Backyard BBQ- yes or no?

[heatherb]

I was just wondering what everyone thought about the Backyard BBQ in Fort Wilderness. We are staying there, and have a 2 1/2 year old, so we thought we would check it out. Any thoughts before we spend the money?

[Here we go again...]

You will probably love it. We went once and loved the close up and personal character interaction. Then characters come out and dance with you and it is fun....

There were some things we did not like though.
1. The seating arrangement. When they open the gates people run to save seats. So getting there early does not help. You are supposed to fix a plate and go sit. The runners get the best seats.
2. It is HOT. The BBQ is held outside under a pavilion with a couple of fans. We were miserable.
3. The food is not great, your basic hot dogs beans and sides.

[Maleficent's Dad]

A huge resounding NO.

The Backyard BBQ was for us, one of our worst Disney experiences ever.

We had a large group of 12 people - with kids aged 2-6. Absolutely nobody had a good time.

First - there's no assigned seating like there is at the HDDR or Luau. So when they open the gates, it's unorganized, and a virtual stampede to the "best" seats. Seats are on long picnic tables. Good luck with high chairs for younger set - you'll have to find one and then get it set up at the "head" of the table.

The food is a free-for-all as well. Self Serve buffet style. You can imagine.

All under a large tent-like awning. If you go during the warmer months, expect to sweat.

Characters do come out - and lines actually form for them. So this part is fun. Although standing in line in the heat can get a bit much with kiddies...

The music can be fun with the country dancing, but again, a bit unorganized; once things got going, that part was fun.

Overall, it was so incredibly "Un-Disney" as it was completely unorganized. Basically they threw the food on the buffet tables and opened the gates. The rest was up to us.

Sorry to be so very negative about a large event in WDW - I love the place so dearly. But this dinner/show has to be replaced. Guess it won't be as long as they make $$$ from it. :(

[kim1st]

I had high hopes for the BBQ last year, but they didn't quite pan out.

The girls were almost 5 and 2 1/2.

The BBQ has potential...it wasn't fabulous for us.

It wasn't HORRIBLE, but it wasn't the "wow, we're having so much fun that it's worth keeping the kids up way past bedtime" kind of experience I was hoping for.

In the Plus column: The price included wine & beer for mom & dad, and if I'm not mistaken, the < 3 y/o will be free. It was very informal, so there were absolutely no worries about a child who won't sit still, drops food on the floor, etc. The kids got a kick out of eating "outside" and watching the characters get down. The hosts were fun, and for standard BBQ fare, it was actually pretty tasty. My kids especially loved being able to pick ice cream from the coolers for dessert.

In the Minus column: If you aren't a country music fan (DH & I are not), this will not be so fun for you (kids don't care). If you are fun and outgoing enough to take your 2 1/2 year old on the dance floor and get down (to country music) like no one is watching, you'll have a great time! Likewise, if your 2 1/2 year old will dance without you, they'll have a good time (mine wouldn't and DH doesn't dance AT ALL, seriously, I have to beg him even at weddings).

The character interaction is fun but it's completely disorganized and a bit of a mob scene. Our family very much preferred the kinds of character dinners where the characters spent time at your table and you had their full attention for a couple of minutes.

I promise we're not as lame and dull as this post makes us sound. The people who were out on the floor dancing were having a fabulous time.

So - bottom line - it is really what you make of it!

Here (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=85071)are some of the replies I got when I asked the same question about this time last year.

Have a great trip!