What do you think of these Walt Disney World restaurants?

Question

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I just booked our next Walt Disney World vacation for July (25th to 25th.) We'll be there for 10 days and 11 nights. We're on Disney's Platinum Plan, so our specific dining plan included breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and a snack) per person, per day. We love the Walt Disney World restaurants and don't want to waste any of the "coupons" on our dining plan, so we want to try to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day we're there (except for the first day because we'll be arriving by lunch time.)

Anyway, I've been to some of these restaurants before, but I'd like to know what other people think of these restaurants. I want to know the good points and bad points. Reasons why I should go or shouldn't go, suggestions for what I should order or not order, etc. I'm open to suggestions for other restaurants at Walt Disney World, as long as they're not quick service restaurants.

These are the restaurants I'd like to dine at during our vacation...

Breakfast:

1. Boardwalk Bakery
2. Boatwright's Dining Hall
3. Boma- Flavors of Africa
4. Chef Mickey's
5. Concourse Steakhouse
6. Grand Floridian Cafe
7. Kona Cafe
8. 'Ohana
9. Olivia's Cafe
10. Spoodles

Lunch:

1. Big River Grille & Brewing Works
2. Bongos Cuban Cafe
3. Cinderella's Royal Table
4. Coral Reef Restaurant
5. ESPN Club
6. Kona Cafe
7. Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
8. Nine Dragons Restaurant
9. Rainforest Cafe
10. Turf Club Bar & Grill
11. Yacht Club Galley

Dinner:

1. Artist Point
2. California Grill
3. Citricos
4. Flying Fish Cafe
5. Fulton's Crab House
6. Hollywood Brown Derby
7. Jiko- The Cooking Place
8. Le Cellier Steakhouse
9. Narcoossee’s
10. Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
11. Yachtsmans Steakhouse

Kaya, I'm 19 and weigh under 110 lbs. I'm sorry, I didn't know that was considered obese. I suppose I should diet or perhaps just stop eating all together.

Check out my Yahoo! 360 page, there's a full body shot.
Think before you answer.

I'm going to be on vacation for 11 days. I'm sure it's alright for me to eat three meals a day.

Trust me, I can't fit much into my little belly.

WoWzie, that Volcano Brownie Sundae at the Rainfroest Cafe is good! : ) My boyfriend and I tried it when we went there this summer, and we couldn't finish it all.

Onephathippo, I'm sorry you didn't care for the two nicer restaurants you went to. I enjoy both of those restaurants and the food. Though, I will agree, at Tony's Town Square Restaurant (when I went in August,) the potatoes served with my chicken florentine were dry, but the chicken was great. However, I will not eat at the quick service restaurants. The food is absolutely disgusting. Hot dogs, burgers, and pizzas that've been under heat lamps all day. Sandwiches, wraps, and salads getting soggy in the fridge all day. Nestle cookies that they heat up in the microwave to melt the chips a little, and the desserts in small paper cups... no thanks. I tried that my first vacation to Walt Disney World and certainly would not waste the $15,000 we spent on the Platinum Plan to the cheap restaurants.

P.S. I usually go in August, so I'm well aware of how hot it's going to be. I obviously don't mind it if I keep going during this time of year.

On the Platinum Plan EVERY restaurant at Walt Disney World is included, except for McDonald's. So, fell free to suggest ANY other restaurants. Thank you!

Answer 1

Aloha! Since I work at the Poly I am fond of th Kona and Ohana - and I work at these resturants. I woudl say that you should do some character dinings. ( Love em! ) excpet some, like Cinderella's Royal Table take 2 pts per person.

I've worked at also Chef Mickeys, California Grill, Artists Poing, Whipsering Cannoyn. Among others in the parks. Since Im a cast member there, i have to say all are the best! California is a more upscale resturant, so, if younger kids are around, its not a good idea. Tony's Town Square is a very cute resturant, i've had good service there. You're points plan is not going to work at the Rianforest cafe though, so remember that.

Places like Chef Mickey's, Grand Floridian Cafe and Ohana, Cinderella's Royal Table, and Claifornia Grill all need reservations, like, NOW! Beleive me, I know. I deal with people with no reservations every day.

I could go on for hours, but I really don't have the time now. If you have any specific questions about any place, I'd be more than happy to help, just message me.

Answer 2

Sci Fi theater in MGM. Great food, and sitting in the cars while eating is pretty cool. 50's Prime Time restaurant - great food and atmosphere. Just don't put your elbows on the table and use good manners, or you will see what happens! Chef Mickey's Character breakfast in the Contemporary - some people don't like the food here, but where else can you get Mickey and the gang to come right to your table for pictures and autographs. Fulton's Crab house in Downtown Disney - VERY pricey, but the food is more than worth it. Ghiradelli's chocolate shop - Do I really need to explain? Earl of Sandwich - good food that you can get very quickly. Best sandwiches around. Found in Downtown Disney. Casey's corner - Right on the corner at the Castle end of Main Street of the Magic Kingdom. Hot dogs with all the trimmings and it was never very crowded. Great place to grab a quick counter service meal. We ate at most of these places when we were there a week ago, and loved all of them. Hope this helps!!

Answer 3

I'll tell you about the ones I've been to. Boatwrights wasn't that good for breakfast, it was very good for dinner- mostly southern cooking. My wife loves the Pot Roast. Boma was excellent for breakfast, plus it was a buffet- my son could barely walk out of the place.
Cinderella's Royal Table is good for lunch or diner, the ambiance is excellent. ESPN Club has okay food, but it is a sports bar.
Le Cellier Steakhouse does have excellent steaks and very good potatoes- it's also not usually as crowded because it's harder to find. We ate at Tony's once- it was awful. Everything was overcooked (pasta and meats) and the sauce were bland and watery.

