[brumcg]

Emerging from lurk mode...

Howdy DC... errr, MB.

I wasn't planning on doing a trip report this year, but 2007 was pretty interesting and I thought it might prove to be informative.

This is my fourth year in a row of doing a non-standard trip report. We used to do commando style trips, and my trip reports used to report each step, day by day. Then... our trips changed. We've been fortunate enough to do trips every year for 7 years in a row so we've slowed our pace... and I mean really slowed our pace.

For this trip, we hardly did any planning outside of ADR's and coming up with a very high level list of things we wanted to do. Over the years, we've become very flexible... We are always ready to zig when everyone else zags.

I'll break the report down into food, the resort, the parks, and the kitchen sink.

The cast is myself (Bruce - age 42), my wife Sandy (age older than Bruce), my daughter Mags (age 15), and my daughter Mo (age 7).

Food is a huge priority for us. So I'll start with it.

Bruce

[Dana]

Yeah....I love bruce reports! Stop lurking too BTW..I miss your posts.

[cinderbella]

Mags and Mo are back!!!!! Yaya!!!!

I remember your TR last time was lots of fun!! Good to see you back!

[Cinderellafifi]

Nice to see you out of lurk mode at the same time I am! Can't wait to read all about your fun! Hope all continues to be well!

[DisneyTeacher]

Hey, Bruce--it's great to see you. I can't wait to read about your trip, I love your reports.

[CathysCAT]

Can't wait to start reading your TR! The day is looking brighter!

[Dopey]

waiting patiently for more from Bruce

[brumcg]

We did the dining plan. How do we feel about it? I just don't know.

We're the ideal Dining Plan candidates. We stay on property the entire stay, we're BIG eaters, and our kids aren't picky in the least. I'm sure that we saved money on the food that we ate, but the huge question is "Would we have eaten all of that food otherwise?" I had grand plans on keeping a total of everything we ate vs. everything that we would have eaten, but that proved to be impossible.

To throw a monkey wrench into our plans, Mags got Strep Throat halfway into our trip... so we had extra credits to juggle. At first, I tried to hold snack credits for things in the $3.00 - $4.00 range to get the best bang for the buck, but then realized we had used 23 out of 32 in the first 4 days; after that, they just got used for anything. Counter Service was similar; we started eating counter service meals just to use the credits. All in all, I was thinking about the darn Dining Plan all the time. That's not what I want to do on vacation. Next time (2009!) I'd have to think long and hard about doing the Dining Plan.

Please, folks, make ADR's. Sure it was crowded during our stay, but I noticed folks turned away from restaurants all the time. At some points, Counter Service was almost impossible during lunch hours. Crazy!

We plan ADR's as a family. Everyone gets a pick, and then we vote on the rest. It's fun and we get some unexpected results.

I'll list our restaurants in order followed by MB's 1-5 Mickey rating.

Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast (no rating): This hurt. Before we left, Mo was sent home from school sick. I honestly thought it was a combination of nerves and excitement... until she hurled. She did a repeat performance after landing in Orlando (more on that later). Saturday morning at our wake up call, she was still sick. We canceled the ADR. Two hours later, she woke up and appeared to be fine. We chalked it up to a 24-hour bug and went on.

Garden Grill Dinner (3 Mickeys): It had been a long time since we ate at Garden Grill. Personally, I'm not a fan of the "all you care to eat" plates at Disney. I find them to be very mixed in quality and somewhat awkward to boot. The food here was mostly solid for the most part, but no real standouts (the bread pudding desert got the highest marks). The service was mediocre. The characters perked things up. I was very tempted to go with 2 Mickeys here; without the characters, it just wasn't special.

50's Prime Time Cafe (4 Mickeys): Uncle Patrick was our server. To me, 50's hinges on the theme and the server; Patrick was okay. To be fair, he seemed to have too many tables to be able to get into the act. I found the same thing when we ate at 50's a few years ago. The shakes were awesome; I had the PB&J. Appetizers were average (Shrimp Cocktail & Chicken Noodle soup); entrees better (Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, Pot Roast); and desserts were good (S'mores and Angel Food cake). Allowing the shakes on the Dining Plan was a cool touch, but it felt like an enormous amount of food. This was Mag's choice, and she was happy with it.

Hollywood & Vine Character Breakfast (3 Mickeys): Our server was good (can't remember her name). I like the Disney Breakfast buffet's, but I find them to be virtually identical. This was our first time at Hollywood & Vine, and I can safely say that I'm not very fond of the atmosphere. It just seems very unispired. Mo loves Little Einstein's and we actually watch JoJo every morning, so this was her pick. I do like the variety, and loved the corn beef hash and the kid's potato wedges. The characters were a nice change of pace. Mo said that she preferred Chef Mickey's, so it's unlikely that we'll return to H&V. I'll also note that this was the least crowded meal that we had the entire trip.

