Please Help Me Pick

[Jeri]

I have to make my ADR's Tuesday and I thought I had it all figured out and now I am panicking.

We are going in October for 12 days. I have all but 1 ADR figured out.
We are a family of 5. Me, husband, DS 16, DS 10 & DD 2 1/2. We do have the dining plan.

Husband and 16 yr old are picky, but love steak. However we( hubby & kids) don't want to dress up so signature places are out.

Was going to do 1900 Park Fare, but have heard some not so good reviews and not sure I want another buffet.
We like Olivia's. I was also thinking about Boatwrights.

So can anyone offer some opinions on:
1900 Park Fare
Olivia's
Boatwrights
Or if you have any other suggestions I would love to hear them.

I should note we are planning on:
Cinderella's Breakfast
Coral Reef- dinner
Chef Mickeys- dinner
Raglan Road- dinner
Tepan Edo- dinner
Ohana- breakfast
Cape May- dinner
Crystal Palace- breakfast
T-Rex- dinner or lunch

Thanks for the help

[jonahbear2006]

I loved Olivias. They have great dessert. The ambiance is kinda sweet. I wouldn't use it as a DDP restaurant, though. When I am on DDP, I try to pick the most expensive places possible bc I feel if I really wanted to do a place like Olivias, I would just go there at a random time and order dessert. It is their signature item; the key lime pie. I have not done boatwrights in the past and certainly don't rule out signature restaurants bc you dont want to dress up. I have seen people in California grill in tank tops and shorts and flip flops. I am not a big fan of 1900 park fare. I like to go where they specialize in something and this buffet is all over the place. They try to hit many diff cultures, on one table, so they are all kinda hit or miss. That being said, their breakfast is ok...but just ok. I really really suggest that you book Tusker House; most preferrably for an early am breakfast and enter the park before opening for a great photo in front of the tree. It is lively, the food is great, and there are some diff items on the menu. Their dinner is great, as well, and we have always been happy there. My other suggestion, for you, would be Grand Floridian Cafe. They have some really great items and my kids always like to end up on GF's beach afterwards and we rest in the hammocks. Location and what is offered there, post food, is always a way for me to steer myself around if I am not sure where I am headed. I am a big fan of get into the park before opening for a photo worth framing. Those restaurants are Tusker house, Akershus,Hollywood and Vine, and Crystal Palace. We love buffets at disney, esp. Boma. It gives everyone a chance to eat whatever they want. Boma has steak for dinner, btw, if that appeals to your dh and child.

[beksy]

We've tried 1900 Park Faire and Boatwrights. Unlike many people, we enjoyed the buffet at 1900 more than we did at many others, such as Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. However, until I have kids it is not on my list to go back since the characters are the main reason to go there (although my mom is working on an argument to go for the strawberry soup so if you do go try this...it is cold and delicious for breakfast or dinner ) Boatwrights is good but many of the foods we ate tended to be on the spicy side (it had a definite cajun influence). However, it was quiet and had a good atmosphere. Since we are staying at POR a few days we are eating here once but I don't know I would make a special trip to the resort just to eat there. If you do, I'd suggest taking the boat to or from DTD.

We always go to several signature restaurants. I don't dress up though. I wear something theme park-nice (meaning a nicer shirt and slightly longer shorts, usually khaki shorts) and tennis shoes. We always seem to blend in well with the others eating. Our favorites are Narcossee's (the lobster and steak are excellent, as is the service and atmosphere...we go during Wishes and they pipe in the music. There is a nice view of the MK across the water and the water parade passes right by there) and Yachtsman (if you like a good steak, this is a great place to go!).

[Pirate Granny]

We enjoyed 1900 Parke Faire , we loved the breakfast characters...Alice, Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins.... Like The Floridian Cafe...we eat there almost every trip...love the menus and venue. Not a fan of crystal gardens, but love the garden grill...Olivia's would be nice but a bit out of the way...the boat back and forth from DTD is wonderful.

[LudwigVonDrake]

Sci-Fi for lunch is a good choice. Also, the Plaza while just sandwiches is a nice change of pace.

[Kairi_7378]

Have you considered Kona Cafe? Not the fanciest place on property but there is a decent mix of menu options for both picky and more adventurous eaters.

There have been some good reviews about Olivia's and Boatwright's recently, too.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I know you said you don't want to dress up so signature is out, but I think all but Albert and Victoria's is business casual so jeans, athletic pants and even nicer khaki shorts are accepted. I say pick a signature or try Ohana for dinner.

[Marionla]

You can hardly go wrong with steak at any Disney restaurant. The best I had was at Mama Melrose. Kona is excellent I am not a fan of any of the Asian restaurants in WDW. Not horrible but I would rather eat steak. Since you are staying 9days, try resort hopping. When doing this we take a day to check out the resorts. Start out having breakfast at a resort and then catch buses and boats to go to the different resorts. Make an ADR for Dinner at another resort. Every deluxe and moderate resort have beautiful lobbies, grounds and some have entertainment. Such as Boardwalk. Enjoy your trip.

[Tygger7]

You mentioned you were on the dining plan and while I don't want to make things more complicated, you may want to consider doing fewer buffets. You get the least value from the dining plan by doing buffets, so I would take a hard look at the me us and try to find some other restaurants. And, stick to dinners as much as possible...breakfast is usually the cheapest meal, so again, you're not getting the best value.

We hate dressing up, but still do signature dining. The only place with a VERY strict dress code is Victoria & Alberts. For the others, cargo shorts and nice tshirt a are fine. That's the extent of our dressing up and we fit in fine.

Here are some places you might want to consider that we have really enjoyed: 'Ohana (dinner), Rose & Crown, Tokoyo Dining, Be Our Guest (dinner), Yachtsman Steak House (signature, but a must if you love steak), ViaNapoli, Narcossees, Kona, and Grand Floridian Cafe. I've heard great reviews on Olivia's and Boatwrights, but haven't eaten there yet.

Good luck and happy planning! And remember, if you don't get all the places you want at first, keep trying!

[Jeri]

Thanks for all the help. We have decided to try Yachtsman Steakhouse. I am excited to try a new place and both Hubby and oldest son have approved of the menu.

I know buffets are not the best use of our Dining plan, and neither are breakfasts, but with a 2 1/2 yr old and our plans they do work for us.
We don't actually get the dining plan for the value, we get it because my husband likes to have it paid for ahead of time and not worry about money for food while we are there. For us the dining plan works good, we actually never pay out of pocket for any food while there the whole 12 days in the past.

Now lets hope I get all my ADR's and close to the time I want when I call Tuesday.

[Kairi_7378]

Good luck making your reservations... and post reviews when you come home :-)