We're just back from our holiday trip to WL (12/15-12/31)! We were on the dining plan, which was wonderful! This is my first attempt at dining reviews, so be nice 
The Cast:
Me (Matt): 16 years old, junior in high school: Major part of Disney vacation planning, and expert on most things Disney World. I will be your guide for this Disney dining adventure. I made all of our ADRs, persuaded my parents to do the dining plan, and was introduced to this site by my dad.
Dad: Attorney: WDW lover. Used to, but no longer wants to have to worry about planning- now the hobby has transferred from father to son
Mom: 2nd Grade teacher: not too into Disney, but happily comes along with us. The main reason why we came during the most crowded week of the year was because she cant take days off.
Andrew: 12 years old, 6th grader: Disney World lover, and technically an adult by Disneys standards, but loves the kids menus!
Background: I believe weve been to WDW five times as a whole family and one other time before Andrew was born. My parents were both here a few times before as well. Two years ago we were surprised on Christmas Eve with a trip on Christmas Day to WDW! Even though it was ridiculously crowded, we had a great time, and my dad decided to plan another holiday trip this year. We booked it in July, and after persuading my parents to stay at the Wilderness Lodge and do the dining plan, I made all of our ADRs. They were changed many times, until we had a definite plan. We had 6 nights, and some requests for certain restaurants, but many I chose based on reviews I read on here and menus that I thought we would enjoy. Were well versed with all things Disney, but this was our first time on the dining plan, so that would be a new experience. We usually stay at the Dolphin on the teacher discount, rent a car, and eat most meals outside the parks. I was really excited not to have to do that on this trip. Im going to give hopefully pretty detailed reviews of each table service and counter service restaurant we ate at, along with a rating out of 5 stars. Unfortunately, the rest of the family wouldnt cooperate with having pictures taken of their food, so I dont have any to share.
Ill try to update this as frequently as possible, but Im back in school already, and theres tons of work to be done!
Day 1: (12/25)
Merry Christmas!
We got up early at 3:45 am, so that we could catch our 7:00 am flight to Orlando! We live about 20 minutes from Philadelphia, and ended up leaving the house around 5:00. It was kind of creepy, since there were barely any cars on the road, but the airport was busy! We flew on AirTran, which has been wonderful for us every time we fly. The flight was smooth, and early. We were quickly whisked away to WL by Magical Express. There were only 2 other people on the bus with us, who were also staying at WL. We checked in around 10:00 am, and our room was ready! We had a woods view room, which was very nice and quiet, with a view of the villas. We love the new WL rooms. The décor is beautiful and upscale, while still maintaining a rustic feel. The only complaint we had all week was that the room was a little bit dark, and the water pressure in the shower was bad. Other than that, our stay was perfect.
We decided to go over to MGM for our first day, and see how many rides we could get on before going over to the Magic Kingdom for our 7:35 ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern. The crowds werent too bad, and we got on most of the major things, before it started raining around 12:30. There were huge downpours, at which time we decided to get some lunch!
Backlot Express Lunch
We went to the Backlot Express because I had heard that the food was decent, at least compared to other places in MGM. It was our first time using the dining plan, so we needed some help, and the CM was friendly and very helpful. Heres what we ordered:
Me: Chicken Strips w/ Fries
Marble Cheesecake
Large Sprite
Dad: Double cheeseburger w/fries
Strawberry parfait
Large Diet Coke
Mom: Double cheeseburger w/fries
Strawberry parfait
Large Diet Coke
Andrew: Kids Chicken Nuggets w/fries and grapes
Jello
Bottled Water
We all enjoyed this meal, particularly because we hadnt had anything to eat all day, and it was a novelty to be on the DDP and not have to pay for anything. All of my food was very good. I really like Disney fries. Theyre crisp, but not hard, and salted to my liking. The chicken strips are also good. Theyre basic, but tasty. The cheesecake was ok, but a little too rich for my taste. I wasnt crazy about it being marbled with chocolate, either. It wasnt bad, but not to my liking. Dad really liked the cheesecake. It was also packaged very nicely to take on the go. Mom and Dad both enjoyed their cheeseburgers and parfaits. I was told the burgers were basic, but tasty. The parfait was a good size, but I didnt like that there were raisins mixed in the yogurt. Ive never seen that done before. However, it was good, with lots of strawberries on the bottom. Andrew started a trend here, by ordering a kids meal instead of the adult meal he was entitled to. It was what he wanted, and we all had enough food of our own, so we let him get it. There were only 3 small nuggets, which isnt very much. They also werent as good as the regular chicken strips, so I shared some of mine with him. This was the only CS we went to where he was allowed to substitute fries for one of the kids picks.
