Saturday, January 28, 2017

Final thoughts on this trip with our worst and best of foods and more. And our conclusions



Our final thoughts on this trip, places we ate, things we experienced, things like that.
This was a great vacation, well to be honest, it was the best vacation either of have had, EVER!  We spent 1 day in Animal Kingdom, 2 days at Hollywood Studios, most of 3 days in Epcot and 2 full and 2 half days at Magic Kingdom and had 1 off day.  We attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on the 18th and the Candlelight Processional on Christmas Eve. We received the Quick Service Dining for free and upgraded to the Deluxe Dining.  We ate at many locations, mostly Table and Signature.  A list of each type of meal, where it was and the date we ate are listed here. 
Counter/Quick service meals
Be Our Guest for Breakfast (12/25)
Be Our Guest for Lunch.  (12/18)
Earl of Sandwich (12/17)
Pinocchio Village Haus (12/18)
                                                
Table Service meals
50’s PrimeTime Café for Lunch (12/22) & (12/26)
Akershus for breakfast – Buffet (12/24)
Be Our Guest for dinner (12/25)
Biergarten for lunch Buffet (12/24) - This was 2 TS credits for each because of the Candlelight Processional Package
Chef’s de France for dinner (12/23)
Crystal Palace for breakfast - Buffet (12/27)
Liberty Tree Tavern dinner (12/25)
Hollywood & Vine for Minnie’s Seasonal Dine Buffet (12/22)
O’hana for Breakfast (12/21)
Rose & Crown (12/20)
Whispering Canyon Café for lunch (12/27)
Yak & Yeti (12/19)

Signature meals
California Grill (12/21)
Cinderella Royal Table for Breakfast (12/18)
Hollywood Brown Derby for dinner (12/19)
Jiko – the Cooking Place (12/17) & (12/26)
Le Cellier for lunch (12/23)
Monsieur Paul for dinner (12/24)
Yachtsman Steakhouse (12/20)
You can review each one if you want by going back thru the links listed throughout the blog.
Now to the final thoughts and what we liked and didn’t like.


A lot of pictures of the foods listed on this installment to help you compare.


Our overall thoughts: This was the best vacation, EVER!  Yes, there were issues and problems, even some major issues getting there and when we first arrived until on our way to Jiko that first day.  And yes, there were issues when we left.  Yes, it was an engagement trip which should be special.  That said, it doesn’t matter about any of that. This was the best trip either Andrea or David (myself) have ever had anywhere.  We are already scheduled to return for our Honeymoon December 21 – 31, 2017 (as of right now but might do a split between Disney World and Disneyland but not sure) and even if that trip isn’t as great as this, it doesn’t matter.  We will be in the most magical place in the whole world. 
On our reviews, please understand, these are our thoughts, experiences, the dishes we received.  We are not foodies and never want to be foodies.  We are just average people who enjoy good food but do not need to know the specifics of a dish to know if we like it.  We base it on what we are served and how it tastes, our service and the total experience that we had.  As you can tell by the reviews that even places we ate at more than once (Jiko – The Cooking Place and 50s PrimeTime Café) the reviews were different because we had a different experience.
So, without future waiting, here we go and let’s start with the worst, to get that out of the way.
The worst food we had anywhere:
Flatbread Sausage & Pepperoni pizza at Pinocchio Village Haus.   
 It tasted like cardboard with some sauce, pepperoni, sausage and cheese.  Not much flavor at all.  This was based on the one we had. Does that mean that everyone else will have that, no.  Someone shared a picture of how good theirs was and I must say, it looked great.

Worst Buffet - Hollywood & Vine for dinner.  Nothing good except the Eggnog Cheesecake

Worst Character Meal – For both of use this was an easy one – Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine.  The food was barely okay.  The best thing either of us had there was the Eggnog Cheesecake pieces.  The character interaction was good

Worst Counter service – Pinocchio Village Haus (The Sausage and Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza, it was like cardboard with some flavor.  I do know that others have had good ones but we didn’t)

Worst overall Table service location – Chefs de France.  Rushed and the food was just okay.

Worst overall Signature service location – Le Cellier.  I know that some people think this is a great place to eat at but we are voicing our opinion on what we received and the experience.  We both would say that we could eat at a better location outside the “World” at a place called Long Horn Steakhouse.

Most over-rated Signature Service location – Le Cellier.  For the same reason, as above, for us, the worst Signature location we ate at.

