Mouse Extra

Today we have part 2 of my May trip planning journal.  If you haven’t read the first installment click here. 

With my next trip to Walt Disney World only weeks away, it’s time for me to figure out where we are going to eat.  If we choose to make advanced dining reservations, (we’ll call this ADR’s) then we need to decide now what parks we are going to and when.  But I’m hoping to stay away from that type of regiment.

 Since this is a last minute trip, and not during an extremely low attendance period, I can expect to not find availability at the more popular theme park restaurants at the times we want.  I don’t want to eat dinner at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, so my choices are a sit-down late lunch or counter service.  Both are good options, depending on where you are.  But I am a Disney Dining Experience (DDE) cardholder, so that needs to be factored into the decisions as well.  Also, I prefer to do as little waiting for tables and waiters as possible, as time is short, so counter service is where I am probably headed most.

At the Magic Kingdom, this is barely an issue.  The sit-downs are limited, and the counter service rather ordinary.  But to make sure I get my DDE discount, my options are narrowed considerably.  The often overlooked Plaza Restaurant is a nice sit-down choice.  It is generally not as crowded as some of the other places, but still a good meal.  I haven’t been there in years, and I think this may be the right time to try it again.  The Plaza is one of those “hidden gems” of dining at the Mouse.  Either that, or hop a boat to Trail’s End over at the campground.

The Animal Kingdom, due to its lack of sit-down options, offers most of the counter service locations on the DDE plan.  Flame Tree and Tusker House are both on the plan, as are others, and both are perfect for what I need. 

Epcot is a big challenge.  All of the DDE options are sit-down, and only the less desirable locations and times are available this close to the trip.  This is my favorite park, and we plan to be there probably 50% of the time we are in Walt Disney World, so we’ll need at least two options.  The first one is easy.  I’ll have to bite the bullet and make an off-time ADR at Alfredo’s.  This is the last time I’ll be able to go before it closes, and I would like to say one last goodbye.  For the second option, something everyone forgets is the Boardwalk area, just a short walk from the U.K pavilion.  There we have great options, like the ESPN Club, Spoodles and Beaches and Cream.  These are all wonderful places and all have DDE discounts available.

But if Epcot is a difficult challenge for the last minute traveler, the Disney-MGM Studios is a near nightmare.  Mama Melrose’s is the only place you can get a last minute ADR, and that is average at best.  The pizza at Toy Story Pizza Planet is dreadful, and the ABC Commissary does not have much that excites me.  The Flatbread Grill is a good counter service option, but the DDE discounts are not offered there or any other counter service location.  Remember this is a short trip, so time is precious and I don’t want spend a lot of time waiting around for a table.  But it kills me to not use the discount I’ve paid for.  This is a tough one…