here are my ADR's for jan.26th~feb.2nd...

[bowlingchicaroo]

so i just want to get everyone's opinion about my ADR's...we have them all booked but friday is still open!

this is my family's first trip...

saturday~Jan.26th: 5:30pm @ Chef Mickey's

sunday~Jan.27th: 5:00pm @ Spoodles

monday~Jan.28th: 4:00pm @ Biergarten

tuesday~Jan.29th: 7:10pm @ Rose and Crown

wednesday~Jan.30th: 4:00pm @ Le Cellier

thursday~Jan.31st: 6:10pm @ Coral Reef

friday~Feb.1st: 1:00pm @ Play n Dine~Hollywood & Vine

 

[KatMark]

so i just want to get everyone's opinion about my ADR's...we have them all booked but friday is still open!

this is my family's first trip...

saturday~Jan.26th: 5:30pm @ Chef Mickey's

sunday~Jan.27th: 5:00pm @ Spoodles

monday~Jan.28th: 4:00pm @ Biergarten

tuesday~Jan.29th: 7:10pm @ Rose and Crown

wednesday~Jan.30th: 4:00pm @ Le Cellier

thursday~Jan.31st: 6:10pm @ Coral Reef

friday~Feb.1st: no ADR yet, but i am thinking Play n Dine @ Hollywood & Vine

They sound great. We have never eaten at Spoodles, but we have eaten at all the others and enjoyed them except for Hollywood & Vine.

Have a great time.

 

[bowlingchicaroo]

what's wrong with hollywood and vine? my bil is going to make an adr there for friday...he said he heard good things about it...so mainly i was wanting to go there for the characters...should i be having 2nd thoughts...now i am

 

[KatMark]

We ate at Hollywood & Vine twice for dinner. On each experience we had either/or all of the following: slow seating, slow service and cold food and food not being replenished for ages when an item ran out; also the restrooms were filthy. I don't know if the buffet is different for the characters as they don't have them at dinner. We prefer Cyrstal Palace for the characters or Chef Mickey's. But every one has a different opinion. So we always try each place at least once and make our own judgment.

 

[Elmo888]

We are going the same time...where is your princess meal for your DDs??? LOL!

Seriously, we did CRT last time, and we are trying dinner at Akershus this time.

We are trying Hollywood and Vine, too, for breakfast. I've heard mixed reviews, but I figure that I only have to do it once! Our DDs are 7 and 2.

Your lineup sounds great!

 

[bowlingchicaroo]

our original plan was to do CRT for lunch/dinner one day, but we decided we didn't want to pay OOP for another meal... so we just scratched that plan and figured they would see the around the parks(i hope )

 

[Elmo888]

our original plan was to do CRT for lunch/dinner one day, but we decided we didn't want to pay OOP for another meal... so we just scratched that plan and figured they would see the around the parks(i hope )

How old are your DDs? It looks like you are doing 1 character meal. I would do one or two more. We had dinner at CP with Pooh and friends, and the food was great (buffet stye). Akershus princess meals are only 1 TS (unlike CRT), so maybe that could be an option for your?

Regarding DDP...1 TS meal per day is plenty of food. We went with the eat one big meal and then eat lightly theory (but then we often seem to do that on weekends). I also went with the theory that one 2 TS meals was fine (regarding getting your DDP money's worth), but I wouldn't do more than that. We are doing Jiko next time, which is 2 TS. Also, I wouldn't save DDP credits (TS, CS, or snack credits). So many people seem to leave with credits left. We used everything by the time that we left. The CM at our last meal was very accommodating in letting me use our last few snack credits to create a meal.

We took DDs for the first time in January and did 3 character meals and 3 TS meals. I felt that it was a good mix.

BTW, we loved Le Cellier.

We are trying Biergarten on our next trip.

The princess line at Mickey's Toontown Fair was the longest out of the 3 lines. Either be prepared to stand in line or go there first one morning (which is what we will try next time). We went to MK a few mornings, so we could tour early one morning and pursue characters another morning (my plan for next time).

Have a great trip!

