Dining Reviews 10/2-10/9, Part I

[bamagirl@hrt]

We just got back on Sunday from a 9 day stay @ the World. I know how much others' reviews helped me when I was planning, so I hope this helps someone else!

Our Cast:
DH & I, both 33, not picky eaters. Love a wide variety of food
DD, 6, Not very picky. Is willing to try most things
DS, 3, Lives on peanut butter crackers & fruit

Sat., 10/2:

World Premiere Food Court:
We arrived at ASMo @ 11am & checked in & got settled in our room. We grabbed a large cheese pizza & refillable mugs at the food court before heading to the parks. This was suprisingly good pizza. The crst was crispy, not tough or soggy like a lot of thin crust pizza. DH, DD, & I shared this. DS had crackers & grapes.

Plaza Pavilion Counter Service:
We used our Q&C vouchers for this one. We just grabbed our food & ate at the curb while waiting for Spectro. All of us spit 2 vouchers, while adding extra drinks for the kids. We got the Italian stack sandwich, side salad, chicken strips basket, and 2 Mickey premium ice cream bars. Everything was pretty good. I haven't kept all of my receipts, but I know we saved about $4-5 by using the vouchers.


Sun., 10/3:

Crystal Palace:
In one word --- GREAT!! We had a 10:30 PS, which is the last breakfast seating of the day. It was crowded - the lady at check in announced they were not accepting walk-ups. The buffets were fully stocked with a wide variety of fresh, yummy food. DD & DS especially liked the Pooh waffles and fresh fruits. The breakfast lasagna was very yummy, as was the french toast. My only complaint is the CM who was cooking to-order omelettes & pancakes. He was complaining loudly about how long he'd worked without a break. Whenever someone placed an order, he just sighed & rolled his eyes. Not very Disney-like behavior. But, I wouldn't let him spoil our breakfast! Our server, Mike, was great! He promptly took care of any request we had & also shared some fun Disney trivia. Since we had breakfast vouchers, we received yummy smoothies to take with us. Those smoothies were almost $5 each! The total bill, before tip, was about $78. I paid $56 with the vouchers, and that included gratuity! What a deal! Character interaction was also awesome! By the end, there were few people there. Pooh was playing "ring around the rosie" with my kids! Moments like this are magical.


1900 Park Fare:
I am sad to say that this meal was the biggest disappointment of our whole trip. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as I expected. Character interaction was good, epecially Suzy & Perla! The Fairy Godmother was in the lobby, and as we left, we saw that she had been joined by Goofy! I had read here that with an early PS, it's often less crowded, so I booked a 5:30 PS. Well, I didn't take into consideration that this was a MNSSHP night and EVERYONE else was eating there before going to the party. It was PACKED!!! The food was the big disappointment, tho. It just seemed to be a hodge-podge of things that didn't really go together. The casear salad was good and the strawberry soup was very, very good! However, there was no fruit, except whole apples. So, basically, we paid $10 for an apple for our son. I know, it's not Disney's fault he's so picky, but I thought there would be more fruit, which he would eat.

I had ordered the chocolate slippers here as a surprise for my kids. They thought they were really neat. They were served on regular plates, not chocolate as some others have received. My funny DS picked up the whole slipper & chomped on it. DD ate a few bites & was finished. DH & I had no problem helping them finish them up! It was a special treat, but not one I would pay $14 for again. The total bill, before tip, was $109.

I'll post Monday & Tuesday, which includes Mama Melrose's, Princess Storybook Breakfast, and Le Cellier soon!

Christy

 

[MsMulan]

Thanks for this report...helpful information. Quick question...Q&C vouchers are good until what time?

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

Q&C vouchers are good during normal lunch and dinner hours, and are for mostly counter service restaurants. I used them as early as 11am and as late as 9pm.

Hope this helps!
Christy

 

[vasoccermom]

Thank you for your reviews. I"m enjoying reading them and getting ideas for our upcoming trip (we've never done a character meal so I'm trying to decide which one to choose - and with DS being 10 that's all I may be able to get away with).

