Two "Junior Seniors" Enjoying 7 Days on DxDP

[Kathy Z]

In 2009 we made 2 trips to WDW. The first was in May with granddaughters ages 7 & 10 (almost 8 & 11) with us. The DDP worked perfectly for that trip. We bounced back in December, just the two of us, and decided to not purchase any dining plan. I placed an order with Garden Grocer that took care of most of our breakfasts and snacks and we paid OOP for meals purchased at WDW.

We hadn’t planned on another trip to WDW in 2010 until I was among thousands that must have received that wonderful “monster pin” in late May. We took the bait and booked another December week to enjoy Christmas beauty and fun, Disney style, staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge with our nice 40% off room discount. By June I knew all the ADRs I wanted to try, many favorites and some new. We like a lot of Signature restaurants. The more I learned about the DxDP the more I thought it might be a good plan for us. No grocery order would be made because we’re happy with a late breakfast and early dinner with a snack in-between if needed. I knew going in that we would have a lot of snack credits that we would not use for food eaten there but we have 4 grandchildren, 3 of whom are old enough to eat all the snacks we could carry back home.

I’m sorry that I am not as creative or witty as many of the writers whose dining reviews helped me so immensely in making my decisions on new restaurants to try on our latest trip to the world. With few exceptions I did not attempt to take photos of the dining venues, they are available in so many other places. Sometimes, I was part way through a meal when I remembered to take a picture. And I failed miserably, photography-wise, when it came to In Room dining. That was a darn shame because the first morning that we had breakfast in our room was done complete with white linen and all.

Between booking our trip and making final payment we had 4 months of wondering if we would have to cancel or postpone it. My DH experienced his first episode of sudden onset vertigo in early July. He was hospitalized 3 days in July and 13 days in October. (The October stay was longer because of other incidental findings that came to light.) Fortunately, he was doing well enough that we were encouraged to stick with our plan and go on our now much needed vacation. But we did compromise and do it in a style I refer to as “Disney Light.” Part of this revised plan meant that we used In Room breakfast service 4 times.

Without further delay here are our week of meals on DxDP:

Arrival evening
Dinner: Boma

Day 2
Breakfast: Boma
Candlelight Processional Dinner Package: Le Cellier

Day 3
Breakfast: In Room Dining AKL for 1 person (shared)
Lunch: Yak & Yeti
Dinner: Artist Point

Day 4
Breakfast: leftovers & snack in room
Lunch: Plaza Restaurant
Dinner: Crystal Palace

Day 5
Breakfast: In Room Dining AKL for 1 person (shared)
Lunch: Les Chefs de France
Dinner: Yachtsman Steakhouse

Day 6
Breakfast: Tusker House
Lunch: Mara
Dinner: Wanyama Safari/Jiko (not on dining plan)

Day 7
Breakfast: In Room Dining AKL for 1 person (shared)
Lunch: Grand Floridian Café
Dinner: Flying Fish

Departure Day
Breakfast: In Room Dining AKL for DH, Boma for me

 

[Kathy Z]

Let the reviews begin!

Arrival Evening – Dinner: Boma
After concern in 2009 if we would arrive at our dinner destination in time following travel delays I simply booked Boma at our resort for arrival evening. We had eaten dinner here twice in 2009 and I knew that I liked it. This was a good plan as we spent the first 90 minutes seated aboard our aircraft at the gate waiting for de-icing to take place. Once we finally took off our flight was uneventful and we arrived at MCO late but safe. We were checked into our room in time to make our ADR but could not have made it to DTD or a park for our 6:30 pm ADR. I especially enjoy the wide variety of salads, breads and sides at Boma. DH likes their salmon but was disappointed in their beef this time. I’m one of the few who do not rave over Zebra Domes. This is probably because I don’t like coffee and they have a coffee flavor. I was disappointed that my favorite desserts from last year were not offered. Those were the pineapple upside down cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake. They did have a delicious caramel cheesecake this time. Was I as impressed with Boma dinner as much in 2010 as I was in 2009? No. Would I book it again? Maybe. It’s inside a beautiful resort and a convenient 1 TS buffet following a day spent in AK.

