BEST places to eat for large family outside of Islands of Advneture..

[OverRunWithSons]

We are trying to plan a trip to Disney, we decided to eat one large meal outside of every park we go too (Islands of Adventure, Magic Kingdom maybe twice, not sure where else?) , want advice of what great reasonable Food places we can get to quickly , would love a smorgesboard if there is one right outside these parks - then back to the park to enjoy the rest of the day.

Is Food prices as high at Universal & Islands of advneture - as Disney Parks ??

Any advice on food, please share. We are a family of 7 going next year sometime.

Which park do you prefer & why, Islands or Universal ?? Thanks !

 

[drinkme]

There's a Golden Corral near the entrance to the parking lot at Universal. We took a cab to it from the parking area, but walked back. I think the walk back to our hotel took us about 15 minutes.

In case you don't have a Golden Corral near you, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet. Lots of foods to choose from.

It was $11.99 per adult. Kids 12 & under were cheaper.

HTH

 

[OverRunWithSons]

I thank you soooo much for this information ! If we go there, that will definetly be the plan for that day. Any Advice about Universal , would you go again, I know this pak is pretty old, do they still add new things?


I rememebr going there and Islands of Advneture 8 yrs ago, I loved both but I recall enjoying Islands better. So many parks to choose from, I never did see Animal Kindgom, not sure if I should skip one of these and try that this time around.

Any advice on buying tickets ? Cheaper online, ahead of time or waiting till you get there makes no difference?

Thank you.

 

[damo]

Universal/IOA are perfect parks for boys. With super heroes, dinosaurs, Shrek, cartoons, Terminator, Jaws, Mummy, etc. there are thrills to no end.

Universal is very current with their attractions. There have been many new additions in the past 8 years. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Shrek, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Mummy, Jimmy Neutron, Suess Trolley, Twister, Disaster revamp, Simpsons, Men in Black might have been there,...

You may want to watch mapleleaftickets.com for deals. There don't seem to be many out there right now since Harry Potter is so new and so in demand.

 

[oliver200137724]

Another good place to eat is the ponderosia. it is on international drive and the entree's start at 8.99 and they come with a full buffet.

 

[Lou Holtz]

You've just been recommended the two worst restaurants in the world. I think a good general rule in life is to steer clear of chain buffet establishments unless you're incredibly desperate to eat ridiculous quantities of subpar food in one sitting.

 

[donaldduck352]

I'm a meat & potatoe eater myself.But Sweet Tomatoes really blew me away.The Best salad bar I EVER ate at!!


On the other side,if you want to enjoy all you can eat meat,with a great salad bar and deserts,go with Texas de Brazil.It's not cheap tho,but well worth the money we spent for the simple fact of the options of what they offer!

 

[DisneyForLife]

I'm a meat & potatoe eater myself.But Sweet Tomatoes really blew me away.The Best salad bar I EVER ate at!

I loved it there. I am a salad eater so loved it but with the soup bar, etc, there is something for most taste buds. I will be going to Disney in two weeks and I will be going there again for sure.

 

[oliver200137724]

You've just been recommended the two worst restaurants in the world. I think a good general rule in life is to steer clear of chain buffet establishments unless you're incredibly desperate to eat ridiculous quantities of subpar food in one sitting.

Ok... So with that comment i would guess that when u go on vacation you have $5000 plus to spend on your trip and thats great for you but some people dont. families like mine, we have to save up for our vacation and only have $2000 or less to spend for the whole vacation. And i have a 18 year old that eats like im feeding 3 kids so i do need somewhere that will fill him up. And my family doesnt go in debt for a vacation we go with a budget and we have to stick to it.

 

[donaldduck352]

I loved it there. I am a salad eater so loved it but with the soup bar, etc, there is something for most taste buds. I will be going to Disney in two weeks and I will be going there again for sure.

It is a great place,and the soup bar is excellent also.A rare find out of all the places to eat for sure!!!

 

[DOOM1001]

You've just been recommended the two worst restaurants in the world. I think a good general rule in life is to steer clear of chain buffet establishments unless you're incredibly desperate to eat ridiculous quantities of subpar food in one sitting.

I go to both Golden Corral and Ponderosa as do many people,especially in the Orlando tourist areas hence why they open for breakfast everyday unlike other locations.It is true some of the items certain times are not as good as other times but there are a lot of options for everyone to choose what they want to eat,try different items,salads,desserts etc..For the money it is a good deal.I find that since the Orlando locations are usually pretty busy at least the food isn't just sitting around and is constantly being replenished.I once went into a Golden Corral close to my house,it was an older location that since that time has moved to a new building and is much better and nicer now,but that first and only time I went to the old location the place was empty and since we had never been there asked if we could look at the food,everything looked like it had been sitting there 5 hours,we saw flies and far less amount of items that the Orlando locations,we walked in and walked out in less than 2 minutes,no way we were eating there.If we stay at a hotel without breakfast we usually start the day at either Golden Corral or Ponderosa.I'm also a fan of Sweet Tomatoes,not as many options but still very good.

