Am I the only one...?

[hawaiilife]

....That changes their ADR's 100 times before finalizing plans? I'm just so indecisive.

My 60 day FP is coming up quickly so I REALLY need to get my ADR's finalized.

I am travelling with my husband and our 3 children - DS8, DD4, DS6 months. We are on the DDP. My kids love characters.

We have five TS restaurants to choose from. I have wanted to try The Wave for dinner for a while now, and 1900 Park Fare is my DDs choice - she's going to BBB and wants to eat here afterwards. The third is H&V Fantasmic package which I think is a good use of a TS credit and also a great opportunity for the kids to see characters. Now the tough part - I need to choose 2 more TS meals out of the following options (this is my short list - it's taken FOREVER to even get to this point) I feel so silly, but please speak up if you think we are missing out on something else.

- 'Ohana breakfast (mostly for characters and to find out what the rave is about 'Ohana - the dinner doesn't seem that exciting to me as I don't like chicken wings or shrimp).
- Boma dinner
- Crystal palace dinner (been here before for breakfast only)
- Sanaa dinner (done this one before)
- Chef Mickey dinner (done this one for breakfast)

I want to maximize the DDP cost, but also not obsess over getting every penny worth. I'd rather have a great experience and awesome food than go for the most expensive place that isn't as good.

If you were me what would you do? THANK YOU!

 

[Ed597]

We don’t change our ADR too much. However instead of Ohana for a character breakfast have you tried Cape May Cafe ? It’s a Character breakfast and the food was great. We did Crystal Palace for lunch food was good and it’s a Character meal. For dinner have you tried Maria and Enzo’s yet or Home Com’n at Disney Springs ? There’s some good dinner options at Epcot also like Monsieur Paul or Tutto Italia ? Haven’t been to SciFi dinner but our friends love it you sit in a vintage car and they have a movie screen up with old movies on it ? If you can get into California Grill I would suggest that there’s a new Chef and the food is top notch ! Hope this helps, Good Luck !

 

[Nancyg56]

I don't make too many changes once I book meals, however we do tweak a bit once December packages are released.

I would look at Garden Grill in Epcot for characters or perhaps Akershus Princess Breakfast. Akershus is an especially good use of a TS credit, (That is one expensive meal!!) and the food and princess interaction is really good.
Garden Grill features the chipmunks and is also a nice use of credits for a good dining experience. Both meals have most if not all of teh food brought to you rather than having to get it all yourself.

I like CM for dinner, however if you are dining at H&V I believe you will be meeting many fo the same characters at CM, but not in their holiday finery.

When people rave about 'Ohana they are speaking about dinner, It is a good use of TS credit because the meal is very expensive, however it is not my favorite any longer. If you can get it and want to try it, I would suggest you do so. The reviews are all over the place lately, so no one can predict what your experience will be. I can say there is a lot of food to choose from as it is brought to you, so you will not be hungry if you skip the wings.

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

We've done the Ohana breakfast and really enjoyed it. They have a yummy juice and Mickey waffles, what's not to like? We also always do Chef Mickey's for dinner. The food isn't great but we stay at the Contemporary and usually fly in mid-day, and then do CM's that first night. It's a convenient option for us... I'm not sure if we would do it over H&V if we weren't staying at CR.

 

[Kevlar10]

If your kids are Winnie the Pooh fans, definitely do Crystal Palace. We do every trip because of the character interactions. My younger son even requested dinner there for his birthday. Ohana was really good for the food but not as fun for the kids. CM always seems to be insane, a mess and IMO, the food isn’t as good. We are staying at AKL this time and plan to try Boma and maybe Sanaa.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Frankly, I don't change ADR plans much once I make them. That's because the only ones I make at more than 60 days out a the ones that are VERY hard to get, so there usually isn't any time to change them to. And when DH goes, he hates making any plans more than a few days in advance-he just decides when we're there-"let's go out to eat tomorrow night" and we look at what's available. And yes, that drives me crazy!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

There are lots of people that do change their minds a hundred times and it seems like they are the ones that are stressed out over planning and then during the trip things don't live up to their expectations.

I am not one of those.
We choose where we want to eat and we book the ADR and that is that.
We may take a while to decide for sure but we decide and then book vs book and then change our mind several times.

If you want your meals to be character heavy so the kids can meet a lot of characters without waiting in too many lines then I'd go with Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's.
2 other great 1 TS options for characters that you don't have listed are Garden Grill and Akershus.
They are both in Epcot.

 

[reluctantredhead]

We often change our plans too! What sounds good to us in June isn't necessarily what we're craving 6 months later, lol. We were just there this past week, in fact, and cancelled one ADR, added two, and walked in to Tiffins when we were miserably hot and tired and wanted to sit in air conditioning while we ate!

Of the 5 choices you're deciding between, I would definitely try Boma...it's a buffet, but it's a cut above most I've ever had. There are "adventurous" food choices and "safe/typical American" food choices, so everyone typically walks away full and happy. And the AKL and the restaurant itself are just gorgeous! We like to make Boma ADRs for dinner on a day we've spent at the AK...we make it for later so we leave the park for the day, go to Boma, and then back to our hotel.

