Best meals for large groups?

[vllygrrl]

I am currently in the process of trying to plan an August trip for my husband's family (and us ). There will be 16 of us, ranging from ages 3-60, and about a third of them are very picky eaters. I'm obsessive about planning, but others in the group can be quite lackadaisical. The issue is going to be getting the whole group together to decide how many meals to eat together, and where . My plan is to go into the family meeting armed with menus from the restaurants I think will be good choices.

To summarize, my criteria are - good fun atmosphere to keep the little ones engaged if they are not eating, food that will please very picky eaters, and a place that can accomodate a group of 16 at least near each other. Currently under consideration are: O'hana, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Biergarten and Chef Mickey's. Obviously I need more than that, but I tend to go to places like Marakesh that would definitely not go over well with some of our group (I'll save those places for DH, DS and me on our non-group nights!).

Thank you for any suggestions you have or experiences you are willing to share!!

 

[Berkshires96]

We arrived home 2 weeks ago and ranged in age from 2-60, so really close to your group. I was the obsessive planner on our trip, so I can relate. Here's were we went (mind you we were there 10 nights) with the whole group.

Spoodles @ the Boardwalk - everyone loved it, including a picky eater who they made just a plan chicken breast for. We loved it sooo much that we went back again before we left. No problem accomodating our group.

Raglan Road @ Downtown- another great place, including Irish music and step dancing to entertain all. Food was great and no problem with the group size. Drunk chicken appetizer and dessert sampler favorites among the group.

Tony's in MK- would not recommend. Horrible service, split us between 2 tables and food only ok.

Ohana @ Polynesian - great for a big group. Lots of entertainment for all, especially the kids (coconut races, limbo, etc) Our kids 2 and 6 are still talking about it daily. We timed it so that we watched the fireworks at Magic Kingdom from the restaurant .

MaMa Melrose @ MGM- Fantasmic Pkg.- Decent service and food. Was open menu, not special one like we thought for package. No problem with big group. Nice having reserved seating at Fantasmic, walked right in.

Planet Hollywood @ Downtown - 2 booths side by side. Lots to look at and good food. Large menu, everyone in group happy.

Alfredo's in Epcot - crowded, very noisy and in our opinion only so-so food and not great for little kids. Wouldn't go again.

Cinderalla's Castle - breakfast - we had 3 little girls in the group, so what can I say. We LOVE the princesses and it made it all worth it. This was a group of 11 (the 2 teenager boys declined).

Hope this helps some, from one neurotic overplanner to another.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I am so glad to hear there are other overplanners out there. I started planning our June, 2007 trip just days after returning home from our June, 2006 trip. It's not like we have never been to Walt Disney World before. We've been there eleven times in the last nine years. I just can't help it though!

I have some very picky eaters in our group so I have to pick restaurants that have some very All American items as well as unique items.

My suggestions for large groups which include picky eaters are as follows:

Magic Kingdom: Crystal Palace or Liberty Tree Tavern. There's lots of seating at both of these restaurants. Crystal Palace is a large buffet. There are the basic such as ham, steak, turkey, and the typical veggies. There are also some unusual items such as fire roasted corn spoon bread (delish!), boiled shrimp (not all that unusual but it feeds to seafood lover), steamed shellfish, a large variety of salads and many, many desserts. The Liberty Tree Tavern is family style. The menu includes turkey, ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, bread and dessert.

MGM Studios: We really like the Sci-Fi. The largest car can only hold six to eight people (depends on your size) but you can ask for cars right beside each other when making your reservations. People of all ages will enjoy the black and white film clips. Be sure to try the BLT soup, the Reuben sandwich and their delicious ribs.

Animal Kingdom: The only full service restaurant is the Rainforest Cafe. We have eaten here numerous times. Their menu includes everything from burgers to calamari and pasta to steaks. Their desserts are out of this world. They have individual tables which can be pushed together and there are also some very large tables. Don't think you would have a problem seating your group nor would you have a problem with everyone finding something to their liking.

Epcot: We absolutely love LeCellier. They have individual tables which can be pushed together. I have seen large parties here every time we have been there. The have steak, salmon, soups, salads and even my picky 9 year old found something he liked. We also like the Garden Grill. The tables there are also individual tables and I have seen the staff push tables together to accomodate a large group. The meal is family style and the menu includes fried fish, marinated steak, turkey, stuffing, veggies, salad, bread and dessert. There were chicken fingers, fries and individual cupcakes for the young ones.

