Overwhelmed???

jcmaro

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
218
This is why I have never done the dining plan before. I'm so overwhelmed when trying to figure out where to eat. There's so many restaurants I don't even know where to start. I have booked the Storybook Princess Breakfast in Norway but that's it. I have 6 more TS meals to book and honestly have no idea where to start. The only places we have ate in our past trip that wasn't CS was Chef Mickey and T-Rex. There will be 2 adults (one kind of picky) and 2 kids (5 and 3). Can anyone help a newbie out?
 
This is why I have never done the dining plan before. I'm so overwhelmed when trying to figure out where to eat. There's so many restaurants I don't even know where to start. I have booked the Storybook Princess Breakfast in Norway but that's it. I have 6 more TS meals to book and honestly have no idea where to start. The only places we have ate in our past trip that wasn't CS was Chef Mickey and T-Rex. There will be 2 adults (one kind of picky) and 2 kids (5 and 3). Can anyone help a newbie out?

Well, not knowing what kind of food you like, here are a few of our favorites. First and foremost, I would try to get an 8:05 a.m. ADR for Crystal Palace for breakfast with Poohy and friends; you will so love having Main Street almost to yourself and getting great pictures and the food and characters at CP are great. We also enjoy Sci Fi (our boys always loved sitting in the cars here), Rose & Crown, Yak & Yeti, Biergarten, LeCellier (a must do every trip), Boma for breakfast and The Plaza at the MK (just soup, salads and sandwiches...but a nice change of pace from all the heavy meals we eat on the dining plan the rest of the trip).
 
Im going to recommend
Sci Fi Diner the cars are fun
Biergarten another fun atmosphere
Boma for breakfast (soo yummy)
50s PT for yummy comfort food
Garden Grill I enjoy the characters there and found the food good
and Crystal Palace I enjoyed my meal there
 
So many choices! Our kids are 9,8, and 2 and we're on the dining plan as well. We've booked ADR's for Crystal Palace(lunch), Sci-Fi(my kids love sitting in the cars to eat), Biergarten, Boma(breakfast and dinner), 50's Prime Time, and Ohana. We've also scheduled breakfast at CRT since the last time half of my family was sick and stayed back at the hotel and it was only my dd and I to enjoy (I hope everyone will be healthy this time around). I tried to choose somewhat kid friendly TS places. Good luck with your planning!
 

Try to start by sorting by a few logical paths:

1. Will you use your TS at breakfast, lunch or dinner? Some restaurants only serve two meals a day.

2. Are you planning to do TS in the parks as a break while touring? If you are, once you decide what day you will be in which park, you have significantly reduced your choices for that day.

3. Do you like buffets? Or family style (all you care to eat of a limited menu)?

4. Are there any types of cuisine you really like or don't like? Seafood? Italian? Asian? Steak?

Answering these questions will you (and your DisPals) guide you to a reduced pick list.
 
If I can make a suggestion-sit down and make out a planner for the days you will be there.

On my planner I put the hours of each park, what special events are going on and when (ie:Wishes @8:00pm or Halloween Party), and extra magic hours. We rarely get up in time to make early morning EMH so we avoid the parks that have them that day. Then I fill in stuff we would like to do on different days based on what's going on.

For example say we want to be at Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic-then I plan to have our dinner (or late lunch) in that park. If we plan to spend the day at Magic Kingdom then I plan for a Breakfast in the park or near it in one of the resorts.

This may sound complicated-but for us it concentrates us in specific places and eliminates running back and forth all over Disney property. Plus when you know where you plan to be any given day-then you can narrow down your choices of places you want to eat.

Oh and once you narrow down the area you will be in you can look up the menus of the restaurants that are in that area and make a decision from there.

I hope this helps. It is how I plan out our usual 14 day vacation. And that's a LOT of dining going on:scared1:
 
Thanks everyone! I'm feeling a little better this morning. I had been looking at restaurants and food and reviews, etc for 3 hours last night and just kind of lost it. I'm going to try to answer the questions raised.

