Dopey4Life
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- May 17, 2011
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My First Dining Review - Leap Day & 3 More on DxDP
- Thread starter Dopey4Life
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Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
Between work, studying for a certification, my 3 year-old, and planning our princess/MNSSHP trip in September, I have been negligent in posting my dining review. Here I go, if I can figure how to get my pictures from Picasa and to be able to post.
February 28th
My cousin flew in from Washington D.C. and I flew in from Akron, Ohio. We meet up at MCO about 8:30 pm. We were lucky we both arrived on time. We picked up our bags at baggage claim (we were getting up earlier for 6 am rope drop and did not want to risk bags being delivered while we were trying to sleep) and headed to the Magical Express.
The Magical Express dropped us off about 9:30 pm at Pop Century. We were super excited for the next day, Leap Day 2012, but were also tired and hungry.
Our first stop, after check-in, was the Everything Pop food court. Since we were on the Deluxe dining plan, we picked up our mugs and each picked out our first snack to use as a snack credit.
I got my all-time favorite pasty, a cheese danish. Stil my favorite!
My cousin got the strawberries with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
Both were very good and well worth the snack credit each, especially at 10:15 pm. We headed up to our room and to bed by 10:30 pm in order to be ready to eat our way through 24 hours at Magic Kingdom.
Up next...5 am bus to Magic Kingdom and snack at Main Street Bakery.
February 28th
My cousin flew in from Washington D.C. and I flew in from Akron, Ohio. We meet up at MCO about 8:30 pm. We were lucky we both arrived on time. We picked up our bags at baggage claim (we were getting up earlier for 6 am rope drop and did not want to risk bags being delivered while we were trying to sleep) and headed to the Magical Express.
The Magical Express dropped us off about 9:30 pm at Pop Century. We were super excited for the next day, Leap Day 2012, but were also tired and hungry.
Our first stop, after check-in, was the Everything Pop food court. Since we were on the Deluxe dining plan, we picked up our mugs and each picked out our first snack to use as a snack credit.
I got my all-time favorite pasty, a cheese danish. Stil my favorite!
My cousin got the strawberries with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.
Both were very good and well worth the snack credit each, especially at 10:15 pm. We headed up to our room and to bed by 10:30 pm in order to be ready to eat our way through 24 hours at Magic Kingdom.
Up next...5 am bus to Magic Kingdom and snack at Main Street Bakery.
emmysmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
I can't wait to hear your dining reviews for 24 hrs at MK! 
We went to Disneyland for their leap day event and it was so crazy crowded that you couldn't really do anything... there were wayyy too many people. I'm sure MK was not so bad.
We went to Disneyland for their leap day event and it was so crazy crowded that you couldn't really do anything... there were wayyy too many people. I'm sure MK was not so bad.
accountingbabe08
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2008
I would have loved to have been able to go to disney on leap day my birthday was February 28th. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews.
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
Leap Day 2012 at Magic Kingdom
We woke up at 4:30 am and were at the Pop Century bus stop to Magic Kingdom at 5 am to start our leap day. Here we are, ready to go with about a half dozen other Pop Century guests. The bus came pretty quickly.
We were at Magic Kingdom by 5:30 am, which was in time to see Mickey and Minnie in pajamas and the welcome show. The welcome show was great, we were right by the center. Here is a picture. I promise we are getting to food pictures next.
Since we knew we had twenty-four hours in Magic Kingdom, we slowly walked up Main Street and took in the sights at 6 am. It was a foggy, misty morning, which made Leap Day even more unique and special. Since our ADR at CRT was not until mid-morning, we decided to have a snack at Main Street Bakery. Sorry for the lack of variety, but I used a snack credit for a cheese danish and a bottled water.
My cheese danish was extremely fresh (especially since it was 6 am in MK). My cousin chose the chocolate croissant and a bottled water with her snack credits. She said hers was delicous also!
After our sweet, delicious snack, we headed out for a number of rides. It was quite empty for the first 3 or 4 hours in Magic Kingdom. Next up is CRT...
