Give me your thoughts on our ADR choices!

[MeganAndOwen]

Hi everyone!

We're finally under the 200 day mark, which means ADR day is fast approaching! We are heading to the World for two weeks in November, staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I am so, so excited!

Reading all of your reports and reviews on here has helped out loads with making our choices, so with that in mind I'd love your thoughts on our plans.

We are paying OOP for everything, and will obviously do quick service meals in between for the meals not listed below.

I welcome any and all feedback!

Saturday 5th November
Flight departs Manchester at 11.15am, should arrive into Olrando Intl at about 5pm. Not going to book anything for this day, will just explore AKL and maybe pop to Disney Springs in the evening if we're not too exhausted.

Sunday 6th November
Magic Kingdom-Dinner at Be Our Guest (Main question I have is should we swap this with our last night plan of Cali Grill? We want to do MVMCP on our final night, but also think it would be nice to have a Signature on our last evening. Thoughts?)

Monday 7th November
Hollywood Studios-Lunch at Sci Fi Dine In

Tuesday 8th November
Universal-We want to eat at Krusty Burger, not sure if we'll do this for lunch then pick somewhere on City Walk for dinner.

Wednesday 9th November
Epcot-Food and Wine Festival & Drinking around the world

Thursday 10th November
Animal Kingdom-Rainforest Cafe for Dinner (I wanted Yak & Yeti but DBF didn't like the look of the menu )

Friday 11th November
Typhoon Lagoon-Shulas for Dinner

Saturday 12th November
Room service breakfast, rest/pool day, shopping at Disney Springs & Planet Hollywood for Dinner

Sunday 13th November
Universal-We want to eat somewhere Harry Potter related, either the Three Broomsticks or the Hog's Head

Monday 14th November
Hollywood Studios-Dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe

Tuesday 15th November
Breakfast at Ohana. Rest of day unplanned.

Wednesday 16th November
Epcot-Beaches & Cream for Lunch

Thursday 17th November
Universal-Dinner at Hard Rock

Friday 18th November
Magic Kingdom-Dinner at California Grill then Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Saturday 19th November
Breakfast at Tusker House, a few hours in Animal Kingdom then time to go home

What do you all think?

 

[pa. dad]

You seem to have a reasonable plan with some advanced plans and room for some spontanity. A few things I'd say:

Hard Rock is pretty good we ate there recently. On City walk, we like Bob Marley's. Not super crowded, good music and some different choices for dinner.

You're leaving epcot to eat elsewhere? Epcot really has a lot of good choices and places that are not typical for theme park food. I'd try something in the World showcase that you can't get at home.

Rainforest- atmosphere is great but food and service is just mediocre. You may like it or you may not.

I like the variety of parks you've picked. Plan your fastpasses so you don't miss the things you want to see.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

A few of my thoughts -
Staying at AKL, I would consider the restaurants there ... Sanaa and Boma. Maybe one of those in place of Rain Forest Cafe.
I don't know if it's still extremely hard to get a reservation for BoG, but if it is, you will have much better luck trying to get it later in your trip.
Epcot has a lot of great restaurants ... I don't know if I would leave Epcot for Beaches & Cream without having any Epcot restaurants on your list.

 

[MeganAndOwen]

You seem to have a reasonable plan with some advanced plans and room for some spontanity. A few things I'd say:

Hard Rock is pretty good we ate there recently. On City walk, we like Bob Marley's. Not super crowded, good music and some different choices for dinner.

You're leaving epcot to eat elsewhere? Epcot really has a lot of good choices and places that are not typical for theme park food. I'd try something in the World showcase that you can't get at home.

Rainforest- atmosphere is great but food and service is just mediocre. You may like it or you may not.

I like the variety of parks you've picked. Plan your fastpasses so you don't miss the things you want to see.

Thanks for your thoughts! With regards to Rainforest Cafe, I'm not particularly excited about it but DBF is a rather fussy eater so this was his choice. I may be able to work on that one between now and then haha! Thanks for the tips about City Walk as well.

It does seem a shame to miss out on dining at the World Showcase. I wonder if we would be able to manage a TS dinner later in the day after our Beaches & Cream lunch? Beaches & Cream is a must because DBF is a big ice cream lover, but I wonder if we could manage something else in the evening as well?

