Dining is completely overwhelming me!

[3girlsfun]

Ok, I am very overwhelmed. I thought that buying the DP would eliminate a lot of stress, however, not so much! I am having to make all kinds of decisions! LOL!!!

At at rate, I don't know where to start! It is so overwhelming. I am assuming I need to pick what parks I will be at on the different days, then pick the dining.

Got that!

Ok, so, what are "best?" for kids? 5 year old?

Thanks

 

[Andrea73]

I would start looking at the menus and finding what appeals to you and your family. For us, I quickly realized that the kids menus would not work for my kids. So I picked out regular TS that had kids choices that they could live with along with good adult picks and several buffets.

I also found that by picking TS at resorts, we would not be locked into certain parks on certain days so we have quite a few resort meals.

Then start picking preferred times.

And after you have it all booked, you end up tweaking, cancelling, re-booking, rinsing, deleting and re-working until your head spins.

Then you are done!

 

[hstrickland]

We always do the DxDP and love it!!! I'm a huge planner and really enjoy the entire process of deciding where to eat, when to eat, etc. Don't let it be overwhelming! Go to allears.net or another Disney website and look at all the different places to eat. Allears.net gives you the menus, also. This website is excellent and has tons of info. If you want a great book, get The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010....I love this book, too. Again, it gives you ALL the restaraunts on Disney property and rates them. Not sure when you are going, but if it's a busy time, you might want to make your hard to get ressies 180 days out....Cinderellas Royal Table, LeCeiler, California Grill, Ohanas...are just a few. Which resort are you staying in? Depending on which resort, there might be many options that are really close to you.

Happy Planning!

 

[02AggieGirl]

We love Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey's, Cinderella's Royal Table for character meals.
Our kids also enjoyed Whispering Canyon Cafe.
Le Cellier is delicious!
We liked Tusker House in AK.
Brown Derby and Mama Melrose are my favs at DHS

 

[danielle.st]

The WDW website itself has many menus and they tend to be more up to date than the other sites. I have been looking more at the WDW menus and only the other sites for those not listed (buffets, kids menus).

Maybe you could look at menus and then make a list of restaurants that you think the whole family would enjoy. Figure out how many days in each park and which restaurants will work best with which park day. Then decide which actual date each park day will be.

I try mostly to use the touring plans crowd calendar to help figure out which park for which day. Some people know they want to use EMHs though, so they plan more around those.

 

[inmyis]

Whether we do the DP or not we base a lot of wha we do and where we are around food/restaurants. We usually it a park early do a counter service lunch then head back to resort for a relaxing swim Then get ready for a nice table service dinner at either a resort or park. Then maybe see the evening show/fireworks that is close by.

We head to YC this week and have added the DP for myself, DW and DD (17). My DD even has her favorites we must do like Le Cellier. We are paying cash for Hoop Dee Doo, our 11th time, and I needed to call Dining yesterday to cancel three ADRs that I had changed on line. Planning is always crazy but great fun!

 

[rhondag508]

Just wanted to validate you....YES, it is very overwhelming...Like studying for a test!

 

[aidandmommy]

I am a super planner as so I can I start to book dining reservations based on what day we are going to each park. I have lucked out the past 2 times and have been able to get 3 reservations at CRT, which we love overlooking Fanastyland. Some of our favorites:
Chef Mickey's
CRT
Calf Grille
Crystal Palace
Brown Derby

 

[FanO'TheMouse]

It's overwhelming but fun! And so many people here will help!

I have been with kids many times- I am a nanny and have been to the world with kids of all ages- and the best advice I can offer is to do some research into as many character dining experiences as you can. Many times these are buffets so there is something for everyone.

Two reasons I love character meals with kids.
1. You can get autographs and photos with the characters and they will be good photos and not too rushed. You won't have to waste valuable time in the parks standing in line for characters when you could be waiting for attractions.

2. When using the dining plan you can get these character meals for only 1 sit down credit each. If you look at park hours and get a rough idea of what park which day you can then look to the restaurants.