There's no particular food we really like/dislike.
Buffets are fine, never done family style but would assume it would be fine too.
It really doesn't matter when it comes to Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner.
I'm guessing most of the meals will be in the parks because I don't really want to waste the time to leave the park, eat and come back unless it's on a day where we will plan a nap. So somewhere that has a good lunch outside of the parks would be good too.
I'm working on figuring out what we are doing each day right now.

If you could pick 1 TS meal for each park, and 1 TS for all the resorts combined, which are your favorites and for what meal of the day (b/l/d)?
 
here's our family's park by park faves:

MK: crystal palace (any meal, but fave is 8am, 2nd is 10:30-11am)

Epcot: Garden Grill for characters (great way to save time/seeing characters while dining, no need to stand on line later!); Teppan Edo for atmosphere/food

DHS: Hollywood & Vine (never had a bad meal there!) for dinner... 2nd runner up would be SciFi for lunch

AK: donald's b'fast (our fave b'fast on property... again, characters!); Yak & Yeti for dinner

Outside of park: 'ohana

If there are certain charcters that are must-sees, then go for a meal where they appear... if you have a princess, definitely check out Akershus at Norway in Epcot... the princess interaction cannot be beat, the free photo is a little extra bang-for-your-buck, and b'fast is their best meal

hope that helps!
 
It can totally be overwhelming when there are sooooooooo many choices!

Here is where we ate for TS just last week: My family is all VERY picky (except me :snooty: so we didn't eat anywhere with much "different" food

Crystal Palace --- Tigger, Pooh, etc -- yummy buffet with basic items as well as some more exotic stuff throughout. Fun, festive environment. Loved it!

Akershus in Norway (Epcot) -- mostly traditional Norwegian food, a little iffy in that way but perfecgt for meeting with all of the princesses :wub

Tusker House (Animal Kingdom) -- breakfast buffet that I could have eaten at all day -- so many YUMMY things!!!! - with Mickey and pals all there to meet and parade around the dining room

Mickey's Backyard BBQ -- the MOST fun dinner we had, with totally delicious BBQ themed foods, endless beer and wine, and all the mickey ice creams you could eat! Dancing and fun with all the characters on the dance floor dancing to a country band (and we are not country music fans!). Totally would do this again!

50's Sitcom Diner (?) -- fun environment, GOOD food, large portions. No "characters" except for our "long lost cousin Christine" who put our little girl in charge of making sure we used good manners, kept our elbows off the table, and ate our veggies. A welcome break during the hot day at HS.

Chef Mickeys -- yummy American food buffet of all you care to enjoy foods. DELICIOUS!! Loads of fun with Mickey and pals as they come around to visit and twirl napkins above our heads. Dliciouss. Great way to end the trip :wub
 
Oh also -- we found that dinner reservations at 5 were TOO EARLY for us to be able to have a leisurely mid-day break. We adjusted what we could to 7 or later and were much happier campers. We just made sure the kids had a snack at the resort when we got up from naps but dinner was still a little ways off. That worked PERFECTLY (and we are 5p eaters at home!)
 
I would highly recommend looking at all the menu's online before looking on the boards here for input.

You will find good and bad reviews about every place at WDW. It is all subjective really, what one person likes another may hate.

So it has been my experience to go by my tastes and find the menu's that fit that. Never have been disappointed.
It does take a bit of time figuring it out, but well worth it. You won't second guess yourself about your choices this way.

Good luck!!
 
If you could pick 1 TS meal for each park, and 1 TS for all the resorts combined, which are your favorites and for what meal of the day (b/l/d)?

You also didn't mention if you wanted characters are not. So, I listed both. I like dinner meals as opposed to breakfast.

MK - Character - Crystal Palace
non - Liberty Tree Tavern (although, there used to be characters here)

Epcot - Character - Garden Grill
non - Le Cellier

DHS - Sci-Fi (no character dinner dining)

AK - Yak & Yeti (no character dinner dining)

Resort Dinner-
Character - 1900 Park Fare
non-character - Turf Club at SSR
 
If you could pick 1 TS meal for each park, and 1 TS for all the resorts combined, which are your favorites and for what meal of the day (b/l/d)?

