pulling my hair out over food???

[itsdisneytime]

Okay please, someone ... help me

im going in october and bringing a friend and her daughter along to help me. My friend is not at all about the parks but between her daughter and me she has decided to try to put her best foot forward. Not to be too chatty but ... I thought I had planned everything to a T ... she wanted no part in planning (we do not have a dining plan) so I only planned 3 ADR's which are:

Ohanna
T-Rex
Rainforest Cafe


NOW THAT TIME IS JUST ABOUT OVER .... after I BEGGED my friend to please help me make decisions .... she just now chimes in and says she went online and read about these places and she isnt THRILLED about the food. Now she feels robbed of a fantastic eating experience that she had always heard Disney was notorious for???? Im sitting there listening to her and thinking well -- there is no way in heck we are gonna get anything that good this close to our early Oct trip now!!!!!

If I WERE able to pull a rabbit out of my hat ..... which place would you recommend that wouldn't put me in shock trauma with the cost but at the same time will suit her needs for feeling like she ate something extroidinare! When I say something is too expensive I mean like, I prefer not to pay more than $75 per person to eat and keep in mind we have to take 9 year olds with us.

Please Please dont just read and move on... please please reply with a suggestion of a no fail sure win surprise of a meal for her.

thanks friends.

 

[sissy_ib]

Okay please, someone ... help me

im going in october and bringing a friend and her daughter along to help me. My friend is not at all about the parks but between her daughter and me she has decided to try to put her best foot forward. Not to be too chatty but ... I thought I had planned everything to a T ... she wanted no part in planning (we do not have a dining plan) so I only planned 3 ADR's which are:

Ohanna
T-Rex
Rainforest Cafe


NOW THAT TIME IS JUST ABOUT OVER .... after I BEGGED my friend to please help me make decisions .... she just now chimes in and says she went online and read about these places and she isnt THRILLED about the food. Now she feels robbed of a fantastic eating experience that she had always heard Disney was notorious for???? Im sitting there listening to her and thinking well -- there is no way in heck we are gonna get anything that good this close to our early Oct trip now!!!!!

If I WERE able to pull a rabbit out of my hat ..... which place would you recommend that wouldn't put me in shock trauma with the cost but at the same time will suit her needs for feeling like she ate something extroidinare! When I say something is too expensive I mean like, I prefer not to pay more than $75 per person to eat and keep in mind we have to take 9 year olds with us.

Please Please dont just read and move on... please please reply with a suggestion of a no fail sure win surprise of a meal for her.

thanks friends.

I can only think of a few places where you would be paying that much per person. Did she bother to take a look at things she would like? You can go on Disneys website and look at all the restaurants available on a certain day. What are your dates? Do you want to eat in the parks or at the resorts?

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Here are some of my favorites that I think may have availability and would meet your budget:

Coral Reef at Epcot (lunch or dinner, but especially lunch)
The Grand Floridan Café (breakfast or lunch)
Kouzzina at the Boardwalk (breakfast or dinner)
The Kona Café at the Polynesian (breakfast or dinner, but especially dinner)
Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge
Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (lunch or dinner)
The San Angel Inn at Epcto (lunch especially)

Any of the Swan and Dolphin hotel restaurants will probably have availability too. Some may not be a fit for your price point, but we like lunch at the Cabana Bar and dinner at Kimonos.

 

[TwoAtDisney]

Why are you doing this to yourself & take this chance to spoil your trip?
Why are you setting yourself up to fail & disappoint?

She gave you a message.
Why do you think that you can satisfy her this time?
Don't you think you should insist that she make the decision?
Obviously, she is not satisfied with your choices & decision making.
If she dosn't give you her decision, don't do anything. It's up to her.

When discussing this with her, did you & she discuss what she wanted? Did you advise her to make the choice since she did online research?
Does she want the Disney experience via a character meal?
Does she want a buffet or sit down?
Does she like seafood, steak, or what?
How much does she want to spend?

Another thought is that it appears you choose places the kids will enjoy. I think that is a good thing. For that reason, you may not want to change your reservations. Instead, advise her that the trip is to Disney World with children & will be geared towards the children - not the adults.

She has another option while you & the children are enjoying your choices. She can go where she wants!

Good luck. I have a feeling she will be dissatisfied more than once on this trip.

 

[itsdisneytime]

oh my goodness, now she has complicated things saying she would like to do a buffet!!! any suggestions on a good buffet?

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I'm thinking good and fairly impressive, but not breaking the bank, and probably has openings...

The Wave
Sanaa
Kouzzina

While not as easy to get, you might get one of these if you're very flexible w/time...

50s Primetime
Teppan Edo
Whispering Canyon

If you're willing to stalk the web site a bit, I'm pretty certain you can find something at any of the popular spots.

Still- what an awful position to be put in for a trip that should be magical and fun.

EDIT- if she wants to do a buffet..Boma, Crystal Palace, and Biergarten come to mind.

 

[Nadjalu]

Op, you need to relax about this. Your friend sounds like no matter what you do or present her she is set up to NOT LIKE IT.
It is a shame but many people are this way....I have a dear friend that is the same way. The harder I try to please her the worse it is.

Honey you need to chalk it up to "she will either like it or lump it". Period.

This is not harsh it is reality. It is nice you are trying so hard...but is she trying at all???? NO, and she won't.

Plan what you and her daughter will like and go with it.

Enjoy YOUR vacation.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Well, I have to agree with your friend...those are not the best places that represent Disney...well maybe Ohana but the food is pretty ick

If I was bringing my friend and wanted to wow them with some fun atmosphere I would pick these

50's PRime Time
Sci Fi Drive In
Coral Reef
Beirgarten
Sanaa
San Angel Inn
Raglan Road

 

[02AggieGirl]

Did you mean $75/pp per meal or $75/pp total?? Because you can eat just about anywhere for less than $75/pp per meal.

