Need help picking dinners

[bmarkelon]

We are going in August and I take trip planning very serious. The biggest part of the planning for me (besides picking the park) is picking meals. Our last two trips we dined in mainly signature restaurants and while the food was amazing we have decided to chill and take a more laid-back approach. My kids will be 6, 4 and 18 months. They are well behaved but those fancy places stress me out a little too much.
K, thats my story. We are talking about a list of possibilities and now trying to narrow them down. So any feedback on my list or any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Here are the ones we are talking about:
Ohana, Sci-Fi, Chef Mickey's, Tony's Town Square, T-Rex, Coral Reef, Hoopdeedoo, Garden Grill, Bongo's and Sanaa.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

We are going in August and I take trip planning very serious. The biggest part of the planning for me (besides picking the park) is picking meals. Our last two trips we dined in mainly signature restaurants and while the food was amazing we have decided to chill and take a more laid-back approach. My kids will be 6, 4 and 18 months. They are well behaved but those fancy places stress me out a little too much.
K, thats my story. We are talking about a list of possibilities and now trying to narrow them down. So any feedback on my list or any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Here are the ones we are talking about:
Ohana, Sci-Fi, Chef Mickey's, Tony's Town Square, T-Rex, Coral Reef, Hoopdeedoo, Garden Grill, Bongo's and Sanaa.

Ooo I love discussing ADRs!

We're eating at Ohana for the first time this coming trip. I've heard wonderful things about it and cant wait to try it!

We enjoy Sci-Fi. The food is good and the atmosphere is very cool! I got a huge turkey sandwich there last time and it was awesome. Your kids will love the atmosphere-eating in cars and watching a 'drive in' movie? What's better than that?!

Chef Mickey's has good food and also a fun, care-free atmosphere. The characters are the best and they spent a fair amount of time at our table-pretty good for just 2 adults! Your kids will really enjoy it, especially if they love the characters!!

Tony's is one of our favorites. The food is very good (Chicken parm is my fave) and the theming is very unique-much to look at and take in. We also love the location.

I haven't eaten at the rest so I can't comment on them.
Check out 1900 Park Fair or Crystal Palace as well if youre looking for casual and for the kids to enjoy.

 

[sbkline]

Haha, Six of those restaraunts are on our lineup of restaraunts for our April trip!

We ate at T-Rex last year and loved it. The food was good, but we totally loved the atmosphere, and we plan to eat there again exactly 7 weeks from today!

Our son will be 5 in May, and I've tried to do several character restaraunts for him this time around. I've booked a breakfast as well as a supper at Crystal Palace. We've done the breakfast before, but it will be our first time ever eating there for supper. I've also got planned breakfast at Hollywood & Vine, and supper at Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare and Garden Grill.

The ones on your list that we are not eating at in April are Bongo's, Sanaa, Tony's Town Square and Coral Reef. Of those 4, Bongo's is the only one we have never done, and we enjoyed the other three. At Sanaa, you can see the animals out on the savanah, which is really cool. I want to do Coral Reef again one of these days, as I think my son would really enjoy the view of the aquarium, and we enjoy Tony's as well.

It will be our first time for Hoop-Dee-Doo and Kona Cafe, but I'm really looking forward to both. I booked a breakfast at Kona Cafe for the day we check out and leave. I've heard so much about the Tonga Toast that we have to try it out. Sci-Fi has an awesome theme that we want our son to experience, but the food itself is just so-so.

So, if I counted correctly, you listed 10 restaraunts. How many are you trying to narrow it down to?

 

[disneygirl76]

We are going in August and I take trip planning very serious. The biggest part of the planning for me (besides picking the park) is picking meals. Our last two trips we dined in mainly signature restaurants and while the food was amazing we have decided to chill and take a more laid-back approach. My kids will be 6, 4 and 18 months. They are well behaved but those fancy places stress me out a little too much.
K, thats my story. We are talking about a list of possibilities and now trying to narrow them down. So any feedback on my list or any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Here are the ones we are talking about:
Ohana, Sci-Fi, Chef Mickey's, Tony's Town Square, T-Rex, Coral Reef, Hoopdeedoo, Garden Grill, Bongo's and Sanaa.

