So me and my Disney wife booked our second trip to Disney with the free dining in Sept, and are very excitied! I have been reading these forums, and some other Disney sites looking for the best places to dine. Here is our plans so far.

September 7th
Evening Extra Magic Hours
Magic Kingdom® Park – September 7

No Dining Planned Yet
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September 8th
Evening Extra Magic Hours
Disney's Hollywood Studios™ – September 8
Mama Melrose


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September 9th
NO EXTRA MAGIC HOURS
Boma


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September 10th
Evening Extra Magic Hours
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park – September 10

No Dining Planned
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September 11th
California Grill

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September 12th
Evening Extra Magic Hours
Epcot® – September 12
LEAVING THIS DAY

I have tried to plan things so we eating at the park that is having extra magic hours in the evening. As you can see from our reservations things did not always work on this way. We just barely found out today we were able to do this trip, so we didn't book things early enough as some places are booked, like LeCellier my wife was really disapointed that we are not going to be able to attend. Is there another place at could take the place of this?

We currently have one sit down restaurant left to use, and 5 quick service options open. For the sit down we were thinking Nine Dragons, or the spanish resturant in Epcot, (forgot the name).

We haven't been to any of the places we are going to on this trip, we are going based on feedback from others, what does everyone think of our choices?

We are a young married couple in our 20's, looking for some great suggestions!

Thanks for reading this lengthy post! :)

We are going to be there the same days that you are.

What hotel are you staying at? You might look at a sit down at the hotel.


Any interest in Character dining?

Did you try for Le Cellier for lunch?

We really like the French restaurant. if you are looking for another Epcot dinner.

Did you connect The Melrose dinner with the Fantasmic seating?

Nine Dragons is closed until November for remodeling if I am not mistaken.
Ohana at the Poly is a very good place to eat & if you time it right you can see Wishes & the Water Pagent.

We are going to be there the same days that you are.

What hotel are you staying at? You might look at a sit down at the hotel.


Any interest in Character dining?

Did you try for Le Cellier for lunch?

We really like the French restaurant. if you are looking for another Epcot dinner.

Did you connect The Melrose dinner with the Fantasmic seating?

Cool! Did you already book all your dining?

We are staying at the All-Star Music, nothing fancy, never stayed in a value before, so I don't think there would be much at our hotel.

Most of the character dining I've seen takes two sit down meals correct? I don't think it would be worth it for us, maybe if we had kids. Or if it was one sit down.

When we made reservations, I was under the impression that Le Cellier was booked the whole week no matter the time, but I guess I could try again and see if there is anything for lunch time.

I might look into the French restaurant, do you know the name? We are going to Melrose at 6:50 so hopefully we will make it in time for Fantasmic, and I don't think we connected the two, because they said they were booked for that already. :(

Nine Dragons is closed until November for remodeling if I am not mistaken.
Ohana at the Poly is a very good place to eat & if you time it right you can see Wishes & the Water Pagent.

Is it? That's a bummer.

I've heard alot about Ohana, any idea off the top of your head if it's one or two dining credits?

I think Ohana is a great place with 1 credit. Have you ever done the Luau we really love it. Also how abou the ESPN grill sounds like a great time for a young couple. Keep tryiing back at LeCellier people might cancell. I have seen people go in late and get seated at free dining last year. I hope this was of some help.

Cool! Did you already book all your dining?

We are staying at the All-Star Music, nothing fancy, never stayed in a value before, so I don't think there would be much at our hotel.

Most of the character dining I've seen takes two sit down meals correct? I don't think it would be worth it for us, maybe if we had kids. Or if it was one sit down.

When we made reservations, I was under the impression that Le Cellier was booked the whole week no matter the time, but I guess I could try again and see if there is anything for lunch time.

I might look into the French restaurant, do you know the name? We are going to Melrose at 6:50 so hopefully we will make it in time for Fantasmic, and I don't think we connected the two, because they said they were booked for that already. :(

Most of the character dining only requires 1 credit.

We are going to Fantasmic on the 8th. My brother got into the Melrose with the Fantasmic, my parents with my kids are going to Hollywood and Vine and I am going to the Brown Derby with the Fantasmic.

