Best Places to Eat for a Family of Five

[ACE]

O.K. I've done WDW three times since 2000 but always stayed in a suite off site. We had a kitchenette and bought food to make at the room. Now we're staying at the Contemporary and will be eating out for all our meals. :hammer:

My wife says she's on vacation and isn't making meals this time.:fork:

I agree with her but I still gotta pay for it. So, please help me figure this out. I do want to do some character meals, and of course some theme restaurants (we love the Drive-In at MGM) but I don't want to sell the farm to afford it.

Any ideas or helpful hints will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
ACE

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

There are many options to look at. How old are the kids? are they big eaters? If you want to save, here are a few places I would suggest that have decent food and are inexpensive..

In the MK,
Pecos Bill's
Casey's corner
Cosmic Ray's starlight Cafe

In Epcot,
The electric Umbrella
Sunshine Season Food Fair
Liberty Inn

In MGM,
ABC Commisary
Sunset Ranch Market
Toy Story Pizza Planet

In AK,
Flame Tree barbeque
Restaurantasaurous
Tusker House

Then you have your choice of charecter meals in each of the parks.

 

[ACE]

Kids ages are 15, 12, & 6. And yes, my oldest is a high school football playin', weightlifting, eat you out of house and home, typical 15 yr old.:lol:

Sorry I forgot to mention it in my first post.

ACE

 

[Disneynutcase]

WDWIG.com has full restaurant menus with prices for darn near everything at WDW. They also have several restaurant and food reviews. It's worth logging on and checking out if you have concerns for costs. We used it's info for our party of 10 on our trip this past April, and were really happy with the results.

For starters, we too kind of winced at the food prices then came up with a decent strategy, mainly because we had four kids in the party and several of us hadn't ever been to WDW before (and some who had been before were there in the '70's when it was only MK).

We went with a "best overall bang for the buck" theory--meaning that if we're gonna shell out $$ to eat, then it either better be the best food for the best price going (which we gleaned from info off of this site as well as other Unnoficial web-sites and books) OR the eatery better have some built-in entertainment--like characters roaming the room or some kind of show going on.

We loved Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace, The Princess Breakfast @ the castle, Marrakesh, and Mama Melrose's. We also wanted to to Teppanyaki or San Angel Inn but ran out of time and energy to get ourselves back to Epcot for a final big meal. Oh yeah, and while we were there we found out about Ohana's and definately want to do that place for dinner when we ever go back.

For character meals, I'd highly recommend the Crystal Palace for lunch--not exactly the most inexpensive meal going, but they put out a mile of food, enough to feed your family for the remainder of the day, particularly if you book a late lunch. My wife and Mom-in-law joked that they didn't eat at the same restaurant because they didn't eat the same foods at all--they had that many different food items to choose from! Kinda funny since both ladies filled their plates quite nicely. Character interaction with Pooh characters was fun. Restaurant is beautiful and relaxing--a nice break in a hectic MK day.

Word of warning: you didn't mention when your trip is planned. Crystal Palace is currently closed for rehab until Christmas season. Therefore my recommendation is moot if you're going to WDW before December.

We found that all character meals kind of run the same price-wise. They are cheapest for breakfast (but not cheap!), probably the best values for lunch, and gets to about $20-25 for adult dinners.

For cheaper fare walk-up style, we enjoyed food at the Back Lot Express in MGM studios, The Plaza Inn at MK, and the fish & chips stand in the UK pavilion at Epcot. But again, these weren't exactly cheap meals--about $4.50 for kids and $6.50 per adult.

Hope this info helps.

 

[Disneynutcase]

Ooops! While I was writing my reply, you added your kid's ages.

Okay, so now I highly recommend the buffets and family style all-you-can-eat places. Definately do 'em for lunch (good value) and let you kids (especially your older ones) go nuts.

Therefore, Crystal Palace (if it's open)& Chef Mickeys I know are good because I recently ate ate both places.

But also look into Biergarten (Germany) Akershus (in Norway) and Garden Grille @ Epcot; Ohanas @ the Polynesian; Hollywood & Vine @ Disney/MGM; Whispering Canyon Cafe @ the Wilderness Lodge; Cape May Cafe @ the Beach Club/Boardwalk area; and Boma's at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

You'll find that these places don't run much more expensive than your normal sit-down service. Many have dessert bars included. I think some even include soft drinks and coffee.

Crystal Palace, Chef Mickeys, Hollywood & Vine, Garden Grille, and Ohana's breakfast are all character meals.

Biergarten, Whispering Canyon, and Ohana's lunch and dinner have entertainment and a lot of energy.

Boma's and Akershus are more on the exotic side, with African and Norweigan fare combined with a bit of safer American fare.

Cape May offers a more seafood oriented buffet, but has plenty to offer land-lubbers as well.

