Dining Help Please

[SCRAPBOOKQUEEN]

Hi Everyone,

I'm getting ready to book my first WDW trip with my 13 year old DD. We will have the Dining plan. What Character meals would you recommend? I just need some recommendations to help me make my decision. I only want to do a couple because I am a scrapbooker and want the Character experience. Then, what other restaurants would you recommend. I'm okay with most food, but she is 13 and does not like seafood, but loves steak, chicken, etc. Thank you for your assistance.

Scrapbookqueen
Kellie

 

[bigbabyblues]

Which characters does she like? I wouldn't do two meals with the same characters if you're looking for mostly pictures.

Our favorite character meals is breakfast at the Crystal Palace (Pooh & friends).

 

[scrappymel]

if she's still into princesses, the storybook dining at akershus in epcot is fun. the princesses are very attentive. for the fab 5, chef mickey's is a good choice (though the food isn't that great).

for a steak, you could try le cellier (it might be a 2ts credit when you go though, didn't see your date), captain's grill, or coral reef.

my daughter loves teppan edo for the show and the food.

good luck with your planning!

 

[SCRAPBOOKQUEEN]

It's all so overwhelming. She is not a big eater so I thought I'd make a couple of Character Reservations and then a couple of dinner reservations and then most likely we would do Counter Service on a couple of nights. I somewhat don't understand this dining plan. Can I use my table service tickets for a counter service or just somewhere you can order and then go and sit down? The Teppan Edo sounds great. I think she would like this a lot.

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

My niece is also 13(but is more like a 16 yr old) and just goes with the flow and gets into the childlike spirit. I just booked our meals today, including a few character meals. We have CRT (dinner), CP-loves Eeyore(breakfast), and 1900 Park Fare-hoping for the Mad Hatter and Alice (breakfast). For non-character meals, we have Le Cellier, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Kona Cafe and Liberty Tree Tavern to name a few.
You can find current menus online on disney.go.com or allears.net. Make sure to book 180 days in advance to get the best sellection and it doesn't hurt to call at 7 am either. Include her in the planning process and have fun!

 

[wyonative78]

You can't go wrong with breakfast at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. Laid back atmosphere and you gets lots of one-on-one time with Mickey, Goofy, and Daisy. Plus, you get your photo taken outside with Donald. We love it!

 

[Karalynn]

Crystal Palace is our favorite character meal. Love Pooh and friends and the restaurant is pretty, the food is good!

 

[ratlenhum]

Our favorites are:

Crystal Palace
Donald's Safari breakfast at Tusker House
the princess breakfast at Akershus

We were told Chef Mickeys was a "must do" so we did that two. Of all the character meals we've done, that's near the bottom of our list.

CRT was nice for the atmosphere and the experience of eating in the castle. The interaction was excellent as well. The food was just so so, not one we'll do again but a cool experience overall.

 

[loganpaulsmom]

For someone never having used the dining plan before it can be very confusing. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind..
1. for the reg. dining plan (DDP) you get 1 table service (ts) 1 quick service (qs) 1 snack (s).
2. Since in most case you really do need to make your advanced dining reservations (ADR) 180 in advance this really helps you plan out your trip and you know ahead of time how many (TS) you will be using.
3. Be aware that sometimes it will make sense for you to pay out of pocket. (OOP) for a meal to save up for something else later in your trip.

For a child of any age you really can't go wrong with any of the Character Meals it just depends on what Characters you really want to be able to capture with your daughter. Also, realize that some of them for instance, Cinderella's Royal Court, (CRT) are 2 tables services and the food in my opinion, less than stellar, but the experience of eating at the castle is priceless and meeting all the princesses, its a little girls dream (some big girls too)..
I have been to both Crystal Palace and Chef Mickeys and love them both for different reasons. The food at both is normal Buffet type food. I mean you are not getting 5 star cuisine but its not awful either. Also, my suggestion is to go there for breakfast.. Start your morning off with a full belly. Also, where ever you are staying use your Snack and get something like a muffin or roll with it.. Later in the day you can eat that and then use a counter service for dinner..
I am trying lots of NEW restaurants when I visit in April.. I chose most of them because of what I thought would keep my son occupied or entertained. Although, this time I have decided only 1 character meal..
Half the fun is in the planning. Definitely go to allears.net and check our menu's and reviews, it can be a bit overwhelming but you will get the hang of it.. Good luck planning your trip..

 

[Hopefully]

It's all so overwhelming. She is not a big eater so I thought I'd make a couple of Character Reservations and then a couple of dinner reservations and then most likely we would do Counter Service on a couple of nights. I somewhat don't understand this dining plan. Can I use my table service tickets for a counter service or just somewhere you can order and then go and sit down? The Teppan Edo sounds great. I think she would like this a lot.

The dining plan is relatively easy to figure out, once you understand it.
You will receive 1 Table Service (TS - Sitdown restaurant), 1 CS (Counter Service), and 1 Snack per person per NIGHT of your stay. So if you are there for 7 nights, 8 days you will each have 7 of each credit eacg.
You can use them in any order you choose, but you can not exchange a TS credit for a CS meal. Plus this would be a very poor value for that credit.
We always have a quick breakfast in our room, a CS meal for lunch and a TS meal in the evening. We use snacks as we go and they can be used for the breakfast foods we have.
We are not big breakfast eaters and I personally think using a TS credit for breakfast is a waste. We like to sit down at the end of the day and relax over dinner together.
Good Luck

 

[heatherwillmom]

Over the last few years, we have done about all of the character meals available for breakfast & lunch. We haven't been dissappointed in the character interaction in any of them. I think it helps to see which characters that she prefers. It also helps to research the food at each meal if she is picky. My kids have loved all of them, but they're not picky eaters

 

[lblume91]

Your DD falls between my oldest two in age. On our last trip in '09, they were 16 & 11. They loved the character interaction at 1900 Park Fare for dinner. It is Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine (step-mother) & the step-sisters. The steps are an absolute hoot! Especially if you really interact with them. One of the step-sisters entered our area singing, very badly. My DD11 told her what a beautiful voice she had (even though she totally didn't) & it went on from there. If you compliment them, they really ham it up with you. Lady Tremaine told them they needed to strike a pose for a picture because that's how you catch a rich prince. Just cute stuff. DD6 was more than a little intimidated but older DDs loved it.

I'd also recommend 50s Prime Time Cafe for this age. We tried it for the 1st time in '09 & we all loved it. Our server was very funny & totally made the experience. It's not a character meal but still lots of fun.

 

[staceycrouton]

I agree that the dinner at 1900 Park Fare is awesome! The stepsisters and Lady Tremaine steal the show. I would also reccommend either the breakfast at Cape May Cafe' or Donald's Safari Breakfast at Animal Kingdom. The characters at both of these are a lot of fun and should give you some great pictures for your scrapbooking.

 

[heatherwillmom]

My DD loved Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast when she was a little younger. Both of my kids love Crytal Palace, Chef Mickey's, Ohana, & Cape May Cafe for breakfast. We also loved Crystal Palace for lunch