Any must dos we haven't done?

DisneyJen0504

Wife, Mom, Teacher
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
3,725
Hi all!
We are hoping to get back to WDW in February for 5 days. It will be my husband and I and the kids (princess will be 7 and prince almost 5 when we go). We were just there in April 2017. :)

I feel like the last few years we are choosing to dine at the same places sit downs. I am wondering if our family is missing out on dining at any particular table service restaurant (parks or a resort)??

We frequently do:
Akershus princess breakfast
Crystal Palace breakfast
Tusker House breakfast
Be our Guest lunch
Via Napoli dinner
Ohana dinner

Any places we should seriously consider checking out? I should add my little ones are very picky eaters! Thanks!!!
 
In the MK we really enjoyed Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast. We found the food was yummy, we had a good amount of character experiences and it was a nice way to start the day in the park.

If you like Chinese food, we also enjoy the TS at Yak and Yeti at AK.
 
You do like your characters! I understand that with the kids, keeping them happy is really high on the list.

Some places to think about:

Chef Mickey's at The Contemporary. The food is alright, but the character interaction is top notch. It's the "Fab 5" of Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto

Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom or Disney Springs. I'll be honest, I hate the food there. It's a little lower than Applebee's quality. The theming, though, is really good. If the food tasted as good as the place looked, it would be my go to at DAK.

Check out the other TS restaurants at World Showcase. France might be too sophisticated for children, but Rose and Crown in England, or possibly Teppan Edo in Japan (the food is simple, just prepared different) are usually safe bets for kids. Then again, I don't know your kids, they might like the finer places! Just stay away from China. The food at Nine Dragons looks awful.

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness. It's a bit of a hike to get over there. Usually the easiest way is the boat from The Contemporary, and then there's still a walk. The show is corny, but there's charm in that there corn. The food is decent, it's barbecue.
 
My kids were two and 4 on our last trip (and are both picky) and LOVED tepan edo. The waitress rigged up their chopsticks with a rubber band so they were easy to use and the kids got a kick out of it. They were also happy to bring them plain rice. They had a blast and enjoyed the "show" during the meal.

I should also mention Mickeys bavkyard bbq was a hit. The kids can get up and dance and theres a show. The food was also very good and they enjoyed the playgrounds and pony rides at the fort.
 

Hi all!
We are hoping to get back to WDW in February for 5 days. It will be my husband and I and the kids (princess will be 7 and prince almost 5 when we go). We were just there in April 2017. :)

I feel like the last few years we are choosing to dine at the same places sit downs. I am wondering if our family is missing out on dining at any particular table service restaurant (parks or a resort)??

We frequently do:
Akershus princess breakfast
Crystal Palace breakfast
Tusker House breakfast
Be our Guest lunch
Via Napoli dinner
Ohana dinner

Any places we should seriously consider checking out? I should add my little ones are very picky eaters! Thanks!!!
Looks like you like character m&g so what about 1900 Park Fare breakfast. They have the mad hatter, Alice, pooh, tigger and Mary Poppins. Another option might be to do Ohana's breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. We are big fans of Tusker House and it's a must each trip. If you want to have a fun evening with some silly entertainment and all the chicken, corn on the cob and ribs you want you have to try Hoop Dee Doo. One of the best things we have done as a family. With the new Minnie van option it's easy to get their and get back to the resort.
 
Sci Fi is a really neat restaurant with some basic food choices! They have really good burgers. It's at Hollywood Studios! Very neat atmosphere
 
Diamond Horseshoe in Magic Kingdom is cool.

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You do like your characters! I understand that with the kids, keeping them happy is really high on the list.

Some places to think about:


Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom or Disney Springs. I'll be honest, I hate the food there. It's a little lower than Applebee's quality. The theming, though, is really good. If the food tasted as good as the place looked, it would be my go to at DAK.
.

Definetely not Rainforest Cafe. Its a chain and can find them all over. Las Vegas, Atlantic City etc etc.
 
Definetely not Rainforest Cafe. Its a chain and can find them all over. Las Vegas, Atlantic City etc etc.
We went to the one in London. It was SO bad I will never set foot in one anywhere ever again!
AS far as OP goes, If characters are the thing, then 1900 PF?
If not so much for the characters how about WCC? That's fun!
 
Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge has an interactive meal that is served at the table family style. "Junior gunslingers will find all kinds of shenanigans to get into: Lincoln logs, coloring, spirited sing-alongs and even hobby horse races. And the wise-cracking wait staff will make sure that grownup cowpokes get in on the fun too!" We had a fun time, especially watching my husband gallop around on a hobby horse while my daughter received a dozen bottles of ketchup from other diners when she asked for it for her fries. Would recommend lunch time as the hotel is an experience to behold. The food was western style stick to your ribs food.
 
We liked Jungle Navigation at MK. It has exotic food for grownups and mac n cheese and chicken for kiddos. It's also a well decorated restaurant with lots to look at.

The Wave at the Contemporary is a nice character free breakfast buffet with lots of kid friendly food.
 
Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue is really fun for kids, and it's plain, but good, food.

Yachtsman, Jiko, Trattoria al Forno, and Homecomin are some favorites of ours. All the restaurants have kids menus with very plain meals so even picky eaters could find something.
 
Oh trust me, I know. The food's terrible. The decor is extremely kid-friendly, though. That's the only reason why I suggested it.

DH and I actually like the food there! But I know many people don't.

OP, you say your kids are a picky eaters, but it might be helpful if you share some of their favorite foods. Are they the kind of kiddo that only eats chicken tenders/nuggets and mac and cheese? Or is there something specific that a restaurant needs to offer to be considered?

We really liked Biergarten, which has a live show with a part when kids are invited to come down to dance in front of the band. At first glance, it might seem like they'd only offer exotic food, but they have a number of plain options that might appeal to a picky kid (several noodle options, for example, plus schnitzel, meatballs, pretzel rolls, cold cuts, roast chicken).
 
One place that immediately jumped out to me is the Garden Grill. We had breakfast there in May and LOVED it. It is standard breakfast food.. fruit, eggs, bacon, Mickey waffles and it is all you care to eat brought to your table (like Ohana). Get a reservation for 8:00 AM on a day that Epcot opens at 9:00 AM and you can get a ride in on Soarin' before the park opens (as long as you are paying the check around 8:45 AM). The character interaction with Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale was some of the best we've had.. they visited our table multiple times. I've heard good things about lunch and dinner there as well.

Cape May breakfast at the Beach club is another good character buffet. The food is always fresh and they have a lot of variety for adults and kids.
 
Thanks everyone!
Your suggestions were exactly what I was looking for!
Thinking of trying to get CRT instead of Akershus, and considering Yak and Yeti, Whispering Canyon and maybe Boathouse on our Disney Springs night.
Thanks again!!
 





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