We thought that the décor of the restaurant was interesting. The movie props are fun to look at, but it is a little bleak inside overall. However, its a good choice if you are looking for a tasty CS meal in MGM.
CS Credits Remaining (out of 24): 20
TS Credits Remaining: 24
4
out of 5
(just because we were extra hungry and it was our first meal. Otherwise, it would have gotten 3)
After lunch, we trudged around MGM a bit in the rain. Everyone was getting irritable from lack of sleep, so we went back to the WL in the late afternoon. We relaxed for a while in the room before taking the boat over to MK for our dinner at Liberty Tree.
We were in MK early, and looked around the shops before checking in for our 7:35 ADR around 7:15.
Let me preface this meal by saying that we had very high hopes for our LTT Christmas Dinner. We ate here on our last trip and loved everything about it. We thought it would be a perfect traditional Christmas feast. I made the ADR the first day we could, even before we had booked our hotel, just to make sure we got it.
Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
We waited for a while past our ADR time, probably until about 7:50. I understand that they run behind, but we were really irritable at this point, so it was really annoying that we had to wait past 7:35. We were seated at the very first table on your left as you go up the stairs to the left section of the restaurant. This has to be one of the worst tables in the restaurant. You feel like you are in the lobby area, but a step up. The lobby was extremely crowded, so we felt like we were being watched and encroached upon by everyone that was waiting. In addition, our server wasnt attentive at all. He wasnt friendly, was very slow on drink refills, and would get visibly annoyed if we asked for more of a certain course. I know it was Christmas Day, and Im sure he didnt want to work, but please dont ruin our Christmas dinner because WDW made you work! Overall it was just a really bad experience.
The food wasnt too bad, but was outweighed by all of the other negatives- table location, server, etc. The bread was good and hot when we received it. I didnt have any salad, but mom and dad said that the dressing was really good. The meats were pretty good, but the beef was a little tough, and the ham was a bit fatty. I particularly enjoyed the mashed potatoes, but we were brought a very small portion, which took an inordinately long time to get refilled. I also enjoyed the string beans, which no one else liked. The macaroni and cheese was Andrews favorite. Even if it is Stouffers, I have to agree with him in saying that it was pretty tasty. The dessert was apple cobbler a la mode. It was good, but we were all stuffed and couldnt finish.
We arent too into character meals, so we dont mind if we dont see all of the characters or they dont spend much time with us. However, the characters went by more quickly than most people would like. Minnie just waved and moved on, but lucky came back later to spend a little more time with us. Also, due to where our table was, kids waiting would run up and try to see the characters since they were basically in the lobby when they came to our table. The characters were fine, but not quite as attentive as the last time we were there.
All in all, we were very disappointed in our LTT Christmas dinner. The server and table were awful, and the food wasnt quite good enough for us to disregard those problems. The restaurant even seemed a bit dirty. I know its supposed to look old, but it looked quite grimy this time. We liked it before, so maybe it was just a bad day. However, we wont be returning anytime soon.
CS Credits Remaining: 20
TS Credits Remaining: 20
2.5 out of 5
We went on a couple of rides after dinner, and went back to get to sleep and wake up early for 7:00 am early opening at Magic Kingdom!
