Both years, we have purchased Disney Dining — our plan is set up so that we receive one snack, one quick-service meal (at which one orders at a counter generally), and one sit-down meal. Because many of these restaurants reserve months ahead of time, as soon as our window for booking opened, I set up all the meals. We were able to get in every single restaurant we wished, which was terrific.
Some days we needed to eat carefully as it was during Passover, but we brought matzah and it was fine. We saw and met mannnny other families during the same thing, and Disney is fine with bringing outside food in to the parks. Other days, it wasn’t during the holiday so we could carb-out again.
Below are images from both this year and last year’s visits to WDW.
Here, the poutine at Le Cellier, in Wold Showcase at Canada. We wanted to come here since Av loves a good steak and that’s one of LC’s strengths. While everything was quite good, the steak fell a little short.
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Although in general we eschew buffets, Boma is an exception. It’s at Animal Kingdom Lodge and features many items with African flavors. We had a supper at Boma both years — it’s that good.
Tangierine Cafe at Morocco Epcot was the best counter service — good shawarma.
I had higher hopes for Chefs de France at Epcot, but it was only average. Les Halles was just okay.
We heard wonderful things about Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge, but none of it was particularly interesting or tasty. This malva pudding was good:
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…but the best part of the meal was actually these coconut macaroons that came with the check, so what does that say?
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Because we wanted reserved seats for Fantasmic, we purchased the Fantasmic Dinner Package, with our meal being at Mama Melrose. We had low expectations for a Disney Italian restaurant, but surprise — this was the best steak Av had at Disney either year! Our waiter was fantastic and gave great advice about where to sit during the show.
One night, we reserved Tokyo Dining so we’d have a great view of the Epcot fireworks show (if it weren’t for the fireworks view, we would have chosen to eat elsewhere). Turned out we watched the show the night before when we were in the park, but the boys still got a big kick out of being served in monorail dishes:
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…and the sushi was fine.
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For both trips, we had our last supper at ‘Ohana at Polynesian Village. I made the reservations so we would be seated in time to watch the Wishes fireworks from MK. Both times we requested a table by the window and we got them. When the show begins, the lighting in the restaurant goes down, and the music plays over the dining room speakers. It is timed perfectly with the fireworks. So, so special.
Another great thing about ‘Ohana is that it is served a la Brazilian steakhouse, so the servers bring around chicken, beef, etc and it is all delectable. An entertainer gets people dancing and doing some hula moves, and last year, the boys swept coconuts around the restaurant. Can’t even say how fun this is.
One of our favorite places to eat is at Beauty and the Beast — it’s a counter service credit for breakfast and lunch on the Disney Dining Plan. You can order beforehand via the Disney app rather than standing in line. The food is good (here, their version of a cronut):
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pastries are brought to the table with breakfast
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a little charcuterie:
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One of the days after Passover, we were there for lunch and ordered a cupcake with the ‘grey stuff’ — and it was pretty good!
What makes the restaurant so endearing is how well it’s themed
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There are three dining rooms — this one features Belle and the Beast dancing (the middle piece turns like in a jewelrybox)
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The ballroom
and the Beast’s west wing study, where it’s always darkÂ
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and features the rose
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We’ve decided to skip Disney for at least the next two or three years. When the boys are older, though, I think we’ll be sure to gift them with Dine with an Imagineer, and Backstage Magic or Backstage Tales. Maybe Epcot Aqua Tour or the Dolphin experience — or if Papa comes with us and the boys are already certified, I know they’d love to do the Epcot DiveQuest. Those kinds of add-on experiences are probably what keeps Disney fresh to people who visit every year. And I’ll dream about reserving the chef’s table at Victoria and Albert’s too.
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