Magic Kingdom -- Crystal Palace (breakfast only)
Epcot -- LeCellier (lunch or dinner)
Animal Kingdom -- Yak & Yeti
Studios -- Mama Melrose (for us); Sci Fi (with kids)
Beach Club -- Cape May Cafe (breakfast with characters or dinner buffet)
Animal Kingdom Lodge -- Boma (breakfast only)
 
My favorites:

MK : Crystal Palace. The characters are fun & the food good.

Epcot: I love LeCellier but with little ones Coral Reef might be fun. No characters but they can watch the fish.

AK: Tusker House Breakfast. Awesome food & fun characters.

DTD: Counter service meal go to Wolfgang Puck Express.

Resorts: Ohana for supper. Totally love this place! The food is so so good & It is laid back & fun for kiddos.
 
MK: Crystal Palace or Liberty Tree Tavern

DHS: 50s Prime Time

AK: Tusker House

Epcot: LeCellier or Coral Reef

Resort: Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge)/Whispering Canyon Cafe (Wilderness Lodge)/Ohana (Poly)
 
There's no particular food we really like/dislike.
Buffets are fine, never done family style but would assume it would be fine too.
It really doesn't matter when it comes to Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner.
I'm guessing most of the meals will be in the parks because I don't really want to waste the time to leave the park, eat and come back unless it's on a day where we will plan a nap. So somewhere that has a good lunch outside of the parks would be good too.
I'm working on figuring out what we are doing each day right now.

If you could pick 1 TS meal for each park, and 1 TS for all the resorts combined, which are your favorites and for what meal of the day (b/l/d)?

If I pay OOP, I usually book the less expensive TS bfasts or lunch. Using DDP, we usually book more TS dinners since on average dinners cost a little more, more bang for your buck ;)

It's going to depend if character bfasts are higher on your priority than having the higher value sitdown dinner. The thing is, with the DPP, you're going to all have 1 snack & 1 counter service per day. Using those for your bfast/lunches and TS for dinners IMO is the way to go.

EPCOT: You have a b-fast in Norway, I would then choose a dinner at one of the countries in EPCOT that serves food that most appeals to your group. Personally, I think the themeing of the countries is a fun cultural experince for the kids & a nice way for the parents to have a lovely meal. All the countries (except USA) have a sit down dinner so just check out the reviews & that should be pretty easy for you to decide which appeals to you most. Since you're doing bfast, I'd recommend planning a later dinner, around 7pm. Once you finish up you can find a spot to enjoy Illuminations.

ANIMAL KINGDOM: We really like Tusker House, it's a buffet with something for everyone. There are no characters for dinner, but if you book b-fast there will be. Have not eaten at Yak & Yeti, it gets good reviews but again, if your group doesn't enjoy Asian food it might not be for you. Also, the Rainforest Cafe is at the AK, however I'm not sure they take DDP. If you choose not to eat at AK, the nearest resort being the AKL has 2 very nice restaurants: Boma's is also a buffet, we really liked it but don't go anymore since Tusker House is available in AK. Also, AKL has Jiko's which gets good reviews. I haven't tried it but my DS is a picky eater so we tend to lean towards buffets. Taking the time to see AKL at least once IMO is worth the trip because its a unique resort & seeing the savannah outside is an experience.

STUDIOS: Seems to get the least positive reviews of all the parks for restaurants. You can book what is called a Fantasmic Dining Package at 3 of them (Brown Derby, Mama Melrose or Hollywood & Vine). Having a Fantasmic package will give each in your group a voucher to enter a separate seating area for fantasmic that night to avoid the possibility of waiting in a long line to see the show. You'll have to check into the pros & cons of this, some love it, some don't for their own reasons. Anyway, you do have to call disney dining to get a Fantasmic package, just booking a ressie at any of these 3 won't get you the package. ALso, there is the Sci-FI and 50's prime time cafe to eat at, themed really neat but opinions vary about the food.

MAGIC KINGDOM: We like Crystal Palace best, it has Pooh & friends for all 3 meals, it is a buffet and very convienient to eat at while touring MK. If you book at meal at Cinderella's Royal Table, inside the castle, it will require 2 TS credits per person. THere is also Liberty Tavern, Tony's or the Plaza restaurant for TS dining inside MK.

