Our delicious Deluxe Dining Adventures! Lots of pics! Final thoughts - All Done!!

[goin2themouse]

You have some of the cutest Disney shirts! Did you get them there at WDW or elsewhere? I only have one Mickey shirt & I need to stock up for next trip.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I love CP - B,L or D!!!

Loving your report - we got a caramel apple in December from Goofy's Candy store and it was really good - seeing your pictures just reminded me. Kind you, my stomach is never far from my mind!!

 

[punkin413]

i love CP! the character interaction there is always great. breakfast looks good. i've had dinner there but not breakfast.

by the way, what were they doing with the crane at the castle? i hope it wasn't there your whole trip!

 

[MillerTribeMum]

Really have loved the first 17 pages-- the food all looks so amazing. Since we are traveling with so many in our party, I am glad to have your take on CG as well as CG + Wishes. I had pretty much decided against CM, and I thin you have helped me defend my initial thought. 8:05 for CP is exactly what I hope to achieve for us (minus the EMH).

Thank you, thank you for your spirited reviews. You and DH are so adorable and completely look so pleasant in all of the pics (even the famed blur at CG!). LOVE Australia-- went for six weeks back in 1988 (Brisbane-Gold Coast/ Sydney) for the World Expo. I recall this wonderful fruit that was like an apple but had a "pudding" center-- yum!

 

[poohangel]

I love reading your reviews!! I am not very good at photoshop but I thought you might like a pic of you and your husband in front of the castle without all the people.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Great updates! CP is a family favorite. We've only been for dinner but both times have had great character interaction and a lovely server. Plus, IMHO they have the best character buffet food at WDW.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

We had a fun day at the Kennedy Space Center, and arrived back at Disney at around 4pm. Our dinner wasn't until 8.20, so we decided to explore a couple of other resorts while we had some time. For a while in our planning, we seriously considered staying at Port Orleans Riverside instead of WL, just to save some money, so we were keen to check Riverside out. We also popped into French Quarter, just so we could buy some of these little beauties...

Beignets!!! Yum!! I'd heard lots about them and was excited to try them! I used a snack credit for the three of these, which I think is a bit of a bargain. And they were great! Very light and airy and delicious!!

The best beignets to be had though are at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. Especially at about 1 am after a night of pub hopping. Beignets and Cafe au Lait. Mmmmm...

I also thought it was funny how you Aussies call cantaloupe or musk melon (depends on what part of the US you're from) rock melon.

Biscuits can be good but many are very dry so I don't eat them very often. Only ones that are very soft and buttery.

Enjoying the review but man is that A LOT of food. I couldn't never do the Deluxe DDP. I'm actually nervous about doing the regular DDP when we take our next trip as I'm afraid it's going to be too much!!!

 

[AussieAngel]

I'm so bummed that you didn't get your goodies in paper, wrapped in more paper, placed in a white box, with a Disney sticker, and then had the box wrapped and finally placed into your bag like last time.

Our goodies weren't quite as pampered as yours last time, but I stood in Goofy's while the CM was working on ours and I seriously could not stop laughing because of how you described the process. I felt so bad! The guy was obviously a perfectionist and really cared about my pretzels. But he didn't really have to do sound effects when he put on a sticker on my bag!

I can't believe you remember that!! Heheheee!
I know, I was sad our creations didn't get wrapped up beautifully as well! Shoved in a paper bag instead!
What sound effects did your pretzel guy make while putting the sticker on!? Ha!

What fantastic and fabulous food porn!!!!!!!!!!! Yummmm! I will be going to several of the same places (but not all) in May. I am even more excited now! Thank you for sharing your pictures and memories!!

Glad you're enjoying the food porn!! Wow, May will be here before you know it!! Lucky you!!

We haven't been to CP the past few trips and now I'm wondering why. Everything looks really good. I love your Eeyore shirt-too cute! That was a bummer that nobody was really out to take a pic of the two of you in front of the castle, but you got great shots anyway, just solo. Its so cool when the park is empty like that first thing in the morning.

I like the first thing in the morning photos too. I especially like the damp concrete from early morning dew! It feels so early! You should go to CP during your next trip!

fab reports, you went to a lot of places we're going too.
all the food looks fab and youve answered a few questions i wanted more info on eg whats in a lapu lapu and what is Tonga toast!
husband cant wait to try them now.
seems like you had the same experience as us at the California Grill, im sure we spent about 3 and a half to 4 hours there. with a 4 year old it was a joke. i hated the wishes experience from there too. worst thing is that it was our last night so felt like our holiday ended bad. this time we're spending the last night at MK to watch wishes there.
yummy pics.xx

Oh no, sorry to hear about your CG and Wishes experience! I think a lot of the problem is that we all have such high expectations for the night. I'm glad I've helped answer some of your questions, let me know if you have any more!

glad you enjoyed CP. I love pooh and gang- your photo's with them are fab

Thanks for your nice comments!!

