The Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World, 2012 Edition
Page 15
Lots of goodies come along with that, including a special doll and tiara (bear and crown for boys). Food includes little PB&J sandwiches, fruit, and kid-friendly drinks as well.
You can reserve it like any other dining reservation, though you certainly will be paying far more for this one than most meals!
Narcoossee’s
Cuisine Type: Seafood
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $ $
: Yes—2
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The views and the seafood are fantastic here, but, then again, so are the prices. Prepare to drop $50 per person minimum, when you dine at this glass-enclosed pavilion. The views of the Seven Seas Lagoon are amazing, and if you can get a view of the Magic Kingdom, you are really in for a treat. The seafood is also an excellent treat, with limited but well-prepared choices.
This is a great dinner choice if you would like to take kids to a finer dining establishment but don’t think they can endure the staid atmosphere of a Victoria & Albert’s. They will find the views to be a great distraction, and the kid’s menu has more than just chicken fingers and fries as a choice.
Grand Floridian Café
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: $
Lunch: $ $
Dinner: $ $ $
: Yes
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
This more casual table-service restaurant is more of a sandwichand-burger place at lunch, because even guests with no budgetary worries don’t want a white-tablecloth dinner every night. This is a good breakfast destination if you don’t want a distracting character experience but also don’t want a meal in a sack. For lunch, it’s one of the few table-service restaurants open in a resort.
The food and service has been inconsistent at best. I would suggest that it is good for resort guests needing a breakfast, but otherwise other destinations might be more satisfying.
Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Entertainment dining is king in this island retreat. The resort has become a dining destination, even for those not staying here.
’Ohana
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: Family style
Breakfast: $ $
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $
: Yes
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Enter this Hawaiian-themed room located off the lobby and enjoy family-style dining. Breakfast is mostly American breakfast foods, all served family style for you to share at the table, while hosts Lilo, Stitch, and Mickey Mouse do the usual meet-and-greet. Dinner is even more special, as a Polynesian entertainer serenades with his ukulele and leads kids through the limbo, hula dancing, and more. The selection may not be as broad as in an à la carte restaurant, but the side dishes are ideal for large groups, and the service is excellent. Many have complained about the menu here changing for the worse, but it’s a good family dining venue for both entertainment, food quality, and value.
Make sure you ask for a seat in the main room, to enjoy as much of the fun (and views) as possible.
Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Show
Cuisine Type: Polynesian
Serving Style: Family style
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $ $
: Yes—2 (for Category 2 or 3 seating)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Prepare for a great show and good food at this long-popular dinner show that brings a touch of Hawaii to Florida. Food is brought family style to your table, with salads and appetizers followed by ribs and chicken. Cocktails are not included but are available. The food has always been fairly good, even though they’re serving the whole restaurant all at once. The show is very entertaining, for both the cultural factor and the corny humor element. They’ve stepped up the audience-participation element and have kids get into the act at the end of the show, letting them do a little hula dancing.
Depending upon where you sit, you’ll pay $50 to $60 per adult and $25 to $30 per child. Although Category 1 seating is obviously the best for viewing, choosing Category 2 to save some money still will afford you a great view of the show, especially if you’re in the second tier of tables in the center. Make sure you arrive 40 minutes early because they seat the entire restaurant at once. There are usually shows at 5 and 8 P.M. most nights, so you can go to this with younger children and still hit something resembling a real bedtime.
Kona Café
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: $
Lunch: $
Dinner: $ $
: Yes
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This catch-all restaurant is nestled into a wing of the upper floor of the lobby in the Grand Ceremonial Hall. It serves a pretty predictable range of American entrée selections, most with deceptive Hawaiian names. The dining area is very noisy and open to the crowds that tend to congregate in the lobby, so it isn’t a great place if you want a quiet meal. The food is really quite good, and it has a cult following, especially for their signature Tonga Toast (banana-stuffed sourdough French toast). If you are there for breakfast it’s a great choice. Some might not consider it a destination, but with the ease of getting from there to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, it is not a bad place to start or end your day.
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
The Lodge is a warm and inviting place, with restaurants to match. Dining with kids, or just the adults, it doesn’t matter—there’s something here for every group.
