Just back from a wonderful week at Disney (Sat. 9/28 thru Sat. 10/4). Very cloudy, but we consider ourselves lucky...a major storm was stalled just to the south and brought tons of rain there for days....but fortunately, only a couple hours worth by the parks. Pretty light crowds....and Halloween party was very good! As for where we ate:
Sat: Our only disappointment. This was the one time it rained. Poured as we pulled into Epcot parking lot. We sat in the minivan for 15 minutes before we concluded that it was stupid to waste a park-hopper. So we ate off site. (Bad mistake...won't even say where we ate...don't want to get sued!) We had planned dinner at Garden Grill. Oh well....it's first on our list for next year! At least weather cleared up for a wonderful Illuminations cruise later that night.
Sun: Breakfast at Chef Mickey. A family tradition...a family favorite...terrific as always!
Dinner at my aunt's house in Deltona. Amazing. 91-years old and she makes us all a rib roast, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, fresh rolls and German peach cake. If only characters were there, it would have been our single favorite dinner!
Mon: Breakfast at Crystal Palace. A first for us and we loved it. Better, in my opinion, than the Cindy's Castle breakfast we were fortunate enough to get last year. Loved the "eggs-and-omlettes-anyway-you-want-them" station. A little hectic, but, hey...you're about to enter the Magic Kingdom for a hectic day, so it gets you ready! Great characters, too.
Lunch at Columbia Harbour House. Another first....and again, we weren't disappointed. Everyone enjoyed what they had (me, wife, kids 14, 10 and 6.) My wife's sandwich (Starboard Deck) was the best...ham, tomatoes, broccoli slaw. My salad of pineapples and nuts and chicken was tasty....daughter's clam chowder was very good....as was our 6-year-old's fried chicken and fish!
Dinner....Liberty Tree. Another family favorite/tradition and again we loved it!
Tue: Quick bowl of cereal at our condo. Blizzard Beach. Dinner at Boma. First time...expected a great meal...got a great meal! Our waiter...Ali...was super! Prime rib was very good. Lots of exotic foods we loved...lots of "straightforward" food for kids as well. Even got a nice bottle of red wine for 29 bucks...not bad for over-priced Disney. (Sorry, Walt!)
Wed: Kona Cafe for breakfast. Enjoyable...but a slight disappointment. I waited for months to try the Tonga Toast...it was good....but, just as people on these boards warned me, it was very sweet! Also disappointed in the Kona Coffee. I love good coffee, but this didn't taste any different to me. Maybe it's the 100% French Press Pots that everyone raves about. All in all, pretty good.....but there are many other places I would try before coming back.
Lunch at Mama Melrose. We love this place....first time for lunch and we still loved it.
Dinner at LeCellier (yeah, we did some major park hopping that day!) Was very, very excited about trying this restaurant, and again, we were very happy. For months, I had been drooling over the filet mignon, but for some reason, the pork chops on the menu sounded too good to pass up. They were wonderful! (Molasses sweet, mashed potatoes...yum!) Luckily, my son got the filet mignon, so I got to taste it...and it was very good!
Thu: Breakfast & lunch in....dinner at Hoop Dee Doo! Hadn't done this since 1996 and it was as magical as ever. Great fried chicken....very good strawberry shortcake. As a beer lover, I was also very happy. Usually, "all-you-can-drink" beer places feature a watered-down, not-too-tasty tap beer. But as our waiter Dallas said when I asked what kind of beer they have "Bud Light...Bud Light...or Bud Light." I drank more than my fair share! At the end, after another request for a refill, Dallas brought out an enormous filled mug...put a straw in it and pointed it toward my mouth!
Show was great...performers great....even our "too-cool-for-everything" 14-year-old was laughing and said it was one of his favorite nights. Expensive...but well worth it.
Fri: Breakfast at Whispering Canyon. We love Wilderness Lodge so much we always pay a visit here, whether it's just to walk around and explore or to eat. Breakfast here was tasty...(I got the all-you-can-eat-skillet), but I don't know....all the noise gets to me. (For those of you who haven't been there, the waiters and waitresses bust chops here...loud...yelling..."picking on you" when you ask questions. All, obviously, in good Disney-family-style taste.) I guess I just love eating so much, I don't want those distractions...especially at breakfast when I'm just coming to life!
Dinner at 1900 Park Fair. We did this dinner last year and were kind of disappointed. The ONLY reason we booked it again was because it was the only restaurant we could get that tied in nicely with our Halloween Party tickets. Dinner was better this time...but I still give it only a "B" at best. Prime rib okay....strawberry soup was very good....vanilla bread pudding just okay. And the characters...Cinderella...Prince Charming...those mice! I dunno...not too appealing to me. Will be a long time before we go back.
