Advice for 3yo DD Character ADRs + Large Group

[silverspark7]

Hey DisFam! We are booking our ADRs in just under 2 weeks for our Nov trip and I'm revisiting my plans for ADRs to see if anyone has any recommendations we may have overlooked. We are looking (as I'm sure everyone is) for the best cross-section of character selection and the best food. We will have one child, my almost 3 year old DD, and 8 adults, so bonus points if you like the restaurant for larger groups.

DD is well versed on Disney characters and loves Ariel (and Eric), Rapunzel, Aurora (and Philip), Stitch, Mickey & Friends, Pooh & Friends, Buzz, Lion King, Lady & Tramp, Incredibles, and Big Hero 6. Seeing most of these characters will be on our really-try-to-do list.

Here are our goals. Any advice/tweaks/additions are welcome. We will have 6 park days: 2 MK days, 1 EPCOT day, 1 HS day, 1 AK day and 1 Flex day (likely Epcot/GE combo). Likely one ADR per day.

Arrival day dinner at DS - recommendations for a large group? Thinking about

MK-area
- Be Our Guest (likely lunch although no characters; on my mom's must-do list)
- Crystal Palace (likely late breakfast; Pooh & Friends; must-do)
- Ohana dinner (really struggling with this. I've heard such good things but have also read reviews about the meal being rushed and very expensive. Torn here.)

EPCOT-area
- Akershus Princess Breakfast OR Trattoria al Forno Adventure Breakfast (Some great princess options here. DD has eyes for Eric so this is enticing. Several reviews have the food and experience at Trattoria better. Thoughts? Thinking one of these over CRT because CP is our breakfast option at MK)
- We will be there during F&W so considering limited ADRs so we can snack most of the day.

HS
- 50s Prime Time Cafe (my parents love it, I'm not crazy about it. Also seems hard to do with a large group. Looking for other recs for HS)
- Saving a later ADR for dinner at a Galaxy's Edge restaurant, hopefully

AK
- No ADRs

As you can see, our focus is mostly on breakfast. DD is a bigger breakfast eater and naps will be tricky with later ADRs. Have we omitted any character favorites? Any places you particularly love for big groups?

Thank you as always!

 

[HappyHaunts999]

At AK I would suggest Tusker House. Great food and characters plus good for large group. Galaxy's Edge will not have a sit down restaurant.

 

[Nancyg56]

We liked Garden Grill and I would suggest adding it on. Chip and Dale are adorable.

In DHS consider Hollywood and Vine for lunch or dinner. Minnie and crew get all gussied up for the season.

BOG lunch is my favorite meal there.

Akershus breakfast is a family favorite.

I would eat anywhere else but 'Ohana. This was a family favorite for years, but no more.

We have never dines at the sl Forno for breakfast so I cannot comment on that choice.

 

[silverspark7]

At AK I would suggest Tusker House. Great food and characters plus good for large group. Galaxy's Edge will not have a sit down restaurant.

Ahh, thank you. Didn't realize it was definitely that there would be no sit Downs in GE.

We are considering Tusker House but because we may only have one day for AK, thought we might be tight on time with an ADR. Do you prefer a certain meal/menu there?

 

[silverspark7]

We liked Garden Grill and I would suggest adding it on. Chip and Dale are adorable.

In DHS consider Hollywood and Vine for lunch or dinner. Minnie and crew get all gussied up for the season.

BOG lunch is my favorite meal there.

Akershus breakfast is a family favorite.

I would eat anywhere else but 'Ohana. This was a family favorite for years, but no more.

We have never dines at the sl Forno for breakfast so I cannot comment on that choice.

Thank you. We've enjoyed Garden Grill for lunch/dinner on the past and are considering it as an option! We've never done H&V before but christmas-clad characters may be a good reason to.
Thank you for validating my recent readings on Ohana. It's been on my must do, but I don't want our group to be turned off by high price and being rushed

 

[Nancyg56]

Ahh, thank you. Didn't realize it was definitely that there would be no sit Downs in GE.

We are considering Tusker House but because we may only have one day for AK, thought we might be tight on time with an ADR. Do you prefer a certain meal/menu there?

Have you considered Flame Tree for your DAK day? It is a family favorite with plenty of outdoor seating, good hot fresh food, as well as generous portions. I have not booked Pizzafari for the family platters meal but there is a lot of feedback about that one. You can book an ADR for this meal at dinnertime. The feedback is both positive and negative.

When you finalize your list, look at the character meals you end up with. There can be a lot of duplicate characters if you are not careful. My family does not care, but your family may.

 

[Nancyg56]

Thank you. We've enjoyed Garden Grill for lunch/dinner on the past and are considering it as an option! We've never done H&V before but christmas-clad characters may be a good reason to.
Thank you for validating my recent readings on Ohana. It's been on my must do, but I don't want our group to be turned off by high price and being rushed

Please know that while I stand by my latest opinion about 'Ohana, there are still a lot of recent positive experiences there. My family is done, but if you really want to go there, book it and make sure your are treated the way you feel you should be.

