WDW Dining with our Princess and Stitch! Updated with Cape May Cafe Dinner!

[DessertGirl]

 

[Ginamarie]

The next morning we had breakfast at POFQ. No pictures here, but it was good and quick. Ariel and I split a Mickey waffle- delicious and fun looking, and Buzz went for biscuts with gravy. He said the gravy was really tasty, and it makes a nice breakfast without being pricey at all.

For lunch, we went to Coral Reef. The ambiance was kind of cool, but you couldn’t see much of the tank from where we were sitting. There were seats even worse than ours though, and I felt badly for the people in the awful seats. I think I'd hyped up the idea of eating in the aquarium too much (Ariel loves that attraction and I thought she'd appreciate it), and pictured the restaurant differently, so it was kind of a disappointment that way.

Ariel ordered a kids pizza with carrots and apple slices. Buzz had the “lobster salad” which came with a lobster salad and a cup of lobster bisque. The first cup of bisque was cold, so we complained and were given a slightly larger, definitely hotter dish. The taste was incredible though. That might be the nicest lobster bisque on property. Buzz said the salad was pretty good, but not spectacular. I went basic, with a Caesar salad with grilled chicken. This was a very good salad. It’s pretty hard to screw up Caesar salad, but this was very good- only the best parts of the lettuce, plenty of Parmesan cheese and croutons, and the chicken was perfect. I’ve found that the new “trend” with salad is leaving the leaves whole rather than chopping them up. I’m kind of indifferent about that, though it did make it tougher for me to eat with Stitch on my lap and only one hand available to eat with. The bread was also really good (a little crusty on the outside, but hot and soft on the inside), especially dipped in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We ended the meal with a Chocolate Wave dessert, which was delicious. I love molten chocolate cake, and think this one is probably as good as the one at Kona Cafe (though different). Ariel ate all of the raspberries, and was pleased with that. However, from the time we finished our entrees to the time we paid the bill was almost an hour. The waiter seemed to disappear after the entrees were served, and getting dessert, and then the bill, took far too long.

The lobster salad

The chocolate wave

I'd give the food at Coral Reef a 3.5/5. The bread was a winner. The caesar salad was very good, but the lobster salad was hit (soup, after we got a hot one) and miss (salad portion). Dessert was also a winner. I'm scoring a little low, because what we ordered was pretty simple, so it should have been perfect.

Service/Ambiance gets a 3/5. The seats near the tank are probably nice, but that's only 1/4 of the restaurant. If you're up near the top, it's more like a dark room with a fish tank in the distance. Service was good for the first half of the meal, but then tailed off.

Overall, we did ok at Coral Reef, but I'm not in a hurry to go back. I'd be willing to give them another chance, but there are so many places in Epcot that I enjoy more, that it will take awhile to get me back there. If you DO go there, the bisque is a good choice, as is the chocolate wave.

 

[Ginamarie]

I'm so excited by your B&C review!
Was the kids grilled cheese on the menu or did you have to order it special? It isn't listed on the All Ears menu.

I have two very picky eaters. DD favorite is grilled cheese and DS loves hot dogs. It was suprisingly difficult to find any place with both hot dogs AND grilled cheese.

We're staying at BC so I'm excited to have a great option so close.

Thanks!

The grilled cheese wasn't on the menu, but the waitress mentioned it to us when we were trying to figure out what to order, and DD jumped at it. I'm pretty sure they make a bunch of these, since it's easy to make on the grill they have.

 

[scanne]

CAn't wait to read your reviews!

 

[gardengirl628]

Count me in!
We are wanting to try B&C when we visit in November, but I am hesitant with the no adr's. We'll see.
Thanks for the great reviews!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Dh will be thrilled to hear about the biscuits and gravy at POFQ...we are staying there in Oct for the first time

 

[flea1267]

Your DD "Ariel" is sooooo CUTE!!!!

 

[Ginamarie]

Thanks again everyone!

For dinner, we went to the Rose and Crown Pub. I love the Rose and Crown. We've been lucky and sat on the terrace before, but not on all of our vacations. However, when I approached the podium there was a guest there having a HISSY FIT because the staff couldn't guarantee her a seat on the patio for Illuminations. I know from previous visits that this has been the policy for a long time, but she had it in her head that they come to WDW every year and every year they get seats on the patio because they ask for them. She was cursing a lot. Her husband was getting irate and kept pointing out that they spent ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS on this vacation, and apparently the Rose and Crown staff was ruining their vacation. Meanwhile, the line was being held up uncessarily, while these people kept lashing out at the employees. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and butted in "but they're offering to let you onto the patio for the fireworks anyway!!" She told me to ... well I can't type here what she told me to do, but it was rather obscene. She did walk away though. Afterwards the employees apologized to me for her misbehavior, but I told them they had no reason to apologize, besides, I'm from NY, it takes a lot more than that to insult me. At least we had a good laugh after she left.

