Best TS restaurant for the money?

[pilferk]

I agree 100%, there is no way I would get over $160 of value from my family going to Boma for dinner.

Thats why I'm trying to avoid the buffet only places for our last breakfast. I'm leaning towards the Grand Floridian Cafe just so we can see the GF.

We did Boma 2 years ago and at that time it cost about $90 for the 4 of us, now it would closer to $120. Just not worth it.

For dinner, for that $40 per adult (for breakfast it's only around $25 per adult..the sticker with breakfast is the variety), you're getting the equivalent of appetizer, entree, desert and drink (no booze..but you can get coffee at the end of the meal in addition to your soft drink with dinner)...and it's all you care to consume.

At most sit down places, you'll pay about the same for similar offerings.

I'll use the GF Cafe as a good example, since you mention it:
Average price of entree is 21.50
Average price of appetizer is 9.65
Average price of dessert is 4.95
Drink will run you around 3.

39.10 BEFORE tax (the price on allears.net list's Boma at 39.40 including tax).

Granted, if you're not going to eat that much food...you can cut the price at a sit down by $10 to $15 per adult (if you eliminate app and/or dessert...or via sharing). But for the price of the buffet, you're getting not only equivalent food to a "full" dinner at a sit down, you're getting more variety than the sit down typically offers to a single diner (because you're not going to order one of everything on the menu).

Look, buffets aren't for everyone...I get that. But they CAN...not WILL..provide(especially the non-character versions, which are few and far between at WDW) good value. As with all things, it depends on the family.

Note: The prices for Boma's breakfast haven't increased that much in 2 years...so I'm assuming you've had a "kid" or two turn into an "adult"...that's the only way I can reconcile the $30 difference you'd see. That kills much of the value for those diners that have "aged out" of the kids pricing...especially if they're still eating like a "kid" or willing to order off the kids menu at the sit down places.

 

[chartle]

For dinner, for that $40 per adult (for breakfast it's only around $25 per adult..the sticker with breakfast is the variety), you're getting the equivalent of appetizer, entree, desert and drink (no booze..but you can get coffee at the end of the meal in addition to your soft drink with dinner)...and it's all you care to consume.

At most sit down places, you'll pay about the same for similar offerings.

I'll use the GF Cafe as a good example, since you mention it:
Average price of entree is 21.50
Average price of appetizer is 9.65
Average price of dessert is 4.95
Drink will run you around 3.

39.10 BEFORE tax (the price on allears.net list's Boma at 39.40 including tax).

Granted, if you're not going to eat that much food...you can cut the price at a sit down by $10 to $15 per adult (if you eliminate app and/or dessert...or via sharing). But for the price of the buffet, you're getting not only equivalent food to a "full" dinner at a sit down, you're getting more variety than the sit down typically offers to a single diner (because you're not going to order one of everything on the menu).

Look, buffets aren't for everyone...I get that. But they CAN...not WILL..provide(especially the non-character versions, which are few and far between at WDW) good value. As with all things, it depends on the family.

Note: The prices for Boma's breakfast haven't increased that much in 2 years...so I'm assuming you've had a "kid" or two turn into an "adult"...that's the only way I can reconcile the $30 difference you'd see. That kills much of the value for those diners that have "aged out" of the kids pricing...especially if they're still eating like a "kid" or willing to order off the kids menu at the sit down places.

Well I should have added I would never pay that much for a meal no matter what but I would never pay that for my family situation since my one son(yes the 20 year old) would only eat a few rolls. Hence the reason we don't do TS.

But as for the breakfast I'm pretty sure it cost like $18 per adult for me, my wife and two sons (17 and 16).

ETA: After I wrote that I checked out the internet way back machine and this is what I found.

http://web.archive.org/web/20080801142849/www.allears.net/menu/menu_boma.htm

So just two and a half years ago it was 16.99 and its 24.49 now, an increase of 44%.

 

[pilferk]

Well I should have added I would never pay that much for a meal no matter what but I would never pay that for my family situation since my one son(yes the 20 year old) would only eat a few rolls. Hence the reason we don't do TS.

But as for the breakfast I'm pretty sure it cost like $18 per adult for me, my wife and two sons (17 and 16).

ETA: After I wrote that I checked out the internet way back machine and this is what I found.

http://web.archive.org/web/20080801142849/www.allears.net/menu/menu_boma.htm

So just two and a half years ago it was 16.99 and its 24.49 now, an increase of 44%.

You're right..that is a BIG increase. I'm surprised, actually.

Anyone know if there was a single big bump at some point?

 

[Quin]

Boma is one of the restaurants that added a $4-$5 surcharge for "high season", which now equals half the year. That might be part of the difference.

