I’m finally able to bring you Part 2 of my Tech·mom·o·gy does Disney World series.  Catch Part 1 here!  Part 2 is all about Disney dining.  Believe me when I say, it was a DELICIOUS trip.

It all started when our favorite gal, Bridget, from Pixie Vacations mentioned that Disney has been regularly having a free basic dining plan promotion during slower months of the year, especially September/October.  That’s $45.99 per night per guest, for FREE.  The basic plan includes one quick service meal, one table service meal, and a snack per day.

I’ve seen many Disney moms say they prefer this plan and the quick service meals to make the time less stressful for them, and I can see how that would work.  But for us right now, we went the character breakfasts and signature dinners route and that required the deluxe dining plan.  With my son being under 3, he was free to share with us or we could buy him his own meal so we played that by ear.  With the free basic plan, we ended up paying $469 for our meals all week.  The plan doesn’t include tips, so after taking those into account it was about $100/day for the 3 of us to eat.  In Disney, that’s an incredible deal!

The breakfast buffets with the characters averaged around $60-$75 while we easily surpassed the $100 mark on our dinners.  Our dinner at California Grill was over $300 before our credits were used!  It was a lot of fun seeing the receipt come back with all zeroes on it at the end of the night.  😉  So here’s a breakdown of where we went and how it was, arranged by meal.

Breakfast

The Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)

If you’ve spent some time setting up your reservations online prior to your trip (more on that later), you may be in for quite a surprise if you show up at almost any of the character breakfasts after 9.  With a 9:30 reservation, I had to wait in line to register (where they ask you everything from how many in your party, where you’re staying, to what dining plan you have) for about 10 minutes followed by a 20 minute wait to get seated.  We were fuming but I guess that’s what happens in Disney.

The food was standard fare (but I’m a breakfast lover, so no complaints from me) and the characters were all from Winnie the Pooh; Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and Pooh himself.

Tusker House (Animal Kingdom)

Yet another surprise with the wait here, but less shocking than the previous day.  And something else we didn’t expect was seeing Donald Duck in full safari gear outside the front doors.  I was told he doesn’t sign autographs and then they took a picture.  I didn’t appreciate this set up because later at your table they bring the picture to you and ask for $30 for it.  So we have no pictures or autographs from Safari Donald.

The food was better than the Crystal Palace with some really good breakfast sausage and a lot more choices available.  We loved the theme (we were in Africa) and when Mickey, Goofy and Daisy came out to lead the kids around the room, my son grabbed a sort of rattle/instrument and just followed everyone else, he didn’t want it to end.

Hollywood & Vine (Hollywood Studios)

We chose this place the night before so we could spend more time in the park.  Tip: Try to pick breakfast spots in the park you’re visiting that day and pick a time before 9 if possible.  It may seem obvious, but with so many choices at other resorts, we didn’t plan everything out the way we now know we should.  This had to have been the best breakfast of the whole trip.  We were immediately seated and my son fell in love with all the Disney Junior characters.  There was Handy Manny, Oso, and the Little Einsteins!  They sing the “Hot Dog” song from Mickey’s Clubhouse and regularly walk around the room to see all the kids.

The food was also the best from the trip.  Even the scrambled eggs were better than the other buffets.  My son had the best time here and that’s saying something when you’re in Disney!

1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)

This was not one of our better experiences.  We arrived 5 minutes late but were treated to a 40 minute wait.  And once again, there were pictures that they try to sell you during your meal.  We just skipped taking it so we weren’t wasting anyone’s time and the paper and ink to print the pictures, what a waste!

The food was standard again.  Of the characters, we loved seeing Tigger and Pooh again and Mary Poppins was wonderful to meet.  The Mad Hatter and Alice were very very nice but we didn’t appreciate the rather long break they took before coming to see us, we almost left before they came out.  I understand breaks, maybe shorter and more frequent would be good.  But it was almost 30 minutes and I know they keep track of the tables they’ve visited so they know when we got there.

Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory Food Court (Port Orleans, French Quarter)

This was our pool day but we almost wished we hadn’t wasted a credit here.  Knowing that your individual credits can be worth approximately $35-$70 each, the $8 breakfast “platter” was not worth it.  Two slices of french toast, or two pancakes after the buffets we had…not worth it.  We did have lunch here later though and it was better.

