Another small thing that I’m sure you know but is worth mentioning - once you scan your first LL it removes the tiers. So for instance one day walked in with a LL for Tiana, but also got one for Jungle Cruise plus the tier 2 rides we wanted to repeat then got LL for MMRR, Toy Story Mania and hopped to HS for the evening. That was another way I thought LL was valuable. We had 4 tier 1 rides in 2 parks pretty much every day
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I second this!
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Thanks, everyone, for comments. The planning is half (a third? 23%?) of the fun. 
While I’m still planning my parks approach (e.g., LL), I do have a more specific and more timely question since I’m 63 days out and ADRs are available for me soon.
For the most part, I plan on doing CS and (maybe) bar/lounge walkups for food, but on my departure day, I’m skipping the parks. I hope to be spending the morning seeing various sites around WDW generally and would like to get a decent TS meal (for one) somewhere in one of the resorts (not Disney Springs), probably before 11 AM. Any recommendations? I don’t need to pay extra for a character meal, and would prefer something with ambiance (though it doesn’t need to be Disney’d to the hilt). Obviously food quality is important, but part of the total package.
Thanks in advance!
Some great resort breakfasts to consider:
Grand Floridian Cafe - quiet, “fancy”, and you get GF
Whispering Canyon Cafe - shenanigans here - kind of loud but fun and you get WL
Ale & Compass - always a great bargain, and you get YC and the whole surrounding Crescent Lake area which is gorgeous in the morning - walk a loop before or after!
Boma - I mean this should probably be your choice, but you do you 
You get AKL with this choice and if you’re looking for ambience I’m not sure this can be beat! Walk around and see all of the African art (the largest collection outside of the continent of Africa!) and step out onto the savanna viewing spaces.
Also:
Cake Bake Shop - I did see a review over the weekend of a breakfast there where some items are not “kill me with the pricetag” expensive. And you get Boardwalk and the whole surrounding Crescent Lake area as mentioned above
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I don’t think I can add a restaurant to @OBNurseNH 's list.
I would say that if you’re interested in the meal taking less time Ale & Compass would be my pick.
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For comparison purposes, in case anyone has DL experience, my favorite TS experience there was at the breakfast buffet at the Grand Californian (it was - is? - a Chip and Dale character meal, and they were fine, it was really just the atmosphere and food that got me). Did Cafe Orleans in DLR a couple times, that was nice. Also did character meals at Disneyland Hotel (Goofy’s) and at the now-closed Ariel’s Grotto in DCA. You’d have to ask my kids if they even remember the meals there 10-15 years ago to see if they have any memories of those whatsoever. (I have none.)
Oh, and FWIW, I probably need to be back at Pop by 1:00 or so to make sure I have enough time to Uber/Lyft back to MCO. That’s why I’m mostly looking at breakfast, though a reservation at somewhere with Skyliner access probably could start as late as 11:30. (I recognize that an Uber/Lyft from most places further away wouldn’t be too expensive, either.)
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This had already been on my mental short list. I mean, I’ve walked through the Hotel Del Coronado, which is clearly at least one of the inspirations for GF, so I’m probably predisposed to like it.
Since Grand Californian is by far my favorite DL on-site hotel in terms of theming, this one tempts me as well.
I’m hoping to spend at least a little time at Crescent Lake at some point, so this also strikes me as a good choice.
This one is tempting and as of this moment, probably the front-runner. My only slight concern is that post-COVID reviews of the breakfast buffet don’t seem 100% positive in terms of the food and service. Hard to tell if it’s just the natural tendency to complain online mixed with unrealistic expectations, though.
Anyway, you totally understood the assignment. No notes. 
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Nah. I’ve been three times in the last couple of years and it’s been awesome each time!
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I first had breakfast at Boma in 2001 and didn’t feel the need to rush to repeat.
I mostly recently had breakfast at Boma in December 2024. It was more better 
Don’t mind repeating. I’m planning on breakfast there again this year.
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I’m frequently disappointed by Disney restaurants and am not the biggest buffet fan, but I loved Boma breakfast the one time I went (which was about a year and a half ago, I think). It was a trip highlight.
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Boma ADR at basically the desired time secured!
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Aaaaaand ADRs at GEO-82 a couple different days (one each) because I haven’t figured out the schedule yet
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I’m glad to hear this. I just booked it for our departure day later this month.
