Help me narrow down our dining choices

eliezra

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
94
I know that restaurant choices are a matter of preference, but I would love to hear others thoughts and personal experiences. There are so many places we want to eat and we just can't narrow it down!

We will be at WDW the full week before Thanksgiving week. We have two DS, age 4 and 5. We are on the dining plan. This is our 1st visit. We would like to try a variety of places that offer various experiences (i.e. buffet, family style, order from menu).

So far we have picked the following places we are interested in (and I can only pick 7): Any suggestions? We would like to do 3-4 character meals. Oh, and we are really adventurous eaters!

~ Ohana (dinner)
~ Crystal Palace (breakfast)
~ 1900 Park Fare (dinner)
~ Wispering Canyon (dinner)
~ Chef's de France (dinner)
~ Akershus (dinner) – I know its princesses and we have 2 DS, but looks fun!
~ Garden Grill (dinner)
~ Boma (dinner)
~ Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner) – Not sure how crowded F! is during
3rd week of November
 
Ohana, is a pretty good place, especially if your kids get involved in the games that they play. It is a fun, family environment.

Crystal Palace, somewhat reminds me of a continental breakfast, that might be different for some. But it really seems like generic Disney breakfast that you can find cheaper at the bakery.

1900 Park Fare, have not ate here, heard good reviews. I just have never had anyone who wants to make a consensus on eating here.

Whispering Canyon, the only time we ate there we sat out of the way. We're a group of adults, and I did not feel like shouting across the room for my Ketchup. Once again, if your family loves getting into the action of the games they play it is for you.

Chefs De France, wouldn't see much here for kids. If you do choose this, their Mac and cheese is pretty darn good I must say. If you want a fancier taste, try the Lobster Bisque and their Creme Brulee.

Akerhaus, pretty good food, if you want to eat here book wayy in advance. We have tried at the 90 day mark, and haven't been able to get in.

Garden Grill, is pretty good. The characters are farm themed Chip, Dale,Goofy, and Mickey. Sometimes Minnie and Donald.

Boma didn't have much that my niece would eat, and he is 4 years old. He refuses to eat here, if your children don't have a picky palette than you might try this.

Mama Melrose, have never ate here before because it is mainly a Fantasmic dinner package tag-a-long, but we have heard amazing reviews. Fanstamic is pretty crowded during that week, especially later on in the week.
 
On your list my only "must-do" places are Ohana dinner and Boma dinner. We really like the breakfast at both 1900 Park Fare and Akershus.
 
I know that restaurant choices are a matter of preference, but I would love to hear others thoughts and personal experiences. There are so many places we want to eat and we just can't narrow it down!

We will be at WDW the full week before Thanksgiving week. We have two DS, age 4 and 5. We are on the dining plan. This is our 1st visit. We would like to try a variety of places that offer various experiences (i.e. buffet, family style, order from menu).

So far we have picked the following places we are interested in (and I can only pick 7): Any suggestions? We would like to do 3-4 character meals. Oh, and we are really adventurous eaters!

~ Ohana (dinner) This is one of our favorites and a must-do every year
~ Crystal Palace (breakfast) Good breakfast, good character interactionand right in the Mk so you could get an early start
~ 1900 Park Fare (dinner) Character interaction was fun, the step sisters were a scream, the food was so-so
~ Wispering Canyon (dinner) Food is good, not great, interaction depends on your individual server. We've had fun ones, and boring ones
~ Chef's de France (dinner) We enjoyed the food here very much, haven'teaten here since Remy joined, though, so can't tell you about interaction
~ Akershus (dinner) – I know its princesses and we have 2 DS, but looks fun!
~ Garden Grill (dinner)
~ Boma (dinner) Now, this is one we truly disliked, and we are adventurouseaters, too. Everything seemed to have the same odd cinnamon-y taste
~ Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner) – Not sure how crowded F! is during
3rd week of November
Have never eaten at Mama Melrose, but we don't find the package necessary during that time. We could have had the same or better seats just lining up ourselves. The package makes you eat really early.

I skipped the places where I've never been.
 