DH's first plate: chicken, mac & cheese, pineapple, muffins; closer to camera is my butternut squash soup

My first plate: variety of salads, pita, humus, muffin & falafel

My second plate: salmon, muffin, cracker bread, beef, falafel, fufu, greens, papaya, avacado, corn pudding, a dab of mac & cheese

I only had room left for: apple cobbler, raisin bread pudding & caramel cheesecake

Amount of bill without tip: $70.27 2 Entitlements Used 40 Deluxe Cp Rm

 

[tluvstink]

Great review! One of these days I'm going to try Boma.

Looking forward to more

Terri

 

[SnwflkCts]

I already love it too! Bring on more!

.... BOMA .... I haven't checked that out either. Too many restaurants ... guess I gotta keep going back until I hit them all!

 

[Kathy Z]

Hi Terri and family with many cats. I'm happy to introduce you to Boma in the AKL. Here's my dining reviews for day 2, our first full day at WDW. It begins back in - Boma!

Day 2
Breakfast: Boma
Now that we were finally staying at AKL we wanted to experience breakfast at Boma. I’m so glad that we did. I really enjoyed this but I don’t know that I would take the trouble to travel via Disney transportation to make it here for breakfast. If you’re staying at AKL either Jambo House or Kidani Village or have your own car I highly recommend Boma for breakfast if you enjoy buffets but don’t need to have characters. My favorite part of Boma’s breakfast buffet is their made to order omelet station, so much more to my liking than the standard scrambled eggs at other venues. I took a photo while my omelet was being made but once I had it on my plate I went directly to our table and had eaten it without remembering to take a photo of my plate. I did redeem myself by photographing my omelet on our departure day before consuming it! There were plentiful meat, cereal, fruit and pastry selections in addition to a few vegetable, dairy and casserole options. And then there is that yummy juice that our server kept offering. I know it is too sweet for some tastes but not mine. I balanced it by also having a pot of tea.

Omelet Station

What was still on my plate when I remembered to take photo. The omelet was great as was the grilled tomato and crispy bacon, none of which are shown. These pastries were also delicious, especially the small sticky cinnamon bun

Amount of bill without tip: $40.45 2 Entitlements Used 38 Deluxe Cp Rm

We spent the rest of the day in EPCOT. If you like sweets you have got to be sure to go to the new Karamel Kuche at Germany in the World Showcase. The following are just of small sample of why I say this.

Karamel Kuche offerings in Germany World Showcase. All but the caramel apples are available as a snack credit. The apples were 9.95

 

[Kathy Z]

Continuing with Day 2
Dinner: Candlelight Processional Package at Le Cellier
Hooray, I was one of the lucky ones that got right through to Disney Dining at 7 am on the morning they began taking CPP ADRs! An early Le Cellier dinner for the 6:45 show was my goal and I got just what I requested. It is so much fun to be at Le Cellier when they open. Before seating anyone the wait staff asks everyone checked in to stand while they sing their national anthem. Their leader was very funny as she invited us to join in if we knew the words and helped us by reminding us that the first word was “O.” She then robustly sang in French as did the majority of the other servers while I tried desperately to remember the words I had learned during the Vancouver Olympic games which I could hear a few of the staff singing in English. It was a great start to a fantastic meal and a wonderful evening.

I learned last year how much I love their cheddar cheese soup despite the high salt content (something I normally try to avoid) and so there was no question as to what I would order for my appetizer. DH and I each began with a bowl of the decadently delicious soup. I also requested double pretzel sticks and the multigrain bread stick, omitting the sour dough. We each ordered the filet and they were each incredibly tender, flavorful and cooked perfectly as ordered; medium rare for DH and medium rare plus for me. DH had his as featured with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce. I ordered mine with the cream cheese mashed potatoes. Since breakfast had been over 7 hours earlier we still had room for dessert. DH ordered a warm fruit cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream and I ordered a berry sorbet with a fruit sauce drizzled over it. Sorry, I didn’t write down what it was but I know it was delicious and I finished it all. I had made note on all of our dinner ADRs and some of the lunch ones that we were celebrating our anniversary and Le Cellier was one of the restaurants that acknowledged this. Theirs was the prettiest presentation.

