Flower and Garden, Here We Come! - 2026 Spring Break PTR - (Updated 2/11 - ADRs/Dining Plans)

[SimplyGoofy]

Flower and Garden, Here We Come!
March 2026 Spring Break Trip

My girls and I had the BEST Disney World trip last spring. We traveled with my sister and had six fabulous park days full of fun attractions, great food, and tons of smiles. The spring weather also beat the pants off the hot summer temperatures – plus, the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot continues to be one of my favorite things.

Here I am during last year's trip with my two girls, M (then age 6) and L (then age 2):

As 2025 went on, I kept returning to the memories of that trip and thought… boy, wouldn’t it be fun to do that again?

I priced out a few hotel options and looked at the airline website when prices were released… and kept the dreaming to myself.

I’m the major Disney fan in our house (although my girls enjoy the parks, too), but my husband G is less than enamored with Disney World. I’ve learned he was Googling, “what to do when you hate Disney World” during our family trip* … so I knew he wouldn’t be as excited as I was to plan another trip.

*Really, I understand. G doesn’t hate everything about Disney (he thought Zootopia 2 was great!), but the parks were chaotic and we ran into lots of entitled people during our 2024 trip. Both things drove him nuts. It was also ridiculously hot during our trip and I packed in every “fun” experience possible (10+ character meals, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, autograph books, the Fireworks Dessert Party, etc.), and it was all too much. He’s happiest hiking in a tranquil National Park – and “tranquil” can be tough to find in the middle of a Disney Park.

This fall was crazy with school, activities, work commitments, and then the holidays, so I never found the right time to bring up a possibly sticky subject.

Come early January, I decided to throw out the idea. To his great credit, he was very understanding about my wanting to return to Disney World, even if he wasn’t personally thrilled. He also agreed spring break was the best time to go due to the cooler weather and lack of school conflicts.

The tough thing about spring break is G’s work schedule – our spring break always falls on a week when G cannot take vacation days. This puts him in a tough spot, as he may not be enthusiastic about visiting Disney World, but he hates to miss out on experiences with his daughters.

I’d originally imagined a week-long trip with leaving on Friday, but what if we left one day earlier so G could join us for the long weekend before returning home for work?

Our kids are now seven and three. M could go on more of the “big kid” attractions like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Star Tours on the early portion of the trip, but is now old enough to ride without another adult beside her during the girls-only portion. L should be able to join us on Slinky Dog and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (she's just shy of 38" without shoes - cross your fingers for us!), but isn't nearly tall enough for the other "big kid" rides. It would be great to experience more attractions and enjoy them with Dad.

G thought about it and agreed to join us for the start of our trip with a few stipulations: he didn’t want any character meals (noted), and he wanted a more relaxed trip (also noted). We still booked a few restaurants (he enjoyed the food at several restaurants, just not the chaos of the characters), but we’ll plan a structured but less frantic park day.

I think the cooler temperatures will help, too. It certainly helped our moods last spring!

Once G departs on late Sunday afternoon, the girls and I will have three more park days to enjoy more magic. We’ll save our fireworks and character meals for that portion of the trip (but just a few – nowhere near 10!) and hopefully enjoy a lot of pool time, too.

I’m SO excited that G is coming with us. The girls are super excited that he’s coming, too. My attempt to make our first family trip “the best ever” was not the way G wants to do Disney – which I understand now. I’d love another chance to share the magic without beating him over the head with it.

Do I think I’m going to turn G into a super fan?

Likely, no.

Do I hope I can make him like Disney World just a little bit more?

I sure hope so.

I'm excited you're here to help me plan!

Up Next: Hotel and Travel Plans

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Table of Contents
Just Yatching Around - Hotel and Travel Plans
Bring on the Hoppers! - Schedule & Park Plans
Dining Day is My Favorite Day - Dining Plans

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Just Yachting Around
Hotel and Travel Plans

We booked last year’s spring break trip just 61 days out and I was surprised at how many resorts were available. Nearly every resort except those on the monorail had some rooms available. Our full spring break week seems to be a bit of a Disney unicorn – last year our week had most of the lowest lightning lane costs for the month and we had no trouble finding room options or booking restaurants.

