Dining/Dining Plan Reviews with pictures 9/17/05-09/24/05 - UPDATED 09/25

[unixadm]

I tried to add to my original post, but it said I had too many Images in a single post (imagine that!)

So, here is the continuation:


Sept 21st
We did no parks for Wednesday. Ended up stopping over at several of the DVC resorts and checking them out since we hadn't seen them yet and were trying to decide where we wanted to stay in April. (Loved OKW for the room sizes, got to see the Grand Villa In Saratoga Springs..wow!, and loved the foyer of Wilderness lodge!)

Anyway, it was lunchtime when we were at Old Key West, so we ended up eating at Olivia's

Olivia's - Lunch - OKW *** ( 3 stars)

For lunch it was really good (better than we expected when we had walked in) I gave it 3 stars because it cost the same credits as a Spoodle's Dinner, so it isn't a good value for the Dining Plan.

Myself: Sweet Potato Soup, Olivia's Roast Beef Sandwich - The Sweet Potato Soup was surprisingly excellent (my DS4 tasted it and loved it as well!)....I didn't know what to expect but really like it. The Roast Beef sandwich was good, above average but not anything memorable.

Wife: Sweet Potato Soup, Garden Veggie Wrap - As I was, she was surprised at the great taste of the soup. She said the wrap was good, but again, nothing spectacular or memorable.

Kids: DS4iglet's PB&J DS3:Eyeore's Grilled Cheese

Here is the soup:

Here is DS3 enjoying his Grilled Cheese:

DS4 enjoying his PB&J:

DW's Veggie Wrap:

and my Roast Beef:

Dessert: Apple Pie Ala Mode....EXCELLENT (Sorry, no pics....we ate it too quick!)

TOTAL BILL: (2 Adults): $56.29
2 TS Credits - 16 TS Credits Remaining
OOP (with DDE Discount): $11.73 + Extra Tip


Narcoosee's - Dinner - Grand Floridian **** 1/2 ( 4 1/2 stars)

I was really looking forward to this dinner....and it didn't disappoint. I didn't give it 5 stars...this is because it was 2 credits a piece and as you will see from my review, I thought that the Filets, although good, didn't beat Le Cellier's which was 1 credit.

The view was gorgeous though, and I think that is why they charge the 2 credits:

Myself: Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer, Surf N Turf - The Shrimp were excellent..Jumbo and Tasty. LOVED the Surf N Turf. The Lobster Tail was to die for....Meaty, cooked to perfection and melted in my mouth. Wish there was more of it! The Filets, although VERY good, didn't beat Le Cellier's. Basically, if we took the filet from Le Cellier (x 2) and added that to Narcoosee's Lobster Tail, it would have been the perfect Entree. Still EXCELLENT, and if I hadn't been on the meal plan, I would have rated this a 5 since I wouldn't have had so much excellent food to compare it to.

Wife: Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer, Grilled Wild Salmon - She loved the Shrimp Cocktail. It had a Mustard Dip along with the Cocktail sauce and she really loved that. Wasn't that impressed with the Salmon. She said it was VERY GOOD, but she has had better, for a much cheaper price. Considering this was 2 TS Credits, she expected better.

DS4: Chicken Noodle Soup, Kid's Filet - My son enjoyed the Filet and Soup. Definitely not worth 2 meal credits in my opinion, but we had the credits, and was glad to see my son eat something more than Mac and Cheese, etc.

DS3: Checken Tenders - He didn't seem any more impressed with these as the ones at Peco's Bills. Pay OOP for this or anything off the kids menu but the Kid's Steak (and even then if you want to save the credits). They should make this 1 TS credit for kids!

Shrimp Cocktail:

DS4's Soup Appetizer:

My Surf and Turf:

DW's Salmon:

DS4's Child's Filet:

DS3's Chicken Tenders (not worth 2 credits...paid OOP):

DESSERT:

Myself - Expedition Everest Cake - EXCELLENT, not too much, not too little.

DW - Tropical Sorbet with seasonal berries - She really liked it....of course, she loves fresh fruit and isn't a sugar fiend like I am!

DS4 - Brownie Sundae - He LOVED it (what little boy wouldn't?!!)

TOTAL BILL (2 Adults, 1 Child): $180.21
6 TS Credits Used, 10 TS Credits Remaining

OOP: 1 Kids Meals, 4 Beers with DDE Discount: $26.83

Im glad I stumbled upon your review with a child with PA, My DD has it along with allergies to tree nuts and im a little worried about desserts for her.

