DDP and Restaurant Reviews

[mjaclyn]

MEAL REPORT: September 15 - 25, 2007
We just returned from our wonderful 10-day trip to WDW and had a blast! It was our DD's very first trip and we had a great time with her. Here are some quick reviews of the places we ate on the DDP. I have to agree with previous posts that service has declined quite a bit. There were only three restaurants that we had outstanding service: California Grill, Coral Reef and Jiko. 50's Prime Time Cafe was pretty good service, I just wish we'd had a server who was more into her character. The rest of the time service was much worse than I ever remember. Extremely slow, long wait times for our ADR's, not sitting together and rude CM's.

Day 1: Beaches & Cream - Dinner
- We ended up waiting an hour and a half to get in because we did not have an ADR. My only complaint with that is the CM at the door said it would only be 45 minutes and it turned into twice that amount of time. One other complaint is that when we did get in there were no more high chairs left. I had to try and put DD next to me in a booster seat which did not work at all - she was way too small for it and it didn't even have a strap. Thankfully when the family sitting next to us got up to leave they let us have their high chair. The food was very good - I had a cheeseburger and onion rings. The sundae I ordered was HORRIBLE!!! I have NEVER had a bad sundae here and I was shocked. The CM who brought it over had ice cream dripping down her hand. The two scoops were leaning heavily to one side and everything was melted - it was a mess. My DSis was very surprised that I didn't send it back but by that time I was so exhausted that I just wanted to get back to the room. Rating: B- (for the wait time, lack of infant seating and inedible sundae)

[mjaclyn]

Day 2: Sci-Fi Lunch
DH and I didn't really enjoy this meal. We LOVE the atmosphere at Sci-Fi but the food isn't very good. I shared some kind of tofu dish with DH which was okay and I also tried the onion rings. B&C's onion rings were much better...not as greasy. Our server was fine, just a little slower than we would have liked. Rating: B (mediocre food)

Cantina De San Angel - Dinner
This was our first quick service meal...no real complaints here except the food could be a little better. I had the Plato Combinacion and DH had the Tacos al Carbon. I felt bad for DH because he also wanted the Plato Combinacion but doesn't eat beef and they wouldn't substitute beans or chicken for it. The food was decent and we were able to find seating pretty quickly. Rating: B (again, mediocre food)

[mjaclyn]

Day 3: Pizzafari - Breakfast
Now, DH and I never usually eat breakfast unless we have a character meal planned, but DD fell right to sleep once we got to AK so we decided to eat our first CS breakfast. I really have no complaints about this meal but the line seemed to take forever and they were out of biscuits & gravy. I'm honestly not sure how they could possibly have been out of anything because the park opened at 9am and we were eating by 9:45am. We had the combination plate with sausage, eggs and biscuit as well as a cherry danish. The food was very good and there was lots of seating. Rating: A- (Great food but they ran out of stuff within an hour of park opening)

Flame Tree BBQ - Lunch
I really like Flame Tree BBQ. I just wish they hadn't taken the ribs & chicken combo plate off the menu. I got the half BBQ chicken and DH had the pulled pork sandwich. Both were very good and the line wasn't too bad. We did have a difficult time finding seating but a very nice CM helped us look for a table and found one with an excellent view of Everest. Rating: A (Very good food, great CM)

California Grill - Dinner
This was a truly excellent meal. Our server was very nice and fast although we had a hard time understanding him at times because he had a very thick accent. DH ordered a spicy sushi roll appetizer which was HUGE. I had the veggie flatbread that was also delicious and very large. I had the pork for dinner and DH had the Ricotta Gnocchi. The pork was very tender and juicy, the gnocchi was also very good although it wasn't was DH expected. I think he wanted a plate of actual gnocchi and got a plate of three huge gnocchi - it almost looked like stuffed shells. I couldn't decide which dessert I wanted so I ended up ordering two - the Blueberry Bliss (absolutely EXCELLENT!) and a chocolate lava cake - also very delicious. DH had the 'Year of a Million Dreams' dessert and also enjoyed it. At the end of the night we were stuffed and very satisfied. A truly GREAT meal. Rating: A+ (Excellent food and service)

[CarolMN]

Thanks for the reviews!