A few of my thoughts -
Staying at AKL, I would consider the restaurants there ... Sanaa and Boma. Maybe one of those in place of Rain Forest Cafe.
I don't know if it's still extremely hard to get a reservation for BoG, but if it is, you will have much better luck trying to get it later in your trip.
Epcot has a lot of great restaurants ... I don't know if I would leave Epcot for Beaches & Cream without having any Epcot restaurants on your list.

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm considering Sanna or Boma could be a maybe for our first night, or would you advise against an ADR for arrival day, especially with an international flight? DBF really wants to try the volcano dessert at Rainforest Cafe, and it's the tamest of the AKL menus for a fussy eater. I might be able to change his mind on Rainforest Cafe but if not I might try and pick Sanna or Boma for our first night.

I did worry about that with BOG, maybe swapping it with Cali Grill would be a good idea then.

I'm thinking that about Epcot too. Do you think a sit down lunch at Beaches & Cream then a dinner in World Showcase would be too much eating in one day? DBF really wants to do Beaches & Cream for the ice cream.

 

[KTwiegs]

Tusker House is amazing for breakfast! we were blown away on our last trip.
we ate at be our guest on our first night too and it was really fun to eat at such a strongly themed restaurant and then walk out straight into the heart of MK. best way to start a trip.

for your harry potter day, hogs head and three broomsticks have the exact same menu. even the same look inside. three broomsticks will be more crowded because it is newer. the fish and chips was very good and huge! easily shared and maybe better to have more room to load up on butterbeer!

staying at AKL I have to agree with previous people that you have to try sanaa. absolutely amazing!

I can't imagine getting to go for 2 weeks! Have the best trip!

 

[MeganAndOwen]

Tusker House is amazing for breakfast! we were blown away on our last trip.
we ate at be our guest on our first night too and it was really fun to eat at such a strongly themed restaurant and then walk out straight into the heart of MK. best way to start a trip.

for your harry potter day, hogs head and three broomsticks have the exact same menu. even the same look inside. three broomsticks will be more crowded because it is newer. the fish and chips was very good and huge! easily shared and maybe better to have more room to load up on butterbeer!

staying at AKL I have to agree with previous people that you have to try sanaa. absolutely amazing!

I can't imagine getting to go for 2 weeks! Have the best trip!

Thank you for your thoughts! I have heard a lot of good things about Tusker House so definitely excited to try that.

Great tip about Universal! Will keep that in mind!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I would not do Cali Grill on the 18th and then the christmas party. Even though the christmas party starts at 7 you can get in at 4. You might waste valuable party time eating and getting to the party late, depending on your adr time.

If you want a pre party meal I would look at some other options. We usually try for something in the park like Be Our Guest or Liberty Tree. Skippers Cantina might be an option.

If you are wanting pictures with characters you need to line up early for those as well.

 

[Hopefully]

Hi everyone!

We're finally under the 200 day mark, which means ADR day is fast approaching! We are heading to the World for two weeks in November, staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I am so, so excited!

Reading all of your reports and reviews on here has helped out loads with making our choices, so with that in mind I'd love your thoughts on our plans.

We are paying OOP for everything, and will obviously do quick service meals in between for the meals not listed below.

I welcome any and all feedback!

Saturday 5th November
Flight departs Manchester at 11.15am, should arrive into Olrando Intl at about 5pm. Not going to book anything for this day, will just explore AKL and maybe pop to Disney Springs in the evening if we're not too exhausted.
I agree I would not schedule an ADR for arrival day after an International flight. You may find you can walk in somewhere at DS and there are good QS there as well. And the lineup is ever increasing. Keep an eye on it

Sunday 6th November
Magic Kingdom-Dinner at Be Our Guest (Main question I have is should we swap this with our last night plan of Cali Grill? We want to do MVMCP on our final night, but also think it would be nice to have a Signature on our last evening. Thoughts?)
This is still one of the most difficult ADRs to secure. I definitely would consider doing this on your party night at the end of your trip

Monday 7th November
Hollywood Studios-Lunch at Sci Fi Dine In

Tuesday 8th November
Universal-We want to eat at Krusty Burger, not sure if we'll do this for lunch then pick somewhere on City Walk for dinner.