 

[Quin]

We will only be on the QSDP so I am just looking for something to give us a break from the standard CS offerings. The only TS experiences I have are Tusker for breakfast and Akershus for lunch.

I'm willing to try new things but my kids will be looking for the basics other than a burger or chicken nuggets.

You are right though, I am looking for something other than "what looks best to me" I want to know what others thing is the best for the money.

Ok, looking at the economics when paying OOP, I would say the best TS "values" would be Biergarten for lunch (nearly the same buffet as dinner but a lot less $$; great food selection) and Trails End buffet at Ft. Wilderness campground for dinner (basic American ribs & fried chicken & corn on the cob).

But for heavens' sake, don't limit your QS choices to burgers and nuggets. Save that for McD's at home. You can spend 2 weeks on the QSDP and never touch a hamburger. Consider eating at Pepper Market at CSR, Capt. Cook at Poly, Contempo Cafe at CR, Flame Tree BBQ at AK, and Riverside Mill at POR. Each of them will only cost you 1 QS credit and they have very cool selections.

 

[pilferk]

Ok, looking at the economics when paying OOP, I would say the best TS "values" would be Biergarten for lunch (nearly the same buffet as dinner but a lot less $$; great food selection) and Trails End buffet at Ft. Wilderness campground for dinner (basic American ribs & fried chicken & corn on the cob).

But for heavens' sake, don't limit your QS choices to burgers and nuggets. Save that for McD's at home. You can spend 2 weeks on the QSDP and never touch a hamburger. Consider eating at Pepper Market at CSR, Capt. Cook at Poly, Contempo Cafe at CR, Flame Tree BBQ at AK, and Riverside Mill at POR. Each of them will only cost you 1 QS credit and they have very cool selections.

I'd add Sunshine Seasons at Epcot to that list of CS places, too. STELLAR CS offerings and lots of variety.

 

[lllGurulll]

Ok, looking at the economics when paying OOP, I would say the best TS "values" would be Biergarten for lunch (nearly the same buffet as dinner but a lot less $$; great food selection) and Trails End buffet at Ft. Wilderness campground for dinner (basic American ribs & fried chicken & corn on the cob).

But for heavens' sake, don't limit your QS choices to burgers and nuggets. Save that for McD's at home. You can spend 2 weeks on the QSDP and never touch a hamburger. Consider eating at Pepper Market at CSR, Capt. Cook at Poly, Contempo Cafe at CR, Flame Tree BBQ at AK, and Riverside Mill at POR. Each of them will only cost you 1 QS credit and they have very cool selections.

I have no intention of only eating burgers and nuggets on QSDP. That question was more for my kids because the kids menus really stink in my opinion.

A lot of you have been suggesting The Garden Grill and that is one of the places I have my eye on. I'm struggling with reservations there though. That being said though, what is the kids situation there. The menu makes it sound as if all they get is a single chicken leg even though it seems this is a buffet at your table for the adults. So what is the real situation?

 

[Pixiedust34]

I have no intention of only eating burgers and nuggets on QSDP. That question was more for my kids because the kids menus really stink in my opinion.

A lot of you have been suggesting The Garden Grill and that is one of the places I have my eye on. I'm struggling with reservations there though. That being said though, what is the kids situation there. The menu makes it sound as if all they get is a single chicken leg even though it seems this is a buffet at your table for the adults. So what is the real situation?

At Garden Grill, they bring all of the food to your table family style. If you'd like to have more of anything, just ask and they'll bring it. Kids can eat adult and/or kid selections since you're sitting family style at the table.

We ate here twice and have enjoyed it both times. The food was good, the character interaction was fun, and the kids got a kick out of sitting in a slowly revolving restaurant.

 

[pilferk]

Boma is one of the restaurants that added a $4-$5 surcharge for "high season", which now equals half the year. That might be part of the difference.

Gotta be something like that (considering the menu is from November 2010...I'd assume that might fall into high season).

Going back to late July (well after the July 4th weekend) of 2010...I'm seeing prices listed at 18.99....which is what I thought we paid back in late 2009 when we went last.

 

[chartle]

Gotta be something like that (considering the menu is from November 2010...I'd assume that might fall into high season).

Going back to July of 2010...I'm seeing prices listed at 18.99....which is what I thought we paid back in late 2009 when we went last.

If you go to the Boma page here on the DIS it lists a price for breakfast at $15 - $29, I can only assume that the $15 is a kids low season price and that the $29 is a Adult high season price (24.49 + 5) ~ $29.

Its easy to verify, OK everyone what is the current low (regular) season price for Breakfast at Bomo?

I did a quick Google search and found prices from 16.99 to 18.99 to people saying they paid a different amount each day on their vacation.

Still doesn't matter for me since we will most likely go to GF Cafe or Whispering Canyon Cafe.