Yay! CP looks great . . . you have me very excited to eat there next month!

Lucky you!!! I definitely recommend the Puffed French Toast!!

Great reviews and photos as always. I'm feeling a strong urge to visit my kitchen now, but sadly, I know I will not find any puffed french toast, donut holes or pancakes in there!
I'm looking forward to visiting CP and CM even more now that I've seen your piccies!

I hope you found something yummy in your kitchen!! Glad I helped make you even more excited for your next trip!

 

[AussieAngel]

You have some of the cutest Disney shirts! Did you get them there at WDW or elsewhere? I only have one Mickey shirt & I need to stock up for next trip.

Thank you!! I actually bought most of them from eBay before I left! They were all brand new, and they were complete bargains!! Lots of them came from a French seller - I had no idea what she was saying in her eBay messages, but the shirts all got to me, so it all worked out okay!!

I love CP - B,L or D!!!

Loving your report - we got a caramel apple in December from Goofy's Candy store and it was really good - seeing your pictures just reminded me. Kind you, my stomach is never far from my mind!!

Yum, I seriously contemplated getting a caramel apple too. They looked great!! But I think my two treats were enough. Hehee. Thanks for your nice comments!

i love CP! the character interaction there is always great. breakfast looks good. i've had dinner there but not breakfast.
by the way, what were they doing with the crane at the castle? i hope it wasn't there your whole trip!

The crane was only there that day - I think they were painting the top gold spire thingy. Trust us to make our big Magic Kingdom day the day that happened!! Lots of our PhotoPass photos have the big crane in the background! Heh!

Really have loved the first 17 pages-- the food all looks so amazing. Since we are traveling with so many in our party, I am glad to have your take on CG as well as CG + Wishes. I had pretty much decided against CM, and I thin you have helped me defend my initial thought. 8:05 for CP is exactly what I hope to achieve for us (minus the EMH).
Thank you, thank you for your spirited reviews. You and DH are so adorable and completely look so pleasant in all of the pics (even the famed blur at CG!). LOVE Australia-- went for six weeks back in 1988 (Brisbane-Gold Coast/ Sydney) for the World Expo. I recall this wonderful fruit that was like an apple but had a "pudding" center-- yum!

Thank you for all your lovely comments!! I'm so glad you enjoyed Australia when you visisted. DH and I were both trying to work out what that apple-like fruit would have been! Maybe a pomegranate? Or a kiwi-fruit? We're intrigued now!!
I hope you enjoy your trip and your Crystal Palace ADR!

I love reading your reviews!! I am not very good at photoshop but I thought you might like a pic of you and your husband in front of the castle without all the people.

Wow!!! That's amazing!! Thank you so much!!
I showed DH your photo and he was amazed too! I think you're very clever at PhotoShop!! It must have taken ages - thank you again!!!

Great updates! CP is a family favorite. We've only been for dinner but both times have had great character interaction and a lovely server. Plus, IMHO they have the best character buffet food at WDW.

Glad you enjoy CP too! I'd like to try it for dinner next time. Breakfast was great too though - you should go for breakfast next time!!

The best beignets to be had though are at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter. Especially at about 1 am after a night of pub hopping. Beignets and Cafe au Lait. Mmmmm...

Do you mean the real French Quarter in New Orleans? Sounds good! I'll have to check it out sometime!

I also thought it was funny how you Aussies call cantaloupe or musk melon (depends on what part of the US you're from) rock melon.
Biscuits can be good but many are very dry so I don't eat them very often. Only ones that are very soft and buttery.
Enjoying the review but man is that A LOT of food. I couldn't never do the Deluxe DDP. I'm actually nervous about doing the regular DDP when we take our next trip as I'm afraid it's going to be too much!!!

The Deluxe Dining Plan was definitely a lot of food. Too much, really. I hope you enjoy the Regular Dining Plan - I think it would be much better! Thanks for your comments!!

Next review coming up later tonight!

 

[morgy827]

We have an 805am ADR at Crystal Palace on a morning EMH as well. I though we would have no problem getting in a bit early considering we would probably be late if we waited for all the crowds at the front gate...we'll just have to ask a few CM's I guess

 

[duncanssweetie]

Just chiming in to let you know that I have drooled over your reviews this morning !!!

Thank you so much for sharing !! I always like to do CP for breakfast so we can get into the parks early, and for the puffed french toast, I love it !!!

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

I caught up!

