Rating the best of Disneyworld dining (part 2)

This post is dedicated to the table service meals I feel are best when dining at Disneyworld. This list is comprised from many meals consumed at Disney over our 35 past vacations here in 20 years. Some places are ranked because of atmosphere, some food, and occasionally you get the best of both, so here goes.

1. Without a doubt the best meal for a 1 table service option in all of Disneyworld dining is Ohana's at the Polynesian resort. This resort is a short monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom and worth the trip out of the park. It is a wonderfully relaxing Polynesian style meal with tons of great food and the themeing of the restaurant is spot on. Your meal starts out with appetizers in bowls which include noodles, salad, wings, and Welcome Bread. Then the meal starts coming out in skewers which include shrimp, steak, turkey, and pork and they will continue to bring you meat until you explode or quit whichever comes first. Then they bring out the bread pudding with bananas foster and ice cream which you will say no thank you until you taste it and then you shovel it in anyway! My biggest tip here is if your kids will not eat this food ask for kids meals. They will bring you out a huge plate of grilled cheese, chicken, fries, hamburger, or whatever and your kids will not go hungry. During the course of your meal there will be someone playing traditional Polynesian music, teaching the kids to luau, and they even have coconut races for the kids. It is a great family experience for the atmosphere and the food and that is why it is number 1 on my list.

2. The next option is going to have to be Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort. We have only done breakfast (many times) but we have heard that dinner is good as well. It is a buffet so everyone especially the kids will find something to eat and as far as buffet's go it is pretty good. The stars of the show are the characters which include Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto who come to your table while you eat. Each character has a rotation that they follow so you do not have to stand in line or worry about some other family cutting in on your action. They will sign autographs, take pictures, and interact with your family which is a memory you never will forget.

3. This slot was a little bit of a toss up but keeping the kids in mind I went with Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom. This is another buffet which is pretty decent and is also a character meal which is fun. There is not really a special theme or anything exotic about the place just food and characters. This is a must do for us each trip because my kids love Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and most of all Piglet. Once again great character interaction with pictures and autographs. These characters also have a designated rotation and will hit every table at least once in an hour so by the time you have eaten all the characters have come to you. We have eaten both lunch and dinner and both were similar just slightly different food options for dinner but the same of everything else.

4. My kids love the Coral Reef at Epcot because of the scenery. It is beside the large fish aquarium and the kids meal comes with a laminated picture of the fish that are in the tank. My kids love trying to find all the fish especially the turtles and sharks. The food is actually pretty good and most reviews on this place are great or awful. We have been numerous times and never had bad service or food. The typical Disneyworld dining menu of steaks, a little seafood, and some other various chef specialties. The desserts are fabulous! The kids meals come with an appetizer, entree', and dessert which is usually a build your own sundae.

5. The last spot goes to the Akershus restaurant in the Norway pavilion in Epcot. This is a 1 table service meal that has princesses come to your table. The ambiance is not as good as Cinderella's castle but it is 1 table service credit and I think the food is better. We have eaten both breakfast and dinner here and enjoyed both. The princesses come to your table and can include Jasmine, Aurora, Belle, Mulan, Snow White, and Aeriel with legs and they are awesome with the kids. Of course I have two girls and if you only have boys somewhere else may be a better option for your family. The meals choices include a few traditional Norwegian dishes and most are seafood based. You also get a cold food appetizer bar with deli meats, cheeses, salads, and seafood which is really good. or dessert they bring you the Royal Chef's dessert plate which is sampling of all they have to offer and you can have as much as you want of anything you like.

I hope this is helpful when making your reservations for Disneyworld dining and remember all of these recommendations are based with children in mind. My next post will be my top five 1 table service meals without children. Remember on the Disney dining plan that these are large meals and to really utilize the value of what you pay for do your Table service meal for dinner, counter service for lunch and your snack for breakfast or anytime of the day!