Most over-rated event – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (We know that many people love it, but for us it just wasn’t worth the extra money.  Way too crowded, and the snacks weren’t that good.)

Next up are the Worst and Best at a Table Service
Worst Appetizer at a Table Service


Andrea – The Cheese plate with Raisin and walnut bread at Chefs de France (Most of the cheeses are too strong and the bread leaves much to be desired)



David - French Onion Soup at Chefs de France (A puck of cheese, onions crunchy and not a nice thick broth)


Worst Entrée at a Table Service
For both of us it would be hands down Filet de boeuf grill -  Grilled tenderloin of beef, in other words a Filet at Chefs de France (This was thin, tough and not much flavor, only good part of this was the green peppercorn sauce which more like a gravy)


Worst Dessert at a Table Service

Andrea – Traditional Warm Apple Crisp at 50’s PrimeTime Café (nothing like any crisp she or I have ever had)



David – No Sugar Added Cheesecake at 50s PrimeTime Café (No crust and not much of any flavor)


Best Appetizer at a Table Service

Andrea – Fried Herb and Garlic Cheese at 50s PrimeTime Café (It is something she says you just must try but make sure you get some of each all in one bite and will order again)




David – Cousin Amy’s Iceburg Lettuce Wedge Salad at 50’s PrimeTime Café (perfect size, lots of bacon and the blue cheese dressing and crumbles, mmmm good)



Best Entrée at a Table Service (not a steak)
Both of us - the Bhaktapur Duck at Yak & Yeti (she kept trying to steal this from my plate) 

Andrea – Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken at 50s PrimeTime Cafe (So moist and juicy and full of flavor)

For David – The ALL-YOU-CARE-TO ENJOY SKILLET at Whispering Canyon Café  (The food was so good and as much as you wanted.  I don’t care if a place has an all you can eat dish, if the food isn’t good then I don’t want it, but this, mmm you will want as much as you can eat, might even over eat.  Oh, such a dilemma – when to stop before being too full)

Best Dessert at a Table Service

For both of us – Fried Wontons at Yak & Yeti (incredible but not enough to share)

Andrea – The Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake at Be Our Guest (yes this you can get at the counter service but it was so good that she ordered if for the Table service and was the best she had at any Table Service)

David – The Sticky Toffee Pudding at Rose & Crown (in a word MMMMMMMMMMM)
  
Now for the Signature Service Locations

Worst Appetizer at a Signature Service

Andrea – From the Larder (Charcuterie) at Le Cellier (The meats weren’t that good, including using the term YUCK!)

David - the Beef Carpaccio at Hollywood Brown Derby (was not something I enjoyed at all) The Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli at California Grill (The only good thing about this was the Goat Cheese)

Worst Entrée at a Signature Service

Andrea – Crispy Duck Breast at Hollywood Brown Derby (This was not crispy at all, had a strange texture and tasted more like a weird tasting chicken),

The Signature Coffee Rubbed Black Angus Rib-Eye at Le Cellier (The first one received had so much fat that when cutting it, it looked like a butcher had hacked it to pieces. The replacement was much less fatty.  It was juicy and tasted ok.  Nothing great.

David – Filet Mignon at Le Cellier (Well, I know that people love this place but the Filet I had, I could get a better one at a chain called Long Horn Steakhouse.  The rest of the dish, well YUCK!)

Worst Dessert at a Signature Service

Andrea – the Chocolate Mousse at Le Cellier (maybe without the red sesame tuile and the sesame seeds along with the red stuff it wouldn’t be too bad but overall not good).


The Honey-Crunch Cake at California Grill  (Weird, strange, the cake tasted more of the oil)



David – Camenbert Cheesecake at Le Cellier   


(Because of the Cherry Galee it made it not a good cheesecake, without that, it was good)









Best Appetizer at a Signature Service

Andrea - the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail at Yachtsman Steak House

(large shrimp, they cut the heads and tails off, had a nice heat).  

Braised Port Tacos at California Grill (The Chipotle Crema made this very good flavor combination with everything else.  She would come here just for these). 

The Romaine lettuce with Roquefort cheese salad at Monsieur Paul (very interesting flavor combination, would say best salad we tasted).  
 
