Table Service - Parks vs Resorts

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

A couple of articles from Chip and Co. Thoughts? Opinions?

Table Service in the Parks vs the Resorts – Which is Better? Part 1

Thursday, February 9, 2012 Lisa 0 Comments

1

This topic stumped me for a while since it clearly falls into the category of it depends. It’s always tough to make recommendations on matters of personal preference since a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work. Even if the same approach doesn’t work for everyone, do some options have a slight edge over others for a majority of visitors? I endeavored to find out.

In trying to answer whether eating at table service restaurants in the parks or the resorts wins out, I decided to break down the problem. Let’s take a look at type of dining today. Next time I’ll analyze the time of day and convenience.

Type of Dining

Signature Dining.

If signature dining is your pleasure, eating at the resorts wins hands down for number of options. There are eleven signature dining restaurants at the resorts compared to a paltry four in the theme parks. For the most signature dining choices, try the Grand Floridian Resort or Disney’s Boardwalk area.

Signature Dining in the Parks

Bistro de Paris (Epcot)

Cinderella’s Royal Table (Magic Kingdom)

Hollywood Brown Derby (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)

Le Cellier (Epcot)

Signature Dining at the Resorts

Artist Point (Wilderness Lodge)

California Grill (Contemporary Resort)

Citrico’s (Grand Floridian)

Flying Fish (Disney’s Boardwalk area)

Il Mulino (Walt Disney World Swan Resort)

Jiko (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

Narcoossee’s (Grand Floridian Resort)

Shula’s (Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort)

Todd English’s bluezoo (Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort)

Victoria & Albert’s (Grand Floridian)

Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort)

Character Dining.

The theme park restaurants and resorts are pretty evenly matched when it comes to character dining. Although with three meals each that feature princesses at Cinderella’s Royal Table and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, I would give the edge to the parks if you prefer dining with the princesses. Note that not every meal at the character dining locations features character dining.

Character Dining Locations in the Parks

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Epcot)

Cinderella’s Royal Table (Magic Kingdom)

Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)

Garden Grill (Epcot)

Hollywood & Vine (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)

Tusker House Restaurant (Animal Kingdom)

Character Dining Locations at the Resorts

1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)

Cape May Café (Beach Club Resort)

Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary Resort)

Garden Grove (Walt Disney World Swan Resort)

Ohana (Polynesian Resort)

Entertainment while you Dine.

Whereas signature dining was weighted heavily in favor of the resorts instead of the parks, the opposite is true for unique dining experiences that have some sort of built-in entertainment. If character dining isn’t your thing but you’re still looking for a unique experience, it’s best to dine in the parks.

Unique Dining in the Parks

50s Prime Time Café (Hollywood Studios)

Coral Reef Restaurant (Epcot)

Restaurant Marrakesh (Epcot)

Biergarten (Epcot)

Rainforest Café (Animal Kingdom)

San Angel Inn (Epcot)

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (Hollywood Studios)

Teppan Edo (Epcot)

Unique Dining at the Resorts

ESPN Zone (Disney’s Boardwalk Area)

Whispering Canyon Café (Wilderness Lodge)

Buffets.

Sometimes there’s nothing like a buffet for dining value. Not only do you get to fill up, but many feature guaranteed character interaction also. You have a few more buffet options in the Walt Disney World Resorts. Please keep in mind that just like character dining, not every meal at these dining locations may be a buffet.

Buffets in the Parks

Biergarten (Epcot)

Cinderella’s Royal Table (Magic Kingdom)

Garden Grill (Epcot)

Liberty Tree Tavern (Magic Kingdom; Family Style)

Hollywood & Vine (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Epcot)

Tusker House Restaurant (Animal Kingdom)

Buffets in the Resorts

1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian Resort)

Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge)

Cape May Café (Beach Club Resort)

Captain’s Grille (Yacht Club Resort)

Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary Resort)

Fresh Mediterranean Market (Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort)

Garden Grove Café (Walt Disney World Swan Resort)

Ohana (Polynesian Resort; Family Style)

Trails End (Fort Wilderness)

Wave (Contemporary Resort)

It looks like there’s a pretty even split between the resorts or parks being best for buffets and character dining. In the signature dining category, the resorts take it while theme parks are decidedly better for unique dining.

http://www.chipandco.com/2012/02/table-service-parks-resorts-part-1/

Table Service in the Parks vs at the Resorts – Which is Better? Part 2

Friday, February 10, 2012 Lisa 0 Comments

There are many variables that affect whether table service meals are better in the parks or the resorts. Last time I looked at specialty dining such as character meals, signature dining, buffets, and unique and entertaining restaurants. Today, let’s evaluate table service meals by looking at the convenience factor and the time of day you’ll be eating, shall we?

