Which of These Would You Recommend?

becka

<font color=green>Proud Mommy of sweet Nathan and
Joined
Aug 17, 1999
Messages
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We will be traveling with our 18 mo. DS in late November/early December and while it is early I am trying to get some ideas about where we would like to eat. DH and I are 4-time veterans of WDW but eating at WDW with a toddler is sure to be a different experience. We are most likely staying at the Poly so I tried to pick resort restaurants that are pretty easy to get to by monorail, etc. and tried to pick places that might have a good atmosphere for a toddler.

Which places would you recommend for us?

1900 Park Fare
Chef Mickey's
Coral Reef
Crystal Palace
ESPN Club
Garden Grill
Kona Cafe
Le Cellier
'Ohana
Planet Hollywood
Rainforest Cafe
Marrakesh
Whispering Canyon Cafe
 
Definitely Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's for breakfast (our 2 favorite meals at WDW) andRainforest Cafe is great!!
 
An 18 month old can be difficult. These are things I'd consider before making any PS's. First off, the HUGE characters might scare him. MY DD was terrified of all the characters at that age, but my DS LOVED them. So, if you plan a lot of character meals and your DS is freaked out by the larger than life Mickey, you might have to adjust. I'd also stay away from Rainforest Cafe. They do that tropical rain thing often and the thunder and dark decor might scare him. Any of the all-you-can eat places are a bargain, since your DS will eat for free. If your child is used to eating out, then try any restaurant, but if not, I'd stay away from a lot of sitdowns that seems to take longer than an hour. Le Cellier and Coral Reef are ones I'd put on that list, the waits at Le Cellier are even long with a PS. Kona is probably one of my favorite restaurants in WDW and they have GREAT food. They're also pretty efficient in getting the food out and getting you out quickly.
 
definately the coral reef. ask to wait for a tank side table.

as a parent, Id skip planey hollywood as a general rule with kids. we went once with our son and they showed gorey horror films the entire time we were eating.

rainfirest cafe can be scary for tots. thunder and lightening go off every 20 minutes.

two thumbs way up for whispering canyons breakfast.
 

Another vote for Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace:D
 

Which places would you recommend for us?


1900 Park Fare - probably a good choice
Chef Mickey's - definitely
Coral Reef - AVOID! expensive and don't think much of their menu
Crystal Palace - good choice!
ESPN Club - no opinion on this one, but probably too loud for a toddler
Garden Grill - definitely do!
Kona Cafe - very good!
Le Cellier - would skip with a toddler
'Ohana - eat here!
Planet Hollywood - another one I think might be too loud.
Rainforest Cafe - skip it if you have been.
Marrakesh - very enjoyable meal - up in the air if I'd take a toddler.
Whispering Canyon Cafe - no opinion on this one
 
1900 Park Fare
definitely great for breakfast! The food is so delicious and the characters are fantastic. You will really enjoy Alice in Wonderland... she is great, and of course the little one will like the Pooh characters. Mary Poppins is great, too. Sometimes Bert or the Mad Hatter are there as well! It is our favorite place for breakfast!!!

Chef Mickey's
We weren't overly impressed with the buffet, it was loud (couldn't help that... it is an open restaurant on the main concourse at the Contemporary). The characters were OK, but interaction was not as great as I had hoped.

Coral Reef
The little one will love watching the fish while you eat. We think that for the quality and quantity it is a bit pricey, however.

Crystal Palace
We have found that the character interaction is very rushed, and not all characters make it to the tables. The food is OK. Since you are considering 1900 Park Faire and they have added the Pooh characters to the breakfast, I would stick with that.

ESPN Club
If you like Bar Food, it is ok. It is a sports bar, there is little else I can say to describe it. They do have a smoking and non smoking section, it is rather loud, though!

Garden Grill
We liked this meal. It is served family style, and is all you can eat. The characters are good, and it is quieter than most of the character meals. Also, it is really cool to have the dining room slowly revolve as you eat. Ask for a lower level table, so you can see the "Living with the Land" ride.

Kona Cafe
This will be a good meal, no matter what time you go. It is a family atmosphere, with ala carte table service that is great and some of the best desserts you have ever tasted. Particularly the Banana Caramel Creme Brulee... YUMM!!!!! I don't know that it would exciting for your toddler.

Le Cellier
My DH and I love this restaurant. It is located in a converted wine cellar, has a romantic type atmosphere, but is also condusive to family dining. The food and service were great!

Awesome! We love the dinner here! The all you can eat skewered meats, the appetizers, and the pineapple with caramel sauce... all very good. Our service was really good the last time we went. Try to get an early PS, though, as it gets packed the later you wait. Your child will probably be too young to participate in the kids activities, though.

