I need help fast with this one. Another Dining question

[jrobinson424]

We purchased the dining option this year and at first we wanted to do character meals everyday. The following is a list of what we have priority seatings for: 4/21 Liberty Tree Tavern @ 8:30 pm.
4/22 Ohana @ 8:25 pm.
4/23 Breakfastosaurus @ 9:10 am.
4/24 Hoop Dee Doo Revue @ 7:15 pm.
4/25 The Garden Grill @ 1:10 pm.
4/26 The Crystal Palace @ 9:10 am.
4/27 Chef Mickey's @ 8:00 pm.
If you were us, would you stick to this or ditch some of the character dinners and eat somewhere else? I have looked at alot of the menus from all over the World and I have to tell you that I may just get burned out on characters everyday. I also think that if we stick to what we have, we will miss out on alot of food that we are entitled such as appetizers and desserts. I know I want to keep Chef Mickeys, The Crystal Palace, Ohana, and Hoop Dee Doo. What I need from you guys is to tell me in your opinion should we keep what we have or cancel and go elsewhere. Also, tell me the best places to eat at WDW. I am very fond of the menu at The Rainforest Cafe. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you guys and I will think about all of you when we get there. 4/21-4/30.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I would get rid of the garden grill and go for one of the World Showcase restaurants like LeCellier or Teppanyaki.

I would get rid of the Breakfastasaurus also. I would suggest another one of the restaurants in Epcot or at one of the hotels. Spoodles at the Boardwalk Inn, the Concourse Steakhouse, the 50's Prime Time at MGM, or Whispering Canyon to name a few.

Pam

 

[shoppingnut]

I would ditch the Garden Grill and Breakfastsauras. While character meals are fun, they are loud and noisy and you will need a break from them. I would recommend Chef de France or Le Cellier in EPCOT; 50's Prime Time in MGM; Concourse Steakhouse in the Contemporary, Kona Kafe in Poly, Grand Floridian Cafe in GF hotel are all nice choices too.

You need to remember that to get the most out of the dining plan you should use your sit down meals for dinner, not breakfast or lunch.

Rainforest food and service have seriously gone downhill and I would not recommend going there to eat. There have been a number of threads on dining and many people say the samething. The last time I went there was a few years ago and it was awful and I would not go back, even if they let me eat there for free.

 

[tracyandalex]

i agree with trying one of the world showcaes restraunts instead of garden grill. definately go for a sit down dinner because you will get way more for your money that way.

tracy

 

[Monty]

From a purely mercenary viewpoint, Character meals are not the best value on the Dining Plan. Character meals generally cost between $20 and $30/person for adults. The Dining Plan costs just under $50. If you max out on your Counter Service meal, you're breaking even or losing on the deal.

Dining Plan gives a great return on investment if you dine at more expensive restaurants and order the more expensive dishes.

Dining at Le Cellier, Wolfgang Puck's or any number of other table service restaurants would be a better use of the plan. I love Character Dining, don't get me wrong, but not so much on Dining Plan.

 

[MickeyTigg]

We purchased the dining option this year and at first we wanted to do character meals everyday. The following is a list of what we have priority seatings for: 4/21 Liberty Tree Tavern @ 8:30 pm.
4/22 Ohana @ 8:25 pm.
4/23 Breakfastosaurus @ 9:10 am.
4/24 Hoop Dee Doo Revue @ 7:15 pm.
4/25 The Garden Grill @ 1:10 pm.
4/26 The Crystal Palace @ 9:10 am.
4/27 Chef Mickey's @ 8:00 pm.
If you were us, would you stick to this or ditch some of the character dinners and eat somewhere else? I have looked at alot of the menus from all over the World and I have to tell you that I may just get burned out on characters everyday. I also think that if we stick to what we have, we will miss out on alot of food that we are entitled such as appetizers and desserts. I know I want to keep Chef Mickeys, The Crystal Palace, Ohana, and Hoop Dee Doo. What I need from you guys is to tell me in your opinion should we keep what we have or cancel and go elsewhere. Also, tell me the best places to eat at WDW. I am very fond of the menu at The Rainforest Cafe. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you guys and I will think about all of you when we get there. 4/21-4/30.

I'd ditch Chef Mickey....personally I don't care for it. The food is okay...but it's by far the noisiest character meal I've ever been at and if it's busy forget the service.

If I would add anything on....either Marrakesh or Le Cellier at Epcot or Tony's and Magic Kingdom.

 

[jrobinson424]

Thank you guys. I knew I could count on you.

 

[William Marsden]

In my opinion the menu at the Rainforest Cafe looks much better than the food actually is. In fact, I don't like the food at all. I don't know where your family lives but you can eat at a Rainforest Cafe at several locations throughout the United States. (We ate breakfast at a Rainforest Cafe when we were at Disneyland. It was ok. We live in Kansas City and ate dinner at the local R.C. once. We won't be going back!) I would look into dining experiences that are more unique to WDW. One of my favorite places that is close to Animal Kingdom is Boma. It may not be a character meal, but the food is sensational.
I think that the food is just about the same at Chef Mickey's or the Crystal Palace so I would choose only one of those places. My family likes the Whispering Canyon Cafe which is a close boatride away from the Magic Kingdom. Actually, another character meal that's about the same as Crystal Palace or Chef Mickey's is 1900 Park Fare but I prefer 1900 simply because I love the lobby of the Grand Floridian. The lobby of the Contemporary is nothing special in my opinion. Also Mary Poppins, who attends the 1900 Park Fare meal, can speak to your children - Mickey is the sweet silent type.
I'm not going to join in with the other posters who have tended to knock the Garden Grill. We really liked the Garden Grill when we went. However, I do think you ought to eat at one of the restaurants at world showcase. Some of our other favorite restaurants are Wolfgang Pucks, Cape May Cafe, Le Cellier, Spoodles, Hollywood Brown Derby, 50's Primetime Cafe, and Biergarten (I wouldn't use a voucher at Biergarten. I'd save it for a real night out such as Yachtsman Steakhouse, Flying Fish, Narcoosees, California Grill or Citricos). My family loves 'Ohana, Liberty Tree Tavern and the Hoop dee Doo Revue so I think you picked some great places in those restaurants. Whatever you end up doing, have a great time. :wave:

 

[newfanatic]

I would definitely do some of the other sit down meals as opposed to all character meals. While fun, the buffets tend to get monotonous after a while. One of the best meals we had last trip was at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian. And they have some of the best coffee too!