Need help with a tough decision... please!

[weba]

Hi all! So excited about our first ever trip to WDW!

We just made the financial decision not to go with the dining plan for our upcoming trip. Our group is 4 adults (one is only 12!), 2 kids.

I now have to decide which ADRs to drop! We want to choose four out of the eight and try to wing it with CS meals as we are light eaters. Here is our list:

'Ohana - breakfast
Cape May Cafe - breakfast
Tusker House - lunch
Akershus - lunch
Sci-Fi - lunch
Crystal Palace - lunch
Boma - dinner
Plaza Restaurant - dinner

Please can anyone help me? Being our first time I have no idea what to pick!!

Many thanks,
Wendy

 

[pta-mom]

OK, obviously these are just opinions but here goes:

'Ohana - breakfast -- I would never pay for breakfast buffet as I find them too expensive, especially when breakfast is so easy to get cheaply elsewhere.

Cape May Cafe - breakfast -- ditto

Tusker House - lunch -- Nice buffet though a little like Boma....maybe, Boma-lite?

Akershus - lunch -- Never been here but I believe this is supposed to be pretty good if your kids are into princesses.

Sci-Fi - lunch -- Fun place for kids for sure; reasonably priced.

Crystal Palace - lunch --Fun character interactions, reasonably good food. I would definitely do this one or Akershus (if not both)

Boma - dinner -- This would be a must do from this list...very nice place, lots of food choices for the pickier folks & great food for the more adventurous eaters.

Plaza Restaurant - dinner --Never been here but can't say I've heard much about it.

I would say keep Boma, Sci-Fi, Crystal Palace. If you really want a breakfast, pick 'Ohana. Otherwise do either Akershus for the princesses or Tusker House.

 

[weba]

That was quick... thank you so much!! And I love your opinion on the 3-second rule!

 

[DISDANCEMOM]

Okay...here are some of my opinions:

'Ohana - breakfast >>>my kids (7&10) LOVED this breakfast. The food was good and so was the service and atmosphere.

Cape May Cafe - breakfast>>>I haven't done this one...

Tusker House - lunch>>>we did this for Breakfast. The food was great and character interaction was fabulous...that being said, you are looking at lunch and there are no characters at lunch. I like the way this buffet is set up.

Akershus - lunch>>>we did this one last summer for the first time. I loved my meal (had the squash ravioli or something...it was AMAZING) The kids however were not thrilled with the options and didn't like that the starters were buffet style and then you had such a limited selection for the meal.

Sci-Fi - lunch>>>this is always fun...the kids think it's neat.

Crystal Palace - lunch>>>we took some friends that had never been to disney for dinner. They liked it so much they are going back this summer! I thought the food was good...liked the fact that it was right in the park and we didn't have to go far.

Boma - dinner>>>unfortunately never done this one...this year maybe...

Plaza Restaurant - dinner>>>never done this one either...

so I guess since I haven't done some of your choices I am not a very good resource...but I thought I would share my experiences anyway...they may help.

 

[pta-mom]

And I love your opinion on the 3-second rule!

I know!!! Sick, eh??? My than three year old fished a piece of chocolate out of the toilet & went to put it in his mouth!! Hence the quote! He loves that story even today, now a six foot tall 13 year old! Claims he was kidding "back then"....yea right!

 

[disneyjanet]

From your list I have only done Crystal Palace, Boma, and the Plaza. Both Crystal Palace and Boma are nice buffets and you can't go to wrong with them. The Plaza is a lovely restaurant with nice sandwiches that is pretty much about the cheapest you are going to find for table service at Disney. Unless you are on a very tight budget I'd strongly consider doing the Plaza as a 5th table service. It looks like most meals there are $10.50 to $12 for the adults. A burger combo at a cs will cost you about $8. It is a nice break to sit down at a table service restaurant. The plaza isn't gourmet food or anything but if you consider it to be a counter service+ meal it is very worth it. So if your wanting to make your 4 ts very special I'd skip the Plaza which is lovely, relatively inexpensive, but not a special make your trip meal.

 

[weba]

I know!!! Sick, eh??? My than three year old fished a piece of chocolate out of the toilet & went to put it in his mouth!! Hence the quote! He loves that story even today, now a six foot tall 13 year old! Claims he was kidding "back then"....yea right!

OMG, I could just picture it... my 4 year old would definitely do that cuz he is always sharing his food with the dog... and I mean from the same plate!

 

[MelanieC]

Boma for dinner - DEFINATELY keep this one

I agree about the breakfast. I've only done one TS breakfast at Disney and it was back in the days when you got a free coupon for a Character breakfast. I know there are plenty of people who like the buffet breakfasts - but we just aren't breakfast people. Bringing breakfast bars for the room is good enough for us.

