First timer needs help

[first_timer777]

We will be taking our two boys in Sept. They will be almost 4 and almost 2. We went with the dining option. Where should we make reservations, and when (lunch or dinner)? Very much thanks in advance. Very exciting. Borderline overwhelming.

[bradk]

honestly, there are tons of recommendations that could be made and no doubt many people will recommend stuff to you long after i post this, but what you should do is pick up a detailed guide to WDW that covers the restaurants and see what interests you and then go into more specifics about what you might be looking for.

[May524]

It all depends on where you wish to dine. Disney has tons of character dining, as well as signature dining.
Now for lunch or dinner, you may want to decide what is best for your family. Your children are still young, so you may be coming back to your resort for an afternoon nap, so dinner might be a better option for you. :thumbsup:

[Bruegge]

Welcome

go to http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/dining/menus/default.asp

and checkout restaurants/menus.

See what "floats your boat" READ..READ and READ more posts and see what other people like

I LOVE fine dining.... California Grill and Narcoossee's are a must for dinner (for me and the DW) .... Ohana's is good food fun (less fancy) atmosphere.

Character dining is fun for the kids.

Feel free to ask questions and the people here will be more than happy to tell you what they think..

Good luck ... don't get overwhelmed

Scott

[KAJUNKING]

first of all :welcome: to intercot! as others have said, dining options are up to your tastes, and every one is different. i think the dining plan is a great idea, and if you keep your eyes on intercot, disney may offer the dining plan for free ( they have for the past two years in sept ) with kids at that age i would make adr's for a lot of character dining they will love that and its still only one ts credit, with the exception of crt, good luck, we will be there sept 15-23 and cant wait to go! have a magical trip! :mickey:

[KAJUNKING]

We will be taking our two boys in Sept. They will be almost 4 and almost 2. We went with the dining option. Where should we make reservations, and when (lunch or dinner)? Very much thanks in advance. Very exciting. Borderline overwhelming.

oh, i almost forgot, if you have trouble getting adrs for dinner for a place you would really like to dine, try to get one for lunch its usually easier :mickey:

[SBETigg]

I think your boys will enjoy a few character meals, but don't make your first meal a character meal. Wait to see how the boys react to the characters in the park. Some little ones end up afraid of the characters, and no need to make mealtime stressful.

A great first meal is dinner at 'Ohana( at the Polynesian Resort). No characters, but a family style meal in a fun, family atmosphere. Maybe after that, try a character meal, perhaps at Chef Mickey's(Contemporary, party atmosphere) or the Crystal Palace(Pooh characters, Magic Kingdom). Another great family choice is Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge. Also look into: Le Cellier, Marrakesh, and San Angel Inn in Epcot's World Showcase. Some suggestions for a start.

Dinners, usually the more expensive meals, make the best use of your dining plan credits. Some people prefer to pay for breakfasts out of pocket to save credits for evening meals. It's up to you. You can make ADRs as early as 180 days before your travel, and this is recommended, especially for the more popular restaurants which do book up fast. Best wishes and happy planning!

[merlinmagic4]

Welcome to Intercot!!

You've gotten some great advice! :thumbsup: One other thing you can do to make it less overwhelming is to try to decide what park you will go to each day, look the restaurants (guidebooks, Intercot Info Central, opinions here) and decide where you might like to eat dinner that night.

You only have to make ADRs (reservations) for the table service credits. For the counter service meal, you can just walk up and eat at those places.

You probably want to make the ADRs as close to the 180 day window as you can. There's lots of talk here lately about it getting harder to make them.

Hang around Intercot and you will learn a lot!! It's priceless :mickey:

[GreenBeetle]

Welcome to Intercot!! :rocks:

You've come to the right place for lots of opinions on dining options. But like others have said, it's all a matter of what your food preferences are and what characters your children might like to see. Character meals are by far the best option for families to see their favorite characters - no waiting in long lines - each character visits your table to take photos and sign autographs.

Read as much as you possibly can on all your dining options, then ask more specific questions here and you'll no doubt receive more great information. Good Luck!

[Brenle]

We had the dining plan last year and had reservations for dinner each night. We chose to cancel one because we were in a different park that evening. The last thing you want is two hungry kids and a long wait to get seated in a restaurant.:mickey:

[magicman]

The one key tip for now is not to wait too long to make your plans & ADRs.:thumbsup:

Personally, I enjoy planning so I always start with a rough idea of which parks I'm going to visit on which days then I start looking at dining options within that park (I also have small kids & don't want to travel to another park or resort just to eat).

With my kids I make my meal plans at lunch. It's easier to get reservations, & the kids seem to do better than at dinner.

The places that we have enjoyed:
Magic Kingdom
- Crystal Palace (Pooh & friends)
- Cinderella's Royal Table (costs two table services)
- Liberty Tree Tavern (Mickey & friends)
EPCOT
- Le Cellier (Canada)
- The Garden Grill (Mickey & friends)
- France counter service restaurant
MGM
- Sci Fi (You eat in a car watching a big screen tv)
- Hollywood & Vine (Buffet & if you ask for the Fantasmic Pkg, you get reserved seating into Fantasmic)
Animal Kingdom
- We don't do a sitdown meal at AK; however, we sometimes go to Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for their buffet (it's spicy for the kids though)

Last thoughts
- Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort - on the monorail close to MK is very enjoyable & includes Mickey & friends)

Enjoy your planning.:cloud9:

[rsumrall]

Because of the age of your kids, I would start the week with a character meal. This will save tons of time in the parks when they want to wait in those long lines. We love breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

Also, I recommend Ohana's, 50's Prime Time Cafe, and Bomas for fun family experiences.

Enjoy your trip and Welcome!