Ok, so here it is like three weeks later and I am finally going to update this blog! Life just got crazy for awhile there and there were many days I didn’t even turn on my home computer because I was so busy on the computer at work.
So, without further ado, here are the resort reviews. We have eaten at many more resorts and find that they are much more enjoyable than our in-park experiences.
I will start with my first resort experience, 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian. It was for a dinner buffet with Cinderella and her entourage. Amy made the reservation for the first time my mom and Blaine were visiting us in Orlando (they came three times that year!). My review is that it wasn’t bad! The food was fresh and there was variety and the drinks were very good! I think the only thing I didn’t enjoy were the characters. I felt very strange hanging out with face characters. I enjoy fur characters, but there was something strange with the princesses. My mom and Blaine enjoyed it though!
During my mom and Blaine’s second trip to visit, we went out for a nice dinner at Narcoossee’s, which is also located in the Grand Floridian. By luck we got a seat in front of the window that has a perfect view of Cinderella’s Castle. I knew you could see the castle from the restaurant, so I made the reservations around the time Wishes (fireworks) would be going off. They pump the music into the restaurant so you get the total feel. It was amazing. The food was good and the atmosphere can’t be beat! It is small and you get a lot of attention, unlike other Disney dining places we have been to that were packed! We liked it so much I think we are going to do it again during our July trip!
In sticking with the Grand Floridian theme, the next place is the Grand Floridian Café. AMAZING. Amy and I went there on a lunch date during one of my solo trips last year. It was really good and I would definitely go back! The crab cake with mango chutney is the best thing I have ever tasted! Now’s the part you can get excited because even if you aren’t planning to visit the Café on your trip, we are serving those crab cakes as an appetizer! You can’t miss out on my most favorite thing Disney serves!
During our Christmas trip we made reservations in the only other GF restaurant we haven’t tried (besides Victoria and Albert’s which we could never afford!) which is Citricos. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. The food was ok, but I was not impressed with the atmosphere. We tried to make it our really nice meal and it didn’t end up feeling that way. Our service was great but we were seated against the railing to the kitchen area and were able to see all of the cooking going on. When I eat at a nice restaurant, I don’t want to watch the chefs grill my steak; I just want it to appear looking nice on a plate. This is not a restaurant we will be trying again for awhile at least! Sorry to disappoint you!
Continuing on the “very ok” road was Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. This restaurant has been talked up by every person I’ve talked to who has ever gone there. I will put a disclaimer in front of it and say that I did not eat nearly as much as I would have liked because I was afraid my stomach would hurt and we were far from our resort with no car, only Disney transportation. Kevin liked it but said he didn’t feel a need to return for a second meal. The food is ok, but it didn’t seem as “unusual/African” as I expected. Maybe when we stay there for our wedding we can try it again, since our room will be nice and close!
Jumping from bad to good is our favorite restaurant, Kona Café! Located in the Polynesian, we love this place! The first time we ate there was on our trip to Key West. We stopped and met Amy for breakfast before heading down to visit the other Amy and Eddie (it was cheaper to fly into Orlando and who could pass up any chance to get on Disney property!) The food was great for breakfast and we had Tonga Toast, which is a big thing of French toast with cinnamon-sugar on the outside and bananas baked inside and a link of sausage on the side. For our Christmas trip we met Amy and Jeff there for Christmas Eve dinner before the fireworks. I had prime rib and Kevin had seafood and we both agree it was the best meal we had all week! Definitely a place we will go to again!
Wrapping up our resort eating tour is Cape May Café. This is a cute little breakfast buffet at the Beach Club that makes you feel like you’re at Cape May. Growing up with many, many trips to OCNJ, we always stopped for a day at Cape May, so it felt very comfortable to me. Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy are there in their beach gear to greet you and visit you throughout your meal. The food was great and we liked it. We probably would have had a more enjoyable time if we hadn’t celebrated our engagement at Jellyroll’s the night before with Amy and Jeff. This was one reservation I begged Kevin not to go to, but he just can’t pass up a breakfast buffet. It’s his favorite meal!
*Note – the picture of me and Kevin with Donald Duck on our Save the Date is taken at Cape May Café!
So there you have it, our dining reviews. I will update more after our July trip, but as you can see, unless you are going for atmosphere or eating at Epcot, we are just not too impressed with park food and will continue on our resort-hopping food frenzy!