The Local Greens Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette at Hollywood Brown Derby (interesting combination of flavors, loved the Goat Cheese)
 
David – The French Onion Soup at Yachtsman Steak House (such a rich broth, perfect amount of cheese and the onions are so soft and sweet)

The Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin at Jiko (So tender and so good, so creamy)



Best Entrée at a Signature Service
 

Both of us – Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon at Jiko  (So tender, you can cut it with a fork like you were cutting a hamburger patty but so much more flavor) 


and at a close second Grilled Buffalo Ribeye at Jiko  (Andrea said id she had not tried the Filet, this would have been her favorite.  It has a different but very good flavor, tender, moist, mmmmm)  These 2 steaks were by and far, the very best Entrees anywhere on property. 


 Best Entrée at a Signature Service (not a steak)
 Well this is a problem as in looking back over everything, it wasn’t that we didn’t order something other than steak, but for the most part, that is what we ordered and well, we couldn’t suggest any.

Best Dessert at a Signature Service

Andrea – Crown Jewel Sweet Potato Cheesecake at Jiko – The Cooking Place (Not your typical creamy cheesecake, A different flavor that was not too sweet and when you tried all the different items together, it was an amazing flavor combination.  

L’ile flottanted: meringue legere, crème Anglaise a la vinille, raisins macerees au Rhum, nougatine aux amandes. (Light meringue, vanilla crème Anglaise, rum infused raisins, almonds nougatine) at Monsieur Paul (loved the nougatine, she would have loved to have just had that)

David – Malva Pudding at Jiko – The Cooking Place. (You can read the review about what all is in it.  It was amazing, not too big and the perfect dessert after the Filet Mignon)

Crème Brulee at Yachtsman Steakhouse.  (If you love Crème Brulee, this was the best of any I had and it had that ‘crunch’ that is so good to hear) 

Le vacherin: meringue, crème glacee vanilla, sorbet framboise, Chantilly a la Vanille, coulis de framboises (Meringue, vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet, vanilla Chantilly, raspberry coulis) at Monsiur Paul (Loved the combination of the flavors, perfect combination of tart and sweet)



Worst Snack

Both – Crepes with Strawberry Preserves at Crepes des Chefs de France (This was a tough, reheated crepe that didn’t have much flavor)

Ham and Cheese Pretzel at the Lunching Pad (the mustard was the only thing that saved this)


Best Snack

For Andrea – Parfait Aux Fruits at Boulangerie des Halles (the yogurt mousse and strawberry fruit swirl are so good together)
Parfait Aux Fruits is on the Left

For David – Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich at Tamu Tamu (If you can get this when the cookies are still warm, mmm heaven).


The Tarte Aux Fraise at Boulangerie des Halles (mmm Light flakey crust with the cream and the strawberries, makes my mouth water even now)
Tarte Aux Fraise is on the Right
 Most fun place to eat
Whispering Canyon Café (loved everything about this, the interaction was great)


50s PrimeTime Café (like being back in the 1950’s)

Best Character Meal

O’hana for breakfast.  What we must say here is that each of the Character Meals offered a different and unique experience

Best Service – Oscar at Yachtsman Steakhouse.
Best Dining Experience – Jiko
Best Food – Jiko
Best Atmosphere – Jiko





Ok, the best, our number one place to eat at and have the best experience at is Jiko – The Cooking Place




We will rate the steaks, first Filets, and then other steaks:

Filets – in order – Jiko (on 26th), Jiko (17th), Yachtsman, Monsieur Paul, California Grill (the sauce with the Mornay and the Peperonata made this score higher than if it was not there), Hollywood Brown Derby, Le Cellier, Chefs de France (What we received was more like a strip steak than a Filet and not very good at that)
Jiko on 12/26

Jiko on 12/17
 

Yachtsman on 12/20


Monsieur Paul on 12/24
California Grill on 12/21
Hollywood Brown Derby on 12/19
Le Cellier on 12/23
Chefs de France on 12/23
 Other steaks – Jiko (the Buffalo Ribeye), Yachtsman (Rib-eye) Rose & Crown, Be Our Guest, Le Cellier (Rib-eye)
Jiko on 12/26
Yachtsman on 12/20
Rose & Crown on 12/20
Be Our Guest on 12/25
Le Cellier on 12/22
 Jiko, no matter if it’s the Filet or the Rib-eye, they were the very best we had by far.  Yachtsman was still very, very good as was Monsieur Paul.  After that, they dropped.  Hollywood Brown Derby and Rose & Crown about the same, with Be Our Guest behind those but ahead of Le Cellier and Chefs de France.  We will say, if you only have one chance to eat a steak at any of these, Jiko or Yachtsman or Monsieur Paul would be the best picks.

