Most Recent Reviews
Review of Mama Melrose's Lunch/Dinner
Reviewed by BeautyBeast2 Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We have been to Mama Melrose's several times over the past few years and for us the food has been consistently excellent.
On this trip we had lunch on 12/1 as part of the Fantasmic! dining package. We were seated immediately at a large table towards the back of the restaurant.
Out of our group of 7 we shared the following appetizers: mussels, calamari, tuna, and mozzarella and tomatoes. They were all good, but the standout was definitely the mussels. They were perfectly cooked and the tomato butter was delicious!
For entrees we ordered steak, penne alla vodka with shrimp, seafood arrabbiata, and chicken campanelle. The steak was cooked correctly and tender. The pasta entrees were very good as well. The only complaint is that they kept the shrimp tails on in the penne alla vodka. It's difficult to cut tails off in a bowl full of pasta...
The dessert trio was good, but nothing too spectacular. Our server was pretty attentive but not overly friendly.
Overall Mama Melrose's is a good place to eat for a good meal.
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—Review of Cinderella's Royal Table Breakfast
Reviewed by BeautyBeast2 Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
We had an 8:20 reservation on 12/2. This was my daughter's first time going to Magic Kingdom, and being able to enter prior to the park opening was magical. After checking in we only waited 5 minutes or so before taking our picture with Cinderella. We then went upstairs and were seated quickly.
The food was good, but nothing spectacular. My husband got the traditional breakfast (sausage, bacon, eggs, potatoes) and it was identical to the breakfast we got the morning before in the food court at our resort. For the price we paid I would hope a golden goose at least laid our eggs.
That being said, nothing compares to taking your daughter in Cinderella's castle to meet all of the princesses. It's a must-do at least once!
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Early park entry, service, princessesCons:
priceReviewed by BeautyBeast2 Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
After hearing about how wonderful this place was, we gave it a try. We had early reservations, at 4:30. We were seated quickly, and our waitress was excellent! She gave great recommendations, even bringing a few of her must-have dishes to us at the table.
The food was really good, especially the soups, meats, and hummus. Other than the zebra domes, nothing really stood out on the dessert line.
Overall our meal was great! Our family really enjoyed being able to sample a different style of food, and enjoyed almost everything we ate.
One thing I noticed as we were leaving around 6:00 was that we couldn't hardly exit the restaurant because the waiting area was so crowded! Strollers and scooters had all but blocked off the restrooms. It seemed to be more of a result of a smaller waiting area as opposed to the restaurant being backed up, but that's something to consider, especially if you will need to park a stroller or scooter on your visit.
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Food, ServiceCons:
Small waiting areaReview of Chef Mickey's Dinner
Reviewed by BeautyBeast2 Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Had dinner here on 12/3. Little to no wait time between check-in, photo with Pluto, and being seated.
Our server quickly came out to take our drink orders and told us to help ourselves to the buffet...then disappeared. We had to flag her down to get our drinks and then she only came back once to clear plates. Thankfully we had a large table.
The food was surprisingly good! I was expecting Golden Corral-style buffet, but it was definitely a few notches above that. The desserts were especially great!!
Almost all of the characters came around to see us twice; it was especially nice the second time as we just got to interact with them as opposed to worrying about photos/autographs. My daughter loved the singing and waving her napkin around. Definitely a must-do!
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Characters, foodCons:
ServiceReview of Columbia Harbour House
Reviewed by BeautyBeast2 Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Ate here for lunch on 12/3. Husband got the lobster roll and I got the fish and chips which were both excellent. It was really nice to get a CS meal beyond a burger. We were eating during the lunch rush, and finding seating was a little difficult. Would definitely recommend eating here!
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SeatingReview of Flame Tree Barbecue
Reviewed by BeautyBeast2 Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
One of our favorite CS spots! The portion sizes are always large, so we split a chicken and ribs combo. The slaw was replaced with cornbread, which is just ok.
The seating for this restaurant always offers the prettiest views of the park, and the different sections keep it from feeling too crowded. Sitting down there has always been a nice break from the mass of people in the park, especially when we get down there before the lunch rush. I realize this is a theme park that is centered around animals, but geez the birds in the seating area are annoying. Our 2 year old isn't the most coordinated when she eats though, so that may be why they were so friendly with us...
