8 days on DDP Nov 2-9 (incl new kids meals) - new Day 7!

[jayhjay]

We are back from our wonderful trip to WDW and we are stuffed! After reading so many helpful reviews before we left, I just wanted to return the favor by letting you know about our experiences. Here are the key details:

I traveled with my DH and two DDs (5 and 3). DH and I eat almost anything and love going out to eat. My older DD is a pretty limited eater. She likes mostly bread, fruit, plain chicken (and dessert!). She won't try much that she hasn't eaten before. My younger DD is more willing to try new things and has a wider range of what she will eat, but still fairly limited. They typically share food when we eat at TS restaurants at home as they don't eat too much.

Also, we were in a weird situation with the DDP in that little DD turned 3 on the second day of our trip. So we didn't have a DDP for her and were essentially sharing three plans among the four of us.

So here goes...

Day 1 Whispering Canyon Cafe

We were staying at Wilderness Lodge so I made ADRs for lunch on our arrival day. We were a bit later than I had planned (our ADRs were for noon and we got to the hotel closer to 12:30) but they had no trouble getting us in. The restaurant was maybe 1/3 full, if that.

We were seated at a nice table in the center of the room. This is the first time we had ever been here and I warned DDs that the "servers are silly here" (I was a little afraid they'd freak out). The antics were actually at a perfect level for us - enough to be fun, but not all consuming during the meal. I am not sure if this is typical for lunch, or just the low crowd, but it was a perfect introduction for my family.

Our server welcomed us and told us a bit about the menu. We ordered the nachos to start with no chili. I ordered a mango colada smoothie and the fried chicken. I asked if I could get all white meat and she said I could with a "white meat upgrade charge" which I said was fine. DH got the chicken sandwich and a coke. DDs shared the kids meal chicken fingers.

My older DD wanted a milkshake and I asked if we needed two or if they could share (I wasn't sure since they are bottomless if they would make them each get their own). But she sort of winked and said "I'll take care of it" and ended up bringing them each their own.

I also told her that we were using only one DP credit (this was an add-on meal and we didn't have enough credits for all of us). She quickly said she would put the appy, dessert, and the pricier items on our DP credit for us which was perfect. No worries about paying for some on plan and some OOP.

So for the food: The nachos were pretty good. More than enough for four of us to share, I can't imagine eating it on my own. It was pretty basic w/o the chili and there were enough plain chips that DDs could pick at it. Both DH and I really enjoyed them. My fried chicken was fabulous, just what I was in the mood for. Very crispy coating and a HUGE portion! It came with 2 breasts and 2 wings, plus mashed potatos. I loved it (and DH did too with the piece I gave him!). My smoothie was absolutely TDF! Seriously, I was dreaming about it the rest of the trip. So yummy! DH's chicken sandwich was also huge. It came with fries, I believe. He said it was very good. DDs shared the chicken fingers. It came with a little bowl of grapes on the side. I think it was 3 pieces (maybe 4) but it was plenty for them.

For dessert we got the banana dust bowl. It is sort of a fried shell with cinamon sugar and bananas and caramel with ice cream inside. DH and I loved it. DDs wouldn't eat it b/c everything had sauce on it. I probably should have gotten them plain vanilla ice cream, but at that point they were full and tired so I didn't bother.

As for antics, DH played along with the banter and kept getting different sized cokes when he asked for a refill. And a little playful chatter with me and the kids. At other tables, the servers were announcing "he drank that whole soda!" or "this man has eaten the most skillet", that type of thing. Nothing too major, which was good for us, as I said. DDs got to draw pictures and the server put my older DDs picture up on the wall, which she loved.

So overall, we had a great experience. I am not sure if we'd go back for dinner, but maybe for lunch again if we were staying at WL.

Total Bill -
1 TS credit (fried chicken w/white meat upgrade, smoothie, nachos, banana dustbowl) - $39
OOP (chicken sandwich, coke, kids chicken fingers) - $24.10, apparently they never charged us for the girls milkshakes
Grade B for food and service

Next up...
CHH for dinner
Day 2 - MK CS for lunch and 1900 PF for bday dinner

 

[OurDogCisco]

Great review.... Looking forward to the rest.

