Disney Dining Reviews for 12/8-12/17
Hi,
Since I definitely use the dining reviews when planning my trip, I thought I would share our experiences. I apologize in advance for how lenghty my reviews are. I keep trying to make them smaller, but I just can't seem to get it right.
Cast of Characters:
Me, 40 something, try anything, prefer vegetables and desserts to main dishes
DH, 40 something, picky eater- meat and potato type guy
DS, 9, severe food allergies and very picky eater- meat and potato type guy
DC,9, my cousins daughter, tends to love vegetables and fruit, but fairly picky about anything new or not done the way she was used to, stuck primarily with the chicken strips
Background: We havent been to Disney since 12/04 right before the DDP went into effect, and we did notice some subtle differences in the attentiveness of the wait staff (they seemed to have more tables and less time than previously- drink refills, checking on whether everything was ok, etc., definitely occurred less frequently than in the past- typically only once per meal) and the variety of the food offerings. Nothing too major, but the differences did affect how well we liked some of the restaurants compared to in the past. We have been to Disney several times over the previous five years and have eaten at most of the restaurants several times, so for us, this trip consisted of revisiting some of our favorites.
We didnt use the DDP this time, but chose to use the DDE for the 20% off.
We tend to eat breakfast in the room (breakfast bars, cereal, yogurt, fruit) or on the go from our snack bags (kids always have some fruit, drinks, chips, beef jerky, etc.). Lunch is usually a quick table service (shared meals- the kids get something, and we get the left overs). We almost always do a table service restaurant for dinner or a very late lunch.
Because of the kids love for characters and just the overall pickiness of my family, we tend to favor character meals and the moderately priced restaurants. They dont do gourmet or gourmet-like well at all.
About my pictures: I seemed to always forget to take pictures until we had eaten some of the food, but I am going to try and include pictures from most of the meals after I have written the reviews.
About the character meals: The kids had custom designed autograph books which the characters usually loved.
About food allergies: My son has a severe peanut allergy, and a not so severe allergy to eggs. Every restaurant went out of their way to work with us, and DS loved the chefs. The chefs were very prompt in coming to our table, very friendly, and very accommodating. One thing we learned was that all of the desserts at the restaurants we ate at were made off property and therefore had a chance of containing peanuts, so DS was not able to order dessert any where (a couple of restaurants did offer some alternatives such as ice cream and popsicles).
Thursday, 12/7
Checked into All Stars Music for one night; ate at food court- DC ordered double cheeseburger which was way too much for her, but my DH finished it off, it was good for a burger; DS ordered chicken strips and fries the kids and husband think the chicken strips at WDW overall are great- big, with lots of white meat, not too greasy, great breading.
Friday, 12/8
Chef Mickeys
check- in: We had one of the first seatings, so we stood in line a while before they started checking people in. Once the line started moving, it was quick and efficient. We were seated within five minutes of confirming our reservations.
Character interaction: Started out good and warmed up to excellent. Most of the characters made it to the table at least twice during the hour we were there. Minnie had a great time with DC, just dancing, etc.; and Pluto had our room for dancing and tended to migrate over to the kids since they really got into the dancing and the napkin twirling. In general, over the years, I have noticed that the character interaction tends to be at least decent and usually good here. The characters will have fun with the kids, particularly if the kids ask a question or two; and ours always had two questions prepped for each character, such as Minnie, do you have a date with Mickey?
Food: Typical of Disney buffets, offering a decent variety of side dishes and a few main dishes. I love the parmesan mashed potatoes here, so I tend to fill up on the mashed potatoes (which were divine this evening- perfectly done) and the salads (I only managed to try about ½ of them but really enjoyed the ones I tried). They had a nice variety of salads, including several seafood type salads. My DS and DH had the prime rib which they liked quite well. My DS found the Mickey ravioli a bit too soggy for his taste. DC had several of the childrens offerings and the fresh fruit: she liked everything she tried. I have to say that while I liked the desserts all right (I tried the carrot cake, fruit tart, cherry cobbler, and something with a sauce- just took a bite or two each, nothing I really absolutely loved), I have liked the quality of the desserts a bit better in the past.