But this year, we were leaving just one day earlier (Thursday instead of Friday) and this made it a rougher go.

I LOVED the Skyliner last year, but I didn't want to deal with folding a double stroller over and over again. (Yes, our oldest is seven, but I was aiming to make this as easy on myself as possible. Disney park days are long and include a lot of miles!) That made me aim for the Epcot area resorts, where I could walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and skip the folding business altogether.

But the availability of the Epcot resorts was surprisingly slim (as in, NONE) for Thursday night. A Friday arrival was no problem, but Thursday was a no-go.

Whomp, whomp.

So, new plan! We'd start at another resort and switch to an Epcot resort for the rest of our trip. There were a few great options for the first night, including Coronado Springs Resort (the restaurants and the pool appealed to us even though the tower was booked) and Port Orleans-Riverside (the proximity to Disney Springs would be fun). There was also availability at the Wilderness Lodge, the Poly, and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but we decided to pick a less expensive option as our main resort was already pricy. With the All-Stars unavailable (!), we chose my old favorite, Pop Century.

I’ve stayed at Pop twice (one night in 2015 and eight nights in 2016) and think it’s a great resort.

I think the girls will LOVE all the colorful décor! It will be great to be on the Skyliner for our first park day (even with the stroller folding). We could even see the Cars section we missed exploring during last year’s stay!

Turning to the Epcot resorts, I wanted to stick with a Disney-owned resort, so the Swan and Dolphin were out. I was originally leaning toward the BoardWalk Inn as it would be completely new to us, but news about the pool refurb and M's waxing poetic about Stormalong Bay clinched our decision for a Beach or Yacht Club stay.

The costs were very close (each had availability with different discounts), so G made the final call: Yacht Club, as it would be new to us.

Yacht Club it is!

We ventured over to the Yacht Club for dinner at Ale and Compass in 2024, so we have seen the lobby before:

And, of course, the Yacht Club shares a pool (*cough* waterpark *cough*) with the Beach Club, so M’s swimming dreams will come true.

I’m super excited to stay at the Yacht Club! I'm thrilled about the pool and the easy access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. We've been fortunate to take multiple trips to Disney World, so I can't wait to enjoy the resort and feel less pressure to “pack it all in.”

As for flights and airport transportation, we did a rinse and repeat of last year. We booked the only airline that has direct flights to Orlando (easy choice, there), and we re-booked Cast and Crew Transportation to take care of our airport transportation. We did have to book two separate itineraries (as the girls and I are staying for seven nights while G is staying for three nights), but we're all flying in on the same flight.

I’m super excited about everything we booked! I look forward to seeing Pop Century and Art of Animation again, and I’m thrilled to stay at the Yacht Club. I’m also relieved to have our travel booked!

Up Next: General Park Plans

 

[DLo]

Following along . Looking forward to reading more . I love the EPCOT area resorts. Switching up this year to WL but favorite is still any EPCOT area . My DH told me the last time he went with me that he isn’t going back until we have grandkids . Luckily , our granddaughter was born in November so hopefully, he will be back soon !

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Following along!

But the availability of the Epcot resorts was surprisingly slim (as in, NONE) for Thursday night. A Friday arrival was no problem, but Thursday was a no-go.

It is so funny how that happens.

Yacht Club it is!

We love Yacht Club!!!! I would stay there everytime if we could!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Following along . Looking forward to reading more . I love the EPCOT area resorts. Switching up this year to WL but favorite is still any EPCOT area . My DH told me the last time he went with me that he isn’t going back until we have grandkids . Luckily , our granddaughter was born in November so hopefully, he will be back soon !

Welcome - thanks for joining in!

We enjoyed our stay at the BCV back in 2024. Our room was lacking in a few ways, but the close proximity to Epcot was amazing! It will be fun to see the difference between the Yacht and Beach Club (and the difference between a regular room and the studio we had at BCV). The Wilderness Lodge is also amazing (I stayed there for a few nights back in 2016) it's a great choice!

Congratulations on your granddaughter! I'm sure your husband wouldn't miss out on a trip with her, so I bet he'll go back with you soon.

Following along!