Our experience at the CG last December was also A+ - great food and wonderful, attentive "just right" service.

[mjaclyn]

Day 4: Sunshine Seasons - Breakfast
Again, DH and I don't usually eat CS breakfast but DSis and DBIL are both very hungry, so we go along with them. DH and I share one of the combination meals with eggs, sausage, potatos & biscuit. Very good food for CS and there was plenty of seating. The lines were pretty short - not long of a wait at all. Rating: A (Good food, short lines, lots of seating)

Rose & Crown - Lunch
R&C is one of my favorite restaurants on the World Showcase. We always come here at least twice on every trip. That being said, the food was great but I was disappointed in the service. We ate here twice during our trip and both times the service was very slow. Today was the better service day although it wasn't as good as it usually is. I had the potato leek soup and fish & chips - both delicious although the F&C seemed greasier than I remember. DH had the Bangers & Mash and really enjoyed it (we didn't use a TS for him this time). We shared the sticky toffee pudding - LOVED It! Rating: A- (Great food but slow service)

Lotus Blossom & La Cantina - Dinner
DH had the Orange Chicken at Lotus Blossom for dinner and I had an egg roll. The chicken was very tastey but the egg roll was dripping with grease. Basically no wait time and plenty of tables at Lotus Blossom. Rating: B (horrible egg roll) I ended up having the nachos at La Cantina which were pretty good. Longer lines here than at Lotus Blossom but still not bad. Plenty of seating available. Rating: A (good food, plenty of seating)

[Jared]

Thanks for the reviews so far. I've never read a bad report about California Grill, and your experience just continues the restaurant's legend.

Looking forward to more!

:tasty:

[mjaclyn]

Day 5: Kona Cafe - Breakfast
We had a 7:30am ADR for Kona and didn't have to wait very long to get in. DH and I shared the Macedamia Pineapple pancakes which were out of this world! Service was friendly and quick. Rating: A (Great food, fast & friendly service)

Columbia Harbour House - Lunch
The lines were long here, most likely because it was pouring rain all day. I had the chicken & fish basket and DH had the fish basket. Both were pretty good - basically fast food. I was disappointed that they got rid of the bread bowl for the soup. There was plenty of seating here and although there was a mix-up with our CS credits the manager was very friendly and helpful. Rating: B (Food was okay, plenty of seating)

Rose & Crown - Dinner
This is our second meal at Rose & Crown. The rest of our large group arrived today and some of them are here for the first time, so we thought a later dinner at R&C with a view of Illuminations would be great. I was extremely disappointed in this dinner. Again, the food was very good but the service left MUCH to be desired. First of all, I made these reservations 180 days in advance. Second, we checked in an hour early to make sure we could all sit together (there were 12 of us), third we also requested a table near the water for a good view of illuminations. (I realize that everyone makes this request but I was still hoping for the best since we checked in so early). We were seated on time but nowhere near the water and we weren't even sitting together. There was one table of 8 and a second table of 4 that weren't even that close to one another. The service was VERY VERY SLOW. It took 2 full hours to have all of our dinners completed and we were very uncomfortable the entire time. Since it had been raining all day it was chilly and very windy. Our menus and silverware were blowing all over the place. I know that wasn't the restaurants fault but they do have a cover they could have pulled down over the open spaces of the patio, but they didn't. I was very disappointed with this experience. Rating: C (Extremely slow service, they didn't seat us together or near the water, unprepared for bad weather)

[mjaclyn]