Overall impression: Service was ok, not wonderful, but not bad- the server was nice and helpful. Food was decent, sometimes quite good, and the character interaction was great. Already on our return list.
Saturday, December 9
Trail's End Buffet
Well, this was the one day we did not make ADRs because my DH said we could snack around Epcot. Did that happen? Of course not. He and DC did the EE at MGM and had breakfast at the ABC Commissary. Now DH doesn't like breakfast food at all, so he said the meat was ok, but not great. DC liked the eggs. Nothing great, but nothing bad.
DS and I along with DH and DC had lunch at the food court at ASSports. Chicken fingers for DH and kids- what can I say, they like them? I discovered a great yogurt, oat, and strawberry parfait that I think I had at four times during the week- filling, lots of fresh fruit, and the oats on top were great. Great snack.
After the kids went swimming, we headed over to Epcot for one of the mousefest activities- guide to the magic, which was great. The kids had an ice cream snack and a frozen lemonade which they loved. We then headed over to Fort Wilderness for a carriage ride. Now the carriage ride was scheduled for 9:30, and it ended right around 10:00. The kids had snacked, etc. so although they were a bit hungry, they weren't starved. My DH on the other hand was becoming quite grumpy from the lack of food.
Check in and buffet: Luckily, we made it to Trail's End right before they closed the doors. We were there for about 45 minutes, and the buffet remained open and plentiful the entire time.
Food: Although there wasnt tons of variety, everything was tasty and, for Disney, a great value. I was actually surprised by how good the chicken, ribs, and potatoes were. My DS and DH definitely had seconds. The salad was fresh and plentiful. Fruit was good. The shrimp cocktail was fresh and cold (not lukewarm like it can be on a buffet). I loved the fruit cobbler and the bread pudding. Unfortunately, I didnt take any pictures at this meal.
Overall Impression: What a pleasant surprise- good, home style food at a great price. Actually, this was among the best service we received at any of the restaurants- attentive, courteous, fun, personable. Everyone was full, satisfied, and happy at the end of the meal. We will definitely do this again.
I will add another review a bit later- coming up is LTT, CP, Akerhaus, Boma, etc.
Hi,
Since I definitely use the dining reviews when planning my trip, I thought I would share our experiences. I apologize in advance for how lenghty my reviews are. I keep trying to make them smaller, but I just can't seem to get it right.
Cast of Characters:
Me, 40 something, try anything, prefer vegetables and desserts to main dishes
DH, 40 something, picky eater- meat and potato type guy
DS, 9, severe food allergies and very picky eater- meat and potato type guy
DC,9, my cousins daughter, tends to love vegetables and fruit, but fairly picky about anything new or not done the way she was used to, stuck primarily with the chicken strips
Background: We havent been to Disney since 12/04 right before the DDP went into effect, and we did notice some subtle differences in the attentiveness of the wait staff (they seemed to have more tables and less time than previously- drink refills, checking on whether everything was ok, etc., definitely occurred less frequently than in the past- typically only once per meal) and the variety of the food offerings. Nothing too major, but the differences did affect how well we liked some of the restaurants compared to in the past. We have been to Disney several times over the previous five years and have eaten at most of the restaurants several times, so for us, this trip consisted of revisiting some of our favorites.
We didnt use the DDP this time, but chose to use the DDE for the 20% off.
We tend to eat breakfast in the room (breakfast bars, cereal, yogurt, fruit) or on the go from our snack bags (kids always have some fruit, drinks, chips, beef jerky, etc.). Lunch is usually a quick table service (shared meals- the kids get something, and we get the left overs). We almost always do a table service restaurant for dinner or a very late lunch.
Because of the kids love for characters and just the overall pickiness of my family, we tend to favor character meals and the moderately priced restaurants. They dont do gourmet or gourmet-like well at all.
About my pictures: I seemed to always forget to take pictures until we had eaten some of the food, but I am going to try and include pictures from most of the meals after I have written the reviews.
About the character meals: The kids had custom designed autograph books which the characters usually loved.
