Eating in Disney

We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge for seven days in just over a weeks time. Its our first ever trip to Disney and are taking our two kids (10 %26amp; 8). We can%26#39;t book the dining plan as not booked through Disney. What options do we have for breakfast- being from the UK we%26#39;re not in to pancakes etc (although the kids would be). Also, do you need to have reservations for dinner in the parks this time of year if so I find it very hard to plan where we are- does everyone put together a touring plan or just an outline of what parks on what days.

Thanks

Eating in Disney

You are going to be there during a pretty busy week, next week, so yes, the dining reservations are going to be a good idea. It%26#39;s the main ';fall break'; week for U.S. kids and the parks are going to be moderately crowded.

Especially if you intend to do a character meal, you need to book your dining reservations before you go. Otherwise, plan on being very flexible when you get there as to where you eat and at what time.

I was there three weeks ago, in a very uncrowded time, but the dining reservations we made were necessary. We would have had lots of waiting otherwise. You might find some venues not available at all to walk-ups, and you also may be relegated to counter service as well.

Concerning breakfast, there%26#39;s usually more than just pancakes. Most breakfast places also have eggs, bacon, sausage, muffins, etc.

Eating in Disney

If you%26#39;ve got a car, get off Disney property and get breakfast elsewhere, especially in those wierd first few days when you%26#39;ll be waking at 4.30am. There are plenty of nicer places to eat at much cheaper prices, breakfast buffets where the kids can have their pancakes, muffins and chocolate sauce and you can have the whole bacon, sausage thing or even o/d on fresh fruit and cereals.

And you%26#39;ll get enough teeth-rottingly sweet stuff in Disney parks to last anyone a lifetime - and I%26#39;m not talking about the food!

Even the chains - Dennys, IHOP, Brannigans, Western Sizzlin will all do you breakfasts of a ludicrously high standard when compared to Britain.

Alternatively if you%26#39;re not into huge stodgy American breakfasts I would think the hotel will have a %26#39;snack%26#39; restaurant where you can pick up juice/cereals/muffins/yogurts - or you may find it worth your while asking if they will supply a fridge to keep milk/juice etc in and pop out to buy breakfast provisions to last you the week. We did this last month (staying at the Dolphin). There was supposed to be a charge for the fridge but the nice receptionist comped it.

Hi

We stayed at the Animal Kingdom lodge this summer and loved it. All the rooms have a fridge, so we went of site and bought cerial and milk, bagels etc and grabbed something quickly before we left the hotel. We wanted to get to the parks early as we found you could do so much more just after opening.

We had dinned in both Boma and Jiko, both were great but i prefered Jiko. You do need to book.

Don%26#39;t know what type of room you have booked but we had the basic package. we asked on arrival if there was any possiblity of getting a savannah view (rather than car park) and they upgraded us for free.

We were also rather disorganised and hadn%26#39;t booked any character meals. The staff at the hotel were very helpful and managed to get us the princess story book lunch andbreakfast in cinderellas castle.

I%26#39;m sure you will have a great trip. We are planning our second trip for next year.

L

If you hve a car,,yes,leave the property for breakfast. If not,make a side trip to a grocery store and pick up cereal,milk,juice,rolls,whatever and eat in your room. It saves a lot of money and it%26#39;s much more pleasant not to have to hustle somewhere to get the kids fed. You%26#39;ll have a fridge and a coffee maker in the room. If you want table service meals at Disney,you will need to make your reservations right away and be somewhat flexible-but you can also pick up perfectly adequate meals at the counter service restaurants or again,the grocery stores nearby all have prepared meals ready to go.

We stayed at AK Lodge and all rooms have fridges. I would definitely buy your supplies off site, they do have a quick grab and go cafe but this was very expensive and quite poor quality, The Boma buffet restaurant is excellent for dinner and breakfast but your bill will probably be about 50-60 dollars just for breakfast. There are some excellent places to eat in disney but it does depend on your budget and how adventerous the kids are at eating (even though most restaurants do offer a kid friendly menu). If you are planning on going to Epcot we always eat at around 7:00 pm just before the fireworks. We have been to the French, Norwegian, Italian and Mexcian restaurants and all have been very good. In Magic Kingdom one of the best buffets is at the Crystal Palace Restaurant which has a Winne the Pooh charachter dinner and is good value. I must admit after going to Disney World every year almost for the last 10 years we are a bit ';Disney-out'; but I think we have ate in almost every american-chain restaurant i.e Red Lobster, TGi, Bennigans and given most of the disney restaurants a go. Outside of disney one of the best chain-restaurants, and I think, most people would agree, is ';Bahama Breeze'; at Lake Beuna Vista and International Drive. I can%26#39;t offer much advice on breakfast because most places are very similar and I tend to only eat fruit and perhaps a muffin for breakfast.

You%26#39;ve gotten alot of good advice Rans,

Here are our favorite lunch and dinner Disney dining options at the parks:

The Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner at the Magic Kingdom

The Garden Grill or LeCellier in Canada at Epcot

50%26#39;s Prime Time Cafe or Sci-Fi Dine in Theater for lunch or dinner at MGM Studios

I also recommend making advance dining reservations.

Make sure and utilize your fast pass options for popular attractions such as ';Soarin'; at Epcot, Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom, Twilight Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones Stunt show. If you find the parks to be very crowded its best to grab your fast pass as soon as you walk in the park.

Thanks for all the replies.- never used a forum befor but will in future!!! I probably have loads of questions but sure will all become clear when we get there!. Booked all the restaurants last night and got all the times we wanted- hopefully means 16th- 22nd October will be not too busy. One last question- what time can you go into the parks if you are staying in Disney when they open early - says Epcot opens at 9am on the 17th- is this for everyone or just those staying in the resort.

Any other tips would be much appreciate as want this to be a holiday for my kids to remember- my dad passed away earlier this year, two years after losing my mum and wanted us to go so feel I should do all I can to plan in advance- spent 6 months getting all the info and now beginning to panic!!. Also going to Sea World, Discovery Cove, Space Centre, Bush Gardens, plus a week on Marco Island - will three weeks be long enough!!!

Thanks

Hello Rans,

If it%26#39;s a EMH day all Disney resort guests can arrive one hour early, don%26#39;t forget to bring you Key to The Kingdom Card with you which is your room card to prove you are indeed staying at a Disney resort. Three weeks should be plenty of time, don%26#39;t forget to schedule relaxing pool or shopping days in between running around to the parks!

Hello again Rans,

I also want to say I%26#39;m sorry to read about the loss of your mum. I know how tough that is.