Wednesday 9th November
Epcot-Food and Wine Festival & Drinking around the world

Thursday 10th November
Animal Kingdom-Rainforest Cafe for Dinner (I wanted Yak & Yeti but DBF didn't like the look of the menu )
I agree with PP, I don't think Rainforest Café is very special, but if your DF wants it then that is fine

Friday 11th November
Typhoon Lagoon-Shulas for Dinner
Great Choice

Saturday 12th November
Room service breakfast, rest/pool day, shopping at Disney Springs & Planet Hollywood for Dinner
There are SO MANY Great restaurants at DS. I highly recommend Raglan Road over Planet Hollywood. It is a beautiful restaurant built in Ireland and then disassembled, shipped to Florida and reassembled, it has delicious food, great service and fun live entertainment. I also would love to try the Boathouse, and STK when it opens soon. Planet Hollywood is just not special enough for me

Sunday 13th November
Universal-We want to eat somewhere Harry Potter related, either the Three Broomsticks or the Hog's Head

Monday 14th November
Hollywood Studios-Dinner at 50s Prime Time Café
We love it here.

Tuesday 15th November
Breakfast at Ohana. Rest of day unplanned.

Wednesday 16th November
Epcot-Beaches & Cream for Lunch
I agree with PP. There are so many wonderful International restaurants in WS in Epcot. I would choose one of those. I do think a BIG ice cream and a later dinner is a lot of food, but if you space them you could do that

Thursday 17th November
Universal-Dinner at Hard Rock

Friday 18th November
Magic Kingdom-Dinner at California Grill then Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
I would not waste a Signature dinner on a party night. You want time to enjoy both. I would switch this with BOG on your first night

Saturday 19th November
Breakfast at Tusker House, a few hours in Animal Kingdom then time to go home

What do you all think?

See Comments above

 

[BuzzyBelle]

I believe at Uni that the Hogshead is just the bar attached to Three Broomsticks in the Hogsmeade section. The Leaky Cauldron is the restaurant in the Diagon Alley section. We personally like the food at the Three Broomsticks more than the Leaky Cauldron, but both are very good CS locations. We feel that HP had the best CS food at Uni by far.
If you're looking for burgers I would venture out to Cowfish in Citywalk because we found all the food in the Simpsons area to be pretty awful
I agree with others that I would rather eat at an Epcot restaurant and just get ice cream at B&C if that's all your BF is interested in. The food at B&C is just average. They are also opening a new ice cream shop on the Boardwalk soon that sounds very promising and the ice cream in France is very good.
I wouldn't waste party time eating at a signature restaurant unless you have a very early reservation. As others have said, you should have more luck getting BOG later in your trip, and it should be a quicker meal to get you to the party quicker.
You have a lot of great places picked and you will love AKL. It's amazing!

 

[MeganAndOwen]

I would not do Cali Grill on the 18th and then the christmas party. Even though the christmas party starts at 7 you can get in at 4. You might waste valuable party time eating and getting to the party late, depending on your adr time.

If you want a pre party meal I would look at some other options. We usually try for something in the park like Be Our Guest or Liberty Tree. Skippers Cantina might be an option.

If you are wanting pictures with characters you need to line up early for those as well.

Thanks - I was thinking perhaps it might be better to swap our first night's plan for Be Our Guest with the Cali Grill on the 18th, at least that way we'll be in the park for the start of the party.

I want to meet the Seven Dwarfs, I've heard you need to line up quite early for them? Thanks for your input!

See Comments above

Thanks, helpful to see a consensus.

I believe at Uni that the Hogshead is just the bar attached to Three Broomsticks in the Hogsmeade section. The Leaky Cauldron is the restaurant in the Diagon Alley section. We personally like the food at the Three Broomsticks more than the Leaky Cauldron, but both are very good CS locations. We feel that HP had the best CS food at Uni by far.
If you're looking for burgers I would venture out to Cowfish in Citywalk because we found all the food in the Simpsons area to be pretty awful
I agree with others that I would rather eat at an Epcot restaurant and just get ice cream at B&C if that's all your BF is interested in. The food at B&C is just average. They are also opening a new ice cream shop on the Boardwalk soon that sounds very promising and the ice cream in France is very good.
I wouldn't waste party time eating at a signature restaurant unless you have a very early reservation. As others have said, you should have more luck getting BOG later in your trip, and it should be a quicker meal to get you to the party quicker.
You have a lot of great places picked and you will love AKL. It's amazing!

Oh yes so it is, I meant Leaky Cauldron or Three Broomsticks. Glad to hear the food at HP is good. Shame about Simpsons being not so great. Maybe we'll venture out of the park for a burger instead then. I've heard nothing but good things about Cowfish.

