Three little kids and dining ideas

[sara74]

We are making our second Disney trip as a family in May 2008. The kids will be 6, almost 4 and 18 months old. Here's what I am thinking about so far for dining.

Arrival day - Chef Mickey's

Day 2 - ???

Day 3 - Yak and Yeti

Day 4 - Little Einsteins meal at MGM (thinking a late lunch)

Day 5 - Coral Reef

Day 6 - Akershus for the princess dinner (after BBB for all the kids)

Day 7 - ???

Day 8 - Le Cellier

Day 9 - ???

Day 10 head home again at end of day.


I am thinking that we will do the dining plan even with the changes as it will keep DH from getting heartburn every time he reaches for the wallet at the end of the meal. So we will have credits and if anyone can convince me that we should go to a show or signature meal then I will make it work. We did California Grill on our last trip and the kids slept through the meal in a stroller next to the table!

I would love to do the Poly's show but I wonder if it would be too much for the 18 month old. And Fantasmic is OUT for us at this time. DS3 is very sound sensitive and he and DD are both very nervous and uncertain about villains. I figure that since we plan to be back again in 2 years they will have a chance to see it then (or if it isn't going still then they will be none the wiser anyway)


So, help me out here! Suggest something, give me your favorites, esp ones good for the kiddos with good foods for the grownups!

 

[septbaby]

Character meal:
1900 Park Fare, Cinderella at dinner, Mary Poppins/Alice/Mad Hatter at breakfast

Boma at AKL - Great meal for you, good kids items and the lodge itself is awesome, including the animal viewing areas; we did this meal at the end of our AK day, worked out great, we'll be back

Ft Wilderness Campground: Trails End buffet
- dinner before the campfire/movie (Chip and Dale are there) OR
- lunch before/after pony rides at the campground
can't vouch for the quality of the food, a basic American assortment

Our 6yo liked Fantasmic when it was over, but would only sit on my lap and gave me very clear "direction" to "hold me tight" during some scary moments. The same could be said for the 3D shows. We did Philharmagic and he leapt onto grandma's lap and stayed there the whole time. We didn't bother with anymore 3D shows. We'll probably wait until he asks to go back to one. He also isn't too fond of the noise associated with the fireworks. The first night with Wishes grandma ducked into a restroom to give him break. Later in the week he asked to go back to see Tinkerbell fly over the castle, he lasted through the entire show. Nice to see them develop before you eyes!

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

The character breakfast at Cape May is fab, Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale. The foods good and the character interaction was great. We booked it last min. 'cos we couldn't get Chef Mickeys and absolutely loved it.

 

[laughinplace199]

My kids will be 8, 6, and 18 mos when we go in April. Here are some of our favorites:

Crystal Palace for breakfast.

Jiko or Boma for dinner. Jiko is our favorite restaurant (even the kids love it). We've never tried Boma, but we're trying it in April. AKL is a great place to explore before or after dinner. They have storytelling outside around the fire pit in the evening and you can see a lot of animals from the viewing areas. Also, there is a lot of beautiful art in the lobby.

Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner.

Spoodles for dinner. It's fun to roam the BW area before or after dinner.

Have a great trip!

 

[DCDisney]

Yak and Yeti quite possibly won't be on the DDP. Perhaps Tusker House instead on AK day? We also love the Crystal Palace breakfast. How about the Garden Grill character meal on an Epcot day? My kids favorite was Sci Fi. It was a very neat looking place and the food while basic stuff was good.

Yvonne

 

[dsnymomof4]

I second the Cape May Cafe for breakfast - it is our favorite character breakfast! Also, my kids love the Sci-Fi - we've eaten there for lunch twice and the food was really good. The kids love sitting in the cars! We also enjoy LTT for dinner.

 

[missminniemouse]

My kids, DD12 and DS8, have always enjoyed the Sci Fi. They love to sit in the cars and think it's particularly cool when they get to sit in the front (the drivers seat.) Some of the CM's will make a big deal out of it and give them a drivers license at the end of the meal. Plus, they find the movies pretty funny to watch as well.

The Biergarten is another favorite for our kids. If your kids like dancing around, they will have that opportunity at this restaurant. They have a dance floor where anyone can join in the action.

Our kids have never been much into character meals, but did enjoyed the ones at Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace when they were younger. Now we tend to skip them.

Before they changed it, my kids used to like the Italian restaurant (Alfredo's), but from what I've read the changes they made will probably make it a no go for us in the future.

