No Clue What Restaurants to Book

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

I am a first timer and we are traveling for 12 days and staying on site with the Disney Plan. I have 2 small boys (ages 3 1/2 and 7) WE have nothing booked. Please give me some restaurants to try. Should we do all character meals? Is there a must-do hidden gem. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!!

 

[amy-momofthree]

my kids (daughter 6 and son 8) enjoyed Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. It is a character breakfast and good food! They also dance around the restaurant with Goofy and there was great character interaction.

Trex cafe in DTD was fun as well, although not on the dining plan.

We also enjoyed Whispering Canyon Cafe at the WIlderness Lodge. It is a 5 minute boat ride from the Magic Kingdom. We enjoyed the food and they had "pony races" for the kids and bottomless milkshakes.

 

[newfiegirl]

I would suggest Coral reefe!

 

[StuckInKS]

We have 4 kids in that age range (+ a baby) and our wishlist for this next trip includes:

For the Kids:

CRT
Chef Mickeys
Tusker House breakfast
Coral Reef (I hate seafood, but I hear the steak is good enough)
O'hana breakfast (Lilo and Stitch)
Whispering Canyon Cafe (the menu appeals to me, but the antics don't)
Crystal Palace breakfast (Pooh and friends are the only characters we can never find in the park)

For Us:

Tutto (the one in-park TS that we have tried before)
Le Cellier or Yachtsmans Steakhouse (I am a big steak eater, as are my kids)
Kona Cafe breakfast (I have to try the Tonga Toast for myself)
Liberty Tree Tavern (just because I have trouble finding anything I like at MK)
50's Prime Time Cafe (only thing that looks good at DHS, but Sci-Fi would probably be more entertaining for the kids)
Planet Hollywood (had this last trip and it was yummy, but the noise level almost ruined it for me)

This is 15 credits, so we may not be able to do them all, but I plan to get in as many as possible.

Someone else mentioned T-Rex, which is a blast for the kids if they don't have the opportunity to go at home. We have one here that we go to every few months (we would take them more often if the food were better) and will again before we leave, so that we can spend that $$$ on a different meal at WDW.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I highly recommend just sprinkling in the character meals every few days. You will find kids really don't eat at these meals. They are definitely worth it, but it's okay just to do a few. I would also throw a show in. Try looking at www.allears.net for restaurant idea's.

You don't say if you have the regular, quick service, or deluxe. It makes a difference.

For breakfast character meals I would recommend:

Ohana - Stitch and Characters
Crystal Palace - Winnie the Pooh Characters
Tusker House - Mickey, Minnie, Donald
(I'd pick two of the three)

For Dinner Character Meals:

Chef Mickey's - Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and one more.
The Garden Grill - Chip/Dale, Pluto Mickey
(I'd pick both)

If you are on the regular plan you will have 11 T.S. So that takes out 4 of them.

I also recommend Mickey BBQ or Hoop De Doo show. That will take another 2 of your credits, so now you are at 6.

For the other 5 I would recommend the following:

At Epcot:

Coral Reef, Biergarten, and or Teppan Edo

At Animal Kingdom:

Yak and Yeti

At Magic Kingdom:

I would recommend leaving and going to a meal outside of the park. These days are tiring.

Ohana - Poly
Boma - AKL (don't let it scare you, there is a kids section on the buffet)
Wilderness Lodge - Whispering Canyon

Hollywood Studio's

Sci Fi Diner if the boys are okay with dark, if not then
50's Prime Time Diner

That would take up the rest of your 5 credits:

If you do have the regular plan, you will also have 11 credits at C.S.

I would recommend eating breakfast at the resort on days that you do not have a T.S. We share, but I don't know how your family is. Then make your dinner reservation close as you can to opening of the resturant you choose. Get the boys a snack during the day and or carry fruit/crackers.

Then in the evening use your other C.S meals if you share to get a later evening meal if anyone is hungry.

