Our DLR grad trip is in 10 days.
The only ADR I have is Lamplight Lounge and I’m trying for Oga’s (but keep missing my alerts).
It kinda suits me to NOT have ADR’s because DD18 is sort of go with the flow. But she also gets hangry.
What QS do you love?
Which do you hate?
For sure we will want to visit Pym’s.
I can get an ADR for Carthay’s, but it doesn’t scream “do it.”
I have found Docking Bay 7 at DLR was not as good as in WDW and the last time I went to Smoke Jumpers it was very disappointing.
On the otherhand, we loved Flo’s. If you are there in the evening you can see the Sh-boom. The Fries chicken is so good and very splitable. Jolly Holliday Bakery has great soup, sandwiches, and salads. And corn dogs and churros are never wrong!
YES! Thank you. I have a reminder to check sunset times for our three PMs in DCA. My husband got to see it in 2018, but we were on GOTG.
I wouldn’t have thought of Jolly Holiday Bakery! Thanks.
I loved Smoke Jumpers in 2018. That’s too bad it was disappointing. DD isn’t as big on burgers as I am though, so it won’t break her heart to skip over that. 
I think I last had Smoke Jumpers in 2018, and thought it was a great burger and good fries so had it on my list for 2023. It was not good.
DD16 told me “Friend eats a lot, not like huge meals but like she snacks all day.” So I have mostly planned snacks and we may stop for other things like Jack Jacks Cookie Nums Nums, Pretzels (as DD loves them), etc.
But here is my must do:
Quick Service:
For ADR:
BTW Carthay Circle is SOOOOOOOOOOOO very high on my To Do List. I had a rezzie and dropped it for the parade dining package. I have never been able to eat here minus the Lounge (which I’ve done twice). But Napa Rose was my first ever gourmet 5 
meal and it’s literally the reason I turned into a bit of a foodie. This is run by the same people so I’ve always wanted to do it but I either can’t get a reservation or I choose something else cuz I have littles, etc. (DD loves Italian so we’ve done Wine Country Trattoria several times which is good food). So it kinda hurt to drop it for the parade package. But when I told hubby he said that was better cuz that was both our first experience with gourmet food (Napa Rose) on our first trip together with the kids (That was back when Grand Californian had a daycare so we dropped off the kids). So he wants to do Carthay Circle too for a date trip so I keep pushing it out! LOL
I would never have noticed this on my own. But I have done very little planning and I WILL want a Dole Whip.
I want so badly to visit Cozy Cones, but nothing is my kind of treats other than maybe the mac and cheese. I probably should try a churro just to say I did, but the DD who was 9 when we went had one and it looked a lot like the cinnamon sticks from Taco Bell I ate too many of in college.
Disney Food Blog gave this high marks and it is on my list. I’m pretty sure we ate there in 2018 under a different name… We are big Big Hero 6 fans, so I would love to tell my little girls we ate there.
I do not understand beignet love, but I am compelled to try them because there are only two of us on this trip vs 9-10 and that’s a lot fewer $$ to spend.
This is another one I would have missed and it 100% up DD18’s alley! Thank you!
Carthay Circle and Napa Rose and Wine Country Trattoria all have availability during my time (but not Oga’s???). I am using MouseDining which is how I got Lamplight Lounge. But I keep missing the alerts. I just broke down and paid for the level that will text me (if you want my log in I am happy to share - I get 50 alerts and can link up to three phone numbers).
I am going to add Blue Bayou now that I can have more than 5.
Is the World of Color package only for passholders?
Nope! It’s for all. There is a dining package that is. But this is a dessert party. I care nothing for the treats but you get to sit at high top tables in comfort from the back mid section and I can see the entirety of the show. It’s beautiful view.
And yes you did at Aunt Cass when it was called pacific wharf cafe.
Drats. I don’t see any availability for a dessert party on my dates.
Do you know if I can set up an alert for that on MouseDining?
I can!
I have eaten there multiple times, and each time I do I regret it. It really is not as good (to me) as it sounds. If you go, I do hope you have better luck than me with it. I always wants to like it, and it just never is quite up to expectations. I will probably give it another chance sometime, haven’t been in awhile. I also am not very impressed with Smokejumpers.
My favorites in DCA:
Pym’s: Love the Pym-ini sandwich. Melissa & Steph just had it when we were there and they liked it too. The not so little chicken sandwich is good.
Cocino Cucamonga: The San Fransoyko style street corn is amazing. My must do snack in DCA that I never got earlier this month and now I am sad. It comes with these crunchy things that are also really good.
Cozy Cones: I like one of these every once in awhile. The chili cone queso is good. I see they also have a new one, the Luigi and Guido cone that has tortellini, marinara, mozzarella, breadcrumbs and basil. That sounds good though very carb heavy.
