Help me make loose plans! :)

[CindyW]

Or tell me what has worked well for you in the past!

I've got my day planner out - promised myself I would wait until I was inside the two-week mark to do this. 13 days out now until our first family trip to WDW! Husband, Me, Daughter 10 and Son 7.

So I thought I could just take a look at the dining reservations made months ago and take a look around some menus here to give us some loose options of CS meals dependant on which parks we'll be visiting. Holy crap that was a long sentence! Anyway - if you're still with me - this is obviously over my head! I am hoping to break up the days we have here and beg you nice folks to help me walk into the parks with a decent idea of where we'll try to go for CS food.

HUGE thanks in advance for any assistance!

Saturday September 1 - ADR Liberty Tree Tavern @ 8:15pm
This is a Magic Kingdom day for us. This timing will actually be earlier for dinner than we normally do, we'll still be on Arizona time so it's like eating @5pm. We'll be at park opening full of excitement, and also not very hungry because we'll have breakfast before we leave the resort. I've read about Pecos Bills and the Cosmic Ray's menu looks good for a meal somewhere in the middle of the day - suggestions?

Sunday September 2 - ADR Coral Reef @ 3:10
EPCOT day! The 3:10 is kinda smack dab in the middle of the day. If still on AZ time thats like noon, normal lunch time. But we'll be a lot more busy because on a normal day we haven't walked 10 miles and seen different countries either. So should we go for a breakfast CS at Epcot or breakfast at the resort and CS a later evening meal?

Monday September 3 - ADR Sci-Fi Dine In @ 3:55
Here we come MGM Studios! (Never will I be able to transition to calling it Hollywood Studios - this was my home park on the College Program in '94 and '96 so I can't wait to go home!) Again - TS in the middle of the day... help!

Tuesday September 4 - ADR Spirit of Aloha Luau @ 5:15
This will be our Animal Kingdom day - figured easier to leave it somewhat closer to closing time than pull the family from a hopping busy park! So I'm thinking CS early lunch at AK and have no idea where. I got so overwhelmed looking at the other days and searching menus that I didn't even get to this day yet.

So we're staying at OKW, will have a kitchen and plan to either bring cereal for breakfasts or get some foodstuffs from the resort when we're there. We are open to coming back to the resort every day for a rest, which I am sure we'll need... and spend evenings and other days catching what we missed on the first go-round. We've done Disneyland with and without the Dining Plan, and the free dining tipped the scales for us to make the WDW trip this year instead of staying at Disneyland for our vacation. So while we want to milk the Free Dining for all its worth, we also don't want to think too much about eating and have some options in mind that we can take or leave as we go (aside from the TS ADRs).

Thanks for sticking with me! and Thanks for any help!

 

[texasteacher35]

One TS per day works pretty good! We have 2 booked on several days and only CS's on other days, just depending on what parks/shows we are trying to see. Crystal Palace is a great place to have breakfast...Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and and Tigger! I do not think the dinner is all that great. Actually, your dining plans sound pretty fun! I have not done the Poly night show...I am not sure if that is worth it or not!

Epcot is a FULL day, maybe 2, depending on how old your kids are!
MK can be several days...there is so much to do there! Too much fun! You could spend days and days there!
Animal Kingdom is more of a 1/2 day or 2/3 day for us! It does nottkaethat long to tour the park and IMO run out of things to do! It is a fun park, but not as jammed packed full of attractions!
MGM is a fun with all the Pixar and Movie stuff to do, along with traditional Disney characters...this one will be a full day, too!

I have not been to Disney too much recently, but I have been a yearly visitor through my entire childhood! There are just my opinions! You will have a great time!

 

[CindyW]

Thanks TexasTeacher!

I've heard the Luau isn't the best spending of $$, but I tried to get us seats at stuff we wouldn't be able to do at home. So even a crappy luau is a great one seeing as though there are no plans in the next few years to get to Hawaii!

 

[nanadeb]

So we're staying at OKW, will have a kitchen and plan to either bring cereal for breakfasts or get some foodstuffs from the resort when we're there.