Artist Point
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $ $
: Yes—2
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
While this is an excellent fine dining restaurant with a great ambiance, you will probably only go to it if you are staying in an area resort. That is not a slam on the restaurant; it’s just that there are other good selections that are easier to get to, such as the California Grill in the Contemporary Resort. The rustic elegance of the dining room is ideally matched to a nice array of buffalo, halibut, and other beef and game. The food is excellent, prepared with an eye to the theme of the restaurant, with food pairings that have a fun, American-frontier feel to them. The Tillamook Mac and Cheese sounds like it should be on the kid’s menu but is perfect when paired with the Hatfield Pork Chop.
Whispering Canyon Café
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: $
Lunch: $
Dinner: $ $
: Yes
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This restaurant is filled with fun, and I defy you not to join in! The festive chuck wagon ambiance is executed so well that even the antisocial cynics in your group will want to join in, as kids and adults alike get a vibe off the positive buzz at this casual eatery. Located off the lodge lobby, it gets so noisy that it makes it hard to sleep in the hotel rooms that overlook it!
With a general sassiness that’s executed perfectly, the servers start you off on a fun meal. Later kids are gathered for such activities as a pony race around the dining area (on broom-handle ponies), sing-a-longs, and other brief activities that get them back to their meal quickly. It’s just the right dose of fun.
The food won’t disappoint you, either. At all the meals, you can order à la carte or select the family-style, all-you-can-eat selection. The Canyon Skillet is the best choice, containing an appetizer and several entrées, but no dessert. The items in the skillet focus on the best food items from the restaurant, like the smoked ribs and the roasted chicken. If you decide to go with the entrées, several great breakfast choices are not so standard and all very good. Lunch entrées are good, too, but I thi
nk the Canyon Skillet is preferable.
Dinner brings more appropriate selections, like the New York strip or the grilled chicken pasta, but I still prefer the skillet.
I highly recommend this as a destination dining experience for any group with children.
Walt Disney World Dolphin
The Dolphin brings some of the biggest names in high-end entertaining and dining to your doorstep. From big steaks to the best clubbing in the area, any adult will enjoy the dining part of this stay.
Shula’s Steak House
Cuisine Type: Steakhouse
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $ $
: No
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This national chain of high-end steakhouses has found a home at the Dolphin. They serve arguably the best steak in all of Walt Disney World, with entrée prices that start at $35 and go higher, especially when you add sides. There’s not much else to say, except that the ambiance is that clubby, dark-mahogany vibe that has become the hallmark of most national high-end steakhouse chains. This is a great place to close a business deal and is a popular destination for those on property for a convention who can rely on their expense accounts to pick up the tab (which is sure to start around $75 per person and rise quickly). If steak is your thing and cost isn’t an issue, there’s no better place to go.
Todd English’s bluezoo
Cuisine Type: Seafood
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $
: No
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Excellent seafood and ultrachic decor accented with a European techno-beat soundtrack make this perhaps the most stylish of all restaurants in Walt Disney World. The bar is a cool blue sight to see, ruined only by the requisite television that spoils the ambiance. The show kitchen makes for good viewing as the entrées come out with that touch of showmanship and presentation flair that made celebrity restaurateur Todd English’s Las Vegas spots such a hit.
Yes, they have a kid’s menu, but I hardly think this is what kids look forward to when visiting the Magic Kingdom. This is a place that is probably best reserved for adult-only parties, especially those at the start of an evening of clubbing.
Cabana Bar & Beach Club
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: $
Dinner: $
: No
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
This poolside bar with seating is not really much of a restaurant, but it offers a broader and better selection of food than most of the poolside restaurants found at the other resorts. With burgers and some good sandwich and wrap choices, you’ll get better-than-average poolside fare.
The Fountain
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: $
Dinner: $
: No
Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Salads and burgers constitute the bulk of the menu at The Fountain. This casual dining establishment is an ideal stop for families staying at the hotel that are on a budget and don’t have the energy to go searching for a restaurant. This is basic fare in a noisy environment, but it’s fine for adults and perfect for kids.
Fresh Mediterranean Market
Cuisine Type: Mediterranean
Serving Style: Buffet, à la carte
Breakfast: $
Lunch: $ $
Dinner: Not open
: No
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The breakfast is really more American than Mediterranean, though there are some regional influences. You can either go through the buffet, organized by stations, or order à la carte. Lunch is à la carte, with good paninis and much more of a true Mediterranean influence to the food. The setting is a bit more serene than at The Fountain, and the room is quieter than you might expect, due to the glass enclosures.
