We currently have these reservations planned, what am I missing?

[Imagineer76]

Hello! We can't make reservations until Monday, but here is what we have planned for the eight of us. Anything you would pass on or substitute?

Saturday 11/23 (arrival)
Dinner - Tony’s Town Square
Sunday 11/24
Breakfast - Chef Mickeys (Character Dining)
Lunch - Lacava del tequila
Dinner - Boathouse (Disney Springs)
Monday 11/25
Breakfast - Hotel (Copper Creek - Wilderness Lodge)
Lunch - Hollywood brown derby
Dinner - Citricos
Tuesday 11/26
Breakfast - Hotel
Lunch - Rainforest Cafe (Animal Kingdom)
Dinner Cosmic Ray’s (before MVMCP)
Wednesday 11/27
Breakfast - Hotel
Lunch - Le Cellier
Dinner - Victoria and Alberts
Thursday 11/28
Breakfast - Hotel
Lunch - Sci Fi Dine In
Dinner - California Grill
Friday 11/29 (departure)
Breakfast - Hotel

 

[thanxfornoticin]

You have some really nice options there. The only one we (personal preference) would switch is RainForest at AK - a couple lesser experiences there have us skipping it for many years. If at the AK, we'd much prefer Yak & Yeti for lunch - but perhaps those are not as interesting for your group. FYI - if you have a group of 8, sometimes you'll need 2 different people to book groups of 4 around the same time. At times, a table for 8 can be more challenging. But we've often had 2 parties of 4, and when we checked in and asked, they sat us together. Good luck with the ADRs!

 

[Mouse Tracker]

I'm guessing that you have 6 day park tickets with Hopper. Your "touring plan" seems to be focused on eating. Your list is a best case scenario, I would suggest having an alternative for each non resort reservation.

 

[MyNewDream012714]

Hello! We can't make reservations until Monday, but here is what we have planned for the eight of us. Anything you would pass on or substitute?

Saturday 11/23 (arrival)
Dinner - Tony’s Town Square
Sunday 11/24
Breakfast - Chef Mickeys (Character Dining)
Lunch - Lacava del tequila
Dinner - Boathouse (Disney Springs)
Monday 11/25
Breakfast - Hotel (Copper Creek - Wilderness Lodge)
Lunch - Hollywood brown derby
Dinner - Citricos
Tuesday 11/26
Breakfast - Hotel
Lunch - Rainforest Cafe (Animal Kingdom)
Dinner Cosmic Ray’s (before MVMCP)
Wednesday 11/27
Breakfast - Hotel
Lunch - Le Cellier
Dinner - Victoria and Alberts
Thursday 11/28
Breakfast - Hotel
Lunch - Sci Fi Dine In
Dinner - California Grill
Friday 11/29 (departure)
Breakfast - Hotel

Highly recommend either a snack or a very light lunch going into Victoria and Albert's for dinner. We did the regular 7 course meal last month and I think it ended up being closer to 10 courses for us when all was said and done. And while it was small portions, it definitely added up throughout the meal! We did a mid-morning brunch and then just snacks for lunch that afternoon and were absolutely stuffed by the end of V&A's.

If your group is willing to split into smaller parties especially, highly recommend Nomad's Lounge in AK. The mocktails/cocktails and appetizers were fantastic.

 

[R&RsMom]

For us that would be too much table service dining, if you plan on doing the rides and shows in the parks. We tend to limit to 1 table service a day. But I don’t know what your focus is or who is in your party.

 

[CynBeth]

I would switch Sci Fi for 50’s PTC. We found the food so much better there and the waiters and waitresses can be hilarious with their table manners schtick.

 

[Mousetopia]

LaCava is a bar not lunch. no reservations

 

[OhThePain]

IF your plan is to be focused on a lot of time eating and not a lot of time doing rides/attractions/shows AND you don't have little kids in your party AND you space out your meals (at least 8 hours in between those Signature meals especially), then maybe your plan could work.

Also, as previously mentioned, parties of 8 are not easy to book online. There will be a lot of unavailability or some restaurants only book parties that size at the very beginning of meal service or the very end of meal service. You might have better luck calling.

 

[erinch]

If it were us, we do not book dining in a park on arrival day unless driving and in control of delays. Not particularly a Tonys fan, but it’s fine.

Do you have littles along? If so, Chef Mickeys is chaotic but kids find it fun. I wouldn’t go for the food.

