6 days until we can make ADR’s, advice needed!!!!

[MarkinNM]

Ok we are going to the world in June and can make ADR’s in 6 more days, we are not doing the DDP (cant see the benefit of the cost, I think we can make better use of the $$ on my own) as we do eat 3 meals a day and would be paying OOP anyway for 1 meal, any suggestions on where to eat, you know favorite restaurants, casual meals, nice dining options? We are a family of 4, 2 of which are my children, 16, DD and 12 DS, he’s a good eater but DD has her moments of eating non-stop and most of the time surviving on air I think!! This is our first time staying onsite and eating all meals onsite, we are staying at the CSR……….



Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!

THANKS!!!!
~Mark

 

[summermac]

wowza, only 6 days to go. I think the first thing you want to do is work up what park/what day. Do you have hoppers? Do you like characters?

We make our ressies in FOUR (aahhhhh!) days and we're going for:
Whispering Canyon
50s Prime Time
Crystal Palace breakfast
Tusker House breakfast
LeCellier
Kona
1900 Park Fare

 

[GoofEeyore26]

A restaurant i love, which i feel is a great value and is something you wont experience anyplace else, is Boma. The variety of food will accommodate everyone and if your DD has her "non-stop" eating moment, it's ok b/c you're at a buffet! Lastly it give you an excuse to go to the AKL, which is beautiful.

 

[KatMark]

Ok we are going to the world in June and can make ADR’s in 6 more days, we are not doing the DDP (cant see the benefit of the cost, I think we can make better use of the $$ on my own) as we do eat 3 meals a day and would be paying OOP anyway for 1 meal, any suggestions on where to eat, you know favorite restaurants, casual meals, nice dining options? We are a family of 4, 2 of which are my children, 16, DD and 12 DS, he’s a good eater but DD has her moments of eating non-stop and most of the time surviving on air I think!! This is our first time staying onsite and eating all meals onsite, we are staying at the CSR……….



Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!

THANKS!!!!
~Mark

Hey, fellow CSR dweller. Here are some of Mark's and my favorites. First, there has been a really good review recently of the Maya Grill at CSR for dinner--you might want to try it. In all the times we've stayed at CSR, we've only eaten at the Maya once and that was breakfast. Some of our favorites are: Crystal Palace for breakfast (try to get an 8:05 a.m. ADR so that you have Main Street basically to yourself--great photo ops); LeCellier, Biergarten (a buffet with something for everyone and great entertainment), Yak & Yeti at the Animal Kingdom; Sci-Fi has gotten some good reviews lately at the Studios (we're trying it again in September). We also enjoy Mama Melrose, Rose & Crown and the Plaza at MK is another of our must-do's--it is always our last meal of our trip before we head to the airport; it is a nice change of pace from all the heavy meals we eat on the trip and we're not uncomfortable on the plane from eating too much--great sandwiches, shakes and sundaes. A couple of new ones we are trying this year after reading great reviews are Boma for breakfast and The Wave at the Contemporary (be sure to read MickeyNicki's "live" reviews from last week).

Kathy

 

[MarkinNM]

wowza, only 6 days to go. I think the first thing you want to do is work up what park/what day. Do you have hoppers? Do you like characters?

We make our ressies in FOUR (aahhhhh!) days and we're going for:
Whispering Canyon
50s Prime Time
Crystal Palace breakfast
Tusker House breakfast
LeCellier
Kona
1900 Park Fare

Thanks for the suggestions, LeCellier I have had my eye on that one for awhile and will suggest to the wife, we are not park hopper people, just too much to do in one park and too much trouble in getting to the park exits, traveling to the park, etc…..Prefer to just stay put and enjoy the park we are in……

A restaurant i love, which i feel is a great value and is something you wont experience anyplace else, is Boma. The variety of food will accommodate everyone and if your DD has her "non-stop" eating moment, it's ok b/c you're at a buffet! Lastly it give you an excuse to go to the AKL, which is beautiful.

Boma sounds real interesting, will try this on for sure, but do we have to make resies as it’s a buffet?? AKL we wanted to stay originally but we choose CSR as it gave us 3 more days!!!

THANKS please keep it coming!!!!