 

[dougsmom98]

You've just been recommended the two worst restaurants in the world. I think a good general rule in life is to steer clear of chain buffet establishments unless you're incredibly desperate to eat ridiculous quantities of subpar food in one sitting.

We look forward to Golden Corral on every single trip we have been on. When we travel to other parts of the country, we try to find the location of a Golden Corral. We don't have any in Maine, and we think it is great. My kids are really picky eaters and all of them will eat something here. I love there checkerboard cake for dessert. They have steak cooked to order most evenings too which is a huge hit for my boys.

 

[Lou Holtz]

Ok... So with that comment i would guess that when u go on vacation you have $5000 plus to spend on your trip and thats great for you

Right because you can't eat for $12 anywhere else.....

 

[Albytaps]

You've just been recommended the two worst restaurants in the world. I think a good general rule in life is to steer clear of chain buffet establishments unless you're incredibly desperate to eat ridiculous quantities of subpar food in one sitting.

LOL omg I can't stop laughing!! You are a rough one Lou!

I used to love Ponderosa! But I know what you're talking about. However, buffets are the way to go when you like to eat!

 

[AlienNation]

I love Golden Corral. I can't speak for how well the food is at the one down in Orlando because it is just us 2 when we vacation (myself and DF) so we usually just share a single order between the 2 of us at City Walk, Finnegan's, or Mythos but I know that isn't an option for you having a large family. I'd say do as DOOM suggested and look at the food being offered and decide then whether you want to eat or not. I know that the one here (where we live) is very good and rivals many of the so called higher rated sit down places. No way will I go as far to say that it is the best I have ever had, however there is nothing wrong with the food if it is cooked properly and taken care of/trashed/rotated out in a timely manner. Also, as dougsmom said earlier, on many nights they will cook steak to order for you. No it isn't the best cut of meat, but all the times we have gone it was nice and tender, juicy, fresh, and best of all cooked right there in front of me the way I wanted it. Of course DF (fiance) is content to just go to the dessert bar and load up on fudge, fudge, and more fudge. And somehow still never gain a single ounce.

 

[Friscorays]

We really like Texas de Brazil.

 

[canadiankim]

Shoneys is my kids favourite but more for the breakfast buffet than anything else. You don't tend to get just as big a crowds in there as you do in the ponderosa.

So excited, only 2 weeks till our US/IAO & WDW vaccation.

DH(46), Me(40ish), DS(10), DD(8)

 

[OrlandoUnited]

If you have around $1000 to spend for your group to eat dinner, go to Texas De Brazil. The salmon is very good.

Otherwise...go to Cici's Pizza. It's really the worst pizza out there, but at around $7 bucks a person, it's the best value. It's on I-Drive about 10 minutes from Universal.

 

[Friscorays]

If you have around $1000 to spend for your group to eat dinner, go to Texas De Brazil. The salmon is very good.

Otherwise...go to Cici's Pizza. It's really the worst pizza out there....

I'm not sure how a family of seven would rack up that kind of bill considering the all you can eat price for dinner of around $50 per adult with kids 7-12 half price and kids under 6 eating free (unless the adults have a taste for large quantities of alcohol or generally leave tips in 200% plus range).

I still maintain that it is a potential option for the original poster as a high quality all you can eat dinner if they like meat and do not happen to be interested in "the worst pizza out there."

 

[PlutoLuvr]

I consider myself a pretty frugal chick, but I also want to be sure I get my $$$ worth out of admissions costs to a theme park. If you leave in the middle of the day to go eat and return, you're losing valuable park time.

Why not just budget in some large lunches at the parks? We're not talking about a cheap camping trip and questioning whether to bring burgers or filet mignon. You're already plunking down a large chunk of change just to make the vacation happen.

Some things I would recommend for saving money for your family is to have breakfast in your room. Hit a store or ship some breakfast items to your hotel. Breakfast is a complete ripoff to pay for in any tourist trap.

Make lunch your largest meal of the day.

Avail yourself of the dining plan offered by Universal. I think it's 20 bucks a day and all you can eat at the places that accept it. If you're going to drop $12 plus gratuity to leave, fight traffic and pay fuel costs sitting on I-Drive or Sand Lake Road, sitting in your car in what I affectionately refer to as "theme park funk," seriously, what's an extra buck or two to just get the meal plan offered by Universal?

You're obviously going to have your own transportation if you're looking for offsite places to eat. (FWIW, I love offsite, too.) Get some hearty muffins and OJ in your room for breakfast, price out some of the less expensive lunch options in the parks (The Plaza at Magic Kingdom is an excellent value for lunch) and hit Publix's deli on the way back to your hotel in the evenings. They've got wonderful options for ready to eat dinners. Right now, they're running a deal for a box full of rotisserie chicken, two sides and a bag of Hawaiian dinner rolls for $10. Even doubled is less than you'd spend at a trough pit like Ponderosa or Golden Corral.