Disney World Dining

In our series of visits to Disney World, we have thoroughly enjoyed the high-end “Signature Dining” and “Special and Unique Dining” restaurants. This journal covers those I have visited, plus a few of the choice “casual” places. In a separate journal, I review restaurants in Epcot, which has about as much dining as the rest of the parks combined. Also loaded today is a journal about Disney World with Disability, including resort/hotel reviews.

Quick Tips:

At the theme park restaurants, try for the last seating of lunch (3pm) or the first seating of dinner (4pm). This works out fine if you are getting into the parks first thing in the morning (i.e., arrive at the turnstiles at least 15 minutes before opening). Eat a small snack first thing, have a light meal mid-morning, the major meal at 3pm or 4pm, and something light later in the evening. This pattern partially offsets the - per head costs of the high-end restaurants. Bonus: if it’s a character meal, one party in the first seating will experience a random act of magic. They will join the characters in a welcome ceremony. We got tapped at Liberty Tree Tavern in 2005.

No matter what the ages of your party, do at least one character meal. They are a hoot. In 2006 we overheard an elderly couple walking out of the Garden Grill, “Mickey and Friends”, lunch at The Land in Epcot: “Thank you so much,” she said. “I never would have thought to do that, and it was simply lovely.”

Got a special need? Just ask when you make your Preferred Seating (or when you show up to wait with the other rabble). Disney will take care of you. We have one gluten-free person in our family and it’s no problem at all. It’s also fun when chef comes to your table to discuss your needs. Engage them in conversation. We are ordering gluten-free foods from a supplier that one of these chefs recommended, and we’ve acquired several good recipes.

A word about Disney service: In these high-end restaurants, take your time. I think a lot of us get rushed in theme parks... gotta get there, the line will be too long! Once you pass the portals of one of these restaurants, you are in the hands of people who will take good care of you. Shift gears, and enjoy. The servers, and even the chef, are delighted to spend time with you to understand what you want/need, or just to converse.

Best Way To Get Around:

This isn't exactly getting around; it's about navigating the dining system.

If you are staying in a Disney Resort or Downtown Disney Hotel, you can get “Preferred Seating,” which is the next best thing to a reservation: at your appointed time, you go to the head of the line of people who did not, or could not, make prior arrangements. Read the information on the Preferred Seating system. Program the number into your cell phone. Plan your days as far in advance as possible and set up your meals. This applies not only to the theme park restaurants, but also to those in the resorts and Downtown Disney. As of this writing, you can set things up 6 months ahead.

Also call the dining line, 1-800-WDW-DINE, for advice and information. You can get the phone numbers of the parks' and resorts' dining supervisors, and they WILL return your calls. In my experience, they sincerely try to steer you well, especially if anyone in your party has a special diet need.

Got a girl-child? Then you got to go. Suck it up and prepare to drop $100 minimum for lunch (for 3). The dinner costs more, and has a kind of rushed feeling about it, and unless you call 6 months in advance you ain’t gettin’ into the breakfast with the Princesses. Soon, the same may be true of the lunch. In ’05, all you had was Cinderella in the lobby at lunch time, but they changed it sometime since January 2005. In ’06 it was a full-blown character meal called "Fairytale Lunch," with the entire collection of Princesses and a Fairy Godmother. In ’06 they also introduced a photo package.

They make darned sure your little princess gets a nice photo with Cindy, and they bring a set of prints to your table – $30, cheap. That’s how it gets from the usual $25 to $35 per person, to $100 or more. Unlike most character meals, this one is not a prix-fixe or a buffet. You order from a menu. Ask the server’s opinion, discuss it with him/her. It’s all good, and Disney is so organized that they are not pushing anything that’s overstocked. They sincerely try to help you. However, please do not get steak here unless you are so cantankerous you won't eat anything else. They change the menu often, but look for things you might not make at home such as beef wellington or a well-dressed tuna steak. If they have a pasta dish, pay attention to it becuse they do that well. Also, listen to the specials; if they sound good, then they usually are. As with any high-end Disney restaurant, be sure to get a salad with their house dressing.

The second-best fast-food in the Disney World, the best being the Liberty Inn in Epcot. Some may consider Ray’s the best, because of the variety. It's really a food court with lots of choices, plus the open-air Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station nearby. I had some good fried chicken at Ray's, but next trip they did not have it anymore.

Ray's and the Terrace close early sometimes, so check the hours.

We actually did this as room service in the Boardwalk Inn’s Villas. One nice thing is that room service can come from any restaurant on the Boardwalk, as well as the two in the Boardwalk Inn. I’m not much for steak on vacation because you can get that anywhere, but we got steak, figuring it would travel well via room service delivery. If they do the seafood half as well as they did our steak, this place is a winner.

This is second-hand information because another branch of my extended family went there. In short, take Disney's Spirit of Aloha luau, give it a cowboy hat and a bandanna, and you get the idea. The kids loved it and the parents were comfy after a long day of theme parking.

