ADR day approaching and not sure what to do!

Hi everyone! I have been lurking since we booked our trip in June, but it is my first time posting. Our ADR reservation day is coming up on 10/28. He is a little background. DH and I have been to WDW twice, as young kids with our families and then as seniors in high school together with our marching band. We haven’t been since 2005. Neither of us have been to Animal Kingdom. This will be the first time for our 7 and 4 year old girls. We are also bringing my MIL
We are arriving on 4/25, staying until 5/02 at AoA in the Finding Nemo suites. We currently have 6 day park tickets. The current plan is:
Arrive sometime on 4/25, explore the hotel, swim, explore Disney springs.
4/26 - MK
4/27 - Epcot
4/28 Animal kingdom
4/29 Sleep and rest, then go to either AK,MK, or HS, we’re still undecided.
4/30 Hollywood Studios
5/1 Magic Kingdom

My 7 year old loves princesses, and my 4 year old loves Minnie mouse. They are pretty picky eaters so we will be bringing sandwiches for them to have for lunch, but they both love breakfast foods. My mil has Celiac so she needs to be GF. We are not big eaters and tend to share when we are on vacation.

I currently have Akershus breakfast for our Epcot day. And would like to have BOG lunch for one of our magic kingdom days. We are okay with lots of quick service restaurants but I want to make sure we aren’t missing anything my girls would love. Should we be looking into fantasmic! Or Rivers of light dining packages? We could probably do another character meal but which one should we do?

Sorry it got so long but thanks for taking the time to help me out!

If the girls are into big shows and don’t get scared by a few tense moments with villains then Fantasmic might be a big hit. You don’t absolutely need a dining package for it, though. You can just get there earlier and take a late QS/sandwich dinner in with you, and they sell ice cream and lights snacks right in the amphitheater.

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No. The viewing areas you pay for aren’t any better than if you just show up 20 - 30 minutes early and the desserts are hit or miss.

If you like breakfast meals and characters then I’d go to Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. It’s a buffet and you generally meet Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.

My favorite character meal is breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table. However, it’s a princess M&G and you’ll already be doing that at Ecpot.

When you book your ADR they will ask if you have any allergies / restrictions. The chef will come to your table and personally offer you a couple choices. (My DW has horrible lactose issues… all day sick - not just “gassy”. So I speak from experience. They are very accommodating.)

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Thanks! I didn’t know that they ask about food allergies at the time of reservations, that make me feel a bit better. Do you know if there are a lot of gluten free options at quick service restaurants?

They sure do!

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I think she is talking about the dining packages at the restaurants.

For those, you definitely don’t need to have a package, but if you are interested in the restaurant anyway, it can be a good add on. For example, if you want to do Tusker House or Hollywood & Vine (questionable food reviews) for a character meal, you could look at doing the dining package too.

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Our dates overlap yours, we are April 25 to May 3rd. Based on my research thus far, I would look at Garden Grill, Sunshine Seasons and many of the flower and garden food stands.I am hoping this year they have the lobster tail on a stick and the juice bar again! AK QS try Flame Tree. We are on the dining plan so the fireworks package is not extra. Our arrival night we are going to do Tusker House with the Fireworks package and then I have another night to do Mama Melrose (I would rather have brown derby but my kids would not last.)

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1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian with cinderella, prince, step mother and sisters was lots of fun! It’s a buffet. We do it on our arrival night. You might want something to see minnie too, like tucker house (AK). That way you don’t have to wait in line or use fast passes to see the characters your girls enjoy.

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I second Tusker House. We have been many times over the past 10 years and my kids (now teenagers) still enjoy it. You get visits from Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.

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All of the restaurants mentioned above are great for your age kids with their interests. We particularly loved Park Fare and Tusker House. I don’t think anyone has mentioned Crystal Palace but that is a really cute Winnie the Pooh buffet if you want characters but something different than the others. We also loved Cinderella’s Royal Table. If you want that one try for it first.

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