Please help me fill in dining gaps!

[amym2]

Family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids ages 7 and 9) staying at WL in Sept. on DDP (because it's convenient and I can order whatever I want without DH complaining about $). Sister staying at Pop Century not on DDP, so don't want to plan too many expensive meals. We all have park hoppers. Here's what I'm thinking so far:

Sat.- arrive 10am, assume to WL by noon, probably MK- lunch? dinner?
Sun.- lunch CS at AK, dinner at HDDR 7:15pm
Mon.- lunch at Coral Reef 12:30pm, dinner at Via Napoli (OOP?)
Tue.- lunch CS at MK, dinner at O'hana (then MNSSHP)
Wed.- lunch CS at DHS, dinner at Mama Melrose (no F! that night)
Thu.- breakfast at Kona Cafe (OOP?) or Captain Cook's, leave WL at 12:45pm for airport

Help! We're not thrilled about dining at MK, so I don't know what to do about our arrival day. We'll be anxious to get to a park (MK?) but will need to eat. Should we eat at Roaring Forks at WL for lunch? Then what to do for dinner?

Will we be cramming too much in trying to do O'hana the same night at MNSSHP? We're planning to do a few hours at MK that morning then relax and swim at the resort before dinner.

I've sat here and looked at these for days and I'm stuck!! Thanks for any advice!

 

[bluejasmine]

I would have lunch at MK maybe Pecos Bills? The burger and topping bar are great!

I would have dinner at WL since that is where you are staying, will make first night more relaxing and should be a fun meal for the kiddies..

Its just a boat ride from MK so shouldnt be out of the way for sis..

 

[Nina1]

We're staying at the WL in Sept., also. We usually get there around 12:00. On our arrival day, we typically have lunch at Roaring Forks, hang around the resort and swim, then we take the walking trail over to Fort Wilderness and eat at Trail's End. You can also take the boat over, if you prefer, or rent a surrey bike at the WL and ride over. It's a fun and relaxing day. We have free dining again this year, so I can't remember the dinner price for Trail's End. Not sure if this would be outside what you're looking to spend.

Why are you afraid to eat at the MK? We really enjoy Liberty Tree Tavern. So, that might be a good choice if you decide to do that.

 

[amym2]

Thanks for the input. Knowing my family (esp me!), we won't be happy with a relaxing day on our arrival day. We'll want to go, go, go! Plus my sister is leaving on Wednesday, so that needs to be a park day for her. MK is probably the worst park to go to that day, but it just seems appropriate. We do plan some down time in the middle of our trip to relax at the resort and maybe take a surrey ride.

I suppose I'll have to just deal with eating at the MK. I don't really want to use a TS credit for Liberty Tree Tavern since the menu doesn't thrill any of us. Hmm, not sure I could eat a MK burger- can you compare them to burgers somewhere else? Are they like Fuddruckers?

Anyone else have advice? Do you think the rest of my ADRs will work?

 

[pooch]

Whispering Canyon Cafe. Your kids would probably really enjoy the antics!

 

[dmmichelle]

That sounds like a really fun place and since you're staying at FW anyways...maybe go there for lunch on your arrival day?

We LOVE Biergarten at Epcot (if you're looking for another Epcot suggestion). The food is awesome and the show is so much fun. My kids really loved it when we went in 2009. It's the only place that they insisted we go back to when we go next Fall (we're trying all different restaurants this time - EXCEPT for Biergarten).

I've heard Crystal Palace is great for breakfast as well.

 

[Cafeen]

I'd plan to eat CS somewhere for lunch that Saturday. Either at WL, MK, or one of the MK resorts. Plan a TS dinner that night if you want a sit down. Keeping lunch as CS will allow you the flexibility in case flights get delayed or you run late for whatever travel-related reason. I hear the CS places at all the MK resorts are pretty good, so it may be a worthwhile option without having to actually eat at MK.

Saturdays at MK in Sept aren't that bad really, Sunday will have PM EMH, so that's when you want to avoid the park the most.