We were seated at the Rose and Crown almost immediately, at an indoor table, but we didn't mind. We were right next to the bar, which was a little noisy, but again, didn't mind. I actually found them pretty entertaining to watch and listen to.

As usual, DH and I ordered the fish and chips. I don't know how the Rose and Crown makes their fish so good. It had a nice crunchy crust and the fish inside is fresh and cooked perfectly. My one disappointment was that although the menu price appears to be the same as last year, they've dropped the peas from the dish. I've always liked my peas with the fish and chips because it helps balance the dish out from being completely fried. I guess this is a sign of the economic times. In any case, all of my fish and chips were consumed gladly, without the use of ketchup or tartar sauce, as this fish tastes good enough that it doesn't need anything extra. DH used some of his tartar sauce. To each his own.

I also tried the magic star cocktail here. I was a little disappointed in it. This is a pricy drink, at around $9, and there was a good deal of ice in mine. Plus it seemed a little too sweet for me. Before the end of the meal, DH and Ariel had broken my glow cube as well. So it was an all around failure in the drinks department.

I was too full to have a dessert after dinner, and Illuminations was getting ready to start, so we skipped that course and just went out to the patio. Of course the $11,000 vacation family was standing out there as well. I guess they didn't get their patio seating despite their expensive vacation.

OK, time for the rundown:

For food I give the Rose and Crown Pub 4.75/5- I'm marking them down only because my drink was full of ice, and because I miss the peas with my fish and chips.

For ambiance/service- 4.5/5 Our waiter was fairly attentive, but despite his promises to get us out to the patio on time, we wound up leaving without him. He seemed a little behind the eight ball. Also, being so near the bar was noisy and made it difficult to have a conversation.

 

[medicgirl911]

Aw your DD is absolutely adorable! I liked your line about being from New York taking a lot to upset you LOL I would have had to of jumped in to that fight as well. EVERYONE is paying a lot for their vacations..some people Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Ginamarie]

Tuesday morning we were at Downtown Disney. Being on a budget for this trip meant that shopping happened quickly, but it also meant plenty of time for a stop at Goofy's Candy Company. This place is really cool. There are so many different treats, it would take me a year to try them all. As tempting as the cupcakes and chocolate things looked, I had my heart set on some make-your-own pretzels. I had them dipped in dark chocolate, and then one each rolled in reeses pieces, dark chocolate chips and oreo cookies, and THEN drizzled with caramel. Buzz opted for a rice crispy treat dipped in dark chocolate and covered with rainbow sprinkles, reeses pieces and something else I can't remember. We watched them being made, and then they were tucked into the fridge to cool off. Meanwhile, Buzz made a make-your-own Stitch mug. He wanted to fill it with a coke slushy, but the machine was wonky, so he got strawberry instead. He and Ariel slurped that up FAST. The treats were fantastic. We took them back to the hotel and ate them slowly over the next few days. I couldn't eat more than one of those pretzels at a time if I wanted to, and the reeses pieces one I only ate half at a time.

Here I am with my sweet treat:



For my review:

Food 5/5- I think this is a great value for a snack at WDW. We ate a lot of desserts- I should know. I love that you can bring these back to your room to enjoy and I'm hoping to take some home with me on our next trip. I will be back!

Ambiance/Service 4/5- The service was fine, aside from the broken coke slushy machine. I score this one at less than perfect because it could certainly use some more seating inside and outside. There were two tables set up outside, and I had to fight to get one of them. I can see this being a problem when they're busier.

 

[msce2]

Wow! I'm so impressed you stood up to that lady!!! Everyone spent lots of money on their vacation and to insist that you deserve it more than someone else is just ridiculous.

Rose & Crown sounds so yummy! Makes me wish we had it on our list for next week! Thank you for the wonderful reviews!!!!

 

[Ginamarie]

Wow! I'm so impressed you stood up to that lady!!! Everyone spent lots of money on their vacation and to insist that you deserve it more than someone else is just ridiculous.

Rose & Crown sounds so yummy! Makes me wish we had it on our list for next week! Thank you for the wonderful reviews!!!!