The food at the resorts is very pricey. The selection is limited. If you have a car, you would be better off headed to the Super WalMart on Vineland. You might also want to try amazon.com for grocery type stuff. If you are a Costco member, you can get some things delivered to your resort.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Saturday September 1 - ADR Liberty Tree Tavern @ 8:15pm
This is a Magic Kingdom day for us. This timing will actually be earlier for dinner than we normally do, we'll still be on Arizona time so it's like eating @5pm. We'll be at park opening full of excitement, and also not very hungry because we'll have breakfast before we leave the resort. I've read about Pecos Bills and the Cosmic Ray's menu looks good for a meal somewhere in the middle of the day - suggestions?

I haven't eaten at Pecos Bill, but we usually end up at Cosmic Rays during our trip. They have a very good toppings bar if you like burgers. They also have some different chicken choices. The only pain here is the food is ordered at diffedrent windows if you want different types of food. (ie a chicken window, a burger window)

Sunday September 2 - ADR Coral Reef @ 3:10
EPCOT day! The 3:10 is kinda smack dab in the middle of the day. If still on AZ time thats like noon, normal lunch time. But we'll be a lot more busy because on a normal day we haven't walked 10 miles and seen different countries either. So should we go for a breakfast CS at Epcot or breakfast at the resort and CS a later evening meal?

I would breakfast in the room. You have the great villa and eating a quick breakfast there will save you considerable park time. The countries have so many food options. You could eat around the world. As you tour the coutries in the evening get a cs meal or two at a couple of the places and share. You can try lots of different types of food this way.

Monday September 3 - ADR Sci-Fi Dine In @ 3:55
Here we come MGM Studios! (Never will I be able to transition to calling it Hollywood Studios - this was my home park on the College Program in '94 and '96 so I can't wait to go home!) Again - TS in the middle of the day... help!

I do not care for any of the CS places here. I would rather eat back at the resorts or somewhere else. Do you have hoppers or 1 day 1 park passes?

Tuesday September 4 - ADR Spirit of Aloha Luau @ 5:15
This will be our Animal Kingdom day - figured easier to leave it somewhat closer to closing time than pull the family from a hopping busy park! So I'm thinking CS early lunch at AK and have no idea where. I got so overwhelmed looking at the other days and searching menus that I didn't even get to this day yet.

A must do for us at AK is Flame Tree Barbeque. I love this place! I alternate between the ribs and the chicken. There is great seating including down by the water with a nice view of Expeditin Everest Mountain. There is 2 different types of barbecue sauce you can dip your food into ( the food itself is smoked rather than drippy, IYKWIM).

Hope that helps. Let us know what you decide

 

[texasteacher35]

Thanks TexasTeacher!

I've heard the Luau isn't the best spending of $$, but I tried to get us seats at stuff we wouldn't be able to do at home. So even a crappy luau is a great one seeing as though there are no plans in the next few years to get to Hawaii!

Well, I like to try everything at least once, so I will probably be doing that Luau, too, in Dec 2008! I think it sounds fun, but I did not want to use 2 TS on it this trip! Like I said, I think whatever fits your interests or whatever sounds good to you...do it! That's why WDW gives us so many darn choices! It's almost too many cho ices! I can drive myself crazy trying to figure out where we are eating/parks to visit/ EVERYTHING! ARGH!...But, I love it anyway!

 

[CindyW]

Thanks so much for your help!

So Flame Tree at AK - wrote that one in the planner! Cosmis Ray's sounded the best by looking at the different menus, good to know if we get the munchies around Tomorrowland!

We have park hoppers. I'm not pushing for a commando pace... but then again as of right now we only have 5 1/2 days in the parks and I expect we'll at least try to do more than we should. Did that even make sense?


We are Costco members! I will research that and see what I can get delivered and for what price. Thanks for the tip! We're planning to bring some cereal in our "souvineir bag" to have as standby breakfasts, getting milk and juice from the resort. No car - we're using good ol' Disney Transportation and we've already vowed to not get upset if it doesn't go at a pace we want. Thats just longer to chat with the kids about what we just did, or what we plan to do later!