RESORTS: It's very easy to eat at a monorail resort when touring MK. We like several, starting with Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. The Polynesian offers O'Haunas & the Grand Floridian offers 1900 Park Fare if you want a character B-fast. All 3 resorts have dinner TS options as well.

In addition, the Boardwalk area outside EPCOT has many interesting options & is easy to access from either EPCOT or the Studios.

Hope this helps. Relax and ENJOY your planning :hug: I think it's part of the fun in planning a WDW trip!
 
These are our family's favorites:

MK - We have tried all TS here, none we really like so we tend to book Chef Mickey's on a MK day
Epcot - Coral Reef
Studios - Sci-fi
AK - Yak & Yeti
Resorts -Kona Cafe @ Poly

Being a first trip with small children I would look into these,

MK-Crystal Palace (Pooh & Friends)
Epcot - You all ready have a breakfast so I would look at either Coral Reef or a country who's type of food your family eats normally, We like the Mexico TS-san Angel
DHS-Hollywood & Vine lunch - Playhouse Disney Characters
Resorts - Chef Mickey's for kids - Kona Cafe for adults
 
This is slowly coming along... I can't get into Le Cellier or Ohana but I will keep trying! So far this is what we have:

Sunday - Arrive in the afternoon, Cape May - 6:10pm
Monday - AK morning/early afternoon, Nap, Epcot Illuminations
Looking at either doing Tusker House or Yak and Yeti for lunch.
Tuesday - ??? maybe Hollywood Studios?; MVMCP at night
Wednesday - MK, Nap, Wishes
8:25 Crystal Palace
Thursday - Epcot morning; Fantasmic in the evening
8:10 Akershus Princess Breakfast
Friday - Will probably go off property until dinner
Saturday - ????
Sunday - Thinking about doing one more breakfast and then checking out.
 
This is slowly coming along... I can't get into Le Cellier or Ohana but I will keep trying! So far this is what we have:

Sunday - Arrive in the afternoon, Cape May - 6:10pm
Monday - AK morning/early afternoon, Nap, Epcot Illuminations
Looking at either doing Tusker House or Yak and Yeti for lunch.
Tuesday - ??? maybe Hollywood Studios?; MVMCP at night
Wednesday - MK, Nap, Wishes
8:25 Crystal Palace
Thursday - Epcot morning; Fantasmic in the evening
8:10 Akershus Princess Breakfast
Friday - Will probably go off property until dinner
Saturday - ????
Sunday - Thinking about doing one more breakfast and then checking out.


You have a great line-up. DON'T give up on LeCellier. Last year during free dining, I was able to get it one month before our arrival for a 1 p.m. lunch.
:woohoo: for doing Crystal Palace early in the a.m. -- you will love it. If you want to do a breakfast before you check out, you might want to go over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and go to Boma -- a great buffet with lots of choices and you could take a look at the animals too.
 
This is slowly coming along... I can't get into Le Cellier or Ohana but I will keep trying! So far this is what we have:

Sunday - Arrive in the afternoon, Cape May - 6:10pm
Monday - AK morning/early afternoon, Nap, Epcot Illuminations
Looking at either doing Tusker House or Yak and Yeti for lunch.
Tuesday - ??? maybe Hollywood Studios?; MVMCP at night
Wednesday - MK, Nap, Wishes
8:25 Crystal Palace
Thursday - Epcot morning; Fantasmic in the evening
8:10 Akershus Princess Breakfast
Friday - Will probably go off property until dinner
Saturday - ????
Sunday - Thinking about doing one more breakfast and then checking out.

So are you now feeling less stressed :hug:

While trying to get LeCellier, I would recommend booking your 2nd choice for an EPCOT country. You can always cancel it if you are fortunate enough to get a LeCellier time. Just be sure to cancel a ressie if you rebook another :thumbsup2

Also, if your efforts to get in to O'hana is for dinner (you didn't say dinner or b-fast) you could always try to book a b-fast there on your last day. Then, if you do get the O'hana dinner, again you can cancel the b-fast.

Chef Mickey's b-fast for your departure day would be fun & a great way to see the characters before leaving.

Have a great trip :dance3:
 


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