Downtown Disney: See my description for the Rainforest Cafe above. The same applies to the Downtown Disney location. Downtown Disney location seems busier than the Animal Kingdom location though. We also like the House of Blues. We have seen large groups here too. Even my picky eater found something on the menu. Planet Hollywood is always fun. The table are individual tables and can be pushed together. Their menu is very diverse. You can order everything from a burger or sandwich to chicken alfredo and lasagna (must try).

Hope this helps with your decision making. Lisa

 

[celerystalker]

I have the same questions - any more responses out there?

 

[GrowingUpDisney]

Back in 1997 we had 17 of us. We ate at LTT for dinner and it was excellent! If they group likes an American Thanksgiving meal - the food is just right and this is a character meal which will keep the little ones entertained.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I did the planning for a large group once...it was a big headache! What we would up doing was meeting at the resort and having breakfast at the food court, we winged it CS for lunch and had a buffet for dinner...buffets are the easiest because there is something on the menu for everyone.

 

[Pixiedustspreader]

This week I booked 5 ressies for a party of 17...(8 Adults under 40 and 9 Kids 5-11).

Chef Mickey's as an evening of arrival dinner and an early Crystal Palace breakfast as our first full day meal. I figure the rest of the meals could fall apart but heck what a way to kick off the vacation!

The other three:
Ohana - big tables anyway, fun atmosphere, games for the kids.

LeCellier - just because it is my personal fave...not sure how it will suit big parties.

Rose & Crown - for the mere fact that they have a patio and I envision us all out there enjoyng Illuminations. It has worked everytime on a smaller scale, we'll have to see about 17 though...

 

[3PRINCESSMOM]

This place is great for a large group! We had 15 last August and what a blast we had. The menu offers tremendous variety, with a focus on "home cooked" all-American dinners.

We will be a group of 13 this August. Out of a 9 day trip, we have 4 group meals planned; Liberty Tree Tavern, Whispering Canyon, 50's Prime Time and Crystal Palace.

Almost all TS restaurants will be able to accomodate large groups well enough. Last year besides 50's PT, we also did Boma, Le Cellier and Garden Grill. Buffets are a fair option since there ends up being something for eveyone.

Happy planning!

 

[dsneygirl]

We did a group of 12 at Ohana's and Le Cellier in Dec and had horrible experiences at both. Our meal at Le Cellier to over an hour to get to us and at Ohana our server came to clear our plates not realizing we had never received the meat skewers. I would be really hesitant to do other big group meals again.

 

[3PRINCESSMOM]

We did a group of 12 at Ohana's and Le Cellier in Dec and had horrible experiences at both. Our meal at Le Cellier to over an hour to get to us and at Ohana our server came to clear our plates not realizing we had never received the meat skewers. I would be really hesitant to do other big group meals again.

We had great service everywhere we went. I was feeling as though they saw a large party and gave it there all. I will count my lucky stars with regard to last year, and keep my fingers crossed for this year.

 

[vllygrrl]

Wow - it's great to see my thread brought back to life! Our group has shrunk significantly to 7 or 8 people, but still a headache. Fortunatley, the woman I spoke to at Disney was a huge help! I was able to get reservations for the group at Boatwrights (will probably change this, but it's on our first day and at our hotel), Le Cellier, Liberty Tree Tavern, Mama Melrose, Whispering Canyon Cafe and Chef Mickey's. I'll probably change Mama Melrose as well - there is no Fantasmic shown that evening and that was really the only thing I wanted to do that day. We'll probably end up at Downtown Disney that night instead.

 

[Wigit12]

We've done Ohana's and Yacht Club Galley for large groups in the past with no problems.

I have another question though. How do you handle the checks with large groups? We're travelling with a group in October and I'm leary to plan big dinners. With this part of the family I think we will tend to be stuck with more than our share of the bills. Don't need that stress while on vacation.
And I'm really not a fan of making servers have 3 or 4 separate checks at a large table.

We're planning Ohana's or Whispering Canyon again and we'll just deal with it for one night but I can't afford a whole week of subsidizing family meals.