Can you tell me about the food vouchers you mention...where and how to get them and if you think they're worth acquiring?

Thanks,
karen

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

There are different kinds of vouchers. I know there are many threads on this board about them. If you search "Meal Vouchers" I'm sure you'll find everything you need to know. Here's my experience, tho.

I joined Hotwire Savings Club (www.hotwiresavingsclub.com) for a free 30 day trial membership. I ordered all of the vouchers I needed. You can either cancel before your 30 days are up, or, if you like the service, you can retain your membership for $7.95/month. They have other things than Disney meal vouchers.

I purchased 2 types of vouchers - the Quick & Casual (Q&C) lunch & dinner vouchers and the Breakfast Feature vouchers.

Q&C vouchers are $11.50 each, and can be used during lunch and dinner hours at almost any counter service restaurant in the parks, as well as resort food courts. I believe Beaches & Cream is the only sit down that accepts them. Each voucher is good for one entree, one side, one non-alcoholic beverage, and one dessert. If you order a combo, that counts as your entree and side. I've heard of some people being allowed to get another side anyway, but we weren't. The price includes sales tax and gratuity.

We found that we usually saved $2 or $3 dollars per voucher, except for Beaches & Cream, where we saved half of our meal's cost!! I like the vouchers mostly because it lets me pre-pay some of our meals.

The Breakfast Feature vouchers are $18.25 for adults and $11 (I think) for kids 3-9. They are good at all character meals and I think most other resort & sit park restaurants serving breakfast. The price includes one entree, one juice, one bakery item, and something else if you order a la carte. We always used them for buffets or family style meals. At Crystal Palace, we were able to get smoothies in addition to our juice and milk. Again, the price includes tax & gratuity.

I thing these are the best deal. We saved $15 - $25/meal with these.

Hope this helps!
Christy

 

[AngieBelle]

I was working at Crystal Palace during breakfast on 10/3! I'm in entertainment at WDW and was one of 2 "good friends" of Pooh that morning! You might've met me...I do sometimes play ring around the rosie. I did that today in fact...right when it was emptying out.

 

[Kristina]

Thanks for the reviews! We have PS's at CP for an early breakfast and I can't wait ! Now I've planned our trip for about 2 years or so but it's getting down to the wire, and only now am I interested in the food vouchers, but I don't know if it's to late or not? I live in Sweden so if they come by mail I would be a bit nervous, but even then they should get here. You see our total spending money for Disney is not as great as it was in my fantasy so we need to save where we can. bamagirl@hrt is it possible order the vouchers and print them out yourself?

Thanks for any info! Glad you had great experiences

 

[Minniespal]

Great reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

AngieBelle, it is soooo neat that we may very well have "met" you at the CP!!! You probably see so many families that you don't remember who you danced with, but we were seated by a window overlooking the porch on the left side of the restaurant (as you walk in). Pooh was my childhood favorite, and I was so excited when he made a huge comeback in popularity about 7 years ago! I did my DD's nursery in Pooh stuff, before it was everywhere. It was so special to see Pooh dance with my children, and to have a family picture made with Pooh without anyone else around. I think we were just about the last breakfast family to leave, at least on that side of the restaurant.

Thank you for making our day magical! Moments like those are why I absolutely LOVE Disney World! Already can't wait to go back and CP is definitely on our to do list!

Kristina, I don't know of any way to print out the vouchers yourself. They are made of stiffer cardstock paper. The front tells what is included and the back lists all of the participating restaurants. Mine came very quickly - in less than a week. However, I don't know how much slower international mail is. Good luck with your planning & have a wonderful trip!

Christy

 

[MsMulan]

Originally posted by bamagirl@hrt
Q&C vouchers are good during normal lunch and dinner hours, and are for mostly counter service restaurants. I used them as early as 11am and as late as 9pm.

Hope this helps!
Christy

Thanks Christy, that was a big help. I thought that they were only good for lunch. However, if I can use the throughout the day. They may be worth the investment.

-Cheri