We woke up at 4:30 am and were at the Pop Century bus stop to Magic Kingdom at 5 am to start our leap day. Here we are, ready to go with about a half dozen other Pop Century guests. The bus came pretty quickly.
We were at Magic Kingdom by 5:30 am, which was in time to see Mickey and Minnie in pajamas and the welcome show. The welcome show was great, we were right by the center. Here is a picture. I promise we are getting to food pictures next.
Since we knew we had twenty-four hours in Magic Kingdom, we slowly walked up Main Street and took in the sights at 6 am. It was a foggy, misty morning, which made Leap Day even more unique and special. Since our ADR at CRT was not until mid-morning, we decided to have a snack at Main Street Bakery. Sorry for the lack of variety, but I used a snack credit for a cheese danish and a bottled water.
My cheese danish was extremely fresh (especially since it was 6 am in MK). My cousin chose the chocolate croissant and a bottled water with her snack credits. She said hers was delicous also!
After our sweet, delicious snack, we headed out for a number of rides. It was quite empty for the first 3 or 4 hours in Magic Kingdom. Next up is CRT...
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
Breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table
It was a beautiful morning at Magic Kingdom and we were able to do a lots of rides in the first 4 hours. We had this beautiful picture taken in front of the castle right before we headed to our 10:10 am ADR.
This was my cousin's first time on the dining plan and her first time eating in Cinderella's castle. I must apologize, because we got excited with all of the magic going on and did not take any pictures of the food until half-way through our meal. We loved the pastries (this is pic is bit blurry, because it is zoomed on another table. We ate most of ours before we remembered to take pictures).
I did not realize until later that our waiter forgot to bring out the fresh fruit with the pastries. Though, we had so much food we did not notice during. I ordered the stuffed french toast with eggs substituted for the meat (they still brought the meat).
This is a picture of my stuffed french toast, when I remembered to take a picture of it. It was actually when I stopped to take a breather, because it was delicious but very rich.
Here is my cousin's quiche about half-way through also. I also split my extra eggs with her, which you can see on her plate. She said her quiche was alright, but the eggs I had substituted were much better!
Sorry for the grainy picture, but here is us at our table. We have been at a window table before, but this was still a very nice table.
We had a very nice breakfast at CRT. I loved taking family and friends here for the first time. The food is alright for breakfast, but the experience for the first-time is unbelieveable and will never be forgotten!
Next up is dinner at Tony's Town Square, which I typically enjoy despite some reviews....
It was a beautiful morning at Magic Kingdom and we were able to do a lots of rides in the first 4 hours. We had this beautiful picture taken in front of the castle right before we headed to our 10:10 am ADR.
This was my cousin's first time on the dining plan and her first time eating in Cinderella's castle. I must apologize, because we got excited with all of the magic going on and did not take any pictures of the food until half-way through our meal. We loved the pastries (this is pic is bit blurry, because it is zoomed on another table. We ate most of ours before we remembered to take pictures).
I did not realize until later that our waiter forgot to bring out the fresh fruit with the pastries. Though, we had so much food we did not notice during. I ordered the stuffed french toast with eggs substituted for the meat (they still brought the meat).
This is a picture of my stuffed french toast, when I remembered to take a picture of it. It was actually when I stopped to take a breather, because it was delicious but very rich.
Here is my cousin's quiche about half-way through also. I also split my extra eggs with her, which you can see on her plate. She said her quiche was alright, but the eggs I had substituted were much better!
Sorry for the grainy picture, but here is us at our table. We have been at a window table before, but this was still a very nice table.
We had a very nice breakfast at CRT. I loved taking family and friends here for the first time. The food is alright for breakfast, but the experience for the first-time is unbelieveable and will never be forgotten!
Next up is dinner at Tony's Town Square, which I typically enjoy despite some reviews....
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
I can't wait to hear your dining reviews for 24 hrs at MK!
