BOG - Lunch or Dinner with Small Kids?

[Jessirip]

Hello! We are planning our first family trip in April 2018 and I was up at the crack of dawn for ADRs this morning. The one restaurant I really wanted to do is BOG, but I could not decide between lunch and dinner, so reserved both.

Searching for comparisons between the two is driving me a little batty, there are so many varying opinions, so I'm coming here to the family forum where hopefully you all can help.

DD will be 6, and DS will be 3. I was able to get an early dinner time at 4:30, so there are less worries about late night melt-downs. I know you can only meet the Beast at dinner, but we have other character meals scheduled so not really a big deal. I think the only thing stopping me from doing lunch over dinner is that I feel like I won the lottery getting an early dinner ADR there.

Thank you for any advice!

 

[Daniela Rose]

We just came back with our 2 and 4 year old daughters. We did BoG breakfast and lunch. We did a late breakfast (1025am) on the morning of emh. It was the perfect break in the air conditioning.

Breakfast and lunch you can preorder. It's so much faster. We checked in, went to the cashier to review the order (no wait), walked in and found our seats. Minutes later the server came by with our food (finding us by the magic band). For us, those meals were easier than a sit down dinner.

 

[kboo]

We have only done BOG dinner and it's one of our favorite restaurants. We always get a reservation between 4:45 and 5:15 for the same reasons you did. The lights are dimmer and the table service aspect feels much more like a dining experience. The food is quite good - probably the best in all of MK, and of course meeting the Beast is a plus. (Our now 6 DD has loved meeting the Beast each time). The dessert cart is really fun to look at and choose from (and we almost always get the grey stuff; it's delicious)

Also, I'm not sure how it's done at breakfast and lunch, but at dinner you wait on the bridge or outside the castle for a while before they call your name to be seated. The bridge and outside the castle is open only for people with ADRs who have checked in, so we always get some cool pictures outside the castle while we're waiting.

You probably can't go wrong with either, but we've always had a choice between dinner and lunch or breakfast, and we've always gone back for dinner (4 or more times now, not that anyone's counting...)

 

[Jessirip]

Thank you to you both... we decided to stick with dinner since we were able to get such a good time for it. Also DD has a Belle Dress that she is going to grow out of quickly, so a photo op with the Beast in it won the day. Thank you again!

 

[Dis703]

We've done both several times with kids. Really kids isn't even a factor for me when it comes to choosing one or the other since both are good options. But I strongly prefer dinner for the service, ambiance, and much better food. And the Beast is a pretty cool perk since you really can't meet him anywhere else.

 

[kboo]

Thank you to you both... we decided to stick with dinner since we were able to get such a good time for it. Also DD has a Belle Dress that she is going to grow out of quickly, so a photo op with the Beast in it won the day. Thank you again!

My ODD was wearing an Elsa dress for her first visit and the Beast gave her a very courtly bow when he saw her. It was

 

[CrazyHare]

Just an FYI, the West swing, where the rose is has fake thunder and lighting. My daughter, who was almost 5, didn’t really like that. And that room is much darker than the other rooms.

 

[DisneyMichael]

We went for the first time in 2017, and dinner was EXCELLENT. It was one of our favorite restaurants in ALL OF WDW. If your kids are sort-of picky eaters, it might take a minute to figure out what they would eat.

 

[hllb]

I have breakfast and dinner reservations on one day (added the breakfast as it was an 8 am reservation with 9 am park opening) and lunch the other MK day we're doing. I've only been there for lunch and loved it (oh yes, get the grey stuff...so good! for lunch, they have it on top of a cupcake). I'm debating canceling my dinner reservation though because the menu looks less exciting for my kids. There doesn't seem to be a pasta option on the adult menu (two of my kids are teens) and they aren't big 'eat a slab of meat' kind of kids. Even on the kids menu, I thought it was a bit lackluster (also have a 7 year old). Right now, I'm keeping the reservation though. I'm not going until January so have a long time to decide. I may keep it until Christmas, when we tell the kids, and see if they like the menu.

 

[Jessirip]

I'm debating canceling my dinner reservation though because the menu looks less exciting for my kids

Yep you know this almost swayed me too. In our case it is more of what they will eat in a strange place, and since they have Mac N Cheese and Grilled Cheese I feel like they will be OK. But the meatloaf etc. sounds less than appealing to me, let alone my kiddos. It's going to be about the ambiance ultimately for my 6 year old daughter and myself. I hope the food is good as I've heard mixed things.

Just an FYI, the West swing, where the rose is has fake thunder and lighting. My daughter, who was almost 5, didn’t really like that. And that room is much darker than the other rooms.

Thank you! I've heard that as well in reading reviews with young kids. I almost picked lunch so we could pick where we are seated, but one review I read said that after they were sat in the West Wing and found it too scary, they were moved with no problem. I think our kids will be OK, but just in case we'll be sure to let a CM know if we have any issues.

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

We love the lunch food! The roast beef is probably my favorite meal on Disney Property. I'm an Americana kind of gal. My kids love the roast beef, too. The dinner menu just seems so french. We got a night reservation last trip for the picture, alone, and just ordered dessert. The atmosphere is very much the same with Lunch or Dinner, you just have a waiter at dinner. If you're going solely to see the place, go for lunch. Food is great AND it's much cheaper. Plus, you can get refillable drinks which is always a plus in a Disney park.

 

[hllb]

We love the lunch food! The roast beef is probably my favorite meal on Disney Property. I'm an Americana kind of gal. My kids love the roast beef, too. The dinner menu just seems so french. We got a night reservation last trip for the picture, alone, and just ordered dessert. The atmosphere is very much the same with Lunch or Dinner, you just have a waiter at dinner. If you're going solely to see the place, go for lunch. Food is great AND it's much cheaper. Plus, you can get refillable drinks which is always a plus in a Disney park.

I've been considering canceling my dinner reservation, but now you have me thinking about just doing a dessert! Do the desserts count as a snack credit on the dining plan? Not a big deal either way, but a bonus if they did.

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

I've been considering canceling my dinner reservation, but now you have me thinking about just doing a dessert! Do the desserts count as a snack credit on the dining plan? Not a big deal either way, but a bonus if they did.

We tried that and it doesn't - you'd have to use a table service credit even if you just get dessert. We paid out of pocket and got the strawberry cream cheese cupcake (the best!), a grey stuff (not my favorite), and one coke and it was about $15.

 

[hllb]

We tried that and it doesn't - you'd have to use a table service credit even if you just get dessert. We paid out of pocket and got the strawberry cream cheese cupcake (the best!), a grey stuff (not my favorite), and one coke and it was about $15.

Yeah, OOP is fine. I love the lunch cupcake topped with gray stuff. It's great, though I'm not sure the gray stuff by itself would be quite as good.

 

[FrankieWinthrop]

It's on a cream-type stuff at dinner with a chocolate shell.

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