an oxymoron, but believe me when I tell you it was light and fluffy! DH had at least two pieces and I had one and a half (oink!). We also loved the apple struedel which was fresh with a beautiful flaky, but not too buttery, pastry wrap. DG'ma really liked the fruit cup which looked like cherries in a red sugary sauce. And, I can't believe I almost forgot, the Florentiner cookies were awesome. They had loads of almonds and were super crunchy, it was kind of like an almond layer on top of a butter cookie...they almost looked like a trail mix bar of sorts.

Lastly, the entertainment here is loads of fun. If your kids love to dance, they will be well entertained. DH and I loved the songs...I'll see if I can find one or two for a post.

I think this meal is a great deal on the DDP with the fixed price of $28.99 for adults and $13.99 for children. Biergarten makes our list of places we must eat at the World next time!

Up next: Riverside Mill breakfast, Pirata y Perico (not!) and 'Ohana...stay tuned!

 

[KatMark]

So glad you enjoyed Biergarten. It is one of our all time favs. We skipped it last trip because our friends wanted Rose & Crown. But we'll be back at Biergarten in September.

 

[natalielongstaff]

great reviews so far

 

[Mich123]

Before I start with breakfast, I should note that we did drop by RM on our way back to our room after Biergarten for...a snack! DH had a chocolate chip cookie, DD9 had a rice crispie treat, DD12 had a milkshake and I had a cup of Twinings Earl Gray decaf tea. I love the rice crispie treats in any shape or form, the Mickey on the stick is cute, but we always seem to lose a precious chunk of it! DD12's chocolate milkshake looked awesome--freshly made with scooped ice cream and milk--since she had a cold, I didn't touch it and I forbade DD9 from tasting it, too, but I would definitely recommend it, DD12 is a milkshake connoisseur and she loved it!

We woke up relatively early on Sunday and joined my mom for breakfast at RM while DPopPop and DH took advantage of some extra shut-eye. The place was packed! Even so, things moved along and I dispatched DD9 and DD12 to get their own breakfasts.

For some reason (maybe it was the gigantic meal at Biergarten!), I wasn't that hungry, so I opted for the oatmeal with fixin's. This was at the station that had the salad bar during the day and worked in a similar fashion. There was oatmeal that was a bit on the mushy side, with choice of fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, apples), nuts (walnuts), granola, and dried fruit. In this section there was also a choice of three cereals, the only one I remember is Frosted Flakes because that was what DD9 picked, a couple of times...yes, there are about fifteen wonderful breakfast choices and she picked Frosted Flakes! So anyway, I had the oatmeal with raspberries and brown sugar. The oatmeal was just ok, but the raspberries were perfect, absolutely ripe and sweet and delicious. DD9 also got a side of raspberries.

DD12 could not resist the chocolate croissant which she loved! She also got a kids breakfast plate with eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon and a biscuit and she managed to eat that, too. I was amazed at the time, but now I'm remembering her picky meal at Biergarten. The only item that DD12 didn't really touch was the biscuit, it was pretty rich and even a little greasy on the bottom. DD12 loves sausage and bacon and both were good. The bacon is notable because it doesn't look crispy, but it is. I recommend trying it, even if you think it looks like it won't crunch--it crunched every time! And the eggs at RM were very good, they were constantly making them so they were fresh. I really think Disney makes the scrambled eggs with cream because they are really yummy and I can't seem to duplicate them at home. I tried extra butter, but that didn't do it. Welcoming any suggestions!

DG'ma had a Mickey waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. She loves waffles, and thought this one was awesome! She said that the strawberries were a substitution, but I do see them on the menu at allears...so, I'm guessing she saw someone else with another substitution and then thought hers was different. I would note that the CM at RM were really friendly and accomodating and did substitute various items for breakfast when asked.

I had caffeine free diet Coke to drink, which I note because RM was the only place that I saw it, along with the usual Coke products. DG'ma had the Nescafe, and didn't complain, I never tried it because I'm just not a fan of fake coffee. The kids loved a bottled drink called Fuze, which I let them drink because it has less sugar and because vacation rules were in effect.

D'Gma picked up a chocolate croissant for DPopPop and DH declined breakfast at that point, opting to "pick something up at the park".

I enjoyed RM again, eventhough it was crowded, because the food was consistent and hot. It didn't seem that much different from the sit down breakfasts we enjoyed later. Pricewise, it was $14.87 for me and DD9, DD12 accidentally used a CS for her breakfast--eeks! That being said, she did somehow get a ton of food for a CS. I think the chocolate croissant counted as her dessert!

More soon!