We went to Disneyland for their leap day event and it was so crazy crowded that you couldn't really do anything... there were wayyy too many people. I'm sure MK was not so bad.
Thanks, emmysmommy! I just read your last dining review the other night. It motivated me to figure how to get my pictures posted and get moving on my review.
I can't imagine what the Disneyland Leap day was like. Did you do any blogs or postings on it? My husband and I are going for our first trip to Disneyland on June 19th through June 23rd to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. I can't wait to see DL for the first time.
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
I can't wait to come for Leap Day 2016. I hope they do 24 hours again. My husband and I are already planning to come for it.
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
Dinner at Tony's Town Square
I know most have had negative reviews of Tony's Town Square, but I typically love it. We took at break at 5 pm (almost 1/2 through the magical 24 hours) for our dinner ADR. After being seated, our waitress brought over some rolls and oil. The rolls were soft and we hungry, but they were not amazing - I think it was mostly hunger.
Since we were on the DDxP, we each ordered an appetizer. I ordered the calamari, which is one of the few types of seafood I actually like.
The calamari was very good. It was perfectly fried without being greasy. It also had a good flavor and was not chewy. I really enjoyed it and would order it again!
My cousin ordered the Zucchini fries above, which she really liked. I was too busy with my calamari, so I didn't try these. For our main entrees, I ordered my usual, the Chicken Parmigiana, and my cousin ordered the spaghetti with sweet Italian sausage.
My Chicken Parmigiana was good - on the lines of Olive Garden. It was a large portion, but could have used a little more sauce. It hit the spot, but definitely is not in the realm of Mama Melrose's or Via Napoli.
My cousin's dish was also a large portion. She said her sausage had great flavor, but the sauce and spaghetti were not anything special.
For dessert, I chose the strawberry cheesecake, which came out much different than what I anticipated. Here is a picture.
I am so glad this was not what I was expecting, because it was amazing! I loved every single bite of it. We usually come during the fall and get the pumpkin cheesecake, but this was even better!
My cousin ordered the Tiramisu (I think) and she said it was pretty good, but not amazing. She tried a bite of my cheesecake and said it was much better than hers.
We were both very pleased with our Tony's Town Square meal. I have eaten at Tony's the last 4 trips and have not had a bad meal yet. I think it is just a matter of expectations. You have to go in knowing it will not be Mama Melrose or Via Napoli quality.
Next up, snacks and the rest of the night at MK...
I know most have had negative reviews of Tony's Town Square, but I typically love it. We took at break at 5 pm (almost 1/2 through the magical 24 hours) for our dinner ADR. After being seated, our waitress brought over some rolls and oil. The rolls were soft and we hungry, but they were not amazing - I think it was mostly hunger.
Since we were on the DDxP, we each ordered an appetizer. I ordered the calamari, which is one of the few types of seafood I actually like.
The calamari was very good. It was perfectly fried without being greasy. It also had a good flavor and was not chewy. I really enjoyed it and would order it again!
My cousin ordered the Zucchini fries above, which she really liked. I was too busy with my calamari, so I didn't try these. For our main entrees, I ordered my usual, the Chicken Parmigiana, and my cousin ordered the spaghetti with sweet Italian sausage.
My Chicken Parmigiana was good - on the lines of Olive Garden. It was a large portion, but could have used a little more sauce. It hit the spot, but definitely is not in the realm of Mama Melrose's or Via Napoli.
My cousin's dish was also a large portion. She said her sausage had great flavor, but the sauce and spaghetti were not anything special.
For dessert, I chose the strawberry cheesecake, which came out much different than what I anticipated. Here is a picture.
I am so glad this was not what I was expecting, because it was amazing! I loved every single bite of it. We usually come during the fall and get the pumpkin cheesecake, but this was even better!
My cousin ordered the Tiramisu (I think) and she said it was pretty good, but not amazing. She tried a bite of my cheesecake and said it was much better than hers.
