I'm ready to book our trip but I'm SCARED!

[4theloveofdisney]

I'm not super happy about the Magic Kingdom meals but there wasn't much to choose from. If we left MK to go somewhere else, can someone suggest another restaurant on the dining plan?

TIA

I would highly suggest Chef Mickey's. You will have to leave the park but you can take the monorail and you're kids might like the ride! All of the main characters are there and they do a little skit throughout the restaurant. It's a lot of fun!

 

[donnadoesdisney]

ok now I'm even more excited- I WANT IT ALL!

I wasn't thrilled about Tonys so I think I will change that to Chef Mickey.


There is a JoJo and Little Einstein character lunch at MGM but don't know if I should consider that or stay at Hollywood & Vine with Fantasmik tix.

Yes, the Le Celliar is for me and DH because we need something special too.
Still wondering if Teppanyaki would be better.

Can anyone tell me about Cape May Cafe for dinner? I am thinking of changing that with Crystal Palace. Should I?

My DH thinks I'm totally nuts for worrying about food for a Sept trip!

 

[sschro3]

You can jump on the monorail and go to the Contemporary.....Chef Mickeys....The Grand Floridian....Or the Poly and try 'Ohana or Kona. We did Chef Mickey on our last trip and the kids loved it...ok so did I. lol. I've read good reviews for Kona Cafe and some mixed reviews about 'Ohana, although it is supposed to be pretty entertainig for kids. You can read reviews on www.allearsnet.com. We ate at Tony's and the food was good but the kids got kinda antsy waiting.
As far as booking the trip I think taking advantage of the Dining Plan is a great benefit. We did it last Sept and being able to sit down and enjoy a relaxed meal in the air conditioning was great.....Does eat up ALOT of time though. Going in the off season was a great time there were practically no lines at the parks. Our longest wait was 20min for soarin.
Have a great trip.
Sharon

 

[4theloveofdisney]

ok now I'm even more excited- I WANT IT ALL!

I wasn't thrilled about Tonys so I think I will change that to Chef Mickey.


There is a JoJo and Little Einstein character lunch at MGM but don't know if I should consider that or stay at Hollywood & Vine with Fantasmik tix.

Yes, the Le Celliar is for me and DH because we need something special too.
Still wondering if Teppanyaki would be better.

Can anyone tell me about Cape May Cafe for dinner? I am thinking of changing that with Crystal Palace. Should I?

My DH thinks I'm totally nuts for worrying about food for a Sept trip!

Just my .02 but I just wanted to say - woo hoo for choosing Chef Mickey's!!

Next: I would do the character lunch. The Fantasmix package isn't really a necessary thing as long as you give yourself some time to arrive before the show starts. In fact, I have read over and over how the seats for this package aren't so hot!!! You can do better by arriving 20 - 40 minutes beforehand. The way the stadium is, all seats are actually pretty good. So, if your kids like these characters, go for it!

As far as Le Cellier, I have not been reading such great reports as of lately. I can't speak from experience but I would try to post more on the dining board for better opinions.

Have a great time and until then...happy planning!

 

[Ella's Mom]

I would stick with Crystal Palace, especially if your kids like any of the Pooh characters. I would try Chef Mickey's of LTT.

 

[legalslave]

Ok, Thanks everyone for all the info. I booked the trip that I described above. I made some dinner resv. Because I have small kids, I chose alot of character dinners.

9/21 arrive- hang out at pool. Dinner at Grand Floridian- 1900 Park Faire-Cinderella character dinner (1st seating)

9/22 Epcot- Le Celliar Steakhouse for dinner (Couldn't decide between this and Teppanyaki- hope I made the right choice)

9/23 Magic Kingdom-Crystal Palace- Winnie the Pooh character dinner

9/24 Magic Kingdom- Tony's Town Square

9/25 MGM- Hollywood & Vine w/ tix to Fantasmik

I'm not super happy about the Magic Kingdom meals but there wasn't much to choose from. If we left MK to go somewhere else, can someone suggest another restaurant on the dining plan?

TIA

Did you try to get an ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom? It's a great character dinner with Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. The food is like a Thanksgiving dinner, served family style, all you can eat, and is very good. It's also very kid-friendly. I go there every trip. I think it's the best of the table service restaurants in MK. You could also try Chef Mickey's - it's in the Contemporary Resort. Just exit the MK, hop on the resort monorail and you're there. It's also a character meal (buffet) with Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, Dale. If you can't get a dinner ADR, try breakfast.