Chefs de France (5 Mickeys): From beginning to end, this was our best meal of the trip. It's funny, we've canceled ADR's here at least 3 times in the past, so I made it my pick for the trip. Our server was Charlotte who was the best server that we had this year... and that was really more a credit to her friendliness than anything else. Appetizers were top notch (a flatbread, Salmon tartare, lobster bisque); the Salmon tartare was the single best dish I had on the trip and I'd recommend it to anyone who can handle raw fish. Entrees (tuna, flounder, and filet mignon) received high marks. Our wine was good but was forgotten until the meal was half eaten. Our desserts were very good (creme brulee, macaroons). The atmosphere is pretty good, it feels right.

Liberty Tree Tavern (4 Mickeys): IMO, this was pretty good for an all-you-care-to-eat family style meal. Everything seemed to be a notch better. Our server was pretty good. This is where Mags started to feel the effects of Strep and didn't feel up to eating, and the server kept trying to get her to eat. Whoops! The characters were good, but didn't stay long. My only real quibble is that the restaurant is very cramped and LOUD. Standout item for the family seems to be the apple cobble dessert, but everything here was a pleasant surpise.

Artist Point (4 Mickeys): This is our favorite restaurant on property, so this was a disappointment. Our server, Katy, was very professional... but that was it. We normally rave about the service here and can't this time. Our appetizers (Smoky Portabello Soup, Duck Confit) were mixed. My wife always gets the soup and loves it; I experimented with the confit which was good... but I regretted not getting the mussels or the spring rolls. Entrees seemed off; my wife liked her Salmon, but something was off. It might have been slightly overcooked, and there was something she didn't like about the accompaniments but she couldn't place it. I tried the Northwest Seafood feast (mussels, clams, sturgeon, calamari in a saffron broth); quite simply, it is not up to the standards of Artist Point. The sturgeon was undercooked and some of the shellfish was overcooked and the broth was underflavored. I'm being way too critical here; it was still good, but not nearly as good as any other entree I've ever had here. Desserts were Coffee two ways and the Cobbler. I haven't had the cobbler in years, and I don't remember it being like it was - but that might be me. My wife loves her Coffee Two ways. My wine was good, as always, but my wife was disappointed that they no longer have the French Press coffee. On the flip side, Mo claims the Penne Pasta with Cheese was the best meal of her trip and she loves the white chocolate puzzle.

Coral Reef (4 Mickeys): I decided to try this much maligned restaurant due to the great value that it is on the Dining plan. I'm not the only one, the place was PACKED. We had a tank-side table (very cool). Our server was Bob who was excellent. Shrimp Cocktail and Lobster bisque appetizers were good. My entree was the best that I had on the entire trip - Catfish (of all things); it was spicy and the pepper jack grits were just perfect with it. My wife's tuna was overcooked; Bob noticed and really wanted to take it back, but my wife said it was okay (she should have sent it back). My wine was okay. Chocolate Mousse and cheesecake were uninspired desserts.

Jiko (4 Mickeys): This was my wife's pick. First, I was very comfortable with my kids here; I know this has been discussed. Our server, Hassan, was very good. Appetizers ranged from good (my Taste of Africa - breads and dips) to excellent Pastilla and Basetela ordered by my wife and Mags. Entrees were a bit more mixed; Mags thought her shrimp curry was merely okay (I agreed), I thought my sturgeon was good, and my wife LOVED her scallops (I agreed). Desserts, on the other hand, were definitely merely average (creme brulee and chocolate-mocha cake stack). A big thumbs up, though, for the after dinner drink menu - Mags really enjoyed her tea. So, kind of a mixed bag at Jiko, but some excellent highlights. The atmosphere was very cool too; I liked it.

Whispering Canyon (3 Mickeys): On our last day, we had to switch from our traditional Crystal Palace lunch to Whispering Canyon breakfast because our pickup time was earlier than expected. I always vow that I won't get the skillet... but I always do (the rest of the menu is just not appealing). It was good. Our server was, IIRC, Texas Taffy (Ellen). Only two of the servers at breakfast really get into the theme, and Ellen wasn't one of them - which is fine at that time of the morning really.

Counter Service probably deserves a special mention with the dining plan going on. We had a great lunch at Yakkatori House in Japan. I had a fantastic hot dog at Casey's in MK (love the fixin's). For the most part, though, we had most of our counter service at Roaring Forks in the Wilderness Lodge. I give high marks to the fixin's bar and to the sandwiches. I wish that they had more variety though... especially at breakfast.

Bruce

[tinkerbelle24]

Hey Bruce~ Great TR so far. Cant wait to read some more. Do u have any pics?

[brumcg]

Thanks for the welcome back folks. I will have some pics at the end, tb24.

Bruce

[daisyd]

Hi there Bruce!
Great read so far Your dining reviews were great!

[brumcg]

The Resort

We're DVC'ers at the Villas of Wilderness Lodge. I just don't know how else to say it, but we love the Lodge. When we had dinner at Jiko, we thought about maybe trying the Animal Kingdom Lodge when the villas are ready... but quickly decided that we just couldn't do it. We'd miss the WL too much.

