Tag Archives: Disney Dining Reviews

Walt Disney World – Just Back, Trip Recap!

Posted on by

Clam-mobile-selfieWe had a great time at Walt Disney World!  We always have a great time, so this comes as no surprise.  What DID surprise us was the exceptional, unexpected delights along with a couple of equally surprising minor disappointments.  You know me – fair and balanced (usually) is my M.O. and today’s no different.  Please bear in mind that in anticipation of the extreme crowds to be expected between Christmas and New Year’s, we made an unprecedented number of dining reservations.  Now let’s get to it!

Walt Disney World – Just Back, Trip Recap!

The VERY BEST –Polynesian-Villa-Studio

Our Polynesian Village Resort DVC villa!  You can read that review here.  We were so happy with our location and how comfortable and luxurious our room and its amenities were!  Would we stay here again?  In a heartbeat!DHS-Osborne-Lights-Sign

Saying Goodbye to the Osborne Lights – Bittersweet, but we made the most of the opportunity and were happy at the end of the day.  I guess we could call it closure.Skipper-Canteen-Jungle-Cruise-Sign

The New Skipper Canteen – A full review of this fantastic new Magic Kingdom eatery will be coming up within the next few days, but let me say – If this is the future of Disney’s theme park dining, I’m ecstatic!Jiko-Exterior

Jiko – It’s been a few years since we’ve eaten at this Signature restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Lodge because we had to work Boma and Sanaa into our vacation dining rotation.  It was every bit as wonderful as every other time we’ve eaten there.  Again – full review coming soon.Shula's-Steakhouse-Exterior

Shula’s Steakhouse – Ever since we tried (and were delighted by) Il Mulino at the Swan, we’ve been hoping to fit dinner at Shula’s (at the Dolphin) into our plans.  Perfectly perfect in every way.  Guess what?  Yup – there’s a review coming up soon!Morimoto-Asia-Sushi

Morimoto Asia – Another place we were dying to try and brand new to boot.  Located in Disney Springs, we planned a morning around having lunch at Morimoto Asia before an afternoon at Epcot.  What a great meal!  We shared every course hoping it would keep us from eating too much – HA!  We left completely stuffed and loved the sake flight offered there as well.  You know?  I believe I’ll write a review on this place too!  (So check back!)

The Really GoodJingle-Cruise-Sign

Jingle Cruise – We love Jungle Cruise in it’s usual configuration so chances were that we’d be thrilled with the ride’s holiday overlay.  And we were.  Skipper Patrick was from our home state of Louisiana and he was a true master at pun-delivery!  If you’ve not had the chance and are visiting Walt Disney World during the holidays, do make time to experience this fun and funny seasonal treat.Be-Our-Guest-Restaurant-Sign

Breakfast at Be Our Guest – We’d eaten both lunch and dinner at Be Our Guest before, so we thought, why NOT see how breakfast is.  Hands down, this was our favorite meal at this unique and amazingly-themed restaurant in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland.Tonga-Toast-Kona-Cafe

Breakfast at Kona Café – We’d never had Tonga Toast before!  We had to knock that off our Disney to-do list.  While the toast might have been a little sweet for us, we loved the omelet we shared, plus the coffee and the service were both excellent.  Those to-go coffees our server offered us were just the ticket for making sure we were wide awake when we got to Magic Kingdom.Chewbacca-Meet-and-Greet

Meeting Chewbacca – He was everything we hoped he’d be!  Tall, furry, friendly, and photogenic!  The Launch Bay, where fans can meet both Chewbacca and Darth Vader, is packed with enough Star Wars information and memorabilia to make every fan happy.Star-Tours-Queue

The New Star Tours – We weren’t sure what to expect with the new Force Awakens tie-ins, but they were just right – seamlessly included in the storyline. (Nope, no spoilers here!)

The DisappointmentsBluezoo-Exterior

Bluezoo – This Todd English restaurant at the Dolphin was someplace we’d really looked forward to trying.  We’d heard such great things about the menu and service.  The service was as expected – excellent.  The disappointment came in the form of our $42 entrees.  We each ordered something different and we both found the food lacking in interest and flavor.  There are tons of other places in that price range at Disney World, no need to waste money here.Flying-Fish-Exterior-2015

Flying Fish – The last time we ate at Flying Fish was in May, 2014 and it was one of the best dining experiences we’d ever had.  The food, the service, the ambiance – all of it created such a fantastic vacation memory.  Raymond and I were expecting the same thing this time.  Not so much.  Lackluster (at best) is what we got.  It started with the hostess who would not make eye contact or smile – just shoved a pager at Raymond and said (without looking up), “We’ll call you when we’re ready”.  Flying-Fish-Interior-2015(2)The young lady who led us to our table when our pager blinked was equally un-Disney-like.  Our server went through the motions, but never talked about the menu or made recommendations of any kind.  He was pleasant enough yet made us feel like a chore he needed to finish quickly. Flying-Fish-Interior-2015(1) I have a theory.  Flying Fish is getting ready to close for an extended refurbishment.  I asked and the server told me they were all being reassigned to other places.  I believe they’ve all checked-out and mentally moved on, knowing that at the end of January their work family will be divided up among many other Disney restaurants and they’ll each have to learn the ways of a new place.  I’d be willing to go back again after the refurb and give Flying Fish another shot.