Day 6: Crystal Palace - Breakfast
Today we had another early breakfast. 8:00am at Crystal Palace. We checked in about 10 minutes early and still weren't seated by 8:20am. We checked again and somehow it hadn't gone through that we had checked in so we had to wait a little longer to get seated. The CM that seated us was EXTREMELY RUDE. My youngest DSis asked her why she counts the number of people in the party and she said 'I'm just doing my job, if you don't like you can go somewhere else.' I couldn't believe my ears!! My DSis had only asked her out of curiosity she wasn't trying to question her ability to do her job. On top of that, we weren't sitting together again even though I had made the reservations 6 months ago. Besides that, everything else went smoothly. DD LOVED the characters and the food was great. Rating: B (Great food & characters but rude CM, long wait time and not seated together)

Peco's BIlls - Lunch
I've never eaten at Peco's Bills and I really liked it. I had the taco salad which was very good and DH had the chicken wrap (he didn't like it very much). I've heard great things about the fixins' bar and now I understand why. You could practically make a meal out of it by itself! It was around 12:30pm so the lines were long and it took awhile to find seating. Otherwise, it was great. Rating: A (great food, long lines, not much seating available)

Cinderella's Royal Table - Dinner
We had a great experience here although I'm not sure it's worth 2TS. Most of our group decided to use their credits but DH and I just paid for this meal and used the extra credits for Jiko later in the week. I had the corn & crab soup (delicious) and DH had the spring roll which he said was very good. For my entree' I chose the lemon lavendar chicken - it was just okay, kind of dry. DH had the pork tenderloin and that looked really good. I liked DH's chocolate cream cheese buckle alot more than my poached pear dessert. It was fun with the characters and I really liked getting a photo of DD in her little princess dress with Cinderella included in the package. Rating: A (good food & service but overpriced)

[mjaclyn]

Day 7: Flame Tree BBQ - Lunch
Up to this point we've all been extremely full because of all the food on the Dining plan. We just grabbed a muffin for breakfast so we would be hungry for our lunch at Flame Tree. I had the ribs this time which were very good and DH had the chicken. The lines were shorter today and there were LOTS of tables available. Rating: A (good food, quick service, plenty of seating)

Sunshine Seasons - Dinner
We had returned to the hotel earlier to swim and I had gotten a sundae from B&C (MUCH better this time) so I really wasn't hungry for dinner. DH had a plate of Asian food that looked very good. I ended up just having a side dish of rice - it was decent. There were practically no lines here and a lot of seating was available. Rating: A- (Decent food, quick service, plenty of seating)

[mjaclyn]

Day 8: Kona Cafe - Breakfast
Today was our second breakfast at Kona. I had the Pineapple Macademia pancakes again while DH orderd the Tonga Toast. Both were very good although the service was pretty slow. Rating: B+ (good food, slow service)

La Cantina De San Angel - Lunch
Ugh...this was our third meal at La Cantina (not my choice). At this point I'm really tired of Mexican food. I ordered the nachos again but didn't enjoy them. Regular sized lines for lunch time, plenty of seating available. Rating: C (lines & seating good but food is very 'blah' at this point)

Le Cellier - Dinner
This was one of the most anticipated and disappointing dinners we had all week. We waited about 40 minutes past our ADR to be seated and at that point DD was on the verge of a meltdown. We had to repeatedly ask for bread and our waitress was nowhere to be found most of the time. The food was excellent but the service really dampened our experience. DH and I both had the Cheddar Cheese Soup (incredible!), DH chose the Free Range Chicken as an entree and I had the mushroom filet (delicious!!). Dessert was also very good - I had the fruit cobbler and DH had the chocolate 'Moose' - loved it!Rating: B- (Delicious food, extremely slow service, long wait for our ADR)

[scottgr]

Great Reviews...Thanks:thumbsup:

[mjaclyn]