You have a lot of good choices. Off the top of my head, I wouldn't do 2 princess meals with two boys. IMO, the only reason to go to Akershus or 1900 Park Fare is for the princess interaction. Akershus is a great way to meet 5 princesses. The food is ok. 1900 Park Fare is a unique experience because of the atypical characters. The stepmother & stepsisters are a hoot, but I can't imagine boys being into it so much. The food was way better than I expected it to be based on some dismal reviews here. That said, I wouldn't go back just for the food. The characters are the draw.

'Ohana and Whispering Canyon are good non-character, but fun places for your son's ages. Another good choice along those lines would be Sci Fi.

I see consistently good reviews about the Garden Grill, and of course, Crystal Palace receives raves. We prefer Cape May over at the Beach Club, so consider that one if you end up not being able to get Crystal Palace. The characters are dressed in beach attire, and it's a totally laid back, fun experience.

I love, love, love Boma. Maybe you can check out the animals while you're at AKL. That would be a fun experience for your boys (and you!).

I can understand wanting to do a dinner in Epcot's World Showcase, and I think Chefs is a good choice.

The Fantasmic Dinner package and Mama Melrose get mixed reviews. Some people say it's not worth it to do the dinner package. It is also one of THE hardest ADRs to get.

Good luck with your planning!
 
Ohana's- A must for us, LOVE the bread pudding:love:
Boma - very good buffet, especially being adventurous.
1900 - love this place too!little girls LOVE it! ( and big girls too)
Crystal Palace- another must do!
Whispering Canyon- ok, not a must do
Asherkus- have only done for breakfast, years ago...

Have not tried others.... have a wonderful trip!
 
I would have loved Ohana if it wasn't for the like 2 hour wait for our ADRs. I mean literally we saw the waiting room packed then people were called in more people came then there was no one there but us. BUT on the amazing side of it all, we did end up with a view of the Magic Kingdom and I really loved the food, especially the chicken wings!!!

I love WCC. It is one of my favorites.
 
~ Ohana (dinner)
~ Crystal Palace (breakfast)
~ 1900 Park Fare (dinner)
~ Wispering Canyon (dinner)
~ Chef's de France (dinner)
~ Akershus (dinner) – I know its princesses and we have 2 DS, but looks fun!
~ Garden Grill (dinner)
~ Boma (dinner)
~ Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner) – Not sure how crowded F! is during
3rd week of November

Those are the 2 I would lose.
Although we had a horrible seat at WCC- when they were leading us back after an hour wait past our time- I realize we are going in the back room- as I say "Oh no we are heading to No-Man's Land" The CM points around the wall to an even worse seating area and adds- "No THAT'S No-man's land":rotfl2:
 
Personally, I don't care for most of your choices. I do love these:

~ Akershus (dinner)
~ Boma (dinner)

I have a DS who was nearly 6 when we went to Akershus and he loved meeting the princesses. The appetizer buffet was very interesting and good.
 
If I had to pick 7 restaurants for my family, my list would be different than yours. We typically pick our character meals for which characters are there, not the food (although have enjoyed the meals as well).

~ Ohana (dinner) - have done this a few times and enjoy the food and atmosphere (have also done character breakfasts at 'Ohana and that was fun too)
~ Crystal Palace (breakfast) - have only eaten here for dinner, but did enjoy that and the Pooh characters
~ 1900 Park Fare (dinner) - have only done breakfast here, a long time ago, but food was good. Isn't this where Stepmother and Stepsisters are? Have heard they are alot of fun to interact with
~ Wispering Canyon (dinner)
~ Chef's de France (dinner)
~ Akershus (dinner)
~ Garden Grill (dinner)
~ Boma (dinner)
~ Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner) - have done this a few times and we enjoy the food
 
I think you have chosen some wonderful restaurants! You will be pleased with going to any of these. Here is our take on the ones you have chosen:

Ohana (dinner) - This is one of our favorite places to eat. The presentation of the food is nice. I love that they bring huge family sized servings to the table and we love the 3 foot long meat skewers. Every bit of the food is delicious especially the wings and the most amazing bread pudding I have ever eaten (I hated bread pudding until I had theirs, now I crave it all year).

