Hi new to the board and looking for some help

[trjme]

Visiting POR June 30th thru July 5th, have park hopper and DDP with 2 adaults, dd11 and dd 6. Any advise with what restaraunts to reserve would be great help. Heck I would take enough advise for the whole vacation if someone was willing to help me out with it. I know I dont want to do any of the 2 table service credit meals but would like to take advantage of the best restaraunts that 1 ts credit will allow. Any helpers out there?

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome!

I haven't been to WDW since 1990, but I've been researching like mad since last August. I have a ds(10), dd(8) and dd(5). Here's what I'm hoping to book next week:

Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary: character meal w/ Mickey and company. I'm planning on dinner; the kids will love the ice cream sundae bar.

1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian: Dinner with Cinderella and friends.

The Coral Reef in Epcot: like eating in the bottom of the ocean. We ate there last trip and need to go back with the kids.

Le Cellier in Canada at Epcot: supposedly wonderful steaks. My son will love it!

Fantasmic Dinner Package at Hollywood & Vine (at MGM). Still on the fence between this and Mama Melrose's. But I do want the dinner package.

'Ohana at the Polynesian. It looks like fun.

But I would book soon!! Then if you change your mind, you can call and make the changes.

 

[wilde_oscar]

Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary: character meal w/ Mickey and company. I'm planning on dinner; the kids will love the ice cream sundae bar.

Good choice for breakfast.

1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian: Dinner with Cinderella and friends.

Good Choice for Breakfast

The Coral Reef in Epcot: like eating in the bottom of the ocean. We ate there last trip and need to go back with the kids.

Reviews as of late have been less than stellar. In 1990 Coral Reef was a premire dining experaince... now, not so much

Le Cellier in Canada at Epcot: supposedly wonderful steaks. My son will love it!

Great Choice

Fantasmic Dinner Package at Hollywood & Vine (at MGM). Still on the fence between this and Mama Melrose's. But I do want the dinner package.

Mama Melrose is the better choice, doing the Fantasmic! package would depend on crowd levels

Ohana at the Polynesian. It looks like fun.

Looks like fun, and for kids it is. But the food is marginal, and it is loud, very very loud.

To get the most out of DDP... use CS for lunch and TS for Dinner pay out of pocket or use a snack for breakfast (depends on if you are big on breakfast or not).

For Dinner near MK... you get better bang for you buck jumping on the monorail and heading to one of the resorts. Kona Cafe, Concourse Steakhouse (if it is still open when you go, it is about to be refurbed), or GF Cafe. The buffets don't provide as much bang for the buck in cost vs. quanity... but quality of the food is rarly a factor when considering character meals. Still, Ohanna food is um, not worth the cost.

Epcot has the best selection of dinner locations. Rose & Crown, Le Cellier Steak House, Le Chefs have all been reviewing well. Avoid 9 Dragons.

For Studios... Mama Melrose is a great choice.

For AK... both yak & yeti and Tusker House have been reviewing well. Yak and Yeti is a sit down TS, Tusker is a buffet TS.

Some others to consider would be Boma over all it is very good for a buffet and highly rated, Captain's Grill at the Yacht Club, and Trails End at Ft Wilderness.

 

[Bob P]

Visiting POR June 30th thru July 5th, have park hopper and DDP with 2 adaults, dd11 and dd 6. Any advise with what restaraunts to reserve would be great help. Heck I would take enough advise for the whole vacation if someone was willing to help me out with it. I know I dont want to do any of the 2 table service credit meals but would like to take advantage of the best restaraunts that 1 ts credit will allow. Any helpers out there?

Hi and welcome to the DIS!

Here is some advice for the vacation: ARRIVE AT THE PARKS EARLY! You will be visiting WDW over the busiest week of the busy summer season, and what is probably the second or third busiest week of the year.

And you should call NOW for your dining reservations. The most popular restaurants may already be booked. Be flexible with your dining choices and eating times.

 

[byoung]

Hi Welcome to the DIS!! Boma's at AKL is good. Try the fishing pond at POR.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Welcome to the DIS! It's nice to meet you.

If you're looking for help specifically with dining, I would recommend visiting the Restaurant Board on here. You'll get a lot more responses.

Congrats on your upcoming trip! You'll love it.

 

[Rylee]

Visiting POR June 30th thru July 5th, have park hopper and DDP with 2 adaults, dd11 and dd 6. Any advise with what restaraunts to reserve would be great help. Heck I would take enough advise for the whole vacation if someone was willing to help me out with it. I know I dont want to do any of the 2 table service credit meals but would like to take advantage of the best restaraunts that 1 ts credit will allow. Any helpers out there?

First -
Check the park hours for each day of your trip, including which parks have Extra Magic Hours (EMH). Figure which day you will likely visit each park.

Since you have hopper passes... start you day at a park that doesn't have EMH and then after dinner, go to the park with the extra evening hours. (Those without hoppers have to go to that park, if they want to take advantage of the EMH.)

Next -
Make your Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) in the park or at a resort near, the park you will visiting at that time. This will cut down on travel time. Also, be aware of any evening shows, parades, fireworks, etc., you want to catch in the evenings, and do not schedule any ADR's close to or during those times.

Restaurants -
Your daughters will probably enjoy a character meal, Chef Mickey's at CR is a good one, especially easy to do on a MK day. Or they may like 1900 Park Fare at the GF. (Buffets are good if your children are picky eaters.)

My family loves Coral Reef at Epcot, and we've never had a bad meal there. The "aquarium wall" also keeps the kids content a little longer, so Mom & Dad can relax and enjoy their meal.

We also like Le Cellier at Epcot. (Can be difficult to get ADR's.)

On Animal Kingdom days, we usually eat dinner at a Downtown Disney restaurant that evening. AK sometimes closes earlier than the other parks.

At MGM, my kids LOVE eating at Si-Fi Dine-In. (Sit in cars at the drive-in movies.) This place is not about the food, it's the theme the kids love. It counts as a TS credit, even though it is more like a burger joint (they do offer more than sandwiches). If you would like to experience it, you can go in for dessert or pay out-of-pocket (oop) for a light lunch.

Don't miss Fantasmic at MGM. During very busy times, I recommend doing the dinner package. Other choices on a MGM day... Cape May Buffet at the Beach Club resort is just a beautiful boat ride away from MGM, and a great way to see the Beach Club and other resorts or consider a meal on the Boardwalk. (You can catch the boat at MGM, and return by the same boat.)

Other -
Get to the parks early. Have an idea of must-see-and-do attractions for your family, and do these early. Use Fast-Passes, too. Consider taking breaks in the afternoons, for a swim or rest, to escape the heat and crowds. If you stay in the parks in the afternoon, shows which seat large crowds and 3-D movies are a good choices.

After you do a few must-do attractions in each park, take your time and discover the magic at your own pace.

 

[layla17]

Great to meet you trjme. I'm new here too.