Family friendly and Good Food Picks

[missEm]

Ok, here are my ADR, what do you think (dinning with 3 kiddos-- DS 4, DS 3, and DD 9 months) for Jan. 24-27
5:20 Boma
5:20 Garden Grill
5:00 Hoop Dee Doo
5:20 Coral Reef

Are these good choices for our family? We want fun, and good food, plus the WDW "feel." Should I switch one to TS lunch at Cinderella's Table, or will the boys be not so impressed with all the princess-ness? Our DP does not include breakfast, so thoses character meals are out. Is there any other character meal that is super cool and worth dropping one of our existing ressies for?
Thanks for your advice!
Emily

 

[mickeystoontown]

The only one I am questioning is Boma. We've never eaten there because we have some picky eaters in our group and the Boma menu doesn't appeal to us.

The only character meal you have on your list is Garden Grill. We have eaten there three times and have enjoyed it every time.

We have also eaten at the Coral Reef and the food was delicious! It's not a character meal but your kids will enjoy watching all the fish swim by.

The Hoop Dee Doo was really fun. There's lots of good food, corny jokes, singing and dancing.

I would suggest the Crystal Palace. This is a very large buffet that is really well maintained and clean. (I am picky about buffets) There is a wide variety of foods to choose from and is quite good. The characters would be great for your kids given their ages. The meal takes about an hour to an hour and a half during which time you will visit with Tigger, Piglet, Pooh and Eeyore.

Another character meal within the Magic Kingdom is Liberty Tree Tavern. The food there is served family style and it was good too. The characters are Goofy, Minnie, Chip and Dale. They are dressed in Revolutionary clothing.

Hope this helps, Lisa

 

[Pakey]

BOMA is excellent and I wouldn't remove it from your list. There is so much variety and there is plenty for picky eaters as we have a few in our group and they love BOMA as much as the adventurous eaters.

I think your selections look great; a good variety to them.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

I'm sure those will work just fine. In case you don't know though, you could be seated pretty far away from the tank at Coral Reef and it's pretty dark in there. Our little kids didn't like it at all. You know how kids are though--another day it may have been the best thing ever.

Our favorite meal was at Chef Mickey's. We also enjoyed Sunshine Seasons for counter service. (Especially the dessert choices there!) Columbia Harbour House has really good counter service food too!

Have fun!

 

[missEm]

Thanks for the advice! So how many character dining meals should I try to hit for a 5 night stay? Are they a really big deal to little kids? I guess I'm wondering "how cool" are they? If I were to make a ressie at the Crystal Palace, which one of my picks do you think should be the one to get sacraficed?
Emily

 

[praline3001]

Ok, here are my ADR, what do you think (dinning with 3 kiddos-- DS 4, DS 3, and DD 9 months) for Jan. 24-27
5:20 Boma
5:20 Garden Grill
5:00 Hoop Dee Doo
5:20 Coral Reef

Are these good choices for our family? We want fun, and good food, plus the WDW "feel." Should I switch one to TS lunch at Cinderella's Table, or will the boys be not so impressed with all the princess-ness? Our DP does not include breakfast, so thoses character meals are out. Is there any other character meal that is super cool and worth dropping one of our existing ressies for?
Thanks for your advice!
Emily

You 3 and 4 year old would like chef Mickeys .. its loud, boisterous and full of singing and napkin twirling. My boys love it (though I am not overly fond with the zoo) and we go every trip 1 time.

The Whispering Canyon is another great place to take boys. Again, its loud and boisterious but thats the whole point for boys to have fun!!!

The coral reef can be boring for some boys, same thing for Boma.

I am not sure what dining plan your on or what your complete plans are but what about the playhouse disney breakfast at MGM? My kids are too old to enjoy those characters but I bet it would be great for your 2 boys.

 

[Tinkerspell]

I agree with the other posters about some of the other character dining choices. We really did not like Boma. I know some people rave about it, but my picky daughter hated it, and my adventurous son who would eat practically everything also hated it. He was so excited about the ribs (this boy loves ribs!), but he took one bite, put it down with a "yuck" and was grumpy the rest of the night.

We ended up getting burgers at the resort that night because we were all hungry afterwards.

Good luck deciding!

(Oh, and DS son says Garden Grill rocks!)

 

[GoofTroop]

Ok, here are my ADR, what do you think (dinning with 3 kiddos-- DS 4, DS 3, and DD 9 months) for Jan. 24-27
5:20 Boma
5:20 Garden Grill
5:00 Hoop Dee Doo
5:20 Coral Reef

Are these good choices for our family? We want fun, and good food, plus the WDW "feel." Should I switch one to TS lunch at Cinderella's Table, or will the boys be not so impressed with all the princess-ness? Our DP does not include breakfast, so thoses character meals are out. Is there any other character meal that is super cool and worth dropping one of our existing ressies for?
Thanks for your advice!
Emily

With the ages of your kids, I'd maybe consider not going to Coral Reef. They are the right age for Hollywood & Vine (Little Einsteins and JoJo) or Crystal Palace (Pooh and friends).

Boma is good, I'd keep that. I think you'll find something for everyone there. We love it, and took my sister and her family and they said it was "OK" but didn't feel the need to go back. Yet, my DH wants to eat there everytime!

My kids love Garden Grill. I think it's one of the quieter/not as chaotic character meals.

Even if you make no changes, I think you've got a nice variety. Biggest question: Will your kids sit through a restaurant, such as Coral Reef, if they are not close enough to the tanks? Garden Grill has characters, HDDR has entertainment, and with Boma, there's constant movement since it's a buffet.

Elizabeth

 

[becka]

With kids that young the one thing I really liked was the character meals or meals with family style food - where the whole meal is brought to your table but you didn't have to wait a long time to get the food. Having to go up to the buffet 15 times to get food for everyone was a bit of a pain.

 

[fleurshons]

Personally, I'd consider the 50's Prime Time Cafe. It's great for the family, and is definitely one of the most fun restaurants in WDW. The atmosphere is just great! The food is "kid-friendly" as well-- the S'mores dessert is awesome!

 

[missEm]

Ok, I've adjusted the plan with the kind advice of others! I dropped Coral Reef, and added Crystal Palace in its place. I'm wondering if the Hoop Dee Do is really worth 2 TS credits, and if my kids will sit through the length of the show, or if they'll get restless? They have it lised as someplace good for preschoolers, and my DH is happy to see they serve drinks (the grown up kind) How long does it take to get to Wilderness? Is it going to take a big bite into our day to get there in time for the 5 p.m. show?
Because of when our flight leaves were left with an extra TS we won't be able to use for dinner, so HDD used it up... Any other suggestions?
Emily