I recommend about half of your list. I don't care for Coral Reef - the reviews are too wishy washy on this one and most really are not wowed. The same goes for Garden Grill. I personally do not like Sci Fi as I am not into the theme and again, the food doesn't do much for me. Ohana was really good and since you have kids, they do a lot of fun things with the kids during meal times. Two words, Pineapple Bread - it will change your life. Chef Mickey's is a MUST! Tony's is always a plan B for us - if we can't get anything else in MK and want a TS. T Rex - I have heard mixed reviews on this and personally, i'm not sold as I had friends who went and they were not wowed and had kids about the same age as yours when they went. However, I have never been - and I haven't gone to Bongo's either. As for Sanaa - I have not been and don't know anyone who has and b/c it's not my taste in dining experiences, I have not read any reviews.

Happy Planning! :wave:

 

[jemlover]

We love Crystal Palace for breakfast. I love Winnie, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet. We are thinking of trying it for dinner this year. We also really enjoy Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge. We take the boat to the Lodge from the Magic Kingdom. It's very relaxing after a long day at the park. I also second the suggestion of 1500 Park Fare at Grand Floridian. Cinderella's stepsisters are a hoot!

 

[wdwmomof3]

This is our lineup for our trip in May:

Chef Mickeys (always fun)
Crystal Palace (dinner, new to us this year)
Kona Cafe (Our favorite)
50's Prime Time Cafe (better than Sci Fi, IMO)
Le Cellier (lunch)
O'hana
Coral Reef (could skip this, but the kids like it)
Tepan Edo (New to us, good reviews)

We also like Whispering Canyon Cafe, & 1900 Park Fare (for girls)

 

[oommggitskait]

I can't comment on a lot of these as my last few trips were last minute and the pickins were slim in terms of ADRs. So it's been years since I ate at a lot of these places and time can change everything!

I can say that, despite the food not being amazing, I do have a soft spot for SCI-FI. I just love the atmosphere even as an adult. Probably because we went a lot when I was a kid and I LOVED it then. I think your kids might get a kick out of it!

I am also trying Ohana this year and am very excited about it.

 

[buseegal]

for Hoop Dee Doo, i would spend day at MK and take the boat from MK to FW. boat gets you a lot closer than a bus to FW. bus means a second bus at FW. is over a mile walk from front bus stop to HDD area.

 

[Mukta]

I am planning to eat at a ton of Signatures on my next trip. I'll need your advice then!

Sci-Fi - I have eaten here 3 times. The food is ordinary, but I love the theme and atmosphere. I have only eaten there with free dining though. The prices are a little high for out of pocket.

Tony's Town Square, - I haven't eaten here since 2005. I didn't care for my meal at all then.

Coral Reef, - I eat here on every trip. The food is decent, but eating in the aquarium is great fun. I enjoy that a lot. The non-alcoholic smoothie type drinks are really good too.

Sanaa - This is my favorite restaurant in WDW right now. It is the only one that hasn't been watered down into chicken fingers and burgers. The quality of the food is still good, the service was amazing and the view of the animals was fantastic.

 

[bmarkelon]

Wow, thanks. This is exactly the feedback I was looking for. I love talking ADRs too. I forgot that 1900 Park Fare was on my list too and we are definitely going to check it out. We are staying at BLT so if we do the Hoop dee we can take a boat over there from our resort.
I didn't mention our breakfasts at all because they are already picked: Chef Mickey's, Ohana, Tusker, CRT and Play and Dine. We are taking a break from Crystal Palace, we have done it almost every trip.
To comment on some of your other comments...Coral Reef is my daughters pick, we've done it before but the kids wanna go back. I wanted Garden Grill but got vetoed. We usually only do one Epcot dinner, our trip is always focused on Magic Kingdom. My husband wanted to do Whispering Canyon and though it's a great family environment I have not really loved a meal there yet.

I usually focus on food and not so much the theme, I am switching it big time this trip for the kids. We have always done our character breakfasts and fancier dinners. I just hope I am not super disappointed in these meals or that at least the funner themes pay off and the kids have more fun at dinner time. Because that is what it is all about. Seeing the magic in their eyes is priceless!

