Dates: Jun 3-11 2025
People: 7 adults, 2 kids. (DD9, DS6)
Parameters - I want one ‘anchor meal’ each day. This will be a ‘reset’ point, if we’ve split up to each do our own things, this is the point where we regroup and reset. It doesn’t need to be TS, although the older ones in our group will appreciate it.
My current plan:
Breakfast generally at the hotel, unless otherwise mentioned.
Arrival day - anchor meal at Il Mulino at Swan (we’re staying at Swan Reserve)
EP/ MK - snacks in EP, Contempo Cafe or Geyser Point on our way to MK for the evening
AK / HS - snacks in AK, back to Swolphin for Pool Bar late lunch, early dinner, maybe an anchor at Woody’s lunchbox for snacks in the evening?
EP - Late lunch / early dinner at SAI or Coral Reef
Rest day - Character breakfast at Ravello? or just the usual breakfast and lunch / dinner at Beaches and Cream
the group gets smaller here, down to 5 adults and 2 kids
HS - Fantasmic dining package? Maybe Sci Fi or HBD
AK - some QS in AK for breakfast, dinner at either Sanaa or Boma?
MK - Jungle Skipper for lunch, maybe BOG or CRT for dinner?
Departure day - breakfast at Ravello or Topolinos, if we haven’t already done a character meal
The questions:
Can we go to Topolinos just for drinks and dessert? Do we need reservations? thinking we might do this after dinner on arrival day.
Is there anything you change on this plan? Any thoughts on specific restaurants where I’m wobbling between two?
Ah! Key information – 6 and 9, and inconsistently picky. If prepped ahead of time, they’ll try almost anything, but they regularly eat out at fairly adventurous restaurants at home.
Why hard with a large group? The menu looks great, gets rave reviews here, and I’ve never been, so it’s honestly one of the ones I’m most looking forward to.
I don’t know about Tony’s… we cook a lot of Italian food at home. It’s much easier for this group to tolerate spending theme park money on something they wouldn’t make on a regular weeknight dinner. Do you know what I mean?
Space of seating mainly. It’s a much smaller restaurant. It’s very lounge like.
I love it though. Maybe do a walk by before committing. You can ask them the best time to come with a larger party.
ETA: found a good link with some pictures
I do know exactly what you mean. Especially since I’m the cook. DH tho could always go for Italian, regardless. Tony’s at least is ok and it’s nice to hear “you can cook this better”.
Under the roof is more small seating groups. We sat outside along the walkway. I’m thinking a couch with at least 3 or 4 chairs grouped around a table and facing the lake. Sunny, fairly mild afternoon.
On a chilly evening we were in under the roof and the heaters were operating. Table for 4.
This is a super helpful link, thanks! It does look like we’d have a hard time getting seats all together, especially if it’s even moderately busy. Is contempo cafe any better or is this kind of an issue for all quick service places for a group of 9?
it is nice! But I always feel like I’ve ‘wasted’ money if I go to a BBQ place and the brisket isn’t as good as what my dad makes. I dunno, I think I just have a weird relationship to money. especially money and food.
I haven’t eaten there. Is that the QS for the Contemporary? Another option is the QS at Poly or WL. If your looking for a fun TS Whispering Canyon is good too.
Yea, the QS at the contemporary. Thinking that it would be less of an ‘attraction’ than QS at Poly, and we could walk to MK from there if we didn’t want to get back on the monorail.
The other benefit to QS at Contemporary for that day is there’s a family picture from our previous trip that we want to recreate.
Yes. The Disney page about Sci-Fi has lot of photos that help show a lot of the seating. Most of it is cars which have three rows of forward facing seating. You might be able to squeeze the two kids with one adult, and fit the whole group. But it’s tough to converse with anyone in a different row. There are also cars with two tables for 4, or 8 total, where you sit facing sideways to the movies, but at least you can easily talk to each other. There are also round “picnic tables” in the back, used mostly as an overflow area for walk-up guests.
They show sci-fi cartoons, and lots of trailers for old sci-fi movies, in a continuous loop. It’s not a solid movie.
It’s unique seating. Y’all would be split up I believe. Unless y’all squeeze a kid in like suggested. Honestly, I don’t care for a lot of the TS at Hollywood. We’ve done H&V a few times and I like the HBD Lounge. I’ve never been inside to eat.
This is the table we had with 3 of our great granddaughters. I was initially a little disappointed because we weren’t “in” a car like we’d been on previous trips but the girls were just as excited. And really, we could converse better. We had a good view of the screen also.
CMs will sometimes squeeze an extra person in. This happened once at Coral Reef and we survived . But it was cozy in that booth with 5 adults and a kid.
. But it was cozy in that booth with 5 adults and a kid.