As pointed out, laCava is where you get your margarita and some guac. Seating for 8 can take awhile. Just outside you can get some pretty good Mexican street food and margaritas with less time taken up.

when our kids were little they HAD to go to rainforest cafe. There are so many better choices in AK. Since you are having an early dinner at Cosmic rays, if it were me, I’d do breakfast at Tusker House, see the characters, and stay faaaar away from chef mickeys.

On your California Grill day, that is a lot of food. My adult kids adore Sci Fi. Now that they are grown, my DH and I part ways and go to Brown Derby lounge for a drink and the Cobb salad or other light entree. Another lighter option is Docking Bay 7

When you say breakfast at hotel, for us that would mean breakfast in room

For other MK or near MK dining options, we really like Crystal Palace for a group, as everyone will find something. Steakhouse 71 has a great burger. Whispering Canyon is good for groups. We like Skippers Canteen as our other in MK dining option.

 

[bluezy]

Like others, my immediate thought was that the thing you're missing is time to enjoy the parks and rest. But if the focus of your trip is food, then you've made a decent plan (with the changes some others have mentioned). Definitely have a back-up plan for the more hard-to-get ADRs. Personally, I would never schedule that many TS meals at Disney. With your plan, I feel like we'd be spending most of our days getting to an ADR, waiting for our table, eating, and then going back to the hotel for a nap because we're stuffed. We have great restaurants at home that offer amazing options/menu at better prices (I know not everyone has that available at home so Disney is where they get to eat at those types of restaurants), so when we go to Disney, our focus is on rides and shows. Food is just a necessary element of the day and it doesn't matter what type of restaurant it comes from. We don't need to spend an hour or more at a meal 2 or 3 times a day (though if we need a break, we will linger at at QS table sometimes if there are plenty of empty tables for people to sit at.)

Good luck with getting all of your ADRs next week and I hope you have a great trip!

 

[Flagondry]

It looks like the bulk of your trip will be either traveling to get to restaurant or eating. If that’s the goal, then your choices are a lovely mix and variety.

 

[kwdw]

Is this a trip centered around eating? If yes, then best of luck getting these ADRs. If you have under 12 guests with you, this is too much table service dining and too much time moving around property to eat.

If you do manage to score a V&A reservation, I think it should be your only TS meal for the day. You don’t want to go full.

I did do a few trips with a lot of dining focus, so, if that’s your plan, sure. But, I’ve learned that if I have two TS meals in one day, it’s breakfast and dinner, not lunch and dinner.

 

[zackiedawg]

On your list of the nicer restaurants for dinners - I try to work in a Jiko dinner - having just dined there Saturday, it didn't disappoint - It's my favorite. I've only done V&A once - not because it's anything less than excellent, but because I rarely bring nicer clothes with me to Disney. Cali Grill has always been good, though the last couple times I've found it fell down a bit and I preferred when it was a la carte vs prix-fixe. Boathouse I have been to a few times, but I'm not a seafood eater, so the menu is more restrictive for me there making it not necessarily my favorite.

I probably wouldn't do a Tony's Town Square myself - out of a dozen or so meals there over the years, most have been at best average and at worst pretty bad - though ONE visit about 6-7 years ago there was a brief menu change and it was surprisingly good - by the time I went back 6 months later, the menu changed again and it was not so good. I'd probably look to head out of the park for dinner at Steakhouse 71...if I couldn't leave the park, I'd likely to Liberty Tree Tavern as there's at least a good chance one of the meats will be good that night and it's all you care to eat...or Crystal Palace as the buffet has the same advantage - something will probably be pretty decent and you can get as much as you want.

 

[dez1978]

We will be there those same days, also with 8 of us!

 

[Imagineer76]

Highly recommend either a snack or a very light lunch going into Victoria and Albert's for dinner. We did the regular 7 course meal last month and I think it ended up being closer to 10 courses for us when all was said and done. And while it was small portions, it definitely added up throughout the meal! We did a mid-morning brunch and then just snacks for lunch that afternoon and were absolutely stuffed by the end of V&A's.

If your group is willing to split into smaller parties especially, highly recommend Nomad's Lounge in AK. The mocktails/cocktails and appetizers were fantastic.

Thanks so much, this is extremely helpful!

