A bit of a tall order

[starienite]

So I am a total WDW virgin. I have gone in the past when I was along for the ride and didn't have to anything else, but as mom....oh geez.

We are a wish family and now that everything is nailed down we are going to be going be there Feb 16th-22nd, and doing WDW 18th-20. My family never does anything other than counter service, once my mom, my daughter, and I tried a casual place, so I want to try a sit down place that recommends reservations. I was always soo jealous of the people that got to eat at that restaurent in the Pirates ride at DL when I was a kid.

So can anyone recommend an affordable, place that is located in one of the parks...that I have a prayer of getting possible 11 seats? And if I have a snow balls chance please let me know...my heart isn't set on it, it would just be nice.

 

[emmamc252]

for a party of 11 you are going to struggle, best idea would be to phone the reservations line and see what they have available, don't limit yourself to the parks though, other locations in the hotels are easy to get to, all the monorail resorts from MK, boardwalk and beachclub from Epcot.
Have a think about what you want, a character meal, something different?
If you aren't bothered about characters I would recomend Boma or Sanaa at Animal kingdom lodge, awesome place to look around and AMAZING restaurants offering something different than the usual disney fayre!
have a look at the menus on allears, these aren't that hard to get reservations for, although wether that remains true for a table of 11 i wouldn't know!
good luck!!!

 

[justcantwait]

I would check out the Disney online reservation site. Here's the link:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

Just looking at Magic Kingdom for lunch on the 18th for 11 people, there are 4 different restaurants and various times available. So, plug in your info and see what appeals to your group and budget (if not on the dining plan). You can search for just breakfast, just lunch, or just dinner, and change locations (ie. Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Downtown Disney, etc.). So I wouldn't say there's just a snowball's chance. Looks like you'll have many options. Lunch or breakfast may be easier than dinner, but all is not lost. Good luck and have a great trip!

Kathy

 

[Must C Mickey]

Sometimes doing a sit down lunch is sometimes easier to get this late in the game and for a party of your size. When we ate at Tony' Town Square in MK last yr for lunch it was deserted. That may be a possibility...

This link may be of some use too.
http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm#mk

 

[Lynn57]

I would definitely agree with the PP and do a search at the time you would like and see what's available. I just did a quick one too and here are the results for 11 people around 6pm on the 18th anywhere in WDW.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/search-results/?sid=51037084723-8800747-1273733-2988588&ts=1325177086

Just looking at those choices, I would say Crystal Palace might be fun since it is in the Magic Kingdom and has characters. 50's Prime time and Whispering Canyon have an interesting atmosphere some people really enjoy.

I hope this helps! And don't forget that you can find descriptions and menus for all the restaurants here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm

 

[psac]

I would recommend trying Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch, or Kona Cafe in the Polynesian (quick monorail trip) for dinner.

Good luck!

 

[starienite]

I just need the people to let me know. Once I know whether they want to eat this meal with us and how much they want to pitch in for it I can actually plan. Does anyone know how much Crystal Palace charges for lunch?

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I played around with your dates and found several dinner openings that would meet your needs. I found several spots for Via Napoli (pizza) in Epcot which might be a good, less expensive table service option. It is really delicious pizza in a fun atmosphere. Tusker House in Animal Kingdom is fun, too. It is a buffet with some traditional and some more exotic choices. Teppan Edo in Epcot is a hibachi style meal cooked in front of you.

You really have lots of choices, so play around with the online system for the parks you plan to be in each day. I bet you would get some good reviews if you threw out the names of a few that look interesting.

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

That is where I go to look at menus and pricing. They are not always correct, but will give you a starting point. Most character buffets are around $36 per adult and about $18 for kids. You will also be charged an automatic 18% gratuity if there are 11 in your party.

You can also view most of the menus on Disney's site under restaurants and some list prices. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

Hope this helps and have a wonderful trip!

 

[creativeamanda]

I want to second Teppan Edo as a choice. Also, some places that it might be easier to get a reservation at this point:

Magic Kingdom:
Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
Crystal Palace (lunch)

Epcot:
Teppan Edo
Via Napoli
Biergarten

Hollywood Studios:
Hollywood and Vine (but it isn't very good)

Monorail Resorts:
The Wave (Contemporary)
Kona Cafe (Polynesian)--awesome meal
Grand Floridian Cafe (Grand Floridian)--also a superb meal

Epcot area resorts:
Captain's Grille (Yacht Club)
Kouzzina (Boardwalk)
Garden Grove (Swan/Dolphin)

Out of those choices, in park, I would choose Crystal Palace and out of park, Grand Floridian Cafe. Grand Floridian Cafe has great views of the Magic Kingdom.

