exwdwcm
wishes she was Wendy Moira Angela Darling
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
- Messages
- 5,046
Our family, well, we like to eat. Not even just like, but love. Most of our family gtgs center around food in some fashion. That's just how it is with us. So needless to say, no trip to Disney would be complete without a large list of planned culinary delights, from dole whips to turkey legs, from mickey rice krispies to kaki gori......you get the picture.
speaking of pictures.......we will have them. otherwise known as 'food porn'.
Yes, we are those annoying people that take pictures of their food. Other guests stare at us in wonder, thinking "why is that lady taking a picture of her hamburger?". Well I know I enjoy being able to look at pictures of what the restaurants offer, it helps me decide if I want to eat there or not. Plus, it is just fun, especially if you are a scrapbooker.
So even though we are about 6 months out from our trip, we have had our sit down meals planned for months now. Of course we can't book anything until the 90 day window, but it doesn't hurt to know what we want, right? Especially wtih 15 people- pleasing everyone isn't easy, but I think most of us agreed on these. And fortunately our crew is pretty laid back and willing to try things even if they aren't sure. We have a hard time trying new things.....not because we don't want to, but because we LOVE our old favorites and hate to give them up. We promised ourselves to try at least a few new places this time. We get 9 sit down meals on our plan. So here is what we have in mind so far- thoughts, opinions and reccomendations are ALWAYS welcome. As with any plans 6 months out, these are subject to change and probably will, but for now, this is the plan:
Chef Mickey's Character Dinner Buffet: We like doing a special 'first night' meal, and dinner with Mickey always gets you in the mood right? I've heard the food here has gone down in quality, but we are still giving it a try. Plus it will be the first chance for the kids to meet Mickey and friends. So we don't have high expectations for the food, but a buffet is always good for a large group like ours. Plus, Mandy/Jeff won't be here this night, so we wanted to pick a meal that they wouldn't mind missing too much.
Coral Reef- Epcot: This will be a new one for us. Most of us are not big seafood eaters, but we know they serve steak and other selections. We've read the desserts are good and the view/atmoshpere can't be beat. I know they stopped doing the personalized menus and 'birthday' scuba diver, so that is a bummer. But we will probably still give it a go. We will probably try for lunch here or maybe even the Candlelight Package, not sure yet.
Le Cellier- Canada- Epcot: Another favorite. I've eaten here like 5x now and love it! We usually try for lunch as dinner ressies are hard to come by, but we will try for dinner this time. We plan to have a 'drink around the world/adults only' night where we hire a sitter for the 3 kiddos. So we might try dinner here that night before the drinking tour. That could change though. The pretzel bread and cheddar cheese soup are great as is the filet. I also had the kids chocolate mousse, which was so cute!
O'hana at the Polynesian: This will be a first for all of our group except my DH and I. O'hana means family- so makes perfect sense, right? Plus it is family style, again, easy for our large group. We will do dinner here, probably time it so that we might see WISHES afterwards from the Poly beach. The food here is plentiful and they have turkey, shrimp and beef, plus yummy sticky wings and potstickers. The games for the kids is another plus- coconut races etc. So I am really looking forward to sharing this meal with my family.
Sci Fi Dine Inn- Hollywood Studios: another long time favorite of ours that we can't give up. Myself, DH, my dad, my sister and a few others are big SCI FI geeks. Yeah, I love Battlestar Galactica. I admit it. So this is a good fit. Even if you aren't a sci fi fan, the atmosphere is so fun- sitting in a car at the drive in movie, at night, watching old 'B' movies- attack of the 50 foot woman etc. The food is not spectacular, but not bad. I love the BLT soup here and the milkshakes. We will be doing lunch here. There is always a long wait, even with ressies.