Hi Ariella! Thanks for joining in!

It is so funny how that happens.

It was just bizarre. The weeks before and after us appear to be busier, but I know each week involves spring break for some part of the country. I'm just glad we were able to find a resort for the first night a few months out!

We love Yacht Club!!!! I would stay there everytime if we could!

I'm really excited to stay there! We enjoyed the BCV a few years ago (the hotel, pool, and park proximity were great, although our room felt small after coming from the Poly!). I especially love that we're close or a Skyliner ride away from so many restaurants - we shouldn't need a Minnie Van for the whole trip!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Bring on the Hoppers!
Schedule & Park Plans

Last year we didn’t have park hoppers.

This was a huge departure for me – I’d had park hoppers for every Disney trip since 2005. I love being able to be in one park in the morning and another in the evening. I was worried I would feel constrained without hoppers, but (financially and otherwise) they didn’t make sense for our condensed trip.

The funny thing was… I didn’t mind! We did a great job (for the most part) making the most of each day. As a hopper regular, I was surprised that I wasn’t bothered without the ability to hop.

But this trip is different. We have six full park days and two travel days – eight Disney days! Plus, we’re staying at the Yacht Club, and our close proximity to Epcot may entice us to more “popping in” unexpectedly. Plus, our deluxe resort opens us up for Extended Evening Hours in Epcot and Magic Kingdom – score!

Do I think we’ll make it to both EEH with two young children? Eh, maybe not… but I like having the option! I think it’s likely we’ll bail Epcot on the early side (attractions are so far away from each other – but we may enjoy the ambiance for a bit), but I’d LOVE to try for some extra time in MK. Magic Kingdom after dark is one of my favorite things!

With all these things in play, hoppers made sense for this trip - at least for some of us.

The girls and I will enjoy six park days, but G is only joining us for three. In my attempt for “low-key” (or at least, lower-key) park days for G, I skipped hopping plans as park hopping does not help that low-key vibe. Plus, G is gone before any of the extended hours so hopping makes less sense anyway.

Therefore, I chose a three-day base ticket for G and six-day park hoppers for me and the girls. I checked prices with both Disney and my favorite third-party ticket site… and to no one’s surprise, the third-party site was better priced. I bought my two sets of tickets, added them to my Disney profile, and we were set!

Now to figure out the park touring plan. I love a schedule.

G was interested in two parks – Epcot and Magic Kingdom. He would’ve been perfectly content to ONLY visit those two parks. (He didn’t mind Animal Kingdom but wasn’t super enthused by Hollywood Studios.)

Any guesses where we’re spending our third park day with G?

Hollywood Studios.

We can thank our older daughter, M, for that, as she was insistent on visiting Hollywood Studios with Dad. G gave in easily because he loves his daughter.

Frankly, I think this will be great. The Studios is the hardest park for our toddler – there are so many rides with height restrictions! This will give M a chance to ride Star Tours (and maybe give me a chance to ride Tower of Terror?). It will also give M her best shot to ride Slinky Dog just in case L is a smidge too short. I also think G will enjoy Rise of the Resistance. He missed it back in 2024 and M would LOVE a chance to ride it with him – this kind of attraction is right up his alley!

After G’s departure, we’ll round out our remaining three park days with Animal Kingdom and repeat visits to Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

I’m especially excited for our two full days in Epcot on this trip. I feel like we’ve given that park short shrift on our last two trips. We popped in and out a few times in 2024 but were never there a full day, and last year we had two “half” days in Epcot (so, one day!). I’m excited to have more time to wander in World Showcase (and perhaps try more festival snacks!) and spend more time enjoying the park rather than rushing to attractions.

My last major decision was to determine our nighttime spectacular priorities. Happily Ever After is a must-do for me – I LOVE the MK fireworks and the girls seem to enjoy them, too. G did NOT want to see fireworks (we had a rough experience leaving the park in 2024, which I think soured his overall take on them), so they are slated for the second half of the trip.

We saw Fantasmic last year (so that’s not a must-do for me), but I would like to see the new nighttime parade. The parade should be doable with several evenings planned for Magic Kingdom. I’d also be open to seeing Luminous, but with our close (walkable!) proximity to Epcot, catching that can be a game-day decision. If G is not interested in Luminous, the girls and I could watch it on Monday night when we’re there for extended hours.