We had a 1-BR villa on the 2nd floor. It was pretty close to the elevators and faced the front; we could just barely see the bus stop through the trees.

Very odd for WL, we had 2 issues off the bat. We arrived about 11:00PM, and the few members of bell services who were around scattered after we pulled up and we had to take care of our own luggage. Also, when I went to leave a wake-up call, we were transferred to a human. She couldn't find us in the system and took our info. That wake-up call never happened. Luckily, I set a back-up alarm.

Aside from that, everything was great. Transportation was particularly smooth this trip, and our trips to the pools (3 total) were very relaxing and fun. On our "down day", I had a perfect day relaxing in the Villa's fantastic lobby just reading and sometimes napping. The entire setting is so comfortable.

To my utter amazement, we were shocked that 2 days had openings for the Flag Family (you get to go to the roof of the Lodge to raise the flags; the view is great). To our disappointment, Stan wasn't on duty that morning. I felt sorry for Jack. He did a great job and was great with Mo (Mags was in the room sick), but we missed Stan. By pure luck, we ran into Stan on our departure day, and my wife had a great talk with him (pics to come).

For you Stan "fans", Stan is talking retirement in a year or so. In October, he'll have 18 years in; 20 would be better, but seems too far away to him. He'll be 79 in May (amazing). He's talking about going to Yellowstone with his wife for a month at some point... probably after retirement. Stan is truly one of those cast members that puts the magic in Disney, and my wife was very happy to get to see him.

Bruce

[Dana]

Your rating of Coral Reef is disappointing to me...I was kinda hoping you liked it a bit more since I am trying it for the first time in Ocotber. At least it got better than a 3 right? I always rely on your opinions because I think you are fair and think a great deal about the meal before you give you opinion.

That's a shame Stan is retiring, but he probally is ready soon. That's a lot of years to work. It would be nice for him to have some time...maybe he'll go part time.. Can't wait for the pictures and more report.

[brumcg]

The Parks

Our park experience this time was downright wacky. We ended up in Epcot about 60%, Magic Kingdom 28%, MGM 10%, and Animal Kingdom 2%. Yep, those are pure guesses!

To add to the weirdness, the only rope drop that we made was our Character Breakfast day at MGM. You know those weird people that show up at the parks at 11:30 and then wonder why they didn't get much accomplished? That was us! Due to illnesses and choice, most of the time we just couldn't get everyone to head to the parks early. So we stayed late, right? Nope. Only once did we stay until the fireworks (Wishes at MK). To me, this was more relaxing but in the end I felt like I was missing out. We won't do this again, I think.

Some notes...

Living Seas gets our vote for most improved attraction. A few years ago, it was practically an embarrassment. The Nemo makeover has given it the TLC it needed.

Everyone but Mags did the Laugh Floor. We thought it was cute; it's a well themed attraction that makes sense. The jokes, of course, are always going to be hit or miss.

The touch-ups to PotC were better than I thought they would be. The focus of the ride has not changed to my relief.

My biggest surprise attraction was the Backlot Tour at MGM. The host on the tram ride was absolutely hilarious; it felt like I was on the Jungle Cruise.

Mo now LOVES Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Oh, I will turn her to the "thrill" side, I will! Actually, I need to turn her to the thrill side quickly; I'm getting old!

Friday at Epcot and Saturday at MK were insanely crowded as people started coming in early for the traditional Easter spring break weeks.

Soarin' was a mess with one side shut down. We waited an easy 30 minutes with our fast pass. Still a great ride though!

As a family, we did the "Green Team" of Mission: Space. It wasn't as lame as I thought, but Mo (50") couldn't see a thing in the display.

Kilamanjaro Safaris was all messed up too. We had to stop so often that the guide abandoned the script. I never found out what was going on. We saw very few animals to boot.

Living with the Land suffers without a human host, but not as much as I thought it would.

We met a great Cast Member named Bill, a photographer in Epcot (for Aurora in France). The man LOVES his job and is a wealth of information. We talked to him while Aurora "took a break."

Sandy and Mags had makeovers in France and were very happy.

Mags is a fan of all things Asian and is a huge Anime/Manga nut. She's in heaven in Japan at Epcot.

Personally, I'm a fan of AK, so I'm really sorry that I missed being there so much. Sandy and Mags actually didn't get there at all.

Wishes is better than I remembered. Weirdly, we stood in the middle of Main Street with gobs of other people... but we had a great view, the music was loud, and we had a quick getaway after.

Bruce

[brumcg]

Thanks Dana.

For Coral Reef, 4 out of 5 isn't bad! I'm almost expecting some grief over that!

If I had paid out of pocket, I think they are overpriced... even by Disney standards. But on the Dining Plan it is a good to great value. I can't really say enough about my entree... which I thought was superior to Jiko, Chefs de France, and Artist Point (I'll admit that catfish is an easier fish, but it was really, really good). Our server was probably our second favorite, and I really feel was willing to make everything that wasn't right...right.

I think it's worth a try. It's a cool atmosphere, so it has that going for it from the start.

Bruce