I did GG for dinner in November, and it was good. Not great, but good. The meats were OK but my favorite was actually the roasted veggies that were in the platter. And we did have some of the most fun interactions at that meal. I’d say go with it 
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I’m going to leave the critique of your plans to those that go more frequently. I’m just going to answer the questions about GG and Ohana. My family preferred GG’s breakfast and dinner over Ohana’s. I preferred GG’s breakfast over dinner and we plan on doing it again next trip since it was so good.
And we would agree with those that say the breakfast is bleh at Ohana, but the characters are fun. Once and done for us.
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Thanks! I think we’ll keep it. Seeing Mickey at dinner (and of course chip and dale) will be a great way to kick off the week!
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Our family has a lot of fun at HS, so skipping that is not an option for us. I have 3 kids, and the first time we we went with them, they were 1 (12 months), 4.5, & 7.5. The SD ride is fun, but we love TSM. Our favorites are Jedi Training, Star Tours, TSM, now SD, Frozen Sing Along.
That would be the only thing I would add in. But you know what works best for your family. Your plans look like a lot of fun!
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Same with my 5 and 2 in the Fall! I wish we did all buffets abd character meals. They were the only ones that were enjoyable because DD 2 was entertained abd not hungry! So chef mickeys was a favorite for us…
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Having just returned a week ago, I would say the biggest issue with your plan might be the short time between arrival at the park and getting in line for the first ride. We were frustrated every day by 45 minute plus delays just to get through the bag check and entry lines. Every day it blew up our plans and caused us to miss a good bit we wanted to do.
How early before RD were you arriving at the parks? We have two PPO breakfasts which should eliminate that problem Tuesday and Wednesday. We have our first fast pass at least 85 minutes after RD on Monday, Thursday and Friday, keeping in mind the EMH. That just leaves Sunday with an early FPP. I was hoping to start our first full day with the “let the magic begin” show, planning on being at MK around 8:00 am for the 9:00 am rope drop anyway. Any tips about when you arrived and what time you think we should be there based on your recent trip would be really appreciated!
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Just out of curiosity, what were the dates you were there? By week ago, does that mean the week of the New Year’s holiday? I bet crowds were off the chart that week, which may have accounted for the massive waits. When we were there last April on CL3 to 5 days, the screening/bag check wait times were like 10 minutes or less. I wonder if that had something to do with your experience??
Yes. I went in December. Loved it. They continue with the corny jokes theme of Jungle Cruise. The theming of the restaurant is good. And I liked the food:
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Those chops look amazing. I’m surprised they were able to nail the medium-rare temperature (I’m assuming thats how you ordered it). OK I’m sold!
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Yes, New Years Day through the weekend and yes, the crowds were off the charts. We knew that would be the case (only time we could go with college son and work schedules) and we were doing EMH each day. But it was very frustrating that Touring Plans doesn’t account for that amount of disruption/delay based on crowds. Makes the whole plan useless with that kind of delay. Really hoping you don’t experience anything like that.
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That’s interesting. I wonder if TP ever thought of assigning a suggested “arrival time” to each CL 1 through 10 for best chances of being through the gates for RD. Then again, they say that their CL numbers don’t correspond to actual attendance, but rather how crowded it feels based on ride wait times.
Also, I totally get having to base trips around school schedules. We’re trying to take full advantage of the pre-K years! Hope you had a great time regardless.
I really wish they would add that! Even round numbers would have helped us. The second line after the bag check was the most frustrating - just let me in!!
We absolutely did have a great time and with teenagers, the crowds didn’t freak any of us out so much. Just wish we’d known better what to expect.
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Your plans look great! I don’t have input on the meals other than I agree that a character buffet with littles sounds like a good way to keep everyone happy! I wanted to add that I would be torn about missing HS. It is the favorite park for my older kids, and my 7 y.o. loves it too. There are some great shows there and everyone really enjoyed TSL. I would say to just wait until they are older to go but then the SW craziness will have set in. Not sure if you want to get there before that happens or if it is better to wait to go until after it happens!
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@profmatt Any other restaurants you’ve been to that might be suitable for a night out without the kids? I’ve enjoyed reading some of your trip reports and know you’ve been to quite a few of the sought-after ones. Might try to sneak out for a late dinner on our last night… Also, have you checked out Sam’s Grog Grotto or Jellyrolls (the dueling piano bar)? Those looked interesting to me.
After starting this thread this morning and getting all the helpful responses from you and others, I’m thinking we might cut out one of the MK days (or at least half of one) to make room for HS if only to see TSL. Another dilemma is that Fantasmic has always been my favorite evening show, but I’m not sure the kids will be able stay up that late without massive meltdowns. We’re definitely taking a risk already with ROL, but we’ve never seen it so I figure we have to do that.
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Do they offer EMM for TSL during one of your days? That could work out well for you if they did. Then after you could have breakfast and do any rides or shows you like. Maybe save F! for another visit?
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That’s a really great idea that I totally forgot about. Might be worth the $$ to do that! I had all but given up on riding SD, because I didn’t get a FPP and I can’t see myself waiting 1.5-2 hrs for it with a 4 year old.
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