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I’m not going to jump in on tickets, but will suggest you look at DVC as an option to compare to value or moderate resorts.
I’m planning a trip with my sister (who hasn’t been at WDW since the mid 90s) for early December and we’re renting DVC at Saratoga Springs for $273/night which is cheaper than the reservation we had at Pop ($324/night when we made the reservation, and not currently available to book with the fall/winter discount.) I’ve seen MUCH bigger discounts on DVC rooms for non-December dates, but we’re limited on when we can vacation because of our work schedules. You might want to check out the DVC You There! thread
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Thanks! Thus far when I’ve seen JJT’s listings nothing has appeared to beat the rate I have at Pop for my dates (below $200 including taxes), but I’ll definitely continue to look for possibilities at places that are at least as convenient to the parks as Pop 
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Just want to confirm you made a good choice here. I did for Boma breakfast last fall and loved it. If the timing works, check out the art tour. Disney has the largest collection of African art off the continent, and a cultural representative guides you through some of the displays in the lobby. The tour is free, M-F at 11.
I’ll be there at roughly the same time, and I booked a late breakfast at Boma for the morning of my MNSSHP day. 
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Thanks for your comments earlier. After more research I’ve got a tentative plan and am looking for any feedback you have…
I’m staying at Pop and have 3-day parkhoppers. The CLs are generally around 3 (except in MK on party nights). In terms of my parks interest, there are maybe 17 attractions at MK, 13 at EP (plus wandering World Showcase), 6 at HS (but not ROTR and SR), and 4 at AK (plus wandering trails) that I’ve got on my “would really like to do” list.
Monday: Rideshare from airport (11am arrival, carryon only), head to Pop to drop off bags, then bus to AK from 1pm ’til close (6pm). Back to Pop if needed to get into room, otherwise… HS until close. I found out a couple weeks ago that good friends were going to be at WDW at the same time and they’re planning to be HS at night. So I’m going to join them (without planning to complete anything on my list, though seeing Fantasmic would make things a lot more convenient for me).
Tuesday: RD at MK (it’s a party night, so doing what I can in the morning). I currently have a 2:45 ADR at GEO-82 (plus also one at 2:10 Wednesday as an alternative). Then head over to EP for the rest of the day/evening. (I’m open to skipping Luminous and heading to HS if I didn’t get to see Fantasmic the night before.
Wednesday: RD at HS, then head to EP and/or MK to do what I didn’t finish in those parks (or to re-ride). End the night in MK to do the 9 pm HEA and 10 pm Starlight parade (and knock off maybe TRON at 8 pm if I didn’t get to it early on Tuesday).
Thursday: Sleep in, maybe wander around the BW/BC/YC area, then head to Boma for a 10:45 buffet. Leave Pop (or AKL if I take my luggage with me – is that a thing?) by rideshare to get to MCO ~75 minutes before departure time (I have PreCheck).
At the moment, the only LL I definitely plan on purchasing is LLSP for GOTG. Open to others, but also think my timing might make LLSP for FOP, for example, unnecessary. Open to buying at least one more LLSP or LLMP, but my SR status, lack of need to ride GOTG/SR, and reasonable crowd levels (and TPs that suggest I can do everything in this schedule without them have me thinking I can spend that money in other ways that I’ll derive more value from). [Edited to add: I would prefer not to spend my entire time refreshing the app; I know my brain and I probably would end up doing that with a lot of LLMPs.]
So feel free to suggest where I might move things around if you think I’ve erred in my schedule…
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If you’re flying Southwest you can check your bags directly from Pop, so you won’t have to worry about dragging them along with you. It’s a pilot program that’s only available for value guests, and it hasn’t been advertised much beyond the original announcement.
If you’re not flying Southwest, I have heard of people checking out of one resort and then dropping off luggage with bell services at a different resort while dining, but I haven’t done it myself. I would want to confirm with bell services beforehand.
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Yeah I’d heard about the direct check-in via Southwest, but I’m flying in on a different airline, so not an option this time.
I would contemplate the dropping off the luggage at bell services while at AKL, but that also means I’d need to haul around the luggage everywhere I go that morning. (I’d originally read your suggestion as dropping off the luggage at Pop, and they’d deliver to AKL, but I doubt they’d do that without me checking in there and I’d be too worried that it wouldn’t happen before I left…)
We always just go back to Pop to retrieve our bags. It’s easier.
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