50s Prime Time at Hollywood Studios: AGain, another oldie, but goodie. Plus it holds a special place in my heart, as it is connected to my old workplace, Hollywood and Vine Cafeteria. The portions here are huge, so great for sharing, the desserts are awesome and we actually enjoy the 'role playing' for mom. Last time, my sisters 'tattled taled' that i wasn't eating my veggies and they had to stand in the corner. We just love the decor here and the whole environment. The food isn't too shabby either, we enjoy the 'home cooking' type of menu as we are mostly very basic meat and potatoes type of diners. It definitely fits my 'non-exotic' pallete. Oh and the s'mores are my favorite, brings back girl scout camping trip memories.
Crystal Palace Character Breakfast Buffet at MK: This is another one we can't give up. We do it every trip. Our family loves a good breakfast and the buffet here is pretty good. Mix in visits from Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet, and we are happy campers. We usually do the breakfast and try for a later seating at 10am, so we can enjoy some of the rides first and get FPs (that early morning time is precious to avoid the lines!!!). The later seating is nice too, as it isn't as crowded, sometimes they even bring lunch items out and you can eat both breakfast and lunch items if you wish!
Norway Princess Breakfast at Epcot: We've did this on our last big family trip and really enjoyed it. We don't even attempt to get Cinderella's breakfast, so this is a GREAT alternative, sort of a hidden gem! My neice, Ally, 2.5 at the time loved it. Food is served family style and typical breakfast fare. We saw Mulan, Belle, Snow White, Jasmine and a few others. The World Showcase doesn't open until 11am, so you get to take some good pics in the area without crowds too. We usually schedule a late breakfast here too- around 10am, so we can get into Epcot at 8:30 or 9am and get some fastpasses or ride a ride first. Again, those early morning hours are precious ride time to avoid lines!
Whispering Canyon Cafe- Wilderness Lodge: We are staying at the WL, so I figured it was a good time to try it. My sister Wendy and I have eaten here once before, but no one else has. We met my old WDWCP roommate, Heather here for dinner on a past trip. It was so fun, plus loads of food- we ordered the big grill platter, which is a set price for all you can ribs, chicken, beans, corn, potatoes, bread and more. and being such crazy folks, we enjoy the taunting and teasing here. I asked for a coke refill was brought a HUGE pickle barrell of coke. Don't forget to ask for the ketchup too! We might do this our last night (good to be close to the room to finish packing, not a late night?) or towards the end of our stay as an early dinner. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b4da00b3127cced7bf63c1dd4300000010O08RbtHLVi1B7efCQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
Hoop Dee Doo Revue- Ft Wilderness: Again, another favorite- we do this every trip, it is a tradition. We did it as children and now as adults. While the food is okay, you do get all you can drink beer/sangria included (my family likes a good beer!) and the entertainment is fabulous. We love this 2 hour dinner show. We will pay out of pocket for this one, I don't feel it is worth 2 dining credits. We will probably do this on the evening of our "OFF day". We always have a 'free day' where we sleep in and just visit resorts, DTD and rest/swim/do laundry. We figure we will do this dinner that evening, so we won't be rushed and won't be missing out on park time either. My sister was chosen to come on stage last time even!
Last but not least.......
Illuminations Dinner Grand Gathering: This is something none of us have done before, but it makes perfect sense to do a grand gathering with our large group. I believe the cost is about $60 per adult and you get an INTL dinner at Epcot. The venue is usually the Odyessy, which is the old empty building near the bathrooms, right between Mexico and Test Track. We used to have cast member events when I worked there. Anyhow- the dinner is a buffet, I hear it consists of some food from various countries- pasta from italy, etc. Two characters also come out and read and dance with the kids. Then you can do photos. After dinner and characters, you are taken to a VIP roped off area to watch Illuminations, complete with a dessert buffet! The VIP viewing area is the real kicker for me. We can never seem to get a good view for Illuminations and we hate having to get a spot hours beforehand. So we thought this might be fun. We haven't booked yet, but we can in July at 180 days out. They apparently only offer them on Mondays and Fridays, so we would probably do this on the last Friday of our trip. Anyone done this before? recommend it? We might reconsider it. It is another out of pocket cost and does take up a lot of time- almost 3 hours!
so as you can see, that's a WHOLE LOT of eating! That is only our sit down meals. We do also pre plan a lot of our fast food meals, just so we aren't trying to decide on the fly with 15 hungry stomachs growling. Having a plan has always worked good for us- we can always change it and be flexible. I'll highlight some of our fast food selections next time!
speaking of pictures.......we will have them. otherwise known as 'food porn'.