We booked most of our reservations. However, I just called and found out that we double-booked Le Cellier with a Magical Gatherings for Thursday, September 11. (We also have a Le Cellier reservation for 3/4 of our party on Tuesday, September 9 so I am not that upset!) If you are interested I can give you the information for the reservation or I can try and get it switched to your name. The reservation is for a party of 4 at 4:25 with 2 adults, 1 child and 1 infant. Even with the difference of party size, I think it can be switched. I klnow when making the reservations for my parents at the Coral Reef they made them for a party of 3 even though there was only 2 in the party and said to tell them when we checked in to dinner that there was only going to be 2 instead of the 3. Does any of the experts know how this is done?

We currently have one sit down restaurant left to use, and 5 quick service options open. For the sit down we were thinking Nine Dragons, or the spanish resturant in Epcot, (forgot the name).

That would be the San Angel Inn, and it's not Spanish - it's Mexican! (Picky, ain't I?) The atmosphere in the SAI is really nice, but the food is sadly way below par. Their chips are right out of the bag Tostitos, and their salsa is so bland it might as well be tomato paste. The entrees that I've had have been decreasing in quality over the years, and my last meal there in December was very average to poor.

My suggestion for a really nice Epcot meal would be the Bistro de Paris, upstairs from Le Chefs de France. They don't book till 90 days out, so you still have time. This is a really classy restaurant, but you can still get in with park attire. They have wonderful French waiters, and the food is spectacular. The only thing is I can't remember off hand if they are 1 or 2 credits (or if they even participate in the dining plan!). If they don't, then try any of the other restaurants around the World Showcase Lagoon. Don't forget Marrakesh in Morroco - excellent food in a beautifully tiled setting.

My suggestion for a really nice Epcot meal would be the Bistro de Paris, upstairs from Le Chefs de France.

Not part of the Dining Plan.

I was afraid of that. Still, a terrific restaurant!

I was afraid of that. Still, a terrific restaurant!

Yeah, it's the best one I've been to at WDW. If I can ever afford the V&A, I'll compare.

Most of the character dining only requires 1 credit.

We are going to Fantasmic on the 8th. My brother got into the Melrose with the Fantasmic, my parents with my kids are going to Hollywood and Vine and I am going to the Brown Derby with the Fantasmic.

We booked most of our reservations. However, I just called and found out that we double-booked Le Cellier with a Magical Gatherings for Thursday, September 11. (We also have a Le Cellier reservation for 3/4 of our party on Tuesday, September 9 so I am not that upset!) If you are interested I can give you the information for the reservation or I can try and get it switched to your name. The reservation is for a party of 4 at 4:25 with 2 adults, 1 child and 1 infant. Even with the difference of party size, I think it can be switched. I klnow when making the reservations for my parents at the Coral Reef they made them for a party of 3 even though there was only 2 in the party and said to tell them when we checked in to dinner that there was only going to be 2 instead of the 3. Does any of the experts know how this is done?


If this could be done that would really make my wifes day! She was so disapointed that Le Cellier was all booked.

That would be the San Angel Inn, and it's not Spanish - it's Mexican! (Picky, ain't I?) The atmosphere in the SAI is really nice, but the food is sadly way below par. Their chips are right out of the bag Tostitos, and their salsa is so bland it might as well be tomato paste. The entrees that I've had have been decreasing in quality over the years, and my last meal there in December was very average to poor.

My suggestion for a really nice Epcot meal would be the Bistro de Paris, upstairs from Le Chefs de France. They don't book till 90 days out, so you still have time. This is a really classy restaurant, but you can still get in with park attire. They have wonderful French waiters, and the food is spectacular. The only thing is I can't remember off hand if they are 1 or 2 credits (or if they even participate in the dining plan!). If they don't, then try any of the other restaurants around the World Showcase Lagoon. Don't forget Marrakesh in Morroco - excellent food in a beautifully tiled setting.

Thanks for the heads up on the San Angel Inn, last time we were there we were awwed by the atmosphere and thought it would be a great place to eat, but it the food isn't any good then we can skip it.

The Bistro de Paris, sounds very intersting I might have to look into their menu and prices more. If it is a great resturant I wouldn't mind paying for one really good meal since we are getting the res of them for free. Do you remember what you had?