Le Cellier's famous cheddar cheese soup

Filet with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce

Our specially presented desserts

Amount of food bill without tip: $132.04 (CPP Pricing) 4 Entitlements Used 34 Deluxe Cp Rm

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait for more ...

 

[Joshua_me]

LUV-ing the reviews so far !

You have a very lovely and casual writing style that makes them a pleasure to read...

Looking forward to your next "culinary adventure" !

 

[jedijill]

Fantastic reviews! Glad your DH was well enough to travel.


Jill in CO

 

[Kathy Z]

It has been fun to write this review, it's a nice way to relive a wonderfully relaxing week at one of our favorite places. I'm glad some are enjoying it.

Day 3
Breakfast: In Room Dining. You can call the evening before to order breakfast and provide a 30-minute window for when you wish to have it delivered. They will call you when they are on the way if you would like. This is the way I always ordered. We knew that In Room dining counts as 2 entitlements per person but also that tax AND gratuity are already included. We also knew that there would be enough food on an omelet order to feed the 2 of us since we would be having lunch in another 4 hours. So we ordered breakfast for 1 and shared. In 2010, breakfast still included 2 drinks so we ordered coffee for DH (you receive a pot of coffee with enough for 2 to 3 mugs full) and a large glass of orange juice, which we split. I think it was about 16 ounces. We choose the Ham and Cheese 3 Egg Omelet from the Entrée Selections. The Omelets are served with choice of Breakfast Potatoes or fresh Fruit and Sausage or Bacon. We were also offered Toast – White, Wheat, Rye, Multigrain or English Muffin. Plentiful containers of preserves were also supplied. I chose the potatoes and asked for the bacon to be crispy and our order was delivered exactly as requested. This is such an easy, relaxing way to start the day. My apologies that I never remembered to take a photo of our room service breakfasts.

Amount of bill including trip charge AND gratuity $36.15 2 Entitlements Used 32 Deluxe Cp Rm

Lunch: Yak & Yeti
This was our first time to dine at Yak & Yeti. We were led upstairs and seated at a table away from the windows. I ordered the wonton soup while DH ordered the Wok-Fried Green Beans - battered green beans, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce. We knew there would be plenty of the green beans to share from reading dining reviews by others. The soup was what you’d expect but it was nice and warm and this was the second record breaking low temperature day in a row for the Orlando area. I had all the soup but just a few of the crispy wontons. We both thought the green beans were great and they kept us occupied until our entrées arrived. We each had the Crispy Mahi Mahi - filet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables. This was very tasty. The portions were huge. If we were not on the dining plan we could easily be satisfied splitting this entrée. DH finished most of his while I left almost half of mine on the plate. Being so full we decided to share a dessert. There was no question as to what that would be. We ordered the New York Cheesecake - New York cheesecake, mango and strawberry coulis. It was divine. We liked it so much we really could have each eaten a whole serving but we knew that we were already putting on extra pounds and we did try to exercise some restraint.


Our appetizers at Yak & Yeti - Plenty of green beans to share.

Crispy Mahi Mahi entree - after half of the Mahi Mahi was eaten.

