The appeal of Disney parks

*Every* restaurant at WDW is a "must visit" for me. No matter where you eat, you're bound to have a great meal.

Used to LOVE the old place (gone now) near the Safari ride in AK...sadly, that's been re-imagined.

Still, for counter-service, can't really go wrong at: Yak&Yeti @ AK, Columbia Harbour house @ MK, or Sunshine Seasons Food Court @ Epcot's Land Pavilion.

Jeff said:

Then you should stay at home and go to Applebees. I really believe you're going to have an awful time, because you've already decided that you will.

Hell, if they had a Bennigans I'd go there .

If those really ethnic places aren't typically that busy, then a lot of people agree with me. My wife got us a spot in the Kat Cora place I guess we'll see how that is.

I just scoff at the notion that this planning process is without hassle.

Oh, I've heard Kouzzina is WONDERFUL. Someone I work with just came back from a WDW vacation, and said that was their favorite meal.

LostKause said:
Reservations everyday?

Who said that? I've (successfully) made 3 reservations total out of 6 sit down meals.

You are doing fine then.

billb7581 said:
Hell, if they had a Bennigans I'd go there .

That pretty much reinforces my point.

If those really ethnic places aren't typically that busy, then a lot of people agree with me.

I don't know what that means, but not requiring a month-in-advance reservation doesn't mean it isn't busy. Marrakesh is consistently busy when I go, and I don't think it's just for the belly dancing and musicians.

...though both the dancing and the music *are* good.

You're convinced this will and does suck, and you aren't willing to hear anyone tell you how it can be better. That said, if you use the Dining tool to see what *is* available (which is pretty painless with the new web interface), and pick something that sounds good to you near where you expect you will be, you'll probably have a good meal. Either way, good luck on your trip.

I didn't know you could book online. And FYI, I just found several party-of-four openings for Le Cellier at lunch on 11/16. Such a hassle!

Two words. Rainforest. Cafe.

Two words- over hyped ;-).

One word: Crap. :)

That's not the day I expect to be at Epcot.

Whether you want to admit it or not, a pecking order exists with these restaurants, and the more desirable, if not better, ones fill up first. So now I'm left looking at a bunch of second tier options.

If the Belly Dancing place doesn't require a reservation, oftentimes, then it's not as busy or desirable... it's either busy or it isn't, it cant be both

Is it too late to cancel the dining plan? I was just there a few weeks ago and didn't make any reservations and we just ate where and when we wanted.

And by the way, in case it wasn't clear I was joking about Rainforest Cafe. Is it really over hyped? I always just looked at it as a place kids love to go because it looks cool.

What does cancelling the dining plan accomplish? I'm still going to have to eat.

You don't have to deal with the hassle of making reservations and you can eat where you feel like.

At this point I'd probably cancel the trip to Disney and hit IHOP or something.

Not sure he needs to go that far. Wife and kids are probably looking forward to the trip. Maybe he should back out and let them go. Maybe one of the kids has a friend or cousin who could go on the trip. He could go golfing or do something else and eat where ever and when ever he wants.

To think some places are harder than others to get into seems obvious for a set of theme parks that attract 47 million people every year.

And by the way, Le Cellier isn't booked solid because it's that awesome, it's booked solid because people like Bill don't want to try anything new. It might be in the Canadian pavilion, but the restaurant is "just" above average American comfort food. It's fancy meat and potatoes.