your recomendations needed please

[uktigger]

hi all
these are the places we are thinking of dining at while we are at disney we are me,dh, ds12 and ds8

california grill (birthday dinner)
cape may or park fare (breakfast)
donalds breakfastosaurus
le cellier or yachtsman steak (dinner)
sci fi (lunch)
beaches and cream (lunch or dinner)
kona cafe (lunch)
rainforest cafe for dinner (ak or dtd)

the rest of the time will be counter service what are your opinon's on these places i would love to here your reviews good or bad

thanks eve

 

[EeyoreJMH]

Cape May has, in my opinion, one of the best breakfast buffets on property-- and great character interaction. It's in a bit more intimate setting, so we find we see the characters more often than at 1900 Park Fare. It's a great breakfast to have on an EPCOT morning.

For us, the main attraction for Donald's Breakfastosaurus is the early entry into Animal Kingdom. We plan out breakfast early enough so that when we're finished, we're already inside AK and can easily do attractions like Dinosaur. Plus, when the "guides" walk your group to breakfast, you have a lovely quiet walk past the Tree of Life-- it's amazing before the park guests arrive! The food is ok; I find the selection is not as good as at other breakfasts.

Le Celier-- all I can say is cheddar soup and pretzel breadsticks mmm . . .

Yachtman Steakhouse: delicious and elegant. Highly recommend the ribs.

 

[disney queen]

california grill is fabulous! would make a wonderful choice for a birthday celebration. try to time it for fireworks--wonderful. lecellier is very good. ditto the cheese soup. we really like donald's good breakfast and a good way to be in the park for EE and park opening. beaches and cream is yummy, but i would suggest you try big river grill at the boardwalk. we discovered this in september and liked it so much more than beaches and cream. now B&C is the place for ice cream treats!! happy eating and happy birthday!

 

[danny1649]

Is a must do for DW and I went we visit Epcot at WDW.Always enjoy a good steak dinner and service has been great.

 

[Watersprite]

I would highly recommend the flying fish over the california grill. The fish is fresher and the atmospher lively. The California Grill has a great view of the property, however I feel the food is rather boring. The menu could use an update. The wine list at both is fantastic both domestic (California wines) and imported (French, Italian, and Australian wines). If you want a view go for California Grill, if you want fantastic food, great atmosphere, and lively servers with a wealth of knowledge I recommend the Fish and sitting at the cooking bar. If you sit there they will explain how they prepare your dish and any other that you happen to be interested in that they may be preparing that evening. Have a great Birthday whatever you choose.

 

[Synonymous]

I will directly dispute the prior post about FF vs. CG. I was disappointed with the "signature" potato-wrapped fish at FF. Pretty unexciting and didn't live up to the hype. But my wife and I always make a point of going to CG and have always loved the meal. The filet is one of the best I've had (after Jiko, of course). Last time we sat at the sushi counter and had a great time chatting with the chefs. I think if you're celebrating an event, CG has the better atmosphere, especially if you're there for the fireworks.

The buffets at Cape May and 1900 Park Faire are similar and both very good. I'd pick base don which characters you prefer or which is more convenient to get to.

I think Beaches & Cream is a frustrating place to try to eat. The place is tiny, so unless you're there at an off hour, prepare to wait a long time (I don't know if they take ps.) The food- it's a hamburger and fries, what can you say? A lot of people gush over the place, but when it comes down to it you can get a good hamburger and fries at a lot of places that are less of a pain.

 

[jillwdw]

I too was disappointed with our food at the FF. I do have to say eating at the California Grill was enjoyable for my whole family! The view is unbeatable and the food, incredible. We also enjoy Sci-fi!! That place is fun, fun, fun! Neat-o atmosphere, decient food. The boys love the Rainforest Cafe although my husband and I enjoy the food elsewhere. We usually go anyway. You can't go wrong hardly anywhere at disney, right?

