wdwrich
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2002
Heres a report on where DW and I ate during our recent visit to WDW (Sept 9-15, 2003)
Notes: We ate quick breakfasts in our room each day (fruit, juice, granola bars, etc.). All dinners had priority seating times made in advance for 6pm. We had a rental car, so getting out and about for dinners at various locations was not a problem. Also, I do not partake of alcoholic beverages and DW does so only rarely, so none of the prices given for meals include any adult beverages. The prices given are for two adults unless otherwise specified.
9/9/2003 Lunch at Tusker House (DAK) I had the rotisserie chicken and DW had the grilled salmon. We both had soft drinks. Food was above average for counter service restaurants. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing. Price with tax, $21.58.
9/9/2003 Dinner at Artists Point (WL) This was our first meal at this establishment even though we have been to WDW a total of nine times, and we were looking forward to it. We decided to forgo an appetizer since the bread was so good and we wanted to save room for dessert. DW had the restaurants signature dish- salmon with sweet potatoes au gratin, and I had the buffalo with mashed potatoes. We shared the berry cobbler for dessert (it is huge). The food was excellent, and the atmosphere, décor and service were equally excellent. Perhaps owing to our relatively early dinner hour, the place was very quiet- we were halfway through our dinner before any other patrons came into the restaurant. Price with tax and tip, $86.42.
9/10/2003 Lunch at the Brown Derby (MGM, DW only- I was attending a conference where lunch was included). She had the Orecchiette "Little Ear" Pasta with chicken add-on and bananas foster cheesecake for dessert. This was her first time at this restaurant and she said she would definitely return. Food, atmosphere, and service were excellent. Price with tax and tip, $33.44.
9/10/2003 Dinner at Dragon Court Chinese Buffet (on Apopka Vineland Rd just north of the Crossroads shopping center). We discovered this place last year when my conference was held at the Hyatt Grand Cypress, the entrance to which is practically next door. We are both fans of good Chinese food and this restaurant rates as one of the best we have experienced, even though it is a buffet establishment. The offerings include numerous seafood dishes as well as chicken, pork, and beef (including sliced to order roast beef). There is also a salad bar, and they even include ice cream, cake, and cookies for dessert, but weve never made it that far. Of course, the prices are decidedly non-Disney. For the two of us, including soft drinks, tax and tip, the cost was $24.40.
9/11/2003 Lunch at Columbia Harbor House (MK, DW only- I was attending day two of my conference). DW had our favorite meal at this counter service restaurant, the tuna sandwich on toasted bread, with carrots in place of the fries. We think that this is the best counter service place in the MK, and the second floor seating makes for some quiet lunches. Price with soft drink and tax, $9.98.
9/11/2003 Dinner at Biergarten (Germany, EPCOT). Another first for us, this proved to be an enjoyable meal. We liked the show, and were seated with a friendly young New Jersey couple and their two-year-old daughter. While German food is not really to my liking, I managed to find enough on the buffet to provide a filling meal. DW enjoyed most of the offerings. Overall, the food was good to very good, and the atmosphere and service were excellent. Price with tax and tip, $49.58.
9/12/2003 Lunch at the Plaza Restaurant (MK). I had the tuna sandwich with fries and a low-fat chocolate shake. DW had the grilled reuben with fries and a vanilla shake. Portions were large, food was good, shakes were great. Service and atmosphere were good. I havent found the receipt for this meal yet, so I cant list the price. It was certainly more expensive than counter service. Given the price difference, I would probably opt for the tuna sandwich at Columbia Harbor House in the future.
9/12/2003 Dinner at Boma (AKL). This has become our absolute favorite on-property buffet meal. While many of the dishes sound exotic, they are not overly different or spicy, but they are great! This evening, the carved prime rib was especially superb! We always end up stuffing ourselves here because we want to sample so many of the offerings, and this time was no exception. For dessert, the zebra domes still win out over the many other excellent confections. They make them smaller than they used to, but that just means you need to have two (or three, or )! The food was excellent as usual, service was great, atmosphere was very good (the place can be noisy). Price with tax and tip, $59.10. We ate so much that we spent a good hour walking around Crescent Lake to help work it off before returning to our room at the Yacht Club to watch illuminations from the balcony.