 

[MarkinNM]

Hey, fellow CSR dweller. Here are some of Mark's and my favorites. First, there has been a really good review recently of the Maya Grill at CSR for dinner--you might want to try it. In all the times we've stayed at CSR, we've only eaten at the Maya once and that was breakfast. Some of our favorites are: Crystal Palace for breakfast (try to get an 8:05 a.m. ADR so that you have Main Street basically to yourself--great photo ops); LeCellier, Biergarten (a buffet with something for everyone and great entertainment), Yak & Yeti at the Animal Kingdom; Sci-Fi has gotten some good reviews lately at the Studios (we're trying it again in September). We also enjoy Mama Melrose, Rose & Crown and the Plaza at MK is another of our must-do's--it is always our last meal of our trip before we head to the airport; it is a nice change of pace from all the heavy meals we eat on the trip and we're not uncomfortable on the plane from eating too much--great sandwiches, shakes and sundaes. A couple of new ones we are trying this year after reading great reviews are Boma for breakfast and The Wave at the Contemporary (be sure to read MickeyNicki's "live" reviews from last week).

Kathy

HEY my fellow CSR fan!!!

Maya Grill was always on the plan, any suggestions on breakfast at CSR??

Will try some of the places you suggested, resies for lunch also??

Will defiantly read MickeyNicki's thread as soon as I am done here….

THANKS!!!!

 

[brokenlola]

Since you are not hopping you will need to know what park you are going to each day so you can make your ADR's accordingly.

 

[Sandy321]

Because the DDP is so popular, as is the eateries at WDW, yes, even for Buffets you have to make reservations... there have been reports of places taking walk ups - or even people calling from the park to ask for availabilty (getting adr's from their phone when turned down at guest relations )

I'm also one that takes each park day then looks over the list of restaurants and make a plan...

so I'd plan Boma for the AK day (Rainforest Cafe is there, but its a chain, the Yak and Yeti gets mixed reviews, I ate at their counterservice and was underwhelmed - for lunch go to the CS Flame Tree BBQ!!

MK - CS Columbia Harbor House - just across from Haunted Mansion, eat upstairs, its quieter and its a great value... for a TS (as in sit down meal) I'd go to the Polynesian for Ohana or Kona Cafe at GF 1900 Park Fare gets good reviews, but thier Cafe gets better reviews - at Contemp either the ultra Cali Grill and see Wishes from above, or the new THE WAVE...

you really need to look at menus and decide www.allears.net click on dining then on the left side is a list click and up pulls all the places for that area...

EPCOT - in the Land is Sunshine Season that has an amazing value for their counter service (just be sure to find the Bakery area as opposed to the desserts pre packaged!) or try Morocco for a surprising good place - all the countries have a sit down and most have a CS place (fast food) again, check menus!

HS - their counter service leaves a lot to be desired in most people's view - we skip ABC commissary, but its easy to find, and quite large, so its popular - I prefer Backlot Express - its between the exit of Indy and Star Tours, its just not always opened! Their sit down include Mama Melrose, Brown Derby, both get pretty good reviews.. the buffet Hollywood and VIne it depends - then the quirky places like Prime Time (I'm not into the meatloaf or the 50's) and Sci Fi -

Just know as many posters as their are , that's how many opinions there are!!

and also, consider the Dining Plan - from picking items from allears menu, but factor in, we share CS meals - DH and I will get a "Big Breakfast Combo" meal and split it, and a lunch CS meal we'll get a large combo and split it - we'll get a large soda, or ice tea and a free cup of ice, and share it - but that's how we make it work based on our eating habits -

I've read several breakdowns of the DDP vs OOP and I think it can be a toss up depending on the ages of your kids (since yours are in the "adult" category you probably do save more by doing OOP) and if you do Buffets -

factor in also that June is now considered "HOLIDAY PRICING" for buffets!!
Buffets that we like Crystal Palace Breakfast gets you in MK before rope drop Norway Princess Breakfast at EPCOT - well you get the idea!!

Have fun planning and good luck!

 

[KatMark]

HEY my fellow CSR fan!!!

Maya Grill was always on the plan, any suggestions on breakfast at CSR??

Will try some of the places you suggested, resies for lunch also??