Day 9: Sci-Fi - Lunch
We skipped breakfast today so that we would be hungry for our second ADR at Sci-Fi. This is the first visit for most of our party so we're excited to see it through their eyes. Again, LOVE the atmosphere and we were seated quickly. We didn't expect to sit together here but we had three cars right next to each other which was nice. Our waitress wasn't very good but I heard her telling someone that this was her first week on the job so I'm sure she'll get better. We had to repeatedly ask her to bring out a roll and glass of water for DD who (IMO) should be served first. DH and I shared the spinach & artichoke dip (VERY good) and the Shrimp Penne Pasta (not so good). Rating: B- (Food was decent, service was disappointing)

50's Prime Time Cafe - Dinner
Finally! One meal where we all get to sit together!! :mickey: Those of us who have been here before are really looking forward to experiencing it again through new eyes. We're seated promptly with 'Aunt Sue' who is very nice but a little disappointing in the character department. She was a little too nice - didn't put any of us in the corner or plane feed us our veggies. She did tell us to get our elbows off the table and a few other little things, but nothing like our previous experiences here. She was very attentive and extremely nice but I wish she could have been a little more 'mean'. LOL - if that makes any sense. I think we all ordered the fried chicken dinner - huge and very tastey. Everyone loved the herb cheese appetizer and I ordered the shrimp cocktail (i liked the cheese better!) I ordred the Brownie Sundae for dessert but didn't expect to see all the candy and caramel corn on top - I didn't like that very much. Rating: B+ (Good food & good service but really lacked character)

[SBETigg]

Great reviews! I'm glad you finally got to sit together.

[mjaclyn]

Day 10: The BC Marketplace - Breakfast
Most of our party is leaving today, so we decide to grab a quick breakfast at the Marketplace in BCV so we'll have more time in Epcot before they have to go. DH and I share a CS credit by getting two pastries and two drinks. Both are very good but the line is long. Rating: A- (good pastries, long lines)

Coral Reef: Lunch
This was another excellent meal. Everything we ordered was served quickly and was delicious. Our server (unfortunately can't remember her name) was superb. She was attentive, fast and very nice. The first thing she asked me was if there was anything she could get for DD before the rest of us - I thought that was great. We loved everything - the bread & lobster soup were both great. I had the blackened catfish which was WAY too spicey for me but still very tastey. DH had the pumkin risotto and liked it very much. The chocolate wave was incredible!!! Absolutely delicious - DH ordered a mousse which he really enjoyed. My one and only complaint is that (again) we weren't sitting together. I wish that when I called six months ago to make these ADR's I could have been told which restaurants would accommodate our party size. That way at least I would have known ahead of time. Rating: A+ (Excellent food and service)

Jiko - Dinner
All of only two of the rest of our party had left so we had a nice dinner at Jiko with my DAunt and DUncle. Our server was the best we've had our entire trip - he was attentive, informative and fast. He also asked us what he could get DD before the rest of us - I really appreciated that. The food was absolutely incredible. We each ordered an appetizer: the cheese platter, Maize Tamales, Tast of Africa and Kalamatta Olive Flatbread. Each one was delicious - we all shared and tasted each other's dishes. I chose the seared scallops as an entree' which the waiter kindly offered to have made in a different sauce for me so it wouldn't be spicey. DH had the pork loin - also delicious. DA had the lamb shank which looked incredible even though I don't like lamb very much. DU chose the filet mingon and enjoyed it very much. The desserts were also delicious - we had the chocolate cheesecake and white chocolate mousse pyramid. The dinner one of the best we'd had all week. It was definitely the best service we'd had. Rating: A+ (Great Food, Best service of the trip)

[mjaclyn]

Departure Day: Cape May Cafe - Breakfast
This was our last meal in WDW. :( We didn't have an ADR so I went up to the counter and asked if there had been any cancellations. We were seated immediately and really enjoyed the buffet. The food was very good although I definitely prefer the Crystal Palace buffet. DD loved seeing Minnie, Goofy and Dale - she got so excited when they came around. It was adorable! Our server was friendly and continuously refilled our juice & coffee. A perfect end to a great trip. See you next time, Mickey! Rating: A (good food, good service, seated immediately even with no ADR)

[angedeaile]

Hmm..I thought I read on one of your trip reports that you had an ADR for Nine Dragons that you moved to later in your trip...