The MNSSHP doesn't look crammed, but I am concered about timing with 'Ohana due to it's popularity. For party nights, you will pretty much want to be strolling into the park no later than 7pm (7:30 at the absolute latest) putting your ideal 'Ohana reservation between 5:30 and 6pm. Since it's an ultra-popular reservation, this may simply not be available. It's worth a shot, but plan to have a backup just in case (The Plaza (yes, it's in MK and a pretty basic menu), Grand Floridian Cafe, The Wave, Kona Cafe would all be decent choices).

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

You might consider the Wishes Desert Party for your first night. You could grab something light earlier. The Deserts are great; it's a nice treat and what a way to start your adventure. I've never eaten at Via Napoli, so I don't know what they offer or what the prices are. But sometimes it is less expensive to pay for lunch than it is dinner.

 

[amym2]

That sounds like a really fun place and since you're staying at FW anyways...maybe go there for lunch on your arrival day?

We LOVE Biergarten at Epcot (if you're looking for another Epcot suggestion). The food is awesome and the show is so much fun. My kids really loved it when we went in 2009. It's the only place that they insisted we go back to when we go next Fall (we're trying all different restaurants this time - EXCEPT for Biergarten).

I've heard Crystal Palace is great for breakfast as well.

Hmm, I do think we'll end up doing Whispering Canyon at some point, but my debate is that the food (the skillets at least) seems so much like the food we'll have at HDDR on Sunday night. Not sure how much greasy BBQ we can take!

We've been to Biergarten and agree it's lots of fun! But my DH travels to Germany a lot for work and does not want German food!

I'd love to go to Crystal Palace by myself. I love Pooh! My kids, however, do not share my enthusiasm. So sad!

 

[bluejasmine]

They do have other dishes than the bbq skillet check out the menu at allears.net

 

[amym2]

You might consider the Wishes Desert Party for your first night. You could grab something light earlier. The Deserts are great; it's a nice treat and what a way to start your adventure. I've never eaten at Via Napoli, so I don't know what they offer or what the prices are. But sometimes it is less expensive to pay for lunch than it is dinner.

That sounds like so much fun! But with the DDP and all of the desserts we'll be eating, I can't justify another dessert. Maybe next time if we don't do the DDP!

We ate at Via Napoli last time and it's the one place (well that and Boma) that the kids are asking for again. We used to live in Italy when they were little, so it's the closest we can get to "real" pizza! Seems like a waste on the DDP, though. I don't think the lunch menu there is different than dinner, but I could be wrong.

 

[amym2]

I'd plan to eat CS somewhere for lunch that Saturday. Either at WL, MK, or one of the MK resorts. Plan a TS dinner that night if you want a sit down. Keeping lunch as CS will allow you the flexibility in case flights get delayed or you run late for whatever travel-related reason. I hear the CS places at all the MK resorts are pretty good, so it may be a worthwhile option without having to actually eat at MK.

Saturdays at MK in Sept aren't that bad really, Sunday will have PM EMH, so that's when you want to avoid the park the most.

The MNSSHP doesn't look crammed, but I am concered about timing with 'Ohana due to it's popularity. For party nights, you will pretty much want to be strolling into the park no later than 7pm (7:30 at the absolute latest) putting your ideal 'Ohana reservation between 5:30 and 6pm. Since it's an ultra-popular reservation, this may simply not be available. It's worth a shot, but plan to have a backup just in case (The Plaza (yes, it's in MK and a pretty basic menu), Grand Floridian Cafe, The Wave, Kona Cafe would all be decent choices).

Hmm, okay, I was wondering about O'hana. I think I'll shoot for a 5pm dinner reservation. I think that's the earliest available, so if I can get it, it should work. Alternately we could do O'hana on our arrival night. I'm not worried about cramming in too much at MK that first day, but I would like to possibly see the Electrical Parade, so we'd need to be in there at 8pm (earlier to get a spot). Maybe that would work with O'hana. Hmm, so tough to decide!

