Most "bang for buck" buffet?

[dsjm]

Our 10 year old son loves buffets, but the three of us will be on a fairly tight budget. So we can afford only one buffet. If you had to choose only one, which one would it be?

 

[jkovick]

Do you want a character meal? If so, I would go with Chef Mickey's it is loud, fun and the food is pretty good. If you want a good deal (and characters aren't neccessary) check out Trails End at Fort Wilderness. They have good food, quiet atmosphere and a good price. Check wdwig.com for menus.

 

[Belle5]

Non character--Boma--walk around the AKL and enjoy the animals as well as food that is a real "experience".

If you have to go less expensive than that--Trail's End--not as much of an unusual vacation experience--but nice--not as much variety in the menu, either

Character buffet-- Chef Mickey's

 

[dsjm]

Yes, we are hoping for a unique, memorable experience. This may be our only Disneyworld vacation. I want a "wow!" but my husband will be more interested in a good deal. Our son thinks of himself as a pre-teen (yikes!), so the presence of Disney characters aren't that important. Boma sounds like it might be a good possibility. My husband and son are both big meat eaters. What kind of food does Boma offer? How much does it cost? And how do I arrange priority seating?

 

[jdads2]

Try this for a menu:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/menuoutput.cfm

Call 1-407-WDW-DINE for PS's. You can get a Priority Seating arrangement 90 days out or sooner. This is a great buffet, our favorite, and resort.
You'll love the Zebra Domes for dessert and you must try the soups!

Welcome to the DIS!

 

[dsjm]

Thanks all for the quick and helpful info. This was my first post. Thanks for the welcome. I'm really excited about going to Disneyworld, even more than my son, I think . We loved Disneyland three years ago, so I expect we'll be WOWed by Disneyworld!

 

[Planogirl]

We were very impressed with the dinner buffet at Cape May. Check out their menu at wdwig because there is a lot more there than seafood. Boma is good too but the food is a bit unusual so take that into account. Trail's End was less expensive but simpler. The best part for us was spending time at Fort Wilderness which is really fun. My son is 10 too and he liked all three of these this past March.

If you're trying to keep costs down, you might want to consider breakfast or lunch since they cost less than dinner.

By the way, welcome to the Dis!

 

[Harambe]

I'll second Cape May. That was one of the best meals we've had a Disney. We have not done Boma, though (it's down for our Jan trip!), so that may be a more enjoyable time.

After Cape May, you can go over to the Boardwalk and check out the sites, or rent a surrey bike (all three of you can ride!), or stroll back over to Epcot.

 

[llebrekniT]

Try O'hana's
If they like the taste of grilled meats, they would love O'hana's. I'm not exactly sure of the cost, but I remember it being cheaper than CM's. You can check the price at the site mentioned above in other posts.

O'hana's is located in the Poly, so it's easy to get to by monorail. It's All-u-can-eat, served family style. They bring out all the appetizers and sides on a big lazy-susan thing. It is polynesian-style vegetables, rice, chicken wings, and some other fried things that are really good. Nothing they bring out is very exotic or strange. Then they bring around long skewers of meats; pork, turkey, shrimp and steak that are cooked over this huge fire-pit in the middle of the restaurant. All are super-yummy and there are different dipping sauces to try out. You just tell them how much meat you want and they slide it off and onto your plate. Your server will come around very often to see what else you want more of. I swear my DH must have eaten 2' to 3' of meats. LOL!

The atmosphere is really fun too! There aren't any characters, but they play some fun games, like coconut-rolling races, if you're son wants to participate. If you might only go to WDW once, it would be nice to do something different, that you won't find at home. You do get the feeling that you're in Hawaii while you're there. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend FW's buffet because it is very much like something you would go to in your own hometown. If you are only going to do one thing, I would suggest making it a memorable experience.

No matter where you end up going, I know you'll have a great time! Good luck!