Flo’s: I like the Low and Slow club with steak fries, and they have delicious milkshakes. I head good reviews on the brown sugar peach pie they have right now. Burgers if you are looking for that. The ambiance of Flo’s makes it wonderful.
I used to really like Aunt Cass’s (previously known as Pacific Wharf Cafe) but have only been once since they reopened. I had the shrimp katsu sandwich which was decent. I really liked their previous chicken and apple salad in the bread bowl but it is long gone. I will try it in the colder months and get the chowder in a bread bowl most likely.
Over in DL, my favs are:
Plaza Inn: The fried chicken. The 3 piece meal would fill up both you and DD.
Bengal BBQ: chicken skewer and the non spicy beef one. Also like the bacon wrapped asparagus. I sometimes get the rice plate if looking for more than a snack and have also had the pulled pork sliders.
Little Red Wagon: corndogs, they are the best. I usually eat one when there with Carson.
Ronto Roasters breakfast wraps are good.
Tiana’s Palace- only been once (maybe twice) so need to explore more of the menu but it’s a solid choice.
Jolly Holiday: grilled cheese and soup on a cool night really hits the spot.
Oga’s has surprisingly great snacks when we were just there. You can do a walkup if you cannot find an ADR. We had the crackers with mousse and the garlic 5 blossom bread. We all 4 really enjoyed these snacks.
My biggest recommendation is to use mobile order for the places that offer it. Many of the places only have 1 register for walk ups anymore.
For the TS you mentioned, Carnation is good for breakfast but there are only like 4 things on the menu. We had an ADR there on the recent trip, but cancelled it as we had other things we wanted to eat. 4 days is not enough to eat all the things we love at DLR. 
We went to Blue Bayou for my birthday dinner. 3 of us had the crab crusted filet and we were all really happy with it. It’s spendy, but being inside the POTC ride is really nice and something you likely would not do with your large family, so it would be perfect for you two. Ask for a table by the water if you go.
We went to Lamplight twice recently, once for dinner, once for brunch. We had some issues with dinner, but the food was great. The problems were more internal with the restaurant. Love the ambiance there, but it felt really quiet as Incredicoaster was down for refurb. That shouldn’t be an issue for you.
The dessert party is great if you want a seat. If you don’t mind standing for WOC, go to the second show of the night and stand on the bridge to Lamplight for what I think its the best view for free.
I got an alert for blue bayou while the phone was in my hand and responded in seconds (but it always requires sign in) and it was gone. Poof.
Oh. My. Gosh. That sounds amazing.
Still reading.
You are making two points here - first off - yum.
Secondly - the weather is a little chillier right now than I was hoping for. I don’t see myself wearing shorts at all with highs just mid-70’s.
I have such PTSD with this… in 2005 I had CMs shoot me incredulous looks and a little sass in their, “No ma’ams” when I asked at the front of MK if any of the TS restaurants had any openings for dinner. I am scared to try any dining without an ADR. It used to be you could check in with a maitre-d or something. I don’t know what they were called exactly. But I remember feeling so dumb.
Oga’s is a place where most people going probably don’t have an ADR. When we checked in a few weeks ago there were lots of people in the walk up line. I wouldn’t worry about them making you feel bad there, it is very common. But I can see why your previous experience makes you nervous.
Agree with this.
We think the pizza at Paradise Gardens Park (DCA) and Pizza Planet (DL) is decent, and the corn dogs at Corn Dog Castle (DCA) and the Red Wagon (DL) are great. We enjoyed our meal from the rethemed San Fransokyo as well.
You can do walk up wait list on your phone I believe
And then for snacks, always churros, popcorn and ice cream. Dole Whips from Tropical Hideaway and sundaes or hand-dipped choc bars from Clarabelle’s. We also will sometimes splurge for Ghiradelli’s but they’ve gotten rid of some of the flavors we like the most & suspect the ice cream is the same resort wide so if we want ice cream, we’ll go to any ice cream that’s closest. And confectionary treats are always a must for us. We enjoy churro toffee and lately have been loving the s’mores rice krispie treat and my kids love the giant cookies. The only thing that isn’t ever great is the cupcakes, they tend to be dry. But the cake pops are very good, if you want a cake thing.
The pizza place next to Space Mtn is the only one we truly avoid. I don’t love the Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta in DCA either, but it’s serviceable if (your picky eater kid) just wants simple pasta & doesn’t want another corn dog.
It’s a nice venue to be sure and we do enjoy their menu but it’s one we’ve only done 2x in all our years of going. We far prefer Lamplight or Carnation Cafe and the rest of the time we enjoy quick service to the fullest.