Want to try everything - how are these places for our first time?

[Kelly loves Food]

Its our first visit to Disney, and I'm so excited about the food! I've spent months looking at menus, reading reviews and making reservations, but not sure if I've made the right choices (so indecisive). I feel like I've probably booked too many meals and am okay with cancelling. I'm also trying to take into consideration transportation, park hopping and such. Its just me, DH and DD9.

Day 1: Breakfast - 1900 Park Faire
Dinner - Coral Reef

Day 2: Breakfast - Tusker House
Lunch - Yak & Yeti (might cancel and just do CS, but I really want to do the TS)
Dinner - Either Sanaa or Kona Cafe

Day 3 Breakfast - Ohana
Lunch - Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's (or neither)
Dinner - HDDR

Day 4 Breakfast - Kona Cafe
Lunch - Tokyo Dining
Dinner - TRex (or not)

Day 5 Breakfast - unknown
Lunch - BOG
Dinner - Garden Grill

What do you think?

 

[cath1979]

I think that Ohana for breakfast and lunch at another buffet will probably be too much food after Ohana we were full until 5 pm

 

[kastoney]

First, welcome to the dis! You've clearly come to the right place for all things Disney food.

The only suggestion I have is you are definitely food heavy on days you have buffets. On these days you would likely be better off doing an early dinner and skipping lunch altogether or just snacking.

 

[tomatecerise]

3 big meals per day it's too much food. 2 meals with at least 6 Hours apart its ideal. Because you Will want taste one of the fantastic snack options in the better-place-on-earth-where-i-gain-10-pounds lol!

 

[Capang]

You will be spending a lot of time eating and it will cut into your park time. Character meals can take up to 90 minutes and you might have to wait for your table once you check in. But all those restaurants are fantastic choices! Keep in mind dining at Disney is not the same as going to your local eateries. The portions are HUGE. You might want to consider keeping only 2 ADRs a day at most.

 

[Imamom2]

As everyone has said that's a lot of food and a lot of time in sitting. I think one sit-down meal a day is great. Your choices are really good. Think about late buffet breakfasts and then you are full for your afternoon break and you can do counter dinner and find a fun dessert in the park you're in. Think about the resort you're staying at and the park you're visiting and work from there. Getting from parks to resorts to eat is time consuming, too. Have fun!!

 

[VeronicaBride]

Have you given any thought to any Signature restaurants? We do deluxe as well and most days we eat breakfast or early lunch and then a Signature for dinner. We have some 3 TS days but we find if we do too many of those, we are just permanently full and you lose a lot of park time. Now that we have been a few times, we don't worry so much about missing some things but with this being your first time, it may be too much food/time away from the parks.

Either way, you have lots of good food options there. Hope you have an awesome trip!

 

[PoohsHunnyBee]

I would modify to the below and fill in with QS and snacks as desired:
Day 1
Breakfast - 1900 Park Fare

Day 2
Breakfast - Tusker House (make it pre-park opening so you don't waste prime park-touring time)
Dinner - Sanaa

Day 3
Breakfast - Kona Cafe
Dinner - HDDR

Day 4
Breakfast - Ohana

Day 5
Lunch - BOG
Dinner - Garden Grill

A 5-day trip will only scratch the surface of all Disney has to offer and you'll be sacrificing a lot of great things if you hop from restaurant to restaurant. I think there is absolutely value in a trip that focuses on some of the great and unique Disney dining options, but I don't think it's a good idea for your first trip.

And, by the way,

 

[Kelly loves Food]

Thank you all for the great advice! I had a feeling that I was overdoing it - its just so exciting! I'll be cancelling a few of these for sure, and hopefully we'll have the chance to try them on another visit

 

[Minniesgal]

My first feeling way too much food. We would struggle with 2 TS a day and you have 3 some days

We find the best meal for Kona is lunch.

 

[Nancyg56]

Thank you all for the great advice! I had a feeling that I was overdoing it - its just so exciting! I'll be cancelling a few of these for sure, and hopefully we'll have the chance to try them on another visit

LOL!!!!!!!! I get it! A few years ago I contemplated the DxDDP and in doing so I planned a LOT of meals. Holy Cow! My DD incited a mutiny! We passed on that plan and went back to trying to plan a bit more logically for our family.

I m not going to try to convince you to rethink all those character breakfasts because I am a character junkie, but please consider the time they will take. When you tweak your plans, look at your park hours and make sure that you have not sliced into the best touring times as you are sitting in a restaurant. If you plan breakfast, unless you are planning a late night in a park, try to get it as early as possible, specially if the meal is not in the park.

If you schedule a buffet for breakfast, I would skip a TS lunch. Stop to have CS if your family gets hungry.

You cannot have it all when you plan a WDW trip. There is just to much to do, see and eat, so try to plan mals as enhancements to your vacation and you won't go wrong. You will be planning your next trip before you even leave! LOL!

 

[rwdavis2]

We usually eat breakfast in the room and then 1 table service per day, lunch or dinner, and the quick service to fill in if necessary.

 

[JZCubed]

Its our first visit to Disney, and I'm so excited about the food! I've spent months looking at menus, reading reviews and making reservations, but not sure if I've made the right choices (so indecisive). I feel like I've probably booked too many meals and am okay with cancelling. I'm also trying to take into consideration transportation, park hopping and such. Its just me, DH and DD9.