If you have any other peanut related comments please share them
I would love the advise!

The main thing I do is mention his allergies to the server as soon as he/she comes to our table. Since he usually ends up with Mac and Cheese, Chicken tenders, etc, the main course hasn't been a problem. I've tried to be careful to get a dessert that I can share with him without worry. Something with Vanilla or Chocolate Ice Cream is usually a safe bet. (They had something with Rocky Road and I stayed away from it, obviously)

great reviews, cant wait to read the rest. I was especially glad to see the Spoodles one since that is one of the places I have really been looking forward to going to. Can you tell us what all else there is to do on the Boardwalk? This will be my first time going there. Thanks. QUOTE]

For Adults, there is the Atlantic Dance Club and JellyRolls. ADC is a dance club (imagine that!) and JellyRolls is a Dueling Piano Bar that is supposed to be really fun....I will find out tonight!

For children, there are arcades, some Boardwalk games for prizes (typical ones like throwing a basketball through a hoop, etc). There are Surrey Bikes for rent which my kids love, regular bikes, and the mini speed boats.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the reviews (especially the Spoodles one since I was in charge of the family dinner and chose there!!)!!
I always mean to tell you how absolutely adorable your sons are whenever I read one of your posts!!
I hope you have a great time for the rest of your trip!!

Thanks!! Enjoy Spoodles...it is still our favorite dinner of our vacation. (and I think it will remain that way!)


NEXT UP: LUNCH SOMEWHERE IN EPCOT, and DINNER AT CORAL REEF

Sept 22nd
We went to Epcot on Thursday. We got a little late start, so we went to the Land to get Fast Passes for Soarin', took my DS4 over to the Nestle's Jr. Chef to make Cookies, and ate lunch there.

- The Land - Lunch - EPCOT ** 1/2 (2 1/2 stars)
I don't like what they did to The Land's food court. I used to love their BBQ 1/2 chicken. They have made it more "healthy", at least in appearance, most meals are in Pitas, sitting on green leafy stuff that is supposed to be healthy, etc (hey, you should know by now looking at what I have ordered, that if it is green, and healthy, it's not for me!!!! ) I will say that their dessert counter had a pretty large choice of some good stuff!

I ordered the Chicken, got a side of Tuna Salad, and the Key Lime Tart ...this is what it looked like:

http://www.kpog.com/disney0905/images/CIMG1851.jpg[img]

DW had Chicken Salad, and Fruit for Dessert. Got Mac And Cheese for the kids

TOTAL BILL: $48.60

4 CS Credits Used


[size=4][u] CORAL REEF - DINNER - EPCOT ** 1/2 ( 2 1/2 stars)[/u][/size]

The atmosphere was beautiful.....For those that haven't been there, It is built in tiers, sort of like a small dinner show venue with the Aquarium glass in the front where a stage would be. We got seated in a booth in the bottom tier near the glass. If we were at the top, I would not have been happy...the view from the top tier is definitley not worth the time/ credits/money.

The photo is a bit dark, but here is our view:
[img]http://www.kpog.com/disney0905/images/CIMG1909.jpg

Now....I only gave it 2 1/2 stars....that is because the service was HORRIBLE. I have given extra tips for every TS all week, and for the first time, I left no extra tip (although the server added 18% into our OOP cash receipt and the meal plan has 15% added in already). If I could have, I would have left much less than the 18% or 15%. Did I mention that the service was HORRIBLE?

We had a 5:30 ADR. Showed up a few minutes early and they seated us pretty much right away. Had to rush out of there without eating all of our Dessert at 7:05 so we could get back to BoardWalk to meet the babysitter at 7:30! Over an hour and a half just for appetizers and main course! I waited through most of my dinner to get another beer. And no apologies...when we would ask, our server (Theresa) constantly blamed everyone else ("oh, the bar is slow tonight", "I don't know why your dinners aren't up yet, they should be in a few minutes", etc)

Myself: Crab Cake, Lobster Tail - The Crab Cake was ok...nothing fantastic...of course I was already starting to get in a crabby mood from the slow service. The Lobster Tail was very good. I do recommend it if you choose to go, but because of the poor service, I can't recommend this restaurant.

Wife: Salad Appetizer, and Tilapia with Crab Cake - Wife liked the food and the atmosphere, but was really upset at the lack of service and that we had to rush out of there without finishing dessert and literally run to make our 7:30 appointment.

Crab Cake Appetizer:

Kid's Pizza - I tasted this and it was surprisingly good, and the kids loved it!

Lobster Tail:

Tilapia:

Desserts: DS3 got a "Make your Own Sundae" and LOVED it, though we had to leave most of it to rush out of there:

I had the Adrift Chocolate Moose, and was able to take about 3 bites before leaving:

and DW had the Bermuda Triangle - She said it was good, but small...although she didn't get to finish it anyway.

TOTAL BILL for 2 Adults: $123.18
4 TS Credits (2 Adults X 2 TS Credits Each) - 6 TS Credits Remaining

OOP: $31.41 (Kid's Meals and Beer)

Again, the atmosphere was gorgeous, the food was good, but the service was ATROCIOUS and even if it was better, this restaurant just isn't worth 2 credits per person, IMO.


FINAL REVIEWS HERE!

 

[Mom Of 2 Girls]

I have an idea -- Why don't you all just live at WDW and post daily reports! I love the pictures and your comments. Thanks for the info-- your reports are fun to read.

 

[jann1033]

good reviews , love the pics and glad we don't have to wade through all the pages to find the reviews.Thanks

 

[have2getaway]

Thanks so much for your reviews. I'm curious about CRT. We are going in January with our ds(4) and we were considering tyring CRT for breakfast. I noticed you had boys too and they seemed to enjoy Cinderella. Do you think I should do breakfast or dinner. Have you ever done the breakfast?

 

[kimisabella]

I can't believe you are taking time out of your vacation to do these wonderful detailed reports!! Sounds like you guys are really enjoying a fun and relaxing vacation!!

 

[scoutsmom99]

Thank-you for the Narcoosee's review. I think I might have to work that back in to the itinerary now. so much to do so little time and what am I doing...not dising of course!

 

[kitty2kidz]

Bumping to page 1 awaiting todays installment!! I hope you are having a magical time!!! How are you boys holding up with sitting through the table service meals?? Do they take more that an hour or is everything smooth enough to get you in and out?? I am excited for our TS meals but worried @ "wasting" too much time sitting and eating and loosing attraction time!!! I know some poeple like a leasurly (sp) pace but do yu think I could suggest to the wait person we prefer wham bam thank you mam service??? Thanks again for the fun report!!!

 

[unixadm]

Updated with Thursday's reviews on Page 3

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=10015886&postcount=41

Will put in Friday's reveiws later today!

 

[unixadm]

Ok Folks....Final reviews!!!!

Sept 23rd
Went back to Magic Kingdom. We arrived later in the morning and hit Tomorrowland. After riding some rides, we went to Ray's Starlight Cafe

RAY'S STARLIGHT CAFE- LUNCH - MK *** 1/2 (3 1/2 stars)

After seeing it, I realized I had eaten here before, but never had their BBQ 1/2 Chicken and Ribs. Had that and it was FANTASTIC for a Counter Service. Wife had Veggie Wrap with Peppers & Beans - She said it was Very Good. DS4 had BBQ sandwich which he REALLY liked (surprisingly to us). DS3 had Chicken Nuggets which he did NOT like...the Trash can seemed to like them though

My only complaint is that they took away the animatronic Aliens (Sonny Eclipse) that played music and had some live brass band playing that was VERY loud. Unfortunatly, it was pretty busy and when we arrived, there was no band so we sat at an open table right in front of the stage. Once the band came on, I couldn't even talk to our family without yelling. This is the stage now:

There still was a sign for Sonny Eclipse, but I didn't see them anywhere on stage or around the area. Maybe he is just being refurbished. I did read a post here from the end of August saying that in the middle of his set, he stopped working, so maybe he needed an overhaul. I hope they bring him back.

TOTAL BILL: $79.33
4 CS Credits Used, 13 CS Credits Left

Oh, since we had 13 CS credits left, I bought some people behind me their lunch using up 3 of those, leaving 10 CS left.

CONCOURSE STEAKHOUSE - DINNER - Contemporary *** 1/2 (3 1/2 stars)

We were all set for a 5:30pm ADR Chef Mickey's......We arrived about 45 minutes early, so we sat down and had a drink. My wife looked over at the Concourse Steakhouse and asked if we could switch. After eating all of the good food for the week, she didn't want our last TS dinner to be at a buffet. Plus, being on Weight Watchers, she diddn't want to have a buffet to temp her.

So, I walked up to Concourse and they were booked but able to give us a beeper and said they could take us as a walk in somewhere around 6pm. Our DS4 was a little dissapointed but he already had Mickey's, Pluto, Donald's and other's autographs as well as photos with them. I tried to get CM for the nexts morning, but it wasn't available, but was able to get Ohana's for Breakfast. Couldn't wait for that!.

At 5:50pm, we were seated. We had two servers that came up to our table. They seemed attentive at first, but EVERYTHING was slow. From getting drinks for the kids, to our appetizers, the fact that we asked for the kid's Mac and Cheese to come out with the appetizers, and they did not, etc. Just POOR SERVICE all around. Wasn't as bad as Coral Reef.....at least the waitresses walked by once in a while, but considering there were two of them, I would have expected some quicker service.

Myself: Shrimp Cocktail, Prime Rib - Both were Very Good, but not stunning. The Presentation of the Shrimp Cocktail was boring. Just 5 shrimp laying on a plate. After all of the other unique presentations, I expected a bit better. The Prime Rib was huge...after it arrived, I wished I had gone with the Filet since it was smaller and tasted better.

Wife: Salad Appetizer, 7oz Filet - She loved the Filet. She still said that Le Cellier was the Best Steak she had, and this did not beat it.

Kids: Split a Mac and Cheese. It was a big Mac and Cheese plate and we were glad we didn't order 2 of them.

Disappointing presentation (but good tasting) shrimp Cocktail:

My Prime Rib:

Wife's Filet:

Desserts: I was tempted by the Chocolate cake which looked good, but loved the presentation of the Cheescake so I had to have it. My wife had the Creme Brulee...she didn't go wrong with that anywhere she tried it. The Kids split a Mickey Mouse Sundae.

My CheeseCake:- it was good. Very heavy though...doesn't look like much but I was stuffed. The Chocolate/white Chocolate Ears were good. I really loved the look

Wife's Creme Brulee
f

Kid's Sundae:

TOTAL COST for 2 Adults: $104.26
2 TS Credits Used, 4 TS Credits Remaining

OOP Cost: $11.85


Sept 24th
Time to leave. We had plans to stop and see my parents on the way home (They are about an hour and a half from Disney) and had an ADR for Ohana's for a 10:30am breakfast, it would work out perfect....check out of Boardwalk, get all of our stuff loaded, stop over at ASMo to pick up our Express Check Out docs and drive over to Poly and have breakfast. We had 4 TS left, so we could use all 4 for Breakfast. Well, unfortunately, DS4 woke up and was sick. He couldn't keep any food down, not even water. (The previous day in MK, he kept putting his fingers in his mouth, and touching is mouth on things while waiting in line and I kept yelling at him and told him he would get sick from that....well...he did )

Well, called Disney Dining and cancelled Ohanas.....went to ASMo to pick up the Express Check Out stuff and I went to the food Court. Used 3 CS's for breakfasts with Juice and Power Aide (to help replenish the fluids in DS4) and fruit. That still left 7 CS left. I bought two people behind me breakfast leaving me 5, but everyone else behind them had the dining plan. I couldn't give away 5 free meals!!! I know if I really tried, I could have, but with my wife sitting in our truck with our two kids, one of them being sick, I couldn't spend much time in there.

I checked and still had 12 Snacks left! 4 Bananas, 4 Apples and 4 Mickey Rice Krispie treats later, I used up all my snacks.....they would be perfect for the trip home.

So, we still had 4 TS left and 5 CS left and my quick calculations put our food covered by the meal plan over $1200!!!!!!!

I will give the exact number after we get home. We ended up at the Urgent Care facility off of Rt 535 in Orlando with DS4, got some medicine and stayed at my parents Sat night to get him feeling better instead of getting home Sat night. We are now driving home (and thankfully, he is feeling MUCH better...and keeping food down!) and should be home tonight...with just enough time to unpack, get to bed and go to work tomorrow!

We will buy the meal plan on future trips if we can, although with DVC, we can't get it....I will definitely put my opinion in for the DVC to try to push them to allow us to buy into the plan. I don't see what the big deal is. Even if they have to give us a separate card instead of tying to our room key, it should be easy to do.

Well, Hope you all enjoyed my reviews and photos as much as I enjoyed posting, photographing and eating it all!!!!!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

 

[erikthewise]

Thanks again for the wonderful review & pix! I hope your 4yo is completely recovered by now.

Speaking for myself, I hope next time you wait until you get back to post, and spend all your time at WDW enjoying yourself. We can wait!

Maybe someone should suggest that Cosmic Rays get a string quartet instead of a brass band.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Thanks for the wonderful reviews and awesome photos. You were cracking me up quite a bit!

Congrats to your wife on her WW success. I just started up again.

Your little boys are adorable. Hoping your 4 yo son is feeling better.

 

[jeminni]

Thank you for your reviews. Glad to hear your son is feeling much better. We're going there in 3 more days and I cant wait to try some of the places you reviewed, esp spoodles.

 

[Disneygrl36]

I just wanted to say thanks again for your reviews, detail & pictures. They were awesome. Did you write a trip report too? 6 days til my Disney Dining starts. I don't have a lap top though so my report won't be quite as timely as yours, but I will try to write one though.
Hope you are getting rested from your trip. Disney is not a relaxing vacation-sometimes I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation when I get back.

 

[unixadm]

Speaking for myself, I hope next time you wait until you get back to post, and spend all your time at WDW enjoying yourself. We can wait!

Since our boys are still young, we had them in bed early and I am usually a night owl. With the exception of the night we had a babysitter from "Kid's Night Out" and were actually out very late, I was sitting up in bed for a couple of hours either on the laptop, or with the TV on. I actually enjoyed doing it as a "Play by Play" because it was fresh in our minds and easy to put our thoughts down for the reviews. If I waited until I got home, many of the details would be harder to remember, and i it would take an enormous amount of time to put it all together verses a 1/2 hour each night.

I just wanted to say thanks again for your reviews, detail & pictures. They were awesome. Did you write a trip report too?

No trip report yet. I will write something up, just have to find the time this week. I did document every ride we went on (I had a detailed day by day touring plan of each park, and checked off things as we hit them, and made notes!)

Disney is not a relaxing vacation-sometimes I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation when I get back.

Don't I know it! We just got home, and still have to unpack, and it is back to work tomorrow! I was hoping to have a day to relax before going back. I now need another vacation!!! Our January Cruise can't come quick enough!

 

[MOMOFMNM]

Thanks for the AWESOME reviews although I wish you had made it to Ohana for another review sorry your ds was ill, at least it was your last day and not your 1st!!! My dd just got over that tummy thing today!!! Hopefully not to return before Wednesday! I have a ? for you...how hard would it be for me to change adr's if need be once we are in the World? Did you find the restaurants to be very crowded??

 

[monte]

Great reviews! Thanks for taking the time to post them

 

[Mom Of 2 Girls]

I really appreciate the time you've taken to write such detailed dining reviews. When at WDW I feel like I'm rushing here and there with no extra time or mental energy for anything else. You decided to included us fellow DISers by your reports. Thank you!

Glad also to hear that your DS is on the mend!

 

[TwingleMum]

Your poor DS. That happened to us ~ one of my twins (2yrs old) got very ill day 9 of a 12 day trip. He had a terrible virus and high fever. I couldn't leave his sight or he cried hysterically. I had to have a doctor see him twice. My Dh still cringes when he thinks of those days. That was in May, we're going back in December so hopefully this trip will be extra magical. It seems everyone I know that goes to Disney has at least one "sick" trip.

Thanks for sharing your awesome reviews and the pictures were terrific.

 

[unixadm]

Well, we got home last night, got the kids to bed, and our DS3 woke up sick. I ended up getting a call from work at the same time and worked to 4am. Every hour DS3 was up sick. I got to bed at 4am. Got woken up by DS4 this time with him getting sick again...all over the hallway rug! I had to go to work today so I tried to get more sleep while DW cleaned up the rug.

I ended up getting up and being sick myself!

Oh well....I'm working from home, the kids are here and at least we had a great vacation before this. It could have been SO bad if this had happened while we were in the middle of vacation. Especially with the free dining plan....if we had to caqlcnel our food because of illness, it would have been a mess! So, even though I feel horrible today, I see the bright side. We ended up spending a night with my parents wihich we didn't plan on and that was enjoyable and having a great vacation. Let's just open this is over soon!

 

[lovehoney]

Oh no - you have an evil virus in your midst! I hope everyone gets better soon.

Thank you so much for your great dining reviews. I enjoyed them very much. They were a great escape from worrying about Hurricane Rita. We are paying for the dining plan in December, so it is nice to know you think it's a good deal.

Can't wait to see the final total after you get better. Also excited to see your trip report as I have a DS4 and DS19mo.