We were both very pleased with our Tony's Town Square meal. I have eaten at Tony's the last 4 trips and have not had a bad meal yet. I think it is just a matter of expectations. You have to go in knowing it will not be Mama Melrose or Via Napoli quality.
Next up, snacks and the rest of the night at MK...
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
Leap Day Evening 2012
We watched Wishes from Main Street, right in front the Castle. It was amazing. Here are a few Leap Day Wishes' pics.
It was amazing how the park filled up right before and during Wishes. We turned around and it seemed like the park was at capacity. Here is a pic looking down Main Street once we turned around from looking at the castle.
We watched the crowds for about an hour as they opened the back exit to get crowds out of the park. We left to go on some more rides and then grabbed a spot to watch the midnight parade. On our way to grab a spot for the parade, I stopped and got a Dole Whip. I prefer the Orange Dole Whip soft serve. Sorry, I was too busy eating to take a picture. It was amazing!
After the parade, we did a scavenger hunt with the Lines group. It was amazing. My cousin and I were hungry about 4:30 am. I opted for another Orange Dole Whip soft serve. Once again, it was delicious, but I forgot to take a picture. My cousin opted for a coney dog meal from Casey's. I am not sure how she ate it at 4:30 am, but she said it hit the spot. Sorry for the lack of food pictures, but I think we were getting tired. Here we are closing the park at 6 am.
Next up...we sleep through our Les Chefs reservation, but make it to Via Napoli...
We watched Wishes from Main Street, right in front the Castle. It was amazing. Here are a few Leap Day Wishes' pics.
It was amazing how the park filled up right before and during Wishes. We turned around and it seemed like the park was at capacity. Here is a pic looking down Main Street once we turned around from looking at the castle.
We watched the crowds for about an hour as they opened the back exit to get crowds out of the park. We left to go on some more rides and then grabbed a spot to watch the midnight parade. On our way to grab a spot for the parade, I stopped and got a Dole Whip. I prefer the Orange Dole Whip soft serve. Sorry, I was too busy eating to take a picture. It was amazing!
After the parade, we did a scavenger hunt with the Lines group. It was amazing. My cousin and I were hungry about 4:30 am. I opted for another Orange Dole Whip soft serve. Once again, it was delicious, but I forgot to take a picture. My cousin opted for a coney dog meal from Casey's. I am not sure how she ate it at 4:30 am, but she said it hit the spot. Sorry for the lack of food pictures, but I think we were getting tired. Here we are closing the park at 6 am.
Next up...we sleep through our Les Chefs reservation, but make it to Via Napoli...
iloveeeyore
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2003
It must have been so much fun to pull an all-nighter in the MK! Great job on your reviews. I'm a little sad there won't be one from Les Chefs...next time! Looking forward to more!
emmysmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
See, fellow disers helping other Disers figure out where to dine and then change our minds and then figure it out all over again!
As for our D-land Leap Day experience - I didn't post any photos or write a review since we were only there for a few hours. It was crazy crowded! and we live 20 minutes away so we didn't intend to stay all night. Plus the fact that I had to work the next day.
Did they give out Leap Day buttons at MK? Was there special merchandise for purchase as well?
Back to your dining review..... I loved reading your CRT review. I ordered the same dish as you and our waiter didn't bring any fruit either. Errr....However, I loved the ambiance of dining in the castle - so cool! Thanks for sharing your reviews.
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
I was really bummed to miss Les Chefs (I have not been there yet), but there is no way we could have possibly moved sooner. I was amazed we woke up after only sleeping 5 hours.
My good news is that our next trip, a Princess/MNSSHP long weekend on the DDxP, will include a lunch at Les Chefs. My daughter (3 1/2), another cousin, and her daughter (5), and I are going to be staying at Port Orleans Riverside in the Royal Rooms from September 27th through October 2nd. It will be our first halloween party and food & wine festival.