 

[psac]

I agree with Kona Cafe. We had an amazing lunch there. The location was great for us as we spent all day in the MK that day so going to the Poly broke up the day. From what I have read and my very limited experence the food tends to be better in the resort restaurants then in the parks.

Agree with both statements. Kona Cafe is a great, not too expsensive meal, especially for dinner (haven't tried lunch), and yes, the resort restaurants are better than the park restaurants, as a rule of thumb. There are certainly exceptions. (And Epcot doesn't count, those restaurants are generally good.)

 

[mill4023]

Boma's.

It's a buffet, so you can get really good value out of it. There's lots of options for those who like "new" stuff. And there's a kids section (pasta, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese) for pickier eaters.

It's a bit off the beaten path....you'll have to trek out to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. But that, in and of itself, can be a fun trip.

Another really good option is Kona Cafe. The food is VERY good and the prices won't break the bank!

FYI: For breakfast OR dinner, the above two options "work". Breakfast would be a bit less expensive in both cases.

Boma is my favorite Disney restaurant, but certainly not friendly on the budget, at least not for dinner.

The Plaza is great. It's mostly sandwiches, but the food is much better than CS choices and not a lot more expensive.

Kona Cafe is also one of our favorites. We go there just about every visit and always get the Hawaiian plate lunch.

We've never been to Rose and Crown, but will probably try it on our next visit because the prices are pretty good for a TS restaurant.

 

[mill4023]

For dinner, for that $40 per adult (for breakfast it's only around $25 per adult..the sticker with breakfast is the variety), you're getting the equivalent of appetizer, entree, desert and drink (no booze..but you can get coffee at the end of the meal in addition to your soft drink with dinner)...and it's all you care to consume.

At most sit down places, you'll pay about the same for similar offerings.

I'll use the GF Cafe as a good example, since you mention it:
Average price of entree is 21.50
Average price of appetizer is 9.65
Average price of dessert is 4.95
Drink will run you around 3.

39.10 BEFORE tax (the price on allears.net list's Boma at 39.40 including tax).

Granted, if you're not going to eat that much food...you can cut the price at a sit down by $10 to $15 per adult (if you eliminate app and/or dessert...or via sharing). But for the price of the buffet, you're getting not only equivalent food to a "full" dinner at a sit down, you're getting more variety than the sit down typically offers to a single diner (because you're not going to order one of everything on the menu).

Look, buffets aren't for everyone...I get that. But they CAN...not WILL..provide(especially the non-character versions, which are few and far between at WDW) good value. As with all things, it depends on the family.

Note: The prices for Boma's breakfast haven't increased that much in 2 years...so I'm assuming you've had a "kid" or two turn into an "adult"...that's the only way I can reconcile the $30 difference you'd see. That kills much of the value for those diners that have "aged out" of the kids pricing...especially if they're still eating like a "kid" or willing to order off the kids menu at the sit down places.

I think very few people would eat an app, entree, and dessert by themselves. I know for our family, if we are eating at a standard TS place, we almost never order an app and if we do, it's one for everyone to share. We also very rarely order dessert because we'd rather wait and have an ice cream bar or some other snack later.

We are visiting in June, so the surcharge will be in effect.
For my family of 7 (5 disney "adults", 1 disney "child", and 1 toddler), dinner at Boma would cost approximately $273.
No way that's a good value for us when we can do a lunch or dinner at the Plaza for about $80 - $90 or a lunch at sci-fi or mama melrose or rose and crown for $120 or less.

Like I said, Boma is my favorite WDW restaurant, but we are on a budget and there is no way I can justify paying almost $300 for a single meal.

I put together a spreadsheet with estimates for the total cost of a meal for our family at a lot of the TS locations we were considering. For the most part, I didn't include breakfasts because we prefer doing lunch or dinner TS.
Here are the ones that came out to less than $150 for our family.
For some of these, it only worked for lunch. For others, lunch or dinner would fit in our budget.

Plaza
Whispering Canyon
GF Cafe
Sci-Fi
Big River
Via Napoli - assuming you are splitting the extra large pizzas, rather than ordering individual entrees.
Yak and Yeti
Rose and Crown
Kona Cafe
Mama Melrose

 

[chartle]

I have no intention of only eating burgers and nuggets on QSDP. That question was more for my kids because the kids menus really stink in my opinion.

If your goal is better variety for kids meals, I think your best choice is a buffet since they can pick anything. I've not heard great things about TS kids meals also.

 

[ToonTagTrolleyDollie]

I think very few people would eat an app, entree, and dessert by themselves. I know for our family, if we are eating at a standard TS place, we almost never order an app and if we do, it's one for everyone to share. We also very rarely order dessert because we'd rather wait and have an ice cream bar or some other snack later.