Crystal Palace (breakfast) - The restaurant is beautiful with a nice view of the castle. It takes a while for the characters to get around and we consider the food average. We have not eaten breakfast here yet so our experience was based on dinner.

1900 Park Fare (dinner)- We loved their buffet. The characters were amazing and the 2 step sisters really cracked us up. We were lucky to have been seated in the front area of the restaurant right outside the door the characters came out of, so we were the 2nd table they visited. They spent quite a bit of time with the kids. The buffet, was in our opinion, one of the best we have eaten at Disney with something for everyone. Not to mention, you can purchase a picture of your family in front of a cinderalla mural (we let them use our camera to take a picture of our kids, but their photo turned out so nice we ended up purchasing it).

Wispering Canyon (dinner) - The food here is good if you like BBQ. I would rank it a 7 out of 10. We have the family skillet and we all enjoyed it. The fun here however, has been hit and miss. Sometimes the servers are great, but others we have had didn't seem to play along. If you go here though, be sure to ask for a large drink or some ketchup. ;) Our kids were able to do a stick horse race through the restaurant. Your DS's might enjoy the western theme.

Chef's de France (dinner) - Beautiful location, wonderful views, and delicious food. This is a great change of pace for our family when we visit. I think the servings are somewhat smaller than other Disney eateries, but I think the atmosphere makes up for that.


Akershus (dinner) - You do get a free photo here with a princess and even though you have DS's our 12 year old loved having his picture taken with Belle (our princess that day). They have a nice cold buffet bar that you can munch off of while you are waiting for your main course. We tried a little bit of everything and enjoyed it all. My DD (11) even was brave and tried the lamb stew (which she loved). There are several princess' who visit with you and they seemed to get around the room pretty quickly.

Garden Grill (dinner)- This is one of our favorite restaurants, however with that being said, we eat alot of fresh veggies and fruits and a low fat menu at home. Some of the food, we were told, is grown right in the greenhouse there at Epcot. We enjoyed riding "Living with the Land" just before our reservation so that the kids could see where some of their food was coming from. On a side note, I highly recommend a tour of the greenhouse. It is very affordable and will give them a closer look at how the food is grown and they may have the opportunity to feed the fish or release ladybugs. The restaurant rotates very slowly in a circle which my children loved. They had never eaten in a restaurant the moved so they thought it was really cool. Most of the veggies came out blanched so if your kids want their veggies soggie they might not like it too much. The catfish however is wonderful and the character interaction was great!

Boma (dinner) - It is almost worth eating here just to see the hotel. The buffet had some interesting items on it and we were brave and tried several of them. The best part of the buffet to us was the selection of hummus' and desserts. Yum!

Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner) – If you are planning on going to fantasmic, I recommend getting the fantasmic dinner package. You don't have to arrive so early to the show and you get to sit in a special section that has a great view of the action. Our experience unfortunatly at MM was not very good. The food was probably a 4 and our server was even worse. This is definatly not the norm at Disney and from what I have read on other reviews of MM, I think we just had a bad night. The dining room is kinda dark and I thought it was a very romantic place to eat. Of all the places we ate this was the place where we waited the longest (we try to get reservations as close to opening as possible, so that may have played into why the wait was so long).

Hope this helps you out. I think you will be happy at any of these choices. Have a great vacation!
 
Ohana (dinner) -We don't like smoked food. So keep this in mind if you don't like smoked food. If you do then you will love it.
~ Crystal Palace (breakfast) - Good
~ 1900 Park Fare (dinner)- Good
~ Wispering Canyon (dinner) Good food & fun
~ Chef's de France (dinner) Loved it
~ Akershus (dinner) – I know its princesses and we have 2 DS, but looks fun! Never Been
~ Garden Grill (dinner) Good
~ Boma (dinner) Good
~ Mama Melrose Good
 
Yes ~ Ohana (dinner) - I have not been there, but hear great things. We are trying it in July.