Someone else suggested Boma. My DD loves it there. It was her one request of a place to return to on our trip this coming January. Plus it's fun to see the hotel and it's own savannah. We're lucky enough to be staying at AKL for 5 nights in January (with a savannah view room), and our children are delighted.

Coral Reef is a great choice. Everyone (myself included) loves looking into the fish tank. They even give you a fish spotting guide so you can identify some of the fish when you see them.

LeCellier may be a bit much for kids. My kids have been there several times and not been terribly impressed. My biggest problem with this restaurant is the horribly long wait times we have encountered, even with an ADR. That could be a problem for your kids as well. The food is great, but not worth the wait with children.

Hope this helps some.

 

[bzzymom]

When we plan a trip, we use this plan. There are 4 of us DH, me, DS and DD. First of all, we have one absolute must eat at restaurant which is Teppanyaki (now Teppan Edo) then we each pick a restaurant, For example, our last trip last year: DH chose LeCellier, I chose Kona Cafe, DS (9 at the time) chose Tony's, and DD (then 2) chose playhouse disney. Then we wanted to try restaurants we had never been to before, so we chose Mama Melrose and Raglan Road.

Le Cellier was a very nice place to eat, but we did it on our last night there and the kids weren't as well behaved there as they were at the other restaurants. Next time we go, we will go there earlier in the week if possible.

On previous trips we have found that WCC and Ohana are fun places to eat with kids. DS likes them more than sci-fi and prime-time cafe. We have eaten at Boma for breakfast and loved it. Fir signature dining with a family, we had a good time at Jiko. I met my friend there who now lives in Florida with her DH and DS who is DS's age. DD was only 11 months when we ate there, and we asked for a side of mashed potatoes for her and my pork tenderloin was so tender she could eat it. DS was 7 and he had a sanwich and the bread was colored, blue and red I think. He thought it was really cool. The lighting at Jiko was cool too, the walls appear to change colors. I would recommend this to anyone with kids who want to take them to a sig level restaurant.

I have taken DS to Yachtsman's Steakhouse when he was 4. He behaved well, but barely ate anything until he saw the dessert tray and then he had to have a decorate your own dessert thing. I love the steak there, but I felt out of place there with a child.

I hope this helps, have fun planning!

 

[spooky1]

Our 3 are pretty much the same age as yours - as one might expect they enjoy the character dining experiences the most ...

They really liked Chef Mickeys - they come home twirling their napkins for months after a visit.

Try the Garden Grill - its in "The Land" ... the place spins as you eat; the kids liked that and the characters!

1900 Park Fare over at the Grand Floridian - more character dining.

If you want another breakfast try Donald's Breakfastosaurus - its a great way to start of the morning right. I didnt care for the food as much as the other places, but the kids loved it - make sure you ask for catsup. LOL!

 

[.:Disney.:.Freak:.]

here are some ideas:

* Crystal Palace
* Boma's
* Cap'n Jacks
* Concord Steak House
* California Grill
* Boatwright's
* Cinderella's Royal Table


Hope one of these ideas help you out on making a decision!

 

[Kimmy]

My kids, my husband, and myself love O'Hanas. They have coconut races, sing songs, and do the hula dance. Lots of fun and great food. Crystal Palace is fun for kids too. For a show (using 2 credits), I recommend Hoop Dee Doo Revue. Fantastic show and great food. Kids love it.

 

[Treacle44]

Crystal Palace is a must do with little ones, we are doing Breakfast, lunch and dinner there!

'Ohana's

Cape May for breakfast.

x

 

[Mkrop]

Not on you list that we like was Crystal Palace, we did lunch and the food was really good, DH was very impressed with their salmon.

Garden Grill at Epcot

SciFi st MGM

 

[sara74]

Thanks for all the responses so far!!!

I should have listed where we ate at the last time - there are a few reasons why we are/aren't planning on some of these places.

WCC - we ate there two times on our last trip. It was great but we are ready to try a different place this time.

Boma - ate there too and it was ok for us but we weren't blown away so we'll try someplace new this time.

California Grill - Had a GREAT meal there last time! Would love to go back again, but would like to try someplace else this time too.

Teppan Edo - recently took the kids to a local restaurant like this and the older two kids were reduced to tears by the flames and the cooking. This place won't be on the list until they are MUCH older!!!

Crystal palace - I would love to put it on the list as we had a great lunch there last time but DH is less excited than I am about it. I may have to twist his arm a little on this one!!!

Ok, off to research menus for a few more choices! I wil check back again for more suggestions!

Thanks!