Table Service Suggestions for 1st time Adult Vacationers?

WendyWuWu

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Hi all! My husband and I are DVC owners and have been to WDW many, many times. However, my sister in law and niece have not. In fact, they only have been to WDW once when my niece (who's now 26) was about 4. They only went to the MK and still seem to think MK is WDW...they have no idea that there's so much more to visiting Disney World. We're bringing them with us this fall for a week and while my husband and I have eaten almost everywhere WDW has to offer, they haven't. I feel maybe I should get someone else's opinion on best table service for (almost) first time visitors. There'll be four adults. TIA
 
I think it depends on what their tastes and preferences are, but, when I took first-timers (or almost first-timers as I also took my sister back to WDW after a 25 year hiatus) I did a bit of a mixture of unique Disney restaurants and more sophisticated fare. For example, on my trip with my sister, we did one "Mickey" meal (Tusker House), one "princess meal" (CRT), one uniquely themed restaurant (Sci-Fi) and one "Signature" (Cali Grill). I felt it gave her a good mix of what WDW uniquely has to offer from character meals to theming to finer dining.

Edited to add: with adults, you may also want to work in an EP WS or monorail "crawl" if they would like to sample drinks and snacks, perhaps hit some unique lounges like Trader Sam's/Oga's/Nomad/Enchanted Rose, and maybe even a dinner show like HDDR?
 
I recently chose meals for a first time adult visitor as well (I'm been many times). Here's what we are doing:

Hoop de Doo
Biergarten
California Grill
50's Prime Time
Jiko Wine tasting + early dinner at Sanaa
Be our Guest lunch
Oga's Cantina
San Angel Inn

Clearly the focus was on the super themed, super "only in Disney" experiences. We don't like character interactions and eliminated any of those right off the bat.

We also have planned in lots of food time for Festival of the Arts snacking and memorable quick serve. (None of those horrid pizzas for me, thanks.)

ETA: And we plan on either doing a dedicated monorail crawl or a few separate night caps to see the monorail resort bars.
 


Some great suggestions already, but I would also try to fit in a meal at Disney Springs if you have the time. Depending on their preferences there is so much amazing food there, and it's the sort of thing that "MK is WDW" people always get pleasantly surprised by. I'm a huge fan of Wine Bar George but there's also Homecomin' if they want more southern/down home type food, Morimoto Asia, etc.
 
As was mentioned, it depends on what type of food the other couple likes. Otherwise
  • California Grill, brunch or dinner
  • Sanaa
  • Jiko
  • Morimoto at Disney Springs
 
Food & Wine will be going on the in fall, which for us makes for fewer TS meals. Our favorite Epcot restaurant has become Spice Road Table.
 


If you are there during Food & Wine, take advantage of all the outdoor kitchens. They have some wonderful items for sale. You don't have to spend a fortune and you get some good food. Your relatives can get a taste of everywhere at the festival, not just one place. You might even consider signing up for one of the special meals at the various countries. You don't get a choice on what you eat, but you will get a very good menu, including wine or beer.
 
Even though the food is only so-so I think Sci-fi is a must do for first timers. For ambiance and theme it can't be beat.
 
Here are our favorite meals:

Breakfast -Crystal Palace, Tusker House, Cape May, Whispering Canyon, and Boma
Lunch - Liberty Tree Tavern, Coral Reef, Tutto Italia, Hollywood Brown Derby, and Rainforest Cafe AK.
Dinner - BOG, Tony’s, Chefs de France, Le Cellier, 50’s PTC, and Boma.
 
Some great suggestions already, but I would also try to fit in a meal at Disney Springs if you have the time. Depending on their preferences there is so much amazing food there, and it's the sort of thing that "MK is WDW" people always get pleasantly surprised by. I'm a huge fan of Wine Bar George but there's also Homecomin' if they want more southern/down home type food, Morimoto Asia, etc.
This. They probably have a pre conceived notion about what Disney is and this would be a great surprise and change of pace from what they are expecting.
 
IMO, many of the best places to eat are now in Disney Springs. Lots of great options there. Also lots of great lounges to check out as well. When we stay at OKW, we enjoy taking the boat over to DS, having dinner at Homecomming (or Boathouse), browsing a few stores and then stopping in at Jock's Hanger Bar for a drink.

Steve
 

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