Critique my dining plans for August 2019 trip?

[trackchik6]

Trip is August 2019 and my 180-day-window opens next month, so I have some time. Staying at AKL, with my 3 kids (10, 7, and 4 at the time of our trip) and my parents. We have the park hopper & free Disney dining plan.

Arrival Day: Dinner at Sanaa
Full day 1: Lunch or Dinner at Tusker House with AK lights show seating
Full day 2: Lunch or Dinner at Hollywood & Vine with Fantasmic seating
Full day 3: Lunch at Biergarten
Full day 4: QS lunch reservations at Be our Guest; Dinner at 1900 Park Fare
Departure day: Breakfast at Boma

I've been to none of these restaurants yet. This is my first August trip to Disney and I have some concerns about the heat. My general plan is to go to the parks in the mornings, then go back to the hotel in the afternoon and possibly go back to the parks in the evening if we're up for it.

Here are my specific questions:

• Do you think it's fine to eat at BOTH Tusker House and H&V? Some of the characters seem to be similar. I could consider changing one or the other to Yak and Yeti or Sci-Fi, but would lose the show seating. (I did do Mama Melrose / Fantasmic seating once and we didn't really think the extra ticket to Fantasmic was necessary, but it's one less thing to worry about, if I do get it, and I am interested in trying Tusker & H&V anyway...)
• I'm considering making one of Tusker or H&V (or whatever I sub in, instead) a dinner instead of a lunch. If it's lunch that will give us AC during the day, and free us up in evening if we choose not return to the park. But, I think I'll try to make one a dinner to free us up in the afternoon and give us more lunch flexibility one day.
• Do you think I'll regret skipping dinner at Boma and only having breakfast there?

Thanks so much for any thoughts!

 

[Monykalyn]

How late or early do your kids go? If can go late at AK then no need for the RoL seating-just go to second seating. But TH is good food, great characters. Another option is late breakfast then back to resort for afternoon, head back to AK for later evening. Sanaa is personal fave of mine, and I prefer the dinner menu to the lunch menu. Not eaten at Boma (we did Jiko last trip-OMG the absolute best next to Victoria&Alberts!)

Personally I'd skip H&V, but there aren't a bunch of great places there either. maybe a lunch QS and hop to another park for dinner and the evening, maybe move 1900 PF here and spend the rest of evening in MK? Just a thought...
BoG-nice to have a place in AC where it is QS, and they bring food to you in a lovely setting. I like the place but not everyone does LOL!
1900 PF is another one of my favorites on property (although I am partial to breakfast there). The only caution here is there will be a lot of time spent on food/eating on what looks like only MK day?

Biergarten day-great if you like the food! My problem with Epcot is there is so many snacks/great QS that it is hard to choose!

Have been in August a couple times. Pace yourself with the heat. I tend to not eat as much when hot, but go through water like there is no tomorrow. I get the Mio drops to flavor the water for the kids and that helps to keep hydration up.

With the exception of BoG lunch you have chosen some restaurants that tend to have flexibility to move from lunch to dinner and vice versa on same day, or day before, so easy if plans change!
Have fun!! You have some of my personal favorite restaurants planned so I may be a bit biased (hey you asked right?)

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

You look like you have one too many TS meals. You get credits per nights of your stay, not days. Based on the way you have things listed, I'm assuming you're staying 5 nights but have 6 TS meals.

For the packages with show seating, you have to have the reservation at least 3 hours prior to the start of the show, so "dinner" might be no later than 4 or 5. That would potentially be tight with your plan to rest during the heat of the day and return in the evening.

Since you have hoppers, I'd probably drop H&V. You can do HS in the morning, take the boat to Epcot, then use a combination of QS and snacks through the World Showcase.

 

[trackchik6]

Hi! Thanks so much for the comments! I should have noted that I was planning to pay for the last Boma breakfast out of pocket. But that’s also a good point that if we don’t otherwise use up the table service credits we can use it for that one.

I think I will keep Tusker & house and try to pair it with seats to the earlier light show. Then I realized thanks to these comments that I should move 1900 Park Fare dinner to day 2 most likely. Day 4 where I originally had it is a Mickey Halloween party that we are not going to, so I might as well put us at 1900 Park on a night that we could go to MK or see fireworks from Polynesian beach. Then maybe I’ll wing dinner on day 4...
Maybe at sci fi if we would have to get there 3 hours prior to fantasmic to get the pass. I didn’t realize that. Thanks again!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I agree with all the advice you've received...
I think August is just 2° less than the sun, sooooo very very hot in my New England estimation. I would go to the parks early, get stuff done, then high tail it back to AKL for a lunch/nap +/or swim, and head back to the parks later on. I'm not sure I would eat lunches with my TS credits either. I would probably head back to AKL and use snack credits or CS Credits for lunch and use my TS for a nice evening meal at whatever park you're doing night time entertainment in. The afternoon just wilts me, and when I leave a nice cool restaurant on a really really hot day I just don't want to move, let alone walk to the AK bus. I'm much more motivated when I haven't had my nice lunch and I have something to look forward to at the resort.
I agree about Biergarten. There is a plethora of wonderful places to eat at Epcot, that would be way down my list.
Of course, you know your family best and what they can do.
Just my opinion.

 

[trackchik6]

Thanks again!! I guess Biergarten is kind of rando, but my dad is in a German band himself so thought he would like it

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Thanks again!! I guess Biergarten is kind of rando, but my dad is in a German band himself so thought he would like it

Omygoodness, then by all means DO IT!!! We've gone there, the food was ok, but we enjoyed the music. It will be fun for him!
Oom Pah!!!

 

[Monykalyn]

use my TS for a nice evening meal at whatever park you're doing night time entertainment in. The afternoon just wilts me, and when I leave a nice cool restaurant on a really really hot day I just don't want to move, let alone walk to the AK bus. I'm much more motivated when I haven't had my nice lunch and I have something to look forward to at the resort.

We have done both the lunches and dinners-agree on the heat and just wanting to melt!
What I have found with my family is that resort afternoons tend to stretch, and pool time is nice, but even the adults need a quick shut eye after that, and that tends to have us rushing in order to get to a park dinner TS. OTOH-when we start late, sleep in etc having a nice TS meal to look forward to does get us motivated to get ready for park/dinner...

Thanks again!! I guess Biergarten is kind of rando, but my dad is in a German band himself so thought he would like it

OMG how FUN!!