Sci Fi - Fun for the kids - great burgers and milk shakes.

Crystal Palace for lunch - I've had dinner here and lunch is supposed to be just as good. Very yummy and pooh and the gang is fun.

Plaza is nice - the prices are very reasonable and the food is good. They have great burgers here too as well as a good reuben and vegetable sandwich.

 

[weba]

Okay...here are some of my opinions:

'Ohana - breakfast >>>my kids (7&10) LOVED this breakfast. The food was good and so was the service and atmosphere.

Cape May Cafe - breakfast>>>I haven't done this one...

Tusker House - lunch>>>we did this for Breakfast. The food was great and character interaction was fabulous...that being said, you are looking at lunch and there are no characters at lunch. I like the way this buffet is set up.

Akershus - lunch>>>we did this one last summer for the first time. I loved my meal (had the squash ravioli or something...it was AMAZING) The kids however were not thrilled with the options and didn't like that the starters were buffet style and then you had such a limited selection for the meal.

Sci-Fi - lunch>>>this is always fun...the kids think it's neat.

Crystal Palace - lunch>>>we took some friends that had never been to disney for dinner. They liked it so much they are going back this summer! I thought the food was good...liked the fact that it was right in the park and we didn't have to go far.

Boma - dinner>>>unfortunately never done this one...this year maybe...

Plaza Restaurant - dinner>>>never done this one either...

so I guess since I haven't done some of your choices I am not a very good resource...but I thought I would share my experiences anyway...they may help.

Thank you! The reason we are doing lunch at Tusker House is for the reserved seating for the Nemo show. Is is worth it over others?

 

[weba]

From your list I have only done Crystal Palace, Boma, and the Plaza. Both Crystal Palace and Boma are nice buffets and you can't go to wrong with them. The Plaza is a lovely restaurant with nice sandwiches that is pretty much about the cheapest you are going to find for table service at Disney. Unless you are on a very tight budget I'd strongly consider doing the Plaza as a 5th table service. It looks like most meals there are $10.50 to $12 for the adults. A burger combo at a cs will cost you about $8. It is a nice break to sit down at a table service restaurant. The plaza isn't gourmet food or anything but if you consider it to be a counter service+ meal it is very worth it. So if your wanting to make your 4 ts very special I'd skip the Plaza which is lovely, relatively inexpensive, but not a special make your trip meal.

OMG this is getting harder, lol! I though I might pick Akershus over Crystal Palace because my kids are more 'princess' people, now I'm second guessing, lol.

Maybe I will keep Plaza in because this is our last day.

Thanks!

 

[KatMark]

Hi all! So excited about our first ever trip to WDW!

We just made the financial decision not to go with the dining plan for our upcoming trip. Our group is 4 adults (one is only 12!), 2 kids.

I now have to decide which ADRs to drop! We want to choose four out of the eight and try to wing it with CS meals as we are light eaters. Here is our list:

'Ohana - breakfast nver been -- don't like Stitch
Cape May Cafe - breakfast our second favorite--great character interaction
Tusker House - lunch never been
Akershus - lunchdid not care for
Sci-Fi - lunch haven't been in years--but we always enjoyed; great theme
Crystal Palace - lunch we've only done breakfast and it is not to be missed for us--love Pooh and friends
Boma - dinnernever done; we are trying breakfast on our next trip; I know my tastes and I wouldn't like spices/flavors they use at dinner
Plaza Restaurant - dinnerone of our must do's ever trip--it is usually our last meal before we head to the airport

Please can anyone help me? Being our first time I have no idea what to pick!!

Many thanks,
Wendy

Based on our experiences, I would cancel Akershus, Ohanas, Boma and Tusker House

 

[djp0630]

I would definitely do Akershus for your daughters and Crystal Palace. I think these are both great character meals (I haven't been, but am hoping to in Sept.) And pick 2 of the others.

 

[RMAMom]

I am probably stating the obvious but did you add the surcharge in your financial planning. Disney raises the prices for the summer so not going on the DP can get very pricey. (Those on the DP don't pay an elevated price)

If I can only pick four from the list I would keep

Tusker House - lunch
Akershus - lunch This is similar to Boma which is another reason for my comment about Boma below.
Crystal Palace - lunch
Boma - dinner Have you thought about changing this to breakfast? It's one of the cheapest and tastiest breakfasts in the World. It's a great way to start the day before going to AK

Plaza Restaurant - dinner
Sci-Fi - lunch
You mentioned that you were light eaters, have you considered keeping these and sharing meals? I would think that if you ordered two entrées and and split it you will probably eat for the same price as a cs, maybe cheaper.

Have you checked the menus and prices on the allears site?
Enjoy your trip! Your really close!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Hi all! So excited about our first ever trip to WDW!

