AKV & Dining Reservations

[Buckeye Fan]

We have reservations to stay at AKV from April 11 - 18. Knowing that this is Spring Break, and it will be very crowded, I have a few questions I'm hoping you can help answer.

1) When can I call to make dining reservations?
2) Since we'll be at AKV, I'd like to eat there one evening. Suggestions?
3) Has anyone used the DDP? We never have, but I'd like your thoughts on the value and what you liked/didn't like. There are four of us surfweb: , , (13), (6)).
4) Character dining - never done it before. What would you recommend? Believe it or not, DS said he's like to go to Cinderella's Royal Table!
5) What's that one restaurant at WDW you just can't miss?

Goodness, April seems sooooo far away. Glad there are things you can plan along the way!

 

[Inkmahm]

We have reservations to stay at AKV from April 11 - 18. Knowing that this is Spring Break, and it will be very crowded, I have a few questions I'm hoping you can help answer.

1) When can I call to make dining reservations?
2) Since we'll be at AKV, I'd like to eat there one evening. Suggestions?
3) Has anyone used the DDP? We never have, but I'd like your thoughts on the value and what you liked/didn't like. There are four of us surfweb: , , (13), (6)).
4) Character dining - never done it before. What would you recommend? Believe it or not, DS said he's like to go to Cinderella's Royal Table!
5) What's that one restaurant at WDW you just can't miss?

Goodness, April seems sooooo far away. Glad there are things you can plan along the way!

1) November 21
2) Jikos!
3) Nope
4) We do CRT when we do character with the kids but I like Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary better. The food is much better there.
5) Jikos!

 

[Tozzie]

We have reservations to stay at AKV from April 11 - 18. Knowing that this is Spring Break, and it will be very crowded, I have a few questions I'm hoping you can help answer.

1) When can I call to make dining reservations?
2) Since we'll be at AKV, I'd like to eat there one evening. Suggestions?
3) Has anyone used the DDP? We never have, but I'd like your thoughts on the value and what you liked/didn't like. There are four of us surfweb: , , (13), (6)).
4) Character dining - never done it before. What would you recommend? Believe it or not, DS said he's like to go to Cinderella's Royal Table!
5) What's that one restaurant at WDW you just can't miss?

Goodness, April seems sooooo far away. Glad there are things you can plan along the way!

I vote for BOMA at the AKV I really don't care for the menu at Jikos and Boma has a buffet that appeals to just about everyone. It was awesome lots of variety.

I don't use the DDP because I never eat dessert and would rather have an appetizer and that isnt' included so it is best for me not to do DDP.

I personally think that Cinderellas Royal Table is overpriced with mediocore food. You are paying for the privledge of eating in the castle.

Actually my favorite restaurant is Olivias at OKW, ate there twice my last trip. The food is good and a nice relaxed atmosphere away from the crowds.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I highly recommend Boma for breakfast. The food is very fresh and the baked goods are excellent. I haven't tried dinner there yet but I've read a lot of positive reviews so I've added it to our list for next trip.

As for Jiko, the food is excellent! All of enjoyed our dinner choices last trip so we've decided it's a must do whenever we visit WDW. You can take a look at the menus at allearsnet.com

We haven't tried Cinderella's Royal table because we just don't think it's a good value. Then again, everyone values things differently so if eating in the castle at least once with the princesses is important, then go for it. An alternative if you want to see the princesses would be Akershus in Epcot where Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora and Mulan make appearances I believe on a rotating basis - note that this is a buffet restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food at Akershus personally doesn't appeal to us but again, that's just a personal choice. A second option if you want to dine with a princess is 1900 Park Faire. We've been dying to try this buffet but it was undergoing rehab last trip so we're looking forward to it on our next trip. The characters are Cinderella, Prince Charming, the step sisters/mother and fairy godmother. I've also read good reviews about the food there. Again, it's a buffet serving breakfast and dinner.

For non-princess character buffet I recommend dinner at Crystal Palace. Pooh and his friends are the characters and the food is very good and they also serve breakfast and lunch. The 'Ohana character breakfast is also good. The food is served family style and we very much enjoyed it last trip. The characters are Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto. There's also Chef Mickey which all kids love but the food there is just ok. I recommend you try it at least once as the character interaction is excellent.

You asked for any other dining recommendations. Besides Jiko, one very memorable meal we had last trip was at Narcoossee's. The food there was excellent from the appetizers, to our entree and dessert, even the coffee! Again, it's a must do for us now.

Now for the value of the Dining Plan. Your mileage may vary but for us it's a must do. For our family it's an excellent value, especially with 3 teenage sons. It really depends on what your dining habits are. Again, I highly recommend looking at the menus on Allearsnet.com which will give you an idea of what your out of pocket costs would be vs using the Dining Plan. If you decide to go with the Dining Plan, reviewing the menus will also help you get the best value out of it.

Hope that helps!

 

[Anal Annie]

We do not do a lot of table service dining at WDW because of the cost. But regardless of where we're staying we ALWAYS make a reservation for dinner at Boma! (Breakfast is good but does not offer anything unusual - dinner is FANTASTIC!) It is so worth the schlep to get there! And you're going to be RIGHT THERE so do NOT miss it!! It is a fantastic buffet - flavors of Africa...very different from anything else you will eat anywhere else! And everything is good too! It is rare to find a buffet where everything is so good! The soups are awesome! I always try at least 2 of them Personally, I prefer Boma over Jiko. I think the food is just as good and the cost is less...with of course more variety!

We stay in studios so we only eat breakfast in and pretty much eat the rest of our meals out, but mostly CS (The Mara at AKV is also very good as far as CS goes). We have not done the DDP as the value is not good for our DS11 since we have to pay the adult price for him and he simply does not eat like an adult. But last year we did try the DDE card (which is accepted at both Boma and Jiko). We are just a family of 3 so that was hard to recover our cost on it...but after 3 trips we finally did! Since that card gives you a 20% discount the bigger your family and the more TS meals you do the bigger the payoff on that one.

We have done the character breakfast at Chef Mickey's and at the AK park (twice there). We thought Chef Mickey's was over-rated. We got stuck in the back of the place and it took FOREVER to get a turn with the characters...it felt like the whole breakfast took a long time. The last time we did a character breakfast DS was sort of "over it" so we probably won't be doing any more...if you still have a young DD she will love it regardless of where you go.

And again...Boma! Boma! Boma!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I'm also suggesting Boma's for dinner. I've not eaten there yet, but in September I took the tour of Jiko's/Boma that AK offers daily at 4PM. I was so impressed with the offerings at Boma's. There was a huge variety of food and the tastings we had were delicious!

Bobbi

 

[LisaS]

We enjoy Boma and have dinner there on most of our trips. It is a very popular restaurant with locals as well as WDW guests so it tends to book up quickly. Don't wait too long to book it or you will find the only available times are 9pm or later!