Holy Moly! There's no way we can finish this! (review with pics) (update WPE and done!)

[minuet]

Hi everyone,

This is my second attempt at a dining review. I last did one in 2011. Pictures this time are hit and miss...our first trip with a 5-year sometimes made us forget to take the food pictures before we dug in.
I do have some good ones though.

My goals for this review:
- to complete it by Tuesday as school starts here Wednesday and then I won't have much time
- to give some examples of ways to maximize DDP and share credits
- to show some places that are not often reviewed here but work for my family's eating habits

So who we are:
I'm Lesley the mom, DH is picky Doug who does not do any garnish, seasoning etc. and has the palette of a 7 year old, and Kirill is our 5 year old. We spent a week in Disney World celebrating the one-year anniversary of adopting Kirill from Kazakhstan. Because of his background, Kirill is not an overly picky child but the kid's menus often didn't appeal to him as his does not like pizza or burgers. He will eat chicken nuggets and we did a lot of buffets so he could eat off the grown-up sections (Doug also did well at the buffets eating a lot from the kid sections haha) Kirill does not do condiments or sauces so you'll recognize his plates as the plain ones because in Kazakhstan all his food was plain. He did want his food photographed though. We are from Newfoundland, Canada and have been to Disney World 4 times together. We also both came as children with our families and did one trip to Disneyland a few years ago with my parents. I am a huge planner and this was our first time using DDP, thanks in part to free dining and thanks in part to Kirill joining the family and adding character meals. I scrutinized menus, snack credits, ways to exchange desserts for sides, ways to combine meals to spread credits further and found it very relaxing and enjoyable while we were there. With a family I loved the DDP!




Where we ate:

August 23 - Everything Pop (lunch and supper)
August 24 - Chef Mickey's (brunch), Columbia Harbor House (supper)
August 25 - Tusker House (breakfast), Restaurantosaurus (supper)
August 26 - Cooke's of Dublin (lunch), Splitsville (supper)
August 27 - Mama Melrose (lunch), Hollywood Hills Ampitheater (supper sorta)
August 28 - Be Our Guest (breakfast), Casey's (lunch), Crystal Palace (supper)
August 29 - La Cantina de San Angel (lunch for Lesley and Kirill), Yorkshire County (lunch for Doug), Beaches and Cream (supper)
August 30 - 'Ohana (breakfast), 1900 Park Fare (supper)
August 31 - Wolfgang Puck Express (lunch)

OK then, here we go!

 

[Klinger13]

Looking forward to reading!

 

[rnorwo1]

Can't wait!

 

[jesswindsor]

 

[minuet]

Everything Pop - lunch

This was our lunch once we arrived at Disney. We landed at MCO at 11:00 and were using the Magical Express bag pick-up for the first time so went right to the pick-up line...and then waited. I have never seen ME so busy and neither had the cast members there as we heard numerous comments. After about an hour we were on the bus and on our way. We arrived at the resort and went to check-in because as Canadians they don't mail your magicbands. They could not find our bands and discovered they'd been sent to Sports. We had changed our ressie in April to Pop so no one knew how this had happened. They gave us temporary bands and we were on our way. The bonus was our room was ready

We dropped our carry-ons in the room and headed to Everything Pop for some much needed food. (Our flight left NL at 5:10 in the morning so we'd been up a long time and were hungry!).
We got our refillable mugs, then I got lunch while Doug and Kirill filled the mugs and got the condiments and utensils (this became our practice as I had figured out what everyone was having in advance).

We used 2 credits and got:

big slice of pepperoni pizza which came with a side caesar which we subbed for garlic bread (this was Doug's)
I took his drink credit since we had the mugs and got tomato soup for me
He used his dessert credit to get the Mickey Premium bar when we were done eating

The children's turkey sandwich for Kirill which came with 2 sides. We got him the cookie and I got apple slices with the other. We also got a juice to take back to the room for the next morning and we all used our mugs for drinks.

We were in such a hurry, we forgot to take pictures of this meal but everything was pretty good. The pizza had just come out of the oven so was nice and hot with bubbly cheese. The kids turkey sandwich was large for a 5 year old. We ended up taking it apart and I ate one piece of the bread dipping it in my soup which was very nice.

I thought this was a great amount of food for 2 credits and we were all satisfied and full at the end. We then had a much needed nap, swam, and then returned to Everything Pop for supper.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Can't wait to read, we're doing some of the same meals next trip!

