newbie *frazzled mom* needing advice

[Tracyplus5]

I'm trying to plan out our DDP meals for our 8-day trip May 3-10. There's just so much to consider! I've been on here researching all weekend. I want to be ready to go when I can finally make my ADRs. I've poured over as many dining reviews as I could in that time but haven't found a lot of the restaurants I'm looking for or the specific info I need. I'm sure with more time, I may, eventually, but I'm going to die some day and my children miss me. Could someone(s) with a little more experience help a mom out?

I'm looking to find options that will keep the kids entertained (all the kids- especially the twin toddlers- so we can actually get the food into our mouths before running back to the parks) I'd also like options with *good food* though. So if I list what I'm considering and my 2nd tier options (in case *gasp* oh I hope not- they don't have anything available in our 1st tier preferences) will the more experienced Disnyers tell me whether or not to bother and even suggest something you might think is better in our situation.

OKAY- here goes:

These are the 1st tier options I'm considering, either because of entertainment value for the kiddies, or for menu, or preferably, for both:

CRT Breakfast- through research I realize this is a tough one, but I'm hopeful. Do they do the breakfast during the special early hours available to resort guests?
Poly Luau This sounds like fun for all and seems might be worth staying up a little later with the younger ones. How late does it go?
Coral Reef (can I request that they put us next to the tank? I think it will help with keeping the babies entertained while we eat- otherwise we may spend the entire meal with them struggling to get to the tank) How's the food here? I was going back & forth between this and Le Cellier or Flying Fish because the food sounds good at those places, but this place has something for the kids to do (watch fish)
The Crystal Palace Lunch or Dinner? We're big Pooh fans around here.
Kona Cafe Breakfast There's no characters or entertainment but the food sounds Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious! Which brings me to my next group of choices...

2nd tier:
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare I should mention that I'm actually staying at the GF, as you can see, none of their dining options made my 1st tier. I just wasn't impressed with what they offer. If my daughter were older she could do the Princess Tea, but there's not much for boys here other then this.
Le Cellier
Flying Fish- as mentioned above, no entertainment for the kids. Not that my children always need to be entertained in restaurants- sometimes they're absolutely angelic. Sometimes I'm tempted to pretend they aren't with me. It's a toss up depending on many different factors, not the least of which is how tired are they going to be after trucking around the parks all day. It's hard to know what their mood is going to be 3 months from now. KWIM. That being said, it sounds like the food is good at these two places, and if anything can keep my kids quiet, it's good food. or entertainment. or good food...

Other places/experiences I'm curious about:
Rainforest Cafe: It doesn't seem to be included in the DDP. Is it worth an oop?

I'm also considering upping our package to the DxDP. Most of the places I'm interested in are considered TS. I also think it would be nice to be able to have a specific place/time to sit down with the family and unwind from the running around without having to wait in line for our meal and then fight for a table. I don't know that we'll need all those meals though. I thought I could do breakfasts or early lunches and then earlier dinner meals in the parks when (hopefully) it wouldn't be too crowded and then later when we get back we could do in-room pizza for the boys if they get hungry again. (which they will)

Something else to consider though is what do we do with our stroller when we do TS meals? I want to bring our double stroller with us to the parks and we'll probably walk from GF to Poly for the Luau with it, but I don't know what to do when we go in restaurants in parks with it? I don't want anything to happen to it, it's an expensive stroller. Maybe I could bring a lock for it? But then where would I lock it? What did others do with strollers?

Sorry this is so long. Any help from BTDTers is appreciated!

 

[MariDisney]

These are the 1st tier options I'm considering, either because of entertainment value for the kiddies, or for menu, or preferably, for both:

CRT Breakfast- through research I realize this is a tough one, but I'm hopeful. Do they do the breakfast during the special early hours available to resort guests?
They have breakfast starting at 8:05 every day. I am not sure if they start earlier if the park opens much earlier (like at 7:00)

Poly Luau This sounds like fun for all and seems might be worth staying up a little later with the younger ones. How late does it go?
I haven't been in years, but also haven't heard good things lately.

Coral Reef (can I request that they put us next to the tank? I think it will help with keeping the babies entertained while we eat- otherwise we may spend the entire meal with them struggling to get to the tank) How's the food here? I was going back & forth between this and Le Cellier or Flying Fish because the food sounds good at those places, but this place has something for the kids to do (watch fish)
You can ask to sit by the tank, but may need to wait a long time for the request to be honored. We have had 2 horrible experiences here and would not go back. It is loud and the service has been bad. I am sure the kids would love watching the fish. Don't worry about them climbng over people to get to the tank. That seemed to be the norm on our last visit in Octber.

The Crystal Palace Lunch or Dinner? We're big Pooh fans around here.
We go for breakfast every trip and LOVE it. I imagine dinner or lunch would be just as good. The characters are awesome and the breakfast food is great.

Kona Cafe Breakfast There's no characters or entertainment but the food sounds Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!
Haven't been here.

Which brings me to my next group of choices...

2nd tier:
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare I should mention that I'm actually staying at the GF, as you can see, none of their dining options made my 1st tier. I just wasn't impressed with what they offer. If my daughter were older she could do the Princess Tea, but there's not much for boys here other then this.
We've had a blast at the dinner with Cinderella, the Prince and Stepmother and Step Sisters. Too fun!