 

[uktigger]

hi all
thank you all for your inputs on these places i will proberbly pick cape may over park fare as the boys would like to see goofy more than alice and the mad hatter

synonymous, what would you call an off hour we would really like to try this place just to say we have done it

thanks again eve

 

[Synonymous]

Well, I'm not sure what time they open, but if you went for lunch right at opening, that would probably be a good bet. After that, maybe around 3:00 or so, before people head in for dinner. Definitely avoid in the evening, when people are starting to return from the parks.

Some others might have better ideas on timing. I gave up on the place.

 

[CamColt]

I know Im in the minority, but I would skip Donalds. We had a very stressful meal there. The food wasnt bad, but the experience was, and we couldnt wait to get out of there.

We really enjoyed Le Cellier, but didnt find it to be a must go back to. We are trying Yachtmans on our next trip for our anniversary dinner.

Beaches & Cream has great burgers & fries. DH got a French Dip there and that was delicious too.

Kona Cafe is one of my favorites. The only times weve had lunch there we just get sticky wings to go, but weve had breakfast and dinner there quite a few times and the food service and atmosphere are always wonderful. I cant imagine lunch being any different.

Enjoy!

 

[uktigger]

hi
tom,
3p.m sounds like a good time to go for us anyway i will visit this place on our epcot day and hopefully be able to get in

camcolt,
that is what i am afraid of with donalds i have heard that some people have been rushed through their breakfast here but i suppose it could depend on what time you are there
i'd love to hear how you got on at the yacthsman and we just can't wait to eat at kona's we have never been here

thanks eve

 

[Baileymouse]

The only one I'd skip is Rainforest. I'd rather have a quick on the go meal - they are routinely eh.

The rest sound like good choices!

 

[wld]

We hit beaches and cream around 2 or 3 with great success. Yeah it's a burger and fries, but i'm a really fussy burger girl and love these. The chocolate shakes are yummy too.
Never been to Kona for lunch but the breakfasts are really good so I'm betting lunch will be too.
DH loves Le Celliar but other than really good service and great creme brulee I can leave it. The tables are really close together and the food other than above is okay. I know I am probably the only one to say so but I thought the cheddar cheese soup just okay with the pretzel bread a little better.
Rainforest can be a fun meal and you sure get plenty, could share a meal easily
We're too cheap for most of the others!

You didn't ask but our favorite sit down is Ohanas
!

 

[uktigger]

hi
thank you bailey mouse

wld,
so it looks like 2 or 3 will be a good time for beaches and cream
we are still debating over le cellier
is ohanas the place where you do pony rides and other antics?i would love to try here but my dh and eldest son would not be so keen to eat here if these things go on

eve

 

[Synonymous]

uktigger, you're thinking of Whispering Canyon, at WL. I agree it's a place to avoid, but more so for the food than the antics.

 

[CamColt]

Originally posted by uktigger

is ohanas the place where you do pony rides and other antics?i would love to try here but my dh and eldest son would not be so keen to eat here if these things go on

As stated above, the antics happen at WCC. However at Ohana, they do have coconut races and hula hoop contests. There were no HH contests while we were there but the kids loved the coconut races. There is no pressure to participate in those if your DS doesnt want to. And Id have to agree with wld on that one...Ohana is our favorite too(Kona being a very close second)!

 

[uktigger]

hi
thank you to you both for clearing that up for me
so we could eat at ohanas and not join in the antics,that sounds appealing to my dh and son

eve

 

[budget mom]

What is the earliest time for breakfast buffets inside parks? Does this allow you to get to attractions early at all parks like mentioned at AK?

 

[Synonymous]

Generally, a breakfast before park opening does not allow you early access to attractions. The attractions won't open until the regular park opening time. You will be in the park ahead of the crowds, though, which would give you a bit of a head start. I believe earliest breakfasts are around 8:00, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure how it works at other parks, but at MK you will be confined to the Main Street area until 9:00.

If you're there on an early entry day, however, you could come out of breakfast and find the attractions open which, I suppose, at least gets you in ahead of the general public, but not before resort guests.