 

[minuet]

Everything Pop - supper

So this was our arrival and relax day. We went to the shop and got Kirill's autograph book and walked around the resort because the next day would be busy. So since we didn't leave the resort we once again went to Everything Pop for supper.

Again using 2 credits we got:
drinks all came from our mugs (I love this at resorts because you still get your drink credit to get something else for snack later or to feed someone else without using another credit)
Burger meal with 2 sides. We did 2 sides of fries as Kirill wanted fries and so did Doug. Doug ate the burger. With his drink credit we got a side of macaroni for Kirill.
Tuna on a croissant with 2 sides. I got the homemade chips and pasta salad. I used this drink credit to get apples and caramel.


Doug had his burger 1/2 gone by the time we thought about pictures so I don't have that. The sandwich was ok. It was a lot of tuna! Very full. I found the croissant a bit dry and I like my croissants light and buttery. The tuna mix was similar to Subway. I would have like more mayo. I found it very thick. The chips were excellent and very fresh and I loved the pasta salad. I ate all the chips and salad but only a few bites of sandwich. I could have easily shared this meal with someone. The boys finished the burger, fries, and pasta but by this point they were full so we took the apples back to the room which I ate that night as a snack.
For our dessert credits we got a strawberry bar and the tye-dye cheesecake. The fruit bar was so refreshing as we walked around the resort taking pictures. The cheesecake was put in the fridge and became the evening snack the next afternoon and evening. I enjoyed the cheesecake very much. It was light tasting and the smallest hint of lemon juice brightens it up.


I still can't believe all of that was 2 credits! 3 people ate supper, plus snacks for the next 2 nights. The resorts are a great use of CS credits especially when you use your mug for the drink.

Up next: Chef Mickey's

 

[minuet]

So after an early evening to sleep we were off and running the next morning to Magic Kingdom. The park opened at 8:00 and we arrived about 8:20. We spent the morning in Fantasyland and I used my first snack credit.

LeFou's brew. I liked it but I'm not sure I'd have it again. The mix of apple and marshmallow was a bit odd for my tastes. But that was the nice thing about snack credits. I was able to try many new snacks that I would have talked myself out of before paying OOP. Right after I got this, the skies opened up and it started to pour. Kirill and I rode Barnstormer while Doug held my drink (he does not do any roller coasters or anything with a drop so the photographer of our trips). We had planned to take the train back to the front to leave for lunch but with the thunder it was shut down so we walked in the rain over to the Contemporary for lunch.

 

[suse66]

Hello from a fellow Canadian! Looking forward to reading all about your adventures! Looks like we were there at just about the same time.

 

[vratiana]

I'm loving this review! We leave for Pop in 4 days and plan on doing lots of meal sharing and maximizing our credits. I also have a very picky child among us, so your husband's picks will be useful! Can't wait to read more!

 

[vratiana]

It was light tasting and the smallest hint of lemon juice brightens it up.

This is the first review that has ever made me want to try the tye-dye cheesecake. I love lemon cheesecake and never knew this was lemony. I don't know if I can get over the absurd amount of dye though!

 

[DrunkJam]

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more reviews.

 

[ariane37]

Joining! Our latest trip overlapped the last few days it yours Look forward to more reviews!

 

[Lisa F]

loving the reviews so far!

 

[minuet]

Chef Mickey - Brunch

So this was a new restaurant for us having never done a character meal since we became a couple. I had previously eaten at Crystal Palace when I was 19 and the Odyssey waaay back in 1991. We had heard many awful reviews but we like Hollywood and Vine and that also gets back reviews so we figured this would work for us because we knew what to expect. We chose brunch because Doug loves breakfast, I enjoy lunch and Kirill likes a mix of both so this made sense for our family. We had about a 10 min wait when we arrived and once we were seated we started the napkin wave. We got Kirill's plate and as Doug was getting his the characters started coming. They were awesome interacting with him and us, signed his book, took pictures. Pluto was awesome as he encouraged us to rub his nose and he kicked his leg. We were seated in the area where you would hit the more hidden buffet so it wasn't crowded or messed up.

Kirill ate some chicken nuggets, rice, waffle, and he had already eaten the tater tots when I got my plate to get the pictures. He had chocolate milk to drink.


Doug had chocolate chip pancakes, bacon (which he loved as it was finally crispy and not rubbery), foccacia (which I had to explain to him...he would never order this because the name freaks him out but sitting on a buffet he ate it and loved it...yes I married that guy!), rice, caesar salad. There are no plain eggs here, it's all in frittata form so no dice for him.


