Just returned. A few restaurant thoughts...

[Dunc]

The sad day duly arrived, and I'm back in Blighty again - although the weather here is better than it was there for a lot of the holiday.

In case it helps anyone, here's my take on the free DDP, and a few restaurant notes.

Firstly, it's a no-brainer. Especially if you can get the $200 gift card which (almost) covered TS tips. We were helped immensely by being given another $150 by DVC just for going to a 30 minute presentation, during which we had free coffee and ice-cream, and were also given 3 go anywhere FP's each. We got this from a letter delivered to hotel a couple of days after arrival. If you get one, definitely go for it.

Overall, we saved £1605 on food and drink between the two of us. This took in 8 TS meals, 5 of which were Signatures.

I'll give a brief review of the TS ones:

1. Cally Grill. Dinner. Fabulous. Good service and excellent food. I thought this was the best fillet steak I'd ever had, but it was early days, as this was the first meal of the hol. As with all the meals, we put food on DDP, and got alcohol from the bar with cash, to avoid paying 20% tip on drinks, and just tipped barstaff $1 per drink. We put the food tip on the room, and paid every few days with gift card.

2. Ohana. Although not a Sig, probably the best in terms of atmosphere. We even got lei's from the man organising the kid's races. The food was superb, and we couldn't handle all of the bread and butter pudding, so asked if we could take it away. They brought us a box with a huge new slab. I started with the obligatory Lapu Lapu. It's a must do. Didn't stay for fireworks, but went to Trader Sam's. It was about 8, and plenty of space. Hilarious, fun atmosphere.

3. Spice Road Table. It was a bit chilly, so we opted for an inside table. The service was a little... relaxed? Food was pretty good, but I wouldn't go again.

4. House of Blues. Went before Cirque, so nice and convenient. Food was great - had burger and strip steak. A lot of food. Made the mistake of ordering drinks from table, so ended up with 4 bills, which I was meant to decipher after 4 Long Island iced teas. Nightmare. Still, every day's a school day. As an aside, we had a couple of pre-dinner drinks in the outside bar. It was about 6, and the drinks were incredibly cheap. Worth a look.

5. Jiko. I was a bit underwhelmed. The food was excellent, as was the service and presentation, but it felt a tad rushed. My girlfriend was slightly appalled when she ordered the lamb, and what looked like most of a sheep turned up. It offended her liberal sensibilities a bit. (She reads the Guardian).

6. Cally Grill brunch. I wouldn't pay OOP, but the food was great, the view was spectacular, and the service was a little lacking, but that was just our waiter. I managed 5 Mimosas.

7. Yacht Club Steakhouse. Fabulous. Best steak I ever had, again. I went for the 6oz fillet, after the 10oz at Jiko's defeated me. Girlfriend had same, but asked for the veggies and accompaniments from a different dish, which was no problem.We also had a bottle of Syrah, which was $59 and spectacular. Thank you DVC. We had the table right in the middle of the bay window. Fab view.

8. Citricos. Great food, awful interior. The cocktails are vicious. In a good way. Went to Mizners bar afterwards. Great bar, but suffers from very noisy band directly outside.

10. Turf Club Grill at Saratoga Springs. Really good value and service. Waiter was a bit over the top, but he was enjoying himself. If the weather's good, sit outside.

I hope this helps a few people. It was all free. I still can't really get my head round that part. It's an amazing offer, if you can get it. I felt I'd done the best thing, in terms of having a lot of Signature's, because I never felt like I HAD to be at a certain place at a certain time every day. It gave more free time just to drop into a QS of an evening, whether at a park or at our hotel (SSR. Fab breakfasts and evening specials at Artists Pallette)

Finally, a few random thoughts:
Wolfgang Puck Express. Amazing. I had the chicken tenders 3 times.
Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar. I could live there.
Restaurantosaurus. Go now. Take my car.
Backlot Express. Great value, as always.
Sunshine Seasons. Still doing breakfasts, still great.
Caseys. Foot long meal is 1 QS for 2 people.
BOG breakfast. Lukewarm.
Starbucks everywhere. No comment.
Coca Cola bar. Waste of time.

And many thanks to Mr. Tom Morrow for lots of advice about SSR and various restaurants. SSR is brilliant, especially if you plan to explore DS, with its many retail opportunities...

Planning a September trip. 2 weeks at Swan, no DDP. That will be a financial shock.

Dunc is signing out until next trip is booked and he gets excited again. Happy trips to all Dibbers.

[Disney Bear]

Oh thanks for the info. I'm planning to book some of the same places as you for November. Good to hear you enjoyed the Signatures as that is our plan too. Sorry to hear the weather is better here.

[Dunc]

It's better now, it was a massive unexpected snowstorm up in the NY area, which sent a cold front south. 7 degrees in the mornings, warming up to the low 20's in the afternoon, and chilly evenings. By the time we left, it was getting back up to the high 20's

[Vanillapod]

The comment about Citricos made me giggle.
I cancelled our reservation purely because the interior looked so hideous!
Judging a book by its cover I know. It looks very dated! Is it due a refurb?

[Dunc]

Citricos was like a big expensive café, with no appreciable atmosphere. I booked it because the tables were well-spaced. There's not really anything negative I could say. Big expensive café is about it, really. Plus points are the food, which is really good, and the drinks, which are not lacking in alcohol content. Mains turned up within about 2 minutes, which made it feel very rushed. I did feel like part of a production line.

[MissFortune]

Originally Posted by Dunc

Restaurantosaurus. Go now. Take my car.

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Loved reading your reviews & made me chuckle a few times!

So glad Sunshine Seasons breakfast is back.

[dixonsontour]

Really enjoyed your reviews made me smile. Agree free ddp is a great deal, we love signatures but no way I'd pay if paying myself.

[disney332]

Great punchy review Dunc.

Enjoyed reading

Disney332

[TinkerSmee]

Brilliant...

Felt the same about BOG, but we are going to try again in July!

[sheluk]

Sounds like some great places - would love to try the brunch at Cali Grill!