by: guide4wdw – Collin

Disney World Dining Reviews and Tips – All Our Dining Posts In One Place!

In my opinion, dining and Disney tend to fall hand in hand. For years I’ve been a firm believer that a good meal should be considered an attraction in and of itself. A great meal with a great cast member can make all the difference in your day and give you that perfect break and revitalizing few minutes of rest to continue on and really make the most of your time in the parks. Unfortunately though, not all Disney dining locations are created equal and restaurants tend to change and receive alterations on a nearly day to day basisKeeping up with the trends, new additions, and top offerings are one of many things we try to share here on the site and while it’s a near impossible task to cover every little detail, hopefully these reviews and tips help you solidify and set up your dining plans (not to be confused with the Disney dining plan) for your next trip.

Speaking of the Disney Dining Plan, it’s no secret that I’m not necessarily a fan of the offering for our personal travels. We eat sporadically while we are in the parks and eat a varying blend of counter service and table service which doesn’t quite match up with Disney’s established packaged plans. On top of that, I feel that if you really make the most of your allotted dining plan credits, you’re never going to be short on food or looking for an extra meal. Chances are the opposite will be true and you’ll end up overeating if you really use those meal and snack credits for great dining locations across property. On the other hand though, it certainly has it’s benefits. One, it’s not like you’re paying more for what you’re receiving. If you bought the same items out of pocket that are included in the plan, the costs are near identical. The convenience factor and flexibility it offers is truthfully the driving force as to why it may be a good option to consider for select parks goers. Additionally, if you want to know exactly what your vacation is going to cost ahead of time, before you even arrive at Walt Disney World, the dining plan is the most ideal way to do so. The cost is upfront and known when you book your vacation. There are no surprises and you know exactly what to expect.

With that seemingly small caveat covered, dining at Disney can be a great or not so great experience. Typically when you ask someone about the food at Disney you get one of two responses. 1. “it was all fast food!” or 2. “It was amazing and we loved the variety!” What’s the difference between the two experiences? Location, Location, Location.

If you go to the parks and eat exclusively at the Electric Umbrella, Starlight Cafe, resort food courts, and places designed to be the “people eater” food locations, you’re going to leave a little disappointed. Those particular spots and those similar to them are designed to feed mass amounts of guests in a fairly quick fashion. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with these restaurants and every once in a while a simple cheeseburger or some chicken can be just the ticket for a meal that hits the spot, but if you eat that every day of a multi-day vacation it’s going to get old quick! Instead, if you take the time to explore the table service in the countries of the World Showcase, schedule a few table service meals, or look for something a little out of the ordinary compared to typical theme park food, the variety of other options can be shocking at times and the variety can make all the difference. That aspect of dining on its own is one of the main reasons we’ve written so many food related articles here one the site!

Disney Dining Reviews

Every once in a while we’ll dive into greater detail about a new favorite restaurant or one that we’ve grown to love over the years, and we’ll add it in to this list with it’s own feature review. We haven’t reviewed every dining location on property, and likely never will, but a few stand out offerings will warrant an in depth discussion. As always, if you ever want to see us try a new offering, give us a shout and we’ll see what we can do! Additionally, if you ever have questions, shoot us an email or message us on your favorite social media platform and we’ll gladly share some thoughts that may or may not have made our list of articles quite yet! You may notice a trend of positive reviews on our list and that’s not because anyone pays us to eat at these locations but rather because I don’t see a purpose in reviewing a restaurant that we had a bad experience at. If I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend I’ll rarely even mention the unfortunate and rare poor dining experiences here on the site.

Disney Dining Tips 

Beyond dining reviews in the most literal form, we’ve shared a ton of dining and reservation tips for Walt Disney World over the last few years and the list continues to grow! Some of these will pertain to our top picks for dining, while others will share a few recommendations and learned ways to make the most of your Disney dining experience. If you let Disney be a culinary journey, you may be surprised at some of the world class offerings available in some of the most unexpected locations across Walt Disney World. We’ve yet to see and eat at all of the restaurants on property (a near impossible task), but there are certainly a few standouts among the various options that may exceed your greatest expectations.
In the realm of Disney dining there are a vast variety of options and truthfully this only touches upon a few select highlights and tips that can be found online and even across this particular site. Disney is massive and the variety of food and types of dining experiences are immensely diverse. Often times picking what restaurants you want to and are able to fit into your length of stay is far more difficult that you may expect originally as a first time guest!
Always be willing to try something new and you may be shocked at how much you enjoy an offering you would have never considered previously!
Want to work with us here on the site or in the photography realm? Shoot me a message on social media anytime or email me directly at guide4wdw@gmail.com. We’re always looking for sponsors and new opportunities. If you ever have questions during your vacation planning or anything else feel free to message me there as well and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! 

Your Thoughts

As always, if you have thoughts, concerns, questions, or even some tips of your own to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Facebook or your favorite social media platform. Give us a follow while you’re there, and we’ll keep the conversation going in the future. We’re not the largest Disney community, but we’re one that’s there and one that listens. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day wherever you are!

Need a Travel Planner?

If you want or simply need a little bit of planning help to make your Disney vacation dream a reality, check out the quote request form below this article for our friends over at Destinations to Travel. They’ll let you do as much or as little of the planning as you’d like and may even save you some money along the way! As always, thatks for supporting those who support us.

Ready to Plan?

Last but certainly not least, if you’re starting the planning process, a great place to start are with some of our top planning articles! Looking for dining? Check out Disney World Dining Tips For 2018. Want to start with some more tips? 44 Excellent Disney World Tips for 2018 or Disney World Planning Guide and Tips For 2018 are a great place to begin! Looking to save money on tickets? Check out our friends over at The Official Ticket Center for great deals that even made it into our 2018 Discount Disney World Ticket selections and another great way to help us create more content through your contributions at no additional cost to you! You’ll probably even save money along the way.