Yes, we are those annoying people that take pictures of their food. Other guests stare at us in wonder, thinking "why is that lady taking a picture of her hamburger?". Well I know I enjoy being able to look at pictures of what the restaurants offer, it helps me decide if I want to eat there or not. Plus, it is just fun, especially if you are a scrapbooker. So even though we are about 6 months out from our trip, we have had our sit down meals planned for months now. Of course we can't book anything until the 90 day window, but it doesn't hurt to know what we want, right? Especially wtih 15 people- pleasing everyone isn't easy, but I think most of us agreed on these. And fortunately our crew is pretty laid back and willing to try things even if they aren't sure. We have a hard time trying new things.....not because we don't want to, but because we LOVE our old favorites and hate to give them up. We promised ourselves to try at least a few new places this time. We get 9 sit down meals on our plan. So here is what we have in mind so far- thoughts, opinions and reccomendations are ALWAYS welcome. As with any plans 6 months out, these are subject to change and probably will, but for now, this is the plan:
Chef Mickey's Character Dinner Buffet: We like doing a special 'first night' meal, and dinner with Mickey always gets you in the mood right? I've heard the food here has gone down in quality, but we are still giving it a try. Plus it will be the first chance for the kids to meet Mickey and friends. So we don't have high expectations for the food, but a buffet is always good for a large group like ours. Plus, Mandy/Jeff won't be here this night, so we wanted to pick a meal that they wouldn't mind missing too much.
Coral Reef- Epcot: This will be a new one for us. Most of us are not big seafood eaters, but we know they serve steak and other selections. We've read the desserts are good and the view/atmoshpere can't be beat. I know they stopped doing the personalized menus and 'birthday' scuba diver, so that is a bummer. But we will probably still give it a go. We will probably try for lunch here or maybe even the Candlelight Package, not sure yet.
Le Cellier- Canada- Epcot: Another favorite. I've eaten here like 5x now and love it! We usually try for lunch as dinner ressies are hard to come by, but we will try for dinner this time. We plan to have a 'drink around the world/adults only' night where we hire a sitter for the 3 kiddos. So we might try dinner here that night before the drinking tour. That could change though. The pretzel bread and cheddar cheese soup are great as is the filet. I also had the kids chocolate mousse, which was so cute!
O'hana at the Polynesian: This will be a first for all of our group except my DH and I. O'hana means family- so makes perfect sense, right? Plus it is family style, again, easy for our large group. We will do dinner here, probably time it so that we might see WISHES afterwards from the Poly beach. The food here is plentiful and they have turkey, shrimp and beef, plus yummy sticky wings and potstickers. The games for the kids is another plus- coconut races etc. So I am really looking forward to sharing this meal with my family.
Sci Fi Dine Inn- Hollywood Studios: another long time favorite of ours that we can't give up. Myself, DH, my dad, my sister and a few others are big SCI FI geeks. Yeah, I love Battlestar Galactica. I admit it. So this is a good fit. Even if you aren't a sci fi fan, the atmosphere is so fun- sitting in a car at the drive in movie, at night, watching old 'B' movies- attack of the 50 foot woman etc. The food is not spectacular, but not bad. I love the BLT soup here and the milkshakes. We will be doing lunch here. There is always a long wait, even with ressies.
50s Prime Time at Hollywood Studios: AGain, another oldie, but goodie. Plus it holds a special place in my heart, as it is connected to my old workplace, Hollywood and Vine Cafeteria. The portions here are huge, so great for sharing, the desserts are awesome and we actually enjoy the 'role playing' for mom. Last time, my sisters 'tattled taled' that i wasn't eating my veggies and they had to stand in the corner. We just love the decor here and the whole environment. The food isn't too shabby either, we enjoy the 'home cooking' type of menu as we are mostly very basic meat and potatoes type of diners. It definitely fits my 'non-exotic' pallete. Oh and the s'mores are my favorite, brings back girl scout camping trip memories.