 

[TigerKat]

Thanks for the review, ready for more!!!!

 

[jayhjay]

Ok, the rest of Day 1 and Day 2...

CHH
We had dinner at MK prior to the parade. After lunch we had pretty much crashed in our room as DDs were exhausted (as were we) so no one was super hungry at dinner time. DH didn't want anything to eat at all. I got the Garden Galley Salad and a soda. For DDs I ordered the adult chicken fingers and a soda for DH to drink (girls drank milk we brought and water). For dessert we had the chocolate cake which was listed as "dessert of the month" on the receipt - I am not sure if this is really seasonal or not.

The salad was a really pleasant surprise - very crisp and light tasting. I wasn't sure about the feta and pineapple combination (I like both but seemed weird together) but it was really good. Maybe a bit heavy on the dressing, but definitely a winner. DDs liked the chicken strips and fries. The real hit was the chocolate cake - OMG was it good. For prepackaged counter service especially. The girls split one and I ate the other. Very yummy.

Total:
2 CS used, unfortunately I forgot to write down the price, but probably in the $23-25 range
Grade, B+


Day 2

Lunch - Pinnochios and CHH

I enjoyed my dinner the previous night so much I went back to CHH the next day. This time I got the Anchors Away sandwich (tuna on multigrain). It came with chips, a soda, and chocolate cake again. I carried it over to Pinnochios where DH was with the girls. They shared a pepperoni pizza, milk, and chocolate rice crispy treat. It also came with a side of fries as a side dish on the DDP. DH had the Turkey panini, chips, soda, and chocolate cake (same cake as CHH).

My sandwich was very good (I even got comments from people as I carried it through MK about how good it looked!). The bread is toasted so by the time I got to eat it it was a bit cold. Probably better eaten there, but still very good and fresh tasting. DH enjoyed the panini, very nice size and tasty. The girls did ok on the pizza, ate about half. Neither one really liked the mickey rice crispy bar (I swear, they are mine!) but DD3 ate the chocolate off! We were so full we pretty much picked at the rice crispy bar and one of the cakes and took the other one home with us. Overall, both places were really good.

Total:
3 CS used, again I forgot to write down prices but CS meals averaged about $13 pp. I'd give CHH a B+ and Pinnochios a B. Both we'd definitely return to.

Snack:
DD was dying for popcorn so we bought some from the stand in Adventureland. Even though both sizes are under $4, the DP only covered the smaller one (about $2.50). Hit the spot! 1 snack credit used


Dinner - 1900 Park Faire

Today was DDs 3rd birthday so we planned dinner here as a special treat for her. She wore her Cinderella dress and was very excited. We had ressies at 5:50 and arrived about 5:30. There was a bit of a line at the check in desk so I send DH to wander with the girls in the lobby while I waited. I also wanted to ask about a cake for DD. I had called ahead to GF and they said for a small cake for four we could order it when we arrived. The hostess said they could get a cake, but they provide a cupcake with a candle. I knew we'd be full from the buffet so I decided to skip the cake.

As an amusing side note, turns out the hostess not only grew up in our town, but went to the same High School that my DDs will go to! She said since it was DDs birthday she was giving us a really good table and server.

We arrived early, but were seated in about 5 minutes after checking in. THe lobby area was not busy and DDs got right in to see the Fairy Godmother (she greets in the lobby, doesn't circulate through the dining room). We had a table in the first of three connected rooms, soon after you enter the dining room. So our table had a lot of space to the left where the hosts take guests by on the way to the table. This made it nice for DDs b/c they could get up and move around with the characters and really interact. Our server was Lisa and she was great - very attentive with the refills.

For DDs birthday they had a placemat signed by the characters and a birthday tiara for her (nice touch!). Dinner here was very good. Among other things, the buffet including a salad and fruit bar, strawberry soup and at least one other, caesar salad, carving station of prime rib and turkey, a pasta station with two freshly made pastas, mussels, mushroom ravioli, and assorted other dishes I can't remember. The kids area had pizza, chicken drumsticks I think, mac and cheese, uncrustables, and carrot sticks. The dessert bar had numerous options - cookies, tarts, cheesecake, sundae bar, apple cobbler, bread pudding and fresh made bananas foster. Standouts included the mushroom ravioli, strawberry soup, carved turkey, and the TDF bananas foster.