Our final schedule:

Thursday – Arrival + Resort Time
Friday – Epcot
Saturday – Magic Kingdom
Sunday – Hollywood Studios
Monday – Animal Kingdom + Epcot EEH
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom + Happily Ever After Fireworks
Wednesday – Epcot + Magic Kingdom EEH
Thursday – Departure

This is a shockingly similar lineup to last year – we also started our trip and began our last day in Epcot and enjoyed two days in Magic Kingdom. We did Hollywood Studios a bit later in our trip (I’m hoping our Thursday arrival will help me get decent lightning lanes for Sunday!). I’m skipping After Hours (I don’t believe any are offered during our dates), but the extended hours will be fun.

Overall, we have a schedule (hooray!) and I determined the final lineup at the eleventh hour before we booked ADRs.

ADR plans (my favorite thing!) are up next!

Up Next: Disney Dining Plans

 

[buzzrelly]

Joining here too! My DH was not a huge WDW when we were first married either but we are now DVC owners and he looks forward to our trips throughout the year, we just had to figure out that he could not go on the big thrill rides and still have fun...he also really likes all the dining and food options. I'm sure your DH will come around and have a great time!

I love the POP/Yacht Club split...two great choices! We will be heading down March 12-18, the first two nights at Riviera and the last four at the Beach Club. Maybe we'll run into each other! Did you say which dates you are going?

 

[cindianne320]

I am so excited for you to have another trip planned- with hubby this time!
We are also headed back over our spring break, and I'm so shocked there is no availability. We are staying at my friend's house, but needed a hotel for one night on either end, and I thought it would be fun to do a Disney one, but they are either sold out or out of our price range- it's hard with 5. I love Beach Club, so I hope you love the Yacht Club- and I always choose Pop when we are able to book it!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Sounds great. I struggle with park hopping. We are going no park hoppers on our next trip. We will see how it goes.

 

[ambula603]

This sounds like a great trip! I hope G has a better experience. Our first trip was similar to yours- we just did too much with our young girls. Now that we are all older with more experience, I don't feel the need to rush or do all the things. I bet he will enjoy it more this time! Props to you for considering his needs and trying to plan around those. It's difficult when you have different touring styles!

 

[pkondz]

Following along, but I don't tend to comment much on PTRs...

Having said that...

I’ve learned he was Googling, “what to do when you hate Disney World” during our family trip* …

we ran into lots of entitled people

Yuck. The worst.

I don't get how people are like that. Especially the "Do you know how much money I spent to blah blah blah..."

Yeah. I do know. We all do.

Yacht Club it is!

Nice!

Last year we didn’t have park hoppers.

I've done both. I tend to stick to one park from rope drop to me drop from exhaustion.

We can thank our older daughter, M, for that, as she was insistent on visiting Hollywood Studios with Dad. G gave in easily because he loves his daughter.

Awwww...

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Joining here too! My DH was not a huge WDW when we were first married either but we are now DVC owners and he looks forward to our trips throughout the year, we just had to figure out that he could not go on the big thrill rides and still have fun...he also really likes all the dining and food options. I'm sure your DH will come around and have a great time!

Hi Kelly! Thank you so much for joining in!

Thanks so much for saying that - that makes me feel better! Honestly, I think the frantic nature of our first trip (plus the fact that our kids were two years younger) made it more stressful. It was also my first trip in Disney World in eight years, so I'm sure I was a little more excitable than usual. Since we've been lucky enough to go several years now (and will definitely come again), I'm going to force myself to go with the flow this time.

I love the POP/Yacht Club split...two great choices! We will be heading down March 12-18, the first two nights at Riviera and the last four at the Beach Club. Maybe we'll run into each other! Did you say which dates you are going?

Thank you! Although it would've been easier to stay at one resort for the whole trip, I'm pretty excited about our night at Pop Century. It's such a visually appealing resort! I also hope we'll get a chance to check out the Cars section of AoA, which we missed when we stayed last year.

I don't tend to explicitly state my dates (although I'm sure some could figure it out), but...

