Best places to eat at Disney World on the meal plan?

Question

My boyfriend and I are spending 5 days at Walt Disney World in Orlando from Dec 4 - 9. I'm about to make meal reservations but I'd love some input on great places to eat that are a part of the disney dining plan. We have the park hopper passes, so I don't mind going from one resort to another if i I have to.

Also, any tips on making reservations (ie, times or specific things to ask for) would be appreciated!

Answer 1

My favorites are:

Boma - Animal Kingdom Lodge
Ohana - Polynesian Resort
Coral Reef - Epcot
Tusker House - Animal Kingdom
Mama Melrose - Disney-MGM Studios

Answer 2

Disney World Meal Plan

Answer 3

The sit down dinner, snack, and counter service are more than enough for each day. My family and I are members of the Disney Vacation Club so we normally buy a package of english muffins to toast in the room and sometimes a bag of chips if we get hungry at night. The snack option (as of right now) covers most food items under $4. We usually use them for like a fruit cup in the morning or something like that. The counter service includes an entree, a dessert, and a drink and the servings are always really large so I've never been able to finish the meal. The sit down meal consists of an appetizer, entree, and a dessert and includes so much food, by the end of the week you'll feel so full. A lot of times, we get the table services that use two points so we dont have to eat a giant meal everyday. Even after all that walking we're never hungry, so you and your daughters should be fine.

Answer 4

There are so many great places to eat in the Disney resort it is hard to pick just a couple. Here are some of our favorites.

Coral Reef restaurant in the Living Seas/Nemo and friends exhibit in Epcot. Great seafood and great atmosphere, you actually are eating while looking at the aquarium. VERY cool.

Pick a country, they all have great restaurants. Mexico, Canada and Japan are our personal favs.

The Prime Time 50's cafe in MGM and the Sci-Fi Drive IN also in MGM. The restaurant's themes are really cool, and the food is excellent at each.

Those are just a few. What I would suggest is to go to the Disney website and use their dining finder. You enter a few categories of what kind of experience you are looking for and they can tell you what best fits your criteria. Also, check out the disboards. The disboards is a message board website completely dedicated to going to WDW. You can ask questions, get trip reports, resort reviews, restaurant reviews and favorites, tips and tricks and much more, all from people who go to Disney often and know what they are talking about.

If you have not made reservations yet, I would not hesitate. You are able to make reservations now up to 180 days out, so many of the more popular times may be filled up. Pick out where you want to eat and make your reservations as soon as possible.

Hope this helps, I put the links below. Have a great trip!!!

Answer 5

The rainforest cafe is a chain restaurant that you can get to at almost any mall in america. I'd not bother with it.

Please be aware that Disney does allow dining reservations up to 180 days from dates of travel, so you may want to have several restaurants in mind and take what you can get. A couple of weeks ago I called to change something the first week of January and was told that what was available was "late late late" for dinner. Might not be as big of a deal for you and your boyfriend assuming you don't have children.

Most of the restaurants are on the mealplan, some require 2 credits, like Artist Point, California Grill, Narcooseesses and Jiko to name a few. Shows like the Luau and Hoop de doo are 2 credits as well.

Your chances of getting into Le Cellier would be slim, as I understand it sells out very, very quickly.

50's PrimeTime in the Studios is fun. We like 'ohana at the Polynesian. Garden Grill at Epcot is great. Coral Reef is good. Liberty Tree Tavern is OK. We've enjoyed the Whispering Canyon Cafe. The food at the Sci-Fi isn't good, but the ambiance is great. Same can be said for the San Angel in Mexico.

ETA+ here are the menus which may help you make choices too- http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm#epc

Answer 6

I'm not sure whether only certain restaurants are in the meal plan, but I can tell you what are my fav places to eat there.
If you want to stay inside the parks, my favorite place inside Magic Kingdom is the Crystal Palace and inside Disney Studios is 50s Prime Time Cafe--it's sort of a 50s reality place where you play the role of kids and the servers are your relatives or parents. If you want to eat at the resorts, there's a great place that I can't remember the name right now at the Wilderness Lodge (not the fancy one) and the cafe at Grand Floridian.

If you eat at the parks, make your reservation at a time so you will be finished in time to watch the parade and fireworks. You will get lots of suggestions if you go to www.disboards.com There, you will find all kinds of Disney fans who can tell you much more than you need. Have fun.

Answer 7

Go to www.waltdisneyworld.com then click on dinning options. You will see a list of dinning options for parks, and hotels etc. They will say if they are on the dinning plan or not. Some of our favorites are:
Magic Kingdom: Crystal Palace, Liberty Tree Tavern
Contemporary: California Grill, The Wilderness Lodge: Artist Point and Whispering Canyon Cafe. Grand Floridian 1900 Park Fare, MGM; Momma Melrose, 50 Prime Time Care
The Polynesian: Ohana

Make your decisions soon and call 1-407 WDWDINE to make reservations. Regular users sign up 180 days before their trip so you may have to tell them where you are interested in eating and see what is available.

Answer 8

I like the Garden Grill Restaurant in Epcot's land Pavillion. It rotates and you can watch other attractions while you are eating there. They also have characters there so its a lot fun. I also like the German Beirgarten Resturant. They put on a really neat show while you eat. The singing and Dancing is very authentic. I also suggest the California Grill on top of the Contemporary. Its surrounded by glass with a pretty view of the lake and you can see the fireworks real well at night. Have fun! I am gonna be there the same time as you. Best Wishes!

Answer 9

The crystal palace has a great breakfast buffet.
You can't go wrong with any of the restaurants at EPCOT.
Check out the Brown Derby Fantasmic dining special. You get a great meal and priority seating for Fantasmic (which you can not miss it's amazing).

Answer 10

All of the fast food places at all the parks and hotels accept the meal plan, except for The Concord Steakhouse on top of the Contemporary, and i know there is another restraunt that doesn't accept it eithier. For fast food places, try:
**MAGIC KINGDOM: Peco Bill's cafe, and Cosmic ray's starlight cafe.
**EPCOT:There isn't much variety, but try to taste some international dishes in world showcase. MAKE SURE that you have a soft pretzel in Germany that has rasins baked into it with icing and sliced almonds, there my fave food at disney! Also try to visit the bakery in France...its so good!
**ANIMAL KINGDOM:Alot of the food is the same here, because it is relativly the newest park to disney. I know they just built a yeti eating area by expedition everest, and i heard that was good, and try to go to a juice or iced tea bar when you walk into Africa i think it is, and get some of the frozen iced tea juice stuff.. i had passion fruit when i was there, and i loved it!
**MGM: This is the smallest park at disney, and there isn't much compared to the other parks, but in the backlot somewhere try the pizza planet place, because the pizza ia really goos, and for a sit-down place try the sci-fi cafe. i ate their in feb. and it is so cool. you eat in old "disneyed-out" cars that have tables in them, and it is dark, and there is a huge movie screen, so it is like a drive-in but inside. all the waiters/waitresses are on roller blades, and the ice cubes even glow! this was really good too!

go online, and look around at menus and stuff, because you want to make sure you like something at a restraunt before you go there. if you like healthy food there is also the graden grill cafe in The Land at Epcot. have fun!