Two honeymooners conquer deluxe dining!!!

[kdluscher]

So sorry I haven't been posting lately, I have been working like crazy and just haven't had time, but now I am back and there are more dining reviews on the way!

Day 4, September 13:

On this day, we were heading to Animal Kingdom. We had a 8:05 reservation at Tusker House this morning. We arrived there around 7:45 and we were let into the park at that time. It was really nice to be able to wander through the park with noone else there. We got some really good photo opportunities at this time. We arrived at Tusker House just before 8 and they let us in right away. For thosee of you who have never been there, the first thing you do is wait in line for a picture with Donald. After that, they then seat you. We got seated at a tiny two top right off of the buffet room. Unfortunately, we were seated very close to another couple. It felt as though we were seated at the table with them and it was just a little strange to us.

They start you off with juice which is a tropical blend. DH really liked it, but it just wasn't for me. So I got a sprite instead and DH also got some coffee. Our servers name was JW and he was good, but servers at buffets are not as attentive as sit down restaurant servers. We went to the buffet right away because the characters start to come around 8:30. Let me say, that the buffet at Tusker House is huge! It has a great selection of food. There is bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, quiche, fruit, sausage gravy, mickey waffles, and tons of pastries. The potatoes were really good and the bacon was very crisp. But the Mickey waffles were soooo good. I don't know what they do to them, but I could have eaten a whole plate full. Overall, DH and I thought it was a really good buffet and had a good selection of food. We also saw all of the characters too, which were Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. We were dont by 9 and were able to walk right out and onto the safari ride without a wait.

Overall: good, will go back again
Highs: selection, mickey waffles
Lows: close tables
OOP price: $63.23 ( with tip)
2 TS credits used



After a long day of touring Animal Kingdom, we started to get hungry by the afternoon and were ready for a snakc/lunch. While we travel through the parks, I look at all of the CS menus to see what we can use our snack credits on. Well, I found Yak & Yeti and they had some great snack credit options. DH each got an order of fried rice and egg rolls for our lunch. The fried rice came in a pint sized container and was packed full. It had so much flavor as well. The side egg rolls came with two egg rolls each. They were pork egg rolls, but they were also very good. The portion sizes were huge for side orders and we had plenty of food to eat. We were definitely full by the time we were done there.

Overall: very good, great use of snack credits
OOP price: $13.59
4 snack credits used

 

[kdluscher]

Day 4, continued:

We ended up leaving Animal Kingdom around 3:00 this day. We actually made a pit stop on our way back to our resort and stopped at the Art of Animation to take a quick look around. After that we went back to POR to rest before our dinner reservation. We had a 7:00 ADR at Fulton's Crab House in Downtown Disney this night. We took the ferry from POR to Downtown Disney, which took about 30 minutes. But it was such an enjoyable ride and so beautiful it was worth the ride. We made it to DD by 6:30 and we made our way over to Fulton's.

We arrived a little early for our ADR and had to wait a few minutes. We were then seated in the bar area right by the window. It was such a beautiful view. Our server Laura greeted us right away. She was seriously the best server we had the whole week. She was so helpful and knowledgeable and just overall great. We wanted to take her with us the rest of the week. Anyways back to the food...We ordered our drinks first, I got a raspberry lemonade and DH a virgin Blue Lagoon, which was pineapple juice with blueberry flavoring. Both of the drinks were delicious.

Shortly after, our appetizers arrived. I got the portobello mushroom fries whith a mustard sauce. Let me jsut say that I love anything fried and fried mushrooms are even better. These were so good. They arrived and were hot and crispy when they arrived. But the portion size was huge!! I would have finished them, if I didn't have two more courses still to eat, so I only ate about half of them. DH got the fish tacos, which were halibut that night. They were topped with pico de gallo, queso fresco, and guacamole. DH loved these and ate them all. I think there were 3 to an order.

