What do you think of the following restaurants.. our 1st trip to WDW!!

[mcasciano]

Hi Everyone..
we are going to WDW for the 1st time Dec 8th- for 7 days!! My husband and I are traveling with our 2 children - daugher 4 & son 7 - after reading this board for the last few weeks decided on AKL. Also came up with the following restaurants to try.. all you experts out there please give me your advice on what you think- by the way , my kids love all different types of food. thanks ahead of time for all your imput- this board is great!

*Boma- breakfast and dinner since we are staying at AKL
*Jiko - maybe??
*Ohana- dinner
*Chef Mickeys- breakfast
*Sci- Fi- late lunch the day we spend at MGM
*either Marrakesh, San Angel or teppanyaki ( will probably eat
dinner once- would like to do the Candlelight Procession and once for lunch)
*Cinderella's Royal Table - if i get lucky - for breakfast- if not what other Character meal would you choose??
* Hoop dee doo review

any other imput is greatly appreciated.
we want to also go to Mickey's Christmas Party one night.

 

[MikeWazowski]

Sound's Great!!!

But, if your anything like my family you will probably alter that list a few hundred time's before going. Don't forget to post reviews after your trip.

 

[CamColt]

Welcome to the Dis, Mcasciano! Looks like some good choices there.
We have gone to Chef Mickeys breakfast in 98, 00, and 01 and really enjoyed it all times. Be sure to try the breakfast pizza...its delicious!
We were lucky enough to get Cinderellas breakfast for last summer and we really enjoyed this meal too. DH wasnt overly impressed by the food(and I hear a lot of people with this reaction)but I on the other hand would love to go back just for the food. The potatoes and cheese filled french toast were both very different items from what you would usually get, but I thought they were wonderful. And eating in the castle is such an experience in itself. Good luck getting PS here!
The Hoop De Doo, is a great time. We saw it in 2000 and then decided to go back again last summer. At first I was reluctant because we had such short hours while we were there, I didnt want to waste precious park time. After the show I thought how glad I was that we did it. The show is absolutely hysterical and the food is great if you like that sort of thing(which I do). It does seem like a lot of money but when you factor in all you can eat, all you drink, and the show, its really not bad at all.

As for your other choices, I havent been to them however due to raving reviews on these boards we do hope to try Boma breakfast and Ohana dinner on our December trip. The majority of people seem to love those places.
Enjoy your trip!

 

[kayeandjim00]

Hi mcasciano and welcome to the DIS boards you have definitely come to the right place for info! Unfortunately I have only eaten at one of the restaurants on your list - Chef Mickey's and it was for dinner so I can't help with the food for breakfast but can tell you it was a fun place and that the character interation was good and that your kids will probably love it! I have heard mixed things about the Sci-Fi Diner, it was on our list this year but we changed our mind. Have read though that their milk shakes are good and that there are glow in the dark ice cubes for the kids which they would probably really enjoy. If you can't get CRT I would suggest Crystal Palace for breakfast. It's a Winnie the Pooh and Friends character meal and we go every year. The food is fabulous and the restaurant is so beautiful. We always find it a relaxing way to start the day at the MK. Casey's Corner at MK is good for a quick lunch or dinner. If you make it to Downtown Disney I would suggest House of Blues it's another great restaurant. Many of the restaurants you mentioned are on our list of things to try but we haven't gotten to them yet! I don't know if you have checked out this site already but http://www.wdwig.com has a comprehensive list of menus which also might help you both with the types of food available and how much to expect to spend. Hope you have a great time!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Jiko is one of our favorite restaurants at WDW. We try to eat here on every visit. On our last visit this past December we had the Beef Tenderloin w/ Macroni & Cheese and Pork Tenderloin dinners. The Macroni & Cheese was the best we had ever had. If you go try to get there early so you can walk around and see the animals and the beautiful grounds.

Cinderella's Royal Table is just great for young kids, we did it years ago and our kids loved it. If you can't get into CRT try the Princess breakfast in Norway at Epcot.

I think your kids and yourself would really love 50's Primetime Cafe at MGM. It is really a one of a kind place to eat with your family, your kids will love it. The meatloaf and pot roast dinners are really good.