 

[DeeP]

If it has to be a buffet and if anyone likes clams and mussels I would second the Cape May buffet. This buffet is a steal for someone that loves clams, mussels and shrimp and is also a very good value for the non seafood lovers because they also have prime rib, ribs, chicken etc and very good desserts.
If it doesn't have to be a buffet and you want an all you can eat, and you have meat lovers in your group, then O'Hana wins hands down. For the meat lover, O'Hana is paradise! And their Lapu Lapu drinks are pretty darn good also! LOL!

 

[meeko_33785]

Bomma's is my favorite. The food is wonderful- some of the best at WDW and if nothing else, it gives you an excuse to go to AKL, which is an amazing resort. I also like Biergarten at Germany in EPCOT. The food is good and the entertainment is a nice touch.

 

[Cheryl N. WI]

We love both Chef Mickeys and Cape May and always feel like they are well worth the money!

Welcome to the the DIS, ther is sooooo much good info to be gotten from these boards! Have a great trip!!

Cheryl

 

[Alice28]

We went to 4 all you care to eat restaurants on our last trip-
Chef Mickey's
Whispering Canyon Cafe (we got the skillet)
Cape May Cafe
'Ohana

I truly liked all of them for different reasons; but as far as bang for your buck, I would say Cape May Cafe, hands down. It had the most variety by far- seafood, chicken, ribs, prime rib, lots of different starches (potatoes, rice, corn), a kids buffet with hot dogs & chicken strips, lots of veggies- salads & steamed, and the dessert bar. My oh my...the best dessert bar ever! Plus, as a previous poster mentioned, you can check out the Yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk after dinner! It is the only one of the above mentioned restaurants that I am repeating this trip-again, I liked all of them ('Ohana is a very close runner up), but I loved the atmosphere & food selection at Cape May. I am going to try Boma this trip, so I will post my thoughts when I return!

 

[SuiteDisney]

I think the least expensive buffet is Trail's End at Fort Wilderness. We ate there on our last vacation and really enjoyed it. Here is a MENU. And here are my Trail's End PICTURES.

 

[sha_lyn]

For "meat eater" 'Ohana's comes to mind, but we also love Boma and Biergarten. It really denpends on how adventurous they are. Boma and biergarten both have good meat selections, and some other amazing dishes.

 

[crystalb]

Cape May -- for bang for the buck.

 

[dsjm]

Thanks again for all your input! I was leaning toward Boma for the Wow! factor, something unique and exotic. But I'm wondering if it would appeal to my husband and son. Now I'm thinking 'Ohana 'cause the all-you-can-eat family style would definitely appeal to my husband who is always looking for lots of food for little cash . Both my husband and son like grilled meat, and my son loves shrimp. (But what's for dessert?) Plus, 'Ohana sounds like fun; my son would get a kick out of the coconut-rolling race.

We'll be staying at the All-Star Music Resort. What's the easiest method of getting to 'Ohana?

Cape May sounds good too, but my son would not want to eat from the kids' buffet. He never wants to have to choose from a kids' menu. Always wants to have just as many choices as the adults .

 

[sha_lyn]

Your son would not be limited to eating form the kids selections.
The "free" dessert at 'Ohana's is fresh pineapple with caramel dipping sauce. They also have a dessert menu(not included in the AUCE price), and I've heard those are amazing.

you can check out the menu's at AllEarsNet/Menus

Boma is amazing...

 

[Alice28]

At any of the buffets, kids can choose from anything on the buffet. I just think it's cool of Disney to have chicken strips/hot dogs/spaghetti for those finicky eaters. Heck, I even grabbed a chicken strip for myself cause I happen to think Disney's chicken strips are quite yummy!

'Ohana definitely gets two thumbs up from me for atmosphere- and the food was great! But it doesn't have the selection that a buffet will offer. You get fried rice, bread, sticky wings, shrimp wontons, stir fried veggies and salad to begin with..then comes the turkey, steak, shrimp & pork. The pineapple and caramel comes at the end, or you can order another dessert for an extra $5.

 

[Alice28]

I meant to answer your transportation question as well-

I think the easiest way to get to the polynesian from ASM would be to take a bus to Downtown Disney, and then get on a Polynesian bus from there. (The bus for the Poly will also stop at the Contemporary & the Grand Floridian). Give yourself at least an hour to do this.