Has anyone eaten at the Trails End Buffet?

[edk35]

We were thinking of maybe eating there for our non park day..if we can get there easily from the MK or monorail hotels. I posted asking if there was a shuttle boat that goes from MK or one of the hotels to FW. Anyway..wondered if it were worth it or not? Someone said they do a campfire too.


Denise

 

[tinkerbeth]

I haven't been to the Trail's end but we did the ride from MK to the Ft. Wilderness resort when we went to the HOop De Doo and it was great. I've read good things about the Trails End in the guide book. Good luck!

 

[Pocahontas1]

Yes, we have eaten there twice. Loved it. You can take the boat from the MK or from the WL. They have excellent fried chicken. Our server was "Uncle Gary". He was great. Taught my son to suck up jello through a straw. I may never forgive him for that. Really enjoyed the food and got our moneys worth both times.

We also do it on our day off. We head to Trail's end for dinner. If you get their early, you can visit the petting zoo (read a post that it may have closed so I'm not clear on that). Then after dinner, we head to the movie. You have to take the bus...can't remember the line. If you get their early enough there is a sing along and a campfire. DH and DS had a great time roasting marshmellows. Think they also sell drinks, candy, popcorn, hotdogs, etc.

Highly recommend it. It is a "must do" on our trips. I believe the movie schedule is posted in the 'camping' forum.

 

[the kabuki]

A CM who I talked to while at Blizzard Beach mentioned that it was a terrific place to go eat. Said it was a hidden gem in WDW and the prices were very reasonable. This was on our last day, so I will be trying it out next time. Heard it's great for the kids with the petting zoo and bonfire.

 

[edk35]

That sounds like fun...just wondering if we would miss that with a 6:30 PS for the buffet.

TIA

Denise

 

[WDW LOVR]

Trails End is great! Food is good (it's not like eating at a 5 star restaurant), but there is a good variety and lots of it (see the menu on Allearsnet.com) and it's one of the most reasonably priced meals at WDW. The CM's are great!

I would say it would depend on the time of year as to whether you can make it to the campfire after a 6:30 PS. I believe the campfire start time varies by what time of year it is. The campfire is fun and the movie is different each day.

As an aside, the breakfast buffet at Trails end is awesome. Breakfast there can get you through til dinner! And the boat ride from MK is the best way to get there from your resort. From the boat dock at FW it's about 200 yards straight up the path to Trails end. You catch a bus just down from the restaurant to go to the Campfire. There are different internal buses for FW, so be sure you're getting on the right bus.

 

[edk35]

Sounds like we have a good plan for that night then. I have heard the breakfast is great. I wish we could try that too....but we have only 5 park days this trip..so we will try that next time. We have breakfast scheduled at 1900 Park Fare and also Crystal Palace in MK.


Denise

 

[Costumesaremylife]

Take the boat!! I took the bus because I thought it would get us there faster. I was insane. The boatdock is right there.

 

[edk35]

Thanks so much. I plan on doing that exact thing. Plus the kids will enjoy doing that...at night too.

 

[jl3614]

For me one of the best things about Trail's End was it's availability. No PS's taken, never had to wait more than 10 or 15 miutes for a table- even at the busiest times. Many times it was walk in.

Now that they are taking PS's will that all change? Will the walk-in waits stretch to 30 mins, 45, maybe even more ? - IMHO the food isn't that good for that kind of wait.

Does anyone know if the restuarant will be taking limited reservations, and still hold a large portion of the steating open to first come first served or will it be totally filled by PS's?

 

[edk35]

When I was making some PS tonight I just asked if you had to have PS for The Trails' End and she said "now you do". SO I am not sure if they will still have open seating too. You might want to call. To be perfectly honest....there aren't that many places at WDW that we have eaten at that ROCK OUR WORLD. LOL so I am sure this one will be just fine with three kids. We have tried a lot of places over the 6 previous trips and none have been so good that we want to go back the next time. So maybe we aren't going to the right places..then. LOL


Denise

 

[StephenKay]

For me one of the best things about Trail's End was it's availability. No PS's taken, never had to wait more than 10 or 15 miutes for a table- even at the busiest times. Many times it was walk in.

Now that they are taking PS's will that all change? Will the walk-in waits stretch to 30 mins, 45, maybe even more ? - IMHO the food isn't that good for that kind of wait.

Does anyone know if the restuarant will be taking limited reservations, and still hold a large portion of the steating open to first come first served or will it be totally filled by PS's?

Hi there,

I have to disagree with the above PS is definitely needed. The reason being the 2 times we have travelled to FW to eat there, we were greeted with waits of over an hour. Having spent the time traveling to FW then getting a bus only to be told you have to wait another hour was a waist of time why don't you use the systems available to manage the reservation to the optimum advantage of the person who have taken the time to plan their vacation.

 

[edk35]

Thanks...I am thinking that PS is a good thing for most places at at the World..whether you get them before your trip or secure them as a walk up.

Denise

 

[MajorDaisy]

When you get done eating there is just a short walk (>1min.) to the bus stop. The orange bus will take you to the bus stop next to the campfire; the bus stop right before the Meadow trading post is the bus stop closest to the camp fire/movies. Although the bus stop accross from the Meadow trading post is a very short walk to the campfire.

After the movie we took the orange bus back to the Settlement Depot (where trails end buffet is), walk down to the beach by the marina, grabbed a couple chairs & watched the Electrical Parade. Only problem, I think the boat's last trip to MK is just before the Parade starts. That was during off season, though, so might be different other times of the year.

My kids totally loved the trails end buffet, lots of selection, fun atmosphere, good food. They gave the kids sheets to color during dinner & then made a big deal of hanging them on the wall.

At the campfire they sell sticks & marshmellows too for roasting, as well as hot dogs, etc. DH enjoys campfire/movies & trailend so much I can't convince him to try somewhere new to stay....has to be the cabins..

 

[marcyinPA]

Yes!! We've eaten breakfast there a few times and LOVE it!! We've never done lunch or dinner, but we'd like to try it sometime.

Breakfast is fantastic. I can't get over the value. I hope they never increase the price! The food is very basic home cooking (they have Mickey waffles!) but it is fresh and hot and lots of it. The also make the best donuts I've ever had (even better than Krispey Kreme!). My boys would be sorely disappointed if we didn't eat there on every trip!

We usually take the boat from MK to FW, have breakfast, and then head back to the MK via boat for the rest of the day. We are so full, we skip lunch and then I usually make a p.s. for a nice sit down somewhere for dinner.

Have a great trip!!

 

[edk35]

Sounds good.....some other people told me the breakfast is wonderful. Maybe we will do breakfast here our last morning before we leave the hotel at 11:30. Hmmmm maybe one more PS to make. LOL


Denise