Here are some of our favorite C.S. in the parks

MK

Casey's (hot dogs)
Cosmic Rays
Columbia Harbor House (sit upstairs, get away from the crowds, great chicken fingers for the kids, but great choices for adult)

Hollywood Studio

If you really love your kids, Toy Story Pizza Planet or if you really need to eat then I would go to Starring Rolls Cafe (only have PBJ though for the kids)

Epcot:

Sunshine Seasons in the Land, something for everyone
if in the World Section at Lunch:

We really enjoy France's C.S. Boulangerie and Lotus Blossom Cafe in China

We usually only have a few snacks along the way. If it is warm, we don't eat at much.

I like to use the credits to bring home Disney for my kids, Chip and Dale crackers, Rice Crispy Mickeys, bags of snacks, nuts, and or candy...

But if you have a sweet tooth and or just need a quick litte extra (like an egg roll or baked potato) they are on the snack list. Make sure to go to this link for snack credit choices. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2640292


Plan when you are alone, have hubby take the kids for a walk, send them to your Mom's/IL's.


Last, we always to a Word/Works list of meals, times and ADR numbers like this:

Monday July 1, 2001

Breakfast: C.S. at resort
Lunch: C.S. snack etc
Dinner: Hoop De Doo Review 5:15pm show ADR #33333333333

Tuesday etc. etc.

Shrink it down to a smaller card size that will fit in your purse or what you carry, then Laminate it. It will keep your organized. Also have the number on there 1 407 wdw-dine in case you want to change or cancel while in the park.

DON'T fret the changes, kids being hungry when you least expected it. Some of the best meals were the take-out pizza (don't have it delivered) eaten in the hotel room while watching a Disney show.

Have a great trip.

 

[FoundinWonderland]

You and your boys are gonna have so much fun! Here are my suggestions:

Some fun restaurants to try without characters are Teppan Edo and The Beirgarden at EPCOT, and 50's Prime Time Cafe at the Hollywood Studios. Tappen Edo is a Japanese hibachi style restaurant and is really fun and entertaining. The Beirgarden is in the Germany pavilion defiantly has the best Mac n' Cheese on property; not to mention a great atmosphere and some fun musical entertainment. 50's Prime Time is a 50's style diner where "mom and pop" are cooking some amazing food in the kitchen and you are being served by your "aunt" or "uncle" or "cousin" etc. It has great atmosphere and the Cast Members aren't afraid to play with you bit; all in good fun of course! All three of these restaurants are really great for families and offer an experience unique to Disney without eating with Characters.

Of course, there are times you will want to eat with characters! Some of my favorites include o'Hana's in the Polynesian resort to eat with Stitch and friends for breakfast, Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort to eat with Mickey and Friends; I think this restaurant is best for Dinner but so many people tell me I'm sadly mistaken and I should love it for breakfast, so I think your safe for any meal. And to eat with the Winnie the Pooh characters head to the Crystal Palace for breakfast, which I think is the best meal they serve there.

As for small "hidden gems": Try not to miss Beaches and Cream in the Yacht and Beach Club; you can walk there from EPCOT or take a boat from Hollywood Studios. This place is defiantly the most creative, biggest, and best Ice Cream Shoppe on property and I would defiantly not pass it up! Another thing I make sure to get is Dole Whip inside the Magic Kingdom; you can find it in Adventureland. Dole Whip is a wonderful version of soft-serve ice cream that you can only get 5 places in the world: Magic Kingdom in FL and CA, the Polynesian Resort, and two Dole Factories in Hawaii, and I cannot pass the stuff up- even if there is a long line!

I know you guys will have a great vacation and I hope this "list" helps you guys out. Let me know if you have another questions

 

[newfiegirl]

wow, how helpful you are!

 

[MickeyNicki]

First thing I would do is start reading the menus and see what you like and what you dont

With young kids I find that character breakfasts work the best and the food is very good. The dinners and the lunch are not that good at all and the food is very salty.

 

[Grumpy92]

You didnt say when you will be visiting. If it is summer or a school vacation you definitely need resvs for any full service restaurant. If you are not visiting during one of these time periods, make a few resvs and wing the rest of the meal times

Here are some suggestions:
What are your sons favorite characters? that will make it easier to know which character meal to reserve. I would suggest doing at least one of these. Check out http://allears.net/din/cb.htm
If nothing else Chef Mickey & Garden Grill have Mickey and friends.

