Deluxe Resort - Best Counter Service (on Dining Plan)?

[eeyore29]

We love the variety of the food courts at the Value Resorts. We have stayed at BC & Poly and weren't thrilled with the very limited selection. Are there any Deluxe Resorts that have what I'm looking for?

If not, which one did you like the best or thought had the most variety? Especially for the kids. We have a picky DD3, and we typically eat at the resort for lunch or dinner a few times during our stay, and I don't want the same thing for her 4 days in a row.

THANK YOU!!!

 

[Eliza32]

Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary is nice. You order at machines, so you can customise what you want to some degree. Captain Cooks at the Poly is similar.....but you can get dole whip there for desert!!!! Current menus are on allears

 

[Pakey]

The deluxe resorts have table service restaurants in lieu of food courts.

The Epcot resorts have a quick walk to world showcase where the best variety awaits.

For stand alone, I'd say AKL has the best counter service.

 

[6disneykids]

If you are looking for a "food court" atmosphere at a Deluxe Resort, there aren't any. In my opinion the best QS at Deluxe are:

1. Contempo Café (Comtemorary)
2. Gasparilla Grill (Grand Floridian)
3. Captain Cooks (Polnesian)
4. Mara (Anima Kingdom)

Not knowing what kind of tickets you have and if you are close to Epcot, but Sunshine Seasons has food court options.

 

[mickeynut1]

Our favorite resort CS is Captain Cooks at the Poly, followed by Mara at AKL and Roaring Forks at WL. We thought Gasparilla's at the GF was ok, but didn't find the variety there that we found at the others. I can't comment on Contempo Cafe at the CR as we've never eaten there.

 

[cheesemouse]

We think that the Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary is good. I think it's a lot better than most counter service places at WDW. Portions are big and very shareable.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

They are all the same. You get some different options but the quality of the counter service restaurants don't differ much.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I know you are looking for Deluxe food options but what about moderates. The PORS and POFQ have a good QS options.

AoA has build your own pasta and salad options. Burgers are also a hit.

 

[pixarmom]

We've stayed at all the deluxes except for GF, and I agree with the previous poster who mentioned that you're not going to find the same kind of values/mod food court atmosphere/selection at a deluxe resort. We prefer to avoid food court-type locations, so we like that deluxe resorts don't have them. But if you're looking for more of a food court situation, I think the Mara at AKL is closest to that.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I think the worst of the deluxe food courts are the BC, BWI and WL as far as food options go, not the quality or the taste...what they do have is good its just that they really dont have much to offer

Best, IMHO, is Poly, CR, GF and lastly AK

 

[Amy&Dan]

I like Captain Cooks at the Poly, Gasparilla Grill at the GF (love the lobster mac and cheese and lobster cobb salad) and the Contempo Cafe at the CR. Artist Palette at SSR is probably my favorite but thats a DVC and while "deluxe" is a bit out of the box so to speak!

The mods in my opinion have the best cs options, POR's build your own pasta bowl is one of my favorite things in all of WDW as far as cs or ts for that matter. Also, Pepper Market at CSR has buffets at breakfast and lunch that are cs (you do have a gratuity). Probably the hands down best deals on the dining plans for cs are at CSR as far as resorts.

 

[jade1]

The Epcot resorts have a quick walk to world showcase where the best variety awaits.

A huge advantage IMO. We do this a lot.

 

[Amy&Dan]

The deluxe resorts have table service restaurants in lieu of food courts.

The Epcot resorts have a quick walk to world showcase where the best variety awaits.

For stand alone, I'd say AKL has the best counter service.

Agreed. They are also pretty close to each other and the Boardwalk so its easy to get to another resort on foot for a quick bite.

However for an early breakfast or something to take to the pool, these resorts kind of stink for cs. Esp BW.

 

[kam1011]

We love the variety of the food courts at the Value Resorts. We have stayed at BC & Poly and weren't thrilled with the very limited selection. Are there any Deluxe Resorts that have what I'm looking for?

I COMPLETELY agree! We usually stay in deluxe villas because there are six of us, but I miss being able to just run and grab something quick. And then, last summer, we finally got into Bay Lake Tower and the Contempo Cafe was just that! (in the regular Contemporary building, but there's a walking bridge between the two buildings).

The one at AKL is okay, but note that it's at Jambo House, so if you're at Kidani, it's not a quick, easy grab-a-meal-and-go location. In your case, if you want AKL, choose Jambo House. We were at Kidani, so as far as I was concerned, we didn't have 'quick' service available.

Saratoga has a quick service very similar to a food court but there seems to be a little less variety. Lots of salads and stuff and there is always hot food, but not a ton of choices each night. OKW has a VERY limited menu with like chicken nuggets and...idk, I think we had chicken nuggets everyday.

I'm a picky eater, as is my oldest daughter!

 

[eeyore29]

I'm a little surprised at all the love Captain Cooks. When we stayed at Poly, I don't remember a lot of choices (I did like the self-order kiosks). But then after the other comments, I guess none of Deluxes really have a huge variety. I've checked out some of the menus and confirmed that. Bummer. I understand that Deluxes have the sit-down restaurants to make up for it (which we also utilize).

We're currently booked at POP. If I reach a certain personal goal we will be ugrading to Poly (my fave), BC (DH's fave), or WL since we're going in December - I think it will be the most "Christmasy" and the least expensive of the three. While I'd like to try the Contemporary, DH absolutely dislikes it so that's not an option. We would consider AKL if it was the only place we could get a discount - it's just so out of the way. It's beautiful & I know that DD would love the animals, but if I'm paying for a deluxe, I want transportation to be a perk (monorail/boat/walk to a park). And as far as moderates go, we'd love to try POFQ but discounts there are pretty rare it seems.

I know that BC has the Boardwalk & Epcot right there, but our meals at the hotel are usually like this: when we head back for an afternoon break, one of us gets food & the other takes DD back to the room to get her settled. Then we eat and relax or nap. So the Boardwalk (which doesn't really have many CS options besides the bakery, does it?) and Epcot wouldn't really work since the "plain" food options are pretty far from the "back door" (America/Electric Umbrella/Sunshine Seasons). Between Poly & BC, I thought the options at the BC were the most limited. If only Hurricane Hannah's was indoors (that was not fun in the rain), that might make it a little better. Plus I remember it was a maze to find it (also not fun in the rain).

We'll just make-do with wherever we end up. I'm sure that I'm just fretting over nothing. It is Disney after all!

Thank you all for your input!

 

[nkereina]

We stayed at POR and LOVE their food court, so we were also disappointed when we were checking out the monorail resorts and wanted to find a good QS. We ended up eating at the Contemporary which was fine selection-wise, but it was very small and had difficulty finding a seat.

 

[MissionMouse]

We love the variety of the food courts at the Value Resorts. We have stayed at BC & Poly and weren't thrilled with the very limited selection. Are there any Deluxe Resorts that have what I'm looking for? ...

There is a design behind the resort categories and food offerings is a part of the design. Just like you will not find Table service offerings at most of the value and moderates, you will not find a food court in any deluxe. With a little re-engineering to align to the Disney Dining Plans, over 10 years ago, all the deluxes took their snack bars and called them counter service. Don't expect a food court when it is not part of the resort design and offerings, since their focused on fine dining. Their all basic with snack bar level offerings.