After our appetizers, we had a little wait before our entree, which was fine with us. For our entree, we shared the ultimate experience. This contains, two whole 1 1/4 pound lobsters, Alaska snow crab, dungeness crab, and roasted potatoes. OMG! This was the best meal of our lives! The lobster was so flavorful and juicy and melted in our mouth. The crab was just as good. The potatoes also had great seasoning and flavor to them. We are so glad that we got this meal because it was soooooo good!!!!! We do not get food like this in Ohio! We cleaned the plate and took some time before we ordered dessert.

For dessert, I got the chocolate chip cookie sundae. It is like a brownies sundae, but with a chocolate chip cookie instead. It was very good, but a huge portion and I only ate half. DH got the chocolate mousse cake, which was a giant piece of chocolate cake. It was really rich and if you like chocolate it is for you. Both of these desserts were delicious, but way too big, so we only ate half. Overall, this was our best meal in Disney and can't wait to go back again next year!!

Overall: excellent
Highs: ultimate experience
Lows: portion sizes
OOP price: $179.64 (with tip)
4 TS credits used

 

[smile4stamps]

Good to hear a good review of Fulton's! I'd love to try it sometime on a trip without DH. The flying crab and lobster juices could be very bad with him so I try and avoid them.

Glad you also had a positive experience at Tusker House! No Daisy for characters though?!?!

 

[kdluscher]

Good to hear a good review of Fulton's! I'd love to try it sometime on a trip without DH. The flying crab and lobster juices could be very bad with him so I try and avoid them.

Glad you also had a positive experience at Tusker House! No Daisy for characters though?!?!

Nope, no Daisy. I thought it was strange, but I still enjoyed the characters that were there.

 

[kdluscher]

Day 5, September 14:

On this day, we were headed to Magic Kingdom. They were only open until 7 this night, so we left early in the afternoon, but we would go back...

We had a 8:20 reservation this morning at Crystal Palace. I had been waiting for this ressie for months!!! We arrived in the park by 8:00 and took many pictures of the fall decorations. We arrived at Crystal Palace a little early for our reservation, but were seated relatively quick. We were seated at a two top to the right of the entrance. Once again we were in the first section for the characters. Our server Mike greeter us right away and brought us both an orange juice. We quickly went up and got our food so we wouldn't miss the characters.

Let me just say that there is a soft spot in my heart for the Pooh characters, so I was especially excited for this meal because I could finally get my pictures with them. So anyways, back to the food...

This buffet was also huge and had an omelette station, puffed french toast, potatoes, bacon, sausage, fruit, and many pastries. The omelette was so good. I had ham, mushrooms, and cheese. The omelette chef was amazing. The fact that he could cook 6 omelettes and pancakes at the same time. Wow was he good!! Also, the french toast was out of this world!! We each ate two plates, plus shared a plate of fruit and DH got his first taste of Ambrosia salad. Everything was good and fresh. We really loved this buffet. The characters came around in a very timely manner. Teh characters were Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. We were so pleased with this restaurant that we will definitely be going back.

Overall: very good
Highs: omelettes and puffed french toast
Lows: not many
OOP price: $58.97 (with tip)
2 TS credits used


After a very hearty breakfast, we didn't get hungry until a little after noon. We decided to try Peco Bills. We ate here last year and loved it, so why not go back again. We both got an order of chili fries off the sides menu. Of course, we went to the toppings bar and topped our fries with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and DH jalepenos. It was such a good use of snack credits again.

Overall: yummy
OOP Price: $10

 

[kdluscher]

Day 5, continued:

So, by the afternoon we had toured through the park and were hot and tired. We decided to leave around 3, but not before a little snack from the Plaza Ice Cream Shop. I just got a scoop of mint chocolate chip, which is my favorite ice cream! It was delicious of course. DH got a coke float. He really loved it. He is not a fan of root beer and was happy that he could get it with coke instead. Both of these snacks were cool and refreshing.

Overall: good
OOP price: $9.00

We had originally had an ADR at Cinderella's Royla Table this night and were going to go to MNSHHP, but the day before we had changed our mind on the Halloween Party and decided to have a nice quiet dinner and relax in our room that night. We ended up getting a 6:40 ADR at Brown Derby this night.