I can't believe it - we're going to be there at exactly the same time! We arrive on March 12th and the girls and I leave on March 19th. It would be great to run into each other! We can even make plans to purposely run into each other, given how close we'll be once we're both staying at the Yacht/Beach Club. (We may also switch our first night's dinner from Trattoria al Forno to Topolino's, just in case you have dinner plans there on your first night at the Riviera?)

I am so excited for you to have another trip planned- with hubby this time!

Thank you, Cindi! I'm pretty excited, too! Thank you for joining in.

We are also headed back over our spring break, and I'm so shocked there is no availability. We are staying at my friend's house, but needed a hotel for one night on either end, and I thought it would be fun to do a Disney one, but they are either sold out or out of our price range- it's hard with 5. I love Beach Club, so I hope you love the Yacht Club- and I always choose Pop when we are able to book it!

I was really taken aback that all the Epcot resorts were unavailable! I'm glad we were able to find something (and my husband was happy it was an economical choice). That's a bummer that you're not able to tack on a Disney night along with your trip. Spring break crowds are real! Despite that frustration, I hope you have a wonderful and magical time on your trip! The weather alone makes it worth it to battle the increased crowds.

I'm super excited to try the Yacht Club - I always hear great things about that resort. The walk to Epcot will be wonderful and I know both girls will LOVE the pool.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Sounds great. I struggle with park hopping. We are going no park hoppers on our next trip. We will see how it goes.

I honestly didn't mind the lack of hoppers on our last trip! We made the most of every day and even took a break and returned to the same park a few times. I think we could make it work without hoppers this trip as well, but the EEH and close proximity to Epcot swayed me in the direction of hoppers.

This sounds like a great trip! I hope G has a better experience. Our first trip was similar to yours- we just did too much with our young girls. Now that we are all older with more experience, I don't feel the need to rush or do all the things. I bet he will enjoy it more this time! Props to you for considering his needs and trying to plan around those. It's difficult when you have different touring styles!

Thanks for joining in, Amber!

Thanks - I sure hope so! The girls actually did pretty well on our first trip (and I think M really enjoyed all those character meals!), but it was A LOT. Similar to you, our frequent (yay!) trips do make it easier to relax a bit. There's no need to "pack it all in" if we get to do it again in the near future. We're lucky to be able to do that!

Following along, but I don't tend to comment much on PTRs...

It's great to see you - thanks for joining in on the PTR!

I know, right? I knew it wasn't his favorite trip of all time, but I didn't realize just how much he didn't like it. I hope I can turn Disney from a miserable experience to at least a tolerable one... one step at a time!

Yuck. The worst.

I don't get how people are like that. Especially the "Do you know how much money I spent to blah blah blah..."

Yeah. I do know. We all do.

Seriously. I mean, we ALL spend ridiculous amounts of money (and sure, some more than others) to be at Disney World. I don't remember any entitled folks from our trip last March (I'm sure there were a few, but it must have been subtle enough that it didn't imprint on my brain), but I have STRONG memories of several folks from our first family trip. Here's hoping the cooler weather and our more "go with the flow" attitude will help!

Nice!

I'm really excited to stay there! The major perk of the Beach Club Villas was the Epcot proximity - it will be great to have that again!

I've done both. I tend to stick to one park from rope drop to me drop from exhaustion.

I'm also an all-day park person. I've had to rein it in a bit with the kids!

Awwww...

Honestly, the reason he's going at all is because he doesn't want to miss memories with his girls. If it was just me, I may be out of luck!

 

[pkondz]

I hope I can turn Disney from a miserable experience to at least a tolerable one... one step at a time!

Good luck!

Seriously. I mean, we ALL spend ridiculous amounts of money (and sure, some more than others) to be at Disney World. I don't remember any entitled folks from our trip last March (I'm sure there were a few, but it must have been subtle enough that it didn't imprint on my brain), but I have STRONG memories of several folks from our first family trip. Here's hoping the cooler weather and our more "go with the flow" attitude will help!

Hopefully. Your zen zone won't hurt.

I'm really excited to stay there! The major perk of the Beach Club Villas was the Epcot proximity - it will be great to have that again!