 

[themudd4]

ok now I'm even more excited- I WANT IT ALL!

I wasn't thrilled about Tonys so I think I will change that to Chef Mickey.

YEA!!! You will be gald you did I think and the kids will too!

There is a JoJo and Little Einstein character lunch at MGM but don't know if I should consider that or stay at Hollywood & Vine with Fantasmik tix.

Hollywood & Vine is in MGM. You can still eat @ H&V for lunch and still have a charater meal.
" [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Playhouse Disney's Play 'n' Dine at Hollywood & Vine[/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hollywood & Vine in the Disney-MGM Studios[/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A:$24.99
C:$13.99[/font] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Starts June 25, 2006. Buffet with entertainment from Playhouse Disney Characters[/font]

Yes, the Le Celliar is for me and DH because we need something special too.
Still wondering if Teppanyaki would be better.

I wasn't going to say it but another poster brought it up, but yes lately LeCellier has gotten not so great reviews. I normally do not place alot of stock into reviews as to we love a few places that get not so great reviews...but being our kids were not looking forward to their menu choices and the bad reviews we booked for Cape May Cafe instead.

Can anyone tell me about Cape May Cafe for dinner? I am thinking of changing that with Crystal Palace. Should I?

I will let you know when I get back. But there is no Pooh Bear here!

My DH thinks I'm totally nuts for worrying about food for a Sept trip!

Never to early to start planning.

 

[Unregistered]

On our last trip we were afraid of eating at Tony's due to some of the reviews that we read. As it turned out we loved the food and we will be going there twice on our our next trip.

 

[Unregistered]

On our last trip we were afraid of eating at Tony's due to some of the reviews that we read. As it turned out we loved the food and we will be going there twice on our next trip.

 

[mikymouse]

We all loved Chef Mickey's and it is very easy to get there from the MK! This is a must do for our family, just loving seeing the charcaters especially Minnie & Mickey! I think I will try breakfast next time, as the kids LOVE Mickey waffles and they think bacon is a meal. We went for dinner and it was the favorite of my meat & potatoes loving DH. Have fun!

 

[santonucci]

Ok, Thanks everyone for all the info. I booked the trip that I described above. I made some dinner resv. Because I have small kids, I chose alot of character dinners.

9/21 arrive- hang out at pool. Dinner at Grand Floridian- 1900 Park Faire-Cinderella character dinner (1st seating)

9/22 Epcot- Le Celliar Steakhouse for dinner (Couldn't decide between this and Teppanyaki- hope I made the right choice)

9/23 Magic Kingdom-Crystal Palace- Winnie the Pooh character dinner

9/24 Magic Kingdom- Tony's Town Square

9/25 MGM- Hollywood & Vine w/ tix to Fantasmik

I'm not super happy about the Magic Kingdom meals but there wasn't much to choose from. If we left MK to go somewhere else, can someone suggest another restaurant on the dining plan?

TIA

The cost of character dining makes the dining plan attractive, but the food in most of those places is pretty average. If you need to see characters, then go to the character dining by all means. The food is pletiful, and you're guaranteed to find something for every taste.

Le Cellier and Tony's are good choices, but I'd pass on Crystal Pallace and H&V. At MK, I prefer Mama Melrose's. At MGM, I like the Brown Derby, 50's PrimeTime Cafe and Sci Fi Theater much better than H&V.

In EPCOT, I think the Living Seas restaurant is the best in the park (if you like seafood). I've eaten at every restaurant in EPCOT, some many times. The Princess Lunch at Norway's Akershus is very good, partly because it's some buffet, and some sit down. The Mexican is authentic (not Tacos and Nachos). The German is a blast. So many choices...

Personally, I would add the Park Hopper option and split my days. Mornings at MK before the crowds arrive, and afternoons elsewhere. I can't deal with the crowds at MK, and the restaurants are only so-so.

Steve

 

[Nancy N.]

I believe the restaurants in England, Mexico, Germany and Italy in Epcot are all included in the dining plan. As is Spoodles on the BoardWalk. I would think that with kids, Mexico might be the most fun: a lot going on, lots of stuff to look at while you are dining (and I like the food, too).

