Cookie Princess
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2004
We enjoyed another wonderful WDW vacation from 8/19 - 8/27. Now let me start by saying we try to eat "somewhat healthy" during the remainder of the year but at WDW, all bets are off...bring on the meats and the sweets!
This was our 2nd time on the DDP. The first time we paid for it and this time we didn't. Free food tastes very good! I will say that one waitress who remembered us from previous visits stated that shortly before the free dining went into effect many of the restaurants got menu changes including removing some items and "decreasing the size" of others. Not to worry...there is still plenty of food to widen your waist!
Cast: DH (meat and potato guy who likes big portions), ME (eyes bigger than my belly - love the sweets), DS (11 - an adult per WDW, he loves BACON and sweets and is super skinny).
Rating: 1 - 5 with 5 = GREAT and 1 = HORRIBLE
50's Prime Time: 4
We eat here on every trip, and enjoy the interaction.
Apps/drinks: fried herb cheese, onion rings and shrimp cocktail - all tasty. Amber Bock beer for DH, sour apple freeze (not on DDP) and PB&J shake for me...I love that shake.
Meals: Meatloaf, fried chicken with french fries, and pot roast. All tasty, however the green beans that I couldn't finish returned with whipped cream on them for dessert...
Desserts: Apple cobbler and a brownie sundae - DS was too full for any dessert because he drank his sour drink and a soda. We made a lot of pit stops that afternoon!
Chef Mickey's: 3.5 - paid out of pocket using Disney Reward $$'s
We will only eat here for breakfast as we don't care for the dinner. The buffet was good and had a lot of tasty items including Krispy Kreme donuts. It was convenient because we stayed at the CR.
Le Cellier: 4.5
A must do each year...a good place for carnivores!
Apps/drinks: cheese soup x2 and the tenderloin for DS. I was a little disappointed in the fact that I like my pretzel bread to eat with my soup and we got 1 stick to fight over. Things were getting UGLY. We had to ask for more twice because our server would return to the table and kept forgetting to bring us that magic pretzel bread. Drinks: Torontopolitan (you gotta try this), some type of fancy beer and soda.
Meals: maple bbq filet (x3) - 1 with just fries for the 11 year old "adult". I love this meal. The potatoes are tasty too.
Desserts: Maple Creme Brulee and the sorbet combo. Both yummy. Again, DS too full for dessert because he won the pretzel bread fights.
Spoodles: 5
Why haven't I tried this place before??!!
Apps/drinks: DH fell in love with the bread, and olive spread. He requested an e-mail of the recipe. Garlic shrimp (I wanted to lick the plate on this one), cheese flatbread, and meditteranean dips. I would have enjoyed a meal of just appys. Drinks: soda and a pitcher of sangria (delish). DH is a microbrew kinda guy but he also loved this sangria.
Meals: NY strip x3 (DS changed the sweet potato fries to regular fries...big surprise there). This steak was great and the sauce was delish.
Desserts: DH proclaimed the happiest celebration on earth cake the best dessert he has ever had. If you have tasted my cooking, you would know why. I had chocolate cake and DS enjoyed the create your own sundae.
San Angel: 3 - paid out of pocket using Disney Reward $$'s
We were still a tad full from breakfast, so didn't bother with the "3 course meal". This is a nice restaurant that we always enjoy, but not one of the standouts.
Drinks: Fiesta Margarita...mmmm, Dos Equis and a soda.
Meals: kid's chicken strips (DS is picky), and plato Mexicano x2.
Whispering Canyon Cafe: 2.5
Our last trip here was just ok as well so I think we will skip this spot for a while. Our server really wasn't into the antics and we don't come here expecting top quality food, we want fun. Also, the 2 cockroaches on the boat trip back to our hotel might have dampened my memory of this night. If you were on the boat between the Contemporary and the Wilderness Lodge on 8/23, I apologize for my screaming as the bugs run past my feet...twice...YUCK! Bugs are smaller up north.
Apps/drinks: Wings (best part of the meal) and nachos. I must say the size of the toppings has decreased on these. I had mostly "dry nachos" on the plate. DH - snob beer (big surprise), berry margarita and soda.
Meals: skillet for DH, pork chop for DS and chicken pasta for me. I have to add that the pasta was disappointing. The server said it was spicy, but you could have fed this to a toddler. DH said it tasted like plain mac & cheese. I should have gone with my first pick...meatloaf.
Desserts: banana dustbowl, chocolate moose stampede cake, and DS just got some chocolate chip cookies to go. All were good.
Hollywood Brown Derby: 2
I am still mourning the loss of 2 credits per person for this meal! It just didn't live up to our expectations of a signature eaterie. I really wanted to love this place, and had been eyeing it for sometime as we have eaten at all the other MGM restaurants.