Did you cancel? If not, how was the meal?

I have hard so many mixed reviews and it looks like you are a pretty fair reviewer that I was curious to see what you thought of it.

[irish1967]

Thanks for the reviews! I've enjoyed both your trip reports (at least the ones I read so far) as well as this thread. I will definitely take your comments into consideration when planning our ADRs for our next trip.

As I mentioned on one of your trip report threads, I went back and looked at some of my old planning spreadsheets and I had noted that with our large party we would definitely be at separate tables and may not be together - it could be that the CM at Disney Dining didn't communicate that possibility to you.

I wonder with the crowds due to free dining (you were there during free dining, right) that the restaurants are between a rock and a hard place with large parties - they have to choose between making a large party wait even longer for tables together or make you sit apart. Given the crowds, having the tables be apart was probably the only real solution!

Does sound like you were able to sit together sometimes, though!

[mjaclyn]

We did have an ADR for Nine Dragons that I had to move to a different day because DD was sleeping. We ended up moving the ADR again to Monday night but once Sunday rolled around we realized that we had too many table service credits left - so we had to change the ADR again from Nine Dragons to Jiko because Jiko takes 2 TS credits. I know it's confusing! lol

[Goofy Pluto]

Day 2: Sci-Fi Lunch
DH and I didn't really enjoy this meal. We LOVE the atmosphere at Sci-Fi but the food isn't very good. I shared some kind of tofu dish with DH which was okay and I also tried the onion rings. B&C's onion rings were much better...not as greasy. Our server was fine, just a little slower than we would have liked. Rating: B (mediocre food)

Well, what do you expect? Mediocre... you got tofu! ;)

[LoriMistress]

- We ended up waiting an hour and a half to get in because we did not have an ADR.Beaches and Cream doesn't take any ADRs. It's basically first come-first serve.

I've ready your reviews and I'm sorry you had a less then magical experience when it came to your dining experience. Now, were you on the Free Dining plan? If you were--at least it was FREE instead of paying for ****** service. Personally, I would write a letter (Disney is known for taking complaints more seriously by snail mail then email), about your dining experience.

[mjaclyn]

DH and I have eaten at Nine Dragons before and really enjoyed it. I'm not as big a fan of Chinese food as DH is, but it was very good and the service was friendly and fast. I would definitely go there again.

LOL - the food wasn't mediocre just because of the Tofu...I actually liked it even though it's not my thing. I've had everything there from the Spinach Dip to the Burgers and it seems like every time I go there I like the atmosphere a lot better than the food. Just MO. :)

We actually were NOT on the free dining plan. DH and I rented DVC points and paid for the DDP through that. I really enjoyed being on the plan but we ended up paying for a lot of meals out of pocket so we could get the 'most' out of our money. We ended up with 8 TS credits left over two days before we were going to leave. So we ended up using 6TS Credits (enough for 3 dinners) at Jiko but I have to say that it was worth it - the food was delicious and the service was the best I've seen the entire trip.

[DestinationWDW]

Thanks for your posts! I would send a comment about CM at CP though - not nice! That comment was not warranted under ANY circumstance at Disney! Glad you had a great trip. Funny though....last Dec. when my whole family came, Prime Time was only restaurant we were NOT all seated together!

[thejens]

Thanks for your detailed reviews. I really enjoyed them. Your evaluations are very much in sync with my past experiences. Love Cali Grill. Sci Fi, fun atmosphere so so food (but who knew they had tofu!?) Rose and Crown is always SO slow and I never get the good view either. I am very excited to try Jiko next time!!:mickey: