Epcot dining questions

[coaster_addict]

So I'm pretty much a Disney n00b seeing as the last time I was there was in the mid-90s. The family is going to be hitting up Epcot during Xmas and was curious about dining options there. Our ages range from late 20s to mid-80s (there's 5 of us). Grandpa will pretty much eat anything and the rest of us have a soft spot for mid-Eastern and Asian food, but we all love trying new things. We all also enjoy trying new beers and other libations.

What are the best restaurants in Epcot? Do we need reservations? If so, how does one make these reservations? What is the $$ range for dining in Epcot? Is there any place that absolutely cannot be missed? While we all love trying new beers, etc. none of us are big drinkers and are all pretty much lightweights...do any of the places in Epcot have tasters sizes of the different drinks or are they all huge?

Sorry for the slew of questions, but as mentioned I'm pretty ignorant with anything regarding the Dis and am trying to organize this part of the holiday for us ^_^ Cheers in advance for all your help!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

As far as price range is concerned, don't even worry about it. Just GET THE DISNEY DINING PLAN!!! Almost every single person on the DIS will agree. It is a one-flat fee price that is around $46 a per person per day, which gets you one sit-down meal, one quick-service meal, and one snack each day. And since you have asian tastes, try Nine Dragons in China at EPCOT. YUM. Some others are Tutto Italia and the new Via Napoli in Italy, La Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico, and Teppan Edo in Japan at EPCOT. These are personal favorites that have gotten great reviews. There are others to look into as well. And as far as making reservations is concerned, YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST MAKE THEM. Up to 6 months in advance. I know that may sound crazy, but trust me, you need to do it. We call them ADRs around here (Advanced Dining Reservations) and they are so helpful because they guarantee you a seat and you will not have to worry. It's all about convenience to you Just some tips.

 

[TDC Nala]

Just GET THE DISNEY DINING PLAN!!! Almost every single person on the DIS will agree.

The key here is "almost."

Not everyone likes the dining plan or considers it the best deal. I personally have used it in the past, but I won't use it anymore. I find it too restrictive (not in the sense that there are limited menus, but in the sense that the entitlements themselves are very strict - with the basic DDP you're covered for entree and dessert at table service. No appetizers unless you pay extra for them, and you can skip the dessert but you've already paid for it, so if you don't want it you may find yourself eating it anyway.)

Anyone considering it should look at the menus, run the numbers, and take into consideration the makeup and dining preferences of their own party. There is also a Dining Plan sub-board here on the Restaurant Board with an FAQ thread that will have basic information on how the dining plan works, the allotments for the three separate dining plans, how much they cost, and the type of room reservation you must make to get one.

If you have not made sit-down restaurant reservations at Epcot for the Christmas period you should try to do so immediately, either by calling 407-WDW-DINE or online via www.disneyworld.com/restaurants. At this point it may be a question of taking whatever is available.

 

[Nadjalu]

My best advice to you is go online and look up all the Epcot restaurants. The menus are online (as well as the prices...of course they may be a bit more now). Then pick the menu that everyone will be interested in. Epcot's places are all very good.

I would recommend reservations yes. Even in a slow time of year it is important if you want to eat there. So many promotions are being aimed at dining that it wouldn't be fun to get there and be told "sorry we are full" (this happens ALL the time).

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[bunkkinsmom]

Yes, check out all of the menus. I hear the food in Morocco is amazing and I will probably be trying it myself this year.

If you are a fan of asian food, try Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. The sushi is supposed to be very very good.

You will see a lot of RAVE reviews about Teppan Edo in Japan as well. I am a HUGE fan of Asian food and am not fond of Teppan Edo. I mean, it's hibachi. If you have a Japanese steak house in your town and visit it regularly it is probably the same quality wise as Teppan Edo. The show is no better, the quality is no better, and you get WAY less food at Teppan Edo than at any Japanese place here it town. However, if you do not have a Hibachi grill in your town, then this could be a real treat!

Have a fantastic time, and get online and make those ADR's PRONTO!

PS - I too am a Disney Dining Plan fan. I tried to always get more for my money the first couple of years, but now I am just glad to pay for most of my meals upfront. Helps with the budgeting.

 

[Cinderella94]

Do you mean Christmas of 2010? If so, try making reservations online for whatever you can get.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

The key here is "almost."

Yeah, I'm not sure I would even agree with "almost."

 

[eva]

Whether you go with the dining plan or not, you need to get ADR's as soon as possible. They allow you to start making dinner reservations at 180 days out. So if you are going this year and not next, you are way behind most everyone else. You are already going to find that some restaurants are already completely booked months out. So check out the menus ASAP and get a call into Disney Dining to see what is still open. During the holidays you will find that there will be very few table service restaurants that will be taking walk-ins. You might be able to at lunch or at very off times, like 9:30 for dinner. But even that will be slim.