You might want to consider eating at L'originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante in the Italy pavilion at Epcot. My mother-in-law liked it and she's full Italian (makes her own sauce and everything). 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian is also very good, but there are a lot of kids there because of the characters (My daughter loved the Princesses). The 50's Prime Time Cafe at MGM is very good- home-style food, and the cast members are very funny.
For diner shows try the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue- chicken and ribs served family style. Or the Aloha Show at the Polynesian Resort- fish and pork cooked over the fire (south seas style).
For snacks try the Liberty Tree Tavern and catch the afternoon show (if they still do that)- at Magic Kingdom. The Beaches and Cream Soda Shop is very good also- at Beach Club Resort.

Answer 4

Since you asked for our opinions, I will give you mine, here goes:

I have done the Character Breakfast at Chef Mickey's- I thoroughly enjoyed it. (Although I enjoyed the Crystal Palace atmosphere better- I am not really a big Pooh fan)

ESPN - Great- If you love sports and go during your favorite sports' season. I was there during baseball season- not a baseball fan, but I could see where someone that is would totally love it. I wish I had gone during football season.

Rainforest Cafe- I love it for any meal. There is one in Burlington, MA and another in West Hartford, CT- so I don't necessarily feel like it is a can't miss while I am at Disney- although we usually go when we are there.

Le Cellier- Good food, especially the steaks- the atmosphere is a bit dark for me, but for a romantic dinner, it would do nicely.

Now, I know you may or may not agree with me on some of these statements, however these ARE MY opinions.

Enjoy your next trip.

Answer 5

I just got back from a trip to Disney. I didn't eat at alot of the restaurants you have listed. Chef Mickey's is good for the kiddies. And, believe it or not, there's not alot of noise pollution from the monorail running through the Contemporary. I thought there would be, but it's not bad. If you do Chef Mickey's, try to get an earlier reservation...It may be harder to get up, but the earlier you're there, the more you get to see the characters. They came around our table like 5 times each. It was Mickey, Chip, Goofy, and Pluto. I heard ALOT of people in the hotel (we stayed at the Contemporary) talking about the California Grill. I've never been there, but I've heard the view is AMAZING! As far as lunch, if you have a big(ger) breakfast and dinner planned, you might not really want alot at lunch to eat. We stuck mostly to the quick service restaurants. Dinner was OK at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom (character dining with Pooh and friends), but it was alot of stuff that I've never heard of in my life. When I was at Disney about 7 years ago, we ate dinner once at a chinese restaurant in World Showcase in EPCOT. DELICIOUS.

Just a note...IF you decide to do Cinderella's Royal Table, get reservations EARLY. It fills up QUICK! My aunt has been trying to get in there for the past 3 years. They just changed it that instead of making reservations for this one 90 days in advance, you have 180. I'd go for the 180. All the rest of the character dining is still 90.

Answer 6

We went to 2 Restaurants that weren't "quick service". One was the Chinese Restaurant in Epcot (name escapes me). They didn't have a good variety of food...there were only a hand full of things you could choose from. The other one that we ate at was Tony's Restaurant from "Lady and the Tramp". The potatoes were dry - and actually - it was the worst food that we ate the whole trip. After walking away with a $75 bill for 2 of us, we decided to go back to eating the quick service because it was a) faster (which means you could get back to the park), b) you didn't have to worry about reservations (because really - who knows when you will be in certain time/locations? You'll find yourself staying at a park you are done with just because you have dinner reservations and you will waste precious time!), and c) the tables there were so close that you could hear everything the next table was saying and doing (especially the screaming kids). Why pay that much when you are will still going to be in a croud of smelly people. We went in July (same time you are planning on going) and it was HOT and HUMID...even high class people smell at those temperatures.

Answer 7

Good restaurants
I would recommend not going to Boatwright's Dining Hall or Boma for breakfast. I have eaten at both and they are much better for dinner purposes. ESPN CLUB is definetly worth it despite the long lines and you should at Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom for lunch. You can dine with characters and have an all you can eat buffet.

Answer 8

I liked Chef Mickeys. It was a great experience and the food was also really good. I remember that there was a great variety to choose from and the characters came around and signed autographs and the whole experience was a lot of fun. I do not remember if Alfredo's was on your list but I think it was at Magic Kingdom. Reservations have to be made ahead of time and the food and atmosphere was amazing. We eat at both of these restaurants ever year! Have Fun!

Answer 9

+ looks like some of the options have changed.
The Rainmaker is always nice and has a cool atmosphere. And I agree with you about the brownie Sunday.
The Kona cafe was a nice breakfast stop.
I think there are more choices than you have listed, but I don't know what is included on your plan. I found some great places at the adult evening section, and there are also some nice ones at Epcot Center. Hope you plan on trying some of them.
Just have fun and don't let plans stand in your way of fun.

Answer 10

The Boardwalk bakery has excellent pasties and breads! You should def. try. The boardwalk is a neat shopping area. Theres Dinseys ESPN resturant there too. Chef Mickeys is good too, ordinary food, but cute. Rainforest cafe is good, Its really cute, the resturant makes you feel like your in the rainforest hence the name. You def. have to try the Valcano Browie, a must share with your whole group! Its excellent!! The CaliForina grill is good too!!