Le Cellier
Flying Fish- as mentioned above, no entertainment for the kids. Not that my children always need to be entertained in restaurants- sometimes they're absolutely angelic. Sometimes I'm tempted to pretend they aren't with me. It's a toss up depending on many different factors, not the least of which is how tired are they going to be after trucking around the parks all day. It's hard to know what their mood is going to be 3 months from now. KWIM. That being said, it sounds like the food is good at these two places, and if anything can keep my kids quiet, it's good food. or entertainment. or good food...
LOVE LeCellier. Haven't done FF.

Other places/experiences I'm curious about:
Rainforest Cafe: It doesn't seem to be included in the DDP. Is it worth an oop?
Haven't done.

I'm also considering upping our package to the DxDP. Most of the places I'm interested in are considered TS. I also think it would be nice to be able to have a specific place/time to sit down with the family and unwind from the running around without having to wait in line for our meal and then fight for a table. I don't know that we'll need all those meals though. I thought I could do breakfasts or early lunches and then earlier dinner meals in the parks when (hopefully) it wouldn't be too crowded and then later when we get back we could do in-room pizza for the boys if they get hungry again. (which they will)

Something else to consider though is what do we do with our stroller when we do TS meals? I want to bring our double stroller with us to the parks and we'll probably walk from GF to Poly for the Luau with it, but I don't know what to do when we go in restaurants in parks with it? I don't want anything to happen to it, it's an expensive stroller. Maybe I could bring a lock for it? But then where would I lock it? What did others do with strollers?

Sorry this is so long. Any help from BTDTers is appreciated!

Strollers are parked outside of the restaurants in general. You are not allowed to lock them as they may need to be moved around.

 

[PictureJumpr]

These are the 1st tier options I'm considering, either because of entertainment value for the kiddies, or for menu, or preferably, for both:

CRT Breakfast- through research I realize this is a tough one, but I'm hopeful. Do they do the breakfast during the special early hours available to resort guests? Yes, but honestly we have sworn this one off after some back-to-back less-than-stellar experiences. Also, at 2TS, it takes more of a bite out of our DDP than we think it is worth. We prefer the Ohana Breakfast with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, Pluto that is served at the Poly. On the plus side, it is a family-style rather than buffet so it is easier to herd little ones.
Poly Luau This sounds like fun for all and seems might be worth staying up a little later with the younger ones. How late does it go?
Coral Reef (can I request that they put us next to the tank? I think it will help with keeping the babies entertained while we eat- otherwise we may spend the entire meal with them struggling to get to the tank) How's the food here? I was going back & forth between this and Le Cellier or Flying Fish because the food sounds good at those places, but this place has something for the kids to do (watch fish) We have better luck with getting tank seats if we are there off-peak... i.e., slim-to-none if you are booking a lunch at noon or a dinner at 6. You can request it as you check in there, but they usually give you a standard 'you can wait for it if you want or you can take the next table up' response.
The Crystal Palace Lunch or Dinner? We're big Pooh fans around here. There is very little different between the two, some slightly different meat options and shrimp added to dinner. We do this one every trip, and have found the best character interaction at a late lunch (2-3pm)
Kona Cafe Breakfast There's no characters or entertainment but the food sounds Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious! Which brings me to my next group of choices...

2nd tier:
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare I should mention that I'm actually staying at the GF, as you can see, none of their dining options made my 1st tier. I just wasn't impressed with what they offer. If my daughter were older she could do the Princess Tea, but there's not much for boys here other then this. One of our favorites
Le Cellier Unlike 99 percent of the others around these boards, we do not consider this one worth the effort
Flying Fish- as mentioned above, no entertainment for the kids. Not that my children always need to be entertained in restaurants- sometimes they're absolutely angelic. Sometimes I'm tempted to pretend they aren't with me. It's a toss up depending on many different factors, not the least of which is how tired are they going to be after trucking around the parks all day. It's hard to know what their mood is going to be 3 months from now. KWIM. That being said, it sounds like the food is good at these two places, and if anything can keep my kids quiet, it's good food. or entertainment. or good food...

Other places/experiences I'm curious about:
Rainforest Cafe: It doesn't seem to be included in the DDP. Is it worth an oop? Nope. We enjoyed the new-ish Tusker House on our last trip, and now they are issuing seating tickets for Nemo with lunch here...

I'm also considering upping our package to the DxDP. Most of the places I'm interested in are considered TS. I also think it would be nice to be able to have a specific place/time to sit down with the family and unwind from the running around without having to wait in line for our meal and then fight for a table. I don't know that we'll need all those meals though. I thought I could do breakfasts or early lunches and then earlier dinner meals in the parks when (hopefully) it wouldn't be too crowded and then later when we get back we could do in-room pizza for the boys if they get hungry again. (which they will)

Something else to consider though is what do we do with our stroller when we do TS meals? I want to bring our double stroller with us to the parks and we'll probably walk from GF to Poly for the Luau with it, but I don't know what to do when we go in restaurants in parks with it? I don't want anything to happen to it, it's an expensive stroller. Maybe I could bring a lock for it? But then where would I lock it? What did others do with strollers?

Sorry this is so long. Any help from BTDTers is appreciated!

