Help with dining reservations?!

[mindy32]

Hi All,

I've tried searching but I'm getting even more jumbled looking at other threads and was hoping all you Disney experts might be able to give me some advice? I'm able to book our ADR's in a couple of weeks and have no idea what I should book. I have a list of places I think we'd like to do but don't really understand which restaurants are close to each park and therefore which ones would be better to do on which park days etc. I also would love suggestions for some other places that might fit well and give us a good mix of restaurants. A little about us: 3 adults, travelling from Australia, we will have already spent three weeks in the US by the time we arrive in WDW. I don't eat a lot of red meat but hubby loves it. I'm also not a big fan of overly spicy food. We're not fans of buffets, likely to only do it at breakfast if at all. Other than that though we love all styles of food, love fine dining and trying new things but also love comfort food and I'm a dessert fanatic!

So if you have any suggestions on places we might enjoy (I've been trawling through reviews etc but actual recommendations are always nice) that would be great.

But my main question is what days should we do each of the following do you think? We'll have a full day at each of the four parks and then another day doing a water park I think. We won't arrive until 11:30pm the day we arrive so we'll have the following 5 full days and then checkout on the morning of the 6th day. And which of the dinners should be the 5 we actually book!?

Breakfasts:
Kona Cafe
1 character breakfast I think, don't know which though?!

Lunches:
Probably will just do mostly counter service *** I'm worried about taking time out of the parks? Any suggestions are welcome though?! Must dos?
Probably will do 50's Prime Time on our HS day?

Dinners:
California Grill (the one I'm most sure on)
Ohana
Jiko
Victoria & Alberts (not sure because of the cost)
Narcoosees
Raglan Road
Chefs de France
Bluezoo

Probably don't want all expensive dinners so any suggestions for nice but not super expensive? Definitely table service, but not neccessarily signatures.

Wow that was a lot of questions, sorry! I'm just so confused.

Thanks for any help.
Belinda

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I will try to help ...


Breakfasts:
Kona Cafe Kona is in the Polynesian near MK. I think it is a very good choice for breakfast. Usually laid back when we have eaten there and the Tonga Toast is wonderful!

1 character breakfast I think, don't know which though?! If you do not like buffets, 'Ohana, also in the Polynesian, serves the food to you family style at your table. Mickey, Pluto and Stitch are there. This is actually one of our favorite meals on property. Much, much less chaotic than one of the buffets.

Lunches:
Probably will just do mostly counter service *** I'm worried about taking time out of the parks? Any suggestions are welcome though?! Must dos?
Probably will do 50's Prime Time on our HS day? We like
50's at DHS. Food is good, not great for us. But the decor and the service are what makes it a great experience. I can't say that there is a CS place in DHS that we enjoy. In MK, we like Columbia Harbor House, in EPCOT, just about all of the World Showcase countries are fun and in Animal Kingdom we like Flame Tree BBQ.

Dinners:
California Grill (the one I'm most sure on)
Ohana
Jiko
Victoria & Alberts (not sure because of the cost)
Narcoosees
Raglan Road
Chefs de France
Bluezoo

For the above dinners, definitely try to hit California Grill (near MK). We have always had great experiences there. 'Ohana for dinner is a must for us every trip as well. Definitely a meat lovers paradise but I can make a meal just on the sides.

Jiko is a beautiful restaurant with food that is a bit different from the standard fare. We really enjoy it. Jiko isn't really near any of the Parks but definitely worth a trip for us.

Raglan Road (in DTD so maybe good after a water park day) and Chefs are two that we prefer at lunch, especially Chefs. We did not care for dinner there at all, but our lunches have always been wonderful. We have eaten at RR probably 3 times and always had bad service but the food has been good enough that we go back.

I haven't eaten at your other choices but I am sure others will chime in. I think you have picked a good selection. Have you looked at the menus either on this site or on Allears?

 

[mindy32]

Thanks so much for your reply!

I think I might re-post this in the general restaurant board in the hope I get a few more replies!