We arrived at the Brown Derby around 6:15 and the lobby was filled. We had to wait about 20 minutes, but it was fine because we knew we were early. We were seated in the center of the restaurant at a large booth. First of all, let me just say that I love the way the Brown Derby looks. It really looks like Old Hollywood and I loved it. I almost felt like I didn't belong. The theming is so great. Our server Reggie, greeted us rather quickly and took our drink orders, cokes for both.

Reggie really went over the menu with us and made some recommendations. For my appetizer, I went with the Bibb Lettuce Salad with peppercorn-sweet onion dressing, cherry tomatoes, radishes, and parmesan frico (baked cheese). This salad was delicious. The dressing had a little taste of caesar, but was a little more suttle. I love frico and theirs was so good. Let me explain frico to those who don't know. Cheese, we use asiago, but this was paremsan, is spread onto a sheet tray and baked in the oven until it is all melted together and golden brown. It can easily be broken apart once it is cooled. It is so good. DH got the blue crab spring rolls with asian slaw and spicy miso aioli. He loved these and wanted more! I can't remember if it came with three or four, but he thought they were great. From the bite I managed to have, they were nice and hot and crispy. They were also surprisingly light and just the perfect size for an appetizer.

We waited a little while for our entrees. But when they came, the wait was well worth it. I got the filet with corn and pancetta risotto with pesto. The filet was cooked a perfect medium and it just melted in my mouth. The risotto was amazing!! I wish I had a bigger portion of it. I ate it in such little bites so that I could savor the flavor even longer. One of the best steaks I have ever had! DH got the duck two ways. The frist way was a duck patrami over a pear and melon salad and the second way was a duck confit over risotto and onion jam. DH loves duck, it is not my thing, but he thought it was great. The pastrami was cold and he really liked the flavor of it. The duck confit melted in my mouth when I tried it. I think that it was a very good prepared meal and I like that they prepared the duck in a different way than most places do. We both loved our entrees...let's hope dessert is just as good.

I got the banana white chocolate toffee tower. It was like a panan cotta style dessert with bananas foster over the top. It was good, but after a great meal, not as good as I was expecting. DH got the famous grapefruit cake. He loved it. I did not care for it as much, but DH ate the whole thing. Overall, we loved the Brown Derby and are looking forward to go back next year.

Overall: great
Highs: appetizers and entrees
Lows: dessert
OOP price: $133.85 (with tip)
4 TS credits used

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Love your reviews, especially the Brown Derby one! It's reviews are really coming around these days.

 

[smile4stamps]

LOVE that you had such a great meal at HBD! We have ADR's there as well so its good to hear so much positive about it!!

 

[kdluscher]

Day 6, September 15:

This day was our first free day. We spent the morning of this day at Hollywood Studios and then made our way over the Magic Kingdom by the afternoon.

This morning we wanted a quick breakfast and headed over the POFQ to try some beignets. I had heard some really good things about these beignets, so of course we wanted to try them. We got the six piece beignets that were worth 2 snack credits. We had a sort wait for our beignets because they are cooked to order. When they came out, they were piping hot and nice and crispy. For those of you who have not had the beignets, they are simply fried dough with powdered sugar. They reminded me of elephant ears, but much smaller. After our powder sugar bath and six beignets later, we were full and content and ready to take on the day. Well, at least until lunch. The beignets were very good, but I think they are a better snack then breakfast, but hey when your on vacation, you can eat anything you want for breakfast!!

Overall: very good
OOp price: $6.00


We spent a few hours in Hollywood Studios and around 11:30 headed over to our lunch reservation at the Grand Floridian. We had a 12:25 reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe this day and we are glad we left early because the parking is very confusing there. Just to let everyone know, guests have to park far away from the resort and walk a good distance to get there. I found it very strange and plan on never driving there again. Anyways, we still managed to arrive a little early, but were seated right away. The restaurant was near empty so there was no problem getting a table. Our server, Arlene greeted us right away and she was suhc a sweet lady, reminding me of my grandmother. She brought us our sprites right away.