Family Style dining is popular at WDW and you might want to consider one of those. Whispering Canyon, Ohanas, Tusker House

Some restaurants have entertainment - Biergarten, Marrakesh, Teppan Edo, Garden Grill, Sci Fi,
50s Prime Time

Kid Friendly Restaurants - http://allears.net/din/rest_kid.htm

Do you want to look at the menus - http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

Take a breath. You will be fine.

 

[DisGirl819]

I have a 3 yo and a 18 month old. We are doing:
Chef Mickey's
Garden Grill (delicious, quiet, great character interactions)
Cinderella's Royal Table (for my little princess)
Cape May Cafe (we're doing the dinner with crab legs...yum! but they have a character breakfast too)
Whispering Canyon Cafe is great for kids

We're also trying Ohana, Tusker House, 50s Prime Time, T-Rex and 1900 Park Fare. T-Rex is not on the DDP but DD loves dinosaurs so we're going to try it.

I wouldn't book more than one TS a day and don't do all buffets, unless you really like buffets. I try to do a mixture of buffets, family style (like Ohana and WCC) and regular TS.

I've heard the Hoop Dee Doo revue is fun, ours are too little but it might be fun with yours. Also check Mickey's backyard bbq, we almost did that one but ran out of nights

 

[MistressMerryweather]

My kids were 22 mos, 5 and 7yo on our last trip and they always ate better at the buffets.
Most character meals were great for us, because the kids could eat "real" food instead of the constant barrage of nuggets and mac n' cheese.

When will you be going?

 

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

Thanks for all your suggestions, we will be visiting in mid July so I will have to make reservations for sure.
can we walk from Mk to Chef Mickey's? About how long?
any more suggestions before I book?

 

[Kimberle]

Welcome to the Dis!

First, you should make a plan, which parks to visit on which days. Then plan your meal(s) accordingly. WDW is HUGE, you don't want to be runing around to restaurants. I like to do 1 TS and 1 QS each day. Look at the menu's on Allears.com to see what appeals to you. I love Mexican food. However, I don't eat at the one's in WDW because their menu's are a bit "strange" for my tastes.

Enjoy!

 

[MistressMerryweather]

Thanks for all your suggestions, we will be visiting in mid July so I will have to make reservations for sure.
can we walk from Mk to Chef Mickey's? About how long?
any more suggestions before I book?

You would probably want to hop the monorail at MK and go one stop to Chef Mickey's. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. You'll get a little cool down from the July heat and the monorail pulls directly inside the hotel. It is fun to see. My kids think it is amazing.

 

[canopynut66]

I am a first timer and we are traveling for 12 days and staying on site with the Disney Plan. I have 2 small boys (ages 3 1/2 and 7) WE have nothing booked. Please give me some restaurants to try. Should we do all character meals? Is there a must-do hidden gem. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!!

Character Breakfast :

Tusker House Donald Safari in AK 1 TS
Cape May Breakfast in Beach Club Goofy and friends 1 TS
Hollywood and Vine breakfast with Handy Mandy 1 TS in HS
Whispering Canyons in WL 1 TS and has stick pony rides for kids
O'Hana's breakfast in Poly 1 TS has characters for breakfast games for dinner
Crystal Palace in MK Pooh and friends 1 TS (characters all three meals)
Chef Mickeys in Contemporary 1 TS Mickey and friends all three meals
Cinderellas Royal Table 2---TS ---they also have dinner
Norway has characters
1900 Park Fare has characters mostly Princess in GF 1 TS

Dinners:
Kona's 1 TS no character great steaks
Prime Time Diner 1 TS is fun for all in HS
Captains Grill 1 TS
Boma's in AK 1 TS good breakfast and good dinner no characters
The Wave in Contemporary 1 TS no characters also have dinner
Liberty Tree Tavern no characters is family style and fun 1 TS