Convenience

Transportation.

Walt Disney World’s most common form of transportation, buses, connects resorts to theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney, and the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) only, making travel between resorts time-consuming. If you’re staying at a Value Resort without a table-service option, chances are it is more convenient to eat at the theme parks while touring that to travel to another resort to eat. Guests staying at a monorail resort (Grand Floridian Resort, Polynesian Resort, and Contemporary Resort) or one of the Boardwalk area resorts (Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts, Boardwalk Inn, Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts) have a wide variety of table service restaurants that are relatively easy to travel to. Other Deluxe and Moderate Resorts have at least one table-service restaurant on-site but you’ll likely not want to eat at the same restaurant day after day.

Flexibility.

Generally, it’s more difficult to get an Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) at a theme park restaurant than at a resort restaurant; it’s a numbers game, really. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, but if you’re not one to embrace planning your dining months in advance, eating at the resorts may be a better bet for you. You won’t have to worry about fitting your touring plan around your ADR times. Once you finish up for the day, you’ll be able to hop on a bus, monorail, or boat and have a better chance of getting a table at a resort restaurant without an ADR than in the parks.

Touring Plan.

If your touring plan has you at the parks both before and after your meal without a rest period in between, it’s more convenient make an ADR at a theme park restaurant rather than exiting the theme parks and traveling to a resort to eat. Some exceptions would be eating at one of the monorail resorts if you’re touring the Magic Kingdom or eating at one of the Boardwalk resorts during a day at Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The proximity of some resorts to these theme parks make it pretty quick to leave to eat and return to the park after dining.

Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner?

Breakfast.

Rule #1 for my family when creating our Walt Disney World touring plan is to be at the theme park when it opens. We simply see more attractions with less wait. By the time the parks fill-up midday, we’re ready to take a break and head back to our resort. With that in mind, the only time I think eating a table-service meal for breakfast in the parks wins over eating at the resort is if you have an ADR prior to the park opening. You’ll experience a sight few rarely do – a nearly empty theme park – and you’ll have the opportunity to get those coveted photographs without strangers crowding the shot. By the time you’re finished with breakfast, the park is opening and you won’t miss out on a thing!

Lunch and Dinner.

Whether eating at a table-service restaurant in the park is better than at a resort for lunch and dinner primarily depends on convenience. If you’re planning to be in the parks during a particular time of day, it probably makes sense to have your table service meal at that location to maximize your time enjoying the attractions.

In my experience, it’s usually easier to get an ADR at a popular theme park restaurant during lunch, when many people grab quick-service, than dinner. So if you have your heart set on a particular restaurant and cannot get that dinner reservation, try lunch.

If you’re paying out of pocket and wondering if you should splurge on a special restaurant, either at the resorts or the parks, lunch is an option to consider. The menu is usually more affordable for your midday meal than in the evening.

Whether eating in the theme parks or the resorts for your table service meal really is a personal opinion but there are some advantages of one over the other for specialty dining, convenience, and meal.

http://www.chipandco.com/2012/02/table-service-parks-resorts-part-2/

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

This just goes to show there is no one-size-fits-all answer. I personally favor resort dining for dinner and usually only do park TS for lunch. I'd wouldn't pay for a TS breakfast in a park if I really wanted to eat breakfast food b/c IMO it's just too darn pricey for a few eggs and bacon... ruh-oh did I really say I wouldn't pay for bacon? well maybe for eggs and pancakes then... I know breakfast is slightly cheaper than lunch, but seriously, it should be b/c eggs & pancakes don't cost much - even when you throw in a few characters to share it with.

That said, I think the above analysis misses a pivotal benefit of some park dining. Maybe this old TA will be the only person cheap enough to openly recommend it. Yup, I'm talking about the only exception to my no-TS-breakfast-in-the-parks rule... the one where you book CP or H&V for one of the last breakfast seatings and get to enjoy both breakfast & lunch buffet offerings at the less-expensive price. Good old fashioned brunch any day of the week. How can you beat that?

Oh wait, I know... TONGA TOAST is only $5.19 at Captain Cooks. You can even get it with a side of bacon. :stars-shower-smiley: And if you take your time finishing it you can order the pulled pork nachos as a chaser before that Dole Whip ending. Viola! Brunch again! Is that cool or what?

Hey, I may not always know where I want to eat but one thing's for sure - I sure do like brunch! :rotfl6:

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

TONGA TOAST is only $5.19 at Captain Cooks. You can even get it with a side of bacon. :stars-shower-smiley: And if you take your time finishing it you can order the pulled pork nachos as a chaser before that Dole Whip ending. Viola! Brunch again! Is that cool or what?

That, my Fiend, may just be the PERFECT meal!! :heartsmiley: