Thoughts on my sit down dinners? What to keep or cancel?

[geminimagk]

Hi all. We are headed to WDW for our 1st trip in a couple weeks. We've been to DL several times but never WDW. My question is regarding sit down dinners. We are typically "Go go go" people who hustle from rope drop to park close with a few quick breaks in between. In DL we find the restaurants mediocre, so haven't really had a sit down dinner there except in Disney Springs. We are staying at Grand Floridian.

For our WDW trip, we will be there for 7 days. I know there are lots of must-try restaurants, so I'm trying to figure out how to balance that with our park time, which is our main goal. So far these are our park days and scheduled dinners. Just curious what you all think and what we should skip?

Sat MK day: 4:30 or 8:10 BOG
Sun (haven't decided which park yet, we were going to do a VIP tour but just decided to cancel): 8:35, Liberty Tree Tavern
Mon Epcot day: Teppan Edo at 4:40 or Skipper Canteen at 7:35 [But I'd like to see Harmonious and take advantage of late hours because we are deluxe resort guests so unsure if I should keep that one]
Tues AK day: 7:10 Citricos
Wed HS day: 5:20, Flying Fish
Thurs: Rest day, Christmas party at night. Lunch at Grand Floridian Cafe.
Fri HS day (but might change to MK if we do HS on the Sunday we have open): 5:00, Sanaa

What do you guys think? I don't need a sit-down dinner every night (or do I?)...what's worth keeping and what will cause us to run around too much? Thanks!

 

[Smugpugmug]

IMO cancel Be Our Guest. I know a lot of people love eating in the Beast's castle and think the atmosphere is cool but the food is just so bad and absolutely not worth the money. Skipper is okay but not fantastic. Sanaa is one of my favorites and I have always had a great meal there. Going right at 5 when it opens means you have a better chance of getting a table by the window which is also nice. Though if you're going to MK that day I'm not sure it's worth going all the way to AKL for as MK and AKL are on two completely different sides of WDW property.

 

[RoseGold]

I don't think any of those are must dos, and these really cramp the schedule. I thought Liberty Tree and Teppan Edo were both not good. Location doesn't help. Getting back to AK kills the whole park day. WDW is REALLY BIG, and this can be an hour discussion in transit if you don't have a car. Flying Fish is a good 20-30 min walk/boat discussion each way.

WDW food is OK. I can do better than Sanaa with delivery where I live. I don't think it's worth an hour fighting Disney transportation, unless you really want to see AKL.

I'd just eat at the booths at Epcot, a little at a time, it's part of the fun.

I'd keep the GF lunch, or consider Trader Sam's before the party, you have to be there when they open to have a chance at getting in. The walk is not pleasant because of the Poly construction, but you just monorail from Poly to MK, or take the big boat from the TTC next door.

For breakfast, the Tonga toast is on the Poly mobile order in the morning. You can do that the day you leave.

BOG is the one I would keep. To me it's a very Disney experience and exactly what you are expecting with better food than you'd think, if you can stomach the price.

I'd move HS to your empty day and put late MK in for Weds. Those late hours are the absolute best.

 

[geminimagk]

I don't think any of those are must dos, and these really cramp the schedule. I thought Liberty Tree and Teppan Edo were both not good. Location doesn't help. Getting back to AK kills the whole park day. WDW is REALLY BIG, and this can be an hour discussion in transit if you don't have a car. Flying Fish is a good 20-30 min walk/boat discussion each way.

WDW food is OK. I can do better than Sanaa with delivery where I live. I don't think it's worth an hour fighting Disney transportation, unless you really want to see AKL.

I'd just eat at the booths at Epcot, a little at a time, it's part of the fun.

I'd keep the GF lunch, or consider Trader Sam's before the party, you have to be there when they open to have a chance at getting in. The walk is not pleasant because of the Poly construction, but you just monorail from Poly to MK, or take the big boat from the TTC next door.

For breakfast, the Tonga toast is on the Poly mobile order in the morning. You can do that the day you leave.

BOG is the one I would keep. To me it's a very Disney experience and exactly what you are expecting with better food than you'd think, if you can stomach the price.

I'd move HS to your empty day and put late MK in for Weds. Those late hours are the absolute best.

That is quite helpful, thank you! I come from a very "foodie" city and not to sound like a snob, but I go to Disney for the rides and experiences, not the food. I know I can get amazing food in my city so unless something is an absolute must do, like you suggested BOG for the experience, I don't know about schlepping back and forth across parks and all that.

 

[WIll C]

BOG seems overrated and if you've seen the castle inside once, the food isn't worth it again. Our 2nd time this last January was meh and we won't go again.
Liberty Tree is OK but I'd skip it and head out of the park and go to DS for dinner or just grab a QS after fireworks as people leave.
We tend to avoid the fancy places as most just disappoint and would rather do something simple instead but that's our preference and my wife can't eat a lot at one sitting and we're both pretty plain with our food choices.

 

[geminimagk]

BOG seems overrated and if you've seen the castle inside once, the food isn't worth it again. Our 2nd time this last January was meh and we won't go again.
Liberty Tree is OK but I'd skip it and head out of the park and go to DS for dinner or just grab a QS after fireworks as people leave.
We tend to avoid the fancy places as most just disappoint and would rather do something simple instead but that's our preference and my wife can't eat a lot at one sitting and we're both pretty plain with our food choices.

I hear you. We love QS. That's all we do when we're in Disneyland and I'm happy to skip the sit-down meals if it saves us time!

What do you mean by seeing the castle inside once? Is it possible to do that without eating at BOG? Sorry for the dumb question, I've never been there so I have no idea!

 

[WIll C]

I hear you. We love QS. That's all we do when we're in Disneyland and I'm happy to skip the sit-down meals if it saves us time!

What do you mean by seeing the castle inside once? Is it possible to do that without eating at BOG? Sorry for the dumb question, I've never been there so I have no idea!

If you have eaten at BOG, there's no reason to go again. Seeing the inside is cool and the Beast come out but a return visit isn't necessary. If you've never been, check it out but don't expect the food to be amazing, it's decent but hit or miss. It's also a bit loud and crowded as you're mostly in one big room.

 

[geminimagk]

If you have eaten at BOG, there's no reason to go again. Seeing the inside is cool and the Beast come out but a return visit isn't necessary. If you've never been, check it out but don't expect the food to be amazing, it's decent but hit or miss. It's also a bit loud and crowded as you're mostly in one big room.

Gotcha!

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

I come from a very "foodie" city

Lower your expectations for Disney food significantly.

I would make some different choices personally (Steakhouse 71 over BOG or Liberty Tree Tavern) but it depends on the type of food you enjoy. The only really bad one I see logistically is the Sanaa reservation... would be better to do that on your AK day if you could.

 

[geminimagk]

Lower your expectations for Disney food significantly.

I would make some different choices personally (Steakhouse 71 over BOG or Liberty Tree Tavern) but it depends on the type of food you enjoy. The only really bad one I see logistically is the Sanaa reservation... would be better to do that on your AK day if you could.

We enjoy everything and aren't picky! Our 3 kids are adventurous eaters as well.

I agree with Sanaa on the AK day, I guess that's what was available so our TA booked it. I'll try and change it.

 

[Betsyp]

Wow, lots of negative comments on LTT, which kind of surprises me...makes me wonder about my own dinner plans there

Just an overall comment - it’s hard to feed many thousands of guests every day of the year. I also came from a very foodie area. I think you just have to expect that any theme park restaurants aren’t going to be as good, in general, as ordinary restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat, so I’m always trying to find the best, most appealing restaurants at WDW ...and, there are good restaurants, so with proper research, there’s no need to have a bad meal

 

[Giraffe_Zen]

Hi all. We are headed to WDW for our 1st trip in a couple weeks. We've been to DL several times but never WDW. My question is regarding sit down dinners. We are typically "Go go go" people who hustle from rope drop to park close with a few quick breaks in between. In DL we find the restaurants mediocre, so haven't really had a sit down dinner there except in Disney Springs. We are staying at Grand Floridian.

For our WDW trip, we will be there for 7 days. I know there are lots of must-try restaurants, so I'm trying to figure out how to balance that with our park time, which is our main goal. So far these are our park days and scheduled dinners. Just curious what you all think and what we should skip?

Sat MK day: 4:30 or 8:10 BOG
Sun (haven't decided which park yet, we were going to do a VIP tour but just decided to cancel): 8:35, Liberty Tree Tavern
Mon Epcot day: Teppan Edo at 4:40 or Skipper Canteen at 7:35 [But I'd like to see Harmonious and take advantage of late hours because we are deluxe resort guests so unsure if I should keep that one]
Tues AK day: 7:10 Citricos
Wed HS day: 5:20, Flying Fish
Thurs: Rest day, Christmas party at night. Lunch at Grand Floridian Cafe.
Fri HS day (but might change to MK if we do HS on the Sunday we have open): 5:00, Sanaa

What do you guys think? I don't need a sit-down dinner every night (or do I?)...what's worth keeping and what will cause us to run around too much? Thanks!

Cancel BOG, Skipper Canteen. Do Sanaa on the AK day b/c Kidani is literally next door and then do Citricos (if you must) on the HS day. Definitely keep Teppan Edo, Flying Fish, GFC. Liberty Tree Tavern is ok, you can decide if you feel you need to keep that or not, maybe do GFC that day instead. And then Have lunch on your rest day at the Polynesian...walk/take boat/take monorail over to CS at Capt Cooks, you won't regret it.

ETA: If you feel you must have TS in park on MK day (Sun) try the Plaza instead of LTT.

Have fun!

 

[Ricguz]

Hi all. We are headed to WDW for our 1st trip in a couple weeks. We've been to DL several times but never WDW. My question is regarding sit down dinners. We are typically "Go go go" people who hustle from rope drop to park close with a few quick breaks in between. In DL we find the restaurants mediocre, so haven't really had a sit down dinner there except in Disney Springs. We are staying at Grand Floridian.

For our WDW trip, we will be there for 7 days. I know there are lots of must-try restaurants, so I'm trying to figure out how to balance that with our park time, which is our main goal. So far these are our park days and scheduled dinners. Just curious what you all think and what we should skip?

Sat MK day: 4:30 or 8:10 BOG
Sun (haven't decided which park yet, we were going to do a VIP tour but just decided to cancel): 8:35, Liberty Tree Tavern
Mon Epcot day: Teppan Edo at 4:40 or Skipper Canteen at 7:35 [But I'd like to see Harmonious and take advantage of late hours because we are deluxe resort guests so unsure if I should keep that one]
Tues AK day: 7:10 Citricos
Wed HS day: 5:20, Flying Fish
Thurs: Rest day, Christmas party at night. Lunch at Grand Floridian Cafe.
Fri HS day (but might change to MK if we do HS on the Sunday we have open): 5:00, Sanaa

What do you guys think? I don't need a sit-down dinner every night (or do I?)...what's worth keeping and what will cause us to run around too much? Thanks!

I have been to Disney about a dozen times, the first 10 or so, we did a lot of TS. In my opinion too much food, was not great, overspent and more importantly wasted a lot of time. Flying fish is excellent if you want one special TS. I have a 11 day 10 night trip coming up in December. The only TS meals are Rose and Crown because of the Candlelight Procession and much at Beaches and Cream. As much as I was tempted when my 60 day window came about, I did not bite. I would rather do QS at places I know and not waste time. Full disclosure I am also at club level at YC and on the Boardwalk area so it is easier to be selective with all the choices. If you are going in the first week of November some of the Christmas decorations will be going up especially at MK. Enjoy the hotel, pool and parks. Don’t have the food dictate on how your day is spent.

 

[geminimagk]

I changed Sanaa to 2:25 on our AK day. Is lunch ok for that restaurant or is dinner preferred?

 

[dizneedoll]

I changed Sanaa to 2:25 on our AK day. Is lunch ok for that restaurant or is dinner preferred?

I think lunch is the better option since you will be able to see out the windows at the savannah. If its dark, you won't see anything.

 

[CynBeth]

Hi all. We are headed to WDW for our 1st trip in a couple weeks. We've been to DL several times but never WDW. My question is regarding sit down dinners. We are typically "Go go go" people who hustle from rope drop to park close with a few quick breaks in between. In DL we find the restaurants mediocre, so haven't really had a sit down dinner there except in Disney Springs. We are staying at Grand Floridian.

For our WDW trip, we will be there for 7 days. I know there are lots of must-try restaurants, so I'm trying to figure out how to balance that with our park time, which is our main goal. So far these are our park days and scheduled dinners. Just curious what you all think and what we should skip?

Sat MK day: 4:30 or 8:10 BOG
Sun (haven't decided which park yet, we were going to do a VIP tour but just decided to cancel): 8:35, Liberty Tree Tavern
Mon Epcot day: Teppan Edo at 4:40 or Skipper Canteen at 7:35 [But I'd like to see Harmonious and take advantage of late hours because we are deluxe resort guests so unsure if I should keep that one]
Tues AK day: 7:10 Citricos
Wed HS day: 5:20, Flying Fish
Thurs: Rest day, Christmas party at night. Lunch at Grand Floridian Cafe.
Fri HS day (but might change to MK if we do HS on the Sunday we have open): 5:00, Sanaa

What do you guys think? I don't need a sit-down dinner every night (or do I?)...what's worth keeping and what will cause us to run around too much? Thanks!