The best thing about this one is that it is the easiest character meal to get into. The others tend to get booked up, but you can call Preferred Seating the same day (or show up prepared to wait 45 minutes if you don’t have access to Preferred Seating) and have a good chance to get in. It’s pretty much a Thanksgiving dinner without the pumpkin pie, served family style. You don't get to choose what's served, but you can choose among what they bring. There's something for everyone, even a vegetarian. Try the hot fudge sundae for dessert. If I recall correctly, it’s included in the prix-fixe. Did this in both 2005 and 2906, liked it so much.

Huh? Why review the McDonald's in Disney World? Because it is my civic duty to warn you. I’ve tried it twice. Both times they got the order wrong, and the Hamburglar wouldn't even steal food from this place. Also, the prices are about a third higher than you are used to. If you must go to McDonald's, ask directions to the one over by Universal that has the large indoor playground. To get to either of these, you will need a car.

Like the luau, it's fun for a kid. They have a lounge lizard with a ukulele. Kids love him and parents chuckle at his oddball shtick. The food is all-you-can-eat prix-fixe, a common method in Disney World. The appetizers of shrimp and wings were my favorite entrees. I did not have much use for the fire-cooked beef, pork, chicken, and sausages, but that’s just the way I eat. I tried them all, and many people will like them, even if it is a little reminiscent of Argentinean, rather than Hawaiian, cooking. Everything else was superb, especially the salad. Disney does salad dressings very well, so have salads at every chance and get the house dressing.

One important choice: where to sit. Yes, you might have to wait a bit, but it might be worth it. Near the cooking area is fun for kids, what with the fire and all. Near the windows is romantic. In between is comfortable. Sit right on the walkway and your kids can yuk it up with the ukulele guy. Or ask for a quiet interior corner (or specifically ask NOT to be there, which would be my choice).

Oh, and the bar outside is one of the better ones in Disney World, despite the cacophony from the usually crowded Polynesian lobby.

As food courts go, this one is good, although small. It's just that it closes too early. If you expect to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks and then grab a light meal at the food court, forget it.

Like most food courts, two things are good. First, there are the salads, my choice for takeaway. Second, there is anything fried. If the pizza is fresh, it's good, and you can turn it into a fun family meal. If it's been sitting under the infrared lights a while, you can turn it into a manhole cover.

If you have been to any luau in Hawaii, you might not be much impressed by this one. The all-you-can-eat food, like pretty much all ethnic food in Disney World, is a toned-down version of the real thing. It is nice that they bring platters to your table, rather than herding you through a buffet line. The show is better organized than in Hawaii—Disney does shows well. But the performers are nowhere near as good at the "native" stuff, such as fire dancing. I would recommend going to this only if your have one of these circumstances: never been to a luau, have a 4 to 10-year-old kid in the group, or any sort of event such as birthday or honeymoon. They make all that stuff a lot of fun.

The food is luau food, not much point in describing it. You will notice that the pineapple came from Costa Rica, rather than Oahu, if you've had the latter.

After Cosmic Ray’s and Epcot’s Liberty Inn, this is the next best fast food in the world. The only problem is that it is outdoors and also in the congested area around Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller, Beauty and the Beast, and Fantasmic. A little patience and it will be okay. It's the usual fast food, but with an extra unique to MGM: turkey legs and corn on the cob, just like at the state fair.

Ol’ Wolfgang saved us from starvation and frustration the first night of our 2005 trip. We had no preferred seatings arranged in advance (bad traveler, very bad, but we arrived hours earlier than we expected). We strolled up to the Brown Derby in MGM at about 8pm and found out the bad news. That’s when I programmed Preferred Seating (800-WDW-DINE) into speed dial. By the time we had made our way to our car, we had a Wolfgang rescue dinner arranged. The nice lady who spent this half-hour on the phone tracking down an opening is the source of the advice about 3pm and 4pm seatings in theme park restaurants.

Anyway, I prefer Wolfgang's downstairs restaurant. The upstairs is a little more party-like. You can get all the same food downstairs if you ask. Wolfgang Puck is a notable exception to the Disney trend to dumbed-down ethnic food, but I don’t need to tell you about his creativity. I suspect that most of the places in West Side Downtown Disney are similar. His pizza is good, and the kid's menu is one one of the best you'll see. I like the sushi because they often have specials that are unusual. My better half always orders whatever the special is, and always goes into food ecstasy.

A fine experience at Magic Kingdom is to get some takeout from Cosmic Rays fast-food-court, and/or Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station, and go sit at a table by the water in front of the Noodle Station, with a view of the Cinderella Castle. Do this 60 to 90 minutes before the fireworks, and then put your feet up and wait to see the fireworks. Tinker Bell goes right over your head–and yes, I missed the photo op, twice, or there would be a heckuva pic posted here. Trust me, it works, the kids will fall asleep! Oh, and if the evening is chilly, there's hot chocolate and coffee nearby at the kiosk in the middle of Tomorrowland. Bonus: easy exit from the park because you're right on the corner of Main Street.

Exiting tip: take the resort monorail rather than the express. Less waiting, and it stops at the Ticket and Transportation Center, too.