During this trip we learned....

[Kapp]

to LOVE eating lunch at a sit-down restaurant instead of counter service. We had always eaten counter service for lunch and than usuall a sit-down for dinner. This time, we experimented with sit-downs at lunch and LOVED it! For not that much more than counter service (and a good bit cheaper than dinner), we got to sit down in the cool comfort of AC, enjoy a better meal and be waited on without fighting the crowds, hunting a table, bearing the heat, etc. We liked the first experiment (Liberty Tree) so much that we changed and added to our PS for the rest week to include lunch. And, we even did this for our 2 days at Universal. Granted, we usually orders sandwiches, salads and kids' meals but still, it was a great way to recharge for the rest of the day.

 

[bavaria]

to LOVE eating lunch at a sit-down restaurant instead of counter service. We had always eaten counter service for lunch and than usuall a sit-down for dinner. This time, we experimented with sit-downs at lunch and LOVED it! For not that much more than counter service (and a good bit cheaper than dinner), we got to sit down in the cool comfort of AC, enjoy a better meal and be waited on without fighting the crowds, hunting a table, bearing the heat, etc. We liked the first experiment (Liberty Tree) so much that we changed and added to our PS for the rest week to include lunch. And, we even did this for our 2 days at Universal. Granted, we usually orders sandwiches, salads and kids' meals but still, it was a great way to recharge for the rest of the day.

I totally agree! It's a nice break to the day. I also realized that I don't like to line up for my food - standing in a loooooong queue to get food doesn't do it for me. A sit down meal is an experience... glad that you discovered the secret!

 

[gigi1313]

good for you! i love when you find something that just "works!"

our fave meal secret is BRUNCH! we love the last/latest seating for breakfast, esp on EMH mornings when we were up and out early and by 10:30 we're ready for a break and some serious nourishment... also found that we had better character interaction at the later breakfasts as the tables are emptying, we get more attention...

 

[michaelwilliammidd]

This is an excellent point....we have been doing this the past few trips and love it as well. It's a great break during the day and the cheaper lunch prices aren't a bad bonus either.

 

[PrincessKitty]

DH and I will have to start considering this! Our experience is that counter service food is generally awful, and not cheap. I would rather have a decent meal for a little more money!

 

[kelleigh1]

good for you! i love when you find something that just "works!"

our fave meal secret is BRUNCH! we love the last/latest seating for breakfast, esp on EMH mornings when we were up and out early and by 10:30 we're ready for a break and some serious nourishment... also found that we had better character interaction at the later breakfasts as the tables are emptying, we get more attention...

This is EXACTLY what we're doing for our trip in January. I booked our character breakfast for the last seating on what should be an EMH day with the intention of it being brunch. And with a buffet...even better.

 

[Kapp]

(and we are good tippers!) the cost of the food between a sit-down lunch compared to a counter service lunch was not all that much. Granted, we did not order steak for lunch and mainly kept to sandwiches and salads but the cost difference was very little. We will do this again!!!

 

[disneyholic family]

we always do sit down lunch....

 

[cobbler]

We always do sit-down lunches too. Hardly ever dinners. We usually make it a later lunch so that there are less crowds at the restaurants and it will fill us up for a good portion of the day. That way we can just snack for dinner or split a CS meal.

 

[mareed]

We also enjoy a table service lunch as our break and like the lower prices than dinner. We do a few character brunches at the latest breakfast seating too!

 

[missypie]

I'm torn. Sometmes it's hard to sacrifice the park time for the meal time. The best solution for us was a combination of TS and CS lunches. With TS we needed to keep the courses to a minimum, otherwise we all got impatient to hit the rides.

We were at Epcot on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. It was hot and crowded. I admit that lunch at Le Cellier (including WINE!!!) made the rest of the day go much better!

 

[kelleigh1]

Does anyone know what time they switch from lunch to dinner? Do they close between? I'm thinking that if we could get away with some late lunches (say 2:30-3:00), that would be great.

 

[swimmom]

Frankly, I often find the table service lunch can be even cheaper. We always order water to drink and that is always free at a table service restaurant. You calculate the cost of a soft drink for 5 people - ($10) at most Disney restaurants - if you drink water, you have more than made up any extra costs!!

 

[melomouse]

.. and thank you for sharing it. On a previous last trip, we "stopped by" for lunch at Chefs de France and loved it. And after our dinner/lunch menu at WCC and seeing price differences - add this to the fact that we are not commando-style tourers and get going late after a light breakfast -
this is a winner! Especially if the parks are open late...
Glad you enjoyed your trip!!

melomouse

This is my WCC review.....
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=943269

 

[BCV23]

Having lunch at a TS restaurant is the only way to go in our book!

Welcome to the club.

 

[Belle5]

For our family of 8 the difference in paying for lunch and dinner is significant! Add to that the DDE discount we will enjoy a nice savings! We have several TS lunches reserved for our January trip and only a couple of dinners.

 

[nbandfour]

We're with you on TS for lunch, but we take it one further and have TS for lunch AND dinner. We found that the kids were much less likely to ask for an afternoon treat and so we saved some bucks there and kept their diets a little healthier. BTW, we always do early lunches and average time dinners so we don't end up overly full.

Cheers,
NB