Please help me out with some dinner questions..

[Jill2150]

Just a few questions to help me out a little bit here...

1) For those who made ADR's at a restaurant, did you always make it at the park you were spending the day at, or did you leave the park and go to dinner at a hotel? Say for example we spend the day at MK, leave in the afternoon for a nap (if necessary, DD will be just shy of 2YO). We go back to the park, then it seems we have to eat there, or else we will have to leave again for dinner. Then maybe come back for fireworks. Just all seems like a lot of back and forth. But I dont' want to limit myself to the park dinners, as I know there are good one's at other parks and hotels.

2) Also, I am curious about going to these restaurants with a 2YO. Are the nicer one's usually filled with couples only, or do you see families at all restaurants? What would be some good one's we could go to, and not feel akward that we have the only young child around?

Thanks so much!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We usually try and eat TS dinner at MK or Epcot since we are in the park anyways but for MGM (if I cannot get into 50'S) and AK I like to go to resort TS places instead.

 

[SandraVB79]

Can't help you with your second question.
However, regarding the first one: yes, in my planning, I kept in mind at what day I plan to be a what park. It requires some time to travel from one place to the other, especially using Disney transportation (which we are going to do). I find it already bad enough that I will have to keep my ADRs in mind, I don't want to start thinking about how much time in advance I have to start "transportation"
I was afraid that in the end, the only thing we'd do is eat and run from one place to the other.

I made a list of all places I wanted to eat at, and then I started to pair them with my park-planning.
Kona Cafe breakfast on a MK-day and Cape May breakfast on a Epcot-day is more logical than doing it the other way around

 

[Tink366]

Just thought i'd say that we always go as a couple, and when we eat at TS places we don't mind children being around. I always feel Disney World is such a family place it's nice to see families enjoying their time there.

 

[madalex]

As to question 1, we usually do a park in the morning/early afternoon, back to resort for swimming/relaxing, then out to dinner at a resort, then to a park after dinner (usually not the same park we were at in the morning). We usually do not go back and forth several times to the same park on the same day.

As to question 2, there will be families and small children at all WDW restaurants, including all the "signature" restaurants. You will not be the only one bringing a small child to such restaurants, nor should you feel awkward in doing so. That being said, if you do plan to go to the signature restaurants, you need to consider your child's ability to sit through a 90 - 120 minute meal and you need to be prepared to remove your child from the restaurant if she begins to act in an inappropriate manner for such a restaurant.

 

[Redbudlover]

Hi, You will see kids of all ages at all the restaurants, though fewer kids at the most expensive than at the buffets. Boma and CP for example have more kids than adults! You know your daughter, however, and there are restaurants that have slower, more relaxed service at higher end places like Citricos and California Grill. How does she do when dinner takes a long time. How do YOU do when you are paying a lot for dinner and she has to leave NOW?

I like eating at resort restaurants - and always hit Bomas, Narcoosees, for example, but try to do those the days I am closest to that park or on a non-park day. so the day we arrive we play at the resort and then head over to AKL to look at the Lodge, see the animals, have a drink at the bar, shop at their great store and then have dinner at Bomas. Or on a day we arrive at MK for rope drop or early entry, we may not go to a park that night and instead have dinner at Narcoosees - with the option of going back to MK by monorail if we are not tired - but we usually are tired!!!

Epcot has great restaurants in the Park, so we at one of those when at EPcot, and we like CP or LLT when in MK. AK closes early, so dinner at Bomas or Jikos works after that park.... Sometimes it is nice to take a break from MK if you are not going back to your resort mid-day by taking the monorail over to one of the MK resorts for lunch or a very late breakfast.

Running all over the place and backtracking is not fun. I do what the other writer suggested. I make a list of the places I want to eat and pull them in when I decide which park to see what day at what time....

 

[DisLUV]

First of all, we go to WDW every other year so when we go we are not in a rush to see it all so we have a much mor laid back vacation. I do not plan my ADRs for what park I am gonna be in. I just plan them and we go were we need to.

As far as Dinner with a 2 yr old. We took our 1 and 1/2 DS last December and we did 7 TS meals that week and the places we went were filled with families just like us.

Some resturants I woudl recommend:

Chef Mickeys
1900 park fare
Le cellier
Liberty tree travern

I would not go to Cali Grill as there was MANy more just couples there. Again that is just my Opinion! Hope you have a great time

 

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

We always plan our meals around the park we will be for that day, sometimes at the park or sometimes at a nearby resort. You will probably find the the better restaurants are in the resorts although there are many fun, themed restaurants that you will definitely try at the parks. I have never been to a Disney restaurant that wasn't kid friendly. Be sure to try some of the character meals. Your DD will love that.

 

[DisneyNotes]

1) For those who made ADR's at a restaurant, did you always make it at the park you were spending the day at, or did you leave the park and go to dinner at a hotel?

We usually go to one park in the morning and for lunch, back to the hotel in the afternoon, and to another in the evening and for dinner.

2) Also, I am curious about going to these restaurants with a 2YO. Are the nicer one's usually filled with couples only, or do you see families at all restaurants? What would be some good one's we could go to, and not feel akward that we have the only young child around?

Children are everywhere at Disney. Even if you have the only young child around (which will never happen), it's your vacation. Just enjoy.

 

[chip 'n dale rule]

If you are spending the day at MK you could go to one of the monorail resorts for dinner. It wouldn't take that much extra time out of your schedule. We have heard excellent things about Kona Cafe at the Poly. We are eating there during our upcoming trip in Oct.

If you are at Epcot you could take the boat to Boardwalk for dinner but there are so many wonderful restaurants in Epcot that you may not want to.