What???? No Dining Plan...Are you Crazy Mom??? - Our Dining Experiment

[tyandskyesmom]

Karamele Kuche

Of course we had to stop at what is listed on my receipt as Glas Und Porzellan but is actually Karamele Kuche.

We got a dark chocolate sea salt square...

And a cut green caramel apple...

MMMMMMM...that caramel square was really good! I could eat seven of them...I don't NEED to eat seven of them but I could! We all had a bit of it and everyone loved it even if I routinely have to convince the kids they like dark chocolate when it isn't JUST chocolate.

The apple was kinda messy even though they cut it for us. And they ended up with a large chunk of caramel at the end...which is not a bad thing at all!

TOTAL = $10.95
TOTAL so far = $710.41

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Sommerfest

We actually took out caramel goodies over to Sommerfest to sit at a table in the shade and eat it. We were able to grab a small table...

...and Cary went up for a coke and a Nudel Gratin...

This was weird...even for this mac & cheese loving family. It was very custardy...like pudding-y. I mean, it was ok and we finished it but I don't think we would order it again. It was very cheesy but not very noodle-y. It did have a good crunch around the edges though.

My receipt says we were here at 4:08pm.

TOTAL = $8.50
TOTAL so far = $718.91

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Liberty Inn

As we continued around the lagoon, we next came to the America Pavilion...I know a stretch for us, right???

But the boy was in desperate need of a steak. So in we went...to Liberty Inn.

It was pretty empty in there so we walked right up to the counter and placed our order.

We got a NY Strip Steak served with demi butter, french fries and steamed broccoli....

...and a Peach cobbler and a coke.

Now I warned him that this did not get great reviews and not to expect high end sit down restaurant steak. But he thought it was actually pretty good. Skyler and I had one bite and it was a decent steak. The demi butter melted over it and made it even better. The fries were crispy and hot...we all munched on them. The broccoli was Skyler's and mine. Cary had the cobbler and I had a little. It was actually one of the better CS desserts I have tasted. It would have been better with a scoop of ice cream but it is what it is.

Overall, this is not a place we usually stop because, well, we live in America and they don't produce any food we don't generally eat at home...so why waste a meal. But it really was not a bad choice for a boy who NEEDED a steak!

Our total here was $20.85 so it was not a cheap meal at all but would be a great use of a CS credit on a dining plan.

TOTAL = $20.85
TOTAL so far = $739.76

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Kabuki Cafe

Where we had to stop for a rainbow Kaki Gori!

We all seem to love different flavors. And there is just something about these that makes them no a simple snowcone. Must be the way the ice is crushed. We love these and have at least one every trip.

TOTAL = $4.26
TOTAL so far = $703.72

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Katsura Grill

It was crowded in there but it probably wasn't really a lot of people though because the place is pretty small.

The kids and I found a table while Cary ordered.

And they ate the rest of the Kaki Gori.

We ordered a Tokyo Sushi Combo...4 pieces of California Roll and 3 pieces of Nigiri.

...and a Sappora Draft. The kids won't eat sushi (I know surprise, surprise!) so this was just me and Cary. I hate getting Sushi in the pre-made containers because you really don't know when it was made but this was pretty good and relatively fresh tasting for a pre-made tray. The beer was beer. It tasted different than the last one but I couldn't tell you how or why.

I wish we were feeling some of the other menu items because while Japanese, pre-made sushi is not something we can't eat at home but I think we were starting to feel full and still had more placed to go.

I would definitely come back here to try some more off the menu someday. It's hard to get here when on the Deluxe Dining Plan though so I don't know when that will be.

TOTAL = $21.30
TOTAL so far = $725.02

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Tangierine Cafe

We headed into Tangierine Café, decided what to order and did our thing...Cary went to order and the kids and I were lucky enough to find a table inside the very small venue.

In looking at the allears menu I am not seeing what we got...so I'm going to wing it! Now, the kids, nor Cary were too thrilled about eating here...it's just flavors they don't get very often. Skyler did not eat anything.

We ordered the Mediterranean Sliders Combo and a coke.

It was hummus, lentils and three pita sliders. I want to say the sliders were lamb, chicken, and ???...Help me out here!

Well, the hummus...no one else was going to tough it. I tried it. Like I always do. Because I expect to like it. But I just can't. I don't know why. I like chickpeas. I like all kinds of different flavors. I just have not found one I can enjoy.

The lentils were ok. Cary tasted these. He said they were ok but he didn't eat any more. I had some and they were good. I've tried to make lentil soup and home and it never tastes right. But these were good.

The greens on the plate...I'm not sure what they are called. No one but me tried them. They were a good side but I like greens and things like that so I thought they had good flavor.

And the sliders...well if we could have (and maybe would could have, we didn't ask because we didn't know how we'd like this at all) asked for them to all be lamb, we would have hit this one our of the park. The one I can't remember was obviously the least favorite. The chicken one was good. But the lamb one was like a really good gyros...and this is where Tyler decided he likes gyros! Obviously without any sauce or additional items but he scarfed down most of the lamb one. And wanted us to go get more!