The Cast:
Me (Matt): 16 years old, junior in high school: Major part of Disney vacation planning, and expert on most things Disney World. I will be your guide for this Disney dining adventure. I made all of our ADRs, persuaded my parents to do the dining plan, and was introduced to this site by my dad.
Dad: Attorney: WDW lover. Used to, but no longer wants to have to worry about planning- now the hobby has transferred from father to son
Mom: 2nd Grade teacher: not too into Disney, but happily comes along with us. The main reason why we came during the most crowded week of the year was because she cant take days off.
Andrew: 12 years old, 6th grader: Disney World lover, and technically an adult by Disneys standards, but loves the kids menus!
Background: I believe weve been to WDW five times as a whole family and one other time before Andrew was born. My parents were both here a few times before as well. Two years ago we were surprised on Christmas Eve with a trip on Christmas Day to WDW! Even though it was ridiculously crowded, we had a great time, and my dad decided to plan another holiday trip this year. We booked it in July, and after persuading my parents to stay at the Wilderness Lodge and do the dining plan, I made all of our ADRs. They were changed many times, until we had a definite plan. We had 6 nights, and some requests for certain restaurants, but many I chose based on reviews I read on here and menus that I thought we would enjoy. Were well versed with all things Disney, but this was our first time on the dining plan, so that would be a new experience. We usually stay at the Dolphin on the teacher discount, rent a car, and eat most meals outside the parks. I was really excited not to have to do that on this trip. Im going to give hopefully pretty detailed reviews of each table service and counter service restaurant we ate at, along with a rating out of 5 stars. Unfortunately, the rest of the family wouldnt cooperate with having pictures taken of their food, so I dont have any to share.
Ill try to update this as frequently as possible, but Im back in school already, and theres tons of work to be done!
Day 1: (12/25)
Merry Christmas!
We got up early at 3:45 am, so that we could catch our 7:00 am flight to Orlando! We live about 20 minutes from Philadelphia, and ended up leaving the house around 5:00. It was kind of creepy, since there were barely any cars on the road, but the airport was busy! We flew on AirTran, which has been wonderful for us every time we fly. The flight was smooth, and early. We were quickly whisked away to WL by Magical Express. There were only 2 other people on the bus with us, who were also staying at WL. We checked in around 10:00 am, and our room was ready! We had a woods view room, which was very nice and quiet, with a view of the villas. We love the new WL rooms. The décor is beautiful and upscale, while still maintaining a rustic feel. The only complaint we had all week was that the room was a little bit dark, and the water pressure in the shower was bad. Other than that, our stay was perfect.
We decided to go over to MGM for our first day, and see how many rides we could get on before going over to the Magic Kingdom for our 7:35 ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern. The crowds werent too bad, and we got on most of the major things, before it started raining around 12:30. There were huge downpours, at which time we decided to get some lunch!
Backlot Express Lunch
We went to the Backlot Express because I had heard that the food was decent, at least compared to other places in MGM. It was our first time using the dining plan, so we needed some help, and the CM was friendly and very helpful. Heres what we ordered:
Me: Chicken Strips w/ Fries
Marble Cheesecake
Large Sprite
Dad: Double cheeseburger w/fries
Strawberry parfait
Large Diet Coke
Mom: Double cheeseburger w/fries
Strawberry parfait
Large Diet Coke
Andrew: Kids Chicken Nuggets w/fries and grapes
Jello
Bottled Water
We all enjoyed this meal, particularly because we hadnt had anything to eat all day, and it was a novelty to be on the DDP and not have to pay for anything. All of my food was very good. I really like Disney fries. Theyre crisp, but not hard, and salted to my liking. The chicken strips are also good. Theyre basic, but tasty. The cheesecake was ok, but a little too rich for my taste. I wasnt crazy about it being marbled with chocolate, either. It wasnt bad, but not to my liking. Dad really liked the cheesecake. It was also packaged very nicely to take on the go. Mom and Dad both enjoyed their cheeseburgers and parfaits. I was told the burgers were basic, but tasty. The parfait was a good size, but I didnt like that there were raisins mixed in the yogurt. Ive never seen that done before. However, it was good, with lots of strawberries on the bottom. Andrew started a trend here, by ordering a kids meal instead of the adult meal he was entitled to. It was what he wanted, and we all had enough food of our own, so we let him get it. There were only 3 small nuggets, which isnt very much. They also werent as good as the regular chicken strips, so I shared some of mine with him. This was the only CS we went to where he was allowed to substitute fries for one of the kids picks.