I was trying not to say anything, but eventually I couldn't stand it anymore. Like you said, we're all paying money to be in WDW. It made me upset to see the way she was treating the employees, who were just doing their job. No one should be treated that way. I always remind myself that I'm on vacation, but the CMs aren't- they're working! A lot of them are out there for long hours and in the heat of the day, and they work hard- they deserve respect.

I see you're leaving for WDW in a couple of days. Have a great time!!!

 

[Ginamarie]

We had a quick lunch on Tuesday, knowing that Ohana loomed for dinner and we'd want to be hungry.

Ariel and Buzz split a hot dog platter. It was nicely sized and tasted good. I opted for my beef taco salad in a tortilla bowl. This was also good- filled with beef and cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, onions, and black olives. I didn't like the olives, and it was a pain having to pick them out. I would have ordered it without the olives, but DH did the ordering and didn't realize they were in there. Otherwise, I was really happy with the meal, and I ate the entire thing, though it was large.

The POFQ food court was relatively empty when we visited it in the afternoons. They do an excellent job of maintaining the place though. The staff is visible and attentive, and they clean off the tables quickly. The drinks area is also being cleaned all the time, which is nice, because otherwise it would get sticky and gross.

Anyway, not too much to say about the food court, but it served its purpose!
Here's a picture of it!

 

[Ginamarie]

We checked in for dinner at Ohana, but the strange part was that most of the chairs seemed to be missing from the Tambu Lounge. It was the strangest thing. I sat on the floor near the windows to nurse, and enjoyed the view that way, but slightly perplexed since they needed more seats up there!

Our server at Ohana was ok, but there was something a little off about him. When we went to seat us, he questioned “that’s all of you?” I think he was disappointed because we were seated at a 6-top table, and our bill would only be for two adults and one child. This is only a guess about why he seemed annoyed, but that’s my opinion. Anyway, the food was incredible. A lot of people complain about the menu changes at Ohana, and I’ll agree that I miss the cheesy potatoes, because those were great. However, we like the noodles they’ve substituted! We pretty much finished that plate of noodles. Broccoli was good. I like mine cooked a little longer, but the taste was good, and it was what you’d expect from restaurant broccoli. Ariel went crazy on the chicken wings. I agree, they were good, but not as good as the Kona wings. I didn’t eat too much of the wings though because I was holding Stitch, so they were tough to maneuver. The salad was also really good. Buzz didn’t like it as much as I did, but a good deal of it was eaten by the time we were done. Potstickers were also good. I only ate one, because I was saving room for the main course, but Buzz kept sneaking more of them onto his plate. Then it was time for the skewers. Beef came around first, and it was REALLY good. I think I ate like four pieces of the beef alone before the meal was over. Next came the turkey and pork. These weren’t as good as the beef, but they were still really good, especially with some of the dipping sauces. I ate all of mine. We had to wait a little while for the shrimp, but it was worth the wait. I ate about five of them, and I could have eaten more, but I was trying to save a little room for dessert, plus the beef guy came around again and I snuck in my last piece of that. As we were eating, Ariel got up to dance and to do a coconut race. She loved the entertainment and the flower leis, and like I said, the chicken wings. Buzz said he loved the steak and shrimp, but wasn't crazy about the pork or turkey. He's generally not a port eater though.
Dessert was the infamous banana bread pudding, and scrumptious as usual. I left most of it for Buzz because I'd eaten so much of the meat that I was too stuffed.



Food- I give the food a 5/5. I could have eaten until I exploded. It was just so good! We will be back here without a doubt.
Service and Ambiance- 4.5/5. I love the ambiance in this restaurant. It's hopping and fun. I love the dancing and the coconut races and the flower leis. Our server was decent, but I wasn't sure why he had an attitude with us except for what I might have mentioned above.

 

[Ginamarie]

We had reservations for an early breakfast at Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom. It was nice getting into the park early, and taking some pictures without having other people around. There was a LONG line at the check in podium. I guess because we were in the first group of people to get into the park and get into the restaurant. We checked in and were sent to a second, equally long line to have our picture taken. I wish they wouldn't do these mandatory photos, especially because when they came around to our table, they wanted $30 for the photo package. Our photo had come out cute, but I wasn't spending $30 for it. Anyway, that's my gripe.