We are visiting in June, so the surcharge will be in effect.
For my family of 7 (5 disney "adults", 1 disney "child", and 1 toddler), dinner at Boma would cost approximately $273.
No way that's a good value for us when we can do a lunch or dinner at the Plaza for about $80 - $90 or a lunch at sci-fi or mama melrose or rose and crown for $120 or less.

Like I said, Boma is my favorite WDW restaurant, but we are on a budget and there is no way I can justify paying almost $300 for a single meal.

I put together a spreadsheet with estimates for the total cost of a meal for our family at a lot of the TS locations we were considering. For the most part, I didn't include breakfasts because we prefer doing lunch or dinner TS.
Here are the ones that came out to less than $150 for our family.
For some of these, it only worked for lunch. For others, lunch or dinner would fit in our budget.

Plaza
Whispering Canyon
GF Cafe
Sci-Fi
Big River
Via Napoli - assuming you are splitting the extra large pizzas, rather than ordering individual entrees.
Yak and Yeti
Rose and Crown
Kona Cafe
Mama Melrose

How was the Whispering Canyon? I'm thinking of making an ADR for our next trip in August and was wondering what it was like

 

[pilferk]

I think very few people would eat an app, entree, and dessert by themselves. I know for our family, if we are eating at a standard TS place, we almost never order an app and if we do, it's one for everyone to share. We also very rarely order dessert because we'd rather wait and have an ice cream bar or some other snack later.

We are visiting in June, so the surcharge will be in effect.
For my family of 7 (5 disney "adults", 1 disney "child", and 1 toddler), dinner at Boma would cost approximately $273.
No way that's a good value for us when we can do a lunch or dinner at the Plaza for about $80 - $90 or a lunch at sci-fi or mama melrose or rose and crown for $120 or less.

Just FYI: The surcharge was included in my breakdown.

Looks like "normal" pricing, near as I can tell, is about $5 less (around $34, reportedly, in late July '10).

I think all your suggestions are pretty good ones. I don't think they'd work for us, though. Both my wife and I are not really "sandwich-y/burger" kinda people, especially for dinner (we also don't tend to do big meals at lunch, so stick to CS) so we've never done the Plaza. Sci Fi and Mama's are great suggestions...though we tend to do dinner there, since we keep lunch a bit "lighter".

Question for you: How does it work out for you trying to seat 7 at Sci Fi? We're going to be traveling at the same time as a group of our friends, and we're contemplating making a ressie for 11 there. I've done that before at 50's Prime Time (we just sat at adjoining tables), but never at Sci Fi. Given the size of the group, and the configuration of the cars....do you think it's worth it? I don't want to be shouting dinner conversation across the room, and if we can't socialize....I'm not sure there's much point in making the ressie there.

 

[pilferk]

How was the Whispering Canyon? I'm thinking of making an ADR for our next trip in August and was wondering what it was like

The food has always been "pretty good"...we tend to do the Family BBQ Skillet and nobody has ever complained.

What we REALLY like is the servers are very interactive (or at least they used to be...have they "toned it down" in the past couple years?). Some people find that offputting. For example: Ask for ketchup and your server will give a signal and you'll have a bunch of diners dropping off ketchup bottles to your table. Ask for a straw, and you're likely to get a fistfull of them tossed in your direction. It's in good fun...but it can bother some people who find it rude, or who are shy. For some it's a thin line between "atmosphere" and annoying.

And, like Ohana's, they do a variety of kid's activities during the meal. Horse races, dances, etc. Our kids have a blast!

 

[DEA]

If your goal is better variety for kids meals, I think your best choice is a buffet since they can pick anything. I've not heard great things about TS kids meals also.

Sanaa seems to take a little extra care with its kids' offerings. I hype it up a lot for this reason, but I was surprised when my 3yo daughter actually ate the pizza she ordered, instead of tasting it and declaring it unfit for human consumption as she had other pizzas around WDW. As it turns out, they make the pizza fresh there with naan dough instead of taking the pizza out of the freezer and heating it up. My DD5.5 loved her grilled fish dish there, too.

I also enjoyed the same fish in the grown-up version, so it is a good deal for us all around.

 

[ToonTagTrolleyDollie]

Ooh thank you for the response that's what we're after really - good food and a bit of atmosphere! I don't think i'll tell my family about the straws and ketchup and watch the reaction!!

 

[pilferk]

Ooh thank you for the response that's what we're after really - good food and a bit of atmosphere! I don't think i'll tell my family about the straws and ketchup and watch the reaction!!

If you're going to, or have a shirt from, Universal....wear it to the dinner.

Hilarity usually ensues. Not ALWAYS (because much of the "script" is approved improv stuff), but usually.

Also...tell 'em you're thirsty and want a BIG drink.