Some of our favorites-
Crystal Palace - winnie the pooh and friends
Chef Mickeys- great photos of Mickey and friends
1900 Park Fair- at the GF so you can get Cinderella etc..
Tusker House- breakfast with Donald etc...

I know that lots of people don't like buffets but with the kids I think character meals make a lot of sense!!

 

[momof1princess]

ok, first, take a deep breath. you're going to have a great time and the kids will love whatever you pick! some good choices for little girls (i see you have 3 DDs):

crystal palace at MK (i suggest breakfast or lunch) - pooh characters
tusker house at AK (breakfast is GREAT!) - mickey, goofy, donald & daisy in safari clothes
akershus at epcot (lunch worked great for us) - princesses!
hollywood & vine at DHS - i think it's playhouse disney characters

we also loved whispering canyon cafe at wilderness lodge (dinner) and ohana (breakfast with lilo, stitch, pluto & mickey) at the poly.

once you know what park you'll be in on what day, go over the menus on allearsnet.com and i know you'll find something great

 

[3girlsfun]

Thank you so much for the encouragement! I tend to freak out, but then I can calm down and do it. We can make ADR's starting May 24th, so I have some time, but, I want to make sure I get the "must eats" in first!

I think the overwhelming is coming in from having my 82 year old grandmother with us. She is only going to the MK with us for half a day, but, we want to make sure she has a great time, so we want to take her to dinner in the evenings to some great restaurants. (And, I don't want her stuck back at the hotel eating at the restaurant by herself nightly.)

We are staying at Port Orleans, Riverside. It will be me and DH, and then 5 year old, 21 month old, and 11 month old, and the 82 year old grandmother.

The character dinners that DH thinks is a must are: Chef Mickey, Donald Safari, Cinderella's Castle, Playhouse Disney, and he wants to do a Fantasmic dinner. Beyond that, we are at a lose........Of course, now, I need to research.

I definitely am going to get the book! Thank you so much everyone!

 

[phyllis1966]

I have to say that although our DD, now almost 11, has always been a bit more on the adventurous side than many young eaters, buffets, mainly for breakfast, have always been her favorite because of the variety. For breakfast, her favorites are Boma, 1900 Park Fare, and the Crystal Palace.

For dinner, she can find something to eat almost anywhere, but Le Cellier is her favorite. She was never a fan of kids' menus at any age, and often chose an adult appetizer, shared our entrees, and then picked a kids' dessert.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

you are correct...it is overwhelming! but, by planning in advance and researching this stuff in advance, your trip will be more fun and relaxed!

we have had great experinces with all the Disney restaurants we have tried. the kids love character dining...i recommend these places for that...

character dining:
--cinderellas royal table (brkfst, lunch , dinner)...this takes TWO dp creidts
--askers in epcot at norway with the princesses ((brkfst, lunch , dinner))...
--chef mickey at teh contemporaty resort (this is a monorail resort so u can easily get to epcot ot mkingdom...serving brkfst , lunch and diner),
--Ohana for brkfst at the Polynesian resort w/ lilo and stitch ( also a monorail resort)

Other good places include:
--Boma at Animal Kingdom lodge,
--Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness lodge (Not Fort Wilderness)
--Ohana at the Polynesian resort for dinner ( no characters)
--and lots of spots in the Epcot World Showcase..Le Cellier is one of the best and Tutto Italia

Have fun!!!

 

[Andrea73]

I wanted to add that there is a WDW Dining app for IPhone/Ipod that I really like. It has the menus and you can put your dining schedule in. I wish there was a place for ADR numbers.

I also like the fact that you don't need a connection to use it since I have an I-Pod Touch.

It's called WDW Dining.

 

[websitekid]

To be honest, the only time when it is really benificial for families to use the DP is when you are planning on using the meals for sit down venues where a plate can range from 20-50 dollars. Other than that, you get a good deal on the food you buy, but each meal usually comes with an entree, a dessert, and a beverage. Many of the people I have talked to say to save yourself the time, and just buy kids meals in the parks. They say you have to be 9 or under, but the workers can't refuse you. Besides, they're cheaper and give you plenty of food. You won't starve in an afternoon.