Shortly after, she brought us our appetizers. We were sharing our apps, so she brought us each a half sized portion of each appetizer. We really appreciated this because it is very difficult for us to share soup from the same bowl. Our first app was the french onion soup. I have a love affair with french onion soup and try it everywhere we go. Let me just say, this was by far some of the best I have ever had. The broth had such a rich flavor and went well with the cheese and bread. DH had never had french onion soup before, but is now a huge fan!! He loved it and wants it everywhere he goes. Our other app was the shrimp cocktail. This was also very delicious. The cocktail sauce was different than normal cocktail sauce and was more like a tomato marmalade with horseradish. It was really good and I am not a shrimp cocktail fan.

Our entrees came shortly after. I chose the grand floridian sandwich with ham, bacon, turkey with a boursin cheese sauce and onion straws. First off, this sandwich was huge, second it was freaking delicious!!! I wish I had one right now, honestly. The boursin cheese sauce really made the whole sandwich. It was so thick and rich and made the meats taste so good. OMG, I am salivating right now and want that sandwich. Oh wait, I'm a cook, I can make that sandwich!! Ok, anyways, delicious and recommend it to everyone. DH got the grand gloridian burger with lobster and arugula. First, he loves burgers and arugula, second he saw another guy with it and had to order it. This burger was equally as huge as my sandwich. DH loved it. The buttery lobster made the burger taste even better and the peppery arugula, mmm. All of the flavors just went so well together, we can't wait to go back.

After such good appetizers and sandwiches, we were excited for dessert. We went with the dessert sampler for two, which comes with a fresh berry tart, boston creme pie, key lime tart, and lemon cheesecake. This was good, but not as good as we were expecting. I think it is because our dinners were so good, that were expected the dessert to be as well. Honestly, I will compare the dessert to something I would eat in a chain restaurant. They were just sub par.

Overall: very good
Highs: apps and sandwiches
Lows: desserts
OOp price: $88.42

 

[kdluscher]

Day 6, continued:

So after lunch on this day, we headed over to Magic Kingdom. We had a very late ADR this night, so we snacked quite a bit throughout this day. Around 3, we got a rain shower so I got some popcorn and sat underneath the Peoplemover track. It was warm, salty, and delicious.

Overall: good
OOP price: $3.50

A few hours later before we left the park, we grabbed some dole whips. We had never had dole whips before and tried them for the first time last year and we fell in love with them. They are so simple, but oh so good. I got the original pineapple dole whip, while DH got the vanilla dole whip. He is so boring!! They were delicious as usual and hit the snack spot!!! For anyone who has not had a dole whip, you are missing out!!!!! Honestly, I could eat one for breakfast.

Overall: great as always
OOP Price: $9.00

We left the park around 3 or so and headed over to Winter Summerland Mini golf course and played a few rounds of mini golf before dinner. We then headed over to our resort to get ready for dinner. We had a 7:50 ADR at California Grill this night. We left our resort around 7:15 and headed towards the COntemporary. We arrived around 7:35 and waited in a long line to check in. Let me just say that there was only one girl and a trainee checking people in and the poor trainee was very confused when a spanish lady was trying to check in because he could not understand her. Check in did take a little while, but we were eventually checked in, taken upstairs, and sat by 8:00. Wishes were set to go off around 9:00, so we had plenty of time to order and eat.

Our server Walter greeted us immediately. He took our drink orders, cokes for both, and left us to read over the menu. When he came back with our drinks, Walter gave us some recommendations on the menu. Of course we took his reccomendations because he has worked at California Grill for many years. For our appetizers, I got the goat cheese ravioli. Now, I am not a big goat cheese fan, but I figured I would go outside my box a little bit. It came in a nice light broth with some mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. It was very good, but a little too rich for my taste, so I only ate half of it. It was just not my thing. DH got the BLT flatbread. It comes with heirloom tomatoes, bacon, romaine, and lemon mayo. It was so delicious. The crust was nice and crispy as well. All of the flavors went so well together. DH said this was the best flatbread he had on the entire trip.

