I need to stop! I'm too indecisive!!

[poteat_3177]

Ok, I am the most indecisive person in the world and I am having the hardest time making these dining arrangements. I have already gotten my ADR's for my may 10-17 '08 trip. but now I am second guessing everything. There are so many restaurants and I only have 7 DDP credits!! such a delimma!

heres what I have for dinner ADR's and what I'm second guessing:

Chef Mickeys (for sure want to do this)

Liberty tree tavern ( I feel real iffy, seems as though whispering canyon has been a big hit but, I'm all about time management and the traveling to WL may just take away too much time from MK )

Garden grill cafe ( I've heard good reviews but I would really love to do the coral reef as well, which would you pick??)

rainforest cafe (really want to do, step-son will love it, even though its not ddp)

flying fish cafe (i love seafood and we are going to be touring downtown disney the night we eat here so it will be convenient but other 2 DDP point restaurants sound wonderful as well such as california grill )

Kona cafe (but I've also hear that O'hana is wonderful as well)

breakfast at 1900 park fare (not sure if this is the best DDP place to have breakfast but the pictures looked pretty)

lunch at Beaches N Cream (me and my step son are very excited about the no way jose and the kitchen sink) out of pocket


can anyone help me in my indecisiveness?
This is our first trip to disney so I want it to be special but I also know that there will be more disney trips in the future to try the restaurants we won't get to this trip

 

[willis37862]

I think you have picked some good places I am trying to pick where we will dine for our fall trip and it can be hard, there are lots of choices My thoughts on some of them......


Chef Mickeys (for sure want to do this) ...This is a good character meal and fun atmosphere.

Liberty tree tavern ( I feel real iffy, seems as though whispering canyon has been a big hit but, I'm all about time management and the traveling to WL may just take away too much time from MK )
......We had dinner there last trip and we enjoyed it. Good food and lots of it. The characters were great. And if you are planning on being in the MK that day it is very convenient.


Garden grill cafe ( I've heard good reviews but I would really love to do the coral reef as well, which would you pick??)
.....We have not dined at the Coral Reef but we enjoyed the Garden Grill. I think you just have to figure out which one appeals more to your family. Which one has food that will please everyone?


rainforest cafe (really want to do, step-son will love it, even though its not ddp)
.....I know it gets mixed reviews but I think it can be fun


lunch at Beaches N Cream (me and my step son are very excited about the no way jose and the kitchen sink) out of pocket
....We tried the kitchen sink, that was fun. It was way more than the two of us could eat but it was fun trying.


I am sure you will have a great time no matter where you end up dining.

 

[CinderellyCinderelly]

Last year I went with some girlfriends and was used to my dad making reservations for everything. I didn't know about the restaurants really or making ADRs or the DDP. He usually just took care of everything and we didn't really worry about it because we always had a great time. Anyways, my point is that I must have changed by ADR's everytime I read a new review! And we went in March and I didn't even know what ADR's were until February!!! We did Chef Mickey, Coral Reef, OHana, Mama Melrose, and Boma. We really enjoyed all of those places except I could do without Mama Melrose's. I would say pick Coral Reef! And my family has never tried OHana but I have and wanted to try something new so we are doing Kona. Good luck!

 

[LMO429]

I think you have picked some good places I am trying to pick where we will dine for our fall trip and it can be hard, there are lots of choices My thoughts on some of them......


Chef Mickeys (for sure want to do this) ...This is a good character meal and fun atmosphere.

Liberty tree tavern ( I feel real iffy, seems as though whispering canyon has been a big hit but, I'm all about time management and the traveling to WL may just take away too much time from MK )
......We had dinner there last trip and we enjoyed it. Good food and lots of it. The characters were great. And if you are planning on being in the MK that day it is very convenient.


Garden grill cafe ( I've heard good reviews but I would really love to do the coral reef as well, which would you pick??)
.....We have not dined at the Coral Reef but we enjoyed the Garden Grill. I think you just have to figure out which one appeals more to your family. Which one has food that will please everyone?


rainforest cafe (really want to do, step-son will love it, even though its not ddp)
.....I know it gets mixed reviews but I think it can be fun


lunch at Beaches N Cream (me and my step son are very excited about the no way jose and the kitchen sink) out of pocket
....We tried the kitchen sink, that was fun. It was way more than the two of us could eat but it was fun trying.


I am sure you will have a great time no matter where you end up dining.

I would go to Garden Grill over Coral Reef. We went to Coral Reef once and that was enough if we had to do it over again we would not have even tried it in the first place.

Rainforest Cafe is fun! but the service was awful.

Liberty Tree Tavern is FUN! ENJOY!

 

[engle]

All sound great but would skip Rainforest Cafe in favor of....anything Disney!!

 

[MiniGolfMogul]

Chef Mickeys (for sure want to do this)
It's a fun one!

Liberty tree tavern ( I feel real iffy, seems as though whispering canyon has been a big hit but, I'm all about time management and the traveling to WL may just take away too much time from MK )
I completely agree, trying to travel back and forth from the MK to the WL will take way too much time! Plus, the LTT is a great character meal.

