Help me choose our TS dinners!

[smsmsw]

Trying to choose our ADRs for a late April 2018 trip. Staying at AKL with my husband and 4 and 7 year old boys. Will be doing a TS each evening, some early some later. These are our options below....what do you think? I need to select 7 total from these and will need the most help with the "probably" and "unsure" lists.

Definite:
Jiko
California Grill
Citrico's

Probably:
Rose and Crown
Ohana
Be Our Guest

Unsure:
Boathouse
bluezoo
Yachtsman
Narcoosee's
Whispering Canyon

Thanks for your help!

 

[cruisin5]

IMO ... that's a lot of signature dining with young kids. My son was way too fidget-y for us to consider so many signature experiences. Also consider the travel time to and from the restaurants.

Ohana is great for kids as is Whispering Canyon.

It would help to know what your plans are for each day.

 

[Spencer Wright]

What about Sanaa and Boma?? Boma would work especially well for children.

I would highly discourage Skipper's Canteen. That was awful!

 

[smsmsw]

IMO ... that's a lot of signature dining with young kids. My son was way too fidget-y for us to consider so many signature experiences. Also consider the travel time to and from the restaurants.

Ohana is great for kids as is Whispering Canyon.

It would help to know what your plans are for each day.

Thanks! Probably two of the signature dinners will be for just me and my husband, might use the kid's clubs on those nights. Still unsure of park plans for each day, will probably have park hoppers. The travel time is definitely a consideration for sure, though.

We did both Ohana and Whispering Canyon last year, which did work well for the kids (though one fell asleep at Ohana during dessert!). We also did California Grill, which we all loved. We did Be Our Guest too and we liked the atmosphere, but food wasn't anything special at that particular meal in my opinion.

 

[Dis703]

From that list we really enjoy Be Our Guest for dinner and Rose and Crown is always a good meal.

 

[smsmsw]

What about Sanaa and Boma?? Boma would work especially well for children.

I would highly discourage Skipper's Canteen. That was awful!

Thank you! Will be doing Sanaa for lunch on our arrival day and Boma for a breakfast later in week.

 

[smsmsw]

From that list we really enjoy Be Our Guest for dinner and Rose and Crown is always a good meal.

Thank you! We really liked the atmosphere at Be Our Guest and liked the food, but didn't love it. It was only one time that we went and I'm definitely open to trying it again. Location is so good!

We have been to Rose and Crown a couple times in the past before having kids, so we know we like it there.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

 

[hllb]

the dinner menu at BOG doesn't excite me either. We're doing a breakfast (for pre-park opening reasons) and a lunch there instead. So I'd opt for a lunch on that one.

We are big fans of Ohana - that's a must do each trip for us.

 

[Lisa F]

I would pick rose and crown, Ohana, bluezoo (it gets outrageously good reviews here) and Whispering Canyon for your final 4. I would do Bluezoo and Citricos for my two "adult only" meals (you didn't ask but I have an opinion anyway). Bluezoo does NOT seem kid friendly at all and my recollection of Citricos is that it was more stuffy than other signatures. CA Grill is my favorite "with children" signature by far, I like to go first seating, request (and get) a window table, the place is mostly empty and the service is attentive and quick (not so quick you feel you are rushing out but a 90-120 minute meal with kids is tough) and then you can always come back later for fireworks. This was the first signature I ever brought my son to and now it is his top request on subsequent trips.

I haven't been to BoG yet myself so it was high on my list for my next trip, but if it's not a must do for you I'd skip it and do something else.

 

[smsmsw]

the dinner menu at BOG doesn't excite me either. We're doing a breakfast (for pre-park opening reasons) and a lunch there instead. So I'd opt for a lunch on that one.

We are big fans of Ohana - that's a must do each trip for us.

Which meal do you do for Ohana? We are thinking about dinner again.

I would pick rose and crown, Ohana, bluezoo (it gets outrageously good reviews here) and Whispering Canyon for your final 4. I would do Bluezoo and Citricos for my two "adult only" meals (you didn't ask but I have an opinion anyway). Bluezoo does NOT seem kid friendly at all and my recollection of Citricos is that it was more stuffy than other signatures. CA Grill is my favorite "with children" signature by far, I like to go first seating, request (and get) a window table, the place is mostly empty and the service is attentive and quick (not so quick you feel you are rushing out but a 90-120 minute meal with kids is tough) and then you can always come back later for fireworks. This was the first signature I ever brought my son to and now it is his top request on subsequent trips.

I haven't been to BoG yet myself so it was high on my list for my next trip, but if it's not a must do for you I'd skip it and do something else.

Great feedback, thank you! Citrico's was one I was thinking for just me and my husband. Good to hear about bluezoo being more appropriate for adults as well.

 

[hllb]

Which meal do you do for Ohana? We are thinking about dinner again.

We've done both. Breakfast is fine but we love dinner.

 

[Disney Mom 7272]

Ohana is a must do for my family! We love the food there. We eat at Be our guest every year too. We really like the food and the atmosphere. Whispering canyon would be my other pick. It’s a really fun restaurant with good food!

 

[ariane37]

Citricos is our absolute favorite signature so I highly suggest keeping that, whether you take the kids or not! Ask to sit in Rony's section
I don't feel you can do too many signauptures with kids as long as you know they'll sit through the meal. Plenty of kids in those restaurants every time we go. From your probably and unsure lists we like Narcoossee's,Yachtsman, Boathouse, WCC and BOG.

