We will be at WDW over labor day and I hear that it is very hot and humid then. We have DD4 and DS2 and hoping to take things easy this trip. With the heat and humidity and 2 kids in tow, would you recommend table service for both Lunch and DInner? We will be taking afternoon breaks and go back to the resort. Will appreciate any inputs.
Gi would not mainly due to the amount I’d time it will take. If you are going back to the resort for a break I would add a counter service meal to that break and dinner later.
1 Like
I almost always do TS lunch and dinne, but I almost never take afternoon breaks. With breaks, I’d probably grab a QS either in the park just before I left or after I got back to the resort.
We did this at Epcot and I regretted it. We had a noon lunch at San Angel Inn and then a 7:30 PM dinner at Teppan Edo. I was so full after lunch that I could not really enjoy all the other options for snacking, and then dinner was way too much food as well. I felt sick most of the day. We were on the dining plan but I skipped the desserts, as well. I would recommend sharing one meal between two people so you are not stuffed,
If your aim is to have quiet and relaxing meals, this can be done at counter service as well. For example, second floor Columbia Harbor House in the MK or down by the water at Flame Tree in the Animal Kingdom. Eating meals at off times (right when a place opens for example) or at the resorts is also a good strategy for beating the crowds.
1 Like
We went to DW when my daughter was 3, and again when my son was 2 and my daughter was 5.
When it was just my daughter, we went back to the hotel right after lunch and napped. We did both table service and quick service. After nap, we went back to the park but were heading back to the hotel generally around 6.
When we first took both kids, my daughter did not want to leave the park (which was a surprise considering the required nap time for our previous trip). We had several table service meals for lunch and a few quick service. We split up with one parent taking him back for nap a few times and he napped in his stroller a few times.
Even with a break, and even now that we have taken them as they are older, they generally want to leave the parks around 5. We have done fireworks maybe three times over 4 visits. I have two ts dinner reservations, but one is at 5 and the other is at 6 in France and we are staying at BCV. My children will complain about making them stay until a 7 pm FP last year if asked.
My recommendation would be ts for lunch as a heat avoidance tactic and one or two special ts dinners – then just be flexible. We ate at our hotel a lot last year for dinner and this year I bought dinner ingredients since we are staying at a villa.
1 Like
I agree with everything others have said. It’s really up to you if you think you can make it work. I just wanted to add that it is OK to order less than a full meal at a TS restaurant. If you really think of it as an AC and rest break for a snack instead of a full meal, you can enjoy some great restaurants without needing to stay too long.
My family doesn’t have the self control to not order entrees and walk out stuffed, but when I’m by myself or with adult friends, I’ve had luck ordering an appetizer or something to share at one place for lunch, and then going to another TS during the dinner hour to sit and rest over a dessert. For example, on an Epcot day, it might work to share a small pizza at Via Napoli at 1 and then walk over to Beaches and Cream to share a sundae at 5. This won’t work if you’re trying to use the dining plan!
You could always make double reservations for each day, and if it makes you feel too rushed the first day, just cancel 1/2 of them for the remaining days of your trip. Better to have them than not, in my opinion.
DW and I have never found that 2 TSs in one day is “too much food”. We typically have lunch between 11:00 and 12:00, and dinner at 8:00. We rarely have apps at lunch, and if we do, we get one to share. We virtually never have dessert at lunch. 8 hours is plenty of time to “walk off” lunch before dinner. I should add that neither of us like “big” breakfasts; we typically just have granola bars, pop tarts, fruit in the room, or we may grab a pastry of some sort at a park. We have very few between meal snacks, and again, if we do get something, we usually share whatever it is.
I would not do a TS for both meals - especially with two young kiddos. TS meals are generally a lot of food and can take at least an hour. There are so many QS meal options that will allow for a more casual day.
The only time we did two TS in one day is when we had a TS breakfast, small snack for lunch, and an early TS dinner.
I would suggest getting a QS meal just prior to your afternoon break. Or even take a pool break and grab a QS meal pool-side!
Thank you, everyone, for your input! I was remembering how in our last trip, when we were on the dining plan and had too many ADRs, we felt we were held hostage to them. And it definitely was too much food for us, a lot of it was also because we had to eat early because of the kids. They were done by 5;30- 6 pm and wanted to go back to the resort and relax and play. I entertained the idea of sit downs just because of the heat. I will probably end up doing 1 sit down meal a day and then can also do room service, if needs be - in the evening. But thank you so much for sharing your opinion - really helped me see all sides!
IMO that’s too much food. The most I would do for TS in one day would be breakfast and dinner.