Some other places our toddler travelmate really enjoyed last time around:
Cosmic Ray's at MK - he danced and waved at Sonny Eclipse for an hour while the rest of us ate. The time of year you are going, it shouldn't be too hard to get a table down near the front where the small folks can dance without getting away from the family.

Pinocchio Village Haus - he threw a fit when he had to stop waving at the people on small world through the window

Biergarten - music, bells, adults shouting drinking chants... four stars on the toddler ratings

Akershus Princess Lunch - watermelon, cheese, and pretty girls who would actually talk to him... heaven



As for the stroller thing, as the pp said, you have to park them outside the restaurants. This applies to resort restaurants as well as park ones. Nobody really bothers them, we've done it many times and never had anybody touch ours. CMs will move them, so don't freak out too much if you walk to where you parked it and it isn't there - it's nearby.

 

[ms*mountaineer]

Have you called for CRT yet? I would think you're within the 180 day window by now for that. The earliest seating is 8:05am (something like that). If you can't get CRT, think about Akershus in Norway for princesses. We really enjoy that one!

My kids liked Biergarten. They actually ate more of this food than food at any other place we went to. Sausages, potato dishes, mac & cheese - they really liked it. Plus, they could get up and do the chicken dance with the band!

 

[Tiger926]

I'm trying to plan out our DDP meals for our 8-day trip May 3-10. There's just so much to consider! I've been on here researching all weekend. I want to be ready to go when I can finally make my ADRs. I've poured over as many dining reviews as I could in that time but haven't found a lot of the restaurants I'm looking for or the specific info I need. I'm sure with more time, I may, eventually, but I'm going to die some day and my children miss me. Could someone(s) with a little more experience help a mom out?

I'm looking to find options that will keep the kids entertained (all the kids- especially the twin toddlers- so we can actually get the food into our mouths before running back to the parks) I'd also like options with *good food* though. So if I list what I'm considering and my 2nd tier options (in case *gasp* oh I hope not- they don't have anything available in our 1st tier preferences) will the more experienced Disnyers tell me whether or not to bother and even suggest something you might think is better in our situation.

OKAY- here goes:

These are the 1st tier options I'm considering, either because of entertainment value for the kiddies, or for menu, or preferably, for both:

CRT Breakfast- through research I realize this is a tough one, but I'm hopeful. Do they do the breakfast during the special early hours available to resort guests? Grossly overpriced and very underwhelming, IMHO.

Poly Luau This sounds like fun for all and seems might be worth staying up a little later with the younger ones. How late does it go? Haven't tried it yet as it's too late and cuts into bedtime for us, but will be trying it one day - our friends always go and enjoy it.

Coral Reef (can I request that they put us next to the tank? I think it will help with keeping the babies entertained while we eat- otherwise we may spend the entire meal with them struggling to get to the tank) How's the food here? I was going back & forth between this and Le Cellier or Flying Fish because the food sounds good at those places, but this place has something for the kids to do (watch fish). It's hit and miss with service and food, and is very, very dark. I've seen lots of kids crying in there as they are scared. Also, they have weird table configurations and so you might not get to sit together with your large party size. Lastly, everyone wants to sit near the tank, and so this is luck of the draw. Good luck!


The Crystal Palace Lunch or Dinner? We're big Pooh fans around here.Great choice for all ages - good food, service and characters. Love it!


Kona Cafe Breakfast There's no characters or entertainment but the food sounds Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious! Which brings me to my next group of choices... Love dinner here, and will be eating breakfast here for first time next trip as we are always at breakfast buffets it seems.

2nd tier:
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare I should mention that I'm actually staying at the GF, as you can see, none of their dining options made my 1st tier. I just wasn't impressed with what they offer. If my daughter were older she could do the Princess Tea, but there's not much for boys here other then this. We love it, but for breakfast it's Alice, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins and Pooh and friends, whereas dinner is Cindy, Prince and steps. Good food and great characters!

Le Cellier - good, but it's becoming hit and miss for us as well. We are Canadian though, so we are loyal to it!

Flying Fish- as mentioned above, no entertainment for the kids. Not that my children always need to be entertained in restaurants- sometimes they're absolutely angelic. Sometimes I'm tempted to pretend they aren't with me. It's a toss up depending on many different factors, not the least of which is how tired are they going to be after trucking around the parks all day. It's hard to know what their mood is going to be 3 months from now. KWIM. That being said, it sounds like the food is good at these two places, and if anything can keep my kids quiet, it's good food. or entertainment. or good food... Haven't tried it due to food allergies, so happy eating. This is a Signature restaurant (2 credits), FIY.

Other places/experiences I'm curious about:
Rainforest Cafe: It doesn't seem to be included in the DDP. Is it worth an oop? We always do it as we have a Safari Card which gets us a 10% discount and preferred seating. My kids love it - there is also the new T-Rex restaurant in Downtown Disney owned by Landry's, who owns Rainforest. It is dinosaur themed, so you might want to try that.

I'm also considering upping our package to the DxDP. Most of the places I'm interested in are considered TS. I also think it would be nice to be able to have a specific place/time to sit down with the family and unwind from the running around without having to wait in line for our meal and then fight for a table. I don't know that we'll need all those meals though. I thought I could do breakfasts or early lunches and then earlier dinner meals in the parks when (hopefully) it wouldn't be too crowded and then later when we get back we could do in-room pizza for the boys if they get hungry again. (which they will).