 

[Imagineer76]

You have some really nice options there. The only one we (personal preference) would switch is RainForest at AK - a couple lesser experiences there have us skipping it for many years. If at the AK, we'd much prefer Yak & Yeti for lunch - but perhaps those are not as interesting for your group. FYI - if you have a group of 8, sometimes you'll need 2 different people to book groups of 4 around the same time. At times, a table for 8 can be more challenging. But we've often had 2 parties of 4, and when we checked in and asked, they sat us together. Good luck with the ADRs!

Yak and Yeti it is! Thanks, trying new restaurants is our top goal and personally, I hate RC, the service has been spotty at best... The kids love the atmosphere but they are getting older now and added it to the list on memories alone!

 

[Imagineer76]

It looks like the bulk of your trip will be either traveling to get to restaurant or eating. If that’s the goal, then your choices are a lovely mix and variety.

Yeah, we are prepared for the travel between restaurants, but have also booked at the parks we will be venturing to each day. This will be our 25th trip and the adults really want to eat well while park jumping for the 6 days now that the kids are old enough to (kind of) enjoy the restaurants too.

 

[Imagineer76]

We will be there those same days, also with 8 of us!

Awesome! Have a great trip. This is our first time for Thanksgiving so we are prepared for it to be super busy. Are you going to pre plan your Fast Passes (or whatever they are being called these days) the week before going?

 

[Imagineer76]

On your list of the nicer restaurants for dinners - I try to work in a Jiko dinner - having just dined there Saturday, it didn't disappoint - It's my favorite. I've only done V&A once - not because it's anything less than excellent, but because I rarely bring nicer clothes with me to Disney. Cali Grill has always been good, though the last couple times I've found it fell down a bit and I preferred when it was a la carte vs prix-fixe. Boathouse I have been to a few times, but I'm not a seafood eater, so the menu is more restrictive for me there making it not necessarily my favorite.

I probably wouldn't do a Tony's Town Square myself - out of a dozen or so meals there over the years, most have been at best average and at worst pretty bad - though ONE visit about 6-7 years ago there was a brief menu change and it was surprisingly good - by the time I went back 6 months later, the menu changed again and it was not so good. I'd probably look to head out of the park for dinner at Steakhouse 71...if I couldn't leave the park, I'd likely to Liberty Tree Tavern as there's at least a good chance one of the meats will be good that night and it's all you care to eat...or Crystal Palace as the buffet has the same advantage - something will probably be pretty decent and you can get as much as you want.

Thanks so much for the great info. Tonys is on the list strictly for nostalgia - it was my son's first sit down dinner at the parks and it is always on the list. I always leave there feeling meh

On your list of the nicer restaurants for dinners - I try to work in a Jiko dinner - having just dined there Saturday, it didn't disappoint - It's my favorite. I've only done V&A once - not because it's anything less than excellent, but because I rarely bring nicer clothes with me to Disney. Cali Grill has always been good, though the last couple times I've found it fell down a bit and I preferred when it was a la carte vs prix-fixe. Boathouse I have been to a few times, but I'm not a seafood eater, so the menu is more restrictive for me there making it not necessarily my favorite.

I probably wouldn't do a Tony's Town Square myself - out of a dozen or so meals there over the years, most have been at best average and at worst pretty bad - though ONE visit about 6-7 years ago there was a brief menu change and it was surprisingly good - by the time I went back 6 months later, the menu changed again and it was not so good. I'd probably look to head out of the park for dinner at Steakhouse 71...if I couldn't leave the park, I'd likely to Liberty Tree Tavern as there's at least a good chance one of the meats will be good that night and it's all you care to eat...or Crystal Palace as the buffet has the same advantage - something will probably be pretty decent and you can get as much as you want.

Is this a trip centered around eating? If yes, then best of luck getting these ADRs. If you have under 12 guests with you, this is too much table service dining and too much time moving around property to eat.

If you do manage to score a V&A reservation, I think it should be your only TS meal for the day. You don’t want to go full.

I did do a few trips with a lot of dining focus, so, if that’s your plan, sure. But, I’ve learned that if I have two TS meals in one day, it’s breakfast and dinner, not lunch and dinner.

Thanks! Really appreciate your input on V&A. This will be our first meal there as a whole family now that the kids are old enough! Very excited for this meal.

 

[Imagineer76]

LaCava is a bar not lunch. no reservations

Liquid lunch it is! The tequila selection there is too great to pass up. We will plan to get lots of snacks throughout World Showcase as we make our way through the park. Thank you!