Sat - I would keep BOG and do the earlier time. The theming is amazing and we have always enjoyed the food.
Sun- We love LTT so would keep it if you are spending another day at MK but if not choose one in the park you will be.
Mon - I have never eaten at TE but instead of leaving the park would just eat at a restaurant in Epcot. Our favorites are Chefs de France, Coral Reef, Space220, Le Cellier, and Tutto Italia.
Tues- I would not leave AK for a lunch at Sanaa I would just eat at a CS or TS there. We usually do lunch at Rainforest Cafe and dinner at Boma at AKL.
Wed - I would just eat at a restaurant in HS. Our favorites are Hollywood Brown Derby and 50’s Prime Time Cafe.
Thursday - Have never eaten there.
Fri- Would just eat in HS. See the suggestions under Wed. If you choose MK would do either BOG, LTT, or Tony’s.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Hi … you are getting advice from guests that have been many times …. This is your first time and you need to experience dining at some of my favorite spots. Haha
You will be thankful to have a sit down option because during holiday week , every fast food has really long lines. And you will be exhausted and will need a place to know you will have a table to sit down and unwind . I can’t give you better advice for the holidays .
I always booked Liberty Tree Tavern and Plaza Inn at the MK .
Do not let them seat you at the Horseshoe when you arrive for Liberty Tree . That is not the Liberty Tree Tavern and that location is used because LTT is very popular. But it ruined my love for LTT with that “overflow”seating one holiday for my family.
The very first place to absolutely experience would be the Sci Fi Drive In Restaurant at Hollywood Studios. It is impossible to get a seat there but it is uniquely Disney and a must do every grandchild visit! Warning My 60 day window opens soon and I will be trying to book too ! Granted it is basically a hamburger place but hey it’s a drive in movie That’s what you’re supposed to eat and they have great onion rings and milkshakes !
I also love love love the Macadamia Nut Pancakes at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian lobby and hate hate hate the Tonga Toast…
Trust me .
Trader Sam’s will eat up the entire afternoon . If you have gone to TS at DL , you have experienced the better location.
If you get desperate, Starbucks is long lines but they have staffing and it offers a safe selection for quick food especially the big new location called Connections Cafe at the entrance to Epcot. It’s an experience and really am wowed by it.
The Creperie for Epcot is a nice place to be seated at the window but The crepes are different but love dining there because it does feel very Parisian. You might have to wait for the window seat but it’s worth it especially for first time visit.
Don’t forget to take the SkyLiner to the Riviera Resort to experience Walt Disney ‘s library and walk around . I love to sit at their poolside bar for a dining choice also.
I’ll be continuing this as I think more . I really want you to have a great trip.
Oh yeah I would keep the Beast Castle dining cause it is a experience for your first visit.I have been a few times and just wanted to see inside . But that is a lot of dining for MK… but it is a chance to get away from the crowds during the busy holiday week.
Yes I keep saying busy holidays … it will be packed.
Their is a nice restaurant outside of the Flight of Pandora at the AK offering a kinda quick service place to sit. I’ll have to look for the name . But the Yak & Yeti is great and sometimes I just ask for a seat at the Bar when I am by myself or with my 2 grandkids. But really need a sit down inside the AK cause it is a lot of walking. And crowds are bad .
(still working on creating your great trip.)

I hope you have the time to visit the resort lobbies for theming and the holiday decorations . They also offer some great dining selections . Do you want more advice? …
You have to take the monorail thru the Contemporary Resort too!
And the Wilderness Lodge is beautiful for the holidays.

I just remembered how much my family loves the Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot for the holiday tradition. It is definitely German food but we have To experience the atmosphere. And it is a must do for us just to hear Oh Tannebaum ( Christmas Tree song ) and dance or watch every child dance the Polka. It might be difficult to get a reservation with the Candlelight Processional but we will be there definitely.

 

[RoseGold]

That is quite helpful, thank you! I come from a very "foodie" city and not to sound like a snob, but I go to Disney for the rides and experiences, not the food. I know I can get amazing food in my city so unless something is an absolute must do, like you suggested BOG for the experience, I don't know about schlepping back and forth across parks and all that.

Yes, when you are from a place with excellent food, you have to take all the food reviews with a grain of salt. I do agree a lot of Disney food is OK, maybe even good. But if you live somewhere 18 Indian places deliver, Sanaa won't impress you. Even getting a bus to the nearby resort from the park is a slog and wastes expensive park time.

Mobile order at WDW is much improved. With the notable exception of MK (ugh), there are decent choices everywhere and it's so easy now to eat where you happen to be.

Don't skip Ronto Roasters in Star Wars. IMO, best meal in the park, and among the cheapest. And try to get into Oga's for the experience. Order both of the food items and a drink that smokes. That one can be done with the paid trackers.

 

[geminimagk]

OK so I didn't realize Sanaa was not inside Animal Kingdom. You're right, I don't know if we will want to physically leave the park for lunch and then come back.

Also we are Indian and have great Indian food nearby....is it still a must-do?

 

[RoseGold]

Also we are Indian and have great Indian food nearby....is it still a must-do?

If you were staying at AKL, sure. If you have a spare lunch with no tickets, it's fun. I wouldn't waste park time on it. You've had naan and a bunch of chutneys before and have seen a papadam.

This is a pretty big miss by the TA IMO. This is a huge waste of time in a tight schedule, and they should have known that.