Food and new attractions question....

[DizzyFORDisney]

Hi all!

We are coming out on July 1 and 2. We are NOT going to eat at any sit-down full-service restaurants for budget and time-saving reasons.

Where do you recommend eating? (counter-service). Are there any special treats or iconic DL foods we should try?

Also, I've printed my touring plans for those two days (and Oh boy will it be crowded!!). However, the Little Mermaid and ST are not on the plans. SHould I do them first? Or maybe skip them altogether and hope to avoid those lines/crowds?

Thanks!!

Oh - we've got four boys (13,12,10, and 4).

 

[Jynxed]

I will be heading there the same days. I do not have advice on the counter service restarants, but for rides I plan to fastpass star tours first thing, then do little mermaid at opening since I can only assume those rides lines will just build more and more as the day goes on. I will skip them if the lines are out of hand, I will never spend hours in line for 1 ride.

 

[peachy17]

I would recommend eating at the hungry bear in critter county,try the green fried tomato sandwich, I posted some pics of the food i ate whilst i was there on the dining review section of this california section

 

[PinkBudgie]

The Village Haus has a new menu to that I've never tried. Sounds like it could be good.

One favorite of ours every trip is Whitewater Snacks in the GCH. It is an easy walk down the breezeway from DCA. They have nachos, burgers, and the chicken sandwhich we love. They also have fridge things you can grab. And it is peaceful in there.

The new Tangaroa Terrace (might be mispelled, but something like that) at the DLH looks interesting too.

The sandwhiches at Riverbelle Terrace are good. And we like meat on a stick at Bengal BBQ.

And then sometimes we just have an ice cream cone or a soft pretzel for dinner.

As for the new rides, my plan this summer is to get FPs right away for ST when the park opens. Since there are no FP machines for Mermaid, we will probably head over there later in the day. You can watch these boards to see if Mermaid ever gets a little lower later in the day. I figure it is a fastloader and will have a shorter line than standby for ST. I expect ST FPs to go out quickly so we will get them first thing in the morning.

 

[skiingfast]

It may be an interesting time for food, Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta will be opening then. So they may have a few kinks as they are brand new and at a busy time, a double whammy.

As noted above the new menus at Hungry Bear, Village Haus and Tarangoa Terrace have all shown great exceptions to typical pizza and burgers. Boarwalk Pizza and Pasta is likely to continue the trend. It's location at the west end of Paradise Pier in DCA.

 

[ParkHopper1]

Bengal BBQ across from Indy and Jungle Cruise entrance is one of my favorite quick serve places....mmmmm...meat on a stick.....

 

[oumagic]

I always get a corndog from the cart on Main Street but the corndog place is open in DCA now also.

 

[Mama Who]

I would recommend eating at the hungry bear in critter county,try the green fried tomato sandwich, I posted some pics of the food i ate whilst i was there on the dining review section of this california section

Oh my Lord that was a good sandwich! Seriously! And as much as I love sweet potato fries, if I'd missed out on the slaw it would have been tragic!

We also love Taste Pilot's Grill over in DCA. We like the ribs and the fully loaded fries.

 

[merfsko]

I've only been once, so I'm not an expert, but I feel like the iconic Mickey-shapes pancakes from Riverbelle Terrace are a must. It might seem like an obvious response, but I somehow completely missed them last time!

We're not doing full service for the same reason, so I look forward to hearing more insight!

 

[nefer]

I'll be there around the same time - thanks for posting the topic!

 

[calitook]

I have to second Bengal BBQ- good stuff! However, it is difficult/bordering on impossible to find anywhere to sit there.

Beignets and mint juleps from the window in NOS have been an absolute must for me since I was about 3.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Another vote for White Water Snacks inside GC.

We also enjoy Pizza Port in TL. We like the Chicken Fusilli (DD11 loves it) and they have some really good salads. I love the Asian Chicken one.

While it is sit-down, it's not full service-Plaza Inn. They have a 1/2 fried chicken that is really good, and so shareable. It comes with mashed potatoes, biscuit, and green beans. I get double mashed and skip the green beans. I love green beans but these are really bad.

I'm thinking the new Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta will be similar to Pizza Port so that should be good as well.

We also eat at Jazz Express in DTD fairly often. Good food, and again shareable. They have good kid's meals too.

If you are a visual person like me, here are some photos....