Yes ~ Crystal Palace (breakfast) - definitley keep this one. The food is good the character interaction is great

Yes ~ 1900 Park Fare (dinner) - Lots of fun, the food just ok, but character interaction is good

No ~ Wispering Canyon (dinner) - I have never been and have no interest

Yes ~ Chef's de France (dinner) - are you going to see Remy? we are trying this in June

Yes~ Akershus (dinner) – I know its princesses and we have 2 DS, but looks fun! - my son is 6 right now and has done the meal twice and loved it, the food is good. Now he said no more princessy stuff

No ~ Garden Grill (dinner) - have never been, had it booked, but then changed it we will see chip and dale somewhere else and the menu does not look great

Yes ~ Boma (dinner) - love it

Yes ~ Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner) – Not sure how crowded F! is during
3rd week of November[/QUOTE] - have not tried but the package is nice to have
 
We are going the same week as you:
Ohana (dinner)
~ Crystal Palace (breakfast) - loved this last week. The food was very good & the characters were great.Service was good too This was the best buffet we went to.
~ 1900 Park Fare (dinner) - only went for breakfast, last week too & it was good for food & service & the characters were fun even with 2 adults

~ Mama Melrose (Fantasmic dinner) – Not sure how crowded F! is during
3rd week of November - We didn't care for it much for lunch, we were there last year, it was okay italian and the server we hadn't was good, but thats just hit or miss.

can't help with the others.
 
Are you going the week of Nov. 13th-Nov.20th? That is the week we'll be there!

Anyway, first trip for family (grandparents joining us as well). I've been as a child, but not since.

I can't make first hand comments, since I haven't been in years, but I've been researching and quizzing friends for that long!

We'll have a DS (8), DS (7-just turned!) and DD (5-just turned!) at the time of the trip, so not TOO far off in age, and definitely have the BOYS!

I understand not wanting to do ALL buffets - hard for parents since you have to help carry your children's plates!

Some choices that you may want to consider due to recommendations from friends (with boys!) and disboards are:

-Teppan Edo (A friend took her twin boys there when they were your son's ages...return trip this year - that is their only "must do again" restaurant request! We did a hibachi here in CT for my birthday and the kids CONSTANTLY talk about it! Fun atmosphere.)

-Biergarten (food still a bit adventurous, with a fun and lively atmosphere)

-Coral Reef (big aquarium tanks...need I say more!)

-Sanaa (views of the savannah while eating...unlike Boma, you get to see the animals up close! Heard to schedule during the animals "dinner time"....maybe dusk? Also, food adventurous, but the children's menu is still tame.)

-1900 Park Fare for breakfast (we are DEFINITELY going for dinner - daughter wants to see Cinderella and I think our boys will enjoy the stepfamily's antics - much better than they will tolerate Akerhaus! That being said...consider the breakfast, if you'd like. I've heard the characters are great - Alice, Mary Poppins, and the Mad Hatter is really fun! Boys might enjoy meeting him more....or if you are looking for a breakfast)

-Trail's End (a buffet that I see similar to WCC in food choices in that it will have some BBQ. Might be a good choice if checking out Ft. Wilderness or heading to the Chip N Dale Sing-A-Long)

Anyway, these are on our "tentative" list along with some you have (WCC, Chefs de France, 1900 Park Fare, etc.) It is a tough decision, so best of luck.

I'll leave you with this...if you are not having a "date night" during your trip, definitely plan a meal or two that is more for the food than the characters! I think the restaurants all look fun to eat in as a child (as opposed to the family restaurants they are probably used to seeing), so I think having something like Chefs de France or Grand Floridian Cafe or Kona would be well tolerated by your children, maybe even embraced as it pulls them away from the constant action of the parks!

Enjoy your trip!

Me (34) :surfweb:, DH (34) :), DS (7) pirate:, DS (6) pirate:, DD (4) :cheer2:
 
I really appreciate everyone taking the time to give such thoughtful responses. I guess I am just going to have to extend my stay by several days! ;) Along with the original restaurants I wanted, I have several more I want to add based on all the feedback. Thanks!!
 





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