 

[susy]

Good choices. AKL is wonderful!!!! Jiko and Boma are both worth doing! Ohana is awesome! Cinderella's is great!!!! If you don't get it, ask for Crystal Palace. They have Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore. The food is fantastic (great for lunch and dinner, too!) and the restaurant is so beautiful. Have you found these great websites??? mousesavers.com and wdwig.com? You should be able to get a great rate at AKL for that time (even if you are already booked). You are going at a nice time. Low crowds, great weather, holiday decorations ... have fun!!! by the way, AKL has great transportation!

 

[eeyore0062]

*Boma- breakfast and dinner since we are staying at AKL--
Of Boma and Jiko with kids, I would go to Boma... more selection and a more favorable atmosphere for kids. We enjoyed dinner there and have heard that breakfast is wonderful!]/I]
*Jiko - maybe??--see above. They do have the kids club called Simba's club, which you may want to try while you dine at Jiko
*Ohana- dinner-- definitely a must!!! The food is delicious and the kids love the coconut races. It is not overly loud, though and if you are lucky, you will get a window seat and can see the Magic Kingdom while you eat!
*Chef Mickeys- breakfast-- the kids will love it, but you might want to take your earplugs and it can get rather loud.;
*Sci- Fi- late lunch the day we spend at MGM--- I would suggest only desserts. the food is So-So, especially for the price you will pay for it
*either Marrakesh, San Angel or teppanyaki ( will probably eat
dinner once- would like to do the Candlelight Procession and once for lunch)--- of the 3, I think you and your kids would enjoy Tepanyaki more than the other 2, although San Angel Inn would get my vote for ambiance!
*Cinderella's Royal Table - if i get lucky - for breakfast- if not what other Character meal would you choose??--- When we were unable to get PS for Cindy's, we choose 1900 Park Faire at the Grand Floridian, and were EXTREMELY happy with it. The food was the best of any breakfast on property, the service was top notch and the characters were terrific. We saw Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins and Bert, Pooh and Tigger. Eeyore and the Mad Hatter have also been known to make appearances as well!
* Hoop dee doo review--- I think you would enjoy this! We haven't had the opportunity, but everyone that has has really raved about it!

 

[susy]

Do not skip JIKO , it was the BEST! A must do when you stay at AKL.

 

[princessariel]

Your restaurant pics look good to me.

We have enjoyed both breakfast and dinner at Boma. We loved them both. Ohana is a great choice too. Everytime we have gone there we have enjoyed it. Personally I would opt for 50's Primetime rather than Sci-Fi in MGM. But the kids will like Sci-Fi I'm sure.

 

[Keeter]

I would definitely keep Sci-Fi. You and your kids will love it. I've never seen anything like it.

As far as MK goes, I would highly recommend the Liberty Tree Tavern. It's decorated in early American Colonial style (fire places, heavy beams, lots of wood). The food is brought to your table in big bowls and you serve yourself. It you run out, they will bring you a new serving bowl full. The food is really top quality, roast turkey and beef, mashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls, macaroni and cheese. It's my favorite.

Epcot....Le Cellier in Canada can't be beat. They have maple creme brule that is wonderful!

In my opinion, Disney has really made strides toward tastier food. In the early days, it really left something to be desired.

 

[mcasciano]

Thanks for all the great responses!!
I am having so much fun researching/planning for this trip!!

 

[Richyams]

* Hoop dee doo review

Hoop Dee Doo has to go first. If you have never been or if members of your party have never been, its about the greatest Disney experience there is. Its a hoot and the food is great.

*Boma- breakfast and dinner since we are staying at AKL
*Jiko - maybe??

Both are fantastic. I wouldn't worry about the kids, although a sitter for one night or story telling hour or something that would let you lose them for a bit would be OK too. Definitely hit Boma for at least one breakfast, its about the best breakfast buffet on property. All the meals are filed with variety and great stuff.

*Ohana- dinner

We had fun at Ohana, I have always meant to get there and finally did during our last stay. We stayed at the Poly for the first time our last trip and finally got to eat there. I couldn't believe it, walking through that lobby, I realized that in all the time I have been going to Disney, the only other time I even walked through there was for the Luau that we went to six or eight years ago. This is a fun and pretty place just to walk through, the excuse of eating at Ohana's makes it even better.