I think on our MGM day we'll just see what happens... if we and the kids feel like snacking it up we may just do that instead of trying to track down a CS. I can hear my daughter now "You mean you're going to let us just order ice cream Mickeys without eating veggies? And thats OK?" They'll be impossible to live with when we get home

If ya'll think of anything else feel free to let me know - I am soaking every word in!

 

[Brygida]

Or tell me what has worked well for you in the past!


Saturday September 1 - ADR Liberty Tree Tavern @ 8:15pm

Sunday September 2 - ADR Coral Reef @ 3:10

Monday September 3 - ADR Sci-Fi Dine In @ 3:55

Tuesday September 4 - ADR Spirit of Aloha Luau @ 5:15

Wow. The food at these restaurants is notoriously ranked as the worst at WDW! Don't believe me, look at the ratings in "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" or "Zagat"... both can be browsed at your local bookstore in the Florida travel section. The only thing worse would be subsitting Garden Grill for Coral Reef, I think.

Why not try some 1 TS restaurants listed among the best food:

• Boma
• Raglan Road
• Teppanyaki

 

[nanadeb]

Wow. The food at these restaurants is notoriously ranked as the worst at WDW! Don't believe me, look at the ratings in "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" or "Zagat"... both can be browsed at your local bookstore in the Florida travel section. The only thing worse would be subsitting Garden Grill for Coral Reef, I think.

Why not try some 1 TS restaurants listed among the best food:

• Boma
• Raglan Road
• Teppanyaki

Sounds like they are going for kid friendly food in somewhat entertaining settings. A lot of people don't go to Disney for gourmet dining.
I think the places that they list are just average, and there is nothing wrong at all with average. If they stick with the standard fare for each venue, they can just enojy themslves without having to worry about getting the most for their DDP dollar. The whole idea is for them to have fun as a family.
If you go into LTT knowing that you are going to get Stouffers style food, and you are good with that, just sit back and enjoy the characters.
We're going to do Coral Reef, too, even though we would rather eat at the Bonefish Grill for our fish. No other restauraunt in our area has the aquarium.
Going to the Luau is more about the entertainemnt than the food. Sitting in the cars in Sci-Fi sipping a milkshake and eating a burger is more about the mood.
This is family time, and family time should be fun for everyone. When we did a big trip with the kids and grandkids last December, we would rather have eaten at Boma or Le Cellier, but we knew that everyone would enjoy the antics at the Crystal Palace and the Biergarten.
It's the mood, not the food.

 

[CindyW]

Thanks Nanadeb Couldn't have said it better myself, though I will take a few moments to jot down some further thoughts.

For Brygida! To put it plainly - we're not food snobs. Nor do we pretend to be food snobs on vacation. When I looked at restaurants to make ADRs I was more interested in fun places where the kids would get experiences like nothing we have at home.

I also took into account the funny little eccentricities within my family's normal eating habits and chose safer places rather than go balls out looking for the most exotic meals.

Also to be considered was the fact that I was preparing myself and my husband for the inevitable conversations around ADR time... "Hey guys we shouldn't jump in this line right now because we have less than an hour to get to our reservation at fill in the blank for dinner." This statement is sure to be followed by minor grumblings of short people. Now I could follow that with :
"We're going to an indoor drive in theater where we sit in cars and drink milkshakes!"
Or...
"We're headed to a beautiful African themed outdoorsy restaurant with focus on fresh ingredients with an extensive selection of items influenced by the cuisine of over 50 African countries."
Another example:
"Alright guys - lets get a move on so we don't miss our seats at the Luau! Hula Dancing for everyone!"
Or...
"Hey remember that Irish pub place Dad and I took you to in NYC last year? The one we were so impressed with but is now the family joke about how you kids said it was dark, depressing and smelled funny? Well guess what! We have reservations at one of those again, but I'm sure you like this one better!"

Your mileage may vary with your own group - but my traveling party does not consist of adventurous eaters and one of my children blamed the single curry meal she's ever eaten as the cause for stomach upset well into the following year. So while I understand you weren't privvy to my inner monologue while you were criticising, possibly from this post forward you may realize that your (and travel book publishers/writers') idea of the "good" places to eat don't exactly work into every other traveler's dreams. This vacation is Disney - we're planning on taking our cues from the short ones in the family. This is the way we've planned WDW from our first thoughts over 10 years ago. It wouldn't feel right for us to commandeer the food decisions based on anything but what we think they'll enjoy.

