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Old 8 Nov 18, 11:01 PM  
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#131
collybird
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Originally Posted by sha9 View Post
I always thought Cali Grill looked good but not for someone teetotal so I’ve never entertained it. It’s a shame it didn’t live up to the hype.

It’s so disappointing Be Our Guest wasn’t good either! Another I’ve considered but not sure now. That pate is ridiculous!
I definitely think it's difficult to get your money's worth at brunch if you're not a drinker, it's a pity they didn't have any special virgin cocktails as alternatives, it didn't feel very sophisticated sipping on a big glass of apple juice.

I'd definitely say you should see Be Our Guest for yourself, but it's probably one for the future, you know when free dining is dead and we're renting DVC points in 2020

Thank you for reading!


Originally Posted by Sue View Post
Thanks for the latest update, I’ve never really fancied Cali Grill brunch and this has just confirmed why!
We have a dinner ADR and have had two fabulous dinners there, hoping for a third.
When I saw other's reviews of brunch I thought we would be spoilt for choice and have been stuffed but it sadly just wasn't for us, breakfast at The Wave was a much better experience for us. I think I'd have preferred dinner over brunch but I suppose it's another experience ticked off the list.

Thank you for reading.


Originally Posted by SquishTheWhale View Post
Yikes not a good food day for you (well excluding the room service), which is scary considering the amount of credits it cost you! That pate portion is pathetic, I feel like I'd have complained (although I know I wouldn't as I'm a wuss).
Did you do Cali Grill dinner last time I can't remember? We have booked dinner for our only 2 credit meal... I'm hoping the fireworks view justifies it even if the food doesn't.

P.s. I love cheap white chocolate mice too lol.
I feel like a right moaning Minnie today

I was very conscious of how many credits were splurged today and how little we enjoyed the food. I probably should have said something about the pate, but I don't like to complain, plus there was part of me wondering, was that the correct portion!? It was very nice pate, I kind of wish I'd asked could they just have brought me that.

We didn't do Cali Grill dinner last year, but we did in 2016 (sadly, I didn't do a trip report that year - I wish I had as I'm a completist). We had Mum with us that year too and she and Nik enjoyed it, but my steak was undercooked but I was too shy to say anything so I took the whole thing away in my handbag

The fireworks view 100% justifies it, I'm sure your food will be lovely!

Thank you for reading!


Originally Posted by Goldia View Post
I know that room service meal would have gone down a treat in our house. Yummy waffle fries, plus a chicken quesadilla is Kate's favourite thing to eat.

Such a shame the brunch wasn't as laid back as you had hoped. I agree with you about the price for dinner at BOG being pretty good oop, I don't think we'll be back in a hurry. Although I did like the French onion soup for my starter. You're right chip was too cute to eat!

I'm glad your view from the contemporary was so worth it. Relaxing there with the waffle fries and fireworks...I can't think of anything better.

Oh and your Halloween rice crispy treats looked great shame you couldn't eat them! It's fun to try and recreate this stuff though.
The Contemporary was amazing, I was so jealous of all of the people checking in for longer stays.

I might re-attempt Rice Krispie Treats at Christmas time, I did white chocolate strawberry ghosts and even I didn't couldn't mess those up

Thank you for reading!
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Old 8 Nov 18, 11:19 PM  
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#132
Minnie Mum
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What a shame about CG! And your Pate 😣

Enjoying reading along😊
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Old 9 Nov 18, 12:20 AM  
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#133
dixonsontour
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What a shame about brunch. They had non alcoholic grape juice set out as an alternative to mimosa when we went as DD had that.
We loved it but had a table overlooking MK and I loved that shrimp mango sushi.
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Old 9 Nov 18, 08:22 AM  
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#134
wilma-bride
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Shame that Cali Grill brunch was a bit of a let-down, and (to be honest) the reviews I've read of BOG dinner, I am not surprised that it wasn't good. We will stick with lunch, which I absolutely loved.

