I'm driving myself up the wall!

[Angela&Kayla]

Okay. My first trip to Disney is almost here (we leave in less than a week), and I am second guessing my ADR's. More specifically...

I got rid of 1900 Park Fare since we will be eatting lunch at CRT. I am not a big buffet person, but people rave about this particular place. Any reason I should reconsider this place?

On Friday, we will be going to the 6pm showing of La Nouba in DTD. I made ressies for Capt Jacks, and now I have ressies for Wolfgang Puck Cafe, but neither of these get glowing reviews. Should I skip a ts for this day and just use our planet hollywood voucher to save money (as of now, I'm over by 4ts credits each)?

Finally, I have an ADR at Yachtsman Steakhouse, but really love lobster (which is why originally I had adr's at capt jacks)...so would narcoose's be the better choice?

HELP! As I have said in many other posts, I really thank everyone for their advice while planning my trip...I wouldn't be as calm right now if it wasn't for everyone here....

 

[JimMIA]

I'll take a shot at some of your questions.

CRT/1900 - If you have a Princess, you probably should do CRT once. Understand what CRT is, though. It's a nice photo op with the great woman downstairs, and your meal upstairs. Don't expect her to visit your table, because downstairs is all you get.

At 1900, there is a buffet and the characters circulate among the tables. Cindy visited our table three times. Prince Charming is also there, although DD4-going-on-24 was not charmed. He was perfect, but DD was scared for no apparent reason.

Both venues also have other characters, Fairy Godmother, the mice, and inexplicably at CRT, Mary Poppins.

Also, forget food at any character meal. You don't go to any of them for the food.

Other restaurants - I don't care what restaurant you mention, there have been rave reviews and pans. Fo lobster, I think CJ's is a good choice (and one we have made). Twin lobster tails, one TS -- how bad could it be?

I could well be wrong, but I believe I've seen threads about lobster being excluded at Narcoose. I'd sure double check that, because I've never eaten at Narcoose and could have misunderstood.

We don't eat at WGP's - not because of any reviews, but simply because we have them here at home. However, I hear good things about them at WDW.

 

[JimMIA]

I just noticed your first trip ever signature.

You are going to have so much fun it's not going to matter, but I'll offer a couple of quick tips which have nothing to do with DDP:

• Do Living Legacy at Epcot. That's a photo etched into metal and attached to big memorial walls near the entrance. It's something the kids can bring THEIR kids back to see!
• Drive the monorail. When you get to the monorail platform, walk to the waiting area where the front of the train will be like you own the place. There will be another family there with a smug grin on their face, and they'll go on the next train. You tell the CM you want to ride up front, and they'll tell you where to stand. You get to ride with the driver, with nothing in front of you but glass, and the kids get an official Monorail Copilot certificate. The best ride is any monorail going through the Contemporary.
• Go To school on FastPass. Learn where they are available and how to use them. They will save you hours.
  
  Have a great trip!

 

[JimMIA]

Please see the end of this thread...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1176647

 

[kcashner]

There is rarely such a thing as a bad meal at WDW or a really wrong choice. However.....you can spend as much or as little as you want on dining.

CRT is one of those places that is all about the atmosphere. Frankly, on our trip last December, the food wasn't that good. However, we had a friend with us who hadn't been to WDW since she was 6, so we did the "memories" bit. And every princess should eat at the castle once in her life.

That said, the food and the character experience was much better at 1900 Park Fare. It is the best of the buffets from a food standpoint.

La Nouba is truly great. As to Planet Hollywood, is your voucher good for one person only at lunch only? That's what ours was. Cap'n Jack's is now taking ADRs (a change from our May trip), and we found it to be quite decent.

If you are interested in saving $, I'd seriously consider eliminating some of the 2 TS restaurants. Yachtsman's is great, Narcoosee's is great. However, we also LOVE Le Cellier, Les CHefs, and Coral Reef..each of which is 1 TS. You will generally find the 2 TS restaurants to be less crowded and have fewer little people. It really becomes a matter of personal opinion--how much do you want to spend on a dinner?

If there is a ressie that you really want, don't give up till the date passes. My favorite was when we got an ADR for one of our favorite places 2 hours before we ate there--after being told for days that it was full. Cancellations do happen.

There are not enough days in ANY trip for all of the great restaurants at WDW. Make your best choices and have a great trip. The ones you didn't get to try this time will probably be there for the next trip!

 

[Dorisk3]

We did both CRT for lunch last year and 1900 Parke Faire for dinner. I know alot of people rave about 1900 Parke Faire here, but I thought it was just ok at best. The character interaction was really nice though and we did have a nice time (my DD's enjoyed meeting Prince Charming and Suzy and Perla). I thought it was a good place for characters but not my favorite food (nothing was awful- but it wasn't the gastronomic ecstasy that everyone seems to rave about).

I'm not sure about what the previous poster mentioned about CRT lunch. From what I understand is that you meet Cindy downstairs with pics and then upstairs the other princesses. Someone else might be able to shed more light on this- I just checked allearnet and they call it a fairytale lunch with characters. When we went CRT lunch had Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Belle. Eating in the castle was a neat experience and I actually liked the food. The problem with any food review is that a person's palate is so subjective!

Don't worry too much about your decisions though- you will really have a wonderful time- don't beat yourself up if something doesn't turn out perfect- just use it as a learning experience for next time!