ADR recommendations for 1st timers; no DDP

[muchado]

Feb/March 2016 will be our first Disney trip and perhaps, our only Disney trip. Kids will be 6 and 4. We will be staying off-site and will pay out-of-pocket for restaurants.
My current plan is to book breakfast OR lunch at the parks and be "home" for dinner. My kids will be pretty bushed by dinner time.
I have been trying to learn a lot about all the restaurants since we have to start booking ADRs in 10 days.
I know we want CRT breakfast, Akershus House, Crystal Palace, and Be Our Guest since these all revolve around princesses and characters my kids like. I am having a hard time deciding ADRs for HS and AK. I think we'll be fine in Epcot with the WS but would love recommendations.
None of us are picky but I do have a gluten intolerance. DH is shy so major interaction with characters is going to make him very uncomfortable. And of course, we have a budget.
So keeping all that in mind, would you help us with some recommendations? Thanks!

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

HS I would recommend Sci-Fi. It has such a cool atmosphere that your kids will probably love. It's also pretty reasonable IMO. AK I like to go to Tusker House but that has characters.

 

[milza26]

Disney is great with allergies and interolances. Just make sure to note them on the ADR.

Breakfast is the way to go for table service meal because they are cheaper overall. You can tons of places without character meals. Your family might like Comsic Rays in Magic Kindhom as a quick service place. The portions are big enough to share.

 

[muchado]

So, is Hollywood and Vine not a good option? I have read mixed reviews about it. My youngest is a huge Jake the Pirate fan.

 

[Sixty-something]

Be Our Guest does not have character interaction at breakfast or lunch. If you are on a budget, you might consider going to Gaston's Tavern, split some cinnamon rolls and have some LeFou's brew for the kids. They open at 9, so you'd be done in time to see Gaston when he comes out at 10. You can just watch him from a distance, don't have to actually meet him to enjoy the fun.

 

[Acrosthec]

So, is Hollywood and Vine not a good option? I have read mixed reviews about it. My youngest is a huge Jake the Pirate fan.

Reviews on H&V tend to be all over the place. I've eaten there once (for dinner) and was extremely happy with both the quality of the food and the choices. Our next trip is December, and we have breakfast there (2yo DD loves Jake and Doc), as well as Minnie's Holiday Dine, so I hope they have their standards up! My thoughts, especially for breakfast, is that it is hard to screw up. Then again, I'd try to go earlier in the time band to make sure you get hot/fresh food, as they may not keep up with changing things out as frequently (most buffets don't) as it gets towards time to switch to lunch offerings. Have fun!

 

[jacknsally19]

If your kid is a fan of Dis Jr H& V is wonderful. Personally, I don't think there is big amount of variety in food quality amongst the character meals. I chose purely based on the character interactions. If you are worried about food, I find breakfast is more reliable.

At H&V, the characters dance with the kids and for my Jake loving toddler is was a HUGE hit.

Personally, I wouldn't do Akerhaus and CRT. I would recommend CRT for the experience - then maybe pick something that interests you at Epcot.

 

[CaoilinnsMom]

I think Tusker House has a good breakfast buffet. If the characters are a problem you can warn them off. Yak and Yeti has a good sit down much option. Scifi cafe is fun, good break. The big headed characters can freak some kids out, if you are interested in H & V.

 

[jacknsally19]

PS - the characters will pay attention to the kids so your DH doesn't need to worry

 

[muchado]

Thank you all. I didn't even think about Tusker House.

 

[Aliceacc]

One suggestion: do a late Aukerhaus breakfast instead of a lunch.

One, it's cheaper. Two, the foods will be more familiar.

 

[JACKNAG]

Cape May at Beach club is a great breakfast, Lots of characters but un intrusive

 

[muchado]

So which one is worth the $$--CRT or Akersus? My daughter will be thrilled with any princess and won't know the difference. A friend raved about Akershus and I've read multiple blogs/articles that claim CRT to be a must-do for a first timer.

 

[Aliceacc]

Aukerhaus is:
- an easier ADR to get.
- cheaper
- five princesses (as opposed to one at CRT)

We did it as a late breakfast, enabling us to do Rope Drop and a few rides/attractions first. It also meant familiar foods for my very picky daughter.

Also, if you have an old princess costume for your daughter, put it on her just before entering. (Too hot/scratchy to wear all day long.) She'll be greeted as royalty by the princesses she meets.

The last time I did CRT was when it was still called King Stefan's Hall. My kids have never complained about not eating there or felt they had missed anything.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Hollywood and Vine for HS. Sophia the 1st, Doc McStuffins and Jake! Plus the hotdog song and a little entertainment from the staff. So Cute!

For table service at AK, your choices are Tusker House and Yak and Yeti (lunch only at Y&Y). If your "done" with characters, maybe stopping at AK Lodge at Bomas for breakfast before heading to the park. It gets RAVE reviews. Or just get counter service for lunch

Enjoy your trip

 

[muchado]

Thank you for all the recommendations!

 

[gem21]

Aukerhaus is:
- an easier ADR to get.
- cheaper
- five princesses (as opposed to one at CRT)

That is incorrect. CRT has at least 4-5 princess depending on the rotation. We've never met less than 5...

 

[Vernie822]

At AK we love Tusker House. It is a buffet with the characters dressed up in their safari outfits. Themed around Donald's Safari Breakfast. I remember Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie. Can't remember if the fifth is Pluto or Daisy.

The food is delicious. We did breakfast but they also serve lunch and dinner. I've read that if you make an ADR for like 10:45, you'll get breakfast and then they switch over to lunch, so you can enjoy both. You could always do this that way you can either snack (granola bars or something early) and then you likely won't need to do lunch since your ADR is more of a brunch.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Cape May gets good reviews for breakfast (though we've never been). You could do that on your DHS day - early breakfast at Cape May and then catch the boat from Yacht Club to Hollywood Studios. For lunch at Hollywood Studios I'd probably recommend Toy Story Pizza Planet -- the food there is fine (not great/awful) and our kids really liked it when they were younger. Note that it can get really busy around noon so I'd get there for an early lunch or a late one.

 

[muchado]

At AK we love Tusker House. It is a buffet with the characters dressed up in their safari outfits. Themed around Donald's Safari Breakfast. I remember Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie. Can't remember if the fifth is Pluto or Daisy.

The food is delicious. We did breakfast but they also serve lunch and dinner. I've read that if you make an ADR for like 10:45, you'll get breakfast and then they switch over to lunch, so you can enjoy both. You could always do this that way you can either snack (granola bars or something early) and then you likely won't need to do lunch since your ADR is more of a brunch.

What a great idea!