Struggling with AK Dining Options

[have2getaway]

We are arriving at the Polynesian around 9 am on a Tuesday in mid-January. It will be me, DH, and our 3 boys, who are all age 9. We will be on the dining plan and are planning to go to AK that day. I’m struggling with what to do for both breakfast and lunch. We typically are not big lunch eaters. I’m more than a bit frustrated with planning this trip as I’m getting very little help from my husband and sons. They are used to mom taking care of everything, but my husband will have no problems saying “Why did you do that” later. Sigh. Thank you to everyone here for all your help, because without it, I would be completely on my own. First big question is, can we use the DDP on our check-in day prior to our check-in time? If not, we will just pay oop for breakfast.

For breakfast, I am considering something quick and easy. We prefer TS meals, so I’m looking at either: Kona Cafe, Grand Floridian Cafe, The Wave buffet, or Rainforest Cafe. Which would you suggest?

I reserved the ROL dining package for Tiffins for 3:20 that day, which seemed a bit early. The have reservation choices for an early dinner instead, which we would prefer, but would we miss the Rivers of Light show if we opt to not do the dining package and just made a dinner reservation at Tiffins later? I have considered Tusker House, but we have already eaten there and Tiffins would be something different. I’ve also considered Boma, but really don’t love the idea of leaving the park just to eat. We have Park Hoppers and I was also considering venturing to DS or Epcot for a meal, but again our plan is to go back for the Rivers of Light show and I just see that as more of a headache. We park hop quite a bit from Epcot to Magic Kingdom but we seldom park hop on our days at DHS and AK.

Thanks again for the wealth of information you have provided in the past!

 

[CynBeth]

Sorry I can’t answer a lot of the questions but we love lunch at Rainforest Cafe at AK. I usually get the China Island Salad and my DM also gets a salad but I forget which one. I believe my DH gets a burger. I know you said you have eaten at TH but if it was not for breakfast I would do that for the ROL package if you can get it. We eat breakfast there when we travel to Disney every few years so even if you have been for that meal I would pick it again. We will be there in a few weeks and are thinking about doing dinner at Pizzafari so my family members with food allergies can get the dairy free pizza.

 

[kiramay]

When you get to the Poly at 9, just check in and your DP will be available to use. You don’t have to wait until the official check-in time.
We usually eat at the resort when we arrive, so I’d suggest Kona Cafe for breakfast.
I really like Satuli Canteen in AK for lunch. I get the roast beef with potatoes and creamy herb dressing, while my kids love the cheeseburger pods.
If 3:20 is too early, just keep checking for packages. Although in January you should have no problem getting a seat for ROL in stand by if you end up not using the package.

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

If you are flying in, I would not make a reservation for lunch. If there are delays, you may miss it and get charged $50. Certainly in January, weather could cause a delay. I'd plan on Satuli or we liked Restaurantosaurus. It's a quick service place with the usual - burgers, chicken tenders, fries. It's indoors, in the dino land area. It would very likely appeal to 9 year olds.

 

[Mome Rath]

Satu'li is great for lunch in AK, it's a QS. Kona is our preferred spot for breakfast.

 

[have2getaway]

Thanks everyone! We are thankfully not flying in. We are doing a split stay with Portofino Bay at Universal, but I am still worried about trying to make an ADR that is too early. Thanks for all the suggestions, especially the CS options. I have very little experience with counter service and we will need to use that this trip is we will be on the regular dining plan.

 

[bigeyedfish]

We are having breakfast at Kona Cafe in January before an MK day. Since you wouldn't need to leave your resort to eat breakfast that seems the easiest option. We are going to do Boma breakfast for our AK day, Flame Tree BBQ for QS lunch, and then Yak & Yeti for a TS dinner! Looking st menus those were the restaurants that appealed most to us . GL!

 

[NYCANC]

I would just grab something quick at the Poly as not to waste time and you can get to AK. I would probably just grab breakfast at Captain Cook's. But we are a family that likes to get to the parks as early as possible.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We are arriving at the Polynesian around 9 am on a Tuesday in mid-January. It will be me, DH, and our 3 boys, who are all age 9. We will be on the dining plan and are planning to go to AK that day. I’m struggling with what to do for both breakfast and lunch. We typically are not big lunch eaters. I’m more than a bit frustrated with planning this trip as I’m getting very little help from my husband and sons. They are used to mom taking care of everything, but my husband will have no problems saying “Why did you do that” later. Sigh. Thank you to everyone here for all your help, because without it, I would be completely on my own. First big question is, can we use the DDP on our check-in day prior to our check-in time? If not, we will just pay oop for breakfast.