Garden grill cafe ( I've heard good reviews but I would really love to do the coral reef as well, which would you pick??)
Garden grill is another fun meal and character meet and greet, I doubt you'll be disappointed. Plus, it feels a little bit like the Whispering Canyon experience...the meal is served family style and the place has a western (really mid-western) feel to it.

rainforest cafe (really want to do, step-son will love it, even though its not ddp)

flying fish cafe (i love seafood and we are going to be touring downtown disney the night we eat here so it will be convenient but other 2 DDP point restaurants sound wonderful as well such as california grill )
I thought the Flying Fish Cafe was on the Boardwalk...that is not terribly convenient to Downtown Disney. Which Rainforest Cafe are you doing? If you are doing the Downtown Disney one you might want to do your shopping then; if you're going to the DAK one then...never mind.

Kona cafe (but I've also hear that O'hana is wonderful as well)
We've kind of burned out on O'hana but are looking forward to our first Kona Cafe experience this January. The menu looks great. Here's hoping we both enjoy it!

breakfast at 1900 park fare (not sure if this is the best DDP place to have breakfast but the pictures looked pretty)
1900 Park Fare is very pretty inside. We were there several years ago and as I recall, the food was your basic breakfast buffet. Character interactions were very good and we told someone there that my mother was supposed to be with us but she had stayed in the room because she wasn't feeling well and somehow someone (a character, our waitress, ???) had Mickey call my mom back at the room and give her get well wishes. That was pretty cool!

lunch at Beaches N Cream (me and my step son are very excited about the no way jose and the kitchen sink) out of pocket
I wouldn't order any real lunch before the Kitchen Sink! You're at Disney...it's okay to have ice cream for lunch!!

In general, I'd say your selections sound great. Personnally, I'd go for the Coral Reef instead of the Flying Fish Cafe (and that would free up another DDP for you) and I would skip the Rainforest Cafe. As another poster put it, I'd rather do something more "Disney."

Most important, relax. Your planning is done (unless you take some of the suggestions you get from folks here) and you're going to Disney in 5 months!!! What's to worry about?!

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Ok, I am the most indecisive person in the world and I am having the hardest time making these dining arrangements. I have already gotten my ADR's for my may 10-17 '08 trip. but now I am second guessing everything. There are so many restaurants and I only have 7 DDP credits!! such a delimma!

heres what I have for dinner ADR's and what I'm second guessing:

Chef Mickeys (for sure want to do this)

Liberty tree tavern ( I feel real iffy, seems as though whispering canyon has been a big hit but, I'm all about time management and the traveling to WL may just take away too much time from MK )

Garden grill cafe ( I've heard good reviews but I would really love to do the coral reef as well, which would you pick??)

rainforest cafe (really want to do, step-son will love it, even though its not ddp)

flying fish cafe (i love seafood and we are going to be touring downtown disney the night we eat here so it will be convenient but other 2 DDP point restaurants sound wonderful as well such as california grill )

Kona cafe (but I've also hear that O'hana is wonderful as well)

breakfast at 1900 park fare (not sure if this is the best DDP place to have breakfast but the pictures looked pretty)

lunch at Beaches N Cream (me and my step son are very excited about the no way jose and the kitchen sink) out of pocket


can anyone help me in my indecisiveness?
This is our first trip to disney so I want it to be special but I also know that there will be more disney trips in the future to try the restaurants we won't get to this trip

I had the same problem last year. I couldn't decide where to use my 8 DDP credits. Even after making my ADR's, I kept calling to change them several times because I couldn't make up my mind. Basically, I just picked the ones that I knew my family would love and only if it was convienient. If it was out of the way, I'd just go for another place I was thinking about. Don't stress it too much. You'll have a great time no matter where you choose. That being said, I just want to let you know that I did not like the Garden Grill at all. I would defenetly choose Coral Reef over this which I thought was excellent from beginning to end.
Also, I'm not sure if your doing Chef Mickeys breakfast or dinner, but we had dinner there and I did not care for it much. Choices were limited and service was horrible. Characters on the other hand were awesome though.
If I can just make one more suggestion, one of our favorite meals of the week was at Ohana's for dinner. DH loved it and I thought it was great. Everything was very nice there and we are going back next year. It may be one you may want to look into. Good luck.

 

[nklooz]

I'm also indecisive and it drives my husband crazy! But, I just re-think things over and over, so, I feel your pain.

Chef Mickeys (for sure want to do this) This is a great character dining experience, fun buffet, and very classic Disney to me.

Liberty tree tavern ( I feel real iffy, seems as though whispering canyon has been a big hit but, I'm all about time management and the traveling to WL may just take away too much time from MK ) It might depend on the rest of your day, but, I've heard AMAZING things about WCC and think that seeing the WL would be neat too. And, I would think the boat ride over would be very fun. So, were you planning to do this for lunch or dinner and what is the rest of your MK day like?