Character interaction was great here. We had numerous visits from Suzy and Perla, and a nice amount of time with both Cinderella and Prince Charming. It wasn't that crowded when we arrived, but definitely got busy. Early is definitely better here.

For DDs birthday they brought out a cupcake and the waitress asked everyone to join in singing to her. It was really nice. I would definitely come back here - great characters, good food, nice atmosphere. Perfect way to dine with Cinderella!

Total:
3 TS credits (didn't write down the price but this is a set buffet pricing)
Grade B+ (food didn't compare with finer TS, but I didn't expect it to. For a character buffet it was really good, hence the grade)
As a side note, our server billed us for 2 adults, 2 kids. I mentioned DD3 wasn't on the dining plan b/c she was 2 when we arrived and she said she needed to charge us for her meal now that she was 3, which I said was fine. But in the end, she only charged us for 3 meals instead of 4, which was very nice. This was one of many times where the CMs were much more flexible and generous interpreting the meal plan than the official rules.


Just as an FYI, we stayed at VWL so we had a kitchenette and ate all our breakfasts there...


Next up: Day 3
Lunch at Tusker House
Dinner at Kona

 

[jayhjay]

I'm back and we are on to Day 3. We spent the day at AK and had lunch at Tusker House, one of our favorite CS places. I got the fried chicken sandwich w/fries, chocolate cake, and a soda. DH also had the chicken sandwich with carrot cake and a soda, and DDs shared the rotisserie chicken, chocolate cake, and milk.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed in the chicken sandwich. This has
always been a favorite of mine, but this time it was a bit dry. The portion of chicken is huge (easily splittable), but there wasn't as much of the ranch sauce as normal and with all that breading and the big bun it was fairly bland. I would go back to TH, but not sure if I'd get this entree again. The rotisserie chicken was really good and it came with mashed potatos and green beans. The potatos were garlicky which I don't like, but they were nice and creamy. Desserts were very good - chocolate cake was huge and very moist and chocolatey. The carrot cake was also very nice sized and moist. I prefer a more cream cheesy frosting (this was a bit sweet) but it was good. This was one of the few CS places where dessert was not prepackaged. They were both nice slices of cake on a plate which was a welcome treat.

Overall, I'd give this a B rating. Food was good, nice atmosphere, great value for a CS on the DDP. We'd come back, but try something other than the chicken sandwich.
- 3 CS credits used
- Total cost about $44

Snacks
While at AK we used three snack credits. Two on ice cream bars from the cart (popsicle - $2.50 and a cookie sandwich - $3.00) and the other on a sundae from the shop in Africa. It was basically soft serve with chocolate sauce, nothing exciting, but what the kids wanted.


Dinner - Kona Cafe

We had ADRs at Kona for 6:05 but we ended up arriving early b/c we came directly from AK (DDs fell asleep midday in the stroller so we didn't end up taking a nap break at the hotel). We arrived at Kona closer to 5:30. We waited about 10-15 minutes for a table. We sat in the lounge around the corner and listened to the muscian for a while and the kids colored while we waited.

I was feeling a little queasy (too many times on Everest!) so the wait was actually good. We were seated at a table along the right wall toward the back of the restaurant. I am not sure if it was the good location or not, but I never felt I was eating in the lobby of the Poly as I had feared. The only problem was were were at a round table where our seats curved around about 2/3 of the table. So no one could really reach the whole top half of the table. There was plenty of room to sit, but our plates got quite crowded.

So, on to the food! All I can say is Yum! I had read so many great reviews here and Kona did not disappoint. I ordered the Kona chowder with the char crusted filet mignon and a strawberry banana smoothie (included on the DDP). DD had the sticky wings, shrimp and scallops, and a soda.

This was also our first encounter with the new kids meal. I was really not thrilled about this honestly. I have no problem with the healthy food (don't let the reviews fool you, I don't let my kids eat this much junk at home!), but for my picky eaters, the rigidness of the meal options (and limited choices) are a problem.