Hoping things start to improve on the food front for you.
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Old 9 Nov 18, 12:03 PM  
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#135
DisneyDreamer81
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Oh I'm so sad that you had such a rubbish experience at brunch! I think which table you get really does make a difference. We were really lucky with our window table and we both also love sushi so I think we probably got our money's worth in that alone!

The steak at BOG was one of my favourite dishes so I'm really sad the menu has changed! Don't think I'll be spending 2TS credits on it!
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Old 9 Nov 18, 06:47 PM  
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#136
Eccle
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Originally Posted by collybird View Post
I don't envy you having to juggle your preferences versus what the kids would enjoy, maybe you should pick a restaurant each? We love watching Disney restaurant reviews on YouTube.
That is a good idea, I think it may come down to us paying for something OOP, probably Yachtsman, and focussing on the buffet ones with our credits. I think I could fill 2 weeks of dining up quite happily though!

The brunch sounds really expensive for what it ended up being! It's a shame it was another not great day for you, I hope there are some better ones still to come
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Old 10 Nov 18, 07:14 PM  
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#137
collybird
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Originally Posted by Minnie Mum View Post
What a shame about CG! And your Pate 😣

Enjoying reading along😊
It really was a shame about CG, I wanted to love it like everyone else.

Thank you for reading!


Originally Posted by dixonsontour View Post
What a shame about brunch. They had non alcoholic grape juice set out as an alternative to mimosa when we went as DD had that.
We loved it but had a table overlooking MK and I loved that shrimp mango sushi.
They didn't mention the alternative to the mimosa, which is a shame as I'd have tried it. I definitely think where your table is placed has a bearing on your experience, but I won't moan too much as the last time we ate there we had an amazing table.

Thank for your reading!


Originally Posted by wilma-bride View Post
Shame that Cali Grill brunch was a bit of a let-down, and (to be honest) the reviews I've read of BOG dinner, I am not surprised that it wasn't good. We will stick with lunch, which I absolutely loved.

Hoping things start to improve on the food front for you.
I went into BOG with low expectations, so I wasn't too disappointed in that one, definitely over-rated and I think Disney don't really care - it's raking in money for them regardless.

Thank you for reading!


Originally Posted by DisneyDreamer81 View Post
Oh I'm so sad that you had such a rubbish experience at brunch! I think which table you get really does make a difference. We were really lucky with our window table and we both also love sushi so I think we probably got our money's worth in that alone!

The steak at BOG was one of my favourite dishes so I'm really sad the menu has changed! Don't think I'll be spending 2TS credits on it!
Brunch was just a bit too fussy for Nik, I felt bad that I'd dragged him along knowing that it wouldn't really be his thing

Thank you for reading!


Originally Posted by Eccle View Post
That is a good idea, I think it may come down to us paying for something OOP, probably Yachtsman, and focussing on the buffet ones with our credits. I think I could fill 2 weeks of dining up quite happily though!

The brunch sounds really expensive for what it ended up being! It's a shame it was another not great day for you, I hope there are some better ones still to come
The buffets are always good use of a credit as they tend to be a bit pricey, especially the character ones! Hollywood & Vine is a good for the F! package, and Tusker House (any meal) could get your Rivers of Lights reserved seating.

Thank you for reading!
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Old 10 Nov 18, 07:34 PM  
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#138
collybird
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DAY 10

This was a good day

I had planned a little solo jaunt to Magic Kingdom this morning, I even had a (secret) Be Our Guest ADR for one, but, I couldn’t tear myself away from the view, so I popped downstairs for breakfast.

Contempo Café

You can view the menu here I was quite keen on the sound of the Scrambled Hash Bowl - Eggs and Sauce, Bacon, Sausage, Cheese and Potatoes, but I wasn’t sure what kind of potatoes it would include so I went for the Bounty Platter - Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Pork Sausage, Breakfast Potatoes, Seasonal Fruit and mini Mickey Waffle



Can you believe this was my first Bounty Platter in all our trips?! Probably due to my liking of a breakfast buffet. I took this to go and ate it on the balcony, I attempted an arty shot of my breakfast with MK in the background but the lighting wasn’t playing ball.