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Food, viewsCons:
BirdsReview of BOATHOUSE
Reviewed by jwdpepper Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
This is supposedly a Signature Dining restaurant. It does not meet the standards of the other Signature Dining restaurants. My husband and I are Disney passholders and frequent Disney diners. We were very excited to try this new restaurant and were disappointed with the food. I had the mahi tacos and he had the shrimp and grits. My young daughters had mac & cheese. The mahi tacos were just ok, and my husband said the shrimp were dry, although the bite of grits that I had tasted good. The best thing I tasted was the kids' mac & cheese. We ordered the "fruit cup" for my 4-year-old, which we expected would be fruit salad, but we received an orange in a bowl. A whole, unpeeled orange. In a bowl. Really, Disney? A "Signature Dining" restaurant and you can't peel and cut an orange? We were extremely disappointed and will not be returning to this restaurant. Disney needs to either step up their food quality at this location or reclassify it from Signature Dining to regular Table Service. The atmosphere at the restaurant is very nice, but it's not worth the prices to eat here.
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Overpriced for average foodReview of Artist Point
Reviewed by jwdpepper Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
My husband and I ate here for my birthday. We are Disney passholders and have eaten at many Disney restaurants, including most of the Signature Dining restaurants. After eating here, Artist Point has entered my top 5 favorites (other stand out meals I have had were at Be Our Guest, Cinderella's Royal Table, Narcoossee's, and the former Bistro de Paris). I had the cedar plank salmon, and the olive tapenade absolutely made the dish. It was delicious!! My husband had the buffalo strip loin, which he enjoyed as well. We started out with the artisanal cheeses, which we have enjoyed at several Disney restaurants and they were wonderful, as usual. We have celebrated my birthday every year at Disney for the past decade or so, and either Disney has pulled back on their celebrations or Artist Point is just understated. They gave me a standard birthday cupcake. Nothing special. Overall, though, fabulous meal, highly recommend!
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Delicious!Cons:
NoneReview of Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party
Reviewed by jwdpepper Review Date: 12/07/2015
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
This is a high priced event for what it is. I knew that going in and was willing to pay the price for reserved seating and desserts for the fireworks and castle projection show. I was greatly disappointed though, because we couldn't actually see anything from our seats. They sat us in the second to the last row and all the way in the northeast corner. If you are not familiar with the layout, there is a ceiling overhang, so you can't actually see any fireworks from your table unless you are in the front. Compounding this was a pole directly in front of us, so we couldn't even see the castle projection show. We told a CM we couldn't see anything at all, so they came over and moved our table a few inches over so that the pole was not directly in front of us. This helped in that we could actually see the castle projection show; however, it was not a vast improvement in that we were looking around a pole. They told us we could walk up to the railing to see fireworks. Of course, if everyone from the back walks up to the railing, they are obscuring the view of the people sitting in front who could theoretically actually see from their seats...and we could stand nearly anywhere in the Magic Kingdom and get a better view of the fireworks than could be had here, peering around the bushes and ceiling overhang...therefore there is absolutely no benefit to paying the high price they charge for this.
That being said, the desserts were good and very pretty. We are frequent Disney diners and my general experience with desserts at Disney is that they excel at making them look great, but they don't taste as good as they look. I'm not saying they taste bad, they were still good and we ate them, just that the elaborate appearance creates the impression that you will be treated to something delectable and the taste is just good.
I will definitely not ever do this again and will not recommend to anybody I know.
Pros:
Desserts are very fancy in appearanceCons:
Everything elseReviewed by Fitzboyzmom Review Date: 12/08/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
The view from the party was awesome and it was so nice to at least see a lot of the lights and the light show without being in the huge crowd. The desserts were really not that great. There was a small chocolate cake that was good and the rice krispie treat item, but other than that, the food left a lot to be desired.
They let you in beginning at a little after 6:30. For those that did not arrive earlier, you of course would not know that. We happened to get there around 6:20, so waited in the very long line of people waiting to get in. It was really not set up for the crowd in my opinion. There were 2 sections of food, and plenty of it and it was replenished often...but, the tables were too small for the number of people trying to get to them and it made it difficult to maneuver.
We attended a similar party at MK for Halloween and it was much better. The food was better, the set up was better (assigned seats, so you don't have to deal with the runners, food and drink hoarders and the massive run for the souvenir...what was that all about?).
Overall, I would still do it for the last year of the lights for the view. If the lights and the event continued, I would never spend the money again. Also, the whole experience is a little lost on the kids. They will most likely not want to sit at a table for a couple of hours watching the lights.