We thought that the décor of the restaurant was interesting. The movie props are fun to look at, but it is a little bleak inside overall. However, its a good choice if you are looking for a tasty CS meal in MGM.
CS Credits Remaining (out of 24): 20
TS Credits Remaining: 24
4
out of 5 (just because we were extra hungry and it was our first meal. Otherwise, it would have gotten 3)
After lunch, we trudged around MGM a bit in the rain. Everyone was getting irritable from lack of sleep, so we went back to the WL in the late afternoon. We relaxed for a while in the room before taking the boat over to MK for our dinner at Liberty Tree.
We were in MK early, and looked around the shops before checking in for our 7:35 ADR around 7:15.
Let me preface this meal by saying that we had very high hopes for our LTT Christmas Dinner. We ate here on our last trip and loved everything about it. We thought it would be a perfect traditional Christmas feast. I made the ADR the first day we could, even before we had booked our hotel, just to make sure we got it.
Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
We waited for a while past our ADR time, probably until about 7:50. I understand that they run behind, but we were really irritable at this point, so it was really annoying that we had to wait past 7:35. We were seated at the very first table on your left as you go up the stairs to the left section of the restaurant. This has to be one of the worst tables in the restaurant. You feel like you are in the lobby area, but a step up. The lobby was extremely crowded, so we felt like we were being watched and encroached upon by everyone that was waiting. In addition, our server wasnt attentive at all. He wasnt friendly, was very slow on drink refills, and would get visibly annoyed if we asked for more of a certain course. I know it was Christmas Day, and Im sure he didnt want to work, but please dont ruin our Christmas dinner because WDW made you work! Overall it was just a really bad experience.
The food wasnt too bad, but was outweighed by all of the other negatives- table location, server, etc. The bread was good and hot when we received it. I didnt have any salad, but mom and dad said that the dressing was really good. The meats were pretty good, but the beef was a little tough, and the ham was a bit fatty. I particularly enjoyed the mashed potatoes, but we were brought a very small portion, which took an inordinately long time to get refilled. I also enjoyed the string beans, which no one else liked. The macaroni and cheese was Andrews favorite. Even if it is Stouffers, I have to agree with him in saying that it was pretty tasty. The dessert was apple cobbler a la mode. It was good, but we were all stuffed and couldnt finish.
We arent too into character meals, so we dont mind if we dont see all of the characters or they dont spend much time with us. However, the characters went by more quickly than most people would like. Minnie just waved and moved on, but lucky came back later to spend a little more time with us. Also, due to where our table was, kids waiting would run up and try to see the characters since they were basically in the lobby when they came to our table. The characters were fine, but not quite as attentive as the last time we were there.
All in all, we were very disappointed in our LTT Christmas dinner. The server and table were awful, and the food wasnt quite good enough for us to disregard those problems. The restaurant even seemed a bit dirty. I know its supposed to look old, but it looked quite grimy this time. We liked it before, so maybe it was just a bad day. However, we wont be returning anytime soon.
CS Credits Remaining: 20
TS Credits Remaining: 20
2.5
out of 5We went on a couple of rides after dinner, and went back to get to sleep and wake up early for 7:00 am early opening at Magic Kingdom!