We planned on ordering the kids the pizza meal. I asked for no chicken on the pizza, no sauce on the apples, and no dressing on the salad (kids like everything plain!). In passing I asked our server Sandy if things were swappable (assuming she'd say no based on what I had read here). Well, much to our delight she had no problem letting us switch side dishes around. So instead of the apples I got the yogurt parfait. She also let us trade the soup from the pick 3 meals for the salad. Hurray!

DH and I both loved our meals. THe chowder was rich and creamy with lots of seafood. THe filet was delicious, nicely spiced and seared. Melt in your mouth quality. Smoothy was so so - good flavor but very icy. No comparison to the one at WCC. DH loved the wings (basically the same ones as Ohana). THey came on a huge plate with a salad. Someone could easily eat this as a meal. His shrimp and scallops were delicious. He said the sauce was a bit tangy but he really enjoyed it.

Much to my surprise, my kids actually ate pretty well. DD5 ate the soup (well, mostly broth but I think a few noodles and veggies might have passed her lips). It was pretty basic soup, but perfect for her. They picked at the pizza, neither one really loved it. And DD3 LOVED the parfait. She gobbled it up. My younger DD also liked the delicious bread, as did DH and I (especially the garlic olive oil sauce). Older one wouldn't eat it b/c it had rosemary or something in it.

Since DDs yogurt was officially a dessert (what a cop out Disney!), DH and I ordered one Kiddie Kone and one Kilahuea Torte. Let me just say I have never seen a work of art like this Kiddie Kone. DDs almost passed out when they saw it - cotton candy base, waffle cone filled with chocolate and vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate, m&ms, it goes on and on! Seriously, it was amazing. Try as they might, DDs couldn't even finish it sharing between the two of them. DH and I shared the torte. It is a lava cake kind of thing. Sadly, I found it quite dry. I was expecting fabulous and it was only so so. I added some ice cream from DDs cone and it helped, but by itself it wasn't that great.

Overall, this restaurant was great. I wish they had the old kids menu, but that wasn't their fault. Service was good, food was delicious.

Grade: A
3 TS credits used
Total cost: $106.50

Coming up... Day 4 - Bad food at backlot express, dinner at Ohana

 

[bekkiz]

Thank you so much for the reviews. We're trying Kona and (hopefully) WCC on our upcoming trip, and I love to hear that others are having great meals there!

 

[Disney owl]

Great reviews thanks

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[TigerKat]

Thanks - we're really looking forward to KONA. That chowder is sounding better and better!

 

[momofdbsdc]

Fabulous reviews! Thank you for sharing!

 

[jayhjay]

Day 4


Backlot Express
This was are only really disappointing meal during our trip. Not that we were really expecting much from MGMs notoriously bad counter service, but I had hopes based on the menu that the food would at least be decent. Unfortunatley, I really thought it was pretty bad (at least what I tasted).

I ordered the turkey sandwich and diet coke. The girls had the chicken strips with fries and a milk, and DH had the double cheeseburger, fries, and soda. All three of us had the sugar free parfait for dessert. Honestly, I was most disapointed with the sandwich, it tasted like cardboard. I should have gotten the chicken strips but I was trying to be good (of course, I ended up eating the girls leftovers anyway). I could only manage about half the sandwich and even that was a struggle. DH and DDs were less bad - typical disney burger, but no toppings bar like some of the other CS places and the usual chicken strips (which I actually like). Dessert was just gross. I have no problem with sugar free, but the top layer (custard or something? I have no idea what this was supposed to be) tasted like paste. The strawberry part underneath was ok. One DD wouldn't even touch it (nor would DH) and one picked at it a bit.

We got there at opening and it still took forever to get our food. The few positives I'd say is we were able to get big sodas, and the seating was plentiful (and shady outside). Other than that, not impressive.

Total:
I'd give this place a C, although the chicken strips were good (assuming you like Disney chicken strips)
3 CS credits used

Snacks:
DDs had a pretzel and a mickey pop that morning (pretzel was huge!). I had a brownie at Roaring Forks that afternoon. It was huge and delicious (more cakey than brownie, fwiw). RF has a really nice new food court area with better choices I think than before.

