Need advice on Dining reservations July 2-July 9 2011

[Southern Bell]

I am going to Walt Disney World July 2-July 9 2011
I have reservations to eat 7 meals on free dining plan and 3 out of pocket. I think the Plaza for lunch and Tusker house breakfast would be the cheapest and Rainforest is not on my dining plan. Am I correct?
EPCOT : Garden Grill(dinner), Teppan Edo(dinner), Le Celliar(lunch)
MAGIC KINGDOM: July 4 Plaza out of pocket( for lunch over July 4 because of 2 yr old grandson and it will be very hot) then Dinner at Crystal Palace on July 4(character dinner buffet)
ANIMAL KINGDOM: Tusker House Out of pocket(Character Breakfast)
Rainforest out of pocket(Dinner)
HOLLYWOOD STUDIO: Hollywood & Vine(Character lunch)
CONTEMPORARY: Chef Mickeys(Character breakfast)
WILDERNESS LODGE:Whispering Canyon(Dinner)

I have went back and forth with some of my reservation choices(Teppan Edos, Le Celliar) being a good idea for a 2 1/2 yr old. I considered swapping one for Ohanas but.... can't get a reservation unless it is a late one. I thought about Biergarten in Epcot (don't know if any of my family would like the german food)or Coral Reef (daughter does not like seafood). Story book Princess at breakfast at Norway. (enjoyed dinner in 2007 so we have done that) Grandson wouldn't know princess. I think he would relate better to characters dressed up like Mickey, Pluto, Donnald Duck etc., but... he could get a picture. We didn't do the castle( it takes 2 dining points & my grandson doesn't know who the princess are. He would cry if he didn't get the sword and if he did he would hit everything with it).
Does anyone have any suggestions for anything better or do you think I have good reservations for the family(4 adults and 2 1/2 yr old grandson).

 

[Eventer98]

I think your ADRs look good..I have a 3 yo and a 1 yo and try to limit my TS meals to one a day...for the most part. There are 2 days we are doing a breakfast, and I have a dinner planned, but that's only 2/9 days. I just hate to ask them to sit that long twice! When my son was 2.5 (last oct) he did not like the characters but my daughter did. he is only now starting to come around. So keep that in mind, and don't be disappointed, if he doesn't want anything to do with them. Have a great trip!!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

I think they look great!

You are right about Rainforest not being on the DDP, and I think the Plaza and Tusker House would be your cheapest OOP as well.

Have a magical time!

 

[Southern Bell]

I agree with you I hate to keep little ones sitting, especially if their not happy, then no one has a good time. I had rather be back at the hotel eating in a pizza or something.
My grandson has never been to Disney. Only thing we have to compare is he does do good at Dollywood(this year), the water parks & Chucky Cheese. Of course you are just talking about one character & one day! He is hard to keep still sometimes eating out (especially if he is not hungry or is finished)& thats one reason I was thinking about another buffet.

 

[Eventer98]

I agree with you I hate to keep little ones sitting, especially if their not happy, then no one has a good time. I had rather be back at the hotel eating in a pizza or something.
My grandson has never been to Disney. Only thing we have to compare is he does do good at Dollywood(this year), the water parks & Chucky Cheese. Of course you are just talking about one character & one day! He is hard to keep still sometimes eating out (especially if he is not hungry or is finished)& thats one reason I was thinking about another buffet.

I agree with you on the buffets...instead of Rainforest what about Trails End Buffet at Fort Wilderness OOP? It's pretty cheap and there is a great playground right outside the door plus plenty of places to run and burn energy. Buffets are great b/c the food is immediate. If you have to wait for your food make sure you have plenty of small toys, crayons, etc. I save all the Happy meal toys that we get doubles of and use those for the trip

 

[crazygoalie39]

I think you'll be fine with Le Cellier, I don't know about Teppan Edo though. I would probably switch Teppan Edo with Biergarten. You could also do Coral Reef. They have several non-seafood selections. Or maybe Via Napoli? It's one of our favorites. I would HIGHLY suggest changing your H&V ressie to 50s Primetime. H&V has bad food and a bad atmosphere. 50s, on the other hand has great food and a great atmosphere.

 

[pooch]

the food is fabulous!!! and your grandson would be entertained by the oompah band and could get up & dance around. I think he'd like this much more than LeCellier. Also not sure I'd bother with the Plaza for lunch. Columbia Harbor House has good food and tables inside in the AC - most people miss the upstairs so it's often easy to get a table there. Agree with PP that the food at H & V is nasty. Only go there is you absolutely have to see the characters at their lunch.