Crystal Palace Character Breakfast Buffet at MK: This is another one we can't give up. We do it every trip. Our family loves a good breakfast and the buffet here is pretty good. Mix in visits from Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet, and we are happy campers. We usually do the breakfast and try for a later seating at 10am, so we can enjoy some of the rides first and get FPs (that early morning time is precious to avoid the lines!!!). The later seating is nice too, as it isn't as crowded, sometimes they even bring lunch items out and you can eat both breakfast and lunch items if you wish!
Norway Princess Breakfast at Epcot: We've did this on our last big family trip and really enjoyed it. We don't even attempt to get Cinderella's breakfast, so this is a GREAT alternative, sort of a hidden gem! My neice, Ally, 2.5 at the time loved it. Food is served family style and typical breakfast fare. We saw Mulan, Belle, Snow White, Jasmine and a few others. The World Showcase doesn't open until 11am, so you get to take some good pics in the area without crowds too. We usually schedule a late breakfast here too- around 10am, so we can get into Epcot at 8:30 or 9am and get some fastpasses or ride a ride first. Again, those early morning hours are precious ride time to avoid lines!
Whispering Canyon Cafe- Wilderness Lodge: We are staying at the WL, so I figured it was a good time to try it. My sister Wendy and I have eaten here once before, but no one else has. We met my old WDWCP roommate, Heather here for dinner on a past trip. It was so fun, plus loads of food- we ordered the big grill platter, which is a set price for all you can ribs, chicken, beans, corn, potatoes, bread and more. and being such crazy folks, we enjoy the taunting and teasing here. I asked for a coke refill was brought a HUGE pickle barrell of coke. Don't forget to ask for the ketchup too! We might do this our last night (good to be close to the room to finish packing, not a late night?) or towards the end of our stay as an early dinner. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=#000000][img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b4da00b3127cced7bf63c1dd4300000010O08RbtHLVi1B7efCQ/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/
Hoop Dee Doo Revue- Ft Wilderness: Again, another favorite- we do this every trip, it is a tradition. We did it as children and now as adults. While the food is okay, you do get all you can drink beer/sangria included (my family likes a good beer!) and the entertainment is fabulous. We love this 2 hour dinner show. We will pay out of pocket for this one, I don't feel it is worth 2 dining credits. We will probably do this on the evening of our "OFF day". We always have a 'free day' where we sleep in and just visit resorts, DTD and rest/swim/do laundry. We figure we will do this dinner that evening, so we won't be rushed and won't be missing out on park time either. My sister was chosen to come on stage last time even!
Last but not least.......
Illuminations Dinner Grand Gathering: This is something none of us have done before, but it makes perfect sense to do a grand gathering with our large group. I believe the cost is about $60 per adult and you get an INTL dinner at Epcot. The venue is usually the Odyessy, which is the old empty building near the bathrooms, right between Mexico and Test Track. We used to have cast member events when I worked there. Anyhow- the dinner is a buffet, I hear it consists of some food from various countries- pasta from italy, etc. Two characters also come out and read and dance with the kids. Then you can do photos. After dinner and characters, you are taken to a VIP roped off area to watch Illuminations, complete with a dessert buffet! The VIP viewing area is the real kicker for me. We can never seem to get a good view for Illuminations and we hate having to get a spot hours beforehand. So we thought this might be fun. We haven't booked yet, but we can in July at 180 days out. They apparently only offer them on Mondays and Fridays, so we would probably do this on the last Friday of our trip. Anyone done this before? recommend it? We might reconsider it. It is another out of pocket cost and does take up a lot of time- almost 3 hours!
so as you can see, that's a WHOLE LOT of eating! That is only our sit down meals. We do also pre plan a lot of our fast food meals, just so we aren't trying to decide on the fly with 15 hungry stomachs growling. Having a plan has always worked good for us- we can always change it and be flexible. I'll highlight some of our fast food selections next time!