This was really, really good! When I took the lid off my breakfast and saw that it included tater tots I was gutted I didn’t try the breakfast bowl after all. I don't normally care for Mickey waffles, I think I usually faff around with too many toppings, but with just good old syrup and butter I fell in love.

Breakfast with a chocolate milk came to $17.02. Again, this meal was easily shareable, and if you were to order a Bounty Platter on the DP at your resort you’d have your mug, so could switch out the drink for an extra side to make your breakfast a little more filling. I see many more bounty platters in my future.

CREDITS USED 80
TOTAL IN $$ 2,298.46

***

Tony’s Town Square

Today, we had our re-booked Festival of Fantasy Dining Package ADR at Tony’s. We ate at Tony’s a few years ago, amongst much trepidation (it generally doesn’t receive favourable reviews), and loved it, so we were hoping for a repeat performance today.

The package includes a starter, entrée and a dessert alongside a drink of your choice. I really liked the menu design, it was very cute.





We were brought some bread and oil, I think it was focaccia.



The crust was nice and salty but the interior was a little dough for me.

Nik had the Seasonal Soup, I can’t remember exactly what it was but the server said it was similar to French onion soup and included Italian sausage.



It was very nice and the crostini served alongside it was delicious, largely due to the fact it was absolutely smothered in butter.

I had Calamari with House-made Marinara



This was an enormous portion, excellent for sharing, Nik helped me with it, and was surprised to find he liked squid! It had a great texture, not rubbery at all. It does look very crumby in the picture but there was plenty of big chunks. The marinara was really nice too, and I generally don’t like tomato sauces.

For my main, I had the Italian Trio - Three classic favourites on one dish! Chicken Parmigiana, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Spaghetti with Pork-Beef Meatball



The picture doesn’t do the size of this dish justice, it was an enormous amount of food; a whole chicken breast in the chicken parm, a generous portion of the fettuccine and an enormous meatball on a mountain of spaghetti. The pasta wasn’t al dente, which I was happy about, and everything was tasty, the chicken in the parmigiana wasn’t dry either, take note Signature restaurants. In the past, Tony's used bought in marinara sauce, but now they are making their own and it's really tasty.

Nik had Tony’s House-made Pizza Pie - Blend of Cheeses, Tony’s Pizza Sauce, and fresh Basil



This was incredible, the best pizza we have ever eaten, and we’ve been to New York.




I was torn between the Tiramisu and the Cannoli and had to ask the server to help me decide, he said that both are good, but he prefers the Tiramisu, so I opted for that. Kahlua Espresso-soaked Lady Fingers and Whipped Mascarpone topped with Mocha Cream



One of my favourites of the trip, really tasty and nicely presented.

Nik kept it simple and had Gelato - Italian-style Ice Cream Choice of Vanilla or Chocolate



He chose vanilla, the server asked if he would like Mickey sprinkles and chocolate sauce, of course!

This meal came to $115.02 and cost us 2 Table Service credits.

I am not sure that you’ll find a better use of 1 TS credit anywhere else on property, you get your pick of any three courses on the menu, with no restrictions, the food is fantastic, including the strip steak that I had on our last visit. The restaurant is well-themed, and the service very good.

And, of course, there’s the entire reason we booked the package – the parade view! We arrived with about 10 minutes to go (maybe even less) and were still able to sit on the kerb for the entire parade, we had an amazing view. The little girl with the family next to us got some great interaction with the characters. We will absolutely do this again.

This meal is $2 cheaper than Be Our Guest and costs half the TS credits!