Not on dining plan:
Rain Forest in DTD
T Rex in DTD

Counter service on dining plan:
Earl of sandwich DTD
Fresh Appeal in DTD
Wolf Gang Pucks DTD 1 CS

BEST thing you can do is buy Unoffical guide to WDW it will give you so many tips

 

[Tinker Pam]

My 9yo DS is a VERY picky eater. We have gone to Disney tje last 2 years and as I am planning our upcoming trip these are the places he has requested.
Ohana Best Friend Breakfast- he loves Stitch and the Stitch juice.
Whispering Canyon Cafe- good food and luvs the antics.
Coral Reef- good food great view.
Crystal Palace- we have done b-fast and dinner he enjoys both and thinks tigger and Eyeore are great.
T-Rex- loves the food but was a little frightened the first year from the noise.
Toy Story Pizza Planet -by far his favorite place.

Places we tried and didn't care for and why.
Le Cellier - food was just ok (thought the steak at Coral Reef was much better) biggest complaint tables are to close together. I prefer to be more than 6inches from the next table. Especially when dining with kids.
Boma- very heavy on the cinnamon in all dishes. everything including the meat had a sweet or cinnamon flavor. Just wasn't for us.

 

[canopynut66]

Thanks for all your suggestions, we will be visiting in mid July so I will have to make reservations for sure.
can we walk from Mk to Chef Mickey's? About how long?
any more suggestions before I book?

We take resort bus to MK and then walk over to Chef Mickeys takes about 10 minutes or less

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Yes you can! The walk from MK to the Contemporary is about 10 minutes.

As far as dining on the DDP, I do not recommend doing all character meals. This is why:
- They take a while and you would lose LOTS of park time, especially considering you will be there during a busy time.
- You will miss out on other dining opportunities.
- You will get sick of them, believe it or not.

Here are my recommendations:

Character meals:
- Garden Grill in Epcot (great service, great food, and some of THE BEST character interaction in WDW- plus you're right inside the Land!)
- Crystal Palace breakfast (an 8:05 am ADR so you can see an empty MK is great! Plus the food is WONDERFUL Oh and then there's the characters... )
- Tusker House breakfast in AK (again for that early ADR and some of the best breakfast food in WDW)
- Chef Mickey's (of course- it's a classic )
***I would recommend choosing all of these for your trip, b/c you will be there for 12 days, you have room for 3 or 4 character meals.***

Other Table-Service meals:
- Turf Club @ Saratoga Springs Resort (HIDDEN GEM! great food and service!)
- Teppan Edo in Epcot (so much fun and the food is great!)
- Coral Reef in Epcot (who doesn't wanna eat under the sea??)
- 50's Prime Time Cafe in DHS (like bouncing back in time, and the food is soo yummy!)
- Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater in DHS (your boys will LOVE this, the atmosphere is the best part)
- Ohana at the Poly (DELICIOUS food and so fun for the kids!)
- Sanaa at AKL Kidani Village (signature atmosphere and food for only one credit, and if you get an early enough ADR, you and your boys can watch the animals roaming around the savannas while you eat!)
- Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge (take the boat over after a day at MK and have some delicious food and a real good time!)

Happy planning!

 

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

Here is what I have so far

I'm wondering if I have too many character buffets aka bad food places. Please advise.
Crystal Palace (I hear this is a must with 3 yrs old and 7 yr olds)
Tusker House (Breakfast)
Sci Fi
CHef Mickey's (Is this really that bad...if so maybe we will try the garden grill)
Mama Melrose or Prime Time (still on the fence)
Kona cafe or OHana's (Looking for all arounf good food here)

Any more must dos???

 

[MJMcBride]

My absolute favorites are the Kona Cafe, Boma and Teppan Edo

I would at least one character meal: try 'ohana breakfast

and make sure at least once (probably twice) do a dinner at Epcot's World Showcase such as teppan edo. You could try Tutto Italia, Via Napoli, or La Hacienda San Angel

If money is no object I like the Brown Derby as well

some others include Sci-Fi Drive In just for the fun of it, the House of Blues is very good at DTD