Help me choose some more realistic restaurants

[menseh]

Hello!

So, I have been planning this Disney Trip since I was 12 years old. I have a ton of restaurants I WANT to go to, but I know they're all unrealistic for a couple of reasons.

One, being that my partner and I are not heavy eaters, so while buffets are good for our picky sides, they are not good for the value of money overall. For most of our meals we plan to share because we are doing three meals per day, that's just impossible with family style and buffets but it seems thats what I have the most of in my itinerary. Two, is that our budget for food right now is almost as expensive as the hotel. Yikes!

However, we also want to experience the luxury of food so yes we want to eat nice food. So I come to you bearing the restaurants I want to go to and ask that the people of disboards please help me figure out similar but cheaper restaraunts or convince me it's worth the budget.

Now, I also know I wont be able to get all of these as reservations SO alternatives need to be looked at.

At hotel* is our breakfasts, and will be at Riverside, so able to share!



Arrival Day
Boma Dinner (Will be able to share)

AK All Day
At Hotel

Flame Tree Lunch (Can share)

Tiffins Rivers of Light (Can share)

MK ALL DAY
Be our Guest Breakfast

Sleepy Hallow Lunch (Will not share, gotta get my own sandwich)

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner

Hollywood Studios and Grand Floridian Spa for Couples Massage
At Hotel

Quick Service in HWS

1900 Park Fare Dinner

Epcot All Day
Garden Grill Breakfast

World Showcase Snacks for Lunch

Via Napoli for really late dinner (Can Share)

MK and Disney Springs
At Hotel

Casey’s or Gaston’s Lunch

House of Blues Dinner

Universal and ANY Resort Dinner
At Hotel

Three Broomsticks Lunch (Will share)

Cape Cafe Dinner (Partner doesn't like seafood but I DO)

Last day AK
Tusker House Breakfast

Harambe Market or Yak & Yeti Lunch

 

[Moliphino]

I don't think you can share the ROL package at Tiffins. A regular non-package meal can be shared there, but for the package it's a cost per person sort of deal.

 

[klbrow11]

Couple things I notice is your first night is boma which is a buffet so would not be able to share. You could do counter service mara, table Sanaa, or signature Jiko and share.

Also if you are doing tiffins with the rivers of light package you would not be able to,share as you are essentially paying for access for each person to the show.

 

[Texans_loyal]

I may be wrong but I don't think you can share at Boma? I would switch BOG and sleepy hallow. BOG lunch is cheaper and the portions are bigger, unless you have a PPO reservation.

 

[rentayenta]

Like the others have said, you cannot share at buffets or dining packages. The rest look good.

 

[babs33]

Not sure if this is what you're looking for I jotted down some of my thoughts next to each restaurant. Just my opinion. You have a pretty good lineup here! Have fun and enjoy!

Arrival Day
Boma Dinner (Will be able to share) - Great choice! Def keep on the buffet list but don't think you can share?

AK All Day
At Hotel

Flame Tree Lunch (Can share) - Are you into the Chipotle-style make-your-own-bowl thing? If yes, consider swapping out for Satuli Canteen! Overall better quality and selection IMO and can still def share!

Tiffins Rivers of Light (Can share) - No experience with Tiffin's but it's on my list based on feedback so I say go for it! Not sure about sharing if it's the ROL package thing.

MK ALL DAY
Be our Guest Breakfast - I'd consider swapping out. Overly expensive for what it is. The castle is amazing, I know, but...

Sleepy Hallow Lunch (Will not share, gotta get my own sandwich) - Those waffle sandwiches? Love that lunch idea!

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner - Have always enjoyed LTT!

Hollywood Studios and Grand Floridian Spa for Couples Massage
At Hotel

Quick Service in HWS - Maybe try Baseline Tap House for small plates and a drink!

1900 Park Fare Dinner - Have only done breakfast but not sure it's worth it considering your take on buffets and getting a good value. Would probably swap for a TS if you're not big eaters since it's really nothing too special. Maybe try a resort or DS QS? D'luxe Burger and Earl of Sandwich come to mind for value and great food but not TOO MUCH food.

Epcot All Day
Garden Grill Breakfast - Great choice.

World Showcase Snacks for Lunch - Smart!

Via Napoli for really late dinner (Can Share) - Makes sense and really good!

MK and Disney Springs
At Hotel

Casey’s or Gaston’s Lunch - I'd choose Casey's for the nostalgia, especially if you like a good hot dog.

House of Blues Dinner - Are you sold on this completely? I'd swap it out for Homecomin' which is delish, worth the price and a place you could still def share!

Universal and ANY Resort Dinner
At Hotel

Three Broomsticks Lunch (Will share) - Have heard great things!