 

[Mich123]

After breakfast, we gathered up the men and headed to MK...hooray! For me, I'm not truly at the World until I walk down Main Street. DH says that if they piped that music onto the streets of New York City, the world would be a better place. We fastpassed Space Mountain and then went on Pirates of the Carribean, which is a must do first ride for me so I drag everyone along, not that anyone really minds.

Then, somehow, people were hungry again! So we took a right out of Pirates to see if Pecos Bill's had reopened after renovations only to find that it was closed. We were redirected through the restaurant to El Pirata. BIG MISTAKE. I'm not even going to review this because there was a substituted menu that was horrible--chicken caesar salad, hamburgers, BBQ pork sandwich and kid's meals. No great fixin's bar that I could see and it was very crowded and chaotic at the ordering point...we were directed to a quicker line by a CM and then given threatening looks from another family . I believe El Pirata has now gotten back to it's normal menu (see MickiNicki's live report of this weekend), which probably means that my beloved Pecos Bill's is now open again.

I will mention that my mom did make some Disney magic for another person...DPopPop had been given his own meal and a chicken caesar salad that he didn't order. DG'ma, being not shy at all and hating the thought of wasted food, went to the line at the counter and loudly asked if anyone wanted a chicken caesar salad. A woman gladly accepted and offered to pay her for it! Yes, the lines were miserable, and, yes, it was crazy! My mom didn't want to make money on the transacation, she gave it to the woman and the woman was so happy, my mom loved it...awww!

 

[Mich123]

So, let me say that I love 'Ohana, but in the spirit of true review, this is not a glowing review. We'd been to 'Ohana in 2007 and loved it, so going back was a must.

We arrived at 'Ohana about five minutes past our ADR, DG'ma and DPopPop were already at the bar, with a scotch for DPopPop and a glass of wine for DG'Ma. We'd raced from MK to POR to change, then took a cab to the Poly. And then we waited, probably for at least half an hour. But, the good news is, the Tambu Lounge is pretty fun, even if was super crowded. The kids had Lava Smoothies, which are pina colada mixer with a raspberry swirl. Very sweet, but yummy. DH had a Mint Julep of sorts (I believe it had a different name) and I had a Mojito. Both were good--Disney makes pretty decent drinks in my book, consistent and strong enough.

DG'ma, DD12, DD9 and I were brought to our table by way of the gigantic grill, while DH and DPopPop settled the bar bill. The grill is about fifteen feet long and skewers of grilled meats were sizzling on top! The hostess showed us the grill and picked up a basket of the Pineapple Welcome Bread. After sitting down at our table, we realized that there was a little extra with the bread...ANTS! Four ants were wandering the crusty terrain. Our CM looked over and saw us all contemplating the bread and came over right away. When we pointed out the little friends (or should I say, "cousins"?), he immediately apologized and whisked the bread away. Maybe it was the drink, but the ants really didn't bother us at the time. As I'm writing this, I'm having second thoughts!

So, the new bread was delicious, it was soft and sweet and we were starving so thoughts of ants quickly vanished. The meal started right away and it was indeed served quickly, but we were able to keep up...the place was so busy that it must have slowed the CMs down a little bit. The salad was served first and it was great! The lime cilantro dressing was fabulous, and the greens were crisp and interesting, a nice mix of leaf lettuces.

Next came the appetizers, the pork dumplings and chicken wings. The dumplings were good, but it seemed that they were deep fried, which is fine, just different from the pan fried dumplings we'd expected. The pork filling was tasty and a good texture (I don't like chunky or chewy dumpling fillings). We actually asked for a second serving of the dumplings and we polished them all off.

The wings were very tasty--I liked the honey and they had good flavor, not just honey, but also a subtle spiciness, but certainly not hot in any way. I am a big fan of coriander and cilantro, so the wings and salad were right up my alley. We polished off all of the wings.

Then came the skewers, the shrimp, pork, beef and turkey with the sauces. I sampled the peanut sauce and the chimichurri and then forgot they were there! Neither one seemed to be a must with the meat. The sweet and sour looked too much like the sauce you get in packets with egg rolls, so I skipped it.

I started with the shrimp, the CM gave me five and they were a good sized shrimp. The first four were delicious with a nice grilled flavor and a firm texture. The fifth, curses!, was mushy...I hate that! In my mind, it just seems rotten, maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I think.

I didn't have a lot of luck with the other meats, either. Last time, I absolutely loved everything. This time, the pork was chewy, the turkey was chewy and the beef was overdone to the point of being nearly burnt. I stuck it out and did eat the meats, but I was disappointed. No one else seemed to mind, maybe I just had bad luck!

We also had lo mein noodles which were tasty. They didn't have a lot of veggies with them, they were lightly seasoned with soy sauce and a hint of onion flavor.