 

[bmarkelon]

Here's the verdict, we made our itinerary final last night. This thread definitely helped us get there, so thanks again. Some of the decisions of course had to do with timing and parks and all that. So much fun to plan the meals!
These are the dinners in order....
Ohana, 1900 Park Fare, California Grill (anniversary date night for dh and I), Tony's Town Square, TRex, Sci Fi, Coral Reef and Chef Mickey's

I am so excited about these picks, we are going to have a blast!:sohappy:

 

[bmarkelon]

Here's the verdict, we made our itinerary final last night. This thread definitely helped us get there, so thanks again. Some of the decisions of course had to do with timing and parks and all that. So much fun to plan the meals!
These are the dinners in order....
Ohana, 1900 Park Fare, California Grill (anniversary date night for dh and I), Tony's Town Square, TRex, Sci Fi, Coral Reef and Chef Mickey's

I am so excited about these picks, we are going to have a blast!:sohappy:

So, not that anyone is even reading this lame thread but I have an update since I made my ADR calls over the past couple weeks. TRex was a no-go, couldn't get in there for the day we were trying. And we decided last minute to switch Coral Reef out for Rose and Crown. We haven't replaced TRex yet, still thinking about that one. The only other change was that we had to do a Sci Fi lunch instead of a dinner, also booked. Happy to have the itinerary coming together, the meals are always a key part of that for us! Thank you again for the help and feedback here, it definitley helped. One of the reasons I switched Coral Reef, the reviews have been going down there and we've been there before. I've heard so many good things about Rose and Crown its about time we checked it out!

 

[ctosh]

Did you call T-Rex directly.. I have alway gotten them that way.

 

[Nacho Libre]

We are going in August and I take trip planning very serious. The biggest part of the planning for me (besides picking the park) is picking meals. Our last two trips we dined in mainly signature restaurants and while the food was amazing we have decided to chill and take a more laid-back approach. My kids will be 6, 4 and 18 months. They are well behaved but those fancy places stress me out a little too much.
K, thats my story. We are talking about a list of possibilities and now trying to narrow them down. So any feedback on my list or any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Here are the ones we are talking about:
Ohana, Sci-Fi, Chef Mickey's, Tony's Town Square, T-Rex, Coral Reef, Hoopdeedoo, Garden Grill, Bongo's and Sanaa.

You mentioned several great places: Chef Micky's, T-Rex, Coral Reef, the garden grill. Ww've become tried and true veterans of WDW and what we've learned about the food is kind of surprising. Here is a short list of often overlooked and highly recommended places:

Chef Micky's is a blast.
Tapan-edo is always fantastic.
Although we always loved le Cellier, this last trip was a bit disappointing.
Mama Melroses was GREAT! I read neutral reviews and kind of avoided the place is it always looks busy and kind of sparse....we tried it and it was fantastic; a real highlight- definitely do the fantasmic package.
50's prime time is a lot of fun.
Sci Fi is NOT one of our favorites but many disagree. It's always overcrowded and the food is ....OK.
The California grill is very nice and exactly what you'd expect but we've done it enough and the scallops at tappan-edo blow theirs away.
I LOVE the Columbia harbor House- sit upstairs over the walkway- window seats are a must. Clam Chowder and some corn from the street cart next door...yum!
Hoop de doo was a lot of fun and good food. Kids really like it.
The luau at the Poly is also very nice- ride the boat from the MK
We really like the Yak and Yeti restaurant even though you can get the same food from the walk up counter next door. It's a neat place.
The pastry shop in France (EPCOT) should not be missed. get a warm turkey/ham and cheese baguette with a cappuccino. sit outside, enjoy!
All Disney food and atmosphere will spoil you and everyone likes different things. This is where the REAL magic lies: no matter what you like, it's there...and no matter where you go, it's infinitely superior to any offering available in the brown World- because HEY! It's Disney World!

PS sorry for hopping around so much but there really are a LOT of great places to visit- Oh yeah, if you like good coffee, go to the Jofferies outside the gate of AK, near Mission Space in EPCOT and the best one: at the exit of the tower of terror at Disney Studios. cappuccinos are AWESOME!

