NEWBIE Looking For DDR Help!

[diamond58]

:mickey:HI! This will be my FIRST trip to Disney as a family. I have two children ages 9 & 5. My husband and I have decided to upgrade to the DDP and are staying at the POP Century Resort August 27-September 2. I was able to get ALL our reservations for the meals we wanted, but am looking for a few suggestions...

Here are our DDR'S as of today...
August 27...
None, get in late.
:cloud9:August 28...
10:50 AM @ Chef Mickey
5 PM @ Hoop-Dee-Doo
:cloud9:August 29...
10:15 AM Cinderella's Royal Table
7:45 PM Crystal Palace
:cloud9:August 30...
10:25 AM Princess Storybook breakfast @ Akershus
6:30 PM Garden Grill
(This is the one I'm not sure about..I am thinking about Coral Reef instead. Or would one of the World Showcase restaurants be better. Rose & Crown I've heard has outside seating for Illuminations. Can you still see if you are not outside? ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!)
:cloud9:August 31...
10:15 AM Donald's Breakfastosaurus
8 PM California Grill
(Is this too early for fireworks? Will we be able to eat slowly and stick around to view the fireworks or will they usher us out?)
:cloud9:September 1...
10:05 AM Play 'N' Dine at Hollywood and Vine
4:50 PM Hollywood Brown Derby: Fantasmic Dinner Package
(This was the lastest we could get for the package. I guess Disney wants to seat at off hours for those wanting the Fantasmic seating)
:cloud9:September 2...
9 AM 'Ohana Character Breakfast

Our flight leaves at 3:50 PM. Magical Express supposedly leaves 3 hours before our flight. Will we be able to take sandwiches on the bus to the airport? With all our reservations, we have only used 15 credits and still need to use 3 more. I really don't want them to go to waste. Any ideas...?

Thanks for any suggestions/advice you can give!:mickey:

[katzctkpt]

Everything sounds good. We ate lunch at the Garden Grill and was pretty good. I think I'd choose Coral Reef for dinner.

[Taja]

:mickey:HI! This will be my FIRST trip to Disney as a family. I have two children ages 9 & 5. My husband and I have decided to upgrade to the DDP and are staying at the POP Century Resort August 27-September 2. I was able to get ALL our reservations for the meals we wanted, but am looking for a few suggestions...

Here are our DDR'S as of today...
August 27...
None, get in late.
:cloud9:August 28...
10:50 AM @ Chef Mickey
5 PM @ Hoop-Dee-Doo
:cloud9:August 29...
10:15 AM Cinderella's Royal Table
7:45 PM Crystal Palace
:cloud9:August 30...
10:25 AM Princess Storybook breakfast @ Akershus
6:30 PM Garden Grill
(This is the one I'm not sure about..I am thinking about Coral Reef instead. Or would one of the World Showcase restaurants be better. Rose & Crown I've heard has outside seating for Illuminations. Can you still see if you are not outside? ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!)
:cloud9:August 31...
10:15 AM Donald's Breakfastosaurus
8 PM California Grill
(Is this too early for fireworks? Will we be able to eat slowly and stick around to view the fireworks or will they usher us out?)
:cloud9:September 1...
10:05 AM Play 'N' Dine at Hollywood and Vine
4:50 PM Hollywood Brown Derby: Fantasmic Dinner Package
(This was the lastest we could get for the package. I guess Disney wants to seat at off hours for those wanting the Fantasmic seating)
:cloud9:September 2...
9 AM 'Ohana Character Breakfast

Our flight leaves at 3:50 PM. Magical Express supposedly leaves 3 hours before our flight. Will we be able to take sandwiches on the bus to the airport? With all our reservations, we have only used 15 credits and still need to use 3 more. I really don't want them to go to waste. Any ideas...?

Thanks for any suggestions/advice you can give!:mickey:

Yes, you can take wrapped food on DME and through security into the airport. No open beverages or food permitted on DME.

[Mickey91]

I am assuming you are on the deluxe plan.

I would go to the Plaza Restaurant around 2:00 for lunch on the 29th.

I would do another 2:00 lunch on the 31st. Either Tusker House at AK, Coral Reef at EPCOT, or somewhere in whatever park you will be playing.

[Natazu]

Just a note about Table Service Credits:
If you're on the Deluxe Dining Plan, you have 3 credits left over. If you're on the basic Dining Plan, you are over by 9 credits.

California Grill and Brown Derby are amazing. They are great choices. Hoop-Dee-Do is fun, your kids should love it.
The other places are fine but you've really got to love dining with characters to do all those character meals. I'd get sick of them after a couple of days.

Some suggestions for other places to try:
Kona Cafe
Grand Floridian Cafe
'Ohana Dinner
Restaurant Marrakesh (World Showcase)
Le Cellier (World Showcase)
Coral Reef which you're already considering

[Soul_Power]

You have some great choices! We ate at Ohana's the morning we left as well, and it we wouldn't have had it any other way! It was very special!

Have a great trip!

[diamond58]

:mickey:Thanks for all the input! It's nice to be on the Deluxe DIning plan because we do have so many options. We may end up doing lunch on a couple of the days...it just depends on how hungry we are. I'm not so sure we will be ready to eat lunch after having such a huge breakfast each morning. Especially in the heat! My son eats pretty much nothing!:(

We plan on using our snack credits for some of the more 'yummy' options that are available throughout the parks (i.e. Dole Whips, ice-cream, etc.) I was glad I found about a zillion things that can be used for snack credits. Plus we are going to take our resort mugs to the park with us and fill up on ice water throughout the day rather than sodas (I read that most of the quick serve counters & restaurants will give you ice water at no charge). I read that someone brought the individual Crystal Light packages with them to put in the ice water I think we will probably do the same. Saves our snack credits for other things. The snack credits sure seem to come in handy for a quick hunger fix between breakfast and dinner.:thumbsup: