Newbie

[verrecchia]

Family of 4 going to DW for first time. H&W plus boys ages 9 and 7. Would like suggestions for a variety of restaurants. Are reservations necessary? Thanks for any help.

 

[Quin]

Welcome! The best suggestion I can make is for you to go over to allears.net. You can look at menus from every single TS (sit-down table service), CS (quick counter service, like fast food), and cart/kiosk in WDW. Don't forget to look at the meal options at the resorts, too; we like some of them better than restaurants in the park and you can get there using Disney transport if you don't have a car.

Remember that if you are on any of the "dining plans" that your 9 year old MUST order off the adults' menu at all locations and your 7 year old MUST order off the kids' menu. If that would be a problem for your family, concentrate on buffets and meals served family-style

Where you eat is partly a function of where you are going to be that day. Epcot has the most TS restaurants but even with Park Hopper passes you don't want to have to leave every park you are in to go to Epcot every single day; you'll lose an awful lot of time that way.

Reservations (called ADRs) are not required but are strongly suggested at most restaurants at most times of the year. Disney is simply too popular year-round. You will certainly read on these boards about people who had good luck with just walking up, but most of the time walk-ups are either told there is a 3 hour wait or turned away altogether, especially at the restaurants located within the theme parks. If you do not have reservations, do have a back-up plan: know beforehand where there is a CS nearby that your group would be happy to eat at if you cannot get into the restaurant you have chosen.

Once your plans are more firm and you have specific questions about places, we will be happy to give you more suggestions and opinions than you ever wanted - we're a noisy bunch.

 

[RooRach0906]

Rainforest Cafe or Trex would be great! They are not on the dining plan tho.

Do you kids have favorite characters that you could do a meal with them??? Maybe even one for each child.

PP~ I thought at 9 they are still considered a child. I know at 10 they are a adult.

 

[3pletprincesses]

Ohana would be nice for breakfast or dinner.
For b-fast you get to see Lilo and Stitch, Mickey and Pluto

 

[PamelaKay]

The first post gave great information. What I would add is that you can make your reservations 180 days in advance and I highly recommend it. That way you will get the restaurants you want.

A couple of recommendations.

1. Tusker House Breakfast Buffet at Animal Kingdom - (Safari Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy). The food is good and it is a fun buffet.
2. Coral Reef - Eating next to the huge aquarium is fun and the food is good.
3. Sci-fi Dine In at DHS. Food is just ok, but the atmosphere is awesome. Your boys will likely enjoy this one.
4. Boma at the Animal Kingdom - Breakfast or Dinner buffet. The food is good and while at the animal kingdom, you can take in all the great animals. If you go at night, be sure to go out to the viewing area to the left of the pool and use the free nightvision binoculars to see the animals at night.
5. O'hana - Dinner here is great fun for the whole family. It is served family style at your table and is all you can eat. They have chicken, pork and peel and eat grilled shrimp. Last time I ate there, we sat next to a family with 4 boys and the mom said it was the best meal in the kingdom for her boys with hollow legs

I haven't tried them yet, but in June, I plan to do one of the dinner shows. We are booked at Hoop Dee Doo.

Good luck with your reservations. I am a planner so I actually make a spreadsheet of the days we are going and where we want to eat on each day. It helps me, but this method isn't for everyone.

 

[dismichael]

reservations are definitely a plus, but all really depends on the kind of food your children like and how much you want to spend. They have kid-friendly restaurants in Disney serving everything from chicken fingers to filet mignon. Some of my favorite "classic" Disney restaurants include: ohana, crystal palace, sci fi..etc. However, for a more sophisticated, but still fun disney dining experience, my clear cut favorites are chefs de france, le cellier, and kouzzina by cat cora.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

It is definately 10 yo when children are considered adults. This only makes a difference if you are on the dining plan. My now 13 yo still orders off the kids menu he def. does not have the palette of an adult yet sometimes he just orders 2 kids meals. As for favorite restaurants- my two boys love Sci-Fi at HS and T-Rex at DTD Chef Mickey's is a must! We like the dinner. We ate at O'hana for the character b-fast last year food was very good and lots of fun. Good Luck with your planning when are you going?

 

[Disneyfreak616]

The first post gave great information. What I would add is that you can make your reservations 180 days in advance and I highly recommend it. That way you will get the restaurants you want.

A couple of recommendations.

1. Tusker House Breakfast Buffet at Animal Kingdom - (Safari Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy). The food is good and it is a fun buffet.
2. Coral Reef - Eating next to the huge aquarium is fun and the food is good.
3. Sci-fi Dine In at DHS. Food is just ok, but the atmosphere is awesome. Your boys will likely enjoy this one.
4. Boma at the Animal Kingdom - Breakfast or Dinner buffet. The food is good and while at the animal kingdom, you can take in all the great animals. If you go at night, be sure to go out to the viewing area to the left of the pool and use the free nightvision binoculars to see the animals at night.
5. O'hana - Dinner here is great fun for the whole family. It is served family style at your table and is all you can eat. They have chicken, pork and peel and eat grilled shrimp. Last time I ate there, we sat next to a family with 4 boys and the mom said it was the best meal in the kingdom for her boys with hollow legs

I haven't tried them yet, but in June, I plan to do one of the dinner shows. We are booked at Hoop Dee Doo.

Good luck with your reservations. I am a planner so I actually make a spreadsheet of the days we are going and where we want to eat on each day. It helps me, but this method isn't for everyone.

I completely agree with all of these! But I would like to add a few:

Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge- This place is so much fun and the food is great! Make sure you ask for ketchup!

Cape May Clambake at the Beach Club- The food is great and there is a lot of variety, even if you're not a seafood lover. Plus it's fun to see the Epcot resorts.

Rainforest Cafe/T-REX Cafe- These places aren't on the dining plan, but they are a lot of fun with a lot of great choices.