Dinner reservations.....yes or no?

[mandmmommy]

I made my dinning reservations and I'd love input. I have no idea if I did good or not! Lol. I looked up reviews and took suggestions from the lady helping make them with Disney. We have 2 families going. 2 teens (13) (16) girl/boy & 2 smaller girls 8&9. I really have no idea!?!?

We went with :

Ragland Road
50's prime Time (my dd really wants to go there)
Crystal palace. (Breakfast)
Tonys town square
Garden grille
Tuskers (breakfast)
Ohanas
T-Rex

Any input is appreciated! Thanks!!

Ps: We didn't do the dinning plan. I didn't know enough about it to make a good decision so I skipped it. Will I be sorry?

 

[Angielynne]

We LOVE Ohana. Even with the changes they've made, it's still our favorite. Crystal Palace is also on of our favorites and their breakfast is amazing.

We didn't care much for Tony's. It was just meh....food was cold, service was terrible. I could have made better food than we were served. Haven't been back there again.

We haven't been to the other places on your list

 

[Baptist]

You have some good ones in there!

50's Prime Time is fun and in my opinion the best option in Hollywood Studios. It's a fun atmosphere and the prices are reasonable.

Ohana's and Raglan Road are my other favorites on the list.

Do you really want to do character dining? Crystal Palace with Winnie and Friends may seam "babyish" to your older group. The food is good, but you may not want to pay for the character experience.

If possible (instead of Crystal Palace or Tony's), go to Be Our Guest instead. The experience is better for adults and older kids. Reservations are sometimes available last minute (especially for odd times, but that might be o.k. for your older kids).

Have a great time.

 

[WDWFanForLife]

I made my dinning reservations and I'd love input. I have no idea if I did good or not! Lol. I looked up reviews and took suggestions from the lady helping make them with Disney. We have 2 families going. 2 teens (13) (16) girl/boy & 2 smaller girls 8&9. I really have no idea!?!?

We went with :

Ragland Road
50's prime Time (my dd really wants to go there)
Crystal palace. (Breakfast)
Tonys town square
Garden grille
Tuskers (breakfast)
Ohanas
T-Rex

Any input is appreciated! Thanks!!

Ps: We didn't do the dinning plan. I didn't know enough about it to make a good decision so I skipped it. Will I be sorry?

I know the process of choosing can sometimes be overwhelming, especially the first time. But no worries. Most restaurants are good at WDW and it's just a matter of taste.

As I look at your selections I noticed something interesting. They appear to all be of the same or similar types of cuisine. Is that by choice? Do you have picky eaters? If so, that's fine. I just thought I would point that out just in case you were not aware. I would hate to get there and then feel like every meal I am trying to choose from the same/similar options.

I see that you chose restaurants at each of the four parks. That's good. Here are my thoughts on the ones you chose:

1. Raglan Road - Very good. Depending on the time of day you go, the atmosphere can be great. Especially if you go when Irish dancers/singers are there. It can be a lot of fun.
2. 50's Prime Time - Very good atmosphere. The food is just ok. Don't expect anything to wow you. This restaurant is all about the atmosphere. Kids usually like it, because the waiters/waitresses give their parents a hard time. It can definitely be a good time.
3. Crystal Palace - Never ate here, but I have heard really good things about the food. The main complaint I have heard is that it's too expensive for the food you get. But my feeling is, you are paying for the character interaction experience. My only concern with this selection is that it may be too young for the age of your children. Unless, of course, they are huge Pooh fans.
4. Tony's Town Square - Do not like. Don't think the food is very good.
5. Garden Grille - I have not personally eaten here, but some of my family members have. They enjoyed the food, but said it wasn't anything spectacular. Again, I think the experience you have will depend on your expectations.
6. Tusker House - I have not been here for breakfast, but I have for lunch. Lunch is very good. Sorry I can't be of more help here.
7. Ohana - Decent. The food is good and the atmosphere can be great, depending on the location of your table. Personally, though, I prefer this location for breakfast.
8. T-Rex - I have not personally eaten here, but some of my family members have. They said the food was like what you would get at a local restaurant you may go to at home, except they had funny names based on the theme. The atmosphere of the restaurant was fun, but they have 3 boys. Not sure how fun it would be with mostly girls.

However, if your family is a little more adventurous, I would suggest changing things up a bit. Maybe even check-out some resort restaurants. Here are some of my family's favorite restaurants at the four main theme parks or surrounding hotels:

MK Area
1. California Grill @ Contemporary Resort
2. Be Our Guest @ Magic Kingdom
3. Whispering Canyon Café @ Wilderness Lodge
4. Kona Café @ Polynesian
EPCOT Area
1. Via Napoli (Italy Pavilion)
2. LeCellier (Canada Pavilion)
3. Cape May Café (Beach Club)
HS Area
1. Hollywood Brown Derby @ Hollywood Studios
2. 50's Prime Time @ Hollywood Studios
AK Area
1. Jiko @ Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House
2. Sanaa @ Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village
3. Yak & Yeti @ Animal Kingdom
4. Tusker House @ Animal Kingdom

If you haven't done so already, I would suggest that you check allears.net for restaurant menus to see what your family might like.

As for the DDP, I'm not a fan. However, there are plenty of people who like it because their food is paid for in advance. Our family used to get it, but there have been so many changes, it's gotten more expensive and it's not flexible enough for us.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip!

 

[mandmmommy]

Y'all are awesome! Thanks for the help! We do have picky eaters, but I am going to check out the options you've suggested! As for the character dining, that is a good point! I just really don't know what the heck I'm doing so any and all help/ideas & opinions are much appreciated!!

 

[ncc1701]

OP is your Crystal Palace before the park opens? You can get some great photos with only a dozen or so people in the background rather than the usual hoards. DH and I do breakfast at CP once a trip (no kids) . Food is good and you can fill up before hitting the rides.
Only other one we ate at was Raglan Road and we weren't impressed. However it was a Saturday night, they were packed so we may have hit them on an off night.