We did Deluxe with our kids (5 year old and a 10 month old) and enjoyed it as we always had the right amount of food, but it means lots of time in restaurants. We are used to eating this way as we've always done 2-3 TS restaurants per day, but our baby son is an energetic boy (our daughter was not), so it was a bit wacky at times. We are not going to the Deluxe for our next trip, and instead will go back to TIW card (formerly DDE).

Something else to consider though is what do we do with our stroller when we do TS meals? I want to bring our double stroller with us to the parks and we'll probably walk from GF to Poly for the Luau with it, but I don't know what to do when we go in restaurants in parks with it? I don't want anything to happen to it, it's an expensive stroller. Maybe I could bring a lock for it? But then where would I lock it? What did others do with strollers? Already mentioned above.
Sorry this is so long. Any help from BTDTers is appreciated!

Best of luck and happy eating! Tiger

 

[plucky]

Eating with little ones can be a challenge! I have to echo previous posters about the value of Biergarten's entertainment. Our kids danced the night away between bites of mac & cheese and pretzel bread. Having done the Luau, I never will again. It didn't hold the attention of most of the children there. I hear, though have never experienced, that Hoop De Do is a much better choice for a kids dinner show. More audience participation, and more fun for the little ones. Have a ton of fun on your vacations, and welcome to the Dis!

 

[septbaby]

Children: DS 12, 6, 2...DD 2

First off on the basic plan you have 7TS, CS and Snack credits per person (3A, 1 C). Sometimes people think 8 days 8 credits, its based on nights, not days.

Keep in mind you are a table of 6 and will be charged an automatic 18% tip.

CRT - Very special and worth the experience. Many pay OOP for this as it is fixed price.

Luau - No experience to share, not something that interests us

Coral Reef - Loved it, if you sit next to the tank you'll have a limited view. The tank is a full floor to ceiling wall, so you'll miss everything that isn't by your seat. No guarantee you'll get seated there, but ask when you check in . We loved it for lunch, great break in the park day.

Crystal Palace Great choice for your group. Consider for lunch as a great break inside the park. Dinner is good too as you can get wonderfull CS choices in MK for lunch.

Kona Breakfast If the Tonga Toast is the draw for you that is available in the CS restaurant at the Poly too, Captain Cook's

[/B]1900 PF Breakfast[/B] Great choice

LeCellier I'd avoid this place. Good food, but small and dark, just not the atmosphere for your little ones.

Flying Fish I think Narcoossee's would be a better choice for your group for an upscale seafood dinner. Awesome food, service, kid friendly and thre is a deck, very useful for timeouts

So to use up the 7TS credits from the group you have I'd suggest the following:

If you decide to ditch either CRT or Narcoosse's I'd add Chef Mickey's. We did a bday celebration for our 6yo (you can do it too) at Chef Mickey's he absolutely loved it. They gave him a laminated place mat and Mickey cupcake. My nephew used that placemat daily for a yr after the trip. Your 12you will probably really like Coral Reef.

I notice you have nothing at DHS, consider the Playhouse Disney meal at Hollywood and Vine, designed for the 2yos. The characters are there for lunch or breakfast. I would trade off 1900 PF for this one.

The CS meals can be very useful to eat back at the resort before or after pool time. I would think the 12 and 6you will be giving you puppy dog eyes for pool time and you'll welcome the rest to lounge around the pool too.

If you are willing to travel just to eat the CSR resort has the Pepper Market, even steak is available for a CS credit.

Upgrading to the Deluxe plan will cost you and extra $630 plus 18% tips if you do all or mostly TS meals are you sure you want to spend that on food?
Without the Deluxe your family could enjoy these meals:

2- CRT (Maybe OOP)

2 - Narcoossee's (Yes, you can order Surf & Turf on DP)
1- 1900 PF or Kona (buffet vs server, even 'Ohana would work)
1- Crystal Palace
1 - Coral Reef
1- Playhouse Disney
1 - Chef Mickey's

Probably got more help than you bargained for.

By the way you can click on the Chat button near the top of the page to join in on live DIS chat any nite from 9-11. Different topics nightly, but food is always a topic in chat! I used chatter to help me plann my 2007 trip and they were soooo very helpful.

While you did not ask I'm going to make a 2nd post for you on CS places in case you stick with the Basic DP.

 

[septbaby]

I cannot tell where you are staying, but the resort CS meals can be pretty robust. We stayed at Carribbean Beach Resort and had choices like Baked Ziti, Chicken, Salmon, etc. so take at look at the menu for your "home".

Park CS suggestions:

Magic Kingdom - We liked the Main St. Bakery, pre made sandwich(we had the Basil Mozzz, yum), any wonderful dessert they have and a beverage. The dessert choices are amazing we had carrot cake, but there was also a decadent chocolate cake and we saw lots of people with the ice cream sandwiches made with 2 homemade cookies, all of the desserts were huge. Also the MSB carries the Uncrustable PB&Js that were perfect for our 6yo and might also appeal to your 2yos.

Pinniochio's in Fantasyland, Cosmic Rays and Columbia Harbor House are also great choices.

