Disney Dining Suggestions

[waytovietnam]

I know this topic is all over, but... We have two children age 3 and infant, and we're looking to make dining reservations. With the two young children, we'd prefer to not have too long of a dinner, but the quality of food/service is important. We'll be staying at the Polynesian (late january) for six nights, and convenience relative to the hotel would also be nice. Thanks in advance!
P.S sorry if wrong box.

 

[BCV23]

For a combination of convenience and good quality, the Polynesian is a great choice.

Kona Cafe at the Polynesian is very good although the restaurant itself is not elegant. Great service and food.

Hopping on the monorail or making a 10 minute walk will lead to the Grand Floridian and several nice restaurants...Citricos, Narcoossee's and Grand Floridian Cafe. Or hop the monorail to the Contemporary and dine at California Grill or The Wave.

To keep the meal short enough for your children, I'd consider ordering only an entree and maybe one other course. In our experience, WDW servers are quite good at pacing meals for families with young children.

Bon apetit and welcome to the DIS!!

 

[webray]

Not a lot of easy or great restaurant choices in area of Poly.

Kona Cafe is good and will do for any meal.

The Citricos and Narcoosees will take time, CA Grill and The Wave will take hours for dinner. None of which are good choices with little ones.

Your best bet will be to eat in the parks before you leave if you are looking for easy meals (sit down or quick serve in the parks is always easy and fairly quick), or try room service at the poly.

Good Luck!

 

[danielle782001]

We love character buffets with young children....The characters and action keep the kids busy...Chef Mickeys (at the CR) and 1900 Park Fare (at the GF) are both a monorail ride away....

We also like the Whispering Canyon Cafe for the kids because the food is good IMO and the atmosphere is lively...Good if your kids get a bit noisey because you do not have to worry about bothering others around you...That is a monorail/boat trip away from Poly...

We also like Trails End with small ones...It is a buffet of American-style foods...The food is not fancy but the atmosphere works for our children...That is located at Fort Wilderness across the way by monorail/boat as well.

 

[dizfan]

Another vote for Kona's (Polynesian hotel) and Chef Mickey's (Contemporary).

 

[septbaby]

I think Narcoossee's would be a great choice for your "treat" meal. There is a deck outside, great for timeouts . If you time the meal right you can also take advantage of the deck to view Wishes from MK as well as watch the electric water parade sail past. We had a late dinner with an active 5/6yo, he loved his Mickey pasta and the entertainment kept him occupied. There were lots of families with young children. You can take the monorail to the GF for dinner, but use the water launch boat afterwards. It docks right outside of Narcoossee's and the Poly is the next stop. Strollers roll on and off easily too.

The Grand Floridian Cafe is known to have wonderful food, good service and a really pleasant atmosphere. It seems to be less harried then other places. I traded in a lunch there for Coral Reef, so it is on my gotta try list.

Eating TS in the parks can be really helpful for a young family too:
Epcot: Coral Reef
MK: Crystal Palace for characters and good food OR The Plaza for good food, great dessert and a really casual setting (burgers, sandwiches, salads)
AK: Tusker House, though I'd rather eat pre or post park at Boma
DHS: Play 'n Dine at Hollywood and Vine character meal (B or L)

Eating in the park gives you a break, without actually leaving the park. Take the hour or so to sit, relax, cool off and eat. Then you are ready to tackle a few more things before heading back to the room.

CS places in the parks to keep in mind:
Epcot: Sunshine Seasons is a food court and serves breakfast, lots of choices
MK: Main St. Bakery, great location, desserts and pre made sandwiches
AK: not sure Flame Tree is said to have great food, but not so comfy seating area (birds are an issue). We chose to eat bfast before arriving, had ice creams in the park then dinner at Boma, it worked well for us.
DHS: Pizza Planet was our choice, but ended up not being hungry while there. I was a bad auntie and let my nephew have an Itzakadoozie for breakfast on his last day a WDW. We had pizza for lunch before leaving the resort.

 

[seadd67]

For the older one and the Family I would suggest O'hannas or chef Mickeys Have fun

 

[catne]

The Wave at the Contemporary is a quicker meal--without an appetiser we were out of there in less than an hour. Although it has a bit of an upscale look there were several families there with babies & small children. Kona at the Polynesian was also a fairly quick meal, less than an hour.

 

[Keira1387]

I think Chef mickey's would be a good choice!