We just made the financial decision not to go with the dining plan for our upcoming trip. Our group is 4 adults (one is only 12!), 2 kids.

I now have to decide which ADRs to drop! We want to choose four out of the eight and try to wing it with CS meals as we are light eaters. Here is our list:

'Ohana - breakfast
Cape May Cafe - breakfast
Tusker House - lunch
Akershus - lunch
Sci-Fi - lunch
Crystal Palace - lunch
Boma - dinner
Plaza Restaurant - dinner

Please can anyone help me? Being our first time I have no idea what to pick!!

Many thanks,
Wendy

Here are my 2 cents:
I would drop either Tusker House or Boma because as PP's mentioned they are somewhat similar. Personally, I would keep Boma if I had to choose between the 2 but that is just because I like to visit the deluxe resorts.

I would drop one of the character meals depending on which characters the kids really want to see. We love Crystal Palace so we would definitely keep that one. I would probably drop Cape May Cafe but that's just me.

I would also drop the Plaza and do CS in place of that one.

If my family had to pick 4 from your list, the ones we would choose (in order) would be:
1. Crystal Palace
2. Boma
3. 'Ohana
4. Akershus (if DD was wanting the princesses) or Sci-Fi (We are not huge fans of the food but love the milkshakes and burgers! You could always share some milkshakes/ desserts/ meals here if you want to check out the atmosphere without having to spend a lot of $.

Of course, most of these are buffets and not your cheapest bets.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[weba]

Thanks everyone for your help. I did not pick any of these restaurants; my ADRs were done by Dream Unlimited and I guess were also booked a lot too late for many options. Should I ask her to keep trying for others? What about recommendations of reasonably priced must-see places?? I've seen loads of recommendations for Hoop-Dee-Doo but balk at the price.

I appreciate everyone's help but I think I'm even more confused, lol!!! I so want this trip to be special... been promising my 19 year old since she was 3!!

 

[SPOERLX3]

I am going a different direction here, since I would be doing breakfast instead of other meals if I was not on the dining plan since breakfast is generally the least expensive meals and then do counter service for my lunch or dinners. This is just for the cost efficiency aspect.


'Ohana - breakfast--Fabulous and my grandkids 16, 11 & 12 all loved it! Fun atmosphere and good breakfast.
Cape May Cafe - breakfast---again, Fabulous! We all loved this one too.
Tusker House - lunch---never done lunch but Tusker House for breakfast is our family favorite and again Fabulous.
Akershus - lunch--never done but the food here has never appealed to my kids so we have never even tried.
Sci-Fi - lunch---THIS ONE IS A MUST! BURGERS, ONION RINGS AND A SHAKE! Sci-Fi is one place that my family would not want to leave off. When I start talking about planning a trip to Disney, everyone in my family says "what day are we going to Sci-Fi". But...stick with the burgers, some of the other food is hit or miss. We never get tired of the atmosphere. Fun and FABULOUS
Crystal Palace - lunch----love the breakfast, especially the puffed french toast and make to order omelets, eggs and pancakes. Not fond of the lunch or dinner.
Boma - dinner---never been but have ressies for breakfast and dinner during our trip in August.
Plaza Restaurant - dinner--never been

Good Luck. Whatever you choose, it will be magical!

 

[disneyjanet]

OMG this is getting harder, lol! I though I might pick Akershus over Crystal Palace because my kids are more 'princess' people, now I'm second guessing, lol.

Maybe I will keep Plaza in because this is our last day.

Thanks!

If you are in doubt you can always keep the reservation and decide once you're down there. I believe that you said that this is your first visit. If by the last day your sick of all the counter service you can go to the Plaza. If you aren't you can cancell it from a more informed place.

 

[Goseethemouse]

Here are my picks of what to keep:

Akershus - lunch (I assume the princesses are a priority)
Crystal Palace - lunch (We liked it a lot, decent food and Pooh)
Boma - dinner (Great food, a chance to visit AKL)

Not sure about the last one. Sci-Fi is popular for the atmosphere (but not so much for the food). I guess I would see what meal (breakfast, dinner, lunch) and location would fit best in your touring plan.

I hope you have a great time!

 

[weba]

Thank you everyone for all your help!!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Your DD19 is going to love it, no matter where you guys eat, just remember that!

That being said... I haven't been to a lot of the places you have ADRs for but I would definitely keep Boma and Ohana. Boma I've only heard great things about and I'm dying to try it. Ohana for breakfast is so much fun! The food is great, Mickey is there, and they're all dressed in their luau wear. I think I'm also going to the Plaza when we go in Sept so I'd vote for that too, haha! It's a little fancier sandwich shop which I like so we're trying it.

Have a great time!