 

[amym2]

They do have other dishes than the bbq skillet check out the menu at allears.net

Yes, I've looked at it. Seems like lately it's been getting consistently bad reviews, which I think is where my hesitation comes from. We did eat there once many years ago and I think the kids would enjoy it. DS9 will most certainly need ketchup, which will probably embarrass him!

 

[amym2]

Forgot to ask- do they do the antics at Whispering Canyon at lunch, too? And what about at O'hana breakfast- are there coconut races or just characters?

 

[bluejasmine]

What about something at GF like GF Cafe, 1900 PF or CM at CR or the Wave at CR, just trying to find places outside of MK that are close by for everyone..

 

[pooch]

We ate at Via Napoli last time and it's the one place (well that and Boma) that the kids are asking for again. We used to live in Italy when they were little, so it's the closest we can get to "real" pizza! Seems like a waste on the DDP, though. I don't think the lunch menu there is different than dinner, but I could be wrong.

Since pizza was not invented in Italy, the (really good) dough with runny red water, a couple of hunks of tomato and lumps of (also good but not enough) cheese served at Via Napoli can hardly be called "real" IMHO, the Italian variety yes, but real no. DD and I ate there in Jan and, although she liked it (her tastes run to runny thin sauce), I ate one slice & no thanks. I've always found that the best pizza for my taste is made by Greeks, a rim of dough to hang on to, think rich sauce and lots of cheese!!! We're going to VN again in Aug but I'll try an entree instead.

 

[amym2]

Since pizza was not invented in Italy, the (really good) dough with runny red water, a couple of hunks of tomato and lumps of (also good but not enough) cheese served at Via Napoli can hardly be called "real" IMHO, the Italian variety yes, but real no. DD and I ate there in Jan and, although she liked it (her tastes run to runny thin sauce), I ate one slice & no thanks. I've always found that the best pizza for my taste is made by Greeks, a rim of dough to hang on to, think rich sauce and lots of cheese!!! We're going to VN again in Aug but I'll try an entree instead.

Funny how people's tastes can be so different! To my kids, "real" pizza is Italian pizza, because that's their first memory of pizza in their childhood. You can't find it anywhere around here (certainly not in Indiana!). Personally I don't like much sauce on my pizza and I'd take less cheese of good quality and real fresh toppings over what we get around here any day. We had pizza with prosciutto and mushrooms at VN- yum! So much better than typical pizza with cheap ham and canned mushrooms. I will say that the pizza at VN is not quite as good as the pizza we ate regularly in Italy, but we were in Florence not southern Italy and there is a difference, I'm sure.

We had the calamari also and it was great!

 

[Cherinva]

Forgot to ask- do they do the antics at Whispering Canyon at lunch, too? And what about at O'hana breakfast- are there coconut races or just characters?

O'Hana breakfast is great..the characters come to the table and then there is some sort of conga line that the kids can get into with them...it's a lot fun

 

[frannn]

Both are just a monorail ride away from MK. If you do Ohana on the first night, you could stay and watch Wishes from the Poly Beach. You could do then do Crystal Palace on your MNSSHP night (for convenience), or Kona, which is good and low key.

 

[Beauty & the Best]

Hmm, okay, I was wondering about O'hana. I think I'll shoot for a 5pm dinner reservation. I think that's the earliest available, so if I can get it, it should work. Alternately we could do O'hana on our arrival night. I'm not worried about cramming in too much at MK that first day, but I would like to possibly see the Electrical Parade, so we'd need to be in there at 8pm (earlier to get a spot). Maybe that would work with O'hana. Hmm, so tough to decide!

I would shoot for Ohana on your arrival day instead of the MSSHP day. Ohana is usually V E R Y slow service wise and you should be able to just sit back & enjoy rather than be freaked about the time b/c of MNSSHP. I'd suggest doing a CS the night of MNSSHP to get the most out of the party.