About food allergies: My son has a severe peanut allergy, and a not so severe allergy to eggs. Every restaurant went out of their way to work with us, and DS loved the chefs. The chefs were very prompt in coming to our table, very friendly, and very accommodating. One thing we learned was that all of the desserts at the restaurants we ate at were made off property and therefore had a chance of containing peanuts, so DS was not able to order dessert any where (a couple of restaurants did offer some alternatives such as ice cream and popsicles).
Thursday, 12/7
Checked into All Stars Music for one night; ate at food court- DC ordered double cheeseburger which was way too much for her, but my DH finished it off, it was good for a burger; DS ordered chicken strips and fries the kids and husband think the chicken strips at WDW overall are great- big, with lots of white meat, not too greasy, great breading.
Friday, 12/8
Chef Mickeys
check- in: We had one of the first seatings, so we stood in line a while before they started checking people in. Once the line started moving, it was quick and efficient. We were seated within five minutes of confirming our reservations.
Character interaction: Started out good and warmed up to excellent. Most of the characters made it to the table at least twice during the hour we were there. Minnie had a great time with DC, just dancing, etc.; and Pluto had our room for dancing and tended to migrate over to the kids since they really got into the dancing and the napkin twirling. In general, over the years, I have noticed that the character interaction tends to be at least decent and usually good here. The characters will have fun with the kids, particularly if the kids ask a question or two; and ours always had two questions prepped for each character, such as Minnie, do you have a date with Mickey?
Food: Typical of Disney buffets, offering a decent variety of side dishes and a few main dishes. I love the parmesan mashed potatoes here, so I tend to fill up on the mashed potatoes (which were divine this evening- perfectly done) and the salads (I only managed to try about ½ of them but really enjoyed the ones I tried). They had a nice variety of salads, including several seafood type salads. My DS and DH had the prime rib which they liked quite well. My DS found the Mickey ravioli a bit too soggy for his taste. DC had several of the childrens offerings and the fresh fruit: she liked everything she tried. I have to say that while I liked the desserts all right (I tried the carrot cake, fruit tart, cherry cobbler, and something with a sauce- just took a bite or two each, nothing I really absolutely loved), I have liked the quality of the desserts a bit better in the past.
Overall impression: Service was ok, not wonderful, but not bad- the server was nice and helpful. Food was decent, sometimes quite good, and the character interaction was great. Already on our return list.
Saturday, December 9
Trail's End Buffet
Well, this was the one day we did not make ADRs because my DH said we could snack around Epcot. Did that happen? Of course not. He and DC did the EE at MGM and had breakfast at the ABC Commissary. Now DH doesn't like breakfast food at all, so he said the meat was ok, but not great. DC liked the eggs. Nothing great, but nothing bad.
DS and I along with DH and DC had lunch at the food court at ASSports. Chicken fingers for DH and kids- what can I say, they like them? I discovered a great yogurt, oat, and strawberry parfait that I think I had at four times during the week- filling, lots of fresh fruit, and the oats on top were great. Great snack.
After the kids went swimming, we headed over to Epcot for one of the mousefest activities- guide to the magic, which was great. The kids had an ice cream snack and a frozen lemonade which they loved. We then headed over to Fort Wilderness for a carriage ride. Now the carriage ride was scheduled for 9:30, and it ended right around 10:00. The kids had snacked, etc. so although they were a bit hungry, they weren't starved. My DH on the other hand was becoming quite grumpy from the lack of food.
Check in and buffet: Luckily, we made it to Trail's End right before they closed the doors. We were there for about 45 minutes, and the buffet remained open and plentiful the entire time.
Food: Although there wasnt tons of variety, everything was tasty and, for Disney, a great value. I was actually surprised by how good the chicken, ribs, and potatoes were. My DS and DH definitely had seconds. The salad was fresh and plentiful. Fruit was good. The shrimp cocktail was fresh and cold (not lukewarm like it can be on a buffet). I loved the fruit cobbler and the bread pudding. Unfortunately, I didnt take any pictures at this meal.
Overall Impression: What a pleasant surprise- good, home style food at a great price. Actually, this was among the best service we received at any of the restaurants- attentive, courteous, fun, personable. Everyone was full, satisfied, and happy at the end of the meal. We will definitely do this again.
I will add another review a bit later- coming up is LTT, CP, Akerhaus, Boma, etc.