3 snack credits used

Dinner - Ohana
We had 7:00 ADRs at Ohana, and much to my suprise, virtually no wait at the door (they almost always seem to be running behind). We got seated at a nice table along the side windows. Both the hostess and our server asked if we had been there and when. They were trying to figure out if we knew about the new menu. Seems like folks must be complaining a bit b/c they definitely made a point of clarifying we knew it had changed last year.

Food was the usual for OHana. We always enjoy it and tend to gorge ourselves sick. Wings were especially good this time, as was the turkey. I asked the server about getting something different for the kids and they ordered chicken strips (see a pattern here?) and pbj (ie Uncrustables, which totally annoys me - all this hoopla about healthy kids options and they give them a preservative filled pre-made sandwich! How hard is it to make PBJ?) Dessert was so yummy (we love the bananas foster bread pudding) and our server brought the girls ice cream with chocolate sauce instead.

Service was fine, but nothing great. We had a server and someone else bringing our food and it was hard to tell who to ask for things, making refills difficult. The kids enjoyed the hulas, maracas, coconut races, etc. Overall the meal was good, but after three trips I am not sure we'd race back again. Our favorite part is the wings and you can get the same ones at Kona. But it was enjoyable.

Total:
Grade - B for food, B- for service
3 TS credits used ($80 for 2A and 1 child dinner)
OOP for $14.93 for younger DDs dinner

Up next, day 5 - Chef Mickey brunch and Le Cellier dinner - both excellent!

 

[amamed1]

Thanks for all of the great reviews, we are looking forward to visiting Kona on our next trip.

 

[jillyjoey]

Great reviews -- I agree with you about the uncrustable being "healthy"

 

[dbal]

Thanx for the reviews. I am really enjoying them. We have 2 young dd's with similar tastes, so it's extremely helpful.

 

[KatGarcia]

Great reviews...very enjoyable read!

 

[jayhjay]

Thanks for all nice feedback on the reviews!

Chef Mickey
For our 5th day, we decided to take a break from the parks so we started off with a late breakfast at Chef Mickeys. We had ADRs for 10:30 and arrived a bit early. We were seated right away. This was our first time here for breakfast (other times have been dinner) and we were very pleased. Our kids tend to like breakfast foods so this was one meal we knew they'd actually eat! They both liked the pancakes and waffles and the fruit. And of course the dessert bar! There is nothing here that really stands out to me, but it was a good buffet brunch that we all enjoyed.

As for characters, interaction was really great. We were on the late end of the meal and it wasn't too crowded. We saw all the characters (Goofy, Mickey, MInnie, Donald, and Pluto were there that day) and several more than once. Also, since our CM making the ADRs had noted it was DDs birthday that week, they brought her a cupcake and did the little napkin twirling dance. Mickey came over to visit again during the birthday celebration and they also gave her a signed placemat. This was a nice touch considering it wasn't actually her birthday that day.

Overall, this was a good meal. I enjoyed it more than the dinner and the timing was nice for a slow morning. I'd give it a B for food and an A for character interaction.

Total:
3 TS credits used for DH and I and DD5
OOP for DD3s meal (they charged us here for her) - $11.71 + tip

Coming up... Le Cellier

 

[jayhjay]

Ok, I am finally back and able to post my Le Cellier review. Let me start by saying that this was BY FAR the best meal we had all week. Seriously amazing stuff!

Our ADR was for 5:40. We arrived on time and we given a pager but seated wtihin a few minutes. They were telling folks they were booked for the night even at this not so busy time of year, so definitely make those ADRs!

We were seated at a table toward the back wall in a little alcove that sort of had two half walls with an opening in between. There were three tables set up there and a family who also had small kids finishing up at the table next to us. It was a great spot b/c we were sort of separated from the rest of the crowd and in a booth instead of a table. This must be the "family section" b/c another group with young kids replaced the other group when they left.

So for the food... I ordered the mussels appy and the mushroom filet, along with a smoothie to drink and the creme brulee duo for dessert. DH had a caesar salad, the new york strip, and the chocolate cake for dessert. And DDs shared a smoothie, the kids salad appetizer, grilled chicken breast and fries, and the smores dessert. DH also had a canadian beer our server Jennifer recommended.