But, all in all, another vacation that's absolutely memorable. There really is nothing like Disney. Will be glad to answer any questions....except for directions to my aunt's house...she needs a rest!
Sat: Our only disappointment. This was the one time it rained. Poured as we pulled into Epcot parking lot. We sat in the minivan for 15 minutes before we concluded that it was stupid to waste a park-hopper. So we ate off site. (Bad mistake...won't even say where we ate...don't want to get sued!) We had planned dinner at Garden Grill. Oh well....it's first on our list for next year! At least weather cleared up for a wonderful Illuminations cruise later that night.
Sun: Breakfast at Chef Mickey. A family tradition...a family favorite...terrific as always!
Dinner at my aunt's house in Deltona. Amazing. 91-years old and she makes us all a rib roast, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, fresh rolls and German peach cake. If only characters were there, it would have been our single favorite dinner!
Mon: Breakfast at Crystal Palace. A first for us and we loved it. Better, in my opinion, than the Cindy's Castle breakfast we were fortunate enough to get last year. Loved the "eggs-and-omlettes-anyway-you-want-them" station. A little hectic, but, hey...you're about to enter the Magic Kingdom for a hectic day, so it gets you ready! Great characters, too.
Lunch at Columbia Harbour House. Another first....and again, we weren't disappointed. Everyone enjoyed what they had (me, wife, kids 14, 10 and 6.) My wife's sandwich (Starboard Deck) was the best...ham, tomatoes, broccoli slaw. My salad of pineapples and nuts and chicken was tasty....daughter's clam chowder was very good....as was our 6-year-old's fried chicken and fish!
Dinner....Liberty Tree. Another family favorite/tradition and again we loved it!
Tue: Quick bowl of cereal at our condo. Blizzard Beach. Dinner at Boma. First time...expected a great meal...got a great meal! Our waiter...Ali...was super! Prime rib was very good. Lots of exotic foods we loved...lots of "straightforward" food for kids as well. Even got a nice bottle of red wine for 29 bucks...not bad for over-priced Disney. (Sorry, Walt!)
Wed: Kona Cafe for breakfast. Enjoyable...but a slight disappointment. I waited for months to try the Tonga Toast...it was good....but, just as people on these boards warned me, it was very sweet! Also disappointed in the Kona Coffee. I love good coffee, but this didn't taste any different to me. Maybe it's the 100% French Press Pots that everyone raves about. All in all, pretty good.....but there are many other places I would try before coming back.
Lunch at Mama Melrose. We love this place....first time for lunch and we still loved it.
Dinner at LeCellier (yeah, we did some major park hopping that day!) Was very, very excited about trying this restaurant, and again, we were very happy. For months, I had been drooling over the filet mignon, but for some reason, the pork chops on the menu sounded too good to pass up. They were wonderful! (Molasses sweet, mashed potatoes...yum!) Luckily, my son got the filet mignon, so I got to taste it...and it was very good!
Thu: Breakfast & lunch in....dinner at Hoop Dee Doo! Hadn't done this since 1996 and it was as magical as ever. Great fried chicken....very good strawberry shortcake. As a beer lover, I was also very happy. Usually, "all-you-can-drink" beer places feature a watered-down, not-too-tasty tap beer. But as our waiter Dallas said when I asked what kind of beer they have "Bud Light...Bud Light...or Bud Light." I drank more than my fair share! At the end, after another request for a refill, Dallas brought out an enormous filled mug...put a straw in it and pointed it toward my mouth!
Show was great...performers great....even our "too-cool-for-everything" 14-year-old was laughing and said it was one of his favorite nights. Expensive...but well worth it.
Fri: Breakfast at Whispering Canyon. We love Wilderness Lodge so much we always pay a visit here, whether it's just to walk around and explore or to eat. Breakfast here was tasty...(I got the all-you-can-eat-skillet), but I don't know....all the noise gets to me. (For those of you who haven't been there, the waiters and waitresses bust chops here...loud...yelling..."picking on you" when you ask questions. All, obviously, in good Disney-family-style taste.) I guess I just love eating so much, I don't want those distractions...especially at breakfast when I'm just coming to life!
Dinner at 1900 Park Fair. We did this dinner last year and were kind of disappointed. The ONLY reason we booked it again was because it was the only restaurant we could get that tied in nicely with our Halloween Party tickets. Dinner was better this time...but I still give it only a "B" at best. Prime rib okay....strawberry soup was very good....vanilla bread pudding just okay. And the characters...Cinderella...Prince Charming...those mice! I dunno...not too appealing to me. Will be a long time before we go back.
But, all in all, another vacation that's absolutely memorable. There really is nothing like Disney. Will be glad to answer any questions....except for directions to my aunt's house...she needs a rest!
However ordering it without the coating at all might be tasty too!