Grand Floridian Cafe
Kona Cafe
Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
Rose & Crown
Les Chefs de France

Buffets:
Tusker House
Boma

if $75/pp per meal
California Grill
Brown Derby
Jiko

 

[Krissalee]

Im sitting there listening to her and thinking well -- there is no way in heck we are gonna get anything that good this close to our early Oct trip now!!!!!

You can get lots of good restaurants now for October!

 

[crabbygal902]

Wow, your friend has put you between a rock and a hard place, as my grandma used to say.

How about Biergarten? It is definitely a unique Disney experience, has entertainment during dinner, and it has a buffet with good food. You are also seated with others at your table. If you are mad at your friend and not speaking by the time you go to this meal, maybe you'll meet someone nice at the table to talk to!!

 

[karrit2000]

While I sympathize with you about your friend not giving you any input up until now I have to say I do not think your choices are a good representation of the food available at WDW. Two of the places you chose T-Rex & Rainforest Cafe are chain restaurants that are not exclusive to DisneyWorld and definitely not representative of what can be really good food at WDW. Personally I do not care for Rainforest and since T-Rex is part of the same ownership group it isn't high on my list of places I'd like to try.

I love O'Hana for breakfast but I have no great desire to eat dinner there. If I were you I'd try to find someplace at EPCOT for at least one of your dinners. I won't suggest Le Cellier becuase it is nearly impossible to get ADR's for. Italy, France, Mexico or United Kingdom are all ones I've enjoyed.

Do you know what type of food your friend prefers to eat? If she is more of a Meat & Potatoes vs. exotic/adventurous I would stick with more basic type places.

If you want character Buffets, Cape May Seafood Buffet is good for dinner & there is a great variety of food to pick from besides the seafood. Tusker House @ AK gets good revues but I haven't eaten there. And I like the Breakfast at O'Hana.

The Buffet @ Boma has a lot of variety but leans toward a somewhat adventurous palette but not too exotic.

 

[tinkandpan]

I have to agree, you can do trex or rainforest anyplace else. O'hana isn't my personal favorite, but plenty of people love it= so i would probably keep that if you wanted it.
Here are a few of my suggestions:
Sannaa
tusker house buffet (lunch)
kona cafe dinner
via napoli was enjoyable for dinner
cape may buffet
crystal palace bfast

another way to do it is to just decide what meals you want to eat and then go online and see at the time you want see what is available.

 

[pumba]

We went with a "group" once and we all had different likes and dislikes..
For buffets
we went to Crystal Palace and everyone had something to enjoy...
either breakfast for dinner for that place.... we loved both..

We also liked Biergarten in Epcot...not all sausages but alot of good choices for those who want regular food..

How about Trails end Buffett in Fort Wilderness area..

I do think you made some good choices at first but at least you and your "group" will have choices at the buffets..

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

Why not set up a time for the both of you to sit down together at the computer and have her do it with you? Let HER name some places she wanst to try and show HER how to check on-line for them. Either you get a reservation right then or you don't but then she can see what it is like to have to plan.

I would not be making any more plans for your trip on my own. If she wants to comment on where you are eating then she needs to se how the didning system really works.

I do think that ating at both RF and TREX is pretty much the same in Disney as it would be anywhere else, so in that I can agree with her. But I do not think you need to take all the burden on your shoulders only b/c she seems like maybe the type of person who will them complain. Make her do it with you so that she cannot talk about not liking it later on and implying you somehow did someting wrong when you were doing all the planning.

Good luck!

 

[mpetti]

Please try not to stress. You will work it all out. Did you ever think about doing a show? How about the Hoop Dee Doo? It's a very corny, but funny show. My entire family loves it and we laugh so hard. Also the food is very good. Check it out google it or go to youtube. Enjoy!!

Maryann

 

[hookedonears]

We have found that the restaurants with the best food at WDW are located at the resorts. We try to stay away from park food. That being said, To us, the best food at the Magic Kingdom is Crystal Palace. It's a Character Buffet, but the food is good. We also like the counter service restaurant at the Land Pavilion at EPCOT. It's also pretty good. After that, if you're looking for a nice meal, I would consider Narcoosies, or Citricos at the Grand Floridian. They're just an easy monorail ride away.

 

[disneychic2]

I hope her attitude about your plans doesn't spill over into your trip and spoil it! As for buffets, I would choose:
Crystal Palace or Boma

Other good places: Le Chefs de France, Le Cellier, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, 50s Prime Time

Good luck, OP, I think you'll need it! Keep us posted.

 

[polly p]

You definitely need to sit down with her as to find out what kind of food she is looking for. And what about the kids? Crystal Palace is great for adults and kids as is Biergarten.
And you are going during Food and wine festival, maybe sampling around the world is something she would like.
Good Luck! Definitely don't stress about this or you won't enjoy your trip. You can't make some people happy no matter what, especially if she already has it in her head that disney is not the place for her.

 

[jenniferma]

What type of food does your friend like? do you think she would enjoy the character interaction for her DD?

I think in order to choose the perfect spots for her, it is easier to narrow them down If we know her wants/likes.

for instance.. A foodie would love some of the nicer sit downs at the resorts or Epcot... While pickier eaters might hate places like boma...

we tried cape may cafe buffet for dinner last trip and we really enjoyed it. I Think it is one of my favorite buffets. our kids choose Crystal Palace breakfast as their favorite with my DD10 also loving Chef Mickeys dinner. they liked both of these way better than CRT.. Go figure!

personally, I think I would choose the Disney characters over TRex or RC. that is just me though... we went to RC and it was just okay, IMO. I also love getting into the parks early too...which keeps us going to CP.

good luck... I hope you make her happy!
Jen