If motivated, you can probably fill your tummies at lunches for a moderate price, then only have to snack or at least a light dinner (except for maybe your 16 year old) for the rest of the day.

 

[cymbaldiva]

Ya'll should at least pack in-room snacks .... pop-tarts and p/b crackers can really save you some $ in the long run!

 

[Maria]

For a cheap all you can eat in Epcot, try the Biergarten lunch buffet.

For places out of the world, try Ponderosa, Dennys, or IHOP for bkfst. They are all around Downtown Disney. I am sure you know all those names! :animwink:

 

[marypopmom]

We have 3 DS 14,12 and 10 who also eat us out of house and home. We just got back and here is our meal advice.
1. Get refillable mugs
2. Bring a small suitcase of snacks etc. When the snacks are gone you can fill it up with all our your great Disney souveniers
3. I believe they charge 12 and up adult prices at all buffets
4. Forget breakfast. It takes up too much time. Just grab some granola bars,pop tarts, entemans etc. and just buy milk and o.j. or free hot chocolate or tea or coffee with your mug. You can spend this time with the character caravan, etc. etc.
5. We either ate a big buffet lunch or dinner. We usually only had 1 big meal a day and the other would be the cheaper counter service. For lunch we did the Crystal Palace,Hollywood and Vine, Rainforest Cafe (had a 10% AP discount.),Mickey D's at the Marketplace,Electric Umbrella at Epcot (warning the pizza is horrible), Lotta Lodge at Blizzard Beach and
Dinner was: Chef Mickey (everyones favorite. DH loved the prime rib), Cape May Buffet (adults only), Cheesecake Factory at DisneyQuest, Ohanas at the Polynesian (dessert is extra but great) Sunshine Food Fair (loved the vegetable lasagna)
Get everyones input and there will be lots of smiles and happy tummys!

 

[Grumpy56]

I notice you are a Florida resident so I would consider the Disney Dining Expeience card, depending on how long you are going to be at WDW. It costs $60, $55 with a disney club membership or AP and is good for a year. It gets you 20% off most sit down restaurants in the parks and the resorts. This includes alcohol if you are so inclined. We used it when we lived down there and it makes going to some of the nicer places more affordable. Also it's a good excuse to go back befiore the year is up!
Also O'hana's is a must for a group with big appetites. They just keep bringing great grilled shrimp, beef, and turkey. From the Contemporary it is a monorail ride away, the Polynesian is beautiful and you can see the fireworks from the beach afterwards.

 

[ACE]

Thanks for all the input. There's alot to digest.:lol: Pun intended. We'll definately take the advice from all and put together a flexible plan. Also since I didn't mention it in this post, we'll be there 5-11 JAN 03. Or as my daughter would say, IN 139 DAYS!

 

[ACE]

Originally posted by Grumpy56
I notice you are a Florida resident so I would consider the Disney Dining Expeience card, depending on how long you are going to be at WDW.

Thanks, we were going to do that. We also get FL resident season passes (actually cheaper than hopper passes) and usually go back more than once a year.

 

[disneyqueen]

I would suggest the Trail's End Restaurant over at Fort Wilderness. You are so close to it, that it wouldn't take any time to get there. The have a buffet. Also, at Crockett's Tavern right next to Trail's End they have this awsome pizza. It's huge and dosn't cost alot. They don't open until after 4pm cause they are more of a pub, but still good and the kids can still get in.




By the way my Grandfather and his family are from Milton. They lived there for over a century I think. In fact the are buried there. My uncle leaves in Pace and my Grandmother is in Pensacola. I grow up down in Pensacola. I love it down there. I hate Indianapolis. Its too cold. I hope to move back down to Florida, but closer to disney. :lol:

 

[ACE]

Originally posted by disneyqueen
By the way my Grandfather and his family are from Milton. They lived there for over a century I think. In fact the are buried there. My uncle leaves in Pace and my Grandmother is in Pensacola. I grow up down in Pensacola. I love it down there. I hate Indianapolis. Its too cold. I hope to move back down to Florida, but closer to disney. :lol:

I live in Milton now, (After 20 yrs in the Navy) but I grew up in Pace and graduated from Pace High School.

:sohappy: It's a small world after all! :sohappy:

 

[disneyqueen]

:lol: My dad was in the navy, thats how he met my mom in Pensacola. Then he went to Norfolk, then back to Pensacola. My cousins graduated from Pace high school. Its amazing how that area has become so populated. I remember when there was nothing there. I love the piggly wiggly!!!!!

It is a small world!!!!

 

[ACE]

I worked at the Piggly Wiggly after high school and before I joined the Navy. All the Piggly Wiggly stores are now closed and the one in Pace is now a Pic-n-Sav.

Sorry to everyone else for getting off the thread.

ACE