Yummm... I shouldn't read these when I am hungry... I have a rumbly tumbly now!

 

[CruisingCamper]

Well, I FINALLY caught up too! The most excellent review!! After reading this, I am so excited about our upcoming trip! Except, I imagine all of our dining experiences will be a little more exciting than yours...we have a two year old who'll be with us Talk about making some noise!!! Anyway, I have really loved your review!!!

 

[hoosiergirl7]

[/QUOTE]Do you mean the real French Quarter in New Orleans? Sounds good! I'll have to check it out sometime!

Next review coming up later tonight! [/QUOTE]

Yes - the real one in Louisiana. You can smell them blocks away from the actual cafe. Always hot and fresh and always VERY messy. I don't think I've ever walked out of there without being covered in powdered sugar.

 

[dsnymomx2]

I'm loving your reviews and man, am I hungry now!!! tonga toast, Beignets, or puff french toast...Which is best? They all look so yummy. MY Dh has been traveling to New orleans often and I have nearly begged him to bring me home some beignets, but his coworker advised that they would not make the flight home. We'll be in WDW next month staying at Riverside and I told him we are going to the FQ to get some!

 

[splashmountain86]

Great photos! I am a hungry college student, and this seems to make things worse I guess I just have that much more to look forward to when i go back to the world in august My DGF and I ate at CP for the first time this summer and had a fantastic experience. Our CM was wonderful and the characters seemed to linger for an unusually long amount of time (no complaints there!). We were also impressed with the amount and quality of the food!

Thanks again for the great review and the great photos!

 

[Uncle Remus]

Ok, I'm definitely in for this one, great reviews, thank you, keep it up.

 

[AussieAngel]

We have an 805am ADR at Crystal Palace on a morning EMH as well. I though we would have no problem getting in a bit early considering we would probably be late if we waited for all the crowds at the front gate...we'll just have to ask a few CM's I guess

I'm sure you'll be fine!! But yep, if you stumble across a grumpy CM like we did, just ask a different person! Have fun!

Just chiming in to let you know that I have drooled over your reviews this morning !!!
Thank you so much for sharing !! I always like to do CP for breakfast so we can get into the parks early, and for the puffed french toast, I love it !!!

I'm glad you've enjoyed the reviews so far! Drool or no drool! Hehee!

I caught up!
Yummm... I shouldn't read these when I am hungry... I have a rumbly tumbly now!

You need some honey for that rumbly tummy... and maybe some Puffed French Toast too!!

Well, I FINALLY caught up too! The most excellent review!! After reading this, I am so excited about our upcoming trip! Except, I imagine all of our dining experiences will be a little more exciting than yours...we have a two year old who'll be with us Talk about making some noise!!! Anyway, I have really loved your review!!!

I'm sure you'll have a blast with your two year old! Sounds like lots of fun!!
Glad you've caught up, and thanks for your nice comments!

Yes - the real one in Louisiana. You can smell them blocks away from the actual cafe. Always hot and fresh and always VERY messy. I don't think I've ever walked out of there without being covered in powdered sugar.

Yum! What fun is a beignet without getting messy!? Hehee!

I'm loving your reviews and man, am I hungry now!!! tonga toast, Beignets, or puff french toast...Which is best? They all look so yummy. MY Dh has been traveling to New orleans often and I have nearly begged him to bring me home some beignets, but his coworker advised that they would not make the flight home. We'll be in WDW next month staying at Riverside and I told him we are going to the FQ to get some!

Hmm, Tonga Toast, Beignets, or Puffed French Toast!? It's too hard to choose!!! Sorry! They're all too yummy - you'll have to have them all! Definitely grab some from French Quarter while you're there! Lucky things!!

Great photos! I am a hungry college student, and this seems to make things worse I guess I just have that much more to look forward to when i go back to the world in august My DGF and I ate at CP for the first time this summer and had a fantastic experience. Our CM was wonderful and the characters seemed to linger for an unusually long amount of time (no complaints there!). We were also impressed with the amount and quality of the food!
Thanks again for the great review and the great photos!

Sorry for making you even hungrier!! Hope you found something to fill your hungry stomach!
Lucky you, going back in August! It'll be here before you know it!

Ok, I'm definitely in for this one, great reviews, thank you, keep it up.

Welcome, and thank you! Glad you're enjoying the reviews!!

 

[AussieAngel]

So after our big breakfast at Crystal Palace, 4 hours later we had a lunch ADR at... Liberty Tree Tavern!

Remember how I mentioned the Deluxe Dining had really started to kick in a couple of days before? We just weren't ever feeling hungry! Well, now two days had passed, and we still weren't feeling hungry. And today was the day we had three table service meals planned - Crystal Palace breakfast, Liberty Tree Tavern lunch, then Jiko for dinner. Sheesh!! How would we ever get through it?!