Will defiantly read MickeyNicki's thread as soon as I am done here….

THANKS!!!!

We've done Maya Grill for breakfast -- it is a buffett -- no better, no worse than any of the others. We've done the omelets at the Pepper Market--not bad, but not the best either (I prefer the omelets at the Waffle House ).
We normally eat breakfast only once or twice at the CSR and usually use our Counter Service and get one of their scrumptious homemade croissants, etc., and then eat our other breakfasts at the parks (Crystal Palace, Main Street Bakery, etc.).
Some of our favorite counter services are: Cosmic Rays and Columbia Harbor House (MK), Flame Tree (AK), Sunshine Seasons (Epcot). Unfortunately, we don't have any at the Studios...we usually go to one of the other resorts for that day for a counter service.

 

[starryskies]

We will be at CSR at the same time!

Some places I will never skip at WDW:

Beaches & Cream (really just for dessert.)

Jiko -- the best restaurant of all time, in my opinion, but I'd say Boma if you have kids.

50's Prime Time Cafe-- good food, and a ton of fun, especially with kids.

My folks are at WDW right now and said Pepper Market's breakfast was great.

 

[MarkinNM]

We will be at CSR at the same time!

Some places I will never skip at WDW:

Beaches & Cream (really just for dessert.)

Jiko -- the best restaurant of all time, in my opinion, but I'd say Boma if you have kids.

50's Prime Time Cafe-- good food, and a ton of fun, especially with kids.

My folks are at WDW right now and said Pepper Market's breakfast was great.

AWESOME!!!!

Its our 1st onsite stay and am looking forward to it VERY MUCH!
Jiko?? Where is that, what kind of food??
50's PT Cafe, that is a popular place, it gets good reviews!!
Tell your folks to have a good time!!

Please keep them coming!!!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

How many days will you be there for? I can go back and pare my list down based on the time you'll be there.

For really good food:
Le Cellier in Epcot. Go for lunch, IMO. It's cheaper, although the menu is more limited.

Les Chefs de France in Epcot. I've eaten dinner here about 8 times now, and never had a bad meal. We stick to the french onion soup or lobster bisque, the French macaroni and cheese, and dessert. A puppet version of Remy also started appearing there this week. If any of y'all liked Ratatouille, that'd be a neat thing to see.

Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney Studios. I really enjoy lunch there. I get the Cobb Salad and the Grapefruit Cake. Very quiet, and very nice place.

My other recommendation based on your children's ages is either Prime Time or Sci-Fi, based on the theme of each. They're really fun places. I can't speak for the food at Prime Time other than their great desserts, but Sci-Fi's food, for us, was horrible. Worst meal we've ever had at WDW. But, I do think everyone should try it once just for the atmosphere. I'd stick with the burgers; supposedly they don't typically botch those.

In Magic Kingdom, I'd go with Tony's for lunch. At lunch, they have a couple different yummy flatbread pizzas. If anyone's a Lady & the Tramp fan, the whole restaurant is decked out with photos, a fountain, etc. Also pretty quiet at lunch. Crystal Palace is a buffet and is awesome for dinner. Very loud, but a big variety of food. If anyone has an interest in eating in the Castle (Cinderella's Royal Table), I'd go for breakfast since it's cheaper. Dinner is good though, but not all you can eat.

In terms of resorts: Another place I think everyone should do once is California Grill. It's at the top of the Contemporary and only open for dinner. If you can get an ADR around fireworks time, you can leave your table and go out onto the observation deck and watch the fireworks with the music piped out around you. It's a fabulous experience.

In terms of counter service, I'd recommend a couple places. Earl of Sandwich in DTD is great; lots of different sandwiches, soups, smoothies, etc. I love it there. At Magic Kingdom, we love Columbia Harbor House. Good chicken nuggets, good sandwiches, etc. In Epcot, Kringla Bakery in Norway has good desserts, but their sandwiches changed last year and are not so good now IMO. Sunshine Seasons in The Land pavilion has a good variety of more unusual foods. In Animal Kingdom, Pizzafari is pretty decent. I like their chicken Caesar salad; the pizza is pretty much the same as every other counter service place on property. Counter service food at DHS is just plain bad IMO, so I would definitely recommend you look into lunch and dinner at a table service restaurant in DHS. Breakfast at Captain Cook's at the Polynesian is a good idea too. They have the infamous Tonga Toast at a fraction of the cost of Kona Cafe, a table service restaurant also in the Poly.