9/13/2003 Lunch at the Sunshine Season Food Court (The Land, EPCOT). This is a traditional lunch spot for us, owing to the variety of offerings. Unfortunately, I cant find the notes or the receipt from this meal, so I wont be able to report in great detail. One of our favorites is the vegetable lasagna from the pasta counter, but I do recall that this time we opted for sandwiches and tollhouse cookies instead.
9/13/2003 Dinner at Cape May Café (Beach Club). This is another of our favorite dinner places, and again we were not disappointed. The specialties here are the clams, mussels, and shrimp, but there are always enough other dishes here to satisfy everyone. The food was excellent as was the extensive dessert bar. The service was very good, but Im going to rate the atmosphere as just good this time because there was a large group (about 40 people) there at the same time as us, and they always seemed to get on the buffet or dessert line en mass just before we headed for the same place, making for some unusually long waits. Price with tax and tip, $59.10.
9/14/2003 Lunch at MGM. This day we purchased items from several of the various counters/carts along Sunset Blvd. I had a turkey leg, a fruit cup and a bottled water. DW had a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milk. Price with tax, $19.78
9/14/2003 Dinner at Olivias (OKW). We had read good things about Olivias at Old Key West, so we decided to combine a dinner there with a look-see visit to the resort. Overall it was a very pleasant experience! Olivias is an airy, comfortable restaurant decorated with hundreds of photos of DVC owners. To start, we shared a conche (sp?) fritters appetizer, which was good but not great. We both ordered the Jumbo Shrimp Alfredo which was excellent. For dessert we shared the apple pie with butter pecan ice cream. It was a dessert to die for! The service was excellent and the atmosphere was laid-back and enjoyable. We will certainly return to this place. Price with tax and tip, $65.17.
9/15/2003 Lunch at Columbia Harbor House (MK). We both had the tuna sandwich. I got carrots with mine, and DW got the fries. We also got the chowder in a bread bowl to share, and soft drinks. Price with tax, $23.75.
That's it for now. We're still working on the complete trip report. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Notes: We ate quick breakfasts in our room each day (fruit, juice, granola bars, etc.). All dinners had priority seating times made in advance for 6pm. We had a rental car, so getting out and about for dinners at various locations was not a problem. Also, I do not partake of alcoholic beverages and DW does so only rarely, so none of the prices given for meals include any adult beverages. The prices given are for two adults unless otherwise specified.
9/9/2003 Lunch at Tusker House (DAK) I had the rotisserie chicken and DW had the grilled salmon. We both had soft drinks. Food was above average for counter service restaurants. The atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing. Price with tax, $21.58.
9/9/2003 Dinner at Artists Point (WL) This was our first meal at this establishment even though we have been to WDW a total of nine times, and we were looking forward to it. We decided to forgo an appetizer since the bread was so good and we wanted to save room for dessert. DW had the restaurants signature dish- salmon with sweet potatoes au gratin, and I had the buffalo with mashed potatoes. We shared the berry cobbler for dessert (it is huge). The food was excellent, and the atmosphere, décor and service were equally excellent. Perhaps owing to our relatively early dinner hour, the place was very quiet- we were halfway through our dinner before any other patrons came into the restaurant. Price with tax and tip, $86.42.
9/10/2003 Lunch at the Brown Derby (MGM, DW only- I was attending a conference where lunch was included). She had the Orecchiette "Little Ear" Pasta with chicken add-on and bananas foster cheesecake for dessert. This was her first time at this restaurant and she said she would definitely return. Food, atmosphere, and service were excellent. Price with tax and tip, $33.44.
9/10/2003 Dinner at Dragon Court Chinese Buffet (on Apopka Vineland Rd just north of the Crossroads shopping center). We discovered this place last year when my conference was held at the Hyatt Grand Cypress, the entrance to which is practically next door. We are both fans of good Chinese food and this restaurant rates as one of the best we have experienced, even though it is a buffet establishment. The offerings include numerous seafood dishes as well as chicken, pork, and beef (including sliced to order roast beef). There is also a salad bar, and they even include ice cream, cake, and cookies for dessert, but weve never made it that far. Of course, the prices are decidedly non-Disney. For the two of us, including soft drinks, tax and tip, the cost was $24.40.
