CP or LTT for dinner?

[Cinderumbrella]

For our upcoming December trip (yes I am that crazy that I am thinking about our December trip already ) we want to eat in MK the night of MVMCP. We have never been to LTT but other members of our party are not sure about this place and would rather do Crystal Palace. We are already eating at CP for breakfast, but have never been for dinner.
I personally hate dinner buffets of any kind, but I'm doing it for the kiddos!

Which would you recommend and why?

TIA!!

 

[hezreck]

I haven't been to LTT (we are doing dinner there on our next trip). I have been to Crystal Palace for lunch, so I'm assuming the buffet is basically the same at dinner. I personally didn't care for it. I found a few things that were good, but nothing really great. That's why we are trying LTT this year.

 

[AStamm]

Who said you were crazy for thinking about eating in December? About two weeks ago, DH and I sat down and scheduled out the parks and restaurants we want to eat in when we're there December 23-31. I even called and got my reservations for the Polynesian Luau and the Family Magic Tour already. Can't wait for that 180-day window to open!

I personally prefer LTT for dinner. It doesn't seem as crowded and the food is delicious...especially the strawberry vinagrette dressing on the salad. Drinks, salads, and rolls will be on your table in a matter of minutes, so if you have extremely hungry kids they won't be waiting long. It's nice to have a meal where you are served and the characters are coming to you...no chance of missing that photo op when you're up at the buffet line (which has happened to me at CM and CP).

 

[NC State]

We have tried both and CP wins everytime. The food is so much better, LTT is like having frozen food reheated in the microwave.

 

[jenniferma]

Cinderumbrella-- are you going before a MVMCP? We have been to both restaurants (CP for Lunch, LTT for dinner before MVMCP).

I would say it depends on a few things--
CP is buffet, LTT is family style. CP has great food, LTT gets mixed reviews on these boards. We personally really liked it, but it is made by Stouffers and a lot of people here compare it to Stouffers frozen food. Check out www.allearsnet.com for photos and specific menus.

Characters-- LTT is Minnie, Chip, Dale, Goofy and Pluto. CP is Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger. When we visited, we only saw two characters at CP. LTT was the opposite-- we saw all five characters twice.

LTT is much quieter and calm.. CP is a little noisy and loud.

LTT is my DH's absolute favorite character meal. CP was one that we personally were going to skip this next trip-- but we moved our trip up from November to March and decided to give it another try.

If you are going to the MVMCP in December-- I would highly recommend getting an early ADR (like 4:30ish) and having a leisurely character meal before the event-- we LOVED doing it that way.

have a great trip and good luck. Nothing wrong with planning early!!
jen

 

[Mamu]

LLT used to be one of my dinner favorites at the MK. Over the years I've noticed their food has slipped. I still like this restaurant, love the style, great character inter-action but know the food is not as good as it use to be.

CP on the other hand has character meals all day, and has good food. There are some dishes I don't care for, but I never leave hungry. Character inter-action is good.

 

[beattyfamily]

I've also eaten at both before MVMCP (and MNSSHP).

We prefer CP for the variety of food.

LTT is good if you don't want to get up and down for the buffet. But we are not crazy about the food. My girls are picky eaters and they do not like the ham, turkey or the stoffers mac and cheese. I enjoyed the salad dressing, bread and butter. The meat was alright. The atmosphere is ok but on party nights its CRAZY in there. Very busy and crowded.

I love the variety of food at CP. I love the atmosphere.

Good luck deciding between the two.

I prefer eating around 5:30p for party nights. That gets me done around 6:45p, just in time for the party.

 

[Wendy31]

CP & LTT were my DH's favorite meals at WDW last year.

LTT has become our traditional "first night" dinner, and we eat at CP for lunch on our MK day.

For me, I prefer LTT for dinner - it seems more "dinner-ish" to me for whatever reason. I would prefer CP for breakfast or lunch - I guess because I'd rather do a buffet for breakfast or lunch & have a full "sit-down" table service for dinner.

The buffet at CP is crowded - I felt like I was standing in line for another attraction while I stood at the buffet, &, with 2 kids, I made several trips to the buffet. The restaurant is a bit noisy, but it's fun & very pretty! And we thought the food on the buffet was wonderful - lots of yummy selections! The characters are also good, but we had to wait forever for Pooh to visit our table. LTT has a more "relaxing" atmosphere - it's more quiet; the tables aren't as close together. The character interaction is wonderful as well! We thought the food at LTT was really good (except for the mac & cheese) - the Declaration Salad was delicious!

If you've already got an ADR for a CP breakfast, I would definitely go w/ LTT for dinner, just for the difference in experiences & restaurants. I like to try a variety of restaurants when we're at WDW. Plus, by going to LTT, you'll see a whole different set of characters.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts! This is my 4th trip to WDW (and the 7th for other members of my party) and I am about trying new things when we go.

I think the biggest fear at LTT is the Stouffer's food. I am not expecting it to taste homemade (heck- no one makes better stuffing than my Grandma ), but others in our group seem to only want gourmet food all the time while we are there (yes, it has been over 20 years since they have gone with young children and have forgotten that gourmet + toddlers = crankiness)

I don't want to go to CP since we are already going for breakfast, plus as I said in my original post, I am not a fan of dinner buffets (at WDW or anywhere else), so I love the idea of LTT family style meal.

Keep the comments coming- I'd love to hear more!!

 

[beattyfamily]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts! This is my 4th trip to WDW (and the 7th for other members of my party) and I am about trying new things when we go.

I think the biggest fear at LTT is the Stouffer's food. I am not expecting it to taste homemade (heck- no one makes better stuffing than my Grandma ), but others in our group seem to only want gourmet food all the time while we are there (yes, it has been over 20 years since they have gone with young children and have forgotten that gourmet + toddlers = crankiness)

I don't want to go to CP since we are already going for breakfast, plus as I said in my original post, I am not a fan of dinner buffets (at WDW or anywhere else), so I love the idea of LTT family style meal.

Keep the comments coming- I'd love to hear more!!

Well, does it have to be a character dinner? You can also eat at Tony's and the Plaza on party nights (and CRT).

I'm going to eat at Tony's this year so DH can experience it.

Good luck!