H&V characters were so darn much fun! The food was good for a buffet, and the interaction was really sweet. DHS is a very pretty park during the holidays, and in the area that H&V is located you can spend some time enjoying the decorations. They are vintage and reminded me of my childhood.

 

[HappyHaunts999]

Ahh, thank you. Didn't realize it was definitely that there would be no sit Downs in GE.

We are considering Tusker House but because we may only have one day for AK, thought we might be tight on time with an ADR. Do you prefer a certain meal/menu there?

I love the bobotie, very different from the regular breakfast menu. They have something for everyone and I thing they have PPO times so you wouldn't miss park time.

 

[KayaWildfire]

Another idea is doing the Disney Junior breakfast at H&V, if your little one likes the Disney Junior characters. We think the food is really good and the character interaction is good. Excellent for large groups too. We travel as a group of 8 every trip as we have 6 kids. Really everywhere is fine for large groups, even Prime Time. Prime Time is actually one of the better ones. Garden Grill is really the only one where it has been a little difficult with a large group. You get seated at a large booth on the bottom, it just gets a little annoying for everyone to slide in and out all the time for pictures. This may be less of an issue with only one kiddo. I'm also not sure that CRT takes groups over 8 without the stipulation that they may split you up so I would skip that. Akershus is just as good for the princess fix.

 

[Nancyg56]

Another idea is doing the Disney Junior breakfast at H&V, if your little one likes the Disney Junior characters. We think the food is really good and the character interaction is good. Excellent for large groups too. We travel as a group of 8 every trip as we have 6 kids. Really everywhere is fine for large groups, even Prime Time. Prime Time is actually one of the better ones. Garden Grill is really the only one where it has been a little difficult with a large group. You get seated at a large booth on the bottom, it just gets a little annoying for everyone to slide in and out all the time for pictures. This may be less of an issue with only one kiddo. I'm also not sure that CRT takes groups over 8 without the stipulation that they may split you up so I would skip that. Akershus is just as good for the princess fix.

There are tables on the upper level that will accommodate large groups.

 

[DisneyLore]

Trattoria al Forno Adventure Breakfast was really lovely. The character interactions were fabulous. Repunzal and Flynn Ryder were awesome and Ariel and Eric were great too. I really enjoyed the food as well. I would definitely do Akershus Princess Breakfast instead of CRT. But I think I preferred Trattoria al Forno over Akershus(although it was good as well).

 

[KenHutch]

You will like Trattoria at least I enjoyed the food. We had to go there because my 18 year old found out Rapunzel was there. You listed a lot of my families favorites we do a Garden Grill and Tusker House almost every trip and for little ones they are winners. I vote for Ohana, we eat 2 dinners and 1 breakfast there every trip. Remember this everyone has different opinions on restaurants. There are many people on this board whose restaurant reviews are completely opposite mine but I always read them with interest. The only way to truly make up your mind is to try a place. I will use one restaurant mentioned here as an example. Flametree many people love the place but I am from Kansas City and by our standards that so called barbeque is not that good but many people love the place.

 

[DisneyGirlMI]

Have you thought of ‘Ohana for breakfast instead of dinner? Stitch appears at breakfast and the reviews for breakfast seem more consistent.

 

[silverspark7]

Have you considered Flame Tree for your DAK day?

FT is actually the AK plan for now. Something more casual and quick, then heading to one of the shows (probably Lion King, Nemo or Up) to let DD rest/nap. We were fans of FT our last trip (albeit, 12 years ago).

Another idea is doing the Disney Junior breakfast at H&V, if your little one likes the Disney Junior characters.

That is a consideration too! DD is into PJ Masks and Vampirina, but not too into Doc and Sofia, who I understand to also be in attendance. Still kind of surprised WDW hasn't included PJ Masks meet n greets!

Have you thought of ‘Ohana for breakfast instead of dinner? Stitch appears at breakfast and the reviews for breakfast seem more consistent.

We have, but would probably prefer the dinner service and luau there over another character meal. Stitch would be a huge hit with DD, though!

 

[KayaWildfire]

That is a consideration too! DD is into PJ Masks and Vampirina, but not too into Doc and Sofia, who I understand to also be in attendance. Still kind of surprised WDW hasn't included PJ Masks meet n greets!

Just so you know the current character lineup is roadster racer goofy, vamparina, fancy Nancy, and Doc. They just changed it so wanted to let you know. Be sure and take her to the Disney Junior show at HS, it's very cute and interactive for little ones.

 

[silverspark7]

Thanks again for all the advice! I was able to snag CP (late breakfast), Akershus PPO, 50s PT lunch, TH breakfast with ROL package, Ohana dinner, Ohana breakfast, and BoG breakfast. I also snagged a Disney Jr breakfast but might cancel because that is our extra park day and not sure where we will end up. Still hoping for BoG lunch/dinner and maybe Trattoria breakfast. We have a large group (9), so I won't hold my breath. Thanks for the advice! Now, to decide if we need the DDP or not...