We had a slight wait for our entrees, but it was fine with us. We had a great view out the window and were enjoying our view. For our entrees, I got the pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta, button mushrooms, and zinfandel glaze. This was so good. The polenta was amazing and I am not a polenta person either. The pork was good good too and all of the flavors went well together. I would definitely order this again. DH got the filet with mashed potatoes, green beans, and teriyaki bbq. DH loves teriyaki and bbq, so he was sold on this dish. The filet came out cooked to medium as ordered and the sauce was magnificent. Once again all of these flavors went so well together. Walter suggested some great meals and we would definitely go back and order them again.

The fireworks started during our dinner and we had such a great view from our table. It was so romantic. After the fireworks, we ordered our desserts, valhorna chocolate cake with blackberry citrus sorbet, for both of us. We make something similar to this in the restaurant I work in and this was just as good, if not better than ours. The only downfall was that the cake is so rich. Great for chocolate lovers!! The sorbet was amazing though. The blackberry flavor was so good, with a hint of citrus. MMM!! Overall, we loved our food, server, and experience here and will definitely be going back there again.

Overall: excellent
Highs: flatbread, entrees, view
Lows: goat cheese ravioli (for me)
OOP Price: $188.34 (with tip)
4 TS credits used

 

[kdluscher]

Day 7, September 16:

So this was our last full day in Disney. And we just kind of took it easy this day. We woke up and headed to Magic Kingdom for breakfast. We have a tradition on our last Disney day and we get cinnamon rolls from the Main Street Bakery. These are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had in my life!! We got addicted to them a few years ago and now, never leave Disney without having one. For those of you who have never been to the Main Street Bakery, there is always a wait first thing in the morning for the pastries. They have cinnamon rolls, apple turnovers, danish, and breakfast sandwiches. There is always a line out the door and not a lot of seating. But it is totally worth it. These cinnamon rolls are gigantic and ooey, gooey. They are so sweet and delicious, I wish I had one of them now besides the bowl of Honey Nut Chex I ate this morning. These cinnamon rolls will cause cavities and weight gain, but it is worth every penny. Anyways, DH and I each got our own becuase there are two things we do not share in Disney, cinnamon rolls and dole whips!! Once again these were as amazing as always and we were full and rerady to start our day.

OOP price: $9.00

After breakfast and a quick ride on the Haunted Mansion, we heated over to Fantasia Gardens for a coupld rounds of mini golf. Unfortunately, we only got one course done before we had to head over to our lunch ADR. We had a 12:00 ressie at Rose and Crown Pub. We left Fantasia Gardens and walked over to Epcot. We were a few minutes late for our ADR, but they sat us right away. Our server was David and a trainee named Amy. They brought us our waters right away. We were so thristy from our walk we couldn't evern think of drinking soda.

They took our appetizer order rather quickly and they were out within minutes. I got the frisee and apple salad with candied nuts, craisins, and cranberry vinaigrette, but no blue cheese because I am allergic. This salad was delicious. I really liked the dressing, it wasn't too strong like craberries are, it had a nice sweetness to it. It complimented the apples and craisins well. DH got shrimp cocktail again. It came with plain old cocktail sauce as well. He said it was good, but not as good as the grand floridian cafe's.

After our appetizers, we had a little wait for our entrees. But it was brought out at a good speed. We both got the fish and chips. Now, I had heard good reviews about this restaurant and was excited to eat here, but we were a little upset with our dinners. The fish was bland and tasteless. It had no flavor and the batter just fell off of it. It wasn't crispy either. It was just medicore for us. I hope that other people had a better experience than us.

After our entrees, we figured we might as well try dessert. I got the sticky toffee pudding cake. This was really amazing. It was my favorite dessert of the whole trip. It had just the right amount of sweetness to it. It was sooo good. DH got the chocolate cheesecake with mocha. He really enjoyed this as well. He said the mocha falvor was faint, but still there and it went real well with the chocolate. He also said it was very light in texture. Overall, we were pleased with our appetizers and desserts, but a little disappointed with our entrees. We may give this place a try again, but not for a few years.

Overall: good
Highs: salad and dessert
Lows: fish and chips
OOP proce: $81.07 (with tip)