Advice please!! Very special meal with a few picky people!

[ktandspen]

Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster, hoping you are able to give me some advice! We are heading to WDW from the UK in 24 days (EEEK!) on the 2nd November it is my best friend's 30th Birthday. She has had a really rough few years and Disney is her dream hol. I really want to take her somewhere fabulous for our evening meal, however I have a few stipulations and I wondered if you can advise..

1) We will be in MK during the day but do not want to stay too late as we will likely be tired from the travel on the day before.
2) My friend is a bit of a picky eater, allergic to nuts, no spicy food but does like Indian, not a massive fan of most veg!
3) We will also be with our little ones DS6 and DS2 so it needs to be somewhere that isn't too "adult"

With all these ridiculous obstacles can anyone recommend a really memorable place to have her special birthday dinner?
Thanks so much in advance!! X

 

[swimchick1984]

Hmmm I would think that Ohana's if you can get it would be a lot of fun. You do not say what resort you are staying at that would help make a decision.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you choose 'Ohana be sure you note the nut allergy.

I would pick a buffet so everyone can find something they like.

 

[ktandspen]

Hmmm I would think that Ohana's if you can get it would be a lot of fun. You do not say what resort you are staying at that would help make a decision.

Thanks swimchick, we are staying in a villa offsite, does that make a difference to getting a reservation do you think? x

 

[ktandspen]

have just checked reservations online..Good grief...considering this is my 5th WDW trip I cannot believe how little I knew about Disney dining! Nearly everywhere is fully booked..Is this usual??

 

[Quin]

No, what makes a difference is that you are 24 days out and people begin making reservations at 180 days out. There are still lots of places to eat - but the really popular/special places have long since been sold out, at least at normal meltimes.

Signature restaurants are the most 'special' experiences but are also the most expensive.

Disney is very good about working with you for allergies. Note the allergy on the reservation and also tell your server. If you choose a buffet, the chef will likley come walk around the buffet with your friend to show her what she should avoid.

Given her liking of Indian food Sanaa might be your best option. It's in the AKL resort. But really, I think the first thing to do is jump on the WDW reservation site and start looking at what's available. Come back with a few choices to pick between and we can probably give you better advice.

 

[Quin]

have just checked reservations online..Good grief...considering this is my 5th WDW trip I cannot believe how little I knew about Disney dining! Nearly everywhere is fully booked..Is this usual??

Ah, you posted while I was typing. Yes, it's about normal. Do check for "off" times. A number of restaurants are going to an all-day menu, rather than completely different ones for lunch & dinner.

 

[goofyintoronto]

If you choose 'Ohana be sure you note the nut allergy.

I would pick a buffet so everyone can find something they like.

I agree.

Honestly with picky eaters I would not go with ohana. I would pick a buffet so everyone has something to eat. Crystal Palace is always good. we have been there for all meals and its always great. Never a problem!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2 using DISBoards App

 

[ktandspen]

I genuinely had no clue..massive lesson for me! We have never eaten dinner in any of the parks, only got snacks for lunch and eaten off site for evening meal.. I think I might sit and have a review read later today..maybe changing the meal to lunch would make things easier?

 

[Mkrop]

What about the Wave in the Contemporary or the Grand Floridian Cafe in GF? Chek out the menu on Allears. Most WDW restaurants are kid friendly. These are out of the park, just a short monorail ride away or walk so they may have some openings.

Have fun

 

[TDC Nala]

have just checked reservations online..Good grief...considering this is my 5th WDW trip I cannot believe how little I knew about Disney dining! Nearly everywhere is fully booked..Is this usual??

Yes, because guests started making reservations months ago, and there is free dining during this period.

You may have to take whatever is available, especially because you don't have a small party.

 

[Quin]

If you want to stay in the MK to eat, CP has the widest array of choices for your party. Both lunch and dinner are character buffets. Don't know whether it would appeal to your friend for a birthday, but it's hard to be down when Pooh comes to give you a hug!

Liberty Tree Tavern at lunchtime might be another option. At dinner it's a set plate non-character dinner but lunchtime has a nice menu. Not much "entertainment" for the kids, though.

If available, Boma (non-character buffet, lots of standard food choices as well as some more exotic ones) or Sanaa (menu, Indian-type food) are good. Both are at the AKL. Boma is dinner only (try for the very earliest reservation) while Sanaa is also open for lunch - but that would take a big chunk out of the middle of your day to leave the MK, eat, and come back.

On the monorail, Chef Mickey and 1900PF are character dinners but are probably fully booked, and again just are not where I would go to for an adult birthday. If she wants to try a very 'classic American' lunch that's a little more casual than LTT, go look at the menu for Trail's End. Dinner is buffet but lunch is a regular menu. You'd get there by taking a small boat from the MK to the Ft. Wilderness campground; the restaurant is close to the boat dock. You lose much less travel time going there than you would to go to AKL.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

with picky eaters I would not go with ohana.