So thanks for your reply - I guess I left myself wide open for it. May your vacations be filled with flavors and foods that make everything right for you! I'll be over here with my kids happily munching on fries, frozen mac and cheese, dry luau rice and all sorts of culinary monstrosities. I promise not to take offense at your choices

 

[Brygida]

Thanks Nanadeb Couldn't have said it better myself, though I will take a few moments to jot down some further thoughts.

For Brygida! To put it plainly - we're not food snobs. Nor do we pretend to be food snobs on vacation. When I looked at restaurants to make ADRs I was more interested in fun places where the kids would get experiences like nothing we have at home.

I also took into account the funny little eccentricities within my family's normal eating habits and chose safer places rather than go balls out looking for the most exotic meals.

Also to be considered was the fact that I was preparing myself and my husband for the inevitable conversations around ADR time... "Hey guys we shouldn't jump in this line right now because we have less than an hour to get to our reservation at fill in the blank for dinner." This statement is sure to be followed by minor grumblings of short people. Now I could follow that with :
"We're going to an indoor drive in theater where we sit in cars and drink milkshakes!"
Or...
"We're headed to a beautiful African themed outdoorsy restaurant with focus on fresh ingredients with an extensive selection of items influenced by the cuisine of over 50 African countries."
Another example:
"Alright guys - lets get a move on so we don't miss our seats at the Luau! Hula Dancing for everyone!"
Or...
"Hey remember that Irish pub place Dad and I took you to in NYC last year? The one we were so impressed with but is now the family joke about how you kids said it was dark, depressing and smelled funny? Well guess what! We have reservations at one of those again, but I'm sure you like this one better!"

Your mileage may vary with your own group - but my traveling party does not consist of adventurous eaters and one of my children blamed the single curry meal she's ever eaten as the cause for stomach upset well into the following year. So while I understand you weren't privvy to my inner monologue while you were criticising, possibly from this post forward you may realize that your (and travel book publishers/writers') idea of the "good" places to eat don't exactly work into every other traveler's dreams. This vacation is Disney - we're planning on taking our cues from the short ones in the family. This is the way we've planned WDW from our first thoughts over 10 years ago. It wouldn't feel right for us to commandeer the food decisions based on anything but what we think they'll enjoy.

So thanks for your reply - I guess I left myself wide open for it. May your vacations be filled with flavors and foods that make everything right for you! I'll be over here with my kids happily munching on fries, frozen mac and cheese, dry luau rice and all sorts of culinary monstrosities. I promise not to take offense at your choices

Sorry. I thought you were not aware of the food quality. Thought I was helping....

My DS would not be happily munching on McD or dry luau rice at home... so I really doubt he would eat it a WDW either. I am happy that your family has cast-iron stomachs, low cholesterol, and no-weight issues, so that you do not have to worry about good quality food. My DH would be really angry if I had selected horrid restaurants to eat at. He calls it "bad guts" and believe me, you don't want a description of the symptoms.

I disagree with your assessment of places like Boma,etc. My DS has always loved it there. The buffet provides a huge assortment of food (i.e. everyone can find something they love!). The locale is lovely... waterfall in the restaurant, animals outside. I am quite certain he would prefer it than the Luau. I doubt people go to the Luau for either the food or entertainment for their kids (i.e. mine would be bored!). The scantily-clad entertainers are for the adults, not the kids.

The celtic music at Raglan Road, my son has always enjoyed, and the dance music outside provided great video ops.... my son loves to dance (or more accurately, jump around)!

Teppanyaki also puts on a great show and has great food.

In short, one of the great pleasures of a WDW vacation is the opportunity to eat at great restaurants that are themed and kid-friendly. I don't eat at McD or Denny's at home... why should I eat at similar places on vacation?

I take my cues from my smallest travel companion too! He's just different than yours. I need to provide food for all my travel companions that they will eat. My DS will not eat McD-type nuggets, etc. He wants the real food!

Again,.... I really thought you did not know.