 

[akadada]

In order based on our historical experience (Anecdotal like anyone's)
Bluezoo - always good (3 times)
Jiko - usually good (2 out of 3 times)
California Grill (5 out of 7 times...since the remodel, we had our two poor experiences, but we see many great reviews)
Citricos (good 4 out 5 times)
Narcoosees (good, but we were only there once years ago)
Yachtsman (we had a meh experience there the one time we went because we had a horrible table and server. Food was good. We see so many good reviews, we're going to try it again
Rose & Crown (it's not the best food, just okay to good, but we love the atmosphere and ambiance)

For our next trip, we're going to give Yachtsman another try based on good reviews we keep reading. We're going to also try BOG and Boathouse for the first time.

If your kids are good out-to-eat kids, they'll be fine at any one of these places. If they are more rambunctious, it's a personal decision on your part. They're welcomed anywhere on Disney (Except V&A,) and you should feel totally fine taking them. Our kids are the same age (close) and they are good at restaurants. It's a matter of managing their energy level, sleep and timing. Disney can really overstimulate or wear the kids out, you have to feed them when the balance is just right.

We usually do one to two date nights (we use Kids Nite Out - it's awesome).

 

[smsmsw]

Ohana is a must do for my family! We love the food there. We eat at Be our guest every year too. We really like the food and the atmosphere. Whispering canyon would be my other pick. It’s a really fun restaurant with good food!

Thanks, we really liked our meal at Whispering Canyon last year, plus we stayed at WL, so it will be nice to see the resort again.

Citricos is our absolute favorite signature so I highly suggest keeping that, whether you take the kids or not! Ask to sit in Rony's section
I don't feel you can do too many signauptures with kids as long as you know they'll sit through the meal. Plenty of kids in those restaurants every time we go. From your probably and unsure lists we like Narcoossee's,Yachtsman, Boathouse, WCC and BOG.

Thanks! The kids are typically able to sit through meals and we do like the break of a sit down meal. Can't wait to try Citrico's. Thanks for your help!

In order based on our historical experience (Anecdotal like anyone's)
Bluezoo - always good (3 times)
Jiko - usually good (2 out of 3 times)
California Grill (5 out of 7 times...since the remodel, we had our two poor experiences, but we see many great reviews)
Citricos (good 4 out 5 times)
Narcoosees (good, but we were only there once years ago)
Yachtsman (we had a meh experience there the one time we went because we had a horrible table and server. Food was good. We see so many good reviews, we're going to try it again
Rose & Crown (it's not the best food, just okay to good, but we love the atmosphere and ambiance)

For our next trip, we're going to give Yachtsman another try based on good reviews we keep reading. We're going to also try BOG and Boathouse for the first time.

If your kids are good out-to-eat kids, they'll be fine at any one of these places. If they are more rambunctious, it's a personal decision on your part. They're welcomed anywhere on Disney (Except V&A,) and you should feel totally fine taking them. Our kids are the same age (close) and they are good at restaurants. It's a matter of managing their energy level, sleep and timing. Disney can really overstimulate or wear the kids out, you have to feed them when the balance is just right.

We usually do one to two date nights (we use Kids Nite Out - it's awesome).

This is really helpful, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Kids are typically really well behaved at restaurants and they did well (mostly) when we went to Disney last year. I have looked more at bluezoo and it is absolutely my kind of place! However, I just read that they do not do the dining plan, so it is probably not in the running anymore. We will probably be on the DxDDP, so will want to stick with those that participate.

 

[Aj1129]

We brought our almost 2 year old to all signature meals last August. He absolutely loved Citricos the best! The sever was amazing and even went out of her way to cut my son's food up for him so I didn't have too. DS ate the whole kids dish we ordered for him. We've liked Narcoosee's but from what I remember (It's been a while) the service was very slow. We have Whispering Canyon on our list for our next trip. I though DS would get a kick out of it. Have you looked into LeCellier at Epcot? or Artist Point at WL?

 

[smsmsw]

We brought our almost 2 year old to all signature meals last August. He absolutely loved Citricos the best! The sever was amazing and even went out of her way to cut my son's food up for him so I didn't have too. DS ate the whole kids dish we ordered for him. We've liked Narcoosee's but from what I remember (It's been a while) the service was very slow. We have Whispering Canyon on our list for our next trip. I though DS would get a kick out of it. Have you looked into LeCellier at Epcot? or Artist Point at WL?

Thanks, good to hear your experiences. We did Le Cellier last year and thought it was only ok. I didn't care for the atmosphere. Artist Point menu didn't appeal to me last year, but I think it looks better now. However, I think we rather do Whispering Canyon at WL, probably not both. Hope to visit Geyser Point for a drink one night though.

 

[BriLovesDisney]

Yachtsman Steakhouse is amazing and is always a must do for us. We also really enjoy Rose and Crown (the sticky toffee pudding is amazing there!) and BOG for dinner is always a neat experience.

 

[smsmsw]

Yachtsman Steakhouse is amazing and is always a must do for us. We also really enjoy Rose and Crown (the sticky toffee pudding is amazing there!) and BOG for dinner is always a neat experience.

Thanks for your input, toffee pudding sounds so good!