 

[donnadoesdisney]

WOW! Thanks for all the great replies.

We are not huge Pooh fans so I will probably change the Crystal Palace to Chef Mickey and Le Celliar is probably going to change to Teppanyaki just because I like Japanese steakhouses.

The reason I did not get park hoppers is because we will get to MK early for the Preschool 1 hour earlier opening on Saturday and then stay late on Sunday for the late night opening. During the day we plan to go back to the resort for a little nap or maybe not. It pretty much depends on how hot the days are and how our 2 year old does. I know MK is nothing like Kings Island or Dollywood but we can cover those parks in about 4 hours so I'm figuring if we do 1/2 of MK one day and go back and do the second half the next day, we really won't be overly rushed to fit everything in- especially with the early hour 1 day and the extra late 3 hours the next.

Thanks again and PLEASE keep the suggestions coming.
Donna

 

[manolomm]

I've been checking the sisney world website for the resort package and the cheapest I see is the value package with the park hopper for almost $1600. Is that a good price? And I read something here about reservation for dinner, how is that work? Do I need to make the reservations when I pay the tickets? My 2 daughters love the princess stuff. Any ideas?>

 

[Willow25]

If you were looking for an alternative to the Magic Kingdom restaurants you could hop on the monorail to one of the resorts that are on the monorail line. That would be the Grand Floridian, Polynesian and the Contemporary. If you are looking for a character meal you could try Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. Also a lot of people rave about Ohana's at the Polynesian resort.

I will be at Disney at the Pop Century the same time as you. Hope you have a great time.

 

[donnadoesdisney]

I have a few more questions...

Child swap- does each park offer this? How does it work?

Our 2 year old will actually be 2 years and 380 days old by the time we go to Disney. Do they check ID's or birth certificates?

That's all for now.
Thanks!

 

[themudd4]

I have a few more questions...

Child swap- does each park offer this? How does it work?

Our 2 year old will actually be 2 years and 380 days old by the time we go to Disney. Do they check ID's or birth certificates?

That's all for now.
Thanks!

Parent swap is easy...get into line all together. When you get to the front make sure you tell the CM you are doing a Parent swap. The first parent leaves the younger child with the other parent and goes on the ride. When the ride returns, the parents change places. No additional waiting in lines, and if you have an older child that is able to ride...he/she can ride with each of you. It is a win win for everyone.

Dont worry about the Id for your 2 year old. I would suspect unless your 2 yr old is just HUGE and can carry on full conversations, they are not going to question you or any other guest.

 

[donnadoesdisney]

Parent swap is easy...get into line all together. When you get to the front make sure you tell the CM you are doing a Parent swap. The first parent leaves the younger child with the other parent and goes on the ride. When the ride returns, the parents change places. No additional waiting in lines, and if you have an older child that is able to ride...he/she can ride with each of you. It is a win win for everyone.

Dont worry about the Id for your 2 year old. I would suspect unless your 2 yr old is just HUGE and can carry on full conversations, they are not going to question you or any other guest.

Thanks for the info. Actually my dd is only in the 5 %ile of her age group. I just hate to pay for tickets and food when she would eat a piece of cheese and be happy.
Thanks again!

 

[mollyseven]

you could take the monorail to chef mickeys at the contemporary.
We had planned that on our trip in may but after eating the buffet at hollywood and vine at mgm cancelled chef mickeys....the hollywood and vine is terrible definitely go with Mama Melrose instead!
Chef Mickeys might be fun for the kids though.
We ate at Le Cellier 2 weeks ago and it was far and away our best meal of the week. Food was to die for and service was great. Definitely keep this one.

 

[sameyeyam]

9/23 Magic Kingdom-Crystal Palace- Winnie the Pooh character dinner

9/24 Magic Kingdom- Tony's Town Square

I'm not super happy about the Magic Kingdom meals but there wasn't much to choose from. If we left MK to go somewhere else, can someone suggest another restaurant on the dining plan?

TIA

If you are going to be in the MK area, how about hopping the monorail over to Polynesian and doing the Ohana Dinner. My kids loved it, very interactive, they can participate in Limbo, Coconut races, hula dancing, etc... Food was good also! It only takes 1 TS credit on the dining plan, not 2 like the Luau. My kids (7 & 14) liked it so well they have requested it again next year!