I agree with the PP who said that Crystal Palace is a good choice if your kids are big Pooh fans...this was a favorite when my D was little.

Have a great trip!

 

[crabbygal902]

My kids are older and we’ve now been on a bunch of trips. I don’t even bother to make ADRs anymore unless there is something special going on or we are on the DDP. I used to stress and change plans, so I get it. You want the best possible experience for your family!

Of the choices listed, I’d pick Boma dinner but only it it fits well with your plans and travel arrangements. It can be a real pain to get there if using Disney transportation. Boma has interesting choices but also accommodates picky eaters.

My 2nd choice would be Crystal Palace dinner. The buffet has fire-roasted spoon bread (!) and the characters are fun. Both these places are great values on the DDP.

While I enjoy ‘Ohana breakfast, I’d save it for another trip or go and not use the DDP. It is not a great way to spend credits, in my opinion.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

We often change our plans too! What sounds good to us in June isn't necessarily what we're craving 6 months later, lol.

That seems to be how a lot of people that dislike the 180 day ADR window feel.
Where as to me its like I don't go to these restaurants on a regular basis and don't have those specific meals on a regular basis so if there's a couple of menu options I like I am more than happy to eat them 6 months from now lol.
Its not like at home where if I eat the same things every week I start to get tired of them and crave something else.
Of course everyone has their own opinion about this kind of thing so to each their own.

 

[DVCjj]

Yes, we change ADR's a lot because FP's don't always agree with which split stay resort we're staying at or I was able to get something we like better.

I've canceled/changed an ADR prior to midnight the night before many, many times.

I think your children would enjoy Garden Grill at The Lands. How could anyone not love Chip n Dale!! (and we're 2 adults).

 

[SaintsManiac]

I make and cancel ADRs all the time if I can. Disney changes things too much to be locked into your dining every day.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Hmm after reading a few more posts I guess I'm just a creature of habit from going as much as I have.
I know what attractions are musts and what are skips if not enough time and what are we definitely are not doing.
I know what time I want what FP+'s for and what time I want to eat at what place and don't change my mind on what park what day based on Disney changing park hours etc.

 

[hawaiilife]

Thanks so much for the responses! I'm thinking we will skip 'Ohana then and do Boma and Crystal Palace. So we have:
- The Wave dinner
- Boma dinner
- Crystal Palace dinner
- 1900 Park Fare dinner
- Hollywood & Vine dinner

I always sign up for alerts on Touring Plans and I even got QS BOG on both of our MK days just like I wanted. That service is amazing. I don't have to stalk the dining sites anymore. I don't book my WDW trips 180 days out (We just booked our Sept trip last month).

The only one I am not sure about is Boma vs Sanaa. Done Sanaa before and loved it and I do like being served vs a buffet. At the same time I want to try something new. Getting to AKL is a non-issue - we always rent a van and use valet at deluxe resorts when we dine, so we can get anywhere really quickly.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[lorilclevelandrn]

Personally, I recommend Boma as there are more options for the kids and a variety of yummy desserts as well. While I realize some kiddos are adventurous eaters, mine is not and loved Boma. There is truly enough variety to satisfy the pickiest eater! Alternatively, I would choose Sanaa if you were dining alone w/ ur hubby. The bread service is soooo good!

 

[chuff88]

....That changes their ADR's 100 times before finalizing plans? I'm just so indecisive.

My 60 day FP is coming up quickly so I REALLY need to get my ADR's finalized.

I am travelling with my husband and our 3 children - DS8, DD4, DS6 months. We are on the DDP. My kids love characters.

We have five TS restaurants to choose from. I have wanted to try The Wave for dinner for a while now, and 1900 Park Fare is my DDs choice - she's going to BBB and wants to eat here afterwards. The third is H&V Fantasmic package which I think is a good use of a TS credit and also a great opportunity for the kids to see characters. Now the tough part - I need to choose 2 more TS meals out of the following options (this is my short list - it's taken FOREVER to even get to this point) I feel so silly, but please speak up if you think we are missing out on something else.

- 'Ohana breakfast (mostly for characters and to find out what the rave is about 'Ohana - the dinner doesn't seem that exciting to me as I don't like chicken wings or shrimp).
- Boma dinner
- Crystal palace dinner (been here before for breakfast only)
- Sanaa dinner (done this one before)
- Chef Mickey dinner (done this one for breakfast)

I want to maximize the DDP cost, but also not obsess over getting every penny worth. I'd rather have a great experience and awesome food than go for the most expensive place that isn't as good.

If you were me what would you do? THANK YOU!

We have an 8 night trip coming up in Sept/Oct and I think the only two ADRs I haven't changed at all are our BOG ADR on our MNSSHP night and our Jiko ADR for our Universal day. All of the others have seen some kind of change -- either a minor time adjustment or a complete overhaul. So you are most definitely not alone.

Our fall trip will be our first to WDW, but base on the abundance of reviews I've read I'd say Sanaa dinner for sure, but I'm really not sure about the others. I've heard from many that Chef Mickey's dinner is incredibly disappointing as compared to the breakfast though.