Cape Cafe Dinner (Partner doesn't like seafood but I DO) - Not sure about this one...what about Flyin' Fish where you could have seafood and partner can have something else? Have heard the menu is fabulous and would be one less buffet on your list. Just my 2 cents!

Last day AK
Tusker House Breakfast - I'd say keep! Haven't been but it seems to be well loved.

Harambe Market or Yak & Yeti Lunch - Would skip both! I bet you Tusker House will keep you full through lunch...maybe get a snack!

 

[Cloe Colton]

"MK ALL DAY
Be our Guest Breakfast \
Sleepy Hallow Lunch (Will not share, gotta get my own sandwich)

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner

Hollywood Studios and Grand Floridian Spa for Couples Massage
At Hotel

Quick Service in HWS
1900 Park Fare Dinner"

Am I missing a break up of a day here? Otherwise that seems like A LOT of food and a lot to do. Not much time for rides or attractions

 

[disneyfreak202]

I may have missed where you are staying, but if you are staying on property have you thought about looking into one of the Disney Dining Plans?

 

[sponica]

Keep in mind (depending on the time of year) that you might be hungrier after walking 12/14 miles a day or hungrier at night and not as hungry for lunch if it's hot out (I can't eat when it's hot, but come sundown and I inhale everything). I wouldn't plan on as many lunches (personally).

 

[ChimCher-ee]

First, congratulations on finally taking the trip you've wanted for so long! Planning must be so exciting!

I'm probably in the minority, and I don't know about the package, but I ate at Tiffin's and wasn't blown away. The atmosphere and service were great, but the food just wasn't up to the prices. Maybe go to Satu'li, try for a peek at the river show, and save the $$ for...

Hollywood Brown Derby. There's no really good QS at Hollywood Studios, but HBD has a walk-up bar with a really nice menu. Or try a sit down meal there or at 50s Prime Time.

Everything else looks great (I *love* the waffles at Sleepy Hollow -- I hope you're heading for a chicken waffle sandwich!).

And, FWIW, we were at Universal in February. We ate dinner at Antojitos and it was the hit of the trip!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hello!

So, I have been planning this Disney Trip since I was 12 years old. I have a ton of restaurants I WANT to go to, but I know they're all unrealistic for a couple of reasons.

One, being that my partner and I are not heavy eaters, so while buffets are good for our picky sides, they are not good for the value of money overall. For most of our meals we plan to share because we are doing three meals per day, that's just impossible with family style and buffets but it seems thats what I have the most of in my itinerary. Two, is that our budget for food right now is almost as expensive as the hotel. Yikes!

However, we also want to experience the luxury of food so yes we want to eat nice food. So I come to you bearing the restaurants I want to go to and ask that the people of disboards please help me figure out similar but cheaper restaraunts or convince me it's worth the budget.

Now, I also know I wont be able to get all of these as reservations SO alternatives need to be looked at.

At hotel* is our breakfasts, and will be at Riverside, so able to share!



Arrival Day
Boma Dinner (Will be able to share)

AK All Day
At Hotel

Flame Tree Lunch (Can share)

Tiffins Rivers of Light (Can share)

MK ALL DAY
Be our Guest Breakfast

Sleepy Hallow Lunch (Will not share, gotta get my own sandwich)

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner

Hollywood Studios and Grand Floridian Spa for Couples Massage
At Hotel

Quick Service in HWS

1900 Park Fare Dinner

Epcot All Day
Garden Grill Breakfast

World Showcase Snacks for Lunch

Via Napoli for really late dinner (Can Share)

MK and Disney Springs
At Hotel

Casey’s or Gaston’s Lunch

House of Blues Dinner

Universal and ANY Resort Dinner
At Hotel

Three Broomsticks Lunch (Will share)

Cape Cafe Dinner (Partner doesn't like seafood but I DO)

Last day AK
Tusker House Breakfast

Harambe Market or Yak & Yeti Lunch

Arrival Day - Boma is a buffet, so you can't share. You will be charged for the price for 2 adult buffets. If you'd like to eat at AK and share food, I would recommend going to Sanaa. I actually prefer Sanaa over Boma - beautiful atmosphere and fantastic food. If you go when it's still light outside, you may see animals outside the window.

AK day - You can't share the Tiffins ROL package. It's a fixed price meal when you book with the ROL package. If you'd still like to go to Tiffins and share, you can make a regular reservation, you would not get the ROL voucher, however. If you go that route, you can also just eat at Nomad Lounge where they have "small plates" and you can order from the Tiffins menu. If you still want to see ROL, you could get a FP+ for it or wait in the standby line.

The character meals will be expensive. If you would like to save some money, maybe just pick one or two character meals? If I had to whittle down your list, I would probably get ride of Garden Grill. The characters there are great, but the food is really mediocre.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Hello!