 

[bowlingchicaroo]

our girls are 7 & 4...this is our first trip to disney and have been planning since feb.2007...i am going to be just as excited as they are since this is my first trip too...dh has been 2x's before...i can't wait to go...my bil and his friend is coming with us and he knows the in's and outs of disney since he used to work there...he made all of our adr's for us...i don't know what i would of done without him...making all the adr's and trying to figure out what park to do on what day is just stressing me out... but we have a plan and it looks good...

so where is your family staying at?

 

[Elmo888]

We are trying ASMusic Family Suites on this trip. I wanted a separate space this time (one room for us and one for DDs). It just felt small last time at WL with DD2 in a Pack N Play. DDs will be 7 and 3 this time (no Pack N Play, I hope? or maybe not?), so hopefully it will be easier! I just found night time difficult. DDs would not go to sleep. They needed quiet and darkness, and DH and I couldn't go to sleep that early. We went back to the resort for a nap every day, but I would like to try that just every other day to see how it works.

It sounds like you have a great planner! For touring, I really like the Unofficial Guide to WDW. It helps to figure out which attractions to hit first (skipping what you want). We didn't follow it to a T (in January, touring plans are not as critical because the crowds are lighter), but it definitely helps.

Heck, I think that making the ADRs helps with the planning!

Have a great trip!

 

[melomouse]

I am happy & excited for your first family trip!

We will be there the same time, and will also be at Spoodles and Le Cellier! Good Choices!!lol!

On our recent trip, we did Biergarten for the first time and Chef Mickey's for the last. CM is all about the character interaction - it has always been wonderful and both DD and DS love it, old as they are now!

Coral Reef was also a pleasant surprise for us not so long ago. Kids looove the tank!

Sounds like you are in great shape with your friend helping you out! You are gonna have a great time!!!

 

[poeticdiabetic]

so i just want to get everyone's opinion about my ADR's...we have them all booked but friday is still open!

this is my family's first trip...

saturday~Jan.26th: 5:30pm @ Chef Mickey's

sunday~Jan.27th: 5:00pm @ Spoodles

monday~Jan.28th: 4:00pm @ Biergarten

tuesday~Jan.29th: 7:10pm @ Rose and Crown

wednesday~Jan.30th: 4:00pm @ Le Cellier

thursday~Jan.31st: 6:10pm @ Coral Reef

friday~Feb.1st: no ADR yet, but i am thinking Play n Dine @ Hollywood & Vine

I think you've made good choices, as well. I've never been to Biergarten or Spoodles, but to start your trip off with Chef Mickey's is excellent. You can get all of your picture-hunting activities done with all of those characters coming to your table.

Also, Le Cellier is just a great restaurant, with good, aged steaks. I was pleasantly surprised at how much the entire family just loved that restaurant. Le Cellier is our family's favorite.

And Coral Reef is stunning! The tank is great! And the food is good, too! You'll love it!

My advice is to stay away from Hollywood and Vine, as well. We went twice in two years and the first time it wasn't anything to write home about, but it didn't turn me off, either. The second time though, in May of this year, it was our worst dining experience of our entire trip. The food tasted bland, like hospital food. We waited a long time to get seated (30 minutes after our ADR). The waitress was nice, though. She made sure I had plenty of the best tasting item in Hollywood and Vine, the cranberry juice!

All in all, I wouldn't recommend Hollywood and Vine. But, I've also learned something else- if you really want to experience it yourself, then go. There were a few times that I went to a restaurant that people in these forums said they didn't like and had a wonderful time!

 

[bowlingchicaroo]

I am happy & excited for your first family trip!

We will be there the same time, and will also be at Spoodles and Le Cellier! Good Choices!!lol!

On our recent trip, we did Biergarten for the first time and Chef Mickey's for the last. CM is all about the character interaction - it has always been wonderful and both DD and DS love it, old as they are now!

Coral Reef was also a pleasant surprise for us not so long ago. Kids looove the tank!

Sounds like you are in great shape with your friend helping you out! You are gonna have a great time!!!

thanks, melomouse...i know we are going to have a wonderful time at disney!!

where are you guys staying, if you don't mind me asking?

I think you've made good choices, as well. I've never been to Biergarten or Spoodles, but to start your trip off with Chef Mickey's is excellent. You can get all of your picture-hunting activities done with all of those characters coming to your table.