EDIT : I know, I know, I know....the third one was a falafel one...ya, so far I haven't found one of these I enjoy either. I keep trying. I find them ok but not something I would order on it's own though. Cary tried it but did not like it. The kids weren't trying it at all!

So, this was a meal no one wanted to do. But in the end, three of us ate off of and enjoyed at least a part of. Like I said, I don't see the sliders on the menu anymore. Maybe they have them at Spice Road Table...I don't know. But the lamb ones were really good.

If we were in the mood again, we'd probably stop by again now that the boys realize it is not as scary as they thought it would be.

Our total here was $18.73...and we were rung out at 6:47pm.

TOTAL = $18.73
TOTAL so far = $743.75

 

[tyandskyesmom]

L'Artisan des Glaces

We headed over to France and right into L'Artisan des Glaces.

We decided on a one scoop cup of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream for the kids to share. -- I don't know, that sure looks like cookies & crème but the receipt says mint chocolate chip???

Well, it was ice cream...it was good...but why would we expect anything else???

And Cary and I split a Croque Glace...choice of 1 ice cream/sorbet flavor in a warm brioche, with choice of sauce, warmed and sealed.

We chose banana lime ice cream and raspberry sauce.

While this seemed like an odd combo, it actually was really good. The whole thing was a bit hard to eat though. Obviously the ice cream on the outer edges was soft but the middle was still well formed and COLD when compared to the warm outside. And after a bit, the seal started un-sealing. But we had spoons so we were good. The texture is odd at first when you're used to an ice cream sandwich texture. I mean, it's bread after all, wrapped around ice cream...I would not normally think of wrapping my ice cream with bread...but the brioche was very soft anf buttery and really goes well with ice cream.

I don't know that I'd make a special trip for this but it was good and you can choose your combo so that's a good thing too. There's just so much good to eat in France that I am not sure I'd repeat this in the very near future...but I might.

We had to stalk a table inside the bakery area for a seat...it was brutal in there. We ended up grabbing a standing table...which stunk after walking in the heat all day but at least we could settle all or stuff enough to eat.

TOTAL = $12.50
TOTAL so far = $756.25

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Yorkshire County Fish Shoppe

The first order of business was food...so we stopped at Yorkshire County Fish Shoppe.

Again, Cary ordered and we went to find seats.

It was crowded over there but not as bad as I have seen it before. We were able to get a table along the railing and gather supplies before Cary got to us.

We ordered 2 Fish & Chips... two strips of fish served with chips and 2 cokes.

This was plenty for all of us at this point in our quest. We all ate off of these and thought they were very good. They are crispy on the outside and hot and moist and flaky on the inside. The chips are steak fries and shoestring mixed together. So you got some crispy and some soft chips. I use tarter sauce but no one else does. The fish was a little soft for good dipping as it was falling off when I tried but it worked out eventually.

Each serving is really a lot of food. So this would be a great meal of one for sure.

TOTAL = $29.36
TOTAL so far = $785.61

 

[maiziezoe]

I am so enjoying your reviews! Your daughter eats like my one of my best friends, who is almost 50.

 

[DisneyToni]

Another one also enjoying your reviews! Thanks for sharing.

 

[BeckyPA]

Interesting! We are leaving Disney tomorrow (boo). This is our 5th trip and we've never done DDP and always save about $200 per trip with saved receipts. That said we don't enjoy buffets and my 8 yr old doesn't usually choose the kids meal options.

This visit we also stayed at the Sheraton vistana resort and loved it! We usually budget $800-1000 for food for 3.
Here is a breakdown:
Publix subs twice, breakfast in room daily, 3 lunches in room. 1 visit to Taverna Opa - amazing. Cancelled our Disney Springs trip to Bongos due to weather. (We love Cuban and Greek). Last night had food at the pool bar - very good and surprised we hadn't done that before. At the parks:
MK - liberty town tavern and Kona Cafe (poly) and snacks x 2.
Epcot: Seasons Land and the side entrance Wine cellar in Italy. Snacks x 3. We usually drink water. Daughter did actually eat some kids meals but ended up liking ours better. I adore the corn fritters at Liberty and the pot stickers at Kona. The Wine cellar was outstanding and no reservation necessary. I've become extremely picky after 2/3 of us got food poisoning at Sleepy Hollow last time - it was an ugly experience.

 

[tinkerbell1112]

This is fun to read about. Thank you for posting. We have always traveled with Free dining and benefited from the sit down and qs credits. This time we only got the QS and opted not to upgrade. As a party of 9 we have 108 QS credits and 108 Snack credits to use up over the course of 6 days. LOL. I need all the help we can get on finding places to not just end up eating burgers all the time (though I don't think my DS13 would mind that one bit!)

