Why do people eat at the food courts?

[Mikey'swife]

My kids HAVE to eat breakfast. Since we are rope drop types you have limited options in the park and it will be several hours until lunch so they need more then just cereal in the room, some days we do character meals and others we hit the food court for waffles/eggs/bacon to tide them over. We also tend to get late night snacks when they are starving since they did not each much at dinner.

Food is good and many items are resonable if oop.

 

[KeroKero]

We 98% of the time grab counter service breakfast at the resort food court. It's quick and prevents us from slowing down and stopping to eat when we get into the parks at RD. Been at all different times of the year and have never had a problem getting a table and it pays to have a room close to the food court for the refillable mugs.

Only done lunch at the resorts a few times, and that's only been when we've gone back to rest, which is rare.

Never eaten dinner at the food courts though. Sometimes grab a snack on the way back to the room in the nights when we get back from the parks.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When we are looking for something different, we might go to a food court at a different resort. Some of them aren't so bad. We always have a car and driving to another resort to eat is a good plan for us.

 

[carebee21]

We do breakfast quite a few days at the food court for reasons already mentioned. We also use the food court for lunch on swim days and it's always handy if you get back from the parks and someone's hungry because they didn't like their dinner/weren't hungry but now are etc.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Two Resort Food Courts/Quick Service locations my family and I like to eat at is the Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary and Gasparilla's Grill & Games at the Grand Floridian. Basically we like the items available on their menus and those locations offer more then the standard items we would see in the Quick Service locations in the Theme Parks.

 

[Patience]

Two Resort Food Courts/Quick Service locations my family and I like to eat at is the Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary and Gasparilla's Grill & Games at the Grand Floridian. Basically we like the items available on their menus and those locations offer more then the standard items we would see in the Quick Service locations in the Theme Parks.

We are considering eating at the Contempo Cafe for lunch on the day we are surprising our daughter with a parasailing appointment. Her appt. is at 9 am at the Contemporary marina and I am hoping they will be open for lunch by the time she is done.

 

[CalSea12]

The food courts are the main reason I like to stay at values, and moderates. My main complaint about most Deluxe resorts is the lack of a real food court. I honestly think the food is awesome, I love it for breakfast, and late night snacks. I always try to get my room as close to the food court as possible. Then yes there are those resort days, which the food court makes insanely easy!

 

[TDC Nala]

Less expensive, faster, easier, guaranteed kid-friendly and not everyone is on the dining plan (there's also a quick service dining plan which doesn't include any TS), so they don't spring for so many table service meals.

There's also plenty of Disney guests who feel that sitting down in a restaurant every night takes away from their time to experience the attractions, so they don't bother with a TS dining plan.

 

[jakeybake]

I'm also not a fan of the food courts. I will only use them for a mug refill or if I'm in need of a late night Mickey ice cream bar.

Other than that I stay far, far away. That being said I have older children (13 and 9) so for me it's easy to stay away. For folks with younger ones I could see how the food courts are vital.

J

 

[clanmcculloch]

We eat at least one meal per day at our resort. When we stay at a value or moderate that means in the food court. When we stay at a deluxe that means we're either staying club level and eating in the lounge or we're eating a mixture of TS and CS (mostly TS) at or near our resort (maybe at a resort we can get to very easily). We can only do a few hours in parks per day and no more than 3 days in a row of going to parks meaning we have resort only days so we spend a lot of time at our resort. In addition, we deal with food allergies and the resort CS has many many many more options for us than park CS. In the parks there may only be 3 total meal options at the entire park and one of those will be a bunless hamburger but at resorts we have tons of options. There are lots of reasons we eat CS at our resort.

 

[KTJAY]

Most days we hit the parks early for Rope Drop and then come back to our hotel mid afternoon for swim and eat lunch, then back out to dinner and a park.

Also, the hotel food courts offer much more variety and usually better food than the CS in the parks. Especially with desserts-i get sick of the choice of choc cake or strawberry yogurt.

