Update for our WDW side of trip. I’ll go through some indoor TS places since that seems to be a cause for concern with a lot of ppl. I’ve done quite a few trips to UO/WDW since Aug2020 (countless days spent quarantining in my basement but well worth it) and every trip we’ve done indoor dining. Note: we are hard core mask wearers. Walking outdoors, indoors, even sitting at tables to eat — our masks stay on all the time (unless we are actively eating/drinking, then they go right back on as we are sitting there) even when there is no mandate to do so. Received our negative test Thursday morning and we head back tmrw night (amazingly WJ did not cancel our flight; I totally thought they would..). We did 2 nights of Boo Bash AH and a fireworks private cruise — another great trip even if the crowds have notably increased.
indoor dining
1) Rose & Crown — we actually ate outside next to the railing by the water; all tables are being used now but spaced out decently so we were fine
2) Garden Grill — ate here a couple of times. Characters still are up top so only the booths are being used (they had added some plexiglass to the top of the seats — still there). This was one of our favs since it is quite open and u are on ur owe in a booth. And as always characters are great
3) Beaches & Cream — ugh. They went back to full seating which quite honestly was too cramped before Covid. I was seated against the wall near the kitchen so I was fine w that but quickly ate my sundae and left. I cancelled all the other ADRs I had for the rest of the trip esp after I figured out the new ice cream shop on the Boardwalk had similar offerings and I was able to just take it to our room
4) Tusker House — Another character meal that hasn’t gone back to full tables to allow the characters enough room to move. I knew it would be hit or miss from reviews I read since it all depends on ur seat. We lucked out w being in the main room in the inner circle. We were fine w the openness and enjoyed the family style offerings. Will do it again
5) Yak & Yeti — I honestly can’t remember how they were configured before but we always get seated upstairs and while I feel they are back to full seating, we had no issues upstairs. Never feels tight
6) Hollywood & Vine — ate here multiple times for all 3 meals. Again w the characters they do not have any middle seats; all are along the edge. And the offerings are really good vs just plain ol’family style. There might be the odd table that’s close to another but for the most part very open
7) Brown Derby — back to full seating. However the tables are decently spaced and w the vaulted ceiling we were fine
8) Prime Time — we did not eat here. I peaked in when using the washroom during a H&V meal and they are back to full seating. We ate here in Dec when it was still socially distanced and it still felt cramped back then — my ADR was canceled this week
9) Steakhouse 71 — loved this place; did breakfast and supper. Good seating however if they try to seat you along this one wall that has a booth bench running the length, ask to be moved. We saw that at breakfast and it was tight to your neighbour so we asked to be moved. Otherwise the rest of the restaurant has a good layout
10) Be Our Guest — I don’t feel they are back to full because Beast does a walk through, however they have definitely been adding tables back. We were fine since they stuck tables of 2 against the wall however I think i would have issues out more in the middle where the larger groups are
11)Biergarten — ahh my German place how I love thee. They initially went to family style and individual seating (man how we hated seated next to strangers). And just a few weeks ago they went back to buffet. This was a huge issue for me; cause of anxiety for sure. Decided not to do it until after we had been tested. Still have individual seating. And have staff monitoring guests that their masks are on all the time when up getting food; they did a fantastic job
12) MK fireworks dessert party treats and seats — not indoors but a buffet. Unlike Biergarten, they do not make you wear a mask when getting food (we were literally the first ones at the buffet because I lined up at 5:15pm, and we only did 1 pass). Of note: they did not offer the cheeseburger spring rolls nor the spinach dip for those of you familiar with it
Believe that was all the places we tried. My issue w QS is that now that it’s gettingVERY busy, finding a spot to eat is a chore and it’s just easier to do ADRs for us.
the one pleasant surprise; the private Fireworks Cruise. This was FANTASTIC and I already have us booked for our Dec trip. Loved this so much— we go for the FWs and not the projections so this is right up our alley. They provide snacks/drinks. Saw some ppl w bday cake and mobile orders — it’s tight in my opinion to be eating a bunch of food esp w larger groups. But well worth the price esp since w MK and Epcot FWs there is ZERO personal space being given by ppl. I picked probably the worst spot for the new Epcot (it was fine for me) and of course right when it started ppl still came over and were on top of me. We saw MK FWs twice but never stood for them — I did a Casey corner run to bring food back to the dessert party and the crowd on Main Street/Hub gave me anxiety
hope this helps anyone in their trip planning. We are happy it all worked out. We head to DLin 18 days for a 4 night stay; hoping it goes as smoothly.