I had the Mickeyroni and cheese which was much improved from previous mac and cheese I've had in Disney. The sauce tasted more creamy and less like Stouffer's than in the past. It was nice. I also had some crispy bacon, tomato/mozza salad as I love fresh mozzarella and love Caprese salads. I had a chicken nugget as it was my first time ever having the famous Disney nuggets. They were really good! The mango BBq ribs were tender, and came right off the bone. The sauce was a sweet/smoky but not spicy which is perfect for me. I should have gotten more of these and Kirill stole my tots! I really enjoyed this meal and it was a positive sign of things to come for me and my food. I have a narrow esophagus which means I have to eat very small bites and some foods are very challenging to swallow. It gets even more narrow over time so every few months I have to go to the hospital to stretch it out again so I can eat. Once it narrows I have to cut out most meats, bread and pasta from my diet. When we last came to Disney in 2014 I was ordering food like a vegetarian and couldn't enjoy things I wanted to try (the famous nuggets) so I had my procedure done 2 weeks before we came on holiday this time and happily ate everything with no issues. You never saw a person so happy to announce they ate chicken haha!

For dessert the boys made sundaes:


I sampled a couple delights:

I enjoyed the Blintz with blueberry sauce, the mickey dome (Kirill ate the oreo on me) and the rice krispie cookie had full marshmallows in it.

Overall our waiter was attentive, character interaction great and we enjoyed our food. We will return for Chef Mickey brunch. I do wish they'd had the ravioli that comes with supper.

 

[minuet]

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback! I'm not nearly as clever with words as some of our regular reviewers here but I love reading everyone's reviews and looking at food pics. It certainly helped me in making our plans. glad to know people are following These are the moments that made this trip so special!

 

[minuet]

Columbia Harbor House - Supper

So after Chef Mickey's we returned to Pop for a rest and a swim and headed back into Magic Kingdom around 5:00. We went to Columbia Harbor House for supper as I had been eyeing that tuna sandwich for over 4 years on this board and had yet to try it. We always ended up at a different counter service because Doug would be wanting a burger or pizza. We have gone to Pinocchio, Pecos Bill, Cosmic Rays, visited all the monorail resorts for CS and finally this trip we got to Columbia Harbor House.

I had been intending to get the tuna sandwich for me, share my drink with Kirill, get the chips as the side, and use the dessert credit to get couscous for him. Doug would be getting the all nugget meal which he would share with Kirill with fries, and get apples for his dessert which Kirill would eat. Well...CHH changed their menu slightly 2 months ago and the all nugget meal was dropped. I figured I'd ask at the counter as I couldn't see it being a problem to change the nugget/fish combo. Doug likes fried fish but we are from Newfoundland so it needs to be cod. We do not do Pollock or haddock or other white fish. Deep fried fish needs to be cod. In all my research before I could not find out for sure what type of fish was at CHH. So I go the counter (Kirill and Doug get condiments and head upstairs to sit) and ask if we can have all nuggets instead of combo. Not a problem she says. I then ask for curiosity what the fish is. "cod" WOAH!!! Is it too late to change? Not at all !!! Doug was so happy when I brought the tray up, his eyes lit up. I then explained to the girl that where we were from cod was a big deal. She asked where that was and when I said Newfoundland she got very excited as her roommate is from here working in Epcot. She then called to the girl putting the meals together and she got excited too as she has friends here and has visited 7 times. It was a fun little moment that just added to our day.

So what we ended up with:
2 credits got us
tuna sandwich with chips, ice tea, subbed dessert for corn (Kirill announced he wanted corn when we walked in the door as he saw someone else with it)
fish/nugget combo (2 pieces of fish and 4 nuggets), fries, corn, subbed dessert for apple slices, diet coke

Doug ate the 2 pieces of fish which were the same size as the CS in the UK, Kirill ate the nuggets, they shared the fries, Doug had a corn, Kirill had a corn, I had my sandwich and chips, Kirill and shared the apples, and Kirill and I shared the ice tea.
It was more than enough food. Compared to the CS meal in UK you get a bonus 4 nuggets, an extra side, and more ways to sub your dessert credit.

