We are probably going to get the Disney Dining Plan +, which has opened up a whole new world of possibilities. There are some places that we will repeat from October, but some that will be newer for us. We will be a multigenerational group ranging from age 2 to seniors. We will be going to Biergarten, Tusker House, Story Book Dining, and Akershus. These are the one that I would love input about:
Hollywood and Vine (is it as bad as I have read)
Crystal Palace
1900 Park Fare
'Ohana
Garden Grill
Bon Voyage
Topolino’s for breakfast
Trail’s End
Restaurant Marrakesh
Tony’s Town Square for the parade package
I would love to know what is worth doing and where I would be making a mistake
We had H&V dinner in 2016 and we enjoyed it. The food was fine, there was nothing bad about it, and nothing outstanding either. The character interaction was the best we had on that trip.
Only done CP breakfast but we love it.
1900 PF - we’ve done breakfast and dinner. Dinner was once and done. I thought it would be fun to see the stepsisters with my DS then 11, but they weren’t there. It was a good meal, good interaction, but I was disappointed and we’re not really interested in princesses. We did breakfast last year - we did 11.45 and had a good morning in MK first. Food was good, the characters were great, we did have to wait quite a while to see the Mad Hatter. There were about 10 tables left occupied, all ready to go but waiting to see him. He was very funny though.
We did pre RD GG breakfast last year and it was fab. The food was delicious and the characters were fun. I wore a Chip and Dale top and they spent lots of time with me.
We have done GG dinner and PPO breakfast. We enjoyed breakfast more, especially with getting to ride Soarin. We are doing PPO breakfast agaIn in May.
We did not care for Ohana breakfast or dinner. The food wasn’t that great at either and the service at breakfast was poor. We did enjoy the characters at breakfast.
We liked 1900 Park Faire for dinner. The step sisters were there during our meal. We probably won’t be back though due to cost and my boys are not into the princesses. They did have fun with the step sisters though.
Bon Voyage is cute, but the food was just ok to me.
H&V breakfast was decent. Standard buffet breakfast at Disney.
We haven’t tried the others.
Trails End is a hit for our family. 10% off with Disney Visa is a plus
Ohana has steadily gone down hill for us. It was our tradition we loved. We stopped two years ago. It is a great experience though.
H&V was hit or miss for us. Our experience is a few years old. First visit was good. Kids wanted to go back next trip. Next visit was absolutely awful. Never again was my wife’s comment
Ohana has always been enjoyable for us (only done dinner). However, there have been mixed reviews over the past couple of years. That being said, if you never have been, I would recommend it for a dinner.
Trails end is worth it… and a bargain (by WDW standards).
We really enjoyed Bon Voyage Breakfast and thought the food was pretty good.
Marrakesh is good if you like Moroccan food. The entertainment is fun. We are big fans of Moroccan/N. African/Middle Eastern cuisine, so, its a good EPCOT option for our family. The entertainment is worth it I think if you have never been.
Never done any of the others, but I have heard nothing but good things about Garden Grill (especially breakfast) FWW.
i’ve done garden grill for breakfast. it was great. we sat in a booth. it was comfortable and didn’t feel chaotic. it was a great way to start the day! the food was good and appealed to everyone (adults and one senior). the characters were fun and they made it to us a few times. they were great with my mom. since food is brought to the table, it made the character interaction much less stressful because there were no worries about being at your table, if, for example, you stepped away to go to a buffet. i would go again.
i’ve also done crystal palace for breakfast with kids, adults, and one senior. it’s a beautiful space and location! it was much more chaotic than garden grill because there’s so much activity with everyone going to and from the buffet. it felt more rushed and a little overwhelming. it was fun but not relaxing at all. the food was okay. nothing terrible, but nothing memorable. the characters were great but the interactions were rushed and there was a constant eye on them to make sure we were ready when they arrived at the table. while i love pooh and eeyore (and the location), i don’t think i’d go back.
If your in the Park and not planning on leaving …
Hollywood and Vine - is OK but I prefer Mama Melrose for lunch or dinner
Crystal Palace - Great for breakfast on the run otherwise look at Liberty Tree or Skippers
Garden Grill - All around good choice and excellent character experience
Tony’s Town Square - only if your motivated by the parade portion
When your out of the Parks …
1900 Park Fare - Good food and service but a challenge to meet the characters due to close quarters
'Ohana - OK if your staying at Poly otherwise look elsewhere
Topolino’s - highly recommend
Trail’s End - loved the food and the overall experience, explore the resort while you are there
Restaurant Marrakesh - liked the food but it may not have a wide range of appeal for your group.
@linsalt Hollywood and Vine would be for the characters, but I don’t want bad food. Good to know about Crystal Palace being better for breakfast, I was deciding between a PPO breakfast or a very early lunch. Tony’s would only have been for the parade package; we enjoy LTT and Skipper Canteen for lunch.
These are our impressions from recent (September) multigenerational trip 5 - 83. And some older experiences.
1900 Park Fare supper - great character interaction for 5 yo and 83 yo. Lots of good or interesting choices on buffet. You can see menus on line. The mini desserts are morish. It’s loud. Very noisy. But a must do for us.
Crystal Palace - our most do breakfast. Previously ppo but now 10:30 am breakfast. Not so crowded. Great character interaction. Parade for kids. Food is ok. We usually use this buffet breakfast as a first introduction of character interaction to newbies.
Garden Grill for lunch with splinter group - great character interaction. Lots of time. I don’t think there are big tables. Our table was a bit crowded with 3 girls ages 5, 7 & 8, dad and grandma. I’m not a fan of the family platter foods. However this was the best mac n cheese I’ve had in ever.
Trails End Kitchen - historically a must do. usually supper. Couldn’t fit it in for September. Ate here in July 2018. Elementary age kids love this buffet for foods they recognize and love. Afterwards we like to sit with a beverage on the porch of the tavern next door and let the kids play on the adjacent playground.
Restaurant Marrakesh - always supper. The girls absolutely adored the belly dancer and dancing with her, she’s so wonderfully approachable. Service here has always been very good. Some of our group look forward to the tea. Our 83 yo has taken to ordering soup for his entree, which here was a hit. One nice thing about Marrakesh is that you can almost always get in here.
Additional notes about Morocco: first country to recognize the United States as a country and George Washington as head of a country.
When Epocot was being planned, the king of Morocco liked the idea of a pavilion so much he sent his personal artisans to do the tile work which always blows me away even now.
We did a bunch of character meals in January and Bon Voyage breakfast was one of our favorites. The food was good and the character interactions was the best of the character meals. I would do this meal on every trip in the future.
H&V breakfast with the Disney JR characters was good interaction but the food was ok at best.