First let me say the mussels were so good I could have licked the bowl (managed to use my breadstick instead!). They were in a potato chowder kinds of broth and were seriously amazing. All five adults at the other tables near us ordered them as well. So good I am still drooling! Steaks were fabulous. Mine was incredibly tender, perfectly cooked and the risotto was delicious. DHs salad was good, nothing exciting but what he was in the mood for. His NY strip was delicious.

The kids appy salad was huge! Big enough an adult could practically eat it for dinner! My only regret was that is was mostly shredded lettuce and carrots. I would have liked a few more veggies as DD3 would have eaten them dipped in dressing. But no big deal. Their grilled chicken was a nice size and nicely seasoned. THey even divided the plates for them which was nice.

For dessert, the creme brulee was great. I think I liked the maple the best, maybe just because it was different, but the vanilla was good too. DHs cake was good, but he was so full I am not sure he got too much of it. I think he ended up sharing with DD3. DD5 loved the smores, but she mostly ate the sprinkle-covered marshmallows! The graham cracker part wasn't very smore-like, but everyone seemed to think it was good too.

Overall, this was definitely our A+ meal. Fabulous food and great service. We'll return again for sure.

Total:
3 TS credits used - $132.59
OOP - DHs beer (I didn't realize they had added gratuity already so I double tipped) - $9.00


Snack
After dinner DDs shared a pretzel from the stand in Germany. It was good and huge, better than the one we had at AK I think.

 

[jayhjay]

Sorry for the delay! I am back with Day 6

Liberty Tree Tavern
We went to LTT for lunch as I had heard great lunch reviews on the boards and we had already eaten a lot of CS at the MK. Our ADRs were for 11;30 which is when they opened. We had to wait a minute or two in the lobby while they finished opening and then were lead to our table.

This was our second experience with the new kids plan. Our server Miguel, like the one at Kona, was very liberal in his interpretation of the plan (much more so that the official Disney rules). I told him that at Kona we were able to mix and match the "preset" meals and sides (rather than just the pick 3's) and he smiled and said of course, whatever combination we wanted was fine. So we ordered the kids the grilled chicken strips (my DDs request surprisingly), the yogurt parfait that DD3 had loved, and the ice cream sundae. Technically that was two desserts (since the parfait is official a dessert) but Miguel actually is the one who suggested it. I am not sure if we just got really lucky with our servers, or if the on the ground implementation of this plan is more liberal than Disney official policy, but things were MUCH more flexible with the kids meals than I anticipated. Of course, if they had to eat this every day instead of just two places, it might have been more problematic!

DD5 mostly ate the chicken (I think there might have been veggies with it too but they didn't really eat them). DD3 gobbled up the parfait - she loved those things! And Miguel brought them each a bowl of ice cream with patriotic mickey sprinkles. BTW, this was clearly two servings of dessert, not a divided portion as each bowl was filled with ice cream (there is no way a single serving was double that). So they were very generous with us sharing between our kids.

Once again we just used one TS credit for this meal (this was a great way to handle lunches as we were rarely hungry enough for three full appys, meals, and desserts). I ordered a diet coke, the colony salad, the fried cheese appetizer, and the fried pound cake dessert. DH had a roast beef sandwich I believe (I can't find my itemized OOP receipt). The fried cheese was yummy. Typical mozzarella sticks you could get anywhere, but they were still good. My salad was good, but not as good as it sounded in the menu. The other flavors of cheese, apples, etc were not nearly as strong as the lettuce and dressing. Not bad, just nothing exciting. The pound cake was fabulous. Highlight of the meal.

Overall I enjoyed this place and would probably come back. Nice way to branch out from CS at the MK since we are usually here so many times. I'd like to try the dinner with the kids too. I'd give lunch a B rating.

Total:
1 TS used (diet coke, colony salad, fried cheese, pound cake) - $29.83
OOP - kids meal, DH's sandwich and soda - $26.42 with tip

Snack
Although no one was really hungry we had 12 snack coupons remainig at this point and only two more days so we got mid-afternoon snacks as well. DD5 got an ice cream (popsicle I think) and I had a cookie sandwich from the main street bakery. If you have never had one of these, you must try them. THey are so amazing - two huge cookies (you can choose sugar, choc chip or oatmeal raisin) filled with ice cream. It is huge and fabulous. The CM checking me out told me it was the best snack deal out there and I agree!