For breakfast, I am considering something quick and easy. We prefer TS meals, so I’m looking at either: Kona Cafe, Grand Floridian Cafe, The Wave buffet, or Rainforest Cafe. Which would you suggest?

I reserved the ROL dining package for Tiffins for 3:20 that day, which seemed a bit early. The have reservation choices for an early dinner instead, which we would prefer, but would we miss the Rivers of Light show if we opt to not do the dining package and just made a dinner reservation at Tiffins later? I have considered Tusker House, but we have already eaten there and Tiffins would be something different. I’ve also considered Boma, but really don’t love the idea of leaving the park just to eat. We have Park Hoppers and I was also considering venturing to DS or Epcot for a meal, but again our plan is to go back for the Rivers of Light show and I just see that as more of a headache. We park hop quite a bit from Epcot to Magic Kingdom but we seldom park hop on our days at DHS and AK.

Thanks again for the wealth of information you have provided in the past!

If you prefer TS breakfasts, I would make an ADR at Kona. It's very good and it will be convenient for you if you are planning on dropping off your luggage and checking in prior to going to AK. If you would rather head straight to AK, Rainforest is pretty good and the atmosphere is fun.

You wouldn't miss ROL if you drop the dining package, but you would need to choose either waiting in the standby line or trying to pick up ROL as an extra FP+ once you've finished your first 3. I would definitely recommend Tiffin's over TH and Boma. Though I like the other two, you've already eaten at TH and, I agree, it's not worth traveling out of the park and back if you want to see ROL.

 

[Moliphino]

If 3:20 is too early, just keep checking for packages. Although in January you should have no problem getting a seat for ROL in stand by if you end up not using the package.

Meals at Tiffins on the ROL package must be at least 3 hours before the show, which I think is at around 6:30 in January. You can't get a package later than 3:30 for that. If you're on the regular DDP the ROL package at Tiffins is great because you get a bonus appetizer that you wouldn't get with a non-ROL package meal.

 

[have2getaway]

If you prefer TS breakfasts, I would make an ADR at Kona. It's very good and it will be convenient for you if you are planning on dropping off your luggage and checking in prior to going to AK. If you would rather head straight to AK, Rainforest is pretty good and the atmosphere is fun.

You wouldn't miss ROL if you drop the dining package, but you would need to choose either waiting in the standby line or trying to pick up ROL as an extra FP+ once you've finished your first 3. I would definitely recommend Tiffin's over TH and Boma. Though I like the other two, you've already eaten at TH and, I agree, it's not worth traveling out of the park and back if you want to see ROL.

Thank you! What are the odds we will be able to get a FP after we’ve used our others? Do many people use a FP for ROL?

 

[sharonabe]

I'm going to speak to HOW you're looking at using the DDP.

Breakfast is a really bad use of a TS credit unless you don't mind paying Disney more for the food you're eating. You only get the entree and drink at breakfast, and if it's not a buffet, I don't think there is anywhere that you'll "spend" $40 for breakfast for an adult.

Likewise, the ROL pkg at Tiffins requires 2 credits per person and I'm pretty sure that package cost is not $80. If you decide to do a TS breakfast AND the ROL pkg, you'll be using 3 of your TS credits all in one day, so you'll also probably end up paying OOP for some meals elsewhere.

It sounds like you need to do a complete plan for where you want to eat this trip or if you have that plan already, if you'll share it with us, we can help you use your dining plan more effectively.

 

[bawamz]

I'm going to speak to HOW you're looking at using the DDP.

Breakfast is a really bad use of a TS credit unless you don't mind paying Disney more for the food you're eating. You only get the entree and drink at breakfast, and if it's not a buffet, I don't think there is anywhere that you'll "spend" $40 for breakfast for an adult.

Likewise, the ROL pkg at Tiffins requires 2 credits per person and I'm pretty sure that package cost is not $80. If you decide to do a TS breakfast AND the ROL pkg, you'll be using 3 of your TS credits all in one day, so you'll also probably end up paying OOP for some meals elsewhere.

It sounds like you need to do a complete plan for where you want to eat this trip or if you have that plan already, if you'll share it with us, we can help you use your dining plan more effectively.

Is that right? Does the ROL package require an extra credit? I didn't read it that way on the website, but I've never actually done it.