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Epcot – Norway Pavilion)

Another last minute change from a breakfast at another resort, this was a fantastic last day breakfast.  We got to have breakfast with the Disney princesses!  Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Belle!  Now our service left something to be desired.  They serve you family style at your table with a buffet of sweets.  We heard other servers asking if anyone wanted refills on their eggs or sausage but ours didn’t come back except to give us the check.  If we had been hungrier, I would have spoken up more.  But it’s good to know this going in.

Bonus: the picture my son took with Belle at the beginning was given to us!  We were informed that it is included in the meal cost.  So for non-dining plan guests, they pay more.  But it’s still one credit for us!  We got (4) 5x7s and an 8×10.  🙂

Lunch (Skipped more often than not)

Tony’s Town Square (Magic Kingdom)

Parents:  You’ll no doubt find yourself with a sleeping child at some point in your day at Disney.  We were still full from breakfast and almost cancelled our reservation at Tony’s Town Square but when our son fell asleep, we had no where else to go (also more on that later).  Disney restaurants don’t typically allow strollers in unless you have a sleeping child.  So we parked our son at our table and ordered our meal.  It was delicious and we were sad to only be able to eat some of it, but we truly enjoyed the food.

The Eggplant Parmesan was YUMMY!

Yak & Yeti (Animal Kingdom)

Another “our son was sleeping” situation, we immediately walked in and sat at the bar.  We had just picked up some Fast Passes for Everest (rollercoaster) and the bartender was beyond great.  He made us what he called a “Yak Attack” and it was very very good.  Then he allowed us to take one of our credits and share the 3 course meal instead of having to order 2 meals.  While the food was getting ready, my husband left and went on Everest.  Then he came back and I went.  It was the most well planned part of our vacation.  😉  As for the food, it was incredible.  We couldn’t get dinner reservations because it’s so popular, so definitely set up your plans as early as possible.  And trust the servers when they give you recommendations, our bartender was right on in what he suggested.

Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory Food Court (Port Orleans, French Quarter)

On our pool day, the food court actually had pretty good sandwiches for a late lunch.  I had a pulled pork po’ boy, the husband had a grilled chicken one, and my son enjoyed some chicken nuggets.  Definitely a better experience than breakfast that morning.

Le Cellier (Epcot – Canada Pavilion)

Le Cellier is now a signature meal at dinner, so if you want to try this place out for one credit it will have to be for lunch.  Either way, it is well worth the cost.  They started out with a mixed bread basket of whole grain, sourdough and the most amazing pretzel bread.  It was so good.  And we shared the cheddar cheese soup, dipping the pretzel bread in that is highly recommended! 🙂

We both had our own filets.  It was out of this world!

Dinner

Coral Reef Restaurant (Epcot – Nemo Pavilion)

If you’ve ever wanted to eat fine food in an aquarium, here’s your chance.  This place is gorgeous!

My husband and I are definitely of the opinion that larger portions are better, but the Coral Reef is the type of place that takes smaller portions and “presents” them to you.  It worked well for us though because 3 courses fill you up fast.  The food was delicious, and the restaurant is still a single credit for dinner.  Definitely a must for us on future trips!

Bongo’s Cuban Cafe (Downtown Disney – NOT ON THE DINING PLAN)

This was my 3rd trip to Bongos and my husband’s 1st.  Even with a repeat visit from me, I checked out the reviews and was disappointed by so many mediocre ones.  But anytime I can, I have Cuban food (my absolute favorite; reminds me of my hometown, Miami).  Let me tell you, Bongos didn’t disappoint.  I don’t have a clue what the negative reviews were for, the churrasco (skirt steak) was out of this world and my favorite sides were great: tostones (salty plantains), maduros (sweet plantains), and white rice.  For dessert, my husband had the flan while I got both the chocolate and the traditional tres leches (three milks cake), I couldn’t pick between the two.  But I highly recommend the traditional over the chocolate!

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (The Campsite at Fort Wilderness)

Let me preface this by saying I was not in the best of moods.  This was our 3rd day and we decided to go right from the park to dinner, with over an hour in between.  We chased our son around a playground at the Campsites at Fort Wilderness, and it just took a lot out of me on top of walking at Animal Kingdom all day.  The food was typical BBQ style: ribs, cornbread, mashed potatoes, baked beans, etc.  All of it was just ok, the most stand out part was the cornbread with honey butter.  Drinks were unlimited but neither one of us really cared to go nuts.

