Dinner at Steakhouse 55 or Storyteller's? And Parking Q

[cruisehopeful]

Our passes our blocked on January 1 and we (adults only) are going to attend the Tower of Terror farewell party. I am trying to decide between dinner at Steakhouse 55 or Storyteller's? Are there characters at the Storyteller's dinner? The menu seems to have a lot more choices than Steakhouse 55 and it looks like we can either order from the menu or do the buffet. I am interested in the menu.

Originally, I booked a reservation for Steakhouse 55 because I figured we could also loiter in the lounge before/after. Storyteller's doesn't have a lounge, but we like Hearthstone. After seeing the Storyteller menu, I think I'd like the food there better, but also would enjoy the quietness of Steakhouse 55. I don't eat steak, lol. Just looking for feedback on dinner at both places.

My AP is blocked and we can park at Mickey and Friends starting at 8:00pm with the party reservation. Even though my pass is blocked, would I be able to park there before 8:00 for free with my AP?
I know I can park for 3 hours at the hotel, but then I'd need to move my car to Mickey and Friends and I'd rather not bother with that.

 

[figment_jii]

There are no characters at Storytellers during dinner. There is both a buffet and an a la carte menu. The menu has some items that are also on buffet (e.g., the corn chowder), but some unique items. My family has enjoyed both, but lately we've been gravitating towards the buffet. Unfortunately, as you noted, Storytellers isn't really very quiet; it can be quite loud and noisy. The booths around the edge of the restaurant (furthest from the buffet) tended to be slightly quieter.

In terms of parking, it sounds like you cannot park for free on a blockout day.

If your Annual Passport includes parking, parking is not valid on your Passport blockout dates.

 

[SMD]

You can't park for free on a blockout day. You could for about 4-5 years and then they took that away with the last AP increase in 2015. Steakhouse 55 should validate, just make your reservation a little bit earlier to allow time to move the car.