ADR/Restaurant plan critique

[dis1010]

Hi all,

We're heading to WDW in early September and have been revising and revising our ADRs. We are a family of 4 with twins who will be twenty-months old. We are staying for 8 nights, split between BLT and BCV. As a general matter, we plan to head to the parks mid-morning (we won't make rope drop, as we are coming from the West Coast and adjusting to East Coast time will be too difficult, given the parks are open so early in September) and will go back to the room for napping mid-afternoon. We will be going to the park for dinner certain days, but don't really intend to do much in the way of rides. We do, however, like experiencing the parks at night. Breakfast will be in the room most days.

Here's what we have booked so far:

Arrival Day (arrive at 3:30 pm): No ADR. Probably just Contempo Cafe or Captain Cooks.
Day 1: Lunch at Flame Tree. Garden Grill Dinner.
Day 2: Lunch at BOG. Dinner at Tiffins.
Day 3: Lunch at Satuli Canteen. Dinner at Crystal Palace.
Day 4: Lunch at Columbia Harbor House. Dinner - no clue.
Day 5: Breakfast at Cape May Cafe. Lunch at hotel. Dinner 50s Prime Time.
Day 6: Lunch ??? (HS). Dinner ???
Day 7: Lunch at Tangerine Cafe. Dinner (maybe Biergarten?)
Day 8 (we leave early evening): Lunch somewhere at Epcot (QS - maybe Sunshine Seasons)?

So, here are my questions:

1) For character meals, we have Garden Grill, Crystal Palace, and Cape May Cafe. We chose Garden Grill because it's not a buffet and wanted to go to Epcot the first full night. Crystal Palace is a must do because of Winnie the Pooh And Cape May Cafe will be at our hotel and we wanted nice breakfast to go to on our sleep-in day. I'm afraid to go to a face character meal because our twins have been experiencing stranger anxiety. We went to a Mickey character meal at Disneyland in May and the girls did great there. When we went to see princesses they weren't scared, but they were disinterested.

2) Day 2 we are going to AK for the evening. I really like Tiffins menu, but are we crazy to go there with toddlers?

3) Day 4 and 6 we are probably going to do date nights. Maybe we'll do MNSSHP one night, but not sure what would make sense for dinner then.

4) Any other thoughts at all?

Thanks!!!

 

[Pumbaa_]

You cannot underestimate travel time. You are doing a lot of hopping. Keep in mind, using Disney transportation you need to allow 60 minutes resort to park or park to resort. Resort to resort is 90 minutes

So going to AK for lunch then Epcot for dinner is a lot of traveling. If you are not doing early mornings, then I would try to stick it out longer. And combine meals at the same park. So flame tree and tiffins same day.

Going back for naps sounds good, and if you are at mk and back to blt, that’s not bad. But hopping buses will take you so much more time.

Best of luck!

 

[kastoney]

2) Day 2 we are going to AK for the evening. I really like Tiffins menu, but are we crazy to go there with toddlers?

You certainly aren't crazy to go there with toddlers. Its a signature but in a park so it is definitely a little more laid back then say a California Grill. But kids really are welcomed pretty much every where. We've been taking our daughter since she was 2 and she's been doing signatures since day 1.

That said another option may be just grabbing a table at Nomads Lounge. You can't be guaranteed a seat, but its a much more casual environment that serves appetizers (you can also order apps from Tiffins menu) so that may be an option.

3) Day 4 and 6 we are probably going to do date nights. Maybe we'll do MNSSHP one night, but not sure what would make sense for dinner then.

For the party most people will tell you not to "waste" party time eating but for me the party is just a waste of eating time Seriously though if you wanna grab something before hand Geyser Point at Wilderness Lodge is a great spot right on the water that you could easily get to the party from.

For your other night since you are staying in the Boardwalk area the restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin are great and much more "adult" if you really want some time away from kiddos in general. Or if you are into steak Yachtsman (or Shula's at Swolphin) is awesome as is flying fish.

Have a great vacation!!!

 

[dis1010]

@pumbaa - I know what you mean. The reality is, we aren't going to take buses at all. We're just going to drive or take Minnie Vans to AK. The reason is that it's too difficult to handle two under 2 year olds and fold up a stroller and handle all of our stuff.

Day 5 -8 aren't really an issue, because we can walk from our hotel to both Epcot and HS (where we are spending those days). It's Days 1-4 that are the issue. I don't see the girls napping in a stroller at AK. So, I think we're going to have to come back to the hotel for a nap anyway.

None of this is efficient. I'm just learning to accept that we won't do THAT much each day on this trip.

Out of curiosity, I have never been to AK at night (haven't been to WDW in 10 years). Is it actually worth trekking over there in the evening at all? Or is it not?

@Katsoney - I actually have never been to Flying Fish or Yachtsman (Have been to Shula's, which was good). Definite possibility. Thank you!

 

[holden]

My impression is that you are doing a lot of traveling during your trip. For example, day 1 could take you 45 minutes to an hour from the time you decide to leave AK until the time you arrive at GG for dinner, even if you are driving.

AK at night is nice. I find it to be very dark though and have trouble seeing as we walk around. It’s definitely cooler when the sun goes down, so that’s an advantage of going at night too.

I’m sure you know this, but go at the kids’ pace. Trips are more pleasant when the kids aren’t over stimulated and are happy.