Disney Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Pizza Planet

Epcot
Sunshine Seasons for a food court experience, something for eveyone
Any range of the World Showcase restaurants for more international flavor

Animal Kingdom
Flame Tree BBQ seems to be the most popular
Yek & Yeti Asian themed food, newer so support is growing for this one
We ate a CS breakfast at our resort then headed to AK which usually closes around 5pm. We had dinner after leaving the park so we did not use CS at AK; just ice cream treats while we were there

Hope those help with your meal planning!

 

[Hootch]

We do lunch instead of breakfast which may not be helpful.

You may or may not get a tank seat for Coral Reef. To get one you may have to wait awhile which defeats your purpose. As suggested Biergarten is a better choice for kids.

I prefer Hoop-De-Doo over the Luau. Look at the menu. The show will definitely entertain the kids.

Crystal Palace is one we go to every time. We always do dinner. The difference between lunch and dinner is a little price difference and some meats are added at dinner. You'll need to tag team the buffet to ensure you'll see all the characters, but it is doable and well worth the time.

Flying Fish - very good.

Le Cellier can be very tight which I found to be a problem with our kids when they were younger. (Not Le Cellier specifically - just in general) You'll want a backup choice since LC seems to be harder to get now. A lot of people do Teppan Edo with kids. We don't because we do Hibachi at home. Rose and Crown is an option in Epcot. San Angel Inn is pretty and diverting with the ride around it but the food has generally been so so.

Our kids love RFC so we go. It's overpriced, but so is much at Disney. (It's telling that the TIW card gives 20% off for Florida residents.) The animatronic shows happen frequently enough to keep the kids entertained but gives them time to eat.

You can do CRT now if you choose. Most people don't realize it's available through June 19th so you may have a better chance at an early ADR if you choose to do one. (BTW - it's better to an early ADR when the park doesn't open early - e.g. an 8:05 ADR when the park doesn't open until 9:00. You can walk through the park when it's almost empty and be near Fantasyland when the park opens.)

RFC used to do something similar to ADRs at 180 days out. I don't know if they have changed their policy to conform to Disney's. You'll have to call the Downtown Disney location directly to get one. The DAK location goes through Disney Dining and should now be 90 days.

 

[Tracyplus5]

Thanks for all the responses. This is exactly what I needed! Very helpful!

We do lunch instead of breakfast which may not be helpful.

You may or may not get a tank seat for Coral Reef. To get one you may have to wait awhile which defeats your purpose. As suggested Biergarten is a better choice for kids. I think I may just give up on Coral Reef and go for something else. I guess Biergarten would be a good choice since hubby is 100% German. I tend to shy away from this sort of thing- not a big "sausage with a side of sausage" eater. I can get that anytime I go to MIL's. But, if it's for the kids...

I prefer Hoop-De-Doo over the Luau. Look at the menu. The show will definitely entertain the kids. I was leaning towards the Luau because oldest DS saw the pics on the 'puter and LOVED the idea. It's all he's talked about since we booked. Going to the Luau dinner and seeing the "fire-eaters." I am worried about the then 23 month old twins though, it's not fun for anyone if babies are screaming the whole meal. hmmm....

Crystal Palace is one we go to every time. We always do dinner. The difference between lunch and dinner is a little price difference and some meats are added at dinner. You'll need to tag team the buffet to ensure you'll see all the characters, but it is doable and well worth the time.

Flying Fish - very good.

Le Cellier can be very tight which I found to be a problem with our kids when they were younger. (Not Le Cellier specifically - just in general) You'll want a backup choice since LC seems to be harder to get now. A lot of people do Teppan Edo with kids. We don't because we do Hibachi at home. Rose and Crown is an option in Epcot. San Angel Inn is pretty and diverting with the ride around it but the food has generally been so so. Rose & Crown sounded interesting to me as I'm a big P&P fan, but I wasn't sure if it would hold anything for the kids.
Our kids love RFC so we go. It's overpriced, but so is much at Disney. (It's telling that the TIW card gives 20% off for Florida residents.) The animatronic shows happen frequently enough to keep the kids entertained but gives them time to eat.

You can do CRT now if you choose. Most people don't realize it's available through June 19th so you may have a better chance at an early ADR if you choose to do one. (BTW - it's better to an early ADR when the park doesn't open early - e.g. an 8:05 ADR when the park doesn't open until 9:00. You can walk through the park when it's almost empty and be near Fantasyland when the park opens.) How? Do I call Disney dining for this? I thought I couldn't do that till 90 days prior?

RFC used to do something similar to ADRs at 180 days out. I don't know if they have changed their policy to conform to Disney's. You'll have to call the Downtown Disney location directly to get one. The DAK location goes through Disney Dining and should now be 90 days.

Thanks again for all the helpful info!

 

[Tracyplus5]

Children: DS 12, 6, 2...DD 2

First off on the basic plan you have 7TS, CS and Snack credits per person (3A, 1 C). Sometimes people think 8 days 8 credits, its based on nights, not days. I did know this, nad about the tip, but thanks for the info.

Keep in mind you are a table of 6 and will be charged an automatic 18% tip.