 

[Southern Bell]

Thanks everyone!
Now my revised Dining Reservations on dining plan for Walt Disney World July 2-July 9 2011 for 4 adults and one 2 yr old grandson Are:

Saturday: POP CENTURY: check in and nothing planned for that day; Maybe Magic Kingdom or just swimming and resting from the trip ; Quick meal for dinner

Sunday:HOLLYWOOD STUDIO: Hollywood & Vine(Going to keep character lunch just for the characters for my grandson because its the only thing there that I think he would enjoy at 2. But....now being warned we won't expect anything great to eat LOL! We would have done sci-fi but my grandson would not stay in the cars. He doesn't like the dark either and we would probably have to leave. We were trying to reserve a lunch just because of the heat. But breakfast would have probably been better food.
We already have a couple of breakfast times reserved and thought at least for this day we would use early moring hours to do something in the park with our grandson before the day gets very hot! Quick meal for dinner

Monday:MAGIC KINGDOM: July 4 Plaza pay out of pocket( I made this reservation for lunch over July 4 because of 2 yr old grandson and it will be very crowded and hot. If we decide to eat before we'll just use this reservation for a place to cool off and a treat for ice cream. ) then Dinner at Crystal Palace on July 4(character dinner buffet)

Tuesday: BLIZZARD BEACH Quick meal for lunch WILDERNESS LODGE:Whispering Canyon(Dinner) Theme Park depends on how we feel after swimming;

Wedneesday: Husband and son in-law fishing early contemporary boat lunch; then all of us breakfast at CONTEMPORARY: Chef Mickeys(Character breakfast) it won't surprise me if my husband and son inlaw end up going back to Pop and taking a nap and not going to Epcot untill dinner time! LOL! Quick meal for lunch or just a snack
EPCOT : Garden Grill(Character dinner)

Thursday ANIMAL KINGDOM: Tusker House (Character Breakfast) Safari ride for sure right after breakfast! Lunch Quick meal or just a snack
Rainforest (Dinner out of pocket)

Friday: Morning nothing planned and depends on what we haven't seen; Quick meal for lunch; Dinner OHANAS: Magic Kingdom

Saturday: check out and nothing planned! Depends on what we haven't seen or what we want to do again! We will eat quick meals left on dining plan or we will have to eat out of pocket if none are left! For most of the week we will pay for breakfast out of pocket at Pop Century and we may have just cereal or something in our room! My daughter will have a small frig in her room.

Even though I read alot of good reviews I decided against Teppan Edos because we eat at a place like this at home. Only we have the soup, salad, fried rice(best part to me and I read Teppan Edos was steamed), shrimp and then what ever meat we choose. So.. we decided we wouldn't enjoy this as much as others who haven't done this before.
I decided against LeCellier because I don't think anyone can beat my husbands steak LOL! I wasn't sure lunch would be that great and I don't want to give them two dining credits for dinner. I would use two dining credits on Cinderellas castle , a dinner show or fancier place to eat first. So... we decided we would just do Garden Grill in Epcot and then add the Ohanas on Friday. I hope we all will enjoy it!
We don't eat three big meals at home so I feel like we have already planned ALOT of food to eat! Especially over July 4 when it is so...hot. I don't know why this is when everyone (no matter who I go with) in my family wants to go! LOL Last time I went to Walt Disney July 4, 2007, I remember drinking lots and lots of water! Would have liked to have tried Biergarten but didn't see a place to work it in. I chose to reserve Whispering Canyon, Ohanas, and Rainforest before Biergarten because they are dinners my daughter can sit down with her son and be waited on for a change. We already have several character buffets, two for breakfast, one for lunch, one for dinner. We all decided to keep check in and check out free. We still have 7 quick meals plus dessert for each person for the week , plus one snack daily for each person for the week!

 

[Southern Bell]

I think I'm almost finished with reservations!

 

[Southern Bell]

After all I have said about my Plaza reservation and why I should keep it I have dropped it! LOL! I decided that pooch was right! We will use one of our quick service meals that day for lunch! It really shouldn't be that hard to decide were to eat and make dining reservations! Must be because I have never had the dinning plan and never had to decide in advance about this many reservations! LOL!