Apps/Drinks: Crab cake which was lousy and 2 lobster bisques. Now, coming from Maine we don't order lobster outside of New England, but we figured lobster bisque would be safe...not so. DH tried 1 spoonful and said: "this is the worst lobster bisque I have ever had". I had to agree. It was VERY fishy tasting. We have had better lobster bisque in Aruba. Drinks: beer again, soda, and a YUMMY carmel apple martini that was the best part of the meal. I gotta get that drink recipe.
Meals: Filet Mignon x3 - these were not bad, just not great. A tad more chewy than expected, and the worst quality filet we had all trip.
Desserts: grape fruit cake (pretty good) and a vanilla bean creme brulee that was quite tasty. They were out of a couple of the dessert offerings that night that I really wanted.
Alfredo's: 4
We have never had a bad meal here and the "eye candy" waiting on the tables doesn't hurt either.
Apps/drinks: Calamari, mozzarella caprese and melon with proscuitto - all very good, especially the calamari. Drinks: beer, soda, and some tasty sangria that was nicely spiced. Not quite as good as the sangria at Sppodles, but still very nice.
Meals: Cheese pizza with a yummy crust for DS, trio pasta dish, and shrimp pasta with a vodka sauce. Oh how I loved that vodka sauce! I could swim in it.
Desserts: ice cream with fruit, tiramisu, and a very tasty dessert of the day that is not on the regular menu
. This was bits of chocolate cake, then a layer of strawberries with sauce all covered with vanilla custard...WOW! This was my favorite dessert all week.
CA Grill: 5
Another outstanding meal at a "true" signature restaurant.
Apps/Drinks: Sushi for DH and I that was fabulous. Flatbread for DS that was even better than the flatbread at Spoodles. Crown Royal and soda (not a true "beerless night" for DH as he had a little in the room prior to the elevator ride up to dinner), a cosmpolitan (ok it was really 2), and a Mickey Mouse cocktail for DS. Hey, we were celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary and needed a true toast.
Meal: Tamarin filet...the best filet of the trip, and by now, we have eaten a lot of filet! The tamarin sauce was great as well.
Desserts: valhrona chocolate cake with ice cream and cherry sauce, kid's sushi, and a butterscotch buzz. A wonderful array of calories for all.
Crystal Palace: 4 - paid out of pocket
This is our favorite character breakfast. The stawberries and cream, deep fried and sugared french toast, and cheesy potatoes are fabulous. DS proclaims their bacon the best he has ever eaten. We will be back!
I hope these reviews were helpful, and if you don't eat meat or sugar...you just wasted 10 minutes of your life that you will never get back.
This was our 2nd time on the DDP. The first time we paid for it and this time we didn't. Free food tastes very good! I will say that one waitress who remembered us from previous visits stated that shortly before the free dining went into effect many of the restaurants got menu changes including removing some items and "decreasing the size" of others. Not to worry...there is still plenty of food to widen your waist!
Cast: DH (meat and potato guy who likes big portions), ME (eyes bigger than my belly - love the sweets), DS (11 - an adult per WDW, he loves BACON and sweets and is super skinny).
Rating: 1 - 5 with 5 = GREAT and 1 = HORRIBLE
50's Prime Time: 4
We eat here on every trip, and enjoy the interaction.
Apps/drinks: fried herb cheese, onion rings and shrimp cocktail - all tasty. Amber Bock beer for DH, sour apple freeze (not on DDP) and PB&J shake for me...I love that shake.
Meals: Meatloaf, fried chicken with french fries, and pot roast. All tasty, however the green beans that I couldn't finish returned with whipped cream on them for dessert...
Desserts: Apple cobbler and a brownie sundae - DS was too full for any dessert because he drank his sour drink and a soda. We made a lot of pit stops that afternoon!
Chef Mickey's: 3.5 - paid out of pocket using Disney Reward $$'s
We will only eat here for breakfast as we don't care for the dinner. The buffet was good and had a lot of tasty items including Krispy Kreme donuts. It was convenient because we stayed at the CR.
Le Cellier: 4.5
A must do each year...a good place for carnivores!
Apps/drinks: cheese soup x2 and the tenderloin for DS. I was a little disappointed in the fact that I like my pretzel bread to eat with my soup and we got 1 stick to fight over. Things were getting UGLY. We had to ask for more twice because our server would return to the table and kept forgetting to bring us that magic pretzel bread. Drinks: Torontopolitan (you gotta try this), some type of fancy beer and soda.
Meals: maple bbq filet (x3) - 1 with just fries for the 11 year old "adult". I love this meal. The potatoes are tasty too.
Desserts: Maple Creme Brulee and the sorbet combo. Both yummy. Again, DS too full for dessert because he won the pretzel bread fights.
Spoodles: 5
Why haven't I tried this place before??!!