The nuggets had already been moved to Kirill's plate by the time I got the camera out.
How was it?
The tuna was excellent, much better tuna/mayo ratio for me. I love the nuttiness of the bread. The tomato and lettuce adds some freshness to it and I will always eat homemade potato chips. Kirill liked the nuggets again and the corn. Doug enjoyed the corn as well and said the fish was similar to one of our fish places here so that's a good compliment. Fries are typical. What I enjoyed about this meal was that it was something different from the burger. I also liked the non-fry options for sides as I'm not a fry eater but Doug is. We were all happy coming out of this and very full so my initial plan of a popcorn and Dole Whip while waiting for the parade did not happen.

Up next: Tusker House

 

[fallonkendra]

Great reviews so far! I'm born and raised in New Brunswick (now living in Alberta), so I understand the very picky with fish thing (even though I refuse to eat any seafood...I'm the worst Maritimer ever haha). You now have me looking in the menu for Columbia Harbour House...

I agree about the quick service credits at the resort food courts! I would pick up a bottled drink with the drink credit and take it to the parks with me to save from buying one there, or use the dessert credit to pick something up to eat for breakfast the next day. You can really maximize the value of the dining plan doing that!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

You did really well so far saving credits and making them stretch! We love CHH. We ate their twice on our last trip.

 

[Lisa F]

Columbia Harbor House - Supper

So after Chef Mickey's we returned to Pop for a rest and a swim and headed back into Magic Kingdom around 5:00. We went to Columbia Harbor House for supper as I had been eyeing that tuna sandwich for over 4 years on this board and had yet to try it. We always ended up at a different counter service because Doug would be wanting a burger or pizza. We have gone to Pinocchio, Pecos Bill, Cosmic Rays, visited all the monorail resorts for CS and finally this trip we got to Columbia Harbor House.

I had been intending to get the tuna sandwich for me, share my drink with Kirill, get the chips as the side, and use the dessert credit to get couscous for him. Doug would be getting the all nugget meal which he would share with Kirill with fries, and get apples for his dessert which Kirill would eat. Well...CHH changed their menu slightly 2 months ago and the all nugget meal was dropped. I figured I'd ask at the counter as I couldn't see it being a problem to change the nugget/fish combo. Doug likes fried fish but we are from Newfoundland so it needs to be cod. We do not do Pollock or haddock or other white fish. Deep fried fish needs to be cod. In all my research before I could not find out for sure what type of fish was at CHH. So I go the counter (Kirill and Doug get condiments and head upstairs to sit) and ask if we can have all nuggets instead of combo. Not a problem she says. I then ask for curiosity what the fish is. "cod" WOAH!!! Is it too late to change? Not at all !!! Doug was so happy when I brought the tray up, his eyes lit up. I then explained to the girl that where we were from cod was a big deal. She asked where that was and when I said Newfoundland she got very excited as her roommate is from here working in Epcot. She then called to the girl putting the meals together and she got excited too as she has friends here and has visited 7 times. It was a fun little moment that just added to our day.

So what we ended up with:
2 credits got us
tuna sandwich with chips, ice tea, subbed dessert for corn (Kirill announced he wanted corn when we walked in the door as he saw someone else with it)
fish/nugget combo (2 pieces of fish and 4 nuggets), fries, corn, subbed dessert for apple slices, diet coke

Doug ate the 2 pieces of fish which were the same size as the CS in the UK, Kirill ate the nuggets, they shared the fries, Doug had a corn, Kirill had a corn, I had my sandwich and chips, Kirill and shared the apples, and Kirill and I shared the ice tea.
It was more than enough food. Compared to the CS meal in UK you get a bonus 4 nuggets, an extra side, and more ways to sub your dessert credit.
View attachment 192625 View attachment 192626
The nuggets had already been moved to Kirill's plate by the time I got the camera out.
How was it?
The tuna was excellent, much better tuna/mayo ratio for me. I love the nuttiness of the bread. The tomato and lettuce adds some freshness to it and I will always eat homemade potato chips. Kirill liked the nuggets again and the corn. Doug enjoyed the corn as well and said the fish was similar to one of our fish places here so that's a good compliment. Fries are typical. What I enjoyed about this meal was that it was something different from the burger. I also liked the non-fry options for sides as I'm not a fry eater but Doug is. We were all happy coming out of this and very full so my initial plan of a popcorn and Dole Whip while waiting for the parade did not happen.

Up next: Tusker House

wow I am surprised they use cod! Around here it is much more expensive than haddock or pollock or other white fish but I think that is because the local cod population (on cape cod) has been so overfished here. Loving your reviews