I have been reading through some of these posts and am feeling a little overwhelmed, my you are all well voiced in all things Disney! I am taking my grandchildren to Disney World for a week this year for the first time (for all of us) I am considering the Deluxe Dining Plan, could anyone suggest some restaurants that we may like being this is our first trip. My grandchildren are comfortable eating out and do not have trouble sitting still for meals.
Thanks for your help!
p.s. oops almost forgot to add, the children are 19, 15, 11 and 7. The older two are boys and the younger two girls
Hi Elaine,
I just wanted to mention...
The Deluxe Dining Plan is a lot of food and $$, (all but the youngest are considered adults for dining and tickets.) To get the most value for the money paid for the DxDP, you will mostly want to use your dining credits for Table Service meals, (TS) which require time. Since this is your/their first trip, they may not want to spend that much time sitting in restaurants as it will subtract from their touring time. Another factor is the crowd prediction for the time of year you will be visiting. Early Dec. is great but if you are planning over the holidays, crowds and wait times will be high and will also cut into the time you actually get to experience the attractions. One suggestion is to schedule a 1 credit and a 2 credit meal per day so your are only taking time to do 2 TS meals. Of course, you know your grandchildren best and should make your decision based on your family's preferences.
My family always enjoys one TS meal each day. We choose our restaurants to experience a little of everything... some for the food, some for the fun, some for the atmosphere, etc.
Here are some of our favorites -
In or near MK -
California Grill @ The Contemporary, (2 credits.)
Kona @ The Poly
Crystal Palace in MK, Winnie the Pooh & Friends buffet character meals. (We prefer breakfast foods at buffets.)
Chef Mickey's @ The Contemporary, Mickey & Friends buffet character meal. (Again, we prefer breakfast.)
In Epcot - (No need to leave this park to dine, too many good options!)
Teppan Edo in Japan.
LeCellier in Canada.
Coral Reef, (one entire wall is an aquarium.)
In Disney's Hollywood Studios -
Cape May Buffet @ the Beach Club. (Take the boat from DHS, nice and relaxing and you get to check out some other resorts.)
Si-Fi Dine-In, sit in cars at the drive-in movies. (A couple of our kids always pick this one.)
Consider booking a Fantasmic Package.
Animal Kingdom -
Since this park closes early, we usually dine at one of the Downtown Disney restaurants later in the evening, although we have enjoyed the character meal here, as well as Yak & Yeti's.
*Since you will be staying at the GF... I have had good meals at the Grand Floridian Cafe. We enjoyed the character interaction at Cinderella's Royal Gala, but I wasn't impressed with the food. However, your granddaughters might enjoy it.
Remember you can make dining reservations 180 days out. If you schedule restaurants in or
near the park you will be visiting that day, you can cut down on traveling time to and from the restaurant. Check the Park Calendar for park hours, (when it becomes available) and try to decide which park you'll visit each day. If you buy the Hopper Passes, you can visit multiple parks each day but remember it takes time to travel from park to park.
Have a great trip.
At the Sci Fi Drive In it's just what it sounds you sit in cars inside the restaurant while you eat and watch old Sci Fi films. In Epcot, Le Cellier in the world showcase gets many good reviews and you can't really go wrong with the pizza places there like Via Napoli also in the world showcase. Oh if you all get a chance you might want to try a dinner show like Hoop De Doo Revue, we haven't been to this one yet, but we mean to in the near future it is located in the Fort Wilderness Resort I do believe and all the places I have listed are covered by the dining plan. Good luck on your trip you all are going to love it