Planet Hollywood
We enjoy going to Planet Hollywood, but only when it 1st opens or around 3 to 4 pm. Otherwise it is packed with long waits. The music does tend to be loud, so if your child is sensitive to loud noises, it may not be the place for you at this time. We did find the food and service to be good, and thought that the fajitas to be a great value!

Rainforest Cafe
For the money, I don't think it is worth it. The servings are small, the service is slow and for very young kids, it can be very scary. I wouldn't recommend it this trip. Once your child is older, he may really enjoy it, though.

Marrakesh
The type of food doesn't appeal to me, but if you like Morroccan food, I think you would like it. They have the bellydancers which your child may find entertaining while you eat.

Whispering Canyon Cafe
This is probably our least favorite restaurant on property. We didn't find the food at dinner to be very good, and it was unbearably LOUD! Since your child is not old enough to take part in the kid's activities--- running through the restaurant on a stick pony, etc--- I feel this is a choice better left for later when your child can actually participate and enjoy it. The noise level may be upsetting, not only to him, but to you.
PS, the food at breakfast was good, though.. just go really early and it won't be as loud.

Whatever you choose, enjoy!:)
 
I would recommend O'hana's and Kona's with or without toddlers. The food is great and the atmosphere is fun. The little one might enjoy watching or even participating with help in the fun and games at O'hana's. The food is exceptional in both. I would also recommend Chef Mickey's for breakfast. Have fun planning.


Sherry
 
Another vote for 1900 Park. We had dinner and the buffet was nice. The characters (Pooh and friends) were laid back. I think your little one will enjoy it! Also convinient from the POLY.
 
When my daughter was 22 months old we took her to 1900 Park Fare, Chef Mickeys and Garden Grille (Icecream Social), Princess Storybook and CRT and she loved them all. There was plenty of food for her to choose from and the characters were wonderful. We will be trying these places again in May as well as Ohanas. Good luck and enjoy!
 
We loved Crystal Palace! We took a 35 month old and our 9 month old (who slept through most of it) but they did fine.

I think I am more concerned on how they will react this time (at least the 9 month old, who will be 2 yrs then)...he doesn't even like Santa or the Easter Bunny, but I think for the most part the characters can sense when the little ones are scared and stay away...

We did lunch last time and we're going back to try out the breakfast.
 
Chef Mickey's - Love it!! This is a don't miss for us. The character interaction has been good & bad.

Crystal Palace - The food was OK (we went towards the end of lunch, so not blaming the restaurant for things being a little off) & the character interaction was great!!

Garden Grill -OK food & very enjoyable characters.

Le Cellier - My favorite!!

Rainforest Cafe - We go to the one at AKL every trip. Love the food & atmosphere.
 
Crystal Palace and 1900 PF are favorites of mine. I am not paricularly fond of buffets, but these two places are always freah and have a good variety. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are al good.

They both have good food and both are in very picturesque surroundings. Walking are the GF is almost as nice as all the crystal in bright sun. Both, but the Crystal Palace particularly, transport you to another time. I can't wait to visit for breakfast all alone there in May.

La Celler is another favorite, not as magical, but real good steak.

I have to agree with those that dis the Coral Reef. I found it way over priced for tiny portions of uninspired food....if you could get a tank seat, its probably worth while.
 
Chef Mickey's and LeCellier are the only 2 in your list that I can comment on as I haven't been to the others.

Chef Mickey's I would say is a definite with your son
LeCellier is a "nice" restaurant but because you are in Disney, even "nice" restaurants are kid-friendly. We really enjoyed our dinner there so if you want to try it, I say go ahead, if you have to "entertain" your son somewhere might as well have a great meal while you do it!!

Enjoy!!
 
My DH and I totally agreed on these things:

1. Rainforest Cafe is overpriced, but the atmosphere is pretty interesting. The downside is that the service is soooooo slow and my 3 1/2 yr. old DD had a very hard time waiting for her food since she was tired and hungry. Also, it's a bit loud, with thunder and animal noises, so I think a toddler might be scared.

2. Planet Hollywood is LOUD and potentially scary, and the food is nothing to write home about.

3. Marrakesh has a relaxed atmosphere and the food is delicious. You could either order a kids' meal or share your food. I don't see a problem with taking a toddler here.

Hope this helps!
 
Thank You so much for your opinions and recommendations. I am glad to see that I picked what looks like a few 'winners' out of the bunch.

This trip will be so different for us and while we are looking forward to it probably more than any past trip we are a little nervous about making sure we don't end up with a miserable little guy because we took him places that will bore him or worse scare him.
 


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