 

[tyandskyesmom]

There are a lot of great options for CS. We found Animal Kingdom especially had some different offerings. And of course, Epcot has lots of options. And the ever present hamburger is usually not far away if that's what you're looking for! A lot of the CS have some pretty high cost meals too so if those are your thing, they can be good uses of the monetary side of the dining plan...steak at the America Pavilion, rib and chicken combo meals, BOG breakfast and lunch, Wolfgang Puck Express at Disney Springs, etc... If you're sharers, some of the CS meals are big enough and then you can graze over the day or maybe be able to do a breakfast split some days too.

I am also finding that a lot of places have soups or sample sized savory items (mac & cheese at AK for example) that are snack credits for if you want to use some credits for breakfast one day but know you will need something other than a cupcake for a snack mid-day.

I tend to love the dining boards and dining reviews so I love to go over menus and plan what I think we will eat and that way, we're not just grabbing something we can eat over something we WANT to eat. But that's fun to me so...

 

[gardengirl628]

Loving your reviews. We have found quite a few QS that we enjoy-Earl of Sandwich and the counter service at Port Orleans are 2 that stand out.

 

[MissPrice]

Hi There. Really enjoying your review. It's giving me some great QS ideas for our upcoming trip. Also making me really hungry. The fish and chips looks so good! -Amanda

 

[katriscari]

Loving your review....we may try something like this next time. We just returned from DW a couple of days ago. I am a buffet hater, but I do it for the characters for pics with my boys. I always feel like the food is not anywhere near worth the cost. We may concentrate on a couple of nicer places next trip and the rest QS. One of our best meals was Flame Tree BBQ at AK.

 

[disneyfan551]

Love the reviews! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Gaston's Tavern

We stopped in at Gaston's for breakfast.

We got three cinnamon loafs and a LeFou's Brew.

These are THE best cinnamon rolls. Tyler gets one and we share the other two. And then Tyler finished whatever we don't finish. Since it was so early they were super warm and fresh. We like the brew too but it is VERY sweet so one is enough for all of us!

And somehow I have NO receipts for this day. WHAT?!?!?! I must have pulled them out and put them somewhere preparing to write up this day and now I don't remember where I put them!!! So I'm gonna wing it...

TOTAL = $20.19
TOTAL so far = $805.80

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn

So we headed to Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn for lunch. Since it was just opening, there were no crowds yet. Tyler decided he didn't want anything yet...he's not a huge Mexican food person unless it is ground beef, lettuce, and cheese in a flour tortilla or a plain cheese quesadilla...so he decided to wait.

I got the Beef Nachos - tortilla chips topped with seasoned ground beef, tomatoes and lettuce.

And piled on the extras from the toppings bar. This was huge! And very good...especially when you get the use of the toppings bar! I would definitely get this again!

Cary got the Beef Burrito - with barbacoa beef, cilantro rice and beans.

When you get it it is just a flour shell with the beef, rice and beans...you add whatever else you want at the toppings bar. He went with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. This was also a huge portion. You only get one but it is plenty! He really liked this.

Skyler got the kid's Macaroni & Cheese - with grapes and carrots, small water.

It was the soupy kind of mac & cheese so she was instantly lamenting having no fries to dip but otherwise she liked her food.

We also got one large coke to share.

We all really liked the change in Pecos Bill's. It was not a place we frequented in it's previous life but as you can see we are not usually the burger/nugget kind of people so when that was what it served, it was a take it or leave it kind of place. Pecos Bill's is connected to Tortuga Tavern, which used to serve the current Pecos Bill's menu but it was only open seasonally so you could never know if it would be open when you were there or not. I like the change in menu and we will be back!

TOTAL = $37.12
TOTAL so far = $842.92

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Pinocchio's Village Haus

The kids wanted Pinocchio's so we headed there (it was 1:15pm). They had lemon ice water and cups outside in the shade for people to help themselves to so we filled up out bottles and went in. It was a little crazy by the registers but it appeared to be a bunch of people hanging out deciding what they wanted. So we figured it out quickly and Cary and I went to order and the kids went to find a seat. Of course there were no where to be found when we were done getting food but I should have known where to look...

Skye got a lemon raspberry slushy in an Olaf cup. It was vey tart and not sweet at all.

And a Kid's Cheese Flatbread with apples, drinkable yogurt, and a water.

This was really good she said. Much better than a tiny kid's pizza that a lot of places used to serve.

We got an order of Breadsticks - with marinara sauce to share. They were soft and hot and garlic-y so we all loved them!

And Tyler got a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich - served wit french fries.

He said it was great! He did not let us try it so we have to take his word for it!

We also got a large coke to share.

I did used to love the Figaro Fries and the chocolate milk shake served in little plastic cups that were keepable with an etching of the castle on the side (I think we had one of those for years after the last time we got one) but this version of Pinocchios is very good also.

I think we will be returning in the future.

Total = $29.03
TOTAL so far = $871.95