Cheesecake

Amount of bill without tip: $63.95 2 Entitlements Used 30 Deluxe Cp Rm

Dinner: Artist Point
AP was one of our two favorite restaurants in 2009 and remains a favorite following this meal. Wilderness Lodge is beautifully decorated for the holidays. We were offered a champagne toast in honor of our anniversary that we happily accepted. Last year I discovered my favorite soup of all time and I had to have it again. We each ordered Smokey Portobello Soup - with Roasted Shiitakes and Chive Oil. It’s so delicious that if I were eating it at home I would lick my bowl but good manners prevented me from doing this at AP. Last year our server kindly supplied the recipe when I mentioned how much I loved the soup but I have never been inclined to learn how to smoke the mushrooms to make it myself so I will have to be content with just ordering it each time we are at WDW. A nice basket of bread is served at AP, soft on the inside with a thin crunchy crust. We also each ordered their signature Cedar Plank Roasted Wild King Salmon - with Roasted Baby Fennel, Marble Potatoes, Pinot Noir Beurre Rouge, and Crispy Truffle Chips with instructions that we like the salmon prepared medium. After finishing all of my delicious meal, the complimentary champagne, a slice or two of bread and a glass of wine I had no room at all for dessert. But I asked if I could get their cobbler in a container to go and our server said “certainly, no problem.” DH likes plain vanilla ice cream so that is what he chose. Our thought was that he would have the ice cream that would have been served on my cobbler since obviously I asked that my “to go” container only contain the cobbler. But his large dish of ice cream was added separately on the bill – not a biggie since we were on the meal plan.

Smokey Portobello Soup

Vegetables served with entree

And then the Cedar Planked Wild King Salmon was transferred to plate tableside

Amount of food bill without tip: $112.89 4 Entitlements Used 26 Deluxe Cp Rm

 

[KandD]

Thank you for sharing your great reviews!

It looks like you had a wonderful vacation!

 

[vettegirl]

Excellent reviews so far, Boma for breakfast looks amazing!!

 

[Kathy Z]

You're welcome. Yes, we did have a great vacation!

Day 4 – Another record low temperature for the date at Orlando Airport: 32 degrees
Breakfast: Snacks and leftovers in our room. I had used a snack credit at our gift shop last night for a small bottle of orange juice. We split that along with my cobbler from AP. This was all that was needed to tide us over until our 11:05 am lunch ADR.

Lunch: Plaza Restaurant
I know that most people feel the Plaza is not a good value for using TS credits but we had plenty to use and I love the Plaza. I’ll eat here every trip whether on the meal plan or not. If we were only on the regular dining plan I would pay out of pocket for the Plaza and save my TS credits for other places. With our tiny breakfast we had an early lunch at 11:05 am. We also had an early dinner planned so that we would have plenty of time to find curb positions for MSEP and Wishes. I ordered my only soft drink of the week at the Plaza. I need a cola to really enjoy my delicatessen type foods. DH ordered coffee. DH and I each ordered a hot creamy potato soup to begin followed by Grilled Reuben’s - thinly sliced corned beef on grilled marble rye with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing (requested only small amount of dressing.) At the Plaza sandwiches are served with choice of broccoli slaw, homemade chips or French fries. I had the broccoli slaw in 2009 and found it to be very good so we each ordered that with our sandwiches. Despite the still cold outdoor temperature who could resist ice cream at the Plaza? Not us! We each had a hot fudge sundae for dessert – yummy!

Hot creamy potato soup

Reuben sandwich with broccoli slaw

Amount of bill without tip: $47.95 2 Entitlements Used 24 Deluxe Cp Rm

Dinner: Crystal Palace
We had lunch at CP in 2009 when our granddaughters were with us. We all enjoyed the beautiful restaurant, the delightful Winnie the Pooh along with his friends Tigger, Eyeore and Piglet, and the buffet where even our 7 year-old picky eater was satisfied. Because of its convenient location near the center of the MK I decided to have dinner there. The character interaction was still wonderful. They treated us like big kids, having lots of fun with us and I appreciated that – especially Tigger who was a real clown. I was a bit disappointed in the food selections and found only one item noteworthy. The coconut flan from the dessert array was delicious. It was so velvety smooth and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness and coconut. The fact that I only chose to sample 3 desserts (I’ll usually try more at a buffet) shows that I was not that impressed with their offerings over all. Would I book Crystal Palace again? Yes, but only for an early breakfast to get into the park before opening. That’s a goal I have for the future.

This Tigger was very friendly and silly

DH's first selections

My first selections

Pooh and my DH, Bill

A small portion of the dessert selections

Amount of bill without tip: $78.79 2 Entitlements Used 22 Deluxe Cp Rm

 

[Kathy Z]

Excellent reviews so far, Boma for breakfast looks amazing!!