I have made my ADRs (including Les Chefs, Via Napoli, Teppan Edo, Mama Melrose, 1900 Park Fare, CRT, Akerhaus, Tusker House, Crystal Palace) and plan to post a dining a pre-dining review post later in the summer.
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
Fantastic reviews! You captured the excitement of the night (and the yummy eats) wonderfully! I didn't even know there was something this special on Leap Day! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks! Leap Day was amazing!
I can't wait for Leap Day 2016!
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
See, fellow disers helping other Disers figure out where to dine and then change our minds and then figure it out all over again!
As for our D-land Leap Day experience - I didn't post any photos of write a review since we were only there for a few hours. It was crazy crowded! and we live 20 minutes away so we didn't intend to stay all night. Plus the fact that I had to work the next day.
Did they give out Leap Day buttons at MK? Was there special merchandise for purchase as well?
Back to your dining review..... I loved reading your CRT review. I ordered the same dish as you and our waiter didn't bring any fruit either. Errr....However, I loved the ambiance of dining in the castle - so cool! Thanks for sharing your reviews.
MK did give out buttons. I think they were still giving them out into the early evening. They also sold special ears, shirts, and a watch. I was disappointed they did not have any special pins. Did Disneyland have any different, special merchandise?
Since our first trip to Disneyland will be in June, do you have any special advice for dining? We don't have to much planned so far. One morning we have breakfast at the Plaza Inn for a character meal. We are having WOC lunch at Wine Country Trattoria and lunch at Cafe Orleans. We are also having dinner at Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria. Finally, we are booking the Fantasmic dessert package, since this trip is for our 10th wedding anniversary!
emmysmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
I don't think there was any other special merchandise other than hats and Ts. No character pins either just the standard round tin pins.
As for your D-land trip... whatever you do don't cancel your ADR for Cafe Orleans 0 it is wonderful!! They have amazing pomme frites (garlic/parmesean fries with a cajun dipping sauce on the side.. oh so good.) The monte cristo sandwich is very large and can be shared. Your WOC lunch will be great - I'm not a huge fan of the Trattoria since it has a limited menu but it is a nice place and definitely worth it for the WOC seating.
Naples is in DTD and a popular place. I haven't eaten there in years but it was good.
If you can get a reservation, The Blue Bayou in the POTC attraction is certainly worth it for the ambiance alone. It is a really cool experience.
I'm excited for you... it will be a fabulous trip and what a way to celebrate 10 years!
Oh one last thing.... if your trip is on/after June 15th, you will be there for the new Carsland. Sorry to take this
Now back to your regularly scheduled dining review.Post script... now I see you will be there after 6/15 - cool!
vicki's mom
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 16, 2010
I am following along. Where in the Magic Kingdom do you get the ice cream sandwiches?
Dopey4Life
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 17, 2011
I don't think there was any other special merchandise other than hats and Ts. No character pins either just the standard round tin pins.
As for your D-land trip... whatever you do don't cancel your ADR for Cafe Orleans 0 it is wonderful!! They have amazing pomme frites (garlic/parmesean fries with a cajun dipping sauce on the side.. oh so good.) The monte cristo sandwich is very large and can be shared. Your WOC lunch will be great - I'm not a huge fan of the Trattoria since it has a limited menu but it is a nice place and definitely worth it for the WOC seating.
Naples is in DTD and a popular place. I haven't eaten there in years but it was good.
If you can get a reservation, The Blue Bayou in the POTC attraction is certainly worth it for the ambiance alone. It is a really cool experience.
I'm excited for you... it will be a fabulous trip and what a way to celebrate 10 years!
Oh one last thing.... if your trip is on/after June 15th, you will be there for the new Carsland. Sorry to take this
Post script... now I see you will be there after 6/15 - cool!
Thanks for all of your great advice! We are very excited for our first DL trip, but the dining seems to be less of importance for the trip since the ADRs are able to be made 180 days out. I think a large of my enjoyment from WDW is planning and changing ADRs for 180 days.
I still can't wait to try some restaurants! We also can't wait for Carsland.
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