Also, Le Cellier is just a great restaurant, with good, aged steaks. I was pleasantly surprised at how much the entire family just loved that restaurant. Le Cellier is our family's favorite.

And Coral Reef is stunning! The tank is great! And the food is good, too! You'll love it!

My advice is to stay away from Hollywood and Vine, as well. We went twice in two years and the first time it wasn't anything to write home about, but it didn't turn me off, either. The second time though, in May of this year, it was our worst dining experience of our entire trip. The food tasted bland, like hospital food. We waited a long time to get seated (30 minutes after our ADR). The waitress was nice, though. She made sure I had plenty of the best tasting item in Hollywood and Vine, the cranberry juice!

All in all, I wouldn't recommend Hollywood and Vine. But, I've also learned something else- if you really want to experience it yourself, then go. There were a few times that I went to a restaurant that people in these forums said they didn't like and had a wonderful time!

thanks, poeticdiabetic...i guess all we can do is try it for ourselves and make our own assumption about the places we have chosen...my bil said he heard hollywood and vine was good...so i guess it is just what everyone hears...so i am not sure if we have the adr for hollywood and vine yet...bil is supposed to email me and let me know...but i really do want to try it for the characters there....

 

[poeticdiabetic]

thanks, poeticdiabetic...i guess all we can do is try it for ourselves and make our own assumption about the places we have chosen...my bil said he heard hollywood and vine was good...so i guess it is just what everyone hears...so i am not sure if we have the adr for hollywood and vine yet...bil is supposed to email me and let me know...but i really do want to try it for the characters there....[/QUOTE]

Bowlingchicaroo,

When it comes to character interaction, if you are going to dinner at Hollywood and Vine, there were no characters. Chef Mickey's is great for character dining. We went to Hollywood and Vine because we thought the food would be good and for the preferred seating at Fantasmic (which is a great show, IMO.)

I just hope that you're not expecting a character dining experience at Hollywood and Vine for dinner. But go and try it for yourself!

 

[bowlingchicaroo]

[QUOTE/]=poeticdiabetic:When it comes to character interaction, if you are going to dinner at Hollywood and Vine, there were no characters. Chef Mickey's is great for character dining. We went to Hollywood and Vine because we thought the food would be good and for the preferred seating at Fantasmic (which is a great show, IMO.)

I just hope that you're not expecting a character dining experience at Hollywood and Vine for dinner. But go and try it for yourself![/QUOTE]


we are doing lunch there...they only have 2 LE characters and jo jo & golitah there for breakfast & lunch...so we chose lunch...i showed my girls a pic and they are so excited about it....

 

[melomouse]

Hey bowling chicaroo - We will be at WL and in WDW in January for the first winter trip ever!

I wanted to comment on H&V - I think we added that one to our trip this time, too - tho it gets lots of negative reviews, my family has always loved it. After our recent visit to Chef Mickey's, there is no way the food could be worse at H&V! I'm hoping they haven't cheaped out the buffet choices as they did at CM's - but we'll see.

 

[bowlingchicaroo]

Hey bowling chicaroo - We will be at WL and in WDW in January for the first winter trip ever!

I wanted to comment on H&V - I think we added that one to our trip this time, too - tho it gets lots of negative reviews, my family has always loved it. After our recent visit to Chef Mickey's, there is no way the food could be worse at H&V! I'm hoping they haven't cheaped out the buffet choices as they did at CM's - but we'll see.

i know it seems that there are more negative than good...oh well i still want to go and check it out and see for myself...no matter where we eat at we will be in heaven since we are at DISNEY WORLD!

 

[n2mm]

We're there the same time. I called yesterday and canceled some of my ADRs to include Coral Reef, Concourse SH, and LeCellier (Feb. 1). We decided to not include the DDP in our plans, so we are revamping our dining plans. All of my ressies were for 2. I think the CM started to cry when I canceled the LeCellier one and kept saying "are you sure". I kept saying, the DDP does not offer us any value anymore. We'll use our DDE card exclusively now.

 

[sherabby]

We ate at the Sci-Fi when in MGM and it was pretty good. My son especially loved sitting in the cars! there are a lot of posts that the food is bad but we thought it was very good.