CS Dining in MK or at a monorail resort?

[dancingelkhound]

Apologies if this has been answered somewhere before, but searching has left me empty-handed.

I have two days planned out at the Magic Kingdom; following our touring plans, we should be finished by around 3pm, leaving a few hours free before the fireworks, which we do want to see.

My question is, would you recommend staying in the Magic Kingdom to eat dinner (around 4.30pm to avoid the crowds is the plan), or is it worth getting the monorail to the GF, Contemporary or Poly, to try their counter service restaurants (as well as to experience the monorail and wander round a different resort)?

Time wise I'm sure we'd have long enough, but having never been to WDW before, I don't know if the monorail restaurants are better than those in the MK?

We're planning on doing lunch at BoG and Columbia Harbour House, so wouldn't want to eat at either of them again.

We only have the quick service dining pan, so this only applies to Counter Service restaurants, not Table Service.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations, and hopefully this will help others in the future.

 

[MouseDreaming]

Hello, and welcome! We always say we are going to eat at one of the resorts on the monorail, but honestly, once we are in the park, my family doesn't want to leave. Since you already have CHH and BoG on your list, how about Pecos Bill? The Fixin's bar is a meal in itself!

 

[JillC LI]

I would check out the menus at some of the MK and monorail counter-service resort restaurants to see what appeals to you. There are quite a few well-liked places. In the MK, we love Cosmic Rays because not only can you get a delicious and huge chicken & ribs meal (as well as other things), but you can enjoy the "live" Sonny Eclipse show while eating. But there's also Captain Cook's at the Poly where you can get a self-serve Dole Whip as well, or Gasparilla Island Grill at the GF. It's nice to ride the monorail if you've never done that, but we always have a hard time leaving the parks, and even if you finish everything you hope to on your touring plan, you may want to do some of them again before dinner and fireworks.

 

[75disney]

If you will truly be done by 3, I highly recommend leaving the park for a little while. You can escape the crowd for a while, take a nice monorail ride (or even a boat ride) to any of the MK resorts. Walk around the resort, enjoy the ambience, grab a bite, and then head back into the park for the evening parade and fireworks. Captain Cook's at the Poly is nice as well as Roaring Fork at WL. If you decide to stay in the MK to eat, I suggest Pecos Bill's or Cosmic Ray's; they both have a nice fixings bar.

 

[Figgy1]

Welcome and try Cosmic Ray's. They have a little bit of everything a fixings bar and a wonderful and corny floor show. Sunny Eclipse is your host one of the funniest aa in the parks! As @MouseDreaming said PB is also an excellent choice. As this is your first trip don't rush through everything, take time to find all the little special Disney touches there is to offer.

 

[wolf359]

I'd add Roaring Fork at the Wilderness Lodge to the list. It's well worth checking out, both as a resort to wander and as a place to get a nice quick meal.

 

[zurgandfriend]

I agree with Figgy above, try Cosmic Rays in Tomorrowland it's our favorite CS in MK. The CS in the resorts are okay, the Grand Floridian Gasparilla grill used to be very good but I have heard it's dropped off. Captain Cook's in the Polynesian is okay as well.

 

[dreamfinder]

Check out the menus online and see what interests you. The CS at GF never seemed interesting to me. Captain Cooks at the Poly has some unique choices, but is on the small side. The Contempo Cafe has a nice selection, I've just never hit it off with the atmosphere.

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

Welcome and try Cosmic Ray's. They have a little bit of everything a fixings bar and a wonderful and corny floor show. Sunny Eclipse is your host one of the funniest aa in the parks! As @MouseDreaming said PB is also an excellent choice. As this is your first trip don't rush through everything, take time to find all the little special Disney touches there is to offer.

What she said

 

[Brandon Bowman]

I would try out Cosmic Rays to be honest. If you want to leave you will most likely be shelling out big bucks for chef mickey or the like. Stay inside the park if you want to save money and check out Cosmic Rays

 

[Tink0102]

Question....I have only been to WDW once. Where is Pecos Bills? It was on our list of places to try but we never did and I don't even remember seeing it.
On the other hand we did go to Cosmic Rays and really liked it. We also got yummy flat breads at Pinocchino's village haus right next to Its a small world.

 

[Figgy1]

Question....I have only been to WDW once. Where is Pecos Bills? It was on our list of places to try but we never did and I don't even remember seeing it.
On the other hand we did go to Cosmic Rays and really liked it. We also got yummy flat breads at Pinocchino's village haus right next to Its a small world.

PB is in Fronteirland

 

[Tink0102]

PB is in Fronteirland

Ahhh...that would explain it. We were in that area late the afternoon of our first day there and never went back over there the rest of our trip. Thanks, Figgy.

 

[Figgy1]

Ahhh...that would explain it. We were in that area late the afternoon of our first day there and never went back over there the rest of our trip. Thanks, Figgy.

You're welcome! You must put it on your must do list for next time!

 

[jw24]

I'd also vote for Cosmic Rays simply because of the variety they offer. It's more than just burgers and dogs. They offer a rotisserie chicken dish, a BBQ pork sandwich and other sandwiches plus they have a toppings bar, as well.