 

[Shellee999]

Tiffins is a 2 TS restaurant. If you did ROL package with Tusker House, that's 1 TS.

 

[have2getaway]

I'm going to speak to HOW you're looking at using the DDP.

Breakfast is a really bad use of a TS credit unless you don't mind paying Disney more for the food you're eating. You only get the entree and drink at breakfast, and if it's not a buffet, I don't think there is anywhere that you'll "spend" $40 for breakfast for an adult.

Likewise, the ROL pkg at Tiffins requires 2 credits per person and I'm pretty sure that package cost is not $80. If you decide to do a TS breakfast AND the ROL pkg, you'll be using 3 of your TS credits all in one day, so you'll also probably end up paying OOP for some meals elsewhere.

It sounds like you need to do a complete plan for where you want to eat this trip or if you have that plan already, if you'll share it with us, we can help you use your dining plan more effectively.

To be honest, our plans have changed many times. On our last trip we did deluxe and, while it seemed like too much food, we did like being able to eat at a TS each morning and night. We are currently on the regular dining plan and I’m leaning towards staying with it, but just paying oop for less expensive meals, such as Kona Cafe. I do know that Tiffins would use up 2 credits and am not sure we will want to invest a long time for dinner. We liked Tusker House well enough, but I was just looking to try something different.

What’s more frustrating is my husband hasn’t been much help. I planned everything for our last trip and was told that we needed less “fancy” ADR’s (and I agreed), but when I mentioned eating at Captain Cook’s and similar for breakfast, it was very clear he did NOT want to do that. By the time I figure out what he does want, everything will be booked. Our boys aren’t much help because they say “yes” to everything.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m open to suggestions because I need to pick a plan pretty quick.

 

[amym2]

My kids would say it’s totally worth it to leave the park to eat at Boma! Could you drive to AKL on your arrival day for an early breakfast then park at AK for the day before checking into the Poly? You can check in early (I believe as early as 7am or earlier?) if you want to do that first.

We stayed at the Poly last Dec and really enjoyed the food at Kona Cafe (mac nut pancakes, yum) and Captain Cooks (Tonga Toast!). The meatballs at Captain Cooks are one of my favorite Disney meals!

On our AK day, we like to leave the park for a bit, and AKL/AKV is just a quick bus ride away. Eating at Sana’a is fun and the bread service is delicious. They had some great kids meals when we ate there years ago (our kids are both teens now).

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

The Grand Floridian Cafe is our favorite but we love the benedicts, even the kids! We are staying there in December and have 2 reservations to eat there!!! As far as AK, we are there on our arrival day in the evening and we are doing Tiffins, it's AMAZING and definitely a great way to 'get away' from the park feel! We also like to show up early and hang out in the Nomad Lounge for a spell before sitting to dinner!

 

[MomOTwins]

I would just book the regular Tiffins dinner, but pay out of pocket as it is not a good value on the DDP. Tiffins is so awesome, definitely worth a visit. But you will have no trouble at all seeing ROL, with or without a package. It is a HUGE theater space, and the show is generally quite unpopular as evening entertainment (one and done is the verdict for a lot of people, though it does have some loyal fans), but bottom line is it is never hard to get seats. Also, we did the dining package for the one time we saw the show, and since it is a 360 degree show that can be viewed just as well from any angle, we didn't feel our seats were better than any of the "free" ones off the side.

 

[gharter]

I would do breakfast at Kona Cafe at the Poly.
Lunch in AK has 2 options in MHO. Flametree if you are really hungry or Satu'Li Canteen. As much as I enjoy Flametree, I like Satu'Li for its lighter fare.
Enjoy the Tiffins package.

 

[have2getaway]

My kids would say it’s totally worth it to leave the park to eat at Boma! Could you drive to AKL on your arrival day for an early breakfast then park at AK for the day before checking into the Poly? You can check in early (I believe as early as 7am or earlier?) if you want to do that first.

We stayed at the Poly last Dec and really enjoyed the food at Kona Cafe (mac nut pancakes, yum) and Captain Cooks (Tonga Toast!). The meatballs at Captain Cooks are one of my favorite Disney meals!

On our AK day, we like to leave the park for a bit, and AKL/AKV is just a quick bus ride away. Eating at Sana’a is fun and the bread service is delicious. They had some great kids meals when we ate there years ago (our kids are both teens now).

We have arranged for a driving service to bring us to the Poly from Portofino Bay. That said, I suppose we could still arrange to go to Boma in the morning.