Flying Fish I think Narcoossee's would be a better choice for your group for an upscale seafood dinner. Awesome food, service, kid friendly and thre is a deck, very useful for timeouts Someone mentioned this is very noisy. I mean, I know with 4 kids. two being toddlers, I'm not one in a position to complain about noise since we'll be a contirbutor. But there's noise and then there's *noise*.

The CS meals can be very useful to eat back at the resort before or after pool time. I would think the 12 and 6you will be giving you puppy dog eyes for pool time and you'll welcome the rest to lounge around the pool too. We're staying at the Grand Floridian and there didn't seem to be many interesting CS options there.


Upgrading to the Deluxe plan will cost you and extra $630 plus 18% tips if you do all or mostly TS meals are you sure you want to spend that on food?
Without the Deluxe your family could enjoy these meals: By my calculation it'll be $424 difference over the basic DDP for the DxDp with the 4/3 deal we're on. I'm still weighing whether it's worth the upgrade or maybe just to go oop for certain things. I just know that DDP won't be enough to encompass everything we want to do.

2- CRT (Maybe OOP)

2 - Narcoossee's (Yes, you can order Surf & Turf on DP)
1- 1900 PF or Kona (buffet vs server, even 'Ohana would work)
1- Crystal Palace
1 - Coral Reef
1- Playhouse Disney
1 - Chef Mickey's

Probably got more help than you bargained for.

By the way you can click on the Chat button near the top of the page to join in on live DIS chat any nite from 9-11. Different topics nightly, but food is always a topic in chat! I used chatter to help me plan my 2007 trip and they were soooo very helpful.

While you did not ask I'm going to make a 2nd post for you on CS places in case you stick with the Basic DP.

Thanks for the CS suggestions as well- very helpful! I was able to rule out certain pitfalls and add some gems based on all the CS suggestions from everyone. I didn't know that Pinnochio's Village Haus had a view of the Small World riders- my kids will love that!

 

[Tracyplus5]

Some other places our toddler travelmate really enjoyed last time around:
Cosmic Ray's at MK - he danced and waved at Sonny Eclipse for an hour while the rest of us ate. The time of year you are going, it shouldn't be too hard to get a table down near the front where the small folks can dance without getting away from the family.

Pinocchio Village Haus - he threw a fit when he had to stop waving at the people on small world through the window This is a great tip- my kids would LOVE this- Thank you! Plus SW is my personal fav ride.

Biergarten - music, bells, adults shouting drinking chants... four stars on the toddler ratings

Akershus Princess Lunch - watermelon, cheese, and pretty girls who would actually talk to him... heaven I've been thinking the boys might like something like this for the pretty factor- and I think the babies definitely would. Thanks!



As for the stroller thing, as the pp said, you have to park them outside the restaurants. This applies to resort restaurants as well as park ones. Nobody really bothers them, we've done it many times and never had anybody touch ours. CMs will move them, so don't freak out too much if you walk to where you parked it and it isn't there - it's nearby.

Thank for the tips!

 

[fairestoneofall]

Our family's favorites (DD is 7, DS is 4): Biergarten (such a fun place and great food--and I'm not a sausage with a side of sausage person either ), Crystal Palace and 1900 Park Fare.

We are hoping to go back in September, with the new military ticket promotion. Since we won't have a dining plan, we decided to limit our TS. DH said that we HAVE to eat at Biergarten and 1900 Park Fare.

 

[ShannonMB]

Cinderella's Royal Table is still one that you can do 180 days out. So you should probably book it now if you're wanting it.

We LOVED it for breakfast. It's pricey for a breakfast, but we really enjoyed the experience. Plus, the food was yummy!

EDIT - Also, if this is your first trip, I don't think I'd go with DxDP. The regular DP was plenty for us (and we LOVE to eat), and I don't think the kids (or you) will want to devote that much time to table service. I think we'll probably do it eventually, but not until we've been a few more times and feel ready to sacrifice our time in the parks. JMO

 

[septbaby]

Narcoosse's wasn't "very" noisy to me. There were lots of kids there and all struck me as well behaved. The noise is just from people, not anything else. Chef Mickey's is noisy, but not Narcoossee's. This was our best meal of the trip. We loved our meals at both places, both food and atmosphere.

Standard price for DP is $39.99 Basic and $71.99 Deluxe for an Adult (3 adults in your group) times 7 nights $10 x7 for the 6yo, $70. So the full total increase would be $742 or about $106 more per night. Again if you are paying for less than 7 nights or have some discount it will be less.

GF does have a CS, Gasparilla but I am not familiar with it.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[Tiger926]

Narcoosse's wasn't "very" noisy to me. There were lots of kids there and all struck me as well behaved. The noise is just from people, not anything else. Chef Mickey's is noisy, but not Narcoossee's. This was our best meal of the trip. We loved our meals at both places, both food and atmosphere.

Standard price for DP is $39.99 Basic and $69.99 Deluxe for an Adult. So at $90 more per night (3 adults in your group) times 7 nights your total for the adults is $630, you'll also pay an additional $9x7 for the 6yo, $63. So the full total increase would be $693 or about $100 more per night. Again if you are paying for less than 7 nights or have some discount it will be less.

GF does have a CS, Gasparilla but I am not familiar with it.

Good luck with your planning!

FYI - Deluxe Plan for 2009 is $71.99/adult. You have 2008 price quoted above.

Happy planning, Tiger

 

[eandesmom]

I would double check your calculations. We are on the 4/3 plan and dining is NOT free on the "free" room nights, it just makes the room considerably more affordable! For us, with 4 children at ages 8.9.12 and 16 the deluxe plan is way more food than we'd need and more than we'd need to spend.

Some of your kiddos are free though so it could be different but I can't imagine when the 8 and 9 year olds were that age, getting them to sit through more than 1 sit down meal per day. In fact, at that age (2&3 respectively) I think we went out to eat, sit down, ONCE our entire trip at DL. That was when the in-room refrigerator and car trip to costco saved my wallet

Good luck!

 

[Tiger926]

I would double check your calculations. We are on the 4/3 plan and dining is NOT free on the "free" room nights, it just makes the room considerably more affordable! For us, with 4 children at ages 8.9.12 and 16 the deluxe plan is way more food than we'd need and more than we'd need to spend.

Some of your kiddos are free though so it could be different but I can't imagine when the 8 and 9 year olds were that age, getting them to sit through more than 1 sit down meal per day. In fact, at that age (2&3 respectively) I think we went out to eat, sit down, ONCE our entire trip at DL. That was when the in-room refrigerator and car trip to costco saved my wallet

Good luck!

Again, I must remind people, that the amount of food, and children being able to sit through table service restaurants, is all dependent upon your children's personalities, your expectations and your family's dining needs.

My children have been in restaurants since the day they were born, and so there aren't many issues for us in regards to that. Our baby son though is more busy than our daughter was, so we come prepared with toys for him, and we are usually good.

In regards to deluxe being too much food, again, that is dependent upon how your family eats. We eat very healthily in our family - no pop, candy, snacks are fruits, cheese, crackers and we drink water or milk; therefore, for us, the deluxe plan is just fine. In fact, the kids meals at Disney are lacking, and so we find that for kids, whether it's deluxe or not, does not matter, as they get the same amount and type of food. Deluxe matters for adults as we use our appetizers to feed the kids, as sometimes we don't even order a kids' meal as we don't eat fried food, etc. and that is all that is available at times. As well, the extra snacks on deluxe come in handy for bottled water (we cannot drink Orlando water) or fruit.

Again, it all depends upon what your family's needs are - OP is doing well in considering all options. For us, we normally always have eaten 2-3 TS meals/day while travelling to WDW with our kids, so doing the deluxe plan was pretty much the same as using our TIW card as this is how we normally eat. We've eaten at pretty much all WDW restaurants (just a few more to go), and so this wasn't a new experience for us. This is also a determining factor for many families.

I wish the OP luck in making this decision. I would caution against taking people's blanket statements such as "it's too much food" or "kids can't sit in restaurants for that long." You know your family best! Remember though that with the dining plan, once you buy it, it's yours! You cannot cancel or get a refund should you find it's too hard or too much food.

Happy eating, Tiger

 

[AngelBabyJana]

I'm trying to plan out our DDP meals for our 8-day trip May 3-10. There's just so much to consider! I've been on here researching all weekend. I want to be ready to go when I can finally make my ADRs. I've poured over as many dining reviews as I could in that time but haven't found a lot of the restaurants I'm looking for or the specific info I need. I'm sure with more time, I may, eventually, but I'm going to die some day and my children miss me. Could someone(s) with a little more experience help a mom out?

I'm looking to find options that will keep the kids entertained (all the kids- especially the twin toddlers- so we can actually get the food into our mouths before running back to the parks) I'd also like options with *good food* though. So if I list what I'm considering and my 2nd tier options (in case *gasp* oh I hope not- they don't have anything available in our 1st tier preferences) will the more experienced Disnyers tell me whether or not to bother and even suggest something you might think is better in our situation.

OKAY- here goes:

These are the 1st tier options I'm considering, either because of entertainment value for the kiddies, or for menu, or preferably, for both:

CRT Breakfast- through research I realize this is a tough one, but I'm hopeful. Do they do the breakfast during the special early hours available to resort guests?
Poly Luau This sounds like fun for all and seems might be worth staying up a little later with the younger ones. How late does it go?
Coral Reef (can I request that they put us next to the tank? I think it will help with keeping the babies entertained while we eat- otherwise we may spend the entire meal with them struggling to get to the tank) How's the food here? I was going back & forth between this and Le Cellier or Flying Fish because the food sounds good at those places, but this place has something for the kids to do (watch fish)
The Crystal Palace Lunch or Dinner? We're big Pooh fans around here.
Kona Cafe Breakfast There's no characters or entertainment but the food sounds Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious! Which brings me to my next group of choices...

2nd tier:
Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare I should mention that I'm actually staying at the GF, as you can see, none of their dining options made my 1st tier. I just wasn't impressed with what they offer. If my daughter were older she could do the Princess Tea, but there's not much for boys here other then this.
Le Cellier
Flying Fish- as mentioned above, no entertainment for the kids. Not that my children always need to be entertained in restaurants- sometimes they're absolutely angelic. Sometimes I'm tempted to pretend they aren't with me. It's a toss up depending on many different factors, not the least of which is how tired are they going to be after trucking around the parks all day. It's hard to know what their mood is going to be 3 months from now. KWIM. That being said, it sounds like the food is good at these two places, and if anything can keep my kids quiet, it's good food. or entertainment. or good food...

