HELP!! Planning Trip for Family and Need Dining Experts

[Christine]

I have just been asked by my aunt to help her plan her first-ever Disney trip with her grandchildren. This is a last-minute trip, I've got a new job and can't spend TONS of time online anymore, but I need to know where to send them for food. I know where *I* would go, but my dining preferences are usually signature restaurants and they aren't interested in that--plus there are small children.

I have their park days planned out so I'm ready to fit in some dining for them.

Here's some info:
Aunt 67
Uncle 70

Both will be using ECVs for the trip.

Their son and DIL (early 30s)
Grandkids - Around 7, 4, and 9 months. Sorry don't know exact ages.

They will be staying at SoG and, obviously, with the ECVs and young ones they aren't going to doing the park in a commando mode.

They have expressed an interest in doing the HDDR, so I will try for that.

I know they are EXTREMELY limited at this point, but would be interested in a character meal (of course, Chef Mickey's, but I know that's impossible).

Can someone PLEASE give me some ideas to get started with?

Here's the schedule:
Saturday (6/21) - MK
Sun (6/22) - AK
Mon (6/23) - Epcot
Tues (6/24) - Disney Studios/Waterpark for the two older kids
Wed (6/25) - MK

I will try to do HDDR on one of the MK days so that they can hop over on the boat. What does one do with an ECV during that time?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

What about the Cape May breakfast on the EPCOT day? We found it to be one of the more relaxed character meals and I don't think it is a hard ADR to get.

I always suggest the Biergarten for larger groups. We love it there & the buffet seems to have something for everyone. The on stage entertainment may keep the kids entertained. (It did my DS at 8). Also don't think this restaurant books solid.

In DHS, the kids would probably enjoy Sci Fi -- maybe you could get them a lunch ADR?

Not sure what to suggest in MK ... maybe the Plaza? CP & Liberty Tree will probably be hard to get. Same with O'Hana's. But it can't hurt to try.

CS recommendations may be the best bet in AK -- Flame Tree, Pizzafari? Or what about Rainforest Cafe? (Although I don't think they accept the dining plan if they are on that)

 

[Christine]

Thank you!!

I will definitely do the Cape May buffet. I've always LOVED it and so did my cousin (who is one of her other children). Thanks for the reminder. See, I need help. Since I'm not planning a trip for another year or so, I'm out of Disney trip planning mode.

They will not be on the dining plan.

Not sure what to think about the AK dining. We do have a Rainforest Cafe in the area but not sure they have been. How is the restaurant that took the place of Tusker House counter service?

Biegarten sounds like it might be a good idea. I haven't eaten there in about 10 years. Is it okay?

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Thank you!!

Not sure what to think about the AK dining. We do have a Rainforest Cafe in the area but not sure they have been. How is the restaurant that took the place of Tusker House counter service?

Biegarten sounds like it might be a good idea. I haven't eaten there in about 10 years. Is it okay?

I haven't been to the new restaurant in AK yet, it wasn't open for our last trip. We are trying Yak & Yeti in August. I have read very mixed reviews about both it and the new CS.

We absolutely love the Biergarten. It is a must do for us every trip. Really seems to be something for everyone on the buffet. We first went when DS was 8 and all he ate was the pretzel bread & pork cutlets. Each year he has added a few more items to his plate. I am anxious to see what he will try this year!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

The Tusker House buffet is great! We just ate lunch there this past February and really enjoyed it. Relaxed atmosphere and lovely theming. Food selection was nice too, great desserts. They also have this wonderful juice called Jamba juice that is a mixture of guava, passion fruit and something else I can't remember. Anyhow, it was delicious and my DH kept asking for refills. We're planning to eat there again when we go back to the AK.

Crystal Palace at the MK is great food but is rather noisy. I don't know how your family will feel about the noise level, but it's a really pretty restaurant inside, like an airy conservatory. The food is delicious too.

Coral Reef at Epcot was really relaxing. The restaurant is wrapped around an aquarium. Tranquil and soothing and the food was good! Definitely a laid back atmosphere.

Hollywood Studios...we ate at the Hollywood Brown Derby and LOVED it! The atmosphere was great, like old school Hollywood. We loved the menu and the food was awesome. We're absolutely eating there again. Again, a more laid back restaurant.

If they're looking for a character meal, we really enjoyed the 1900 Park Fare dinner with Cinderella. It's located at the Grand Floridian hotel and is a buffet. The characters are soooo much fun and very interactive. The step-sisters roam around, scowling at everyone and Cinderella was so sweet and beautiful. Prince Charming was very kind and then he led Cinderella to middle of the restaurant for a waltz set to the theme song from the movie. One of our favorite characer meals by far!

Another of our favorite places for dinner was Ohana. It was so cozy and family-ish! The food was incredible and the dessert one of the best we had in all of Disney.

Hope that helps!

 

[Boca Chica 8417]

For a really fun character meal try the character breakfast at the Grand Floridian. The Epcot dinners are really good - Chefs de France is really nice but might not be appropriate for very young children, but if they like to try things that's a cool place. San Angel (Mexico) and Marrakesh (Morocco) are really fun and I always enjoyed them as a kid (been going to WDW since I was 5 and I'm 24 now). If you are going to MGM try Sci-Fi, that's fun for adults and kids.

As far as the rides go, DO NOT MISS SPLASH MOUNTAIN it's so much fun, based on the Song of the South and the effects are wonderful! Nearly all of the rides in Magic Kingdom are appropriate for kids so no problem there. Epcot, make sue the kids get to see Figment in the Imagination ride. Animal Kingdom is really fun for the kids, a lot of walking but a great experience.

Walking around the theme parks, try to get the kids to see some of the characters walking around, take pictures and get autographs.

Honestly,preparing for a trip to WDW is not as stressful as a lot of people will want you to think it is. It's just fun as long as you try to stick to some sort of schedule. We always make a sort of itenerary and try to stick to it, incorporating dinners into it. If you are staying at a Disney resort, try to get Fast Passes to the rides at the theme parks, it makes it soooooo much easier to segment your time. It will help you get onto some of the rides with longer lines, just make sure you get to the parks at a pretty early hour to maximize your time.

Try to catch Wishes at Magic Kingdom and if there is SpectroMagic light parade going on at Magic Kingdom, try to catch that. Fantasmic I think it is called at MGM is very good. Illuminations at Epcot is really cool and it is every night, weather permitting, so definitely try to catch that.

I know it seems like the kids might get tired and so might your aunt and uncle, but my grandpa handled it like a champion at 75 or 80 when he went a while back, and my sister and I were 3 and 5 respectively when we started going to WDW, and while it seems like the kids are going to get tired, they are going tobe too busy having fun and being amazed to get tired. My sister was 3 and she walked through the parks for about 13 hours on our first trip, the kids forget about being tired when they are having that much fun. Just try to get the most hours you can and try to get the most out of the hours you get. Every second is worth it.

Rides not to Miss
(For kids)
Splash Mountain
Pirates of the Carribean
Haunted Mansion
Imagination (wth Figment)
Safari (at the Animal Kingdom)
Maelstrom

(For adults)
Splash Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Space Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Carribean
Maelstrom
RockNRollercoaster
Tower of Terror


Hope you really enjoy yor trip, just remember it's all fun, no stress, and make the most of your time there, it's worth it! Have fun!

 

[ms*mountaineer]

you didn't say if the children were boys or girls - if there are girls and you think they would enjoy princesses, then I recommend Akershus for breakfast. We took our girls and the grandparents there - the grandparents loved it and have asked to go back there on the next trip! They loved the food and thought the princess interaction was sweet.