Maybe we'll do ice cream for lunch at Beaches & Cream then pick a sit down in World Showcase for dinner. Seems like it would be a shame to miss out on eating in at least one of the World Showcase restaurants.

I think swapping Cali Grill & Be Our Guest so that we're in the park for the start of the party.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[maltdizzy]

Tuesday 8th November
Universal-We want to eat at Krusty Burger, not sure if we'll do this for lunch then pick somewhere on City Walk for dinner.

Meh. While the interiors of the Krusty Burger (which is dining room only) and Moe's Bar (which does serve beer) look GREAT, the food is actually bought at a food court area deeper inside, still Simpsons themed but definitely only "amusement park quality,"...of course a less-than-great burger seems perfectly fitting for Krusty Burger.

That said, it's counter service...you can look and decide if you want it or to go elsewhere (or just eat a family-sized donut from the Lard Lad stand).

 

[MeganAndOwen]

Meh. While the interiors of the Krusty Burger (which is dining room only) and Moe's Bar (which does serve beer) look GREAT, the food is actually bought at a food court area deeper inside, still Simpsons themed but definitely only "amusement park quality,"...of course a less-than-great burger seems perfectly fitting for Krusty Burger.

That said, it's counter service...you can look and decide if you want it or to go elsewhere (or just eat a family-sized donut from the Lard Lad stand).

Perhaps we'll just go in and try a beer at Moe's instead of the food then. We can take a look when we get there I guess! Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[maltdizzy]

Perhaps we'll just go in and try a beer at Moe's instead of the food then. We can take a look when we get there I guess! Thanks for your thoughts.

Definitely walk in and look around...the mural in the Krusty Burger is fantastic.

 

[MeganAndOwen]

It's ADR day on Monday and I've shuffled plans a little. I'm going to try and get BOG dinner on the first night, and do CRT for a late lunch on our last day. We got out tickets for MVMCP for the 18th Nov, and I don't want to waste party time sitting down in a restaurant. If I can't get BOG on first night I can shuffle things for other days, try for the 11th, 12th or 15th. If I can't do BOG dinner on the 6th we'll go for Cali Grill and do a BOG Lunch.

We're also going to add in a dinner at World Showcase on the 16th. It might be too much eating, what with having Beaches & Cream for lunch as well, but it seems a real shame not to try a World Showcase restaurant. I'm thinking Le Cellier as we are steak lovers, but I also like the look of the places in France and Italy. Tough decision!

Thanks for all of your input! I'll update on Monday with the reservations I manage to get.

 

[amycakes]

Big Harry Potter fans here... we liked the Leaky Cauldron and the 3 Broomsticks! The LC is in Universal and 3 Broomsticks is IOA so I would try both since you are going on 3 different days. The only other places we liked were the wraps at Thunderfalls Terrace and I heard Mythos is good. Go in the Hogs Head to order butterbeer instead of the carts... there is a nice patio out back and be sure to visit Moaning Murtle's bathroom!

Maybe on the day you go to Ohana for breakfast you could go to your Signature (Cali Grill or other) that night? I would leave your MVMCP night open to enjoy the festivities. Or replace BOG dinner with Cail like you said you might do. Personally I would just do a BOG lunch on the MVMCP day... you still get to eat in the castle.

Planet Hollywood was ok but we are trying Raglan Road based on some good reviews here. The menu has steaks and burgers but also some different items you might like and there is entertainment. I also noticed a late night menu in case you are in the area on your arrival night.

There are many nice restaurants at Epcot... maybe get a ressie for just ice creams at B&C for DBF but I would try to book a restaurant in the World Showcase for dinner. B&C also has an ice cream take out menu if you are not interested in a reservation.

We are trying Sanaa for our first time in August...we like Boma.... we are trying something different!

Hope you get all the ressies you want... Have a great vacay!!

 

[akfan513]

One of the biggest benefits of the resort you are staying in is the food! Jiko, Boma and Sanaa are all great and you have the luxury of not having to travel somewhere. I would try those!

Also, while someone might not like the look of the Yak and Yeti menu, my personal experience has shown that the food at Rainforest will be disappointing. You may feel comfortable with the menu, but the actual food doesn't meet standards (for my family at least). However, taking the gamble at Yak and Yeti has resulted in us loving things I didn't think we would. Try to do some convincing and get to Y and Y.

You've got some yummy food in your future with your plans!