But like any good DIS-er would, we soldiered on and arrived at Liberty Tree Tavern about 5 minutes before our ADR time.

We were seated pretty much straight away, at a pretty little table for two right by the window, with a lovely view of Frontierland. Nice! The restaurant itself felt very warm and cosy on a chilly day. After a busy morning at Magic Kingdom, it was just nice to be able to sit down and warm up for a little while!

Our server was fine... In fact, I really can't remember anything about him! So I guess he did his job just fine!

We started off with a Coke each. Love the massive big glasses!

Then it was appetizer time! I'd studied the menus before we left and knew exactly what I was going to order - the Tavern Fried Cheese! I was surprised to discover that on the menu, this was now actually an appetizer for two. DH was happy to share it with me though - it wasn't like we were starving hungry!!

The cheese was great, and was definitely enough to share. Even if I was really hungry, I wouldn't need all that cheese to myself! The marinara sauce was a tasty accompaniment, although I did think the presentation of the dish was lacking something?! Maybe some green salad would have been nice, on the left side of the plate? Doesn't it look a bit empty to you?

I also knew exactly what I was going to order for my entree. In fact, I think this is the main reason I made this ADR! The William Penn Chicken Pasta...

This was awesome!! I just love a fresh, tasty pasta - and this was perfect. Penne pasta with marinated chicken, bacon, mushrooms and a creamy marinara sauce. Yum!! Sadly though, I only ate about half of it. My tummy just wasn't cooperating and didn't want to squeeze any more in!!

DH decided to go for the Angus Chuck Cheeseburger, topped with bacon and cheddar and served with fries...

He loves a good burger, and so he really enjoyed this. Again though, he only ate about half of it. I snuck a few of his fries and they were nice and crispy!

So after eating ourselves silly when we weren't even hungry, we then had dessert!! Oh my goodness, why not!? We were in Disney World, after all!

I chose the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake...

... which really wasn't very ooey gooey at all!! Don't get me wrong - it was fantastic! Really yummy! It just wasn't ooey or gooey. I think I imagined it to look more like a pudding. But in reality, it was more like a crunchy little pie filled with chocolate and topped with caramel sauce! It was really, really good. Actually one of my favourite desserts from our trip!

For his dessert, DH went for the Three Chocolate Brownie...

DH loved it and said it was very moist and chocolatey! I don't quite know where the three different types of chocolate were (it was listed as having dark, milk and white chocolate in there), but it was delicious all the same!!

We really enjoyed our meal at Liberty Tree Tavern. The restaurant was warm, cosy and inviting, and perfect for a break during a big day in Magic Kingdom. And the food really was great! I think we were both pleasantly surprised at the deliciousness of the food here. I only wish we weren't so full so we could have enjoyed it even more!!

Here we are, enjoying our desserts at Liberty Tree Tavern. Our server saw me taking photos of our food and offered to take one for us. Eeek!

We gave Liberty Tree Tavern 4 smiley men out of 5!
(If I could do half a smiley man, I would make it 4 and a half!)

Next up... a little snack at Aloha Isle (I wonder what that could be!), and dinner at Jiko!

 

[LiteBrite]

I'd been looking forward to trying my dessert for so long. I'd heard sooo much about it here on the DIS boards and heard it was the most incredible dessert ever. Can you guess what it is? You're right! Ger's Bread & Butter Pudding!!

So the verdict?! It was just as I'd imagined! Really, really yummy! I just loved the sauces and the bread pudding was soft and warm and just right. But!! I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I don't think it's as good as the 'Ohana bread pudding! 'Ohana's bread pudding just has that extra something that Raglan Road didn't have!

I think one problem might have been that it was a bit difficult to eat. I made a hole in the bread and poured some of the sauces down there like my server told me to, but then it was so messy and tricky to eat! There was literally no room in the mug to put my spoon in to get the bread out - as soon as I'd put my spoon in, the sauces would overflow and it was all a bit messy! Also, my bread went a bit soggy after a little while because the sauces had all sank to the bottom. It was still great, don't get me wrong! Just maybe not as good as 'Ohana's bread pudding!

Chiming in a bit late to say that I love your reviews - thank you so much for doing them!

And I know just what you mean about the difficulty of eating the bread pudding at RR. I've had exactly that same trouble myself! I think I finally worked out that it helps to make a small indentation towards the top, pour in some of the sauces, eat a little bit, then repeat the process several times. However, it's hard to ration the sauce exactly right so you don't end up with (horror of horrors) just bread pudding with no sauce at the end!

Off now to check out your TR!