So, I have been planning this Disney Trip since I was 12 years old. I have a ton of restaurants I WANT to go to, but I know they're all unrealistic for a couple of reasons.

One, being that my partner and I are not heavy eaters, so while buffets are good for our picky sides, they are not good for the value of money overall. For most of our meals we plan to share because we are doing three meals per day, that's just impossible with family style and buffets but it seems thats what I have the most of in my itinerary. Two, is that our budget for food right now is almost as expensive as the hotel. Yikes!

However, we also want to experience the luxury of food so yes we want to eat nice food. So I come to you bearing the restaurants I want to go to and ask that the people of disboards please help me figure out similar but cheaper restaraunts or convince me it's worth the budget.

Now, I also know I wont be able to get all of these as reservations SO alternatives need to be looked at.

At hotel* is our breakfasts, and will be at Riverside, so able to share!



Arrival Day
Boma Dinner (Will be able to share)

AK All Day
At Hotel

Flame Tree Lunch (Can share)

Tiffins Rivers of Light (Can share)

MK ALL DAY
Be our Guest Breakfast

Sleepy Hallow Lunch (Will not share, gotta get my own sandwich)

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner

Hollywood Studios and Grand Floridian Spa for Couples Massage
At Hotel

Quick Service in HWS

1900 Park Fare Dinner

Epcot All Day
Garden Grill Breakfast

World Showcase Snacks for Lunch

Via Napoli for really late dinner (Can Share)

MK and Disney Springs
At Hotel

Casey’s or Gaston’s Lunch

House of Blues Dinner

Universal and ANY Resort Dinner
At Hotel

Three Broomsticks Lunch (Will share)

Cape Cafe Dinner (Partner doesn't like seafood but I DO)

Last day AK
Tusker House Breakfast

Harambe Market or Yak & Yeti Lunch

You can’t share at Boma, it’s a buffet.
You can’t share at Tiffins RoL package
You can’t share at Cape May Cafe, it’s a buffet.
1900 Park Fare is an expensive character buffet. You could choose
Grand Floridian Cafe instead.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

I may have missed where you are staying, but if you are staying on property have you thought about looking into one of the Disney Dining Plans?

That would cost them a lot more since they are sharing so many meals.

 

[Bostonbeans99]

Wow your list is impressive but I'm exhausted (and a little nauseous) thinking of all that food.

When I do a breakfast reservation, I leave the day open and at most make a dinner reservation- not lunch in case we're just not hungry for lunch. I'm doing a 9a.m. all you can eat breakfast @ Whispering Canyon and pray my family is hungry for the 5:45 Crystal Palace same day

I'm very excited for your vacation though! GOOD Luck -Have a blast!

 

[stsomewhere]

Baseline Tap house is great!

 

[jacknsally19]

FWIW - If you are looking to save money, I'd suggest eating breakfast in your room. You can order groceries from Amazon Prime Now or Garden Grocer. Its what we typically do and it also gives us more time for touring. Good breakfast foods for us are peanut butter and apple slices, cereal, fruit, yogurt, & granola.

Additional cost saving measures: Do LTT and Tiffins for lunch rather than dinner. I would do one character meal instead of three. Also, I wouldn't do Cape May Cafe if your husband doesn't like seafood. The seafood smell is pretty powerful. I would do Flying Fish or Captain's Grille instead.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

FWIW - If you are looking to save money, I'd suggest eating breakfast in your room. You can order groceries from Amazon Prime Now or Garden Grocer. Its what we typically do and it also gives us more time for touring. Good breakfast foods for us are peanut butter and apple slices, cereal, fruit, yogurt, & granola.

Additional cost saving measures: Do LTT and Tiffins for lunch rather than dinner. I would do one character meal instead of three. Also, I wouldn't do Cape May Cafe if your husband doesn't like seafood. The seafood smell is pretty powerful. I would do Flying Fish or Captain's Grille instead.

Sage advice on all counts... LTT for lunch is better than the typical buffet type food they offer at night (gloppy mac... turkey yada yada) Cape May, NO!

 

[Dawson'sMom]

My thoughts on your dining:
Arrival Day/Staying at POR - You have Boma (Buffet at AKL = No Sharing) - Think about taking the boat over to DS instead can do QS or TS we really enjoy Ragland Road (great entertainment as well), if you are really just trying to see the AKL then think about Sanaa at AKKV or Jiko (signature) at AKL both are shareable.