Also thanks for the replys everyone! :)

I usually go for some form of steak - fillet mignon, steak diane, etc. It's always prepared perfectly. Last time I had an appetizer that included frog legs (!), which I'd never tried before. They were tiny, but very tasty. The atmosphere is very sophisticated, quiet, and elegant. If you can get over that kind of atmosphere while wearing park shorts (which most folks are wearing), you'll enjoy a great meal in a really nice atmosphere.

It's French cuisine... and darn good French cuisine at that. I've eaten there twice and was blown away both times. I dress up to go, but that's just the way I am.

I usually go for some form of steak - fillet mignon, steak diane, etc. It's always prepared perfectly. Last time I had an appetizer that included frog legs (!), which I'd never tried before. They were tiny, but very tasty. The atmosphere is very sophisticated, quiet, and elegant. If you can get over that kind of atmosphere while wearing park shorts (which most folks are wearing), you'll enjoy a great meal in a really nice atmosphere.

It's French cuisine... and darn good French cuisine at that. I've eaten there twice and was blown away both times. I dress up to go, but that's just the way I am.

We have never had French cuisine, but have been curious, so this might be a good time to try some new! We have watched way to much Food Network, lol! :) The wife loves steak so this might be a place we will have to try out.

From the menu listed on allears.net, here's the items I had last time -

Snails and Mushroom Cassolette with garlic butter and croutons $13.00

Grilled beef tenderloin with morels, potatoes, and shallot confit $36.00

Pineapple and Coconut summer tart (I think this was aroun 9 bucks or so)

Really excellent dining, not all that unusual or international for the American palate. Good stuff!

September 7th
Evening Extra Magic Hours
Magic Kingdom® Park – September 7

No Dining Planned Yet


Not sure if you're a breakfast person, but have you considered Kona Cafe at the Poly.?

We have ADR's there the day that we do MK. After you eat you could take the monorail to the MK.

Just a suggestion.

I can recommend Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner in the Magic Kingdom (1 table service credit, family style service, character meal) and the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian for dinner (1TS credit), if you can't get Ohana. Nothing exciting like characters at the Kona, just really good food, at least the one time we went. At the Animal Kingdom, we were really impressed with the buffet for lunch (they also serve dinner) at Tusker House (1TS credit). It was similar to the types of food served at Boma, another of our favorites.

You could try to get into The Yachtsman's Steakhouse in the Yacht (Beach?) club instead of Le Cellier.

I think the food at Yachtsman is far superior to Le Cellier and if you time your meal right you could walk from there into Epcot in time for Illuminations.

HTH.

So first - I'm Magic Raider's "Disney Wife" hehe... as the screen name reflects :)

Next, thanks to everyone for their input and responses - we both appreciate it very much!

As of right now we did make a reservation for San Angels Inn however that was done on Monday before we read all of these responses (he started this thread while I was at work and I made the reservation based on our last conversation before we got all this information). However, I do think we will be reconsidering this reservation for a different restuarant.

And yes, I am a HUGE fan of Le Cellier so if anyone plans on changing their reservations please let us know and we can try to coordinate switching the times. But I am open to trying other restuarants if its not available - the French restuarant sounds really good and I love hearing everyone's opinions!

One restuarant I'm not real sure on is Mama Melrose's - what does everyone think of that one? We could not get the Fantasmic package but I'm not really all that excited about trying that one. I would much rather switch out that one and San Angels for maybe a few other ones... But maybe I'm judging this restuarant more than I should be. Does anyone else like it or should we skip it?

So first - I'm Magic Raider's "Disney Wife" hehe... as the screen name reflects :)

Next, thanks to everyone for their input and responses - we both appreciate

And yes, I am a HUGE fan of Le Cellier so if anyone plans on changing their reservations please let us know and we can try to coordinate switching the times. But I am open to trying other restuarants if its not available - the French restuarant sounds really good and I love hearing everyone's opinions!



Hi! Missed your replies! One way or another, if you want my September 11 4:15ish (to 4:50ish) reservation at Le Cellier it is yours! Now I have to find the paperwork for the confirmation number and exact time! I will call WDW tomorrow and figure out the best way of either moving my reservation to your name or having you show up with my confirmation number at the right time. I will pm you what I find out! :D

BTW, we have been trying for a couple of trips to get into Canada and normally end up at France. The French restuarant has been my family favorite since the 80s. It was the first place I tried escargot and I really love the feel of the place.