Have your recent experiences been different than ours?  What has been your most favorite recent Disney dining or attraction experience?

 

Walt Disney World Dining – Resort Loop Table Service (Part 1)

Posted on by

RM-Bay-Lake-Tower-Contemporary-ViewIt’s time to talk about food (Big Surprise, right?).  Pros and Cons of Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Resort Table Service dining, to be exact.  As always, I’m providing information mostly based on my own experiences and opinion – I like to be completely honest.  This means I’ll do my best to give you balanced reviews.  Since there are three resorts on the Monorail, I thought we’d, you know, make this simple and take one at a time.  Thus, part one is Disney’s Contemporary table service dining options – it gets the #1 spot because it’s my favorite resort.  Let’s talk food!

Walt Disney World – Resort Loop Table Service Restaurants (Part 1)

Hop on the monorail from the Magic Kingdom and you are just a stop or three away from some of the very best dining those genius Disney chefs can dish out!  The best part of this deal is that you can easily avoid in-park dining if you want to.  Not that the Magic Kingdom’s food is all bad, but it is somewhat limited if you want to get away from the crowds a bit and maybe have an adult beverage (currently only available in-park at Be Our Guest for dinner).  On the resort loop, you will find quite a variety of experiences to choose from and while I’ve not eaten at every restaurant in every monorail resort, I’ve eaten at enough of them to make some well-informed recommendations.  I’ll also include the number of table service credits each eatery requires for those of you who use a dining plan.RM-Monorail

Contemporary Resort Table ServiceIMG_2651

Chef Mickey’s (buffet, 1 TS credit) – Character dining at its best.  I’ve covered the joys of meeting the Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto) in a couple of previous posts because we have had many excellent times at Chef Mickey’s for both breakfast and dinner.  Pros: No waiting in line in the Florida heat to meet these beloved characters – you get one-on-one time for plenty of prime photo ops.  The buffet, while not extremely imaginative, is full of decent, basic food with plenty of choices that are sure to please even the pickiest eaters.  Cons: It’s loud, super crowded (usually), and you can often find a bunch of families with ill-behaved children.  It’s worth it, though, especially since boys and girls alike will enjoy the character lineup here.RM-The-Wave

The Wave (1 TS credit) – Raymond and I stopped in for a late lunch and ate in the bar.  What a delightfully unexpected surprise!  We shared several things which were all absolutely delicious and we each enjoyed a fantastic glass of red wine.  The menu offers fresh, sustainable, locally grown ingredients.  Pros: Good eats for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.  Expect a decent selection that is designed to please almost everyone.  The dinner menu includes beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and a couple of vegetarian options as well.  Cons: Décor is Dark and a little dreary – feels like you’re in a basement.RM-California-Grill-Menu

California Grill (2 TS credits) – LOVE this place.  I thought our dinner here on our 25th Anniversary Celebration trip (October, 2014) was absolutely fantastic with some extra-special touches just for us.  Raymond wished we’d gone someplace quieter.  To me, pretty much everything about this place is great – the atmosphere, the view, the food, the wine list.  RM-California-Grill-InteriorYes, it’s expensive and while we’ve taken our kids to eat here, I would categorize the California Grill as a best-appreciated-by-adults dining experience.  Pros: Excellent menu and service, great view of Magic Kingdom, guests are welcome to watch Wishes from the restaurant (If you had dinner there early, you can come back later the same evening.).  Cons:  If there are lots of children present, the noise and action can kind of kill the romantic atmosphere – make a late reservation to minimize the impact.

Check back soon for Parts 2 & 3 – Table service options at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Have you eaten at Disney’s Contemporary Resort?  What restaurant(s) would you recommend?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disney Dining – Beaches and Cream’s Kitchen Sink

Posted on by

If you have a sweet tooth, this post is for you!  Today, Nick’s wife Barbie shares their experience at Beaches and Cream (located between Disney’s Beach Club and Yacht Club resorts).  Barbie, Nick and their friends conquered The Kitchen Sink – the craziest ice cream sundae in the World!!!  (See the complete Beaches and Cream Soda Shop menu here.)

Disney Dining – Beaches and Cream’s Kitchen Sink

Imagine going into a restaurant and ordering a Kitchen Sink, and you really get the kitchen sink! Despite the fact that it was freezing cold and January, that’s what my husband and I did with our friends, Kandi and John. The lights in the restaurant dimmed, you could hear the crowd hush and people started clapping and ta dah! This is what was delivered to our table!