Animal Kingdom - BF @ Hotel / Lunch @ FT (we really like this QS and will eat here instead of doing a TS at AK) / Dinner @Tiffins ROL = Not Shareable, can do Tiffins w/o ROL package or Nomad Lounge or Yak & Yeti

Magic Kingdom - BF @ BOG, I would only do this if it is a pre-park opening ressie. At 8:00am on at day that the park opens at 9:00am (No EMH or EMM taking place) / Lunch @ Sleepy Hollow (great , love the waffle sandwich) / Dinner @ LTT, this is our go to for TS in Mk, but not shareable, if you are looking to share the Skipper's Canteen might work well for you

Hollywood Studios/Grand Floridan - BF @ Hotel / Lunch @ QS, look at Sci-Fi, you can eat here for less than $10 more than QS and much better food / Dinner @ 1900 (buffet = not shareable) look at Grand Floridian Cafe or just a monorail ride away, The Wave or California Grill @ the Contemp or Kona Cafe @ the Poly, all shareable meals

Epcot - BF @ GG (not shareable) but we really like this one as well, / Lunch snacking around WS (great, we love doing this / Dinner late @ VN also a great shareable meal

Magic Kingdom - BF @ Hotel / Lunch @ Casey's (one of our favorites) / Dinner @ House of Blues, not our favorite at DS, we really like Ragland Road, Homecoming, and several of the QS locations as well

Universal - BF @ Hotel / Lunch @ TBS / Dinner at Cape May Buffet (not shareable), have a look at the Ale and Compass at the YC if you would just like to visit the Y&BC resort area or one of the Boardwalk TS choices all shareable meals

Animal Kingdom - BK @ Tusker House (Buffet=not shareable), but a good choice for a Pre Park opening and meeting Characters, would be a great end of trip choice / Lunch @ HM or Y&Y, try Satu'li Canteen, we really liked this new QS option

 

[JB097]

Hello!

So, I have been planning this Disney Trip since I was 12 years old. I have a ton of restaurants I WANT to go to, but I know they're all unrealistic for a couple of reasons.

One, being that my partner and I are not heavy eaters, so while buffets are good for our picky sides, they are not good for the value of money overall. For most of our meals we plan to share because we are doing three meals per day, that's just impossible with family style and buffets but it seems thats what I have the most of in my itinerary. Two, is that our budget for food right now is almost as expensive as the hotel. Yikes!

However, we also want to experience the luxury of food so yes we want to eat nice food. So I come to you bearing the restaurants I want to go to and ask that the people of disboards please help me figure out similar but cheaper restaraunts or convince me it's worth the budget.

Now, I also know I wont be able to get all of these as reservations SO alternatives need to be looked at.

At hotel* is our breakfasts, and will be at Riverside, so able to share!



Arrival Day
Boma Dinner (Will be able to share)

AK All Day
At Hotel

Flame Tree Lunch (Can share)

Tiffins Rivers of Light (Can share)

MK ALL DAY
Be our Guest Breakfast

Sleepy Hallow Lunch (Will not share, gotta get my own sandwich)

Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner

Hollywood Studios and Grand Floridian Spa for Couples Massage
At Hotel

Quick Service in HWS

1900 Park Fare Dinner

Epcot All Day
Garden Grill Breakfast

World Showcase Snacks for Lunch

Via Napoli for really late dinner (Can Share)

MK and Disney Springs
At Hotel

Casey’s or Gaston’s Lunch

House of Blues Dinner

Universal and ANY Resort Dinner
At Hotel

Three Broomsticks Lunch (Will share)

Cape Cafe Dinner (Partner doesn't like seafood but I DO)

Last day AK
Tusker House Breakfast

Harambe Market or Yak & Yeti Lunch

We were VERY disappointed with our last be our guest breakfast. The portions were small and the quality of food was terrible for the price. I had the croque madame sandwich and the sauce was congealed like it had been sitting out. I would suggest swapping that breakfast out for a crystal palace or a local resort breakfast, like Ohana (if you can get a really early crystal palace you might be able to score early entry to the park)


We also LOVED Sanaa! It’s our new “must do” restaurant. Portions are bigger so would be great to share. The bread service was amazing too!

 

[DisMommyTX]

We also were not impressed with Tiffins. I love Satuli canteen and would choose that over Flame Tree, but the great thing about QS is you don't have to decide now. Wait until you're there and go to whichever sounds better at the time!

Counter service options in HS are pretty sad, but I have really enjoyed the lounges at Brown Derby and 50's Prime time. Both allow you to walk up without a reservation, and while the HBD lounge has a limited menu, the Tune-in lounge actually serves the whole 50's PT menu!

We don't like spending much time eating. For us, few of the restaurants are worth trading 2-3 hours of park time! I would plan one table-service reservation per day, then have in mind QS places for the other meals, but don't feel like you have to eat at all of them. There are some fabulous snacks you'll want to enjoy as well (fruit and nutella waffle!) You absolutely cannot do everything at Disney in this one trip. It's okay to save some things for the next trip. It's fun to dream, even if it is a long way away.