Thanks to your husband for serving our country. My niece met her husband while serving in the Air Force. They're both retired from the service now and they also live in the San Antonio area. Cue music - "It's a small, small world." Sorry, I could not resist that, this is a Disney discussion forum after all.

Day 5
Breakfast: In Room dining had worked so perfectly for us on day 3 that we repeated it again with one minor change. I expected that if I requested the fruit option in place of the potatoes that it would be mixed fruit consisting of mainly melon which does not agree with either of us. So I asked if we could select fruit but have all pineapple. The person I spoke with on the phone was not sure but made the notation and we received a nice dish of fresh pineapple with our ham and cheese omelet crispy bacon, toast, coffee & juice. We again split service for one, which provided plenty to feed the two of us.

Amount of bill including trip charge AND gratuity $36.15 2 Entitlements Used 20 Deluxe Cp Rm

Lunch: Chefs de France
OK, I’ll admit it; I booked this solely to be visited by Remy. Aware of his schedule we made a noon ADR. We showed up to check-in about 11:45 so we were the first waiting when the cast member brought her podium outdoors. This gave us the benefit of being the first seated at a window side 2 top; such a perfect location that we didn’t mind at all the small size of the table. I even managed to get a few photos taken before the place was filled with the first round of customers. A nice slender baguette is served here. We both began with Soupe a l' oignon gratinee - Onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese. It was served nice and hot and the cheese was gooey just as it should be. It was very delicious but I could already notice my feet swelling due to the high sodium content. DH ordered Quiche Lorraine - ham and cheese quiche; an individual little pie accompanied by a nice salad of spring greens dressed with a vinaigrette dressing. I so wish that I had ordered the same thing as he did. I made the mistake of ordering a chicken crepe. It was over cooked and extremely salty. It was large enough to fill my plate but I ate less than half of it. I would have much preferred something smaller and served with a salad.

Shortly after our entrees were delivered an interesting sideshow began outside of the windows. It was a balancing act. We watched in amazement as the one performer ultimately ended up balancing atop seven chairs stacked atop a table that was supported by 4 bottles! No sooner had that act finished than Remy and his handler appeared at our table. The handler noticed our “Happy Anniversary” buttons and said, “I see that it is your anniversary. You may take my picture.” He leaned in for a close-up. I snapped the photo and he quickly said “That will be $5. Oh, I see that you are on the Deluxe Plan, it’s included.” We were asked if either of us spoke Rat. I responded with some silly squeaks and was informed that Remy said I was close, that I was speaking Mouse. Yes, I am just a kid at heart on her first year of Medicare.

I talked DH into sharing a dessert. We had a trio of sorbets (we selected mango, lemon & coconut) with fresh fruits and a crispy light Palmier. It was as tasty as it was beautiful; just the right portion to share when eating so much more food than we are used to eating.
This restaurant was a real mix for me. I loved it for its atmosphere and special attractions but not for the food. I would most likely go again if there was still the possibility of seeing Remy but would most likely do it off the dining plan and only order a salad or cheese plate and dessert rather than a full lunch. Servers at all of our ADRs were pleasant and efficient so that never became a deciding factor for us in whether we liked a place.

Les Chefs de France before being filled with people

Les Chefs de France window table for two

A baguette, naturally

French onion soup

Quiche and salad

The crepe I did not like at all

Balancing act to watch outside of our window

Remy!!!

Remy's handler leaning in for a close-up

Colorful and delicious trio of sorbets and berries

Amount of bill without tip: $51.60 2 Entitlements Used 18 Deluxe Cp Rm

 

[John's Mom]

Kathy, great reviews and pics!

 

[wdwfanatic316]

Really enjoying your reviews! Thanks for sharing!

 

[inkedupmomma]

subbing! Love your writing style! and you two are TOO cute for words

 

[Rohais]

Great reviews - I've really enjoyed reading them so far!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Love your reviews! You went to a bunch of places I'm interested in trying - that's too bad the atmosphere was better than the food at Chefs de France. Remy's handler sounds pretty hilarious though!

 

[lulubelle]

I love your reviews so far! Thank you so much for the detail and pics. I especially love your self described selves as Junior Seniors.