 Here’s a listing of what this amazing dessert includes:
(thank you to disneyparks.com for this thorough breakdown) 

  • fudge topping, warmed
  • butterscotch topping, warmed
  •  peanut butter topping, warmed
  • 1 medium banana, sliced in 1/2 –inch slices
  • 1 cinnamon spice cupcake, quartered
  • 1 angel food cupcake, quartered
  • 2 4-oz. scoops vanilla ice cream
  • 2 4-oz. scoops chocolate ice cream
  • 2 4-oz. scoops strawberry ice cream
  • 1 4-oz. scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream
  • 1 4-oz. scoop coffee ice cream
  • 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
  •  marshmallow crème
  •  strawberry topping
  •  pineapple topping
  • 1 14-oz can dairy whipped topping
  • 1 brownie, quartered
  • 1 regular-sized (2 ounce) candy bar, quartered
  • 4 chocolate cookies (oreos-basically) with cream filling
  • 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds
  • 1 tablespoon dark and white chocolate shavings
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate cookies with cream filling, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped jellied orange slice
  • 1 tablespoon milk chocolate chip morsels
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter chip morsels
  • 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
  • 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
  • 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries
Barbie, Kandi, John, Nick

Look at us, we didn’t know what we were getting into! We couldn’t stop laughing once we saw what this was, and it was ours! The question now, could we finish it off? It’s a long list of ingredients, too many to ponder on for any length of time…so did we finish it, and was it any good? Well, the consensus was that it was an fun and awesome dessert, that definitely needs to be shared with good friends; and yes, we absolutely were able to finish it off, and almost wound up licking the sink clean!!

Don’t get the wrong idea, we’re not done yet in this pic!

For more adventures with Barbie and Nick, follow Disney Musings on social media:  Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, On Instagram, On Pinterest.

 

Breakfast at Cape May Café in the Beach Club

Posted on by

Enchanted Tiki TalkAgain!  Can you believe how lucky we are?  Last week, we had an awesome planning post by Keith from the Enchanted Tiki Talk Podcast and today, I’m super stoked to bring you a post by my friend Sean who also happens to be a host in the Tiki Hut!  Sean’s bringing us a great restaurant review – those of you who love character meals will love this post! (For lots more Disney fun, be sure to follow Sean and Enchanted Tiki Talk on Twitter and Like Enchanted Tiki Talk on Facebook, if you haven’t already, please give the podcast a listen – Sean, Keith, and Alan do a great show and score awesome interviews!)

Breakfast at Cape May Café in the Beach Club

By Sean from Enchanted Tiki Talk Podcast

There are several good character breakfast buffets at Walt Disney, but one of my favorites is at Cape May Café in the Beach Club resort.

My wife Sharon and I have grown to love Cape May Café. Not only is the resort a great place to visit but Cape May Café is much quieter than Chef Mickey’s. Granted Mickey doesn’t make an appearance here but you do get Goofy, Donald and Minnie Mouse. But you also get them in their swimming suits which is a nice touch. Disney certainly plays up the beach atmosphere at the resort which adds to the charm of your breakfast there.

Now Cape May Café is smaller and a little less rowdy in my opinion. The food selection is a bit smaller as well but they still serve all the basics like, pancakes, eggs and Mickey Waffles among other things.  The staff was always attentive and we never felt like we needed to get out of there for the next guest to sit. We also like to book the later times for character breakfasts just because it usually is a little less crazy.

The thing that we really have come to love is the character experiences. The last few times we have gone we have noticed that the characters spent a little more time with the kids. Just as an example Goofy drew his name on my sons paper mat on the table and then Minnie Mouse came for pictures with my son and then noticed my daughter sleeping in the stroller. Next Minnie wanted a photo-shoot covering her mouth with 1 finger showing us that we need to be quiet with a sleeping baby there.  Then you have Donald who stole my hat. You would think after Mickey’s Philharmagic he would have learned his lesson. Sean's Cape May Cafe Review 1

In many ways I felt it was more of an intimate experience with the characters. I think some of that comes into play because it does feel smaller and there isn’t ever a rush to get to the Magic Kingdom.  It is just less chaotic overall and that’s what I love about eating there.

I know lots of people prefer to eat in the parks or feel like they don’t want to stray too far from the parks, but just taking time to explore the Beach Club Resort is worth the trip. Just as an example take a look at Stormalong Bay which is the pool that is shared by the Beach and Yacht Club. It has a sandy bottom and probably one of the best water slides on property.  As a non-resort guest you probably can’t explore the pool area but maybe if you ask nicely they might let you have a look.

I think the biggest thing for me here is that it’s a great idea to get out of the parks and explore the resorts a little more.  You can certainly kill a few hours exploring the Epcot area resorts especially at night. But for something a little different take a look at Cape May Café for breakfast. Oh did I tell you that at night it’s a seafood buffet with all the crab legs you can eat! Well now you know. Only thing is it’s not a character meal but did I mention all you can eat Crab Legs!!!

Have you tried Cape May Café?  Where is your favorite character dining experience at Walt Disney World?