 

[starienite]

We kinda liking the Rose and Crown, my mom is Scottish so it is probably my genes pulling me that way. Put still waiting for everyone to respond. Thanks for help!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Have you been over to the disABILITIES Forum? There is an ongoing thread related to Wish trips (currently in edition 5 with links to the first four available on Post 1 or 2).

 

[NOLA_Tink]

I posted this on your other post (because I saw that one first), but I'll post here too:
We've had wonderful meals with over 11 people (and very last minute reservations) at 50's Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios. They have a versitile menu with reasonable (in my opinion) prices. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...etimeCafe/50s-prime-time-cafe-menu-allday.pdf We've never had a bad meal at 50's PTC & our servers have always been great. I'd definitely check it out. Have a WONDERFUL trip!!!

 

[luvmychaos]

I posted over on the dining review thread but wanted to follow over here too just in case..
Having been raised at DL and know the feeling of being jealous of the Blue Bayou people too I have to say that the 2 restaurants at WDW that deliver that same kind of cool vibe as Blue Bayou are Sci Fi Dine In at HS - you eat in convertible cars "outside" under a night sky while watching B movies on a drive in movie screen. My kids LOVED it and asked to eat there for the rest of the meals during our 2 week trip. I'm sure you could snag 2 6 person cars close togehter for your group. The other is San Angel in Epcot in the Mexico Pavilion. "Outside" under a twinkling sky,next to a volcano and boats going by for the ride in the pavilion. It has decent food but the ambiance is amazing and you could easily do a larger group there.And Crystal Palace in MK has a good breakfast and a fun atmosphere!
Just wanted to add my 2 cents! Good luck!

 

[pumba]

if there are openings at Crystal Palace...I would opt for that one with the ages of your kids...They would have a good time there..
The food is great and different types for all to enjoy and the characters would be awesome for the kids..

Have a great time and my best to you and your family

 

[starienite]

Have you been over to the disABILITIES Forum? There is an ongoing thread related to Wish trips (currently in edition 5 with links to the first four available on Post 1 or 2).

Yup, I rarely ventured out of disabilities board until now.

 

[starienite]

I posted this on your other post (because I saw that one first), but I'll post here too:
We've had wonderful meals with over 11 people (and very last minute reservations) at 50's Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios. They have a versitile menu with reasonable (in my opinion) prices. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...etimeCafe/50s-prime-time-cafe-menu-allday.pdf We've never had a bad meal at 50's PTC & our servers have always been great. I'd definitely check it out. Have a WONDERFUL trip!!!

Thanks I will look at that.

 

[disney*mom*82]

IMO if it is affordable, it would probably be easiest and more entertaining to go to a character buffet. This way there is many choices of food since there is a larger group and the kids get to have a meet and greet with the characters involved. We really like Chef Mickeys at Contemp. resort, it is a monorail resort, so we used to do this on our Magic kingdom day. Ride bus to MK, hop on monorail to Contemp! Now our DD4 insists on the castle when we are at MK, so we do that now, but it is much more expensive than CM.

You can look on disneys website and see the names of the character meals and then look at allears for the menus. Im sure you should be able to get a reservation, if you cant get just where you want, keep trying, cancellations happen all the time.

GL and have a wondeful trip!

 

[starienite]

I posted over on the dining review thread but wanted to follow over here too just in case..
Having been raised at DL and know the feeling of being jealous of the Blue Bayou people too I have to say that the 2 restaurants at WDW that deliver that same kind of cool vibe as Blue Bayou are Sci Fi Dine In at HS - you eat in convertible cars "outside" under a night sky while watching B movies on a drive in movie screen. My kids LOVED it and asked to eat there for the rest of the meals during our 2 week trip. I'm sure you could snag 2 6 person cars close togehter for your group. The other is San Angel in Epcot in the Mexico Pavilion. "Outside" under a twinkling sky,next to a volcano and boats going by for the ride in the pavilion. It has decent food but the ambiance is amazing and you could easily do a larger group there.And Crystal Palace in MK has a good breakfast and a fun atmosphere!
Just wanted to add my 2 cents! Good luck!

My husband nixed the San Angel because "we live in AZ and can get Mexican food anytime". Party pooper. I will look at the Drive In, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[starienite]

if there are openings at Crystal Palace...I would opt for that one with the ages of your kids...They would have a good time there..
The food is great and different types for all to enjoy and the characters would be awesome for the kids..

Have a great time and my best to you and your family

I thought about CP, but nixed it for a few reasons. My son doesn't have an off button when it comes to eating. Combine a buffet, a boy who will easily overeat with rides and yeah.....
Also, I did ask Dev about character dining, and he wouldn't be wowed by it, mostly because he is "too big for Pooh Bear".

On other news, the people coming along are dropping like flies. My brother and his wife are leaving two days after we get there, my mother in law, sister in law and her husband may not come. So it may just be us, my dad, and my other brother. Which kinda opens things up.