Hoping for some Input....ADRs

[MlWinans]

We are heading off too WDW the week before Easter (Out of our mind? Maybe...we will see). My wife Daughter and I have been many times but we will be traveling with a friend and his son and both of them it is their first trip. My buddy is a Chef so I am trying my best to "impress" him with my selections while at he same time keeping in mind that we will have an 8 year old and a 7 year old with us. Below are my current ADRs, we only have 4 and are staying Sun-Sat (we are NOT doing a DDP and plan to eat freely outside of these meals to open the ability for the newbies to try what ever fits their "fantasy").

Boma Dinner - the ability to try something different while having plenty of options for the kids is the main draw here. My wife and I have eaten here in the past and loved it, BUT it is a steep price and I am second guessing myself
Coral Reef Dinner - We all LOVE seafood and my Chef Buddy thinks his son will find the atmosphere of eating by an enormous aquarium incredible
Be Our Guest Dinner - The atmosphere is the main reason we have this ADR
Kona Breakfast - One of if not my favorite breakfast in WDW, and an incredible value as well
Skippers Canteen - Wife and I ate there with the old menu and again booked this for the ability to try something different
Chef Mickey/CRT Breakfast - Wife and I are taking our Daughter to CRT (so excited about getting this for her) and giving my buddy and his son sometime together at Cerf Mickey


The F&G will be going on at EPCOT so we plan to check out a lot of those booths one day. We have debated adding a second Character Meal (Tusker House or Cape May?) or Sanaa instead of Boma. Is there anything you might change? Add? Get rid of? Because we are only making a handful of ADRs I want to make sure I give everyone the best overall experience.

Sorry for such a long post but THANK YOU FOR THE HELP

 

[littledebbie335]

If you're worried about cost, I would do Sanaa over Boma. The food at Sanaa is really fantastic, and I bet the kids would have fun with the bread service!

 

[Parker Clan]

Add Chef Art Smith's Homecoming? I think kids and adults would love it.
My husband and I thought it was excellent food and a great atmosphere

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think it's good to emphasize that Coral Reef is an atmosphere choice to your chef pal.

So's Chef Mickey. Obviously. Hopefully.

 

[MlWinans]

I think it's good to emphasize that Coral Reef is an atmosphere choice to your chef pal.

So's Chef Mickey. Obviously. Hopefully.

I am guessing you are referring to the fact that neither are favorites. And yes Coral Reef is to get Seafood while providing the atmosphere for his son and my daughter. Chef Mickey was to get them close to MK (we will be at CRT at the same time and will meet up afterwards) and at a meal that will allow his son an easy way to meet the Big Guy and some of his best buds.

 

[MlWinans]

I think it's good to emphasize that Coral Reef is an atmosphere choice to your chef pal.

So's Chef Mickey. Obviously. Hopefully.

Did you have other ideas? I'm not 100% sold on the ADRs I have, tis the reason I am trying to get some input.

Add Chef Art Smith's Homecoming? I think kids and adults would love it.
My husband and I thought it was excellent food and a great atmosphere

I have not been there. I will have to check it out and see

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Almost any of the character meals are atmosphere-not-food. Chef Mickey is an experience, coupled with Golden Corral-class food.

 

[mckennarose]

How about Ohana instead of Chef Mickey? It's still close to MK and a cool atmosphere for kids.
Sanaa is a great experience and the bread service is impressive. I would pick it over Boma, IMO, but make sure your ADR is scheduled while there's still daylight enough to see the animals.

 

[MlWinans]

How about Ohana instead of Chef Mickey? It's still close to MK and a cool atmosphere for kids.
Sanaa is a great experience and the bread service is impressive. I would pick it over Boma, IMO, but make sure your ADR is scheduled while there's still daylight enough to see the animals.

I had not thought about Ohana. What Characters are there, and I am guessing you would reccomend there over Chef Mickey?

Wife is also on the switch Boma to Sanaa Bandwagon. She and I went this last summer and I agree the Bread Service is great. May have to make that switch.

 

[mckennarose]

I had not thought about Ohana. What Characters are there, and I am guessing you would reccomend there over Chef Mickey?

Wife is also on the switch Boma to Sanaa Bandwagon. She and I went this last summer and I agree the Bread Service is great. May have to make that switch.

Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch with a luau vibe. They do little parades/dances/conga line things with the kids, it's cute. When you first go in the Poly, stop at the concierge desk and they'll give you leis.

 

[loves to dive]

I come from a restaurant family, my grandmother owned a small restaurant, I have two brother's who are chefs, another who is a line cook another who runs hotels/restaurants/casinos so it's in the blood. Chefs can be a bit snarky but if they are really good at what they do, they will embrace the experience as well as the food and understand sometimes just good ole plain food is what you want. Having said that, I'd switch Jiko with Sanaa, I know everyone loves the place but it's mostly for the bread service and the view. You can get the view anywhere at AKL and if you aren't lucky enough to get a table at the window or are there at night, there isn't going to be a view and you can get the bread service elsewhere. We didn't love it, as a matter of fact the bread service was the only thing we liked and it certainly wasn't worth the effort and cost. If you are going for seafood, Flying Fish is pretty good, not as exciting as seeing the fish swim around at Epcot but the food is pretty decent. If you don't want to do AKL, you could try Tiffins at AK, we loved it and there are plenty of seafood options there, bonus you don't have to deal with how to get to a resort since it's in a park. We loved Skipper's Canteen as well, the food was good and the atmosphere was great. Just about anywhere in World Showcase in Epcot should please both adults and kids alike. We love Morocco, it's not for everyone but the food is good and you get a belly dancer.

 

[Hopefully]

Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch with a luau vibe. They do little parades/dances/conga line things with the kids, it's cute. When you first go in the Poly, stop at the concierge desk and they'll give you leis.

'OHana characters are only at breakfast. There are no characters at lunch

 

[JonesFamilyTravels]

I know everyone chimed in with some great tips! I love Sanaa over Boma. The animal view wins my family over every time! We also like Cape May better than Tusker House. The breakfast is amazing and you get a lot more quality time with the characters. It is not as busy and you can sometimes see the characters more than once! It is awesome!

 

[mckennarose]

'OHana characters are only at breakfast. There are no characters at lunch

Right. He is looking at breakfast, either Chef Mickey or something else.
Ohana doesn't serve lunch. They do serve dinner but no characters at dinner.

 

[IrishNYC]

I would not bring a chef to Coral Reef. To be honest, the menu is an insult to the abundance of great seafood available in Florida

 

[littledebbie335]

Biergarten might be a fun alternative to Coral Reef. We found the food to be very high quality and the entertainment was excellent.

FWIW, we ate at Coral Reef on our last trip. We enjoyed the food, but the service was a bit slow.