Can some veterans review my dining reservations please?

TorontoJoe

Ready to return to WDW this fall!!!
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Messages
66
Hi All,

Taking my DD and DW to stay at BCV this October and we've made the following reservations under the DDP. I would appreciate it if anyone thinks we're making a mistake with any of these choices, or vice versa if we're on the right track.We are also going to try and fit in one lunch at Epcot F&WF if possible using snack credits and cash.

Saturday dinner: Biergarten (Epcot)
Sunday dinner: Tony's Town Square (MK) (DW is a big Lady & The Tramp fan)
Monday lunch: Crystal Palace (MK) (Character dining for my DD)
Tuesday dinner: 50's Prime Time Cafe (HS)
Wednesday dinner: Cape May Cafe (BC)
Thursday breakfast: Chef Mickey's (MK) (Character dining)
Thursday dinner (not DDP): Aloha Dinner Show (Poly)

Because we have a 2-year old, we're not planning on anything too fancy, but hoping to try a variety of good food in different areas of the park.

Again, comments and guidance are appreciated!
 
No Animal Kingdom reservations?

Otherwise, looks good to me (though I'm not much of a "veteran" since I've only been to WDW once :rotfl2:)
 
No Animal Kingdom reservations?

No, because DD is so young, we are trying to stay closer to the resort and be able to come back for naps/pool time during the day. Are we being too conservative to skip the AK??
 
I would skip the AK! You can always go to a zoo while you're at home, however you're hard pressed to just as easily go to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot or Disney Hollywood Studios unless you're actually there. I don't hate the AKL, I just think it's grossly over-rated. Btw, I think your dining options look great!

I would like to suggest the Princess breakfast in Norway at Epcot or dinner at 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian) that has Cinderella, Prince Charming, the Wicked Step-Mother and Evil Step-Sisters. Those are great for little girls and the food is so much better than Cinderella's Royal Table
 

I'm not recalling too many rave reviews on the Aloha show, but I've never done that one. The rest look good. :earsboy:
 
Our family loves AK. I would reconsider. Maybe do the character breakfast in AK instead of Chef Mickey's. We found Chef Mickey's food to be subpar and the place was filthy. :scared:
 
I think your ressies are great.

However I do suggest doing AK, don't have to eat there, but go to the park.

Chef Mickey's is cool, especially if you are trying to stick by MK.

And Tony's, your wife is going to LOVE it!! I too am a huge Lady and the Tramp fan, so make sure you "treat her like a lady" while there. LOL
Very cute place.

Enjoy, I think if you are happy with those adrs it is a win win for you!

Enjoy your trip.
 
Saturday dinner: Biergarten (Epcot)
Sunday dinner: Tony's Town Square (MK) (DW is a big Lady & The Tramp fan)
Monday lunch: Crystal Palace (MK) (Character dining for my DD)
Tuesday dinner: 50's Prime Time Cafe (HS)
Wednesday dinner: Cape May Cafe (BC)
Thursday breakfast: Chef Mickey's (MK) (Character dining)
Thursday dinner (not DDP): Aloha Dinner Show (Poly)

You have the plan figured correctly, with QS for lunches and Monday dinner. I am not a fan of Biergarten - did not like the food. Tony's is ok for the scenery, but not the food. CM is great for breakfast. As for CP, my youngest at 18 months was scared of the costumed characters at first, but came around by the end of the trip. And, they have fire dancers at the Aloha Dinner at Poly.

No, because DD is so young, we are trying to stay closer to the resort and be able to come back for naps/pool time during the day. Are we being too conservative to skip the AK??

I am not a big AK Park fan. It is the biggest park there, and takes a great deal of time to walk from attraction to attraction. They have some great rides and shows, but we only go to that park every few trips.

Have a great trip.
 
I think you have good choices. I think your DD will love Biergarten, I know mine does. The only thing I think might be questionable is Aloha dinner show. I've never done it, but it doesn't seem to get very good reviews on this board. At 2, my DD loved MK and Epcot the best, and she still does at age 4. I really like AK, but DD never has- she likes the Safari ride, Lion King show, and meeting the characters and that is pretty much it. I think it is because we have a really good zoo at home and because it doesn't have enough princesses for her. Have you thought about trying for a princess meal? At age 2, I think that was DD's favorite thing the entire trip. We did Akershus because we booked our trip too late to get into CRT. Before that meal, DD liked Cinderella, but that was about it. From that meal on, our house has been all Disney Princess all the time- it still is almost 2 full years later.