 

[vicki_c]

The OP is only going to Disney for 1 day - Epcot only if that's been finalized - and I did not have the impression from another post that they would be staying on-site. So no DDP if that's the case.

I really wouldn't bother with it myself for one day - too much hassle.

Coaster_addict - you should figure out where you want to eat and call / go online for reservations immediately. It's the busiest week of the year and dining reservations have been open for 5 months already. You may or may not be into "whatever you can get" at this point. Online reservations is a good way to see what is available for your day.

 

[Brandi1leigh]

I think it's important to note that the OP needs to decide what they want out of their vacation. Do they want sitdown eating experiences? (I usually do but I know others don't). The nice thing about Epcot is that it has a lot of counter service options in the World Showcase that don't require reservations. For example, the Tangerine Cafe in Morocco has delicious food. I definitely suggest you do a little research about what's available (both table service and counter service).

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I think it's important to note that the OP needs to decide what they want out of their vacation. Do they want sitdown eating experiences? (I usually do but I know others don't). The nice thing about Epcot is that it has a lot of counter service options in the World Showcase that don't require reservations. For example, the Tangerine Cafe in Morocco has delicious food. I definitely suggest you do a little research about what's available (both table service and counter service).

Agreed. One day in Epcot at Christmas, I may just stick with counter service instead of "getting anything thats still available".

 

[coaster_addict]

Thanks for all the advise everybody!! I thought I would add a few more details.

I live here in Orlando and my family is coming to spend the holidays here since the weather is much nicer than where they're from so this is not a typical "planned" Disney trip. I just thought Epcot would be something age appropriate for our group and we could do something Disney while eating and drinking our way around the world lol.

From everything I have heard here, yes we are way behind with the reservations thing as we will in fact be there Xmas 2010. I will be getting on that asap, but my family will be down here for about 2 weeks and we can pretty much do Epcot any day so I'm hoping we'll be able to get in to one of our top picks and we'll probably choose sit down for lunch.

As I am local we obviously aren't staying on-site so no dining plan for us. Regardless that wouldn't really be the best fit for us since we much prefer to do "family style" dining and order a couple of apps and 1 main and a dessert and share.

I've looked at some of the menus and the prices seem what one would expect, are the cafe/cafeteria style places standard theme park prices? I go to US/IOA a lot so if anybody knows if the food prices are about the same I can get an idea. Cheers again for all the help...you guys have all the Dis info

 

[Nadjalu]

Ok I am not the expert on all of Epcot's restaurants, but I don't think but 1 or 2 of them have "family style" dining. (I Germany may be one but ???)

Other than that, in order for everyone to eat they would need to order their own meal. You can split appys between everyone, but it wouldn't be the other way around. (hopefully that makes sense)
The dishes aren't huge (in my experience) at Epcot's places.

Hopefully you can look at the reservations and see, but even you having 2 weeks to work with you may come up short.

Good luck.

 

[vicki_c]

As for comparison to US/IOA - we just ate at Mythos a few weeks ago and it was around $80 for 2 adults, 2 kids (my son had a regular burger from the menu though). That seemed about on par with Disney sit downs to me. When we eat CS at Disney for the 4 of us, I find it runs about $40-45 on average.

 

[coaster_addict]

Ok I am not the expert on all of Epcot's restaurants, but I don't think but 1 or 2 of them have "family style" dining. (I Germany may be one but ???)

Other than that, in order for everyone to eat they would need to order their own meal. You can split appys between everyone, but it wouldn't be the other way around. (hopefully that makes sense)
The dishes aren't huge (in my experience) at Epcot's places.

Hopefully you can look at the reservations and see, but even you having 2 weeks to work with you may come up short.

Good luck.

So if you go to a sit down restaurant, everybody must order an entree?!? Or is that only for the dining plan...I've never been to a restaurant before where they wouldn't let people share. If that's the case we will definitely be doing counter service only since we like to do mostly apps and then just get one or two main dishes to taste.

I've looked online and pretty much everywhere in Epcot has a lunch available sometime while they are in town. I was hoping there was an overwhelmingly awesome place that is a must go ^_^

 

[TDC Nala]

So if you go to a sit down restaurant, everybody must order an entree?!?

No. Not even if you are on the dining plan.

 

[JVWOODS1]

No one has mentioned Le Cellier. If you can get reservations, it is WONDERFUL!

 

[TDC Nala]

No one has mentioned Le Cellier. If you can get reservations, it is WONDERFUL!

Likely it hasn't been mentioned because the odds of getting a reservation there at Christmas 2010 are probably roughly the same as the odds of being eaten by an alligator.

 

[Cinderella94]

We love Teppan Edo!

 

[cindykelley]

If everyone in your party is an adult and likes beer, I would suggest Germany. Great food, great show, buffet so everyone can get what they want. We always go and love it.