Weekly Tip #8

Why it is Important to Treat Yourself on Your Vacation

We all know how expensive a Disney trip can be. There are ways to save money, but even with the savings Disney is not a trip everyone can take once a year and for some people it is a once in a lifetime trip. So it is understandable why you would want to keep costs down where you can and that includes dining. If you have a room with a kitchenette or a full size kitchen it makes it a little easier to prepare food in your room. You can also bring food into the parks, so that way dining out is kept to a minimum, or just go to the quick service restaurants. It's great to save money while you are in Disney, if you can have fun and still not spend a lot of money while you are in Disney it almost feels like you got one over on Disney. 

Now with all of that said, I would definitely recommend planning for at least one signature dining experience in Disney, if you can. Cooking for yourself and using quick service dining is great and it certainly does help you to save money, but putting aside a savings for an evening at a signature dining restaurant is worth the experience. It definitely was worth it for us. I have heard that some of the signature dining restaurants have had a reduction in the quality of food due to the dining plan, but that was not our experience at California Grill. 

The Contemporary Resort 

(Where California Grill is located)

Everyone in the party absolutely loved California Grill and that includes the kids! They do have a kids menu with offerings that the kids will enjoy and all the kids in our party loved the pizza the each ordered off the kids menu. As for the adults in the party, we all thought the food was delicious! Whether it was steak, seafood, or pasta, everyone was very pleased with their meals. We were so pleased, we have decided to add California Grill to our reservation list for the next trip. My husband and two of our friends each had a scotch that they enjoyed, this was their dessert and they were not disappointed. I can say that the martinis are very good as well! For dessert I, as well as our friend Jay, ordered the Sundae Sampler and it was delicious. It's going to be hard for me to try another dessert the next time we go. 

The Sundae Sampler from California Grill

Not only was the food delicious, but the service at California Grill was fantastic and the restaurant itself was beautiful. The view the Magic Kingdom made the dining experience even more magical, for both the kids and adults! The best part was watching the fireworks from their observation deck. That was an amazing night for all of us. For more information on California Grill you can see my review here.

The view of Magic Kingdom from our table.

Fireworks from the Observation Deck

While we really enjoyed our signature dining experience, I know there are other people who have been disappointed in some of the other signature dining restaurants. One that I have been wanting to try, but have not because of such negative reviews is Le Cellier Steakhouse located in the Canada pavilion in Epcot. My husband works with someone who says this is a must-do restaurant, but I have read so many negative reviews and that is what is holding me back. However, you don't know what the person who is giving the review is like, so you have to take everything with a grain of salt. The main thing I hear about Le Cellier is that the quality has gone down hill since the dining plan was put into place. I am thinking that since this would be our first experience here then we wouldn't know what we are missing. Le Cellier has been put on the "maybe" list for a date night for me and my husband. It is good to do some research on the restaurants that you are thinking of trying, but just remember that everyone's opinion is different and your experience might not be the same as the person who gave the review. 

Another reason to experience a signature dining restaurant is that it is a good reason to have a date night, if you brought the kids with you. We didn't do date nights during the last trip, but when we started planning the next trip with our friends that was one of the first things we all discussed and agreed it would be a good idea. So, we are going to have alternating date nights. Plus, that helps to save on paying babysitters. 

There are definitely reasons to put a little extra aside, if you can, and try a signature dining experience. Make sure to read some reviews before you make your selection, but also remember that your dining experience and opinions will probably be different than a lot of the reviewers. It's hard to make a reservation somewhere that doesn't get stellar reviews, especially if you are spending a lot of money on dinner. I would have a few to choose from before you do your research, so that way you have backups if your first choice does not get good reviews. TripAdvisor is always a good place to start and you can see pictures from other people's visits to go along with the reviews. If you are interested in dining at California Grill you can see other reviews and pictures on TripAdvisor. 

We found the extra cost to be worth the dining experience. If you are looking for a reason to have an adults only night, the signature dining experiences are a good reason to have a date night. Go ahead and enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰
mainstreetwishes.com

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Cooking the Disney Way: Lemon Grass Risotto from California Grill

During our last trip I was specifically looking for a Disney cookbook to bring home with me. They actually have a few to choose from, so I looked them over and ended up with "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs." Here is what the cover of the book looks like, in case you want to buy it.

I picked up mine in the Animal Kingdom

Lodge gift shop, but they are available 

all over Disney property.

This cookbook has recipes from Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and Disney Cruise Line. I love it, because if you found something you liked at a restaurant, and it's in the book, then you can make it whenever you want! Also, if you have an idea of what restaurants you want to dine in on your next vacation and that restaurant has a recipe/recipes in the book, you can sample the food before you go. That way when you get there you will have already tasted a menu item or two and know whether you want to order those items.