I wouldn't either!

I'm not much into buffets either, in fact the only buffet I still really enjoy for dinner is Boma. If your friend likes Indian food that is spiced but not spicy, Boma fits the bill. For the little kids, there is spaghetti, mac/cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets. For the non-adventuresome adults there is roast beef, french fries. But you might do better with the other buffets though I think them not special and kind of blah, unless you're a kid and you're surrounded by characters!

Be sure to notify the server of the allergies etc.

 

[gigi1313]

for a fun b-day celebration, that appeals to picky eaters, you might want to try a dinner show like Hoop Dee Doo Revue. It's great fun, very entertaining for all ages, they do a birthday song for all in the audience celebrating... and they offer an early show which would get you off your feet and resting...

another thought for a fun but not too adult restaurant would be whispering canyon cafe in the wilderness lodge... we have enjoyed dinner there and it's quite quirky and can be festive! it's definitely "disney!"

downtown disney also has some nice offerings such as portobello (which has recently joined the dining plan) and raglan road (which might give you a taste of home since it has a UK flair).

 

[Ro Z]

What about the Wave in the Contemporary or the Grand Floridian Cafe in GF? Chek out the menu on Allears. Most WDW restaurants are kid friendly. These are out of the park, just a short monorail ride away or walk so they may have some openings.

Have fun

I am very picky and found the Wave is not flexible enough for me. You can't get mashed potato or fries as a sub. I like Yachtsmen. They will serve sauces on the side. But it is pricey. Kona is another fav. Coral Reef if you have a hopper. Capt grille is pretty good and can leave sauces, spices off and had fries and mash last time I went. All these places should be easy to get into. DTD has some great places and you can usually get into them w/o a ressie. We will be there on Nov. 3 and I just switched my ressies ....again yesterday. I was able to get CR for lunch, Mama Melrose 6:30 and Cape May. So keep trying. You could get lucky!!

 

[ktandspen]

Wow,Thank you all so much!' My kids are really great and will eat anything, my friend is the picky one, although she has said she is happy to try anywhere. I know she would really like a character meal so maybe Crystal Inn is the best choice for a lunch, (they also have availability!). That was a massive amount of help!

If we wanted to eat at AK during our trip is there anywhere that you can eat and still see the animals? We usually spend our Disney holiday running around trying to see everything and meals are an afterthought but after the DP at DLP last Dec I am trying to make an effort to makeover time for sitting and relaxing!!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Oops - read that you found availability at Crystal Palace after I posted - that sounds like a great solution - food for everyone, nearby and a character meal - can't get better than that at Disney. Enjoy your trip!


Since you will be at MK - it might be nice to have a break for lunch (somewhere close by) then return to the park - I might think about Wilderness Lodge as a possibility - it is a short boat ride from MK - which can be fun for kids anyway. You could eat at Whispering Canyon Cafe - which is "western" themed/horse play - may be check allears.com for the menu.

At MK as others have mentioned you have Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern.

Nearby - you have Wilderness Lodge/Fort Wilderness, Poly, Contemporary and Grand Floridian. I think you would still be able to find a meal at any of these hotels - my first thought is that you could find something at Whispering Canyon, Kona, Grand Floridian Cafe or the Wave this far out.

I do also love the food at AKL - both Sanaa and Boma - but it would be a ways to get there and back and might be better to do that later in the trip. There are really good viewing areas all over the resort both Jambo and Kidani where you can view the animals. Book dinner at Sanaa and ask for a seat by the windows - I did this for my birthday last year it was great - the animals were eating the same time we were around 6:00pm - really a great experience.

Hope you can find something you like soon!

 

[Mkrop]

Wow,Thank you all so much!' My kids are really great and will eat anything, my friend is the picky one, although she has said she is happy to try anywhere. I know she would really like a character meal so maybe Crystal Inn is the best choice for a lunch, (they also have availability!). That was a massive amount of help!

If we wanted to eat at AK during our trip is there anywhere that you can eat and still see the animals? We usually spend our Disney holiday running around trying to see everything and meals are an afterthought but after the DP at DLP last Dec I am trying to make an effort to makeover time for sitting and relaxing!!

I dont know of anywhere inside AK to eat and see the animals. We usually do counter service here or get a late breakfast/lunch at Tusker House to see the characters.

You could take a bus to AKL and eat there, although check menus first, then after eating you can walk out and see the animals from there. We did that at Christmas time just to see their lobby and then went outside to see the animals.