We’ve eaten in all the Mexican restaurants in WS. Big fans!
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Biergarten is my favorite, followed by VN for pizza; TI is better for non-pizza Italian. 9 Dragons is at the bottom of my WS list and I wasn’t that impressed with R&C (Raglan Rd. in DS is much better). I’ve only been to Chefs for lunch, but it was crowded, noisy, and the CMs were perfunctory to the point of being rude. Marrakesh is absolutely beautiful inside, and the food is not “bad” but I’ve had much better authentic Moroccan cooking elsewhere (the apps and desserts are very good, the entrees were kind of tasteless).
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I guess that is my general opinion about most of the restaurants at EP. Nice, but…
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Me too - except for BG; it’s some of the best German food I’ve had that wasn’t made by my mother or me.
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We tried Biergarten for the first time last year over Thanksgiving, and loved it. Food was great and the Christmas music/entertainment was really fun. It’s not fancy, but the atmosphere is really fun, especially the Christmas decos.
I haven’t had the chance to go go at Christmas time in the past, but a BG CP combo is at the top of my list for my December trip this year.
We booked the Candlelight Processional combo, and when it was time to pay, the server told us it was 2 DP credits, which I had somehow missed (and I never miss details like that). Thankfully we were able to take the CP off and just pay one credit. The CP is awesome, but not worth an extra dining credit. We just stood in the back and watched.
I never use the DDP, so it’s all OOP for me…
We are a family of 5, and we only go when it’s free dining, so each table service credit is meticulously planned and feels like gold. 
In 2017, we ate Thanksgiving dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby. Regardless of the restaurant you choose, be advised that your dinner could be very delayed due to volume of diners and the fact that everyone is celebrating and spending more time in the restaurants. Our 6:30 reservation turned into actually being seated and receiving menus at 8:30. Hordes of upset people were crowded into the restaurant lobby and lined up outside the restaurant, and management did very little to nothing to appease the crowds. Waiters were stressed and stretched thin, and basically threw food onto tables and did not have time to check back on beverages, etc. Everyone missed their Fantasmic FastPasses, which made for even more unhappy diners. Not the relaxing holiday dinner we had hoped for.
Since you are staying at Contemporary, I will give my endorsement for The Wave. We stayed at the Contemporary in January and made a last minute decision to eat there and were pleasantly surprised. Atmosphere is not much, but food and service is great.
It doesn’t work for folks on dining plan, but if you are paying OOP, we had an amazing Thanksgiving Day meal off property at Season 52. Yes, it was busy, but the management and staff were amazing - truly. My mother in law is seriously high maintenance and we needed a quiter place to sit (which doesn’t really exist there, but the manager found the absolute only quiet spot you amidst a sea of madness). Exceptional service. Half the table ordered their traditional thanksgiving meal offering, the other half off the menu, and the entire multi generational party went home happy. And, it wasn’t expensive like resort restaurants (I have a hard time paying big dollars for a turkey dinner :). Just a thought if the resort TS restaurants are nutty. As an alternative, I think it would be cool to do Sanaa on Thanksgiving Day (a lunch reservation) b/c of the Savanahh view. No turkey, though, so my kiddos might revolt…
I know you want to eat in the parks, but if you wanted a meal while at AK I would think about Saana- you do have to get a bus to the AKL, but for me it would be-worth it. I would rate Saana higher than any of the 1 credit Epcot restaurants I have tried. In terms of Epcot, BG would be my recommendation - my family were unimpressed with VN and thought Marrakesh was just “okay”.
You can share meals on the DDP as long as it’s not a buffet, a character meal, or Via Napoli. I’ve had bariatric surgery, so we share meals everywhere. In fact, we used meal sharing on the DDP as a way to “bank” credits so we could use them at Signature restaurants and even to book the Candlelight Processional.
How accommodating are they for bariatric patients? If I don’t want to share a meal with my husband am I able to order small portions? I had surgery in August and we are going 10/30-11/7. I am only able to eat 4 ounces at each meal. I really don’t know what to expect as I haven’t eaten out at all since surgery.
As others have mentioned, you can share meals as long as it’s not family style, buffet, or character – which these days shouldn’t be much of a problem, but for instance, Be Our Guest, Liberty Tree Tavern, or Cinderella’s Royal Table would require you to pay per person regardless of what you eat or don’t eat.
As an aside, I’m a bariatric patient as well, got mine done in 2010. Let me just say that especially on vacations like during normal times at Disney, you simply can’t expect to get your money’s worth when it comes to food. We’ve happily done character meals or other experiences where we’re charged per person even though I hardly eat a thing and I decided a long time ago just to “let it go” and enjoy the overall experience without worrying about the food portion of it – which I definitely lose money on! Right now, except for special experiences, sharing a meal is no big deal. Good luck and have a great vacay!