Hey folks…I’m looking at booking a few ADRs for our upcoming trip and wanted to get some feedback on Boatwrights, Maya Grill, and the Grand Floridian Cafe. We aren’t really fine dining people (plus we have kiddos who are picky eaters). During our first trip we ate at Be Our Guest, Sci-Fi Diner, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Garden Grill, 'Ohana (dinner), 1900 Park Fare, and Chef Mickeys. For this upcoming trip I have already booked 50s Prime Time Cafe, The Crystal Palace, Via Napoli, Liberty Tree Tavern, and Yak & Yeti cafe. I’m almost certain we will do the Disney Dining Plan and wanted to book a few more table service meals.
Thoughts on Boatwrights, Maya Grill and the Grand Floridian Cafe? Are there other really good table services (not fine dining) that I should look at?
We have enjoyed meals at both Boatwrights and Grand Floridian Cafe. That being said, we were staying at Port Orleans when we ate at Boatwrights. I am not sure I would make the trip there (or to Maya Grill) unless we were staying there. Where are you staying? Will you have a car? If you have a car then we do love resort hopping. Olivia’s Cafe is a great option. Also, Kona Cafe is fantastic. It’s a nice lunch break on a MK day. I would try and stay close to the parks unless you were already planning to leave.
Our one trip to Boatwright’s was likely our worst TS meal at Disney. It has been going on 10 years though so I’m not sure it’s a fair reflection, but…It was bad. Incredibly mediocre prime rib, crowded, loud and mediocre service. A friend who had a bad first experience said it was better on his second try so perhaps it has improved? I don’t think we will ever risk going back to find out though…
As @melcort10 indicated, I would only consider Boatwright’s if staying at Port Orleans (either Riverside or French Quarter).
It’s hard to say if you’re looking for in or out of parks - Ohana is very good at the Poly and close enough to MK it’s an easy commute. At Epcot there are lots of choices - we enjoyed Coral Reef - good seafood and the aquarium will be a hit with the kids. San Angel in Mexico was always a hit with our son and Biergarten in Germany is a nice buffet with lots of options plus entertainment. Overall it seems you have a good handle on the restaurant selection and did well last trip and are off to a great start on this one…
Where are you staying this trip? I agree with melcort10 that Boatwright’s and Maya Grill are probably only places that you would go to if you were staying at those resorts. They are both good, but not out of this world! Grand Floridian Cafe is a great spot - the food is good and not adventurous for the kids. We really like The Wave in the Contemporary. Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club is a great choice too! Kona cafe is yummy, but not sure if the picky kids will like it as much.
Thanks everyone for the quick feedback. We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside which is why I was looking at Boatwrights. @steinerfamily, I also had Beaches and Cream on my consider list. Thoughts on that meal? Meals at resorts on the monorail seem much more doable as we can catch a bus from our resort to MK and then hop the monoral. Not sure how we would get to Beaches and Cream. Uber maybe?
You can walk there from Epcot and Hollywood Studios, or take a (slow) boat!
Definitely agreed on the monorail resort restaurants. I second the Wave!
I know you said your kids are picky eaters, but there are SO many good restaurants in Epcot. Biergarten has a great show and it’s a buffet so mayyyyybe they can try something out of their comfort zone if they know they can just go up and get something else if they don’t like it.
We’ve eaten at Boatwrights twice when we were staying at Port Orleans (different trips). It was fine, you definitely won’t need an ADR. But honestly, with all the new great options at Disney Springs a boat ride away, I don’t think I’d ever bother with Boatwrights again. I agree with the others, Maya Grill is not worth going out of your way for. I’d avoid it if you’re not staying at Coronado. On our upcoming trip, we’re dragging the kids to Morimoto Asia in Disney Springs because we enjoyed it before and we know they’ll eat the sweet and sour chicken on egg rolls if nothing else. We’re also taking them to Cocina Frontera (in Disney Springs), where they’ll likely order plain cheese quesadillas, sigh. Then my husband and I will enjoy better Latin cuisine than you’d find at Maya Grill. Take a look at all the great new places there before Boatwrights and Maya. I have no experience with Grand Flo Cafe, but I also love Boma, which was suggested by someone else. If you’ve eaten at Tusker House, I find it to be very similar and we’ll go to those two interchangeably, but not usually on the same trip.
agreed, Germany’s Biergarten has hot dogs! That’s what my picky eaters are going to have. In addition, at every Disney buffet, there’s always basic kids’ favorites at a shorter buffet line, like mac and cheese, fries and chicken fingers.