9/11/2003 Lunch at Columbia Harbor House (MK, DW only- I was attending day two of my conference). DW had our favorite meal at this counter service restaurant, the tuna sandwich on toasted bread, with carrots in place of the fries. We think that this is the best counter service place in the MK, and the second floor seating makes for some quiet lunches. Price with soft drink and tax, $9.98.
9/11/2003 Dinner at Biergarten (Germany, EPCOT). Another first for us, this proved to be an enjoyable meal. We liked the show, and were seated with a friendly young New Jersey couple and their two-year-old daughter. While German food is not really to my liking, I managed to find enough on the buffet to provide a filling meal. DW enjoyed most of the offerings. Overall, the food was good to very good, and the atmosphere and service were excellent. Price with tax and tip, $49.58.
9/12/2003 Lunch at the Plaza Restaurant (MK). I had the tuna sandwich with fries and a low-fat chocolate shake. DW had the grilled reuben with fries and a vanilla shake. Portions were large, food was good, shakes were great. Service and atmosphere were good. I havent found the receipt for this meal yet, so I cant list the price. It was certainly more expensive than counter service. Given the price difference, I would probably opt for the tuna sandwich at Columbia Harbor House in the future.
9/12/2003 Dinner at Boma (AKL). This has become our absolute favorite on-property buffet meal. While many of the dishes sound exotic, they are not overly different or spicy, but they are great! This evening, the carved prime rib was especially superb! We always end up stuffing ourselves here because we want to sample so many of the offerings, and this time was no exception. For dessert, the zebra domes still win out over the many other excellent confections. They make them smaller than they used to, but that just means you need to have two (or three, or )! The food was excellent as usual, service was great, atmosphere was very good (the place can be noisy). Price with tax and tip, $59.10. We ate so much that we spent a good hour walking around Crescent Lake to help work it off before returning to our room at the Yacht Club to watch illuminations from the balcony.
9/13/2003 Lunch at the Sunshine Season Food Court (The Land, EPCOT). This is a traditional lunch spot for us, owing to the variety of offerings. Unfortunately, I cant find the notes or the receipt from this meal, so I wont be able to report in great detail. One of our favorites is the vegetable lasagna from the pasta counter, but I do recall that this time we opted for sandwiches and tollhouse cookies instead.
9/13/2003 Dinner at Cape May Café (Beach Club). This is another of our favorite dinner places, and again we were not disappointed. The specialties here are the clams, mussels, and shrimp, but there are always enough other dishes here to satisfy everyone. The food was excellent as was the extensive dessert bar. The service was very good, but Im going to rate the atmosphere as just good this time because there was a large group (about 40 people) there at the same time as us, and they always seemed to get on the buffet or dessert line en mass just before we headed for the same place, making for some unusually long waits. Price with tax and tip, $59.10.
9/14/2003 Lunch at MGM. This day we purchased items from several of the various counters/carts along Sunset Blvd. I had a turkey leg, a fruit cup and a bottled water. DW had a cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milk. Price with tax, $19.78
9/14/2003 Dinner at Olivias (OKW). We had read good things about Olivias at Old Key West, so we decided to combine a dinner there with a look-see visit to the resort. Overall it was a very pleasant experience! Olivias is an airy, comfortable restaurant decorated with hundreds of photos of DVC owners. To start, we shared a conche (sp?) fritters appetizer, which was good but not great. We both ordered the Jumbo Shrimp Alfredo which was excellent. For dessert we shared the apple pie with butter pecan ice cream. It was a dessert to die for! The service was excellent and the atmosphere was laid-back and enjoyable. We will certainly return to this place. Price with tax and tip, $65.17.
9/15/2003 Lunch at Columbia Harbor House (MK). We both had the tuna sandwich. I got carrots with mine, and DW got the fries. We also got the chowder in a bread bowl to share, and soft drinks. Price with tax, $23.75.
That's it for now. We're still working on the complete trip report. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