CREDITS USED 82
TOTAL IN $$ 2,413.48

***

I used a snack credit on the Goofy Glacier to keep me cool whilst we were watching the parade. You can tell how hot it was by how melted this looks, and I’d only walked from the confectionery to the viewing area! This will give you an idea of the view the reserved section gives, of course if you arrive earlier than we did you’ll be able to nab an even greater spot!



***

After our parking fiasco at the Yacht Club the previous week we left early for our reservation at the Beach Club, this time we had no trouble parking, but unfortunately the restaurant couldn’t take us early. Instead they took my phone number and text me when the table was ready, this is the first time a Disney restaurant has been able to do this, usually they look at your as though you have four heads when you tell them you had a UK cell number, then give you a pager instead.

Whilst we were waiting for our table we went to play in the arcade next door, this is the first time we have done this and it was a lot of fun, but quite pricey as those games are addictive!

***
Beaches and Cream

Nik loves Beaches and Cream, I feel like it’s overrated, we actually gave it a miss last year, and were intending the same for this year, but yummy food pictures dragged me back in and I managed to get an ADR with a few days left before the trip. This is somewhere you shouldn’t mess around with booking, if you think you might want to eat there, book an ADR ASAP, because they are really hard to get at a later date. Availability will appear for most places when you’re actually on your trip, including CRT, BOG and ‘Ohana, but as Beaches and Cream only has nine tables, even that is hard to get last minute.



We love these Coke cups, does anyone know if these are available in the Coca Cola store at Disney Springs!? We’d love to get some. We both had Chery Cokes, these are so nice, I wish more places sold them.



I am still sad about the hot dogs being removed from the menu. I had the Angus Beef Burger - Blend of ground Angus Brisket and Short Rib with Cheddar Cheese, Lettuce and Tomato on a Freshly Baked Bun



Like The Plaza, Beaches & Cream have upped their burger patty game, what used to be quick-service patties have been switched out of these ones, which are now cooked to order. It was delicious. I had onion rings instead of fries, and these are always amazing.

Nik had his favourite Grilled Cheese and Tomato Bisque



This is one of his favourite things to eat in Disney and he was very happy. This is not your average grilled cheese, it's not just some American cheese stuck between two slices of bread, it is a six cheese blend and is so creamy and delicious, I want to try and recreate it at home.

In place of the DxDP appetizer we shared Chili-Cheese Fries - French Fries topped with Homemade Chilli, Cheese Sauce, and Red Onions



What I would give for some of these right now… They were delicious, and they were generous with the cheese sauce.



My friends had eaten there a few weeks ago and insisted that I try the Strawberry Shortcake.



It is supposed to come with ice cream but I asked for extra whipped cream instead. My friends (hi Munchies ) both raved about this, I didn’t rate it, an Iceland Strawberry Gateaux would be tastier. I am starting to think I am a dessert snob

Nik had a cookies and cream shake.



He always orders exactly the same thing here and is always happy.

I forgot to take a picture of our receipt but the meal came to $66.00 and cost 2 TS credits, Beaches and Cream remains excellent value OOP.
We also bought a Mickey’s Mini Kitchen Sink, just the Sink, which was $10. I saw on The Dibb that someone had put it at the kitchen sink to hold their washing up liquid etc, and I loved this idea, and this is where ours is now.

A family had ordered the real Kitchen Sink whilst we were there, but they had asked for no whipped cream, this really stressed me out, because it’s not a Kitchen Sink if you don’t have the WHOLE CAN!

We loved everything about Beaches & Cream this year and we’ll absolutely be back. Service is always faultless here too.

CREDITS USED 84
TOTAL IN $$ 2,479.48

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Old 10 Nov 18, 07:41 PM  
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#139
GezzasGem
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I have never eaten in Tony's Restaurant but does look good! Whereabouts is it?
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Old 10 Nov 18, 08:18 PM  
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#140
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Tony's looks really good. It's now on my list for next year and I have way too many places on there already!
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