DINING HELP!

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Hi Everyone,
First, thank you for clicking on this link. Second, DH and I are planning a surprise trip for DS7. We have the luau booked. We are on the dining plan and are having a hard time deciding on sit down meals and are asking for your help....Here are the requirements.
Must be sit down.
Must be in a park.
Why you loved the place is optional but helpful.

PLEASE help us make some decisions!!!

Thank you!

 

[kstruchen]

In AK, Tusker House. Great theming, great food, cute characters (Donald Duck, Mickey, etc in safari gear).

 

[Kiara5]

At Animal Kingdom our son really liked Tusker House for breakfast. He liked meeting the characters without waiting in line and the variety of breakfast foods to pick from. At Hollywood Studios last year we tried the Hollywood and Vine Seasonal Dine. Got pics with Santa Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Minnie in Christmas attire. The food was good. I really liked the pumpkin ravioli... The kids favorites were the soft serve ice cream with mickey sprinkles and the German cookies

 

[3gr8boys]

Even though Pooh and friends are not necessarily favorite characters of my boys, we really enjoy Crystal Palace breakfast. In April we had a 10:30 ADR, so had time to hit rides before sitting down to a yummy breakfast buffet (Puffed French toast ....and my husband even complimented the food) in a pretty setting. The character interaction was fun- DS15 and DS11 made my morning by marching in the friendship parade.

Our other TS breakfast in April was GG PPO....everyone filled up, the character interaction was delightfully memorable and we walked right on to Soarin' before the rope drop crowd got there.

DS15's favorite meal at home is sesame chicken from our local Chinese spot....so trying Nine Dragons in Epcot during our April trip was a must. We all liked it enough to eat there twice! Mid-week Lunch was more pleasant because the restaurant was sparsely populated, making it more relaxing and so we could enjoy the decor. The service and food were good both times.....but a full restaurant on a Friday night had a different feel.

While the food wasn't anyone's favorite in our group, we found the character interaction at TH dinner to be a lot of fun. Had a great "conversation" with Donald Duck about his recent Safari!

Have fun exploring all of your options!!!

 

[Cramden]

In park I'll echo Tusker House. Great food if you're mildly adventurous and nice Character interaction. I'll also second the Garden Grill. It's a unique setup and PPO Breakfast is clutch. In the Studios we enjoyed Hollywood and Vine. The Food was OK but the Character interaction was the best we've seen at Disney. It's a great value if you book for the Fantasmic Package.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

When DS was 7 he really enjoyed:

Tusker House in AK - the food is very good for both picky and adventurous eaters, the decor is quite fun and immersive and the character interaction is great. The CM's have always been very friendly as well

Coral Reef or Garden Grill in EP - if you don't want another character meal, go with Coral Reef. The food is fine, but the aquarium is magnificent. Garden Grill is fun and the character interaction is great. If you like Japanese food, Teppan Edo is fun as well.

In DHS, take a look at 50's Prime Time and Sci-Fi. The food is a little better at 50's, IMHO and the server interaction is funny. The theming at Sci-Fi is arguably the best of all WDW restaurants

In MK, Crystal Palace could be fun if your DS still likes Pooh and friends. If not, my DS enjoys Skipper Canteen. The theming is subtle, but fun. If I can convince you to leave MK for a meal, go to Whisper Canyon at WL - it's pretty fun!

 

[Tksolomom]

In HS, my kids love both 50PT and Sci-Fi. They liked getting teased by the waitress at 50s, and liked eating in the car at Sci-Fi and watching the movies (though that doesn’t work well with 3 people as someone is by themselves).

At Epcot my kids liked Teppan Edo.

At AK we normally eat CS, but the kids liked Rainforest Cafe when they were younger.

At MK they liked BOG for lunch, which is CS.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!

The last time we were at WDW DS was 2. We are planning this without his input as a birthday surprise (Nothing to see here...Just a mom wanting to see her little boy in the wonder and imagination of 7)

I so appreciate all of your input AND your recall of the things your children liked.

I am grateful.

 

[Nancyg56]

Fun!!!

At 7 my DGD loved Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom. She still wanted to interact with characters, and the food was good. We would go to both breakfast and dinner, however we enjoyed dinner more because the respite was nice before closing up the park.

I would also consider Skipper Canteen. The food looks like it is weird, but it is not. Kady loved the skippers silly jokes on the Jungle Cruise, so this one would have been a must for her at that age. She eats the "it tastes like chicken because it is chicken" there. (I guess it does really taste like chicken! LOL)

Epcot: Garden Grill for character interaction or Coral Reef for that magnificent aquarium. I also like San Angel Inn for a cool atmosphere. It is Mexican food, and is in the pyramid. Really neat!

DHS- Sci Fi or 50's PRimetime. Again the theme for both is fun, however given a choice I think 50's Have more appeal for a 7 YO boy.

DAK: I want to say Tusker House but my family does not like it. We are in the minority though. My DGD at 17 still wants Flame Tree. It is counter service, however she has a thing for the birds that are all around.


ENjoy the surprise!!!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Gosh how exciting, it’s hard keeping it a surprise I bet!

AK- Avatar, pretty spectacular place to walk around, w/2 rides (one easy going the other, not so much)and their QS, Satu’Li’s Canteen has really good food, rice, salad or potato has bowls & cute desserts.

As many others already stated, Tuskers House is the only character buffet that we still do from time to time, our kids are grown.

DHS, don’t know if he’s afraid of the dark but my son always enjoyed the experience at Sci-Fi’s, and the food, burgers & such are good. The theme and corny movies are super cute.

You said parks only, but as a dinosaur fan, T-Rex in Disney Springs was always a hit.

And if you like buffets, Chef Mickey’s At MK seems to be a favorite, not mine, but for our kids... Skipper’s Canteen is nicely themed as well.

Epcot, Coral Reef, again, the restaurant is can be touch and go with food and service but eating by the big aquarium windows is pretty cool.

Have fun planning your surprise!

 

[Nancyg56]

Gosh how exciting, it’s hard keeping it a surprise I bet!

AK- Avatar, pretty spectacular place to walk around, w/2 rides (one easy going the other, not so much)and their QS, Satu’Li’s Canteen has really good food, rice, salad or potato has bowls & cute desserts.

As many others already stated, Tuskers House is the only character buffet that we still do from time to time, our kids are grown.

DHS, don’t know if he’s afraid of the dark but my son always enjoyed the experience at Sci-Fi’s, and the food, burgers & such are good. The theme and corny movies are super cute.

You said parks only, but as a dinosaur fan, T-Rex in Disney Springs was always a hit.

And if you like buffets, Chef Mickey’s At MK seems to be a favorite, not mine, but for our kids... Skipper’s Canteen is nicely themed as well.

Epcot, Coral Reef, again, the restaurant is can be touch and go with food and service but eating by the big aquarium windows is pretty cool.

Have fun planning your surprise!

I wanted to add Chef Mickey's too! I know a lot of folks don't care for it, however when DGD was young we always had our arrival night dinner there. She loved kicking off a WDW trip by visiting her "friends" there.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I wanted to add Chef Mickey's too!

Is there anything we wouldn’t do for our kids, Chef Mickey’s comes close...

 

[Nancyg56]

Is there anything we wouldn’t do for our kids, Chef Mickey’s comes close...

LOL!!! Oh my gosh you made me laugh. WE took the little family on our street with us two years ago, and our arrival meals was CM. Mom hated the entire trip... yes, the GF CL and she was miserable. However, after all of the wonderful meals we had enjoyed throughout the trip, her favorite was Chef Mickey. We are planning another in the future with her and the girls, and that is her one request. LOL! Dinner at CM. Oh yes... and club level. SHe did like that perk. LOL!

I told her she can come again, however we are leaving her at the pool all day and taking the girls with us. She can join us for dinner. She dis say we should not threaten her with a good time! LOL!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

LOL!!! Chef Mickey.....her one request. LOL! Dinner at CM.

Goes to show you, it’s not always about the “food” often it’s the memory of a wonderful time that keeps you coming back! I anticipate that my return to CM will involve my future grandchildren, a long time from now. Till then the torch is yours,

OP, sorry to highjack your thread!

 

[rentayenta]

AK, Tiffins, best of the in park options, fabulous food and service, quiet, perfect reprieve from the park.

 

[10CJ]

I would try to book the Tiffins ROL dining package. Yak and Yeti is also good at AK.

At MK we like Skipper’s Canteen. I also want to try the new BOG dinner.


At Epcot we had a nice dinner at Rose and Crown and then we were able to watch Illuminations from our table. They also have a viewing area for those who can not see from their tables.