Dinner - Wolfgang Puck Express
Once again we chose based on some DIS recommendations and we were not disappointed. We arrived around 6:00. There was no line and plenty of tables outside (it had been pouring a few minutes prior so I am guessing that slowed things down). The CM explained to us what was available on the DDP - basically anything but the ravioli and meatloaf (the two entrees over $10.00). Everything else was fair game and came with a cookie, brownie, or creme brulee. The kids had to choose from a kids menu - cheese or pep pizza, and a few other things I can't remember.

I ordered the BBQ chicken pizza, DH had a new special that was sort of a BBQ beef sandwich on a pita wrap kind of bread, and DDs shared the pepperoni pizza. We got two brownies and one cookie. My pizza was pretty good and fairly spicy. I thought the crust was a bit soggy. Not bad, but I'd probably try somethign else next time. DDs enjoyed their pizza and DH really liked his sandwich. Overall I'd give it a B and we'd definitely come back here if we are in DTD as I don't love Earl of Sandwich.

Total came to $32.61 with 3 CS used. For some reason the receipt shows a 10% discount on everything, I have no idea why, but since we were using the DDP it doesn't really matter. Also, we weren't really sure how tipping worked here. THere was a CM offering to get refills and stuff (not the one who brought our food I don't think) so we left him a few dollars. But not everyone seemed to be tipping, so I am not sure.

We were too full for the desserts, especially since we were heading over to....

Goofy's Candy Company
OMG is it like heaven in here! We were tipped off to the wonders of the "design your own" treats section and headed that way. Seriously amazing, especially since you can use snack credits for everything but the apple (four marshmallows on a stick, three pretzel rods, gingerbread cookies, and rice crispie treats (and maybe one other?). You choose what kind of chocolate you want it dipped in and then what toppings (sprinkles, m&ms, reeses, nuts, etc). DD got marshmallows with sprinkles and m&ms with milk chocolate and milk chocolate drizzle. I got pretzel rods with milk chocolate, 2 in m&ms, one in reeses, drizzled with caramel.

Yum! DD loved hers (I thought the sprinkle side was kind of gross but the m&ms were good and she loved it!) and mine was fabulous, although neither of us ate more than a few nibbles. We too them back to the hotel and ate them later on our last day. The pretzels were delicious, but I thought the reeses one was better (more sweet and salty than the m&ms). The caramel was a little clumpy though so next time I'd skip it. We also got DD3 a decorated sugar cookie just b/c we needed to use some credits. It was good but nothing exciting.

Overall, the snacks were an A!

Coming up next, Day 7 - more MK counter service, more ice cream treats, and dinner at Artist Point

 

[swankybeth]

Great reviews, I'm really enjoying them. I'm planning to order the same meal that you did at Le Cellier, glad to hear it was good.

 

[jayhjay]

Ok, I am finally getting a few minutes to hopefully finish up these reviews. Thank you all for bearing with me as I go.

Columbia Harbor House and Village Fry Shopppe
We once again ate CS at MK. And once again at least some of us ended up at Columbia Harbour House (can you tell we like this place!). Although first we stopped for a hot dog for our younger DD. We were in the Fantasyland area and a quick scan of the map listed Village Fry Shoppe as having hot dogs. Usually I avoid the McDonalds stands like the plague (prefer to do something different when in Disney) but they happened to have hot dogs so we checked it out. It actually was a good deal on the DDP. We got a huge hot dog, large milk, french fries (McD brand) and apple dippers. Strangely they weren't the apple dippers McDs usually sells, they were some local produce company. It was a very large cup of apple slices packaged with a cup of caramel. THe apple dippers were dessert - I could have gotten something cakey if I wanted (can't remember what...) but they had eaten so many sweets and more to come, that I fgured the apples were better (plus they love them). They didn't have "kids" versus "adult" meals, so this might be a good place to use your kids dining credits and get a large portion.

