Dining at Disney for Adults
Where to Eat at Walt Disney World
Snack carts abound in the parks, and have the usual offerings – ice cream, popcorn, drinks, and various other smaller, portable fare. However, for a full meal, Disney restaurants in Orlando, Florida, are broken down into two main groups – Counter Service and Table Service.
Table Service has a sub-group, Signature Dining, which includes the Character meals. And there is the ultimate experience at Victoria And Albert's, a restaurant that doesn’t even permit children under ten.
Eating Cheaply at Walt Disney World
Counter service is exactly what it sounds like. Counter service restaurants try to follow the theme of the area they are in – Casey’s, on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, serves hot dogs and pop in a ball-park atmosphere. Tusker House, in the Africa area of the Animal Kingdom, serves entrees like salmon or chicken in an appropriately decorated restaurant. The meals can be quite large, and splitting an entrée with two pops and a dessert is a good way of keeping the cost down.
There is quite a variety of Counter Service food available. Menus are available on line, at many of the fan boards dedicated to vacationing at Disney World. There are prices as well, though it’s best to use these as a guideline only – prices often vary at the World.
Fine Dining at Walt Disney World
The Table Service restaurants are often heavily themed, which enhances the experience. The choices can be endless, but the lineups for seating can be deceptive. The Disney Company has a dining line that can be called to make “ADR’s” – Advanced Dining Reservations.
The reservations give a time for the meal, but the seating can actually be some time after. Walkup guests, though, can take even longer to get a seat, and some restaurants with heavy demand actually may not seat walkups at all.
If the plan is to have a meal at a Table Service restaurant, it’s best to call the Disney dining line several weeks before leaving for the holiday. It is possible to make reservations up to 90 days in advance. The Cast Member will be able to tell you if any promotions exist that might make it harder to get a reservation – for instance, during the Free Dining promotion the Canada restaurant – Le Cellier, in Epcot – can be counted on to turn away walk-ups, and reservations for that restaurant may take several tries.
There is no limit to the number of reservations that can be made, even for more than one restaurant for the same time period, but canceling ones that will not be used is polite, and highly encouraged.
Signature Dining at Disney World
The Signature Dining category includes Character Meals and the special presentations like the Hoop Dee Hoo Review, a dinner and show with some audience participation. Though it is possible to obtain seating at the last minute, the best way to guarantee seating is by making the ADR well in advance.
The main website for Disney has further detail on all of these options, and for recent reviews, check the various Disney forums on line.
Next – Hotels at Disney World
Cutlery
|
More in Travel
Latest Articles