So far I've made the Cheddar Breakfast Potatoes from The Crystal Palace Restaurant and the Coconut Curried Chicken Stew from Boma. Unfortunately, I had not started the blog yet so I didn't take pictures of the finished products, but both recipes got rave reviews from the family.

The recipe I tried last night was the Lemon Grass Risotto from California Grill. For legal reasons, I cannot actually post the recipe for you, it being copyrighted material and all. However, I can give you reviews of the recipes and show you pictures of the finished products. At least with a review and some pictures, you will have some added information if you are looking to buy a Disney cookbook.

Now, for the review. My husband picked out this recipe, because we had already decided on fish for dinner and he thought the risotto would compliment the fish. I have never made risotto before, so I was a little nervous about how it would come out. I will say, you definitely have to keep an eye on it while it is cooking and it involves a lot of stirring, so that it does not burn. Also, there is some chopping involved with this recipe, so make sure you have everything chopped up before you start cooking. It is much easier if it is all chopped ahead of time and things are less likely to burn.

How did it come out? It tasted delicious! I am so pleased with how it came out. My husband loved it and, here's the kicker, my kids loved it too! My (extremely) picky 3 year old ate a good amount of it and my 1 year old had a bunch too. That is what told me this is a good recipe. If it can get my 3 year old to eat (and enjoy) something other than pizza, chicken nuggets, etc. I am all for it! I will definitely be making this again. Plus, I know we are going to make reservations at California Grill for the next trip, so I am excited to try the Lemon Grass Risotto as prepared by the chefs!

View from above.

There was a nice lemony flavor that complimented 

the risotto. It was really good!

This is a good way to sample some of the restaurant food from Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruise Line before you take a trip to any of the Disney locations. They even have a recipe or two from Victoria and Albert's!

If you are looking for a fun cookbook or you have a favorite food from a Disney restaurant check out this cookbook. The reason I bought this book is because it has a recipe for Tonga Toast from Kona Cafe and this was one of my favorite dishes from our trip. I still have to make the Tonga Toast, but when I do I will let you know how it comes out. For now, high marks all around for the Lemon Grass Risotto from California Grill in the "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs" cookbook!

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰
mainstreetwishes.com

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Weekly Tip #5

Dining at Disney: How to Keep the Cost Down

Eating in restaurants can be expensive at Disney, but there are ways to keep the cost down and still be able to enjoy a meal out. Whether you have a dining budget for your Disney trip or not, most people like to save money where they can. It feels good to know you saved some money, especially since Disney vacations are far from cheap!

My tip for this week is simple, instead of having lots of dinners in restaurants, try to limit to breakfasts and lunches, especially if you are eating at the buffets. The reason is the price goes up with every meal, unless we are talking about some of the special dining experiences like Cinderella's Royal Table (that's going to be a jaw-dropping price no matter what time of day you go).

If a restaurant serves both lunch and dinner, chances are the lunch is just a scaled down version of dinner. They usually offer most of the same items in a smaller portion size and for a reduced price. We did this for most of our trip. We had either a big breakfast or a big lunch and only dined out for dinner a couple of times. When we did have dinner out it was more of a splurge and well worth the price. For instance, the day we had reservations for California Grill we had quick service food for the rest of the day and then we splurged at dinner. Totally worth it!

Contemporary Resort

View from Our Table

Sundae Sampler at California Grill

Fireworks View from California Grill

As an example you can see the Biergarten's lunch and dinner menus on Disney's website. There really is not much of a difference in the food offered, just the price of the buffet changes. If you want to see the jaw-dropping prices I was talking about for Cinderella's Royal Table, just click here. Granted, you get a lot of extras with this meal (and I hope to get reservations here for the next trip), but it is very expensive. I don't think the table service restaurants, like 50's Prime Time Cafe, change the menu prices for lunch and dinner quite as much as the buffet restaurants.

Biergarten Restaurant Dining Room

Cinderella's Royal Table

(Picture from Disney's Website)

50's Prime Time Cafe

(Picture from Disney's Website)

Another tip, you can plan your lunch closer to dinner time. If you eat at a time that is between lunch and dinner you will still get the lunch price, the restaurant will be less crowded, and you won't need a big meal for dinner. Some people like to plan their breakfast buffet late, because I guess sometimes the restaurant will start putting out some lunch items and then it is almost like a brunch. I have never experienced this, we always plan our breakfasts earlier in the morning, but I have heard from several people that they have experienced this.