Apps/drinks: DH fell in love with the bread, and olive spread. He requested an e-mail of the recipe. Garlic shrimp (I wanted to lick the plate on this one), cheese flatbread, and meditteranean dips. I would have enjoyed a meal of just appys. Drinks: soda and a pitcher of sangria (delish). DH is a microbrew kinda guy but he also loved this sangria.
Meals: NY strip x3 (DS changed the sweet potato fries to regular fries...big surprise there). This steak was great and the sauce was delish.
Desserts: DH proclaimed the happiest celebration on earth cake the best dessert he has ever had. If you have tasted my cooking, you would know why. I had chocolate cake and DS enjoyed the create your own sundae.
San Angel: 3 - paid out of pocket using Disney Reward $$'s
We were still a tad full from breakfast, so didn't bother with the "3 course meal". This is a nice restaurant that we always enjoy, but not one of the standouts.
Drinks: Fiesta Margarita...mmmm, Dos Equis and a soda.
Meals: kid's chicken strips (DS is picky), and plato Mexicano x2.
Whispering Canyon Cafe: 2.5
Our last trip here was just ok as well so I think we will skip this spot for a while. Our server really wasn't into the antics and we don't come here expecting top quality food, we want fun. Also, the 2 cockroaches on the boat trip back to our hotel might have dampened my memory of this night. If you were on the boat between the Contemporary and the Wilderness Lodge on 8/23, I apologize for my screaming as the bugs run past my feet...twice...YUCK! Bugs are smaller up north.
Apps/drinks: Wings (best part of the meal) and nachos. I must say the size of the toppings has decreased on these. I had mostly "dry nachos" on the plate. DH - snob beer (big surprise), berry margarita and soda.
Meals: skillet for DH, pork chop for DS and chicken pasta for me. I have to add that the pasta was disappointing. The server said it was spicy, but you could have fed this to a toddler. DH said it tasted like plain mac & cheese. I should have gone with my first pick...meatloaf.
Desserts: banana dustbowl, chocolate moose stampede cake, and DS just got some chocolate chip cookies to go. All were good.
Hollywood Brown Derby: 2
I am still mourning the loss of 2 credits per person for this meal! It just didn't live up to our expectations of a signature eaterie. I really wanted to love this place, and had been eyeing it for sometime as we have eaten at all the other MGM restaurants.
Apps/Drinks: Crab cake which was lousy and 2 lobster bisques. Now, coming from Maine we don't order lobster outside of New England, but we figured lobster bisque would be safe...not so. DH tried 1 spoonful and said: "this is the worst lobster bisque I have ever had". I had to agree. It was VERY fishy tasting. We have had better lobster bisque in Aruba. Drinks: beer again, soda, and a YUMMY carmel apple martini that was the best part of the meal. I gotta get that drink recipe.
Meals: Filet Mignon x3 - these were not bad, just not great. A tad more chewy than expected, and the worst quality filet we had all trip.
Desserts: grape fruit cake (pretty good) and a vanilla bean creme brulee that was quite tasty. They were out of a couple of the dessert offerings that night that I really wanted.
Alfredo's: 4
We have never had a bad meal here and the "eye candy" waiting on the tables doesn't hurt either.
Apps/drinks: Calamari, mozzarella caprese and melon with proscuitto - all very good, especially the calamari. Drinks: beer, soda, and some tasty sangria that was nicely spiced. Not quite as good as the sangria at Sppodles, but still very nice.
Meals: Cheese pizza with a yummy crust for DS, trio pasta dish, and shrimp pasta with a vodka sauce. Oh how I loved that vodka sauce! I could swim in it.
Desserts: ice cream with fruit, tiramisu, and a very tasty dessert of the day that is not on the regular menu
. This was bits of chocolate cake, then a layer of strawberries with sauce all covered with vanilla custard...WOW! This was my favorite dessert all week.CA Grill: 5
Another outstanding meal at a "true" signature restaurant.
Apps/Drinks: Sushi for DH and I that was fabulous. Flatbread for DS that was even better than the flatbread at Spoodles. Crown Royal and soda (not a true "beerless night" for DH as he had a little in the room prior to the elevator ride up to dinner), a cosmpolitan (ok it was really 2), and a Mickey Mouse cocktail for DS. Hey, we were celebrating my 17th wedding anniversary and needed a true toast.
Meal: Tamarin filet...the best filet of the trip, and by now, we have eaten a lot of filet! The tamarin sauce was great as well.
Desserts: valhrona chocolate cake with ice cream and cherry sauce, kid's sushi, and a butterscotch buzz. A wonderful array of calories for all.
Crystal Palace: 4 - paid out of pocket
This is our favorite character breakfast. The stawberries and cream, deep fried and sugared french toast, and cheesy potatoes are fabulous. DS proclaims their bacon the best he has ever eaten. We will be back!
I hope these reviews were helpful, and if you don't eat meat or sugar...you just wasted 10 minutes of your life that you will never get back.