Day 1: Breakfast - 1900 Park Faire
Dinner - Coral Reef
-- We enjoy Coral Reef, but would 9 y.o. DD prefer Akershus to meet princesses?

Day 2: Breakfast - Tusker House
Lunch - Yak & Yeti (might cancel and just do CS, but I really want to do the TS)
Dinner - Either Sanaa or Kona Cafe
-- We enjoy Sanaa very much, but be advised about getting back to your resort - it's going to take some time. Make ADR for late lunch and skip Yak & Yeti. Also, if going for dinner, animals at Sanaa can only be seen during daylight.

Day 3 Breakfast - Ohana
Lunch - Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's (or neither)
Dinner - HDDR
-- If you're going to Tusker House, Chef Mickey's become redundant; do you need to see Pooh at Crystal Palace. And all that food at lunch before all-you-can-eat dinner - I vote neither.

Day 4 Breakfast - Kona Cafe
Lunch - Tokyo Dining
Dinner - TRex (or not)
-- Can we assume you're at Poly with [2] breakfast ADR's here? After walking the World Showcase, and likely snacking here too, Downtown Disney may be more of a chore than you realize, but TRex is cool (food - meh).

Day 5 Breakfast - unknown
Lunch - BOG
Dinner - Garden Grill
-- You're going to be in MK and then hop to Epcot for Garden Grill? Why? See everything in Epcot the day before and don;t go to Downtown Disney.

What do you think?

^see above^

Looks great if food is the reason you're going to Disney World.

You're planning on Park Hopping and/or going to Downtown Disney on one day and then doing the same the next. Save the travel time and 'smell the roses'.

Generally speaking:
-- Going resort to resort is not easy unless you are driving yourselves and you know your way around to minimize getting from parking area.
-- If using Disney transportation, you need to give yourself 1 hour to get to/from Resort and Parks (more if resort to resort).
-- If this is your first trip to Disney, you lose a great deal of Park time by having all of those breakfast at resorts. Getting to the Park at Rope Drop (or earlier with an ADR inside the Park) will give you a chance to see stuff.

 

[AuroraRosesMom]

You have some good picks in there. Sanaa is delicious, and I'm glad to see you have Kona Cafe and BOG on your list. 1900 PF is a fun time. There are some days where it may be too much food. Two QS and one TS should generally do the trick. We generally get breakfast at the resort, or go to Kona Cafe... Hope your first trip is super magical!

 

[nkereina]

I would forego Tokyo Dining in favor of Via Napoli or Biergarten. In fact, I would do Via Napoli or Biergarten before Coral Reef or Garden Grill. I just find the World Showcase restaurants more unique and entertaining.

I would also only do 1-2 TS meals per day. Its a lot of food and it takes up a lot of valuable park time.

 

[LaurenT]

Just make sure Sanaa stays on your list!

 

[Kelly loves Food]

I'm so glad I asked! I am realizing park/resort hopping and overscheduling will be too much for our first visit. Its just so hard to pick which ones to drop (or save for the next visit!)

 

[spartankid34]

I've added my opinions on what I can in red! I hope you have so much fun on your first visit, be sure to get a first visit button I also look forward to the food aspect of our trips, and find that they provide us with a nice break during the day!

Its our first visit to Disney, and I'm so excited about the food! I've spent months looking at menus, reading reviews and making reservations, but not sure if I've made the right choices (so indecisive). I feel like I've probably booked too many meals and am okay with cancelling. I'm also trying to take into consideration transportation, park hopping and such. Its just me, DH and DD9.

Day 1: Breakfast - 1900 Park Faire
Dinner - Coral Reef Dinner here was just okay (nothing bad, nothing exceptional), it was the experience that was worth it.

Day 2: Breakfast - Tusker House
Lunch - Yak & Yeti (might cancel and just do CS, but I really want to do the TS) I have this booked for our upcoming trip, and have heard nothing but wonderful reviews.
Dinner - Either Sanaa or Kona Cafe Sanaa was super yummy, and a nice change of typical food. The resort was beautiful as well.

Day 3 Breakfast - Ohana
Lunch - Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's (or neither) I've been to Chef Mickey's for dinner, and thought it was just fine. I didn't experience the cold food, or dirtiness that this restaurant sometimes gets reviews for.
Dinner - HDDR 100% loved this dining show. It was funny, nice length and really good home cooked food!

Day 4 Breakfast - Kona Cafe
Lunch - Tokyo Dining
Dinner - TRex (or not)

Day 5 Breakfast - unknown
Lunch - BOG Really enjoyed our lunch here on our last visit, the food was fresh and really good for a counter service restaurant.
Dinner - Garden Grill

What do you think?

 

[nilla]

The only suggestion I have is you are definitely food heavy on days you have buffets.

Perhaps you missed the fact that Kelly loves food?

 

[PoohsHunnyBee]

I'm so glad I asked! I am realizing park/resort hopping and overscheduling will be too much for our first visit. Its just so hard to pick which ones to drop (or save for the next visit!)

That's almost every first-timer's mistake. Plenty of others make the same mistake; it's easy to do and if you have a lot of ADRs and then add fastpasses to the mix, most people will feel over-scheduled.

Also, I noticed that you have a 9-year old daughter and lots of character meals but no princesses. I'm assuming she's not a princess type and that's by design?