Best Cast Member 
Megan at Pop Century.  What she did and how she took a very personal interest in making sure the proposal would take place without a hitch and then the Surprise Engagement Package in the room after, priceless.

Chrissy at Animal Kingdom Lodge in room dining for making sure the cake was ready at Jiko, that Jiko was prepared and would do what needed to be done to make it special.  Amazing
And so many others.

As you may remember, we used the Deluxe Dining Plan.  We stayed at Pop Century and received the Quick Service Plan included.  We upgraded to the Deluxe.  Here are the figures
If we had secured a 20% discount on our room, it would have been under $44 a night x 10 nights for a total of $440
Quick Service plan was $42.84 x 2 x 10 nights for a total of $856.80 (much better than the room discount)
Deluxe Dining plan was $111.73 x 2 x 10 nights for a total of $2,234.60
We had to pay an additional $1,377.80 to upgrade to the Deluxe Dining.
Our total Meals came to $2,814.01 - $320.83 for out of pocket (counter services, extras and drinks not included in the Deluxe dining plan) = $2,493.18 (this does not include the tips which were $483.87 moreover.
Our Snacks came to $277.63 - $75.04 for out of pocket (drinks and other things we didn’t want to use a snack credit on) = $202.59
Meals = $2493.18 + Snacks = $202.59 = $2,695.77 – our upgrade $1,377.80 = $1,317.97
That is a savings of $1,317.97.  Yes, that does include getting the free Quick Service amount including in the savings.  So, if you take $1,317.97 - $856.80 = $461.17.  So, we still would have saved $461.67.  $1,317.97 vs $461.67, either is a good savings over 10 nights.
We didn’t always use the credits for the biggest value – we used a total of 4 TS credits for the 2 of us to go to Biergarten because we went to the Candle Light Processional package included.  If you are only looking at $ signs or the maximum dollar cost vs Table Service Credit, then that was a bad use of them.  But if you look at what all we got, we didn’t mind.  Besides, what we did save is still a huge amount.  We did eat at many very nice places, which was our plan.  We also didn’t very our ordering versus outside (here at home) -  Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts, along with drinks (Soda and an occasional glass of wine).  We did try somethings we might not have if we were paying out of pocket, but that would be few things.  We would have ordered a lot of steak, well because, we both love steak.

Something else that I’ve done since we came back to make sure that each of the Cast members that went above anything we could have imagined, was suggest to me by Walt Disney World Reservations.  I called and explained that I needed to know how to make a comment about the outstanding Cast Member service we received while at Disney World on our vacation.  I was told that I had taken this to a whole new level and he suggested I write a letter and send it to Bob Igar and let him know about the Cast Members and what they did.  So, that is what I have done.   I want to make sure that these Cast Members get acknowledged and it go in their permanent work history file.  I would hope that he sends each a personalized letter from him letting them know what was told to him about that Cast Member and how they made a couple have the Best Vacation EVER!  To me, that would be a big deal in a company like Disney.  I will let you know if I hear anything back from either Disney or from Bob Igar himself.

In conclusion. We loved our vacation.  We loved being at Walt Disney World.  The service was great.  We ate at many Table and Signature locations.  We had some of the best food we have ever had.  We will go back again, and again and well I’m sure you can figure that out.
Doing the Trip report helped us to relive some amazing meals and experiences.  Yes, they took much more time than either of us thought they would but as in the one song from Hercules – “It’s a Work of Heart” We are now engaged, and Simba (David) and Nala (Andrea) are very happy. 

If you are planning a vacation to Walt Disney World, we only ask that you remember this:  You are one of the lucky ones to be going to the Most Magical Place on Earth – Walt Disney World.  While there make sure to take the time to truly enjoy where you are at, the vacation and yourselves. 

You can even try to live by the slightly altered version of the Circle of Life, found here:

http://forum.touringplans.com/t/this-should-be-every-liner-and-every-visitors-thinking-when-going-to-the-parks/30500?u=davidjjenkins1961

We look forward to our next Walt Disney Vacation and hearing about all of yours.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read each installment.
David (Simba) and Andrea (Nala)