We carried that over to CHH were my DH, DD5 and I got meals. We had one extra CS from when DH hadn't eaten the first night, so I got each of us our own. DH and DD5 got the chicken fingers and fries (he got a coke, she got a water bottle). I had the half lighthouse sandwich and soup with a soda. All of us once again got the chocolate cake. At this point between the four of us we had so much food we could have fed 6 people easily. We never would have needed all of that food if we didn't have the credit to use.

Anyway, the other items have been reviewed already in previous days, so I'll stick with what was new. The soup was ok, not terrible, but not great. I like thick chowder and this was not. It had a decent array of clams/potatos, but nothing worth coming back for unless it is a cold day and you really want soup. The sandwich was great - hummus, brocolli slaw on toasted multigrain. I wasn't sure about trying it, but was glad I did. I think this is now my favorite item here. Fresh tasting, slightly sweet. Very good.

Total - 4 TS credits used

Snacks
Continuing our heroic efforts to use up our snack credits even when not hungry, we stopped on the way out of the park on Main Street. DDs and I hit the ice cream parlour while DH went to the bakery for one of those fabulous cookie sandwiches. As usual, it was amazing. He even got comments from passers-by! DD3 had a mickey kids kone (ice cream with two little candies for mickey ears), I had a root beer float, and DD5 had a scoop of strawberry. All were covered on the DDP. Interestingly, DD5 could have also gotten a double scoop on the DDP (usually only the smaller items has been covered at other places). I didn't bother b/c I knew she'd never finish it, but it is a good deal. Everything was yummy - and still 4 credits to go!

Dinner - Artist Point
We love Artist Point and had been looking to spending our last night there. As before, we thought it was great! DDs were both exhausted, so we moved our ADR from 6 to 5:30. We ended up walking over early and got there around 5:20, before it opened. We chatted for a while with a nice older couple who got their ear talked off by our 3 yo!

We asked for a window seat and got one (unfortunately they are doing some renovations on the outside and a scaffolding blocks most of the view right now). When we arrived, we were pretty much the only ones there. Our server Becky was very friendly. She brought crayons and pictures of Cars characters for the girls to color. FWIW, no one blinked an eye about us having young kids there, although it was early. As it started filling up in there I saw plenty of families with (well-behaved) young kids.

On to the food. I ordered the smoky mushroom soup, the filet, and a glass of merlot. DH had the venison spring rolls, the cedar plank salmon, and a glass of Ponzi reserve chardonnay recommended with the salmon. DDs were eating OOP, and we got them the watermelon appetizer and grilled chicken breast.

As usual, the soup was outstanding. THose crispy mushrooms on top were fabulous. THe first time I saw this on the menu I was worried it would be sort of "campbells cream of mushroom" like, but it is nothing like that. THis soup os fabulous. DH's spring rolls were also good - thin and crispy with slightly chewy meat and a nice dipping sauce. DDs got a nice bowl of watermelon.

While waiting for our entrees, DD3 finally succumbed to a week's worth of exhaustion and fell asleep in my arms. So no entree for her. Fortunatly, she was on my left side and I could still cut my meat! My filet was delicious. Very tender and flavorful. DH really liked his salmon too. Prepared just as he ordered. I noticed they had preplated his - at some tables they brought out the plank and plated it on the table - maybe b/c it was hot and we had young kids?

For dessert, we ordered DD5 the white chocolate mickey puzzle. This was a great dessert. It is a four piece puzzle made of white chocolate. THey gave her a paint brush and three colors of "paint" to decorate it. It also came with a chocolate chip and sugar cookie. She loved it and could have done it for 20 minutes - great idea if your kids start getting antsy during dinner! I had the berry tart with the blackberry ice cream. This was fabulous. Warm and sweet with tangy ice cream, very yummy. Hmmm, can't remember what DH had and can't find the receipt. I think cake? Sorry.

Overall, we had a great dinner here. Food was delicious, service great. I felt it was worth the two TS credits. I'd give it an A-.

Total:
4 TS credits used (DH and I)
OOP (kids fruit, chicken breast, mickey puzzle dessert, two glasses of wine) - $55.56 with tip

Coming up.... last day and final thoughts....