Nachos at WWS ( I get no cheese sauce and everything on the side)

WWS menu

Gumbo YaYa and kid's chicken at Jazz Express

Kid's Corn Dog nuggets Jazz Express

Plaza Inn Fried Chicken (before I ordered double mashed)

Pizza Port-Chicken Fusilli and side salad with Asian dressing

Some of these have self-serve soda so you can refill your drinks before you leave. Pizza Port, Plaza Inn, Jazz Express do. As does the Mexican restaurant in FL. (not a favorite food choice of mine however). We don't always get a drink with our meals. Many times we just get glasses of ice water. DD11 brings along flavor tubes to add to them.

 

[el_tigre]

Although I have yet to ride Little Mermaid myself, based on what I know, I don't think four boys (mostly teens or preteens at that) would have much interest waiting in the line necessary for it.

Star Tours, on the other hand, will likely be one of the top three or four biggest highlights of your visit for at least a couple of your boys. With your group, it is not to be missed and needs to be added to your plans. That said, I don't think it's worth the 165 to 225 minute regular line wait I saw from noon to 7:30 pm yesterday. You need to make sure you arrive right at rope drop and get a Star Tours fastpass first thing. That plan will save you the most amount of time to enjoy the rest of the park.

By the way, from evidence based on last Friday and yesterday, I felt Star Tours really sucked the crowds up from the rest of the park. I had been to DL about four other Sundays the last few months and those two days were easily more manageable; most rides had much shorter waits than what I had been seeing this Spring. Probably a good time to visit (although I would avoid DL on Saturday - give DCA the bulk of your time that day).

 

[stubby]

We loved the sandwiches at River Belle-I had the BBQ and it was great. We also loved the food at the Mexican place in both Disney and DCA. It was great Mexican food but for park Mexican food it was good. We didn't care for Pizza Port. I know others here like it but not our family.

For snacks we like the Mickey Jalapeno pretzel(and get a cherry coke there too-they are the best!) `at Coke Corner. We also loved the churros. While I found the Dole Whip just ok...youngest DD ate it all.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

If you don't want fries/chips/other included sides ask if you can get items a la carte. Saves a buck or so and less waste (we were ending up w/baskets full of limp fries leftovers.)
YMMV as some of the clerks don't know how to do it.
Works at corn dog cart on Main Street, Coke Refreshment Corner (Main St), Golden Horseshoe/Stage Door Cafe (Frontier Land), and Daisy's Diner (Toon Town).

Denied at Tast Pilot's Grill and Award Wieners in DCA.

 

[mkarizona]

Bengal BBQ and the hand-dipped corn dogs at the corn dog cart.

 

[stubby]

If you don't want fries/chips/other included sides ask if you can get items a la carte. Saves a buck or so and less waste (we were ending up w/baskets full of limp fries leftovers.)
YMMV as some of the clerks don't know how to do it.
Works at corn dog cart on Main Street, Coke Refreshment Corner (Main St), Golden Horseshoe/Stage Door Cafe (Frontier Land), and Daisy's Diner (Toon Town).

Denied at Tast Pilot's Grill and Award Wieners in DCA.

You had my hopes up til that last sentence. We always have a ton of fries leftover at Taste Pilots. We order the ones with everything on them(can't remember name) and everyone eats those instead of the ones that come with their meals.

 

[marciemouse]

Note that the sandwiches at Riverbelle Terrace are about the same price (or even more expensive) than the entrees at Carnation Cafe. We always choose there for a meal, as we are guaranteed a place to sit. And with a reservation, no waiting in line like at many of the CS places.

Love the corndogs from the cart on Main Street. The new menu at Village Haus isn't bad either, but not terribly amazing.

In DTD, we really enjoy Jazz Kitchen Express. Huge portions big enough to share. Good food at good prices.

 

[PinkBudgie]

I haven't eaten at Carnation Cafe, but I do like the toppings bar at Riverbelle and also the meat that you watch them slice. But you are right, they are expensive. Last time DH and I split one.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

You had my hopes up til that last sentence. We always have a ton of fries leftover at Taste Pilots. We order the ones with everything on them(can't remember name) and everyone eats those instead of the ones that come with their meals.

Same here! I did have them upgrade the plain fries to the chili cheese fries once but I remember being disappointed in the upgrade price vs. portion...