I loved staying close to the park. Such a perk.

I'm also an all-day park person. I've had to rein it in a bit with the kids!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Dining Day is My Favorite Day
Dining Plans

Disney dining is my FAVORITE thing at Disney World.

Sure, I love being in the parks, staying in the resorts, and riding the attractions… but I REALLY love planning my meals.

This dates back to 2012 when my sister and I tried tons of restaurants with our deluxe dining plan. (So much food! ) That trip started my love of Disney table service dining and I’ve been an enthusiast ever since.

Despite my love of Disney dining, that love has not carried over to the Disney Dining Plan. I’m glad we tried it in 2012, but I found it worked better to have more flexible dining options. I love sharing food and eating appetizers, both of which are harder and make less sense on the dining plan. Our family also doesn’t drink much (I order wine occasionally, but G doesn’t drink at all), so that doesn’t help us “save” money on the dining plan, either.

However, the 2026 dining plan promotion for kids gave me pause. Paying for just my dining plan would’ve given the kids their plans for free – it seemed like a no-brainer! However, when we added G to the trip it meant he'd have six days of dining credits despite his four days on-site. Adding the dining plan would’ve also led to requiring a package and therefore matching six-day park hopper tickets for everyone.

I did a cost analysis and determined that we could still come out ahead with the dining plan with mostly one credit character or fixed price meals. Although it made sense money-wise, G wouldn't have been thrilled with character meals and I don't know what the girls would've eaten at the Ohana dinner. The sticker shock of the package price with the dining plan led to a compromise - G agreed to book the more expensive Yacht Club if we would forgo the dining plan.

Initially, I was a little disappointed in skipping the dining plan (what a great deal for the kids to get free dining!), but now I’m happy we skipped it. We’ll come out either ahead or about the same thanks to saving money on G’s park ticket (a three day base ticket is hundreds less than a six day park hopper) and we have more flexibility in where and what we eat.

Our dining is split in two sections – character-free and slightly upscale meals during our days with G, and a mix of favorites and character meals during my portion alone with the girls. We have one ADR each day with G, but two each day once he heads home. I like concrete meal plans and think it will be easier when I’m alone with the kids.

Here’s where we landed with ADRs…

Breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace

We’re soaking our last bit of magic with breakfast here on our last Disney morning. We enjoyed our breakfast here in 2024 and the girls will love to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy again. The mice and the ducks are L’s favorite characters!

Breakfast at Crystal Palace

This was a surprise addition – I asked M if there was anywhere she wanted to eat, and she immediately said, “Breakfast with Pooh!” What? Really?! Okay, then… Crystal Palace it is! Crystal Palace was my FAVORITE PPO breakfast in the mid 2010’s, but I was less impressed in our mid-morning visit in 2024. As such, we have a first-thing PPO breakfast planned this time and everyone is VERY excited about it!

Lunch at Via Napoli

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Epcot – a trip is not complete without pizza from Via Napoli.

Lunch at Roundup Rodeo BBQ

(photo from Google)

We had a planned ADR here in 2024, but we scrapped it when stayed near the resort instead of returning to the Studios. This was G’s selection for Hollywood Studios and I’m really excited to try it! Only G and I like BBQ, but there is macaroni and cheese for L and we should be able to cobble together something for M. At least she’ll love the Forky cupcakes!

Lunch at Yak and Yeti

This was a late addition after my main ADR day – I read a trip report that included Yak and Yeti and soon I decided to scrap my Sa’tuli Canteen plans for lunch here. I was lucky that a noon slot appeared (thank you to whoever cancelled!) and nabbed it. This is my first visit back after an eleven year hiatus – Anika and I enjoyed this spot and I’m excited to return!

Dinner at Narcoosee’s

G chose Narcoossee’s among a few options for our Magic Kingdom day. This will be perfect for my seafood-loving husband and should be a relaxing meal after a bustling MK day. I’ve been here twice and am thrilled to return!

Dinner at Le Cellier

This was G’s selection for our Epcot day. We don’t often eat at steakhouses as G can grill something better at home for less, but I think G will like Le Cellier. I can’t wait to eat more cheddar cheese soup and I think the girls will love the chocolate “moose.”

Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby

One of our FAVORITE meals last year was a last-minute dinner ADR at HBD. The girls enjoyed a hot dog and mac and cheese, while I had soup and the Cobb salad. We plan to enjoy the same lineup of food this time – including another piece of their delicious chocolate cake!

Dinner at Akershus

I thought it might be fun to mix it up after two great meals at Cinderella’s Royal Table. The girls (especially L) will love meeting the princesses and love the food – salmon is the only animal protein that both girls eat with gusto. I’ve been here a few times for breakfast, but this will be my first visit for dinner.

Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern

This meal may get the axe in favor of another Epcot spot, but I’m always happy with their salad, stuffing, and especially the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake.

Dinner at Wailulu Bar & Grill

(photo from Google)

We missed eating here last year, so I’m hopeful we’ll make it this time. Our ADR and therefore (hopefully?) lack of a long wait should help. I’m torn on whether to try the Wayfinder Burger or the Ahi Tuna Crips – both look so good!

Dinner at Trattoria al Forno

(photo from Google)

I’m waffling on this dinner. It's booked for our arrival day as I thought dinner on the Boardwalk would be fun. Still, the reviews are mixed, and the girls may not enjoy this meal very much (L loves buttered noodles but M doesn’t like pasta at all). I’m thinking of swapping this for dinner at Topolino’s, which has better options for my daughters and should be more to G’s liking. I’d love your thoughts if you’ve enjoyed (or hated!) either of these dinner options. What would you do?

Our last planned “ADR” is our Magic Kingdom Fireworks Dessert Party. I decided to try the post-party this time due to the absurdly early closing times at MK – I’d rather head for dessert while the crowds battle their way out of the park.


This is a LOT of ADRs – I’m sure we’ll swap out a few things once we’re there. I’m absurdly excited about several of them (Crystal Palace! Yak and Yeti! Narcoosee’s!) and look forward to seeing how everyone else enjoys them. It will also be fun to try a few new (to us) restaurants – Roundup Rodeo BBQ looks SO fun and Wailulu Bar & Grill looks delicious!

I haven’t thought much about quick service options (other than Woody’s Lunchbox for breakfast bowls and Lunch Box tarts!), but we’ll eat most breakfasts and some lunches at park quick service spots. Let me know if you have a favorite quick service spot and/or meal!

 

[pkondz]

Sure, I love being in the parks, staying in the resorts, and riding the attractions… but I REALLY love planning my meals.

Geez, lady. Stop teasing and tell us how you really feel!

I did a cost analysis and determined that we could still come out ahead with the dining plan with mostly one credit character or fixed price meals. Although it made sense money-wise, G wouldn't have been thrilled with character meals and I don't know what the girls would've eaten at the Ohana dinner. The sticker shock of the package price with the dining plan led to a compromise - G agreed to book the more expensive Yacht Club if we would forgo the dining plan.

You need a degree in high-level maths to figure out Disney these days...

Dinner at Wailulu Bar & Grill

Hadn't even heard of this place. Colour me curious.

Dinner at Trattoria al Forno


I’m waffling on this dinner. It's booked for our arrival day as I thought dinner on the Boardwalk would be fun. Still, the reviews are mixed, and the girls may not enjoy this meal very much (L loves buttered noodles but M doesn’t like pasta at all). I’m thinking of swapping this for dinner at Topolino’s, which has better options for my daughters and should be more to G’s liking. I’d love your thoughts if you’ve enjoyed (or hated!) either of these dinner options. What would you do?

I think, since M doesn't even like pasta would be to go with Topolino's. I wasn't impressed with dining at Trattoria all that much. It was okay, but...

Let me know if you have a favorite quick service spot and/or meal!

Oh, geez... with kids, right? Morimoto is good, but not with kids, for example. Maybe... hmmm...

50s for the yummy food and fun wait staff.
BOG for the ambiance,
Same goes for CRT.
Maybe Biergarten if they like that food. Lots of it to chose from.
Teppan Edo for the chef's show.
Coral Reef for the view
Okay, I'm out of time, but there's a few, anyway. And..

CHH for quick service, off the top of my head.