*Chef Mickeys- breakfast

Never done it, have heard mixed reviews.

*Sci- Fi- late lunch the day we spend at MGM

This is barely decent food and a fun atmosphere, we prefer the Prime Time Cafe when in MGM.

*either Marrakesh, San Angel or teppanyaki ( will probably eat
dinner once- would like to do the Candlelight Procession and once for lunch)

I may not hold the prevailing opinion, but San Angel would be my top choice. Teppanyaki is good, but its the same as any Benihana or any other Japanese place that cooks at your table. Not really a unique experience. I like Marrakesh, but I love San Angel.

*Cinderella's Royal Table - if i get lucky - for breakfast- if not what other Character meal would you choose??

The experience of eating in the castle is nice, I thought the breakfast was one of the worst breakfasts I ever had in WDW. It was pre-plated, cold and nasty, sure you could get more, but I had no desire.

1900 Park Faire or The Crystal Palace both have buffets and a far better dining experience....its tough to pick a favorite of these two, we hit each at least once each trip.

 

[phyllis1966]

Congratulations on planning your 1st trip to WDW! You and your kids are going to love it, I'm sure.

Of all the places on your list, which looks great, by the way, I've only eaten at Marrakesh and San Angel Inn (so far!). They were both great with wonderful atmosphere and food. Plenty for kids to choose from, especially if they will try new foods!

Have a great time!

 

[mommystieg]

If you don't get CRT and want breakfast at MK then you absolutely must go to CP! We have eaten breakfast and lunch here and loved it both times(we even had the same CM-Karen-2 years in a row). I have also seen a lot of mixed reviews on Sci-Fi so we opted for 50's PTC and LOVED it!! The food was very good and cousin Christopher was a riot!!! We also tried 'Ohana for the first time this visit and enjoyed it very much. The coconut races are hilarious Last year we ate it San Angel, Chef Mickey(dinner, though) and HDDR and liked them all. We would have done HDDR this visit but it wouldn't fit into the budget All your choices are great--ya'll are going to have a blast

 

[vgaskin]

*Ohana- dinner
Definately, we loved it. My kids were too picky so they kindly brought them normal kids meals.

*Cinderella's Royal Table - if i get lucky - for breakfast- if not what other Character meal would you choose??

We did CRT and the Storybook princess breakfast at the Norway castle in Epcot. We liked both but got more princess time and liked the food better at epcot. It is also alot easier to get into. If you can't get into Cindy's, go ahead and book the epcot breakfast.

* Hoop dee doo review
This is a must do atleast once.

Tiffany

 

[blanq]

How exciting to be planning your first trip! We have been to WDW a couple of times at the beginning of Dec and have found it is a great time to go. I have been to all of the restaurants on your list, with the exception of the EPCOT ones, and we have done CRT but not for breakfast (we have eaten here for both lunch and dinner before).

We went to WDW this past May, and like you, we stayed at AKL. We did Boma for breakfast and dinner, and we did Jiko for dinner...so our dining plans here were what you are proposing. I personally think that Boma has the best breakfast on property. I would not hesitate to eat both breakfast and dinner here, because the foods are different. Also, I would not miss Jiko! That restaurant is awesome. We did not bring our DS (9) with us that night as he preferred to watch cartoons in the room, but if he had come with us he would have loved it. Yes, this is an upscale restaurant, but you will see kids here...they have a great kids menu!

As far as CRT goes, if you can't get it for breakfast consider it for lunch or dinner. It's fun to dine here, even if you can't get the character interaction. And, Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother do have meet and greet time throughout the day in the lower part of the castle (where you wait to be brought up for your meal). I, for the most part, think that breaakfast is standard fare almost everywhere in WDW (Boma being the exception), and we normally don't plunk our money down for the character breakfasts. You already have Chef Mickey's planned for breakfast anyway. If you really want another character dining experience for your trip, I would recommend CP, for lunch or dinner; or LTT, for dinner.

Have a great time!

 

[wdwobsessed]

Hi ... I'm so excited for you! You are gonna have so much fun!!! Anyway ... here is my input on your choices .. but remember that everyone likes different things. I have a soon to be 4yr old and a 7 year old .. both boys

*Boma- We did not like. Sorry, most people do. One of my Boma hater pals from another board reffered to the food tasting like "A giant can of cinnamon exploded in the kitchen" ... I thought he hit the nail right on the head. We just did not enjoy the sweet, cinnamon and coffe flavors.