Walt Disney World Swan
A more subdued ambiance makes a fine home for a cozy Italian trattoria and other dining options.
Garden Grove Café
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: Buffet, à la carte (B, L, D)
Breakfast: $
Lunch: $ $
Dinner: $ $ $
: No
Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
You can pull off breakfast here for under $15, with a choice of buffet or à la carte dining. On the weekends, it becomes a character buffet breakfast (not à la carte), with Goofy, Pluto, and others. This isn’t the best character breakfast, in terms of food or entertainment, but it’s improving and affordable, at $16.95 for adults and $8.50 for kids.
Lunch is still affordable, with a broad selection. Dinner converts the restaurant into Gulliver’s, a buffet character meal again, that lures with low prices rather than exceptional entertainment. Basically, this restaurant serves as the Swan’s catch-all dining establishment for families, spiced up with some character interaction. I used to list this as a place to avoid, but it’s improving.
Il Mulino New York Trattoria
Cuisine Type: Italian
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $ $
: No
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The posh and modern elegance of the long bar area is a great place for appetizers and cocktails. Dining on the Abruzzi-region-inspired Italian food has come up with mostly positive reviews, with the occasional disappointment. All things said, I liked the menu for its broad selection and have never had a bad meal here. A good choice, and worth traveling to if you want Italian and are in the Epcot resorts area, though perhaps not the most kid-focused environment.
Kimonos
Cuisine Type: Sushi
Serving Style: À la carte
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $
: No
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
The sushi is quite good, though not as good as the appetizer sushi at the California Grill. The decor, artistic kimonos hanging on the walls, sets the stage for an elegant but not too foreign dining venue. It also can be fun when the karaoke breaks out. I recommend it highly, especially if you want to get away from so many of the childheavy dining environments elsewhere.
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
This rustic outpost is home to two of the most popular entertainment dining choices. Don’t overlook them just because they are not in traditional hotels.
Hoop Dee Doo Musical Review
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: Family style
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $ $
: Yes—2 (for Category 2 or 3 seating)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
This is one of the longest-running dinner shows at Walt Disney World—and one of the more popular ones as well. With shows at 5, 7, and 9:30 P.M., you have a lot of times to choose from, but be sure to make your reservations early, as it books quickly. The cost is $51 to $60 per adult and $26 to $31 per child, and most will tell you that it’s worth it. The price range represents the difference in three classes of seating. Higher cost means seats closer to the show.
I definitely think that the $9 extra per person to move to the front of the room is worth it.
The Western-themed entertainment is funny, enthusiastic, occasionally corny, and G-rated. The food is hearty and plentiful, focused on fried chicken and barbecue ribs. If you have a group, especially one with lots of kids, this is a top destination to consider for a rollicking good time at dinner. Consider it also if you have a multiple-family group that plans on only one or two meals together; this is
the place to meet and recount your travels. How fun could it be? Well, this is one of the two things my wife remembers from her first trip to Walt Disney World when she was 6, and she is now, well, older. Such longstanding memories say something special.
Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: Buffet
Breakfast: Not open
Lunch: Not open
Dinner: $ $ $ $
: Yes—2
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
This entertainment dinner really is the best of both worlds. With visits from Mickey, Minnie, and other friends, you get a character meal. With the on-stage acts, you get a dinner show. You get barbecue chicken and ribs, burgers, hot dogs, mac and cheese, corn on the cob, watermelon, and more picnic fare.
Seating is in an outdoor pavilion, so weather plays a factor. Shows are only held on Thursdays and Saturdays, so be sure you check for availability when you make a reservation. The food is better than you might expect, but it’s harder for your kids to really get to the characters, and signing autograph books is not part of the experience. This is great with a large group, but diminishes as your party size does.
Trail’s End Restaurant
Cuisine Type: American
Serving Style: Buffet (B, D), à la carte (L)
Breakfast: $
Lunch: $
Dinner: $
: Yes
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆
With only the dinner buffet even getting close to $20 for an adult, this is one of the more affordable buffets at Walt Disney World. Disney is testing moving some meals to à la carte, but either way you will find basic American choices, with a lot of barbecue and fried chicken. The decor is country inn, complete with old pots and pans lining the walls. It’s an old-fashioned country chic that matches the resort ambiance. Don’t think of this as a cheap choice, but as a fortunately inexpensive one.