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ADR's, Dining, Food and Restaurants Anything and Everything to do with Eating. |
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22 Feb 18, 07:03 AM |
#161
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Imagineer
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It's really not that hard!
2013 I had list of chain restaurants and 3 weeks holiday offsite. We had salad or fruit for lunch most days, ice cream for snack and meal somewhere different and it was disappointment after disappointment. Having had exceptional food few months earlier to our west coast trip, I found it even more disappointing. I dislike I Hop, Tony Rommas, Olive Garden - so many more that are popular here but as they were new to us, I am glad we tried them. I live in city with many good restaurants and I eat out a lot. I can get much better food home for much less. Even Sanaa was such big let down in terms of food quality, but the local restaurants aren't as hyped up and there is curiosity element. We were so shocked by the quality of food in sanaa . So bad, it's literally the worse vindaloo or butter chicken I have ever tried! I work in the middle of city in busy area of town and we eat out a lot. This week I am eating out 3 times, and one of them is cocktail making even with 4 course meal. It's normal for me. It's entirely possible to say no to dessert and ask for extra vegetables and be sensible while eating out. People are afraid from buffets at WDW but for me - 16 days ddp this year, ddp is chance to build a plate as I would have done home - tons of veggies and 1/4 protein and 1/4 starchy carb. I did Chef Mickeye's breakfast and I hit the natural yogurt and fruit options only and left happy. I have fruit and yogurt most days home. I don't use my snack credits for cupcakes, I don't have desserts daily. I eat out often, but I try to be sensible most of the time. Why the food is not always great, the service is nearly always superb. It just makes the experience better, even if the food is not great. I really enjoy the great service while in US. It's not common to get service of this level here. Other people don't go out as often when they are home, and they like to eat differently on vacations - why not? Their holiday their way. DDP, another beast seem to be bringing out strange drive - across all sorts of people from all sorts of locations. How to get most of it. People have snack lists and how to get most of your plan and lists of most expensive qs and ts credits. If I spend 10k on family vactaion, and I use my 2 snack credits for coffee, vs expensive cupcake I will get 2 usd more and nasty weight scale shock on return. On scale of things - assuming I go for 2 usd less worth of credit, 2*2*16=64 usd less value. For me, it's not worth worrying about compared to the price of holiday - I love my black Starbucks iced americanos and that's what I get most days. I just don't think going crazy at WDW vacation is limited to Europeans. The over glamorization of WDW food is evident in many american forums and many bloggers, YouTubers, podcasts. For some, it's part of the attractions. Over glamorizing of Disney or Orlando food is fascinating. I am sorry - but I disagree it's Brits thing.
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Aliens to Florida our trip report - August 2013 LA & Vegas February 2013 Portaventura, Barcelona Cambrils October 2015 Trip Report October 2014 SSR & HRH trip October 2016 pre trip report West Cast San Diego LA Disneyland Edited at 07:16 AM. |
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22 Feb 18, 07:39 AM |
#162
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Imagineer
Join Date: Oct 09
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They often refer to pasta sauce as red sauce too. I've seen the whispering canyon ketchup thing a few times now but I nearly fell off my seat last time I was there. When a polite request was made for the 'red stuff' a server ran out from the kitchen dressed as a bottle of ketchup shouting 'I'm the ketchup, I'm the ketchup' as he bounced around next to the family who had requested the said condiment. Hilarious.
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22 Feb 18, 01:15 PM |
#163
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Imagineer
Join Date: Apr 06
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Alien,
I think the difference is you guys get much more vacation time so get three weeks of eating out. this Sunday I am going to my son's to help care for the children. I will be out of my office for two weeks, I have never done that and am soon to be 66. I agree trying to make the DDP "worth it" is not worth it. I also would love to know where you get extra veggies in a restaurant? In American chains especially any veggie (other then potatoes) tend to be scarce. I also think Disney food overall is mediocre at best. When I read American praise some Disney "ethnic" restaurants, I wonder if they have ever been to an authentic Indian, Chinese, or even Mexican Restaurant. But then I see they live in small town Nebraska and understand. I hope I didn't offend you and am glad you are able to eat sensibly. We try to get a full kitchen (OKW is my favorite resort) and fix a few quick and healthy meals. |
23 Feb 18, 07:11 AM |
#164
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Imagineer
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I need to think about it but re chains
sweet tomato - dirty and smelly, stay away olive garden - unlimited salad i-hop - there aren't vegetables in this restaurant, they had egg white omelette but wasn't great. fogo de chao - good salad bard t-rex huge bowl of soggy leaves, not suitable for human consumption chef mickeys - chopped mint over melon and grapes was so delicious my favorite snack at disneyland was mango slices with tajine dressing Disney we just buy fruit from Publix as we eat a lot of it. We are going for 16 days so planning few buffet meals. WPE have lovely salads and can do dressing on the side. Our last US trip was to West Coast and Disneyland was mixed bag to be honest but LA and San Diego were awesome in terms of food. There wasn't need to substitute much, they had good selection of menus with plenty with vegetables. Even the zoo had great salads! Some WDW restaurants offered us chopped fruit when I say no to desserts, others not. But again, I choose to be sensible sometimes as we go away good bit and I eat out more than once weekly and the cost of over indulging every single time is one I am not willing to pay. If I was only going for 2 weeks per year and didn't eat out as much I probably wouldn't care as much. Ultimately it's personal choice - if you want to be sensible even at WDW you absolutely can, but you don't have to. Food is part of the experience. And boy do Americans know how to make good use of sugar - 50's prime time shakes! holy guacamole these taste good. Your blood sugar is like the hulk coaster after, up and down like crazy and I haven't returned since our first visit but I am glad I tried them.
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Aliens to Florida our trip report - August 2013 LA & Vegas February 2013 Portaventura, Barcelona Cambrils October 2015 Trip Report October 2014 SSR & HRH trip October 2016 pre trip report West Cast San Diego LA Disneyland Edited at 07:17 AM. |
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23 Feb 18, 08:10 AM |
#165
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Imagineer
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Sweet Tomatoes (at Rolling Oaks) is certainly not smelly and dirty, we went often and it was full of fresh food, all colours of the rainbow, clean and tidy, it smelled of food - of soup, bread and baked potatoes.
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23 Feb 18, 08:49 AM |
#166
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Imagineer
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It never ceases to amaze me how often Americans eat out and I know several women in their fifties who don't know how to cook because they've neverhad to bother to learn. The eating out and the doggie bag culture for everyday meals is entirely different. Home cooked here doesn't mean prepacked and reheated either.
Edited at 08:53 AM. |
23 Feb 18, 08:50 AM |
#167
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VIP Dibber
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Joan reckons that we have to visit ST at least once every holiday.
"Smelly" and "dirty" are about the last adjectives that I would ever apply to them. Only been to Rolling Oaks though so I can't speak for the rest of them. Never any overspill between the salads and tables are constantly cleaned. Mick
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23 Jun 20, 09:01 AM |
#168
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Imagineer
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Did the OP ever take their own bread?
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23 Jun 20, 01:06 PM |
#169
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VIP Dibber
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I just saw this pop up and I thought please don’t tell me someone else has asked this question again 😂 then realised it was the same thread haha
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23 Jun 20, 01:12 PM |
#170
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VIP Dibber
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And who'd have thought that the previous last post was mine from Feb 2018 about Sweet Tomatoes?
It was a surprise to see the email this morning that someone had posted. Mick
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