For our stay we had the Disney Dining Plan. As most people agree you get way more food than needed and really get spoiled by the great restaurants. With all the miles and miles of walking we did through the parks I managed to gain 4 pounds in 8 days. 2 desserts a day is just ridiculous but hey its vacation and who's going to turn it down?
At the GF we didn't get a chance to eat at Citricos or Narcoossees. There's just not enough hours in the day. Next time. We did eat at the GF cafe, 1900 Park Fair, Gasparillas and one morning we had private dining breakfast in the room. The GF Cafe had excellent food at both breakfast and lunch. Gasparillas has good quick food and is really good for late night cravings (open 24hrs). We had the character dinner at 1900 Park Fair and while the kids love the characters the food was disappointing. Its a buffet restaurant and the food is no better than mediocre buffet quality food. We found that to be true at Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood Studios as well. Disneys buffet restaurants are subpar when you get spoiled by the normally outstanding restaurants they have that arent buffet style. The exception to this was Chef Mickeys breakfast at the Contemporary. The breakfast buffet there was excellent. I wish we had gone there more than once on this trip.
By far the best dinner we had on our trip was at Tutto Italia Ristorante in the Italy section of Epcot. The food was outstanding and the service was impeccable. Try the Farfalle Alfredo.
One of the benefits of going in January was that we didn't need reservations every time we wanted to eat. We had reservations for some meals but most times we just showed up and never waited more than 15 minutes to be seated at any restaurant.
As for quick service meals you cant go wrong with Gasparillas at the GF. It's nice to be able to get a quick burger or pizza at 2am. The food is pretty good too. Better than your average fast food place. I found 2 places in the parks that get you excellent value for a quick service meal credit. In the Magic Kingdom try Cosmic Rays in the tomorrowland section. You can get rotisserie chicken, ribs and so much more great stuff and it only costs 1 quick serve credit. Theres also a side patio to sit and eat that is right next to the castle and has great views. In Animal Kingdom theres a place called Tuma Tuma that also has great burgers and sandwiches where you get a ton of food for just 1 quick serve credit.
We had dinner at Kona in the Poynesian where I had a Teriyaki NY Strip that was really good. Next time I want to try the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop.
Sadly, the worst dinner we had was also at the Poly. The Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show was a huge disappointment. As I said in earlier posts the food is mediocre and most of the show is corny with the exception of the fire dancer at the end of the show. There were many disappointed people walking out of that show so I know I wasn't being picky. It will cost you 2 table service credits or $60 per adult. Stay away.
For anyone with an iPhone the Disney Dining app is essential. It lists every restaurant in every park and hotel including the menu, prices and anything else you need to know. I also frequently used the WDW Wait Times app which shows real time wait times for the rides. WDW Park Maps and the WDW Park Hours apps are good to have also. All these apps helped so many times and the dining app is incredible.
At the GF we didn't get a chance to eat at Citricos or Narcoossees. There's just not enough hours in the day. Next time. We did eat at the GF cafe, 1900 Park Fair, Gasparillas and one morning we had private dining breakfast in the room. The GF Cafe had excellent food at both breakfast and lunch. Gasparillas has good quick food and is really good for late night cravings (open 24hrs). We had the character dinner at 1900 Park Fair and while the kids love the characters the food was disappointing. Its a buffet restaurant and the food is no better than mediocre buffet quality food. We found that to be true at Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood Studios as well. Disneys buffet restaurants are subpar when you get spoiled by the normally outstanding restaurants they have that arent buffet style. The exception to this was Chef Mickeys breakfast at the Contemporary. The breakfast buffet there was excellent. I wish we had gone there more than once on this trip.
By far the best dinner we had on our trip was at Tutto Italia Ristorante in the Italy section of Epcot. The food was outstanding and the service was impeccable. Try the Farfalle Alfredo.
One of the benefits of going in January was that we didn't need reservations every time we wanted to eat. We had reservations for some meals but most times we just showed up and never waited more than 15 minutes to be seated at any restaurant.
As for quick service meals you cant go wrong with Gasparillas at the GF. It's nice to be able to get a quick burger or pizza at 2am. The food is pretty good too. Better than your average fast food place. I found 2 places in the parks that get you excellent value for a quick service meal credit. In the Magic Kingdom try Cosmic Rays in the tomorrowland section. You can get rotisserie chicken, ribs and so much more great stuff and it only costs 1 quick serve credit. Theres also a side patio to sit and eat that is right next to the castle and has great views. In Animal Kingdom theres a place called Tuma Tuma that also has great burgers and sandwiches where you get a ton of food for just 1 quick serve credit.
We had dinner at Kona in the Poynesian where I had a Teriyaki NY Strip that was really good. Next time I want to try the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop.
Sadly, the worst dinner we had was also at the Poly. The Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show was a huge disappointment. As I said in earlier posts the food is mediocre and most of the show is corny with the exception of the fire dancer at the end of the show. There were many disappointed people walking out of that show so I know I wasn't being picky. It will cost you 2 table service credits or $60 per adult. Stay away.
For anyone with an iPhone the Disney Dining app is essential. It lists every restaurant in every park and hotel including the menu, prices and anything else you need to know. I also frequently used the WDW Wait Times app which shows real time wait times for the rides. WDW Park Maps and the WDW Park Hours apps are good to have also. All these apps helped so many times and the dining app is incredible.