The show was well worth the 2 credit per person price.  It was a funny saloon musical that brought the diners/audience into it.  We were included in the opening number about where everyone was from (Pennsylvania, representing!).  We had switched to the Hoop-Dee-Doo over the Hawaiian Luau due to the reviews and we would do it again, hands down.

Boma, Flavors of Africa (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

The biggest surprise for us was Boma.  The African infused food was beyond amazing.  It was another buffet, but it was anything but ordinary.  Big winners for us were the ribs (sweet with a touch of curry) and salmon (with a citrusy, creamy sauce).  My husband loved every single soup that was offered.  Highly recommended.

California Grill (Contemporary Resort)

This was the BEST dinner of the trip, and that says something since we had incredible dinners.  Take this tip and remember it: We noticed we had extra credits in our dining plan before we went to dinner at the California Grill.  We took a chance and asked our waitress if we could use another 2 credits for another 3 course meal we could share.  Why?  Because we really, really wanted all the sushi they had to offer.  🙂  And she said YES!

Many diners were staring at our table when the huge plates of sushi arrived and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.  Follow that up with a filet for me and pork for my husband and we were in heaven.  Our son LOVED the fireworks.  He cheered and clapped through the whole show.  A fun time was had by all 3 of us and we’ll never forget this one meal.

Citricos (Grand Floridian)

We tried the same trick as above here and while we were cautioned that technically the 3rd meal wasn’t allowed, they were happy to do it anyway!  While the appetizers here were slightly disappointing, the main courses surpassed our expectations.  Definitely try the paella if they have it.

Plus the staff was amazing.  No matter what we ordered, they made sure it was all covered by our 6 credits.  Not one thing was charged that could have been.  And the manager brought a light up Lighting McQueen for our son, he’s still playing with it.

La Hacienda de San Angel (Epcot – Mexico Pavilion)

This was a last minute decision.  We initially had reservations at the Mexican restaurant in the pyramid, but we changed to La Hacienda because we were assured the view was amazing for the Epcot fireworks.  It’s true, the whole wall on the lagoon is all windows.  And just like California Grill, the music is piped into the restaurant and the lights turned down for the show.  For one credit, this was well worth it.  The food was very good.

 Additional tips:

• Be aware of what is charged to you and what is covered by your credits.  Twice I caught a server charging our son’s meal as a credit on our plan even though this isn’t “allowed”.  The 2nd time was our last dinner there, so we were fine letting it go since we left with a credit left over anyway.  I was glad to not have to pay $9 for his meal.  But in the middle of your trip when you’re budgeting the credits, you’ll want to make sure this isn’t done.  Like I said, a credit is worth a minimum of $35 for a sit down meal…don’t let it get taken away for less than $10.
• Make reservations over a month in advance if possible.  Tons of places are booked even before this, so if you don’t want to miss out (we really wanted to go to ‘Ohana and didn’t get the chance), book soon.
• Keep in mind where you’ll be and where you’re going when booking your reservations.  Sure it’s a blast to book places at different resorts, but the reality is so much more inconvenient.  We ended up taking a cab 3 nights we were there because the wait for the bus was so long.  And with the breakfasts taking 2 hours or so (including the waits), we didn’t get to the parks until 11 or after.
• Book reservations within the parks.  At least for breakfast, consider eating at the park you’ll be visiting that day.  It’ll take a lot of stress out of the beginning of the day and combine with the next tip will give you a big jump on your day.
• Book your breakfast reservation before 9.  We know it’s vacation and you want to sleep in just a bit, but our best days were when we got up around 7 and had breakfast around 8 or 8:30.  Plus there was virtually no wait for these times!
• Be creative with your credits:  We split one three course meal (1 credit) at Yak & Yeti when we were still full from breakfast and used 2 extra credits at two signature restaurants when we wanted to try more than our own dishes.  Also, take your snack credits (believe us when we say, there will be a TON left over) and get a bunch of yummy souvenirs for family back home.  Big lollipops, rice krispie treats, gummy worms, cookies, etc are ALL included!
• Use the Disney World app or mobile website (m.disneyworld.com) to make reservations on the fly or find a quick bite to eat.

 I was not compensated in any way for this article from any of the above mentioned companies.  All opinions are 100% my own.

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