Tusker House has a very large buffet set-up, but I didn’t get to see much of it because Stitch was in a mood when we got there. He spent most of the meal nursing and grumping, and grumping and nursing. I liked what I ate, but I didn’t eat all that much because of all the baby stress. What I do remember is that they had chocolate croissants (my favorite), but they were small ones. I must have eaten three or four of these alone. The fruit was fresh and plentiful. I stuck to some pineapple slices, but Buzz and Ariel ate a few different types of fruit. The eggs were pretty good (not over or undercooked, as you sometimes find at buffets). Bacon was also good. I would have liked some cheesy potatoes, but Buzz couldn't find any at the buffet, so I don't think they had any. The character interaction was very good. We saw Donald, Mickey, Daisy and Goofy. Service was also good. I don't remember seeing our waitress a lot, but my juice glass (with the wonderful tropical blend of juice they serve) was never empty, and Buzz had all the coffee he wanted. Plus our empty plates magically disappeared. So I have no complaints there.

I promise, the food review are going to be better! Stitch had a couple of bad meals in a row, but we did better later on! Also, some good food pictures are coming up





Food: I'm not sure it's fair to comment on the food here. I'd probably call it a 4.25/5. The selection didn't seem to be as good as Boma's breakfast spread, though it was more convenient being right there in the park. I would do this breakfast again, and think I'm going to add it to our next trip itinerary.

Ambiance/Service: The ambiance here is great. The restaurant is cute and well maintained. The buffet is large and has a good variety of food (from what I saw). Our waitress was friendly and kept things running smoothly and without delay. I score it a 4.75/5, marking them down only for the long lines and the mandatory expensive picture taking.

 

[Ginamarie]

We figured Ariel couldn’t wait to eat dinner, so before the parade started, we stopped at the Flame Tree BBQ. She insisted that she just wanted a bottle, but we ordered her a chicken kids’ meal, and she ate almost the entire two chicken drumsticks and side of grapes. I tasted the chicken, and it was very good. The BBQ flavor wasn't too heavy, but it added great flavor, and the chicken wasn't dried out at all (as sometimes happens when you BBQ it). I was actually feeling sad that we didn't schedule a full meal at Flame Tree (and that Ariel ate almost all of the food, because I would have liked some more of it!) The kids meals here are a great deal, $4.99 for the drumsticks, milk and grapes.

There was a very large bird hanging around our bench in front of Flame Tree, just walking around and not bothering anyone, but you wouldn’t believe how many people felt compelled to try to spook the bird. People can be such jerks sometimes! The bird wouldn't have bothered me, except that when it got spooked, it would flap around it's wings and squawk, and it was right next to me.

Food: I give the food a 5/5- it was a nice surprise, a great value, and I wanted more of it, but I didn't want to spoil my appetite for dinner.

Ambiance/Service: Lines were a little long, but nothing outrageous. The ambiance was tough to comment on- with it being outside, you have to contend with some birds and ducks and they have no problem coming right up to your feet. THAT didn't bother me, but the people bothering the birds did. I'll rate it 3/5.

 

[Ginamarie]

Yak and Yeti

I have some better reviews here and some food pics, but I warn you, Stitch
was having another cranky meal. Buzz and I took turns walking around with him because he didn’t want to sit still.

The check-in line was short at this restaurant, but there was some trouble with the woman at the podium. She was trying to turn her reservation for six into a party of ten or something like that. The cast member did a good job of accommodating her despite the last minute changes, especially because the restaurant was rather full. We were seated upstairs, which wasn't a problem, as they have an elevator and the bathrooms are right at the bottom of the stairs/elevator.

Ariel had already eaten, so she just had some milk. We skipped the appetizers, but Buzz ordered a Berry Cherry Limeade, which he said was sweeter than he imagined it would be.

Buzz ordered the duck, which he didn’t love, but he admitted afterwards that he just doesn’t love duck all that much. His portion size was good though- a half duck atop some jasmine rice with vegetables on the side. Despite his mediocre review and having to walk around with Stitch, he ate most of this entree.

I ordered the steak and shrimp combo, which was great! There were 5-6 shrimp, cooked perfectly and delicious with the plum dipping sauce. The skirt steak was lean and marinaded very well. The jasmine rice was cooked perfectly, and I ate every morsel of it, like every single grain of rice on the plate. I would have started eating the remainder of Buzz's jasmine rice too, but I didn't like the wasabi sauce from the duck and most of the leftover rice was covered in it at that point.

The dessert menu was a little disappointing. They had an option for a brownie sundae, which I would have liked, but it was a "sundae for two" and there was no way I could eat it on my own. So I skipped dessert. Buzz ordered the mango pie, which he really enjoyed. I was surprised at the size of it, which was a giant hunk of pie.







Food: The food was good. I've read some bad reviews of this place recently, but that wasn't our experience at all. The portions were all nicely sized, the food wasn't greasy, I loved my entree and Buzz loved his mango pie. I give it 4.5/5

Ambiance/Service: The ambiance in this restaurant is awesome. There are trinkets everywhere, and nothing is spared in the name of theming. I got a good look at this because of having to walk around with Stitch. Service was great. Our waitress was attentive. She kept my soda glass full and moved things at a good pace. I rate this one a 5/5.

 

[mickeyplanner08]

Yay! I'm glad you are back. I'm enjoying your reviews!

 

[Ginamarie]

Cinderella's Royal Table

There was a pretty long wait to get into the castle. It was weird because they told us not to check in until 5 minutes before our reservation time, but then we waited outside of the castle doors and when we got inside there was a long line to take our picture with Cinderella. Ariel started to have a bit of a breakdown at this point, I think being hungry and tired and just generally a little out of it. She was cranky and not sure she wanted to see Cinderella and I started to fear that the special meal I’d planned for her was about to go terribly off course. Luckily, when we got up to Cinderella, she changed her mind a little, and then Cinderella was so sweet with her that Ariel changed her mood completely. Ariel walked right over to where Cinderella’s seat was and sat right on the chair as if SHE owned it. When the photo was done, we were given a wand for Ariel and a sword for baby Stitch, and told to wait again. This time, there was about a five minute wait to hear our name called. It was funny because one of the greeters yelled the family names really loudly, and the other spoke softly, so you'd be trying to hear the soft spoken greeter and then the loud one would blast your ear off. The best part was that the loud greeter mispronounced every name she read, even easy ones like Martinez.

We had pretty good seats in the restaurant, right in the middle of the floor, and right away the waitress took our drink orders and brought out our appetizer plate.



The appetizer plate was pretty pitiful. It had a couple of slices of salami, a little bit of artichoke, a couple of olives, a couple of cubes of cheese and two crustini with tomato on top. Ariel wound up eating all of the salami and some of the cheese. I knew she was hungry. For entrees, Buzz and I both chose the Major Domo’s pie, which is like a sheppard’s pie. Ariel had chicken nuggets. Stitck nursed throughout a good portion of the meal, as he tended to do. I guess he figured he didn’t want to be left out from eating.

I thought the entrees were actually very good, though I pushed aside the small amount of zucchini that was on top. There was plenty of beef and the veggies were cooked well and I enjoyed the burgundy sauce. It was served in a little bread bowl type crust, which I loved as well. I would consider it an upscale beef pot pie. Ariel did decently with her nuggets and I ate the remainder in her plate. The nuggets were better than I expected, crunchy on the outside and nice white meat in the middle. The chocken soup that came with it was kind of lame though- very much like you'd get out of a Campbell's Soup can. The princesses at this meal each got a long announced introduction before entering the room, which was kind of cool. Since I’d booked this as Ariel’s birthday meal, we got a birthday certificate which each of the princesses signed as they came around. We saw Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Belle. Ariel was very pleased, although we had a mishap with Belle. As she came to the table, she said “hello princess,” and Ariel got so surprised/excited/etc that she leapt off of her chair face first. There was crying. Poor Belle felt horrible, and told Ariel about how she’s been known to fall and trip all the time too. After we’d seen all of the princesses, it was time for dessert. I ordered the chocolate buckle, which was kind of like a cross between a muffin and a croissant. It was good. Buzz had some kind of berry sorbet, and for Ariel out came a tiny birthday cakelet with a candle alongside her ice cream sundae with a little chocolate crown on top. We all sang for her, and she blew out the candle and ate all of the mickey sprinkles that were on the cake. I tried the cake part and thought it was actually very good and moist, but I was too full to eat her it after my dessert!





Food: The appetizer was pitiful, like I said. I would love to see the appetizers for lunch set up like dinner, with a choice of soup or salad. The entrees were enjoyable. I can only speak to the Major Domo pie, but I would order it again, because I liked it so much. I thought the portion size was decent though not great. Desserts were good. I'd rate the food 4.5/5, marked down because of the lame appetizer course.

Ambiance/Service: Our waitress was sweet, prompt, and attentive. She was great. The ambiance can't be beat in the castle. It's a gorgeous room, filled with princesses and everyone speaks to you as if you're royalty. 5/5 hands down. I love that they gave Ariel a special certificate for the princesses to sign and castle confetti all over the table.

I would come back to Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast or lunch. Since the princesses don't come around to the tables for dinner, I won't be springing for that.

 

[angelsmith52]

Great so far! I am in!