Other places/experiences I'm curious about:
Rainforest Cafe: It doesn't seem to be included in the DDP. Is it worth an oop?

I'm also considering upping our package to the DxDP. Most of the places I'm interested in are considered TS. I also think it would be nice to be able to have a specific place/time to sit down with the family and unwind from the running around without having to wait in line for our meal and then fight for a table. I don't know that we'll need all those meals though. I thought I could do breakfasts or early lunches and then earlier dinner meals in the parks when (hopefully) it wouldn't be too crowded and then later when we get back we could do in-room pizza for the boys if they get hungry again. (which they will)

Something else to consider though is what do we do with our stroller when we do TS meals? I want to bring our double stroller with us to the parks and we'll probably walk from GF to Poly for the Luau with it, but I don't know what to do when we go in restaurants in parks with it? I don't want anything to happen to it, it's an expensive stroller. Maybe I could bring a lock for it? But then where would I lock it? What did others do with strollers?

Sorry this is so long. Any help from BTDTers is appreciated!

I just wanted to say "hi" since we are newbies as well, and are planning our first trip to Disney at the same time as you. We are going May 2-10, and staying at POP. Just like you, we are trying to figure out which restaurants would be best so that we can make our ressies Feb 1. I know first hand, it can be very overwhelming. I've spent months on here reading these boards, and looking at all the food pictures. Looks like we are considering some of the same places. I *think* this is what we will be going with:

Hoop-Dee-Doo Review (doing this for dinner the day that we arrive - no parks for us this day - I'm sure that the kids will want to hit the pool first thing)
CRT - really hoping to get in here (either for breakfast or lunch - not going to be picky)
Coral Reef - my kids will love this one, and hubby LOVES seafood
Chef Mickey's - breakfast here sounds fun! plus I am a HUGE Mickey fan
1900 Park Fare - dinner here for everyone (I will be spending the day with my girls - Bibbity Boppity Boutique & Princess Tea Party ---- while hubby, nephew, and son do "guy things")
Crystal Palace - either breakfast or lunch (still trying to decide)
Konga Cafe - breakfast here either before/after early horseback riding with my oldest daughter (I must try Tonga Toast!)
Hollywood & Vine - breakfast - my son is a huge Little Einsteins fan, so this one is for him
Sci-Fi Drive In - still discussing this one - hate to leave it out so we will probably do lunch here
T-Rex Cafe - lunch or dinner - I know this one is OOP but sounds like something that we all would enjoy (since we all love Rainforest)

We are going with the regular dining plan - I realize that we will be paying OOP for a few of the meals and that is fine with us - we almost went with the deluxe plan, then realized what a busy schedule we already have.

Also have to say, I think the Rainforest Cafe would be worth it for you, even if it is OOP. We aren't doing that since we have one near us (in Galveston) - my kids LOVE going there - definitely a family favorite for all of us

Anyone have any suggestions on my list above? How to improve it, or what might not be good? Or what not to miss? Not trying to high-jack your post OP, just hated to start my own on the same subject. I got some good ideas from the responses written to you. Would love to hear more counter service favorites. Where is the best cs pizza?

Anyway, hope that you have a great 1st vacation in Disney! Enjoy your planning!

 

[Eastern]

I just wanted to say "hi" since we are newbies as well, and are planning our first trip to Disney at the same time as you. We are going May 2-10, and staying at POP. Just like you, we are trying to figure out which restaurants would be best so that we can make our ressies Feb 1. I know first hand, it can be very overwhelming. I've spent months on here reading these boards, and looking at all the food pictures. Looks like we are considering some of the same places. I *think* this is what we will be going with:

Hoop-Dee-Doo Review (doing this for dinner the day that we arrive - no parks for us this day - I'm sure that the kids will want to hit the pool first thing)
CRT - really hoping to get in here (either for breakfast or lunch - not going to be picky)
Coral Reef - my kids will love this one, and hubby LOVES seafood
Chef Mickey's - breakfast here sounds fun! plus I am a HUGE Mickey fan
1900 Park Fare - dinner here for everyone (I will be spending the day with my girls - Bibbity Boppity Boutique & Princess Tea Party ---- while hubby, nephew, and son do "guy things")
Crystal Palace - either breakfast or lunch (still trying to decide)
Konga Cafe - breakfast here either before/after early horseback riding with my oldest daughter (I must try Tonga Toast!)
Hollywood & Vine - breakfast - my son is a huge Little Einsteins fan, so this one is for him
Sci-Fi Drive In - still discussing this one - hate to leave it out so we will probably do lunch here
T-Rex Cafe - lunch or dinner - I know this one is OOP but sounds like something that we all would enjoy (since we all love Rainforest)

Anyone have any suggestions on my list above? How to improve it, or what might not be good? Or what not to miss? Not trying to high-jack your post OP, just hated to start my own on the same subject. I got some good ideas from the responses written to you. Would love to hear more counter service favorites. Where is the best cs pizza?

I think it would help if we knew the ages of your children, but I think your choices look good. We have done Sci-Fi and the food is fine and if you like the movies it's good but I didn't like the seat setup. Haven't been to TRex but people have said it could be scary for small children.