Even with my meat issues, I was very full when the bread pudding arrived. The sauce was very sweet, but what can you expect, it's caramel! The bread pudding itself was soft, moist and perfectly cooked. I don't think it really needed the sauce and I didn't notice bananas, which is funny, because it is billed as "Bread Pudding with bananas and caramel sauce".

Ohana is still on our "must do" list and we almost went back on this trip for a second dinner, so it certainly wasn't a bust. I will still recommend 'Ohana, it's especially good for large families and kids because no time is wasted ordering specific foods and waiting for them. DD9 and DD12 did not participate in the parades or games this time, they were apparently too mature for that!

Up next: Akershaus as viewed by DD9 and DD12, Sunshine Seasons and Tokyo Dining

 

[Mich123]

I had booked a 10 a.m. ADR for Akershaus at the request of DD9 and DD12 who do not seem to be big princess fans, but who were intrigued by the description of the breakfast in the Official Guide. Turns out, they were princess fans for the day! The plan was for the girls to have breakfast with DG'Ma and DPopPop and for DH and I to join them later on at the park. Originally, I had wanted to try the Epcot Segway tour, but changed my mind as I saw the expen$e$ racking up (and after observing a tour group, I'm glad I did, it was very controlled, everyone on their Segway, in a line, which was not what I had imagined).

On this morning, DG'ma was up very early, but of course, the girls were not. They all did get up and out, except for DPopPop, who was in a jam because his Parkinson's meds hadn't kicked in. DH and I dispatched DG'ma and the girls and waited for DPopPop who wasn't too far behind...until the buses decided not to cooperate. BUS NIGHTMARE. Bus after bus went by and none of them were for Epcot. Then, finally, an Epcot bus and it was full! We waited for about 35 minutes at the POR South bus stop. When we finally got to the park, we checked in with kids and found that they had just finished getting their pictures taken and had been seated--they had had a long wait at Akershaus (later I observed that there seemed to be a constant group of people waiting and kids having meltdowns--probably due to the wait--outside of Akershaus).

By the time DPopPop got to Akershaus, they'd been to the buffet which I believe had fruit and pastries, and had started on the plate of bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potato casserole and biscuits. I walked into Akershaus with DPopPop and we got him situated and he had a delicious breakfast. The kids loved it and enjoyed the princesses, especially Mulan, our favorite. They saw all of the princesses and they love the picture that they received as part of the breakfast package.

Afterwards, I learned that there was a Disney kindness to this...DPopPop was given a complimentary breakfast, because he "wasn't able to enjoy the entire experience". How nice was that!

Sunshine Seasons
While the rest of the family was at Akershaus, DH and I headed to The Land with everyone's Keys to the World to pick up FPs for Soarin'. We then decided to have brunch at The Land. I had the Asian entree, with lo mein, broccoli and rice. The noodles were perfectly cooked, with Napa cabbage, carrots and onions. It was delicious! I was also happy for the big side dish of broccoli which was stir fried with garlic and soy sauce. The rice was perfectly cooked, each grain firm but tender and separated from the next. For dessert I had the fruit tulip, which was a tart sized pastry shell with vanilla cream and fresh fruit--mangoes, strawberries and kiwi--on top. The pastry was crisp and tasty, buttery and closer to shortbread than it was to a pie crust. The vanilla cream was smooth and rich, but there wasn't too much of it so it wasn't filling and the fruit was fresh and delicious. DH did not want a taste because he did not like the looks of the thin layer of gelatin glaze over the top of the fruit. The gelatin did not bother me at all.

I believe DH had the ham and salami grinder, which he enjoyed. I think he would have gotten my plate, but he was a couple of steps ahead of me and didn't realize that the Asian counter was about to switch from breakfast to lunch (it was about 10:55 a.m.). For dessert, he had the Key Lime Pie, which he loves and I never want to taste--I'm just not a fan of that flavor combination. He liked it, though.

 

[msce2]

Great reviews! Seems like the food was good at both places! I hope the wait at Akershus is not that long when we go!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Well, one day a week before we left, DH said that his co-worker had asked where WE were eating and said that he hadn't been able to get reservations ANYWHERE. The light bulb went off! DH now understood my ADR mania! And he totally appreciated it, too. During the week, the co-worker checked in with DH and he said that they really had to work hard to get ressies and the choices were limited. Yes, my obsession was a necessity!

Ok my DH is totally the same way...he never understood my need to get up early and stay on the phone forever to make reservations 6 months before we arrived...until we got to WDW and he witnessed so many people getting shut down when they asked to get into a restaurant...then he was singing my praises!