Just be prepared to follow your DD's cues. We had planned for resort naps and possibly pool time mostly because we really thought DD would need them based on these boards. We found out pretty much the first day that DD was a commando. Any attempt at a resort nap was a disaster... we quickly learned that stroller naps were what worked for her. DD wanted to be in the parks and only in the parks. Once we got her awake in the morning (she is not a morning person), she would be standing at the door with her stroller demanding that we hurry up. :laughing: You may have a kid where resort breaks work great... or you may not!
 
I like AK & Tusker House Safari breakfast is awesome!

'Ohana is a really good place too. Our favorite. The food is so good & the atmosphere is relaxing & fun.
 
When we took our 2 year old, naps in the afternoon were a must. It seemed like she could go on and on, but then day 2, meltdown in the Magic Kingdom in the afternoon. We took an afternoon nap the rest of the trip and she was fine. We avoided AK at that time. Since we stayed at the Poly, we stuck mostly to MK and Epcot since it was just a monorail trip for both. We did go to MGM one morning.

Also don't be afraid of nicer restaurants with a 2 year old. They are pretty good at taking care of families in Disney :thumbsup2 We actually ate at Kona Cafe twice on that trip because our DD loved it and it was so convenient.

Make sure you do the Beaches & Cream Soda Shop since you are staying at the BC.

We finally did the Aloha Dinner Show last year and the whole family enjoyed it. Food was fine(nothing spectacular, but enjoyable) and the show was very entertaining IMO. Buuuuut. I don't think my daughter would have enjoyed it at 2, she was 5 when we took her. So YMMV.

Also I think the Breakfast buffet at Cape May is supposed to be pretty good. We have never eaten at it, but I know I considered it because of the reviews.
 
Great choices, except I would not take a 2 year old to the Aloha show, not enough going on to hold attention!! :goodvibes
You should totally feel free to skip AK. :thumbsup2 It's a nice park, but as others have said, a nice zoo is probably near your home!
Have a great trip, my two year old slepted in the stroller, so we didn't have to go back to the resort, but I spent a lot of time shopping to be in the A/C! :lovestruc
 
Do I go to a different AK than those who say you can skip and go to a zoo at home? :confused3 I know it may not be a favorite of some, but wow! There is so much to see and do there with a little one...:confused3
I think your ADR's look fine, but I agree with the others about skipping on the Spirit of Aloha. I don't think it will hold your DD's attention for that long.
If you do decide to go to AK (and I hope that you do!;)) I would highly recommend Tusker House character breakfast.
 
Our family loves AK. I would reconsider. Maybe do the character breakfast in AK instead of Chef Mickey's. We found Chef Mickey's food to be subpar and the place was filthy. :scared:

Have to agree - donald breakfast safari at AK is so much better than chef mickeys.

Also A is nothing like a zoo. I think it is way better than epcot for young children. Don't get me wrong I love epcot but as young children my kids loved AK more.
 
I think your ressie's look good for a first visit with small children. You will try things and find those that you like and some that you may not wish to return to, all part of the trip.

I applaud you for thinking ahead and not trying to do too much. I think skipping AK is a smart plan, you can always return to WDW if your family loves it.
 
Everything looks good except the Spirit of Aloha - it's a very loooong and (IMO) boring show and the food is very mediocre. I really don't think it'll hold your DD's attention.
 
My kids second fav park (to Magic Kingdom) is Animal Kingdom! I wouldn't skip it. We like it because well, its a quieter park and the parade in the afternoon is really fun there for the kids - the "floats" are pretty interesting looking. Plus, we've found it is a good place for character meeting with less lines.

My kids enjoy the nemo show and the lion king show as well. We usually don't eat there other than a counter service meal and snacks . Since it shuts at 5pm you have time to go to a resort restaurant afterwards.
 
Do I go to a different AK than those who say you can skip and go to a zoo at home? :confused3 I know it may not be a favorite of some, but wow! There is so much to see and do there with a little one...:confused3.

I don't think of AK that way, my child however is another story!:rotfl: She humors me and will hang out at AK for a few hours, but then she starts begging to leave and go back to MK or Epcot.
 
Everything looks good except the Spirit of Aloha - it's a very loooong and (IMO) boring show and the food is very mediocre. I really don't think it'll hold your DD's attention.

Uh-oh...sounds like a lot of DISboarders are thinking that DD will not enjoy the Aloha dinner show...but this was DW's idea and she is really into it. How does a DH handle this????
 














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