Have fun!:ROFLOL:

 

[Coach81]

We are going in August and I take trip planning very serious. The biggest part of the planning for me (besides picking the park) is picking meals. Our last two trips we dined in mainly signature restaurants and while the food was amazing we have decided to chill and take a more laid-back approach. My kids will be 6, 4 and 18 months. They are well behaved but those fancy places stress me out a little too much.
K, thats my story. We are talking about a list of possibilities and now trying to narrow them down. So any feedback on my list or any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Here are the ones we are talking about:
Ohana, Sci-Fi, Chef Mickey's, Tony's Town Square, T-Rex, Coral Reef, Hoopdeedoo, Garden Grill, Bongo's and Sanaa.

Highly recommend-
Ohana.. breakfast or dinner.. very good.
T-rex or Rainforest- Awesome atmosphere.. decent food
Sci-Fi- Fantastic atmosphere.. and theme.. kids will love it!
Coral Reef- Kids will love the aquarium.. you will like the food
Chef Mickey's- Good interaction.. decent food
Crystal Palace- Great interaction w Winnie and friends.. good food...
Whispering Canyon- Great fun.. good food!!!

Hope this helps.. good luck with your decision...

 

[bmarkelon]

Did you call T-Rex directly.. I have alway gotten them that way.

Thanks for the tip, I will try that. I remember back when it first opened that was the only way to get a reservation. We were really hoping to check it out this trip.

 

[Coach81]

I called t-rex directly yesterday.. and got my rexxie no problem for next week.. thanks for the tip, ctosh!!!

 

[SamtheDisneyGuy]

We are going in August and I take trip planning very serious. The biggest part of the planning for me (besides picking the park) is picking meals. Our last two trips we dined in mainly signature restaurants and while the food was amazing we have decided to chill and take a more laid-back approach. My kids will be 6, 4 and 18 months. They are well behaved but those fancy places stress me out a little too much.
K, thats my story. We are talking about a list of possibilities and now trying to narrow them down. So any feedback on my list or any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Here are the ones we are talking about:
Ohana, Sci-Fi, Chef Mickey's, Tony's Town Square, T-Rex, Coral Reef, Hoopdeedoo, Garden Grill, Bongo's and Sanaa.

I have been 15+ times to Disney world and have probably eaten at Ohana's 8 of the times. It's amazing and has a family atomosphere. They play games with the kids during the meal. Also, don't plan anything for that evening because the meal takes around 2 hours and you will be so full you won't want to do anything afterwards.

My family and I went to Chef Mickeys the year before last and we all agreed it would have been great if we were 5-10. The food is ok, nothing special, but the characters are what make it great for kids. They come around visiting your table every 10 minutes or so. It's great for kids.

Haven't eaten at Sci-Fi since I was little but it was good and I have heard good things.

Let me suggest two places that your should consider. First, Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle. It's grade for kids, but very pricey. I won't ever do it again because I am too old for that kind of stuff, but being a long time Disney go'er I thought it was cool to eat in the Castle. Also, Planet Hollywood at DownTown Disney is very cool.

 

[Todd L]

Im anticipating getting blasted for this but here goes anyway....I really disliked Coral reef. Red lobster with Inflated prices and a beautiful Fish Tank....as the guy next to me stated on our last visit.

Ill probably never go back considering that Epcot is crammed full of better choices.

we love Tonys Town square and Sci-Fi...Tonys is a Must do when we are at the magic Kingdom.

Have a great Trip!!

 

[bmarkelon]

Im anticipating getting blasted for this but here goes anyway....I really disliked Coral reef. Red lobster with Inflated prices and a beautiful Fish Tank....as the guy next to me stated on our last visit.

Ill probably never go back considering that Epcot is crammed full of better choices.

we love Tonys Town square and Sci-Fi...Tonys is a Must do when we are at the magic Kingdom.

Have a great Trip!!

I won't blast you for that, no worries. I have really been reading more and more negative reviews on Coral Reef. We agree with you on Tony's and are excited to go back this trip. We have a restaurant rule; we allow ourselves to go to a restaurant 2 trips in a row and then take a break from it. This encourages us to try new places. It's a rule we apply to lunches and dinners.