Garden grill cafe ( I've heard good reviews but I would really love to do the coral reef as well, which would you pick??) Coral Reef consistently gets mixed/poor reviews. I'd do w/Garden Grill Cafe

rainforest cafe (really want to do, step-son will love it, even though its not ddp) Love RFC as well, have hear that the one at DTD can be a nightmare, so, would reco. doing it on your AK day if possible at the AK location. I think there you can make ADRs but at DTD you can't.

flying fish cafe (i love seafood and we are going to be touring downtown disney the night we eat here so it will be convenient but other 2 DDP point restaurants sound wonderful as well such as california grill ) go to www.allearsnet.com and you can go over the menus to decide which, for your tastses, is worth 2 credits.

Kona cafe (but I've also hear that O'hana is wonderful as well) i think that 'ohana will offer more entertainment than Kona but both will have good food.

breakfast at 1900 park fare (not sure if this is the best DDP place to have breakfast but the pictures looked pretty) we loved it here and the GF is so beautiful.

lunch at Beaches N Cream (me and my step son are very excited about the no way jose and the kitchen sink) out of pocket if you're very excited about it, you should do it, period!

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

Chef mickeys is great but for breakfast not dinner, definitely check out the menu for Flying Fish which is a very good restaurant but more fish orientated than seafood( at least that is what I remember). I really enjoyed it though. It takes 2 dining credits. It is on the Boardwalk near Epcot. Beaches and Creme is FUN , give yourself some time before you want to eat as it can get very crowded.

I would really check out the menus in allears. LTT, RC, CGC are fun but average food quality. Generally the hotels restaurants are better. The Epcot restauranst located in the countries are usually very good. Main thing is to pick what you like to eat and experience the setting you want to be in. Enjoy

 

[donaldsgal]

Chef Mickey's - fun. Food is decent. You're going for the character interaction, the soft whir of the monorail above your head, and the napkin-waving. I agree with your choice to keep this one. We've been for breakfast and lunch and despite what a previous poster wrote enjoyed both equally.

Liberty Tree Tavern - we haven't tried it but would like to some day. If the food sounds appealing, I'd go. If you are doing dinner, keep in mind that there are few places that you can see the characters in colonial garb.

Garden Grill vs. Coral Reef - the poster above me (nklooz) states CR gets consistent poor/mixed reviews. That could also absolutely be said of GG (in fact, I've never read a post on here that spoke well of it). If if were me, I'd choose CR in a heartbeat. Having eaten there 3-4 times, we have always had excellent food and service.

Rainforest Cafe - we've eaten at the one at AK and enjoyed it. It's not especially "Disneyish" but the food is not bad.

Kona - we're eating there for breakfast and then for dinner next October. We're excited to try it.

Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare - also have read mixed reviews. Haven't eaten and don't want to so can't help with this one.

Flying Fish - I agree that this is NOT convenient to Downtown Disney. It's good (we ate there last Christmas day for dinner) but it's at the Boardwalk. Perhaps the seafood joint you're thinking of that IS convenient for touring Downtown Disney is Fulton's Crab House. That is also pretty good but the service can be off.

Beaches and Cream - we're eating there in March. Looking forward to this one, too!

Now, IMPORTANT NOTE: You will find someone to disagree with ALL of your choices (which is why I made a point to say when I disagreed with previous posters, to help illustrate this point). You really, REALLY need to choose for yourself. I understand and empathize with your desire to get opinions of people who have been there, done that. It can be scary/overwhelming to choose the restaurants for your first trip since a) you only have so many meals and b) you want the whole trip to be perfect.

However, based on this thread alone, you've gotten two opinions on every restaurant (I think). You'll never make a decision if you're waiting on an unanimous vote. We consistently go to some restaurants that aren't DIS favorites, but who cares? We know what we like and always have good meals.

Again, look at the menus on All Ears or wdwinfo and make your choices based on that. And then go with an open mind and enjoy!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I was going to answer your post with the definitive answer.
2) Then I thought about my choices, and changed my mind.
3) I started to type the revised answer, and thought better of it.
4) Thinking further, I think you have good choices.
5) But, let me think about it over night.

 

[ZoZo]

Just a quick post - Kona is wonderful! We eat there two or three times per trip. Great food.

 

[Tricia1972]

I would stick with the Liberty Tree Tavern reservation in lieu of going to WCC.

We had a dud of a server, only interacted when we egged him on a little and we were also seated in 'no mans land' between the main dining room and the back dining room. The food was ok (at best) and the dining experience was lacking. We were a party of 5 adults and two kids and four of the five adults asked me to never book a reservation there again. (I was the fifth one who was willing to give it another chance) If it's going to be a tight day for you I wouldn't risk the trek to the Wilderness Lodge. You may have an amazing experience or it may be severely lacking. It's a gamble and with a short trip I'd play it safe.

Liberty Tree Tavern had good food, great character interaction and we had a very nice server there too. It's right in the MK and to me it seems like a safer bet for you this trip.