Planning dining experiences

[Mushymom]

Hello all!

This is a very helpful place. Thanks for all that you all do.

9yo girl, 7yo boy and 2yo boy. Where would you recommend for dining? We do want to do a character experience, but not sure which one yet. We may do two of them.

Also, what do you think would be the best time for reservations for kids my kids age?

Thanks so much!
Michelle

 

[Floridasunshine]

I suggest an early morning Crystal Palace... like say 8:05 or 8:15 ... that way you are already in the Magic Kingdom before it opens and won't have to fight the gate busters .... Plus you can get some really nice castle pictures without a lot of other people in them. They have the Winnie the Pooh characters there and the breakfast is very nice.

Also, suggest Ohanas at the Polynesian for dinner. They had coconut rolling races and the limbo while we were there. My kids had a great time. And the food was excellent for adults too. It is easy to get there from the Magic Kingdom by monorail.

We also did Chef Mickeys... I guess my kids liked it okay but me, hubby, and the inlaws all did not like it.

 

[tigsmom]

:wave:

Depends on who your kid's favorite characters are. You have 2 boys, but I'm sure your daughter would love to meet the Princesses. Akershus in Norway is all Princess meals now I believe and you get to meet Ariel as a human. While the food on the adult menu is a little different (I like it, my family really didn't, but they are picky), the kids menu is straight forward :
http://allearsnet.com/menu/menu_nork.htm
Its popular and fills up fast as does Cindy's.

Cape May Cafe has the regulars in old fashioned bathing suits while the Liberty Tree Tavern has them in Colonial garb. There is 'Ohana's breakfast with a Polynesian flair, The Crystal Palace (which many people love) and then there is my favorite, Chef Mickey's (there are a few more too!)

Follow this link for an overview of the meals and also the prices and menus. :wave: CLICK HERE

 

[TTFN-Tiggger]

I recommend the Crystal Palace. I like the early AM breakfast there and spend the full day there. Once you are done the park should just be opening.

 

[doc_holiday3500]

We just made a ADR for Hollywood & Vine in Sept. @ MGM and found out that it is becoming a character meal towards the end of June and will have Jo-Jo's Circus and Little Einstein characters. I don't know if that's common knowledge (because no one in our party had heard of the change) yet so that may add another choice for you.

So now if you'll excuse me I'm off to change my dining reservation to something else!!!:brick:

 

[Frosty466]

The Liberty Tree Tavern is always a good choice for a family dinner, and chartacters are often there too. We had Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale.

If the kids are picky or not big eaters and the meal does not need characters then I would try to have reservations for late afternoon, 3-4ish. That way you have the same basic food at lunch prices.

If you don't mind a pricier restaurant then my vote is for the Coral Reef at the Living Seas in Epcot. One whole wall is glass that looks into the aquarium. Watch for the sea turtle, it's massive and all conversations seem to stop when it swims by.

In the Magic Kingdom try Cosmic Rays, especially for lunch. Good food and fun entertainment for the kids.

 

[tigsmom]

The Liberty Tree Tavern is always a good choice for a family dinner, and chartacters are often there too. We had Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale.

If the kids are picky or not big eaters and the meal does not need characters then I would try to have reservations for late afternoon, 3-4ish. That way you have the same basic food at lunch prices.

If you don't mind a pricier restaurant then my vote is for the Coral Reef at the Living Seas in Epcot. One whole wall is glass that looks into the aquarium. Watch for the sea turtle, it's massive and all conversations seem to stop when it swims by.

In the Magic Kingdom try Cosmic Rays, especially for lunch. Good food and fun entertainment for the kids.

We do this also. We usually have only one big meal a day and this time works well for us especially for buffets. We then get a "snack" of a sandwich or pizza when we get back to the resort. The kids get to have special treat around the parks and they usually don't want to eat much at meal time.

 

[goofyfamily]

Make sure you do Chef Mickeys. My kids are now 8 and 11 and have it on the must do list again in September. It is definately one of the best character places Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald will be there. All of the traditional favorites. Remember that when you are thinking of standing in line at one of the parks don't. The characters come around a lot of times and it is a fun atmosphere of celebrating. We did not like Crystal Palace too organized and stuffy and the characters only came around once (Pooh, Piglet, and Eyore) . This year we are doing Liberty Tree and 1900 Park Fare. Go with whoever your kids favorite characters are. I am sure they will have a great time. We usually eat at Chef Mickeys around 7, plan on being there at least an hour, between taking pictures and autographs and dining.

 

[Captain Disney]

I suggest the Crystal Palace. Make the reservation for as close to between 8 to 8:30, that way you can get in to the Magic Kingdom early. It is really cool walking down main street while all the shops are still closed. you can also get some really good pictures of the Castle.

I would also suggest Chef Mickey's. The atmosphere is fun, your kids will probably love it. A party every 45 min.:sohappy:

I would also suggest O'hana's, for breakfast, if your kids like Lilo and Stitch.

 

[kennygman]

Christmas vacation we did:
1900 PF Breakfast - Good hearty breakfast, kids LOVED the Mad Hatter, Alice and Mary Poppins (Pooh & friends too)
Liberty Tree - dinner - my fave ch meal. The food was delicious and made a great xmas meal (M & M, C & D, Goofy)
Garden Grill lunch - unique atmosphere, food was okay, beef was chewy, chip and dale were a hoot. we took the little mickey shape ice cream toppers and put them on our faces making "hidden mickeys" (M, C&D, Pluto & G)
Akershus Princess Dinner - setting was terrific, princesses were great with the kids. Sis-in-law fell in love with the waiter! Food was not something our kids cared for, but worth for the experience. (Ariel, Snow, Aurora, Jasmine, Belle)
Donald's Breakfastasaurus - lots of fun, characters came often. xmas day and NO ONE in AK. Food was good typical breakfast stuff. (M&M, Don, G)
Pizza Planet - counter service for the kids, food was okay
50's Prime Time Diner - good food, waiter was hilarious!
Hoop Dee Doo - Food was good, hot and plenty of it, rib was kinda chewy though. Show was corny, kinda hee-haw funny. Can't get that song out of my head!!! It plays right beside "It's a small world"

This time 9d/8n we're doing:
Cindy's Palace
Ohana
Chef Mickey's
Hollywood & Vine
Cindy's Gala - 1900 PF
Crystal Palace
Whispering Canyon

 

[tracyandalex]

one of our favorites is liberty tree tavern in mk. it's a family style buffet with minnie, pluto, and some other characters (when we were there last it was cindy & perla, but i don't think they are there any more). also, in epcot there is the garden grill restraunt in the land pavillion. it is also a family style buffet with mickey, chip, dale, and pluto. oh, and the restraunt rotates and you get to see some of the scenes from the living with the land ride.
good luck with your choices, all the restraunts are great.
have a great trip :wave:

tracy

 

[Raven66]

When we went in Feb. we did Liberty Tree Tavern and it was wonderful. The food was good and the characters came around twice. We just had a lot of fun. We also enjoyed Chef Mickey's when we went there. It's a busy place but the characters made it to all the tables.

 

[Mushymom]

Thanks everyone - we'll definitely be doing Liberty Tree Tavern thanks to the responses here. I'll check over at the link someone posted and see what else we'll be doing.

Is 2 or three character meals too much for the kids for a week? I don't want to overwhelm them.

 

[goofyfamily]

In response to is 2 or 3 character meals too much. No!!! Remember it is all about the kids. We always do at least 2 and leave it up to the kids if they want another this year we r doing three.