In terms of a character breakfast, I'd for now recommend Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. We've had two great experiences there, and the last was not so great. The food has been pretty good to excellent each time though. To me, if I'm paying for a character breakfast, I want a variety of food to choose from. CM's has a great variety of food. I'd love to do Ohana's because of Stitch, but the food is so limited, and there's so little I'd like, it'd be a waste of money for me.

 

[tinkgurl]

What we like:

MK:
TS- Tony's
CS- Cosmic Ray's and Pinnochio's

AK:
CS- Pizzafari

DHS:
TS- Mama Melrose
CS- Backlot Express and Toy Story Pizza Planet

Epcot:
TS- Le Cellier
CS- Sunshine Seasons

Resorts:
Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare, Ohana, Maya Grill, Olivia's, WCC, and Trail's End

 

[PrincessDisney96]

We like:
Magic Kingdom: TS- Crystal Palace
CS- Caseys Corner

Epcot: TS- LeCellier
CS- Sunshine Seasons

Hollywood Studios: TS- 50s Prime Time Cafe and Mama Melrose
CS- Toy Story Pizza Planet

Animal Kingdom- TS: havent had any...
CS- Flame Tree BBQ

Resorts: Ohana, Kona Cafe, Chef Mickeys, Whispering Canyon Cafe

 

[moparop]

A restaurant that's sure to become a regular for our family is the Kona Cafe. We were there for dinner last summer and absolutely loved the food. It was a last minute add for us and we were thoroughly glad we did it!

Have you perused the menus on allears? http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

 

[Stephanie VanMeter]

I second the Kona. We added it late last year because we could not get CM. This year it was at the top of our list.

 

[MarkinNM]

A restaurant that's sure to become a regular for our family is the Kona Cafe. We were there for dinner last summer and absolutely loved the food. It was a last minute add for us and we were thoroughly glad we did it!

Have you perused the menus on allears? http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

GOD yes!!!

I have spent hours there and it all looks so good, too much to choose from!!

You guys are just AWESOME!!

Now I really have my work cut out for me, decisions, decisions......

I am going to print this thread and study the menus and get the family involved, this should be real interesting as we cant even decide on where to eat here in town............

 

[CUKU4DIS]

I would have to say our family favorite is Whispering Canyon Cafe!! We loved the ambience and the wait staff is awesome! You have two sons..this is the place for you!! We also liked Ohana..you got a ton of food there and can watch the fireworks from the restaurant. Le Cellier was really good as well. I think you could also try other places like BOMA if your family is willing ot try something different! Good luck!

 

[Sandy321]

Jiko's is at the AKL - its a sit down 2TS restaurant - Boma is at AKL, it is a 1TS buffet - you have the ambvience of the Animal Kingdom Lodge - you can walk out and observe the animals, see all that was involved in making AKL - DD 12 and I are both very very picky eaters - from reading reviews here on the Dis, I knew dh would love this place and from reading reviews I knew dd and I wouldnt starve! We really enjoyed it:

various hummus:

rare rib roast (my fav!) and an African Dish I wasnt sure if I'd like it - but I did!! (someone will remind me what it is... Bobilta?)

I didnt upload all my pics, dh had 3 different soups, there was 3 or 4 meats, children's mac and cheese, salads, potatoes...

Desserts:

One thing I did notice on our last trip, the desserts are starting to be similiar from buffet to buffet, no matter where it is!

Epcot Coral Reef:

and dd swapped out for fries at most all the places!

who watches whom at Coral Reef?

Desserts were fabulous there!

Cali Grill:

our table:

I had roasted chicken with gnocchi, it was better than I imagined!

Dh had fish - he loves fish - this was one of his favs!
DD just wanted a plain flatbread pizza:

1900 Park Fare Dinner:

That octopus was supposed to be there!

The Strawberry Soup is very rich - yummy

 

[Sandy321]

Kona food:

potstickers:

this might be a ceasar salad!

the fillet may not be there anymore?