Jiko - never eaten here. I have heard that it can be a "slow" dinner though so wouldn't take my roughians there

*Ohana- never eaten here but it's on my list. I have heard almost all good things about this one.

*Chef Mickeys- We did dinner here our first night and it was a blast! I'd like to try breakfast here. They have Mickey waffles!!

*Sci- Fi- This place gets a bad rap. You have to look at it as a burger joint. Our burgers and fries were good. Shakes are YUMMY. It is a tad expensive for what you get though. Order burgers Med well so they are not dry. Keep it simple.

*either Marrakesh, San Angel or teppanyaki - Never done Marrakesh but it's on my list, gets good reviews. San Angel gets bad reviews .. Teppanyaki is one of my new favorites and hubbys too. He is hard to please and made a special request to go back there! Yummy.

Cinderella's Royal Table - I don't have girls so the princess thing is not a factor for me. Never been. Heard food is mediocre. I'm sure if I had a little princess I'd want to take here there!!

What other character meal? We LOVED 1900 Park Fare for dinner. Characters were outstanding. We also like Crystal Palace for the breakfast food and because I love pooh. Though, characters are a little rushed at Breakfast.

* Hoop dee doo review - Slap your knee funny and fried chicken .. what else do you need? LOL It's corny .. but we like it.

Any other imput is greatly appreciated .......

Try something that you can't get at home. A themed restaurant or food from an exotic land


Have fun!

wdwo

 

[MrShiny]

*Boma- breakfast and dinner since we are staying at AKL
Great! We've done both and thoughly enjoyed them.

*Ohana- dinner
Let's see, we went there in Sept. of '96 and have been back every trip since (see my sig!). Love it love it. You don't eat until you are full, you eat until you are tired. I have it on good word they will whip up a nice pasta dish for vegetarians too.

*Chef Mickeys- breakfast
Pretty good and you can't beat the characters. Dinner is very good for a buffet as well.

*Sci- Fi- late lunch the day we spend at MGM
The atmosphere is great, but the food is so-so. Defintely do it, but maybe have a fast food lunch earlier and do appetizers/desserts there.

*either Marrakesh, San Angel or teppanyaki Haven't done San Angel. Marrakesh and Teppanyaki are good entertainment, but I'd lean towards Teppanyaki for better food. I liked the food at the Tangerine Cafe better than Marrakesh.

*Cinderella's Royal Table - if i get lucky - for breakfast- if not what other Character meal would you choose??

Get a ps for the storybook breakfast in Norway (books 120 days out) - thatway you have a fall back if you don't get lucky. The food is OK at Cindy's, but I found the Cyrstal Palace a bit better. They both have amazing chocolate muffins that we were jonesing for the whole trip afterwards.

Other suggestions:
California Grill - great food, amazing view, very expensive but worth it.

Whispering Canyon - pretty good BBQ, fun entertainment. Great break from the MK and a great Christmas Tree.

Cape May - seafood and lots of it.

Beaches & Cream - the Kitchen Sink

50's Prime Time - best fried chicken in the world

Victoria and Alberts - an amazing 3 hour+ eating experience for grownups. You'll want to take a picture of each dish before you eat it. Also an amazing Christmas tree in the lobby.

 

[K P & J's Grandma]

You are going at a 'great' time of year!! The Christmas decorations are wonderful. Your kids are a good age - they will LOVE it!! I would definately go to the Hoop Dee Doo -- get your reservations in now!!! Donald's Breakfastsasurus at the Animal Kingdom has been a favorite of ours. Another good breakfast is at the Polynesian -- it is served 'family style' - they have a 'march' with the characters there also - FUN!! As for the Sci-Fi, we have eaten there once - was not impressed -- we enjoy Prime Time much better -- I think that you would all get a laugh with all of the fun stuff that the 'wait staff' does!!! If you can't get a reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table at breakfast -- I would try to eat there for lunch -- just being in the Castle is fun!! Have a good time planning your vacation - just remember that you will never see 'everything' on your first trip, take your time - relax & enjoy the sights & sound. Save some of the Magic for a 'return' visit.