So, there you go! If you like dining at the buffets (and they are really good!), I would recommend having breakfast or lunch there to keep the cost down. With the money you save on the meals you can buy fun souvenirs or put it towards your next Disney trip ;-)

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

mainstreetwishes.com

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California Grill Review

Yesterday, on the Main Street Wishes Facebook group, I put out the question as to what everyone's favorite restaurant at Disney is. I always love the responses, because there is usually a place we haven't tried on the list and it's always fun to try new restaurants!

One restaurant we really enjoyed on the last trip was California Grill. It is located at The Contemporary resort on the 15th floor and the views are absolutely amazing! You get to look out over the Magic Kingdom as you are dining on some very delicious food. Our group (we traveled with friends) had four kids in the group and all four of them loved being able to see the castle as we ate.

Some Christmas decorations were still up! Nobody

does Christmas like Disney!

                                   

The view from California Grill.

 It was so nice to be able to see the Magic Kingdom

 and other parts of Disney as we dined. 

You can see the Grand Floridian in the distance.

When you arrive at the Contemporary, make your way inside and you will find the desk for California Grill. There, they will take your name and check on your reservation. If it is time for your reservation, one of the cast members will escort you to the California Grill elevator. This part was pretty cool. The elevator goes directly to the 15th floor. I love that the restaurant has their own elevator :-)

Once you have been escorted to the restaurant, you can wait in the lounge and look over the menu, get drinks, and check out the view. This was the first time at California Grill for everyone in our group and I think everyone was pretty impressed with the view from the restaurant. It is lined with huge windows so you can see out from any point, no matter where you are sitting. We were lucky enough to have a table right by a window, so the kids were entertained the entire time with the view. We were going to the Magic Kingdom the next day, so they were pointing out different things they wanted to see. As it got dark, the view only got better!

Trying out the panoramic view on the phone.

Our friend Steph took this beautiful picture.

You can't go wrong with a view like this.

Thanks to our friend Jay who took this great picture

of the Magic Kingdom all lit up.

Now for the food. All I can say is...delicious! I had the sweet potato gnocchi and, wow, was it delicious. Unfortunately, I wasn't writing these blog posts yet, so I didn't take any pictures of anyone's meal, but trust me when I say that everyone enjoyed their food immensely! We each ordered different meals (except Steph and I, we both got the pasta), but whether it was pasta, steak, seafood, or something off the sushi menu, everyone was very pleased with what they ordered. I can also say that the martinis were very good ;-) 

Another bonus? The kids loved their meals! They do have a separate kids menu, so you can definitely bring the kids here. They all ordered the pizza and it was a success all around! The pizzas came with a choice of water, milk or apple juice and a choice of fruit, ice cream, or yogurt parfait for dessert. We had some pretty happy kids after that meal!

I always like to check out the dessert menu (sweet tooth!) to see if anything sparks my interest. Since I have a sweet tooth, I can usually find something. My husband isn't into desserts as much as I am, so he just ordered a scotch for dessert and I think he was very happy with his choice. For me, I ordered the Sundae Sampler (our friend Jay did too). I had been doing research on the different restaurants we were going to dine in while on vacation and I kept seeing pictures of this Sundae Sampler at California Grill. After looking at the dessert menu, I was happy to see it was still on there. Talk about yummy! It was delicious and just enough food for dessert! I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a good dessert to follow up a delicious meal. Plus, the mini Coke bottle was super cute. I wanted to sneak it in my purse, but I figured they might notice ;-)

My Sundae Sampler

A different view of Jay's Sundae Sampler

Once you have finished your meal and paid the check, make sure to hold on to your receipt. If it is not time for the Wishes fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom yet, you can come back later and show your receipt. This allows you to go back up to the restaurant and watch the fireworks from their observation deck. What a great view! Not only can you see the fireworks, but they pipe in the narration as well! You get the full effect of the show, without having to deal with the crowds. We had an hour or so before the fireworks started, so we just did the monorail loop. The kids loved it because it was like another ride to them! Once it was time, we showed our receipt, took the elevator back up, and comfortably watched the fireworks. It was amazing and the kids had the best time. This is an especially good option if your kids don't like loud noises. The fireworks are far enough away where they shouldn't get scared, but you still get to see the whole show.

View of the Christmas decorations from 

inside the Contemporary as we wait

for the monorail.

My husband and daughter watching 

the fireworks from the observation deck.

Part of the Wishes fireworks show from

the observation deck at California Grill.

Everyone had such a good experience at California Grill! So much so, I believe it is definitely on the list of reservations to be made for next year. It is a splurge for us, but it's worth it. Between the good food, the amazing view, the fireworks viewing, all the smiles from the kids...it's definitely worth it for the memories. 

Feel free to share your experience in the comments if you have dined at California Grill. It's great to hear different experiences!

Thanks for reading!

Liz ⁰O⁰

Fireworks from the observation deck. 

The castle is to the left and 

Space Mountain is to the right.

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