 

[calngavinsmom]

We always bring cereal and eat breaky in our room.....a heavy breakfast and the hot Florida sun do not mix for these Canadians BUT when we stay at POR their foodcourt is a must do just for the design your own pasta I love it with penne noodles, pesto sauce, shrimp, artichokes, mushrooms, bacon and sun dried tomatoes

Honestly though, we have never had a long wait at lunch or dinner. I see the crowds at breakfast time on our way to the bus stop and have no desire to join in that "fun"

Take care

 

[3boys4me]

For my family, I'm not much of a breakfast eater, but my kids are. Since I usually take longer than everyone else to get ready my dh takes the kids to the food court in the a.m. We also like it for dinner. For instance, this latest trip we had dinner at POP almost every night. I would have beef and broccoli my oldest son would have a burger another would have pizza and i could get my litle one nuggets. All at the same location. Everyone is happy! I also like the dessert selections. We could get fruit of some sort to keep as snacks or an easy breakfast the next morning if we are running late.

 

[JoShan1719]

Right, I know not everyone is on the dining plan but I am wondering why people choose food court over restaurants in the parks and why people feel it is important to be close to a food court? Is the food less expensive or is it better than the quick service meals in the parks? More convenient than eating in the parks?

If you're not going to a park on a certain day and don't want to do the big sit-down deal for breakfast, food courts are nice. Personally, I have to eat something at least an hour before I go to the parks or else the heat and rides make me sick. At the same time, though, I can't eat a big meal or I'll get sick. Usually just a bagel or bowl of cereal. So, food courts it is.

 

[DebbieB]

Right, I know not everyone is on the dining plan but I am wondering why people choose food court over restaurants in the parks and why people feel it is important to be close to a food court? Is the food less expensive or is it better than the quick service meals in the parks? More convenient than eating in the parks?

The only table service restaurants for breakfast in the parks are expensive character buffets. Quick service breakfast in the parks is typically only cold items.

 

[tmarquez]

We only go to the parks in the mornings and then like to spend the rest of the day at the pool so we use the food courts a lot.

We can get a quick breakfast there before heading to the parks, and it is never busy really early in the morning. Then we come back and eat a late lunch before hitting the pool. Then everyone can just eat what and when they want for dinner.

I guess going to sit down palces takes time away from our "relaxation" so we don't do it while we are at Disney.

 

[disprincess2002]

We usually stay at POP, and their food court has some of our favs! My husband loves the Mom's fried chicken dinner and I love the cheese croissant for breakfast!

Also, if you're on the DP, they offer a ton more variety and dessert options than the typical CS in the parks.

Usually not too crowded for lunch though.

 

[ars0525]

We are not on the dining plan.

Like to be near the food court cause it's easier. In the morning I need to grab a milk or banana for my cereal I brought from home--I don't want to walk 20 minutes to get there. Same for refilling my mug at night--I don't mind a little stroll, but not taking a hike to get a hot chocolate.

Why we eat there? Easy to grab an item for breakfast. Also for lunch/dinner--sometimes there is no where we want to eat in the parks (we don't really do sit down or character meals). Plus it's sometimes nice to grab a late dinner coming in from a park & eat in the room in bed watching TV. We don't always eat AT the food court. We might also go out by the pool & watch the activities (night movies, dancing/music during the day) while we eat.

And since we do go at "off" hours (either like 6:30am or after 8:30pm) we don't find the food court crowded or crazy.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We are considering eating at the Contempo Cafe for lunch on the day we are surprising our daughter with a parasailing appointment. Her appt. is at 9 am at the Contemporary marina and I am hoping they will be open for lunch by the time she is done.

The items on their lunch menu are available everyday starting at 11:00 AM.

 

[lauritagoddess]

It's much easier to go to the food court in the morning if you want a CS breakfast. If you come back to the hotel in the afternoon for a swim or a rest, if you didn't get a chance for lunch at the park, it's nice to have it as an option for lunch, or for dinner if you want to eat before you go to the park. Also with the refillable mug, it's nice to be near the food court.