We took our kids to Walt Disney World in January, and it truly was a dream vacation. None of us wanted to leave. Not me, not my husband, and definitely not the kids. We had the BEST time. Disney does an incredible job of immersing you in the magic from the moment you arrive.
When we planned this trip, we wanted to do all the things. I wouldn’t say money was no object, but we intentionally budgeted and saved so that we didn’t have to say no to experiences. We went into it knowing this might be our only Disney trip for a long time, and we wanted to make it count.
Now that we’re home and have had time to reflect, I definitely have thoughts. There were splurges that were absolutely worth it and a few things I would skip next time. Want my honest take on what’s worth the cost and what’s not? Keep reading.
In an effort to not make this blog too lengthy, I am going to divide this into multiple blogs and so for the first chapter of this saga, I present to you… Disney Dining!
Walt Disney World Dining
One of the coolest things about Walt Disney World is how many unique dining experiences there are. But here’s the catch: you have to be ready to book some of them 60 days out at exactly 6 AM EST. We were on vacation in California when our window opened, so I was up at 3 AM Pacific time making reservations. It was intense.
Our goal was to do one sit down restaurant per park. It gave us a chance to slow down when we were walking 20,000 plus steps a day.
SPLURGE: Cinderella’s Royal Table
SWAP: Be Our Guest Restaurant
I knew I wanted to book Cinderella’s Royal Table, but it was completely booked for our first day at Magic Kingdom. Instead, I grabbed Be Our Guest. Thankfully, I was able to secure Cinderella’s Royal Table for our final day.
Both experiences are expensive. Be Our Guest was $72 per adult and $43 per child. Cinderella’s Royal Table was $76 per adult and $47 per child. So price was essentially the same.
But the experience? Not even close.
The food was very similar at both. Good, not mind blowing. Think filet, salmon, etc. The difference was the atmosphere and character interaction. At Be Our Guest, you dine in a large, cavernous ballroom. The Beast walks through and waves, but there are no personal character meet and greets.
At Cinderella’s Royal Table, you are literally dining inside the castle. It’s intimate, magical, and you meet multiple princesses. We met Cinderella, Ariel, Tiana, Merida, and Jasmine. The character interaction alone made it worth every penny. The setting elevated the entire experience.
If I had to choose again, I would splurge on Cinderella’s Royal Table every time and swap out Be Our Guest for something else.
SPEND: 50’s Prime Time Café
SCALE BACK: Space 220
I was so excited about Space 220. I showed my girls a video beforehand, and my 7 year old was thrilled about “eating in space.” The elevator ride up to the space station is genuinely SO fun.
But once we sat down, the experience fell flat.
Lunch was $55 per adult and $29 per child for a prix fixe menu. You get an appetizer and an entrée. My calamari was fine. Not great, not terrible. Just fine. My burger, however, was dry and flavorless. Definitely not worth $55. My husband enjoyed his carpaccio and roasted chicken, but for that price, the food needs to wow everyone at the table.
If I did it again, I would book the Space 220 Lounge instead. You still ride the elevator and experience the atmosphere, but you can order from a smaller à la carte menu ranging from $17 to $24. The concept is fun. The full dining price is not.
On the flip side, we had the BEST time at 50’s Prime Time Café at Hollywood Studios. You’re transported back to a 1950’s “Mom’s Kitchen,” complete with retro décor and comfort food like pot roast, fried chicken, and meatloaf.
The servers play the role of your aunt/uncle. They will call you out for elbows on the table, using your phone, or not eating your vegetables. My girls were desperate to be scolded but were just too well behaved. They were delighted watching adults nearby get their phones taken away and forced to wear “brat” hats. My 7 year old even got to help bring out dessert from the kitchen.
The food was genuinely delicious, and prices were much more reasonable. Adult entrées ranged from $20 to $34, and kids meals were $12.50 to $14.50.
This was one of our favorite meals of the entire trip.
SHOULD TIME & BUDGET ALLOW: Whispering Canyon Cafe and 1900 Park Fare
SKIP: Rainforest Cafe
Whispering Canyon Cafe
If you have the extra time and room in the budget, Whispering Canyon Café is fun, but I am not sure it is a must do.
We went our first night, and the girls were absolutely delighted by the ketchup gag. If you go, ask for ketchup and you will immediately understand. They also loved riding the pretend stick horses through the restaurant.
The food is served in large skillets, and while it is technically all you can eat, we could not even finish one skillet. It felt like a lot of food for our family, and I found myself wishing there were a slightly less expensive option for lighter eaters. If you are not planning to eat gobs of food, it may not feel like the best value.
Also worth noting, the water here had that same strong sulfur smell and taste we experienced at a few locations.
Fun? Yes. Essential? Probably not.
1900 Park Fare
Another “should time and budget allow” experience is 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian. It recently reopened after being closed since Covid, and this one felt nostalgic for me. My parents, who joined us on this trip, had taken me here as a child for their Mary Poppins breakfast.
It is a buffet, and the food was genuinely very good. The mashed potatoes were loaded with butter in the best way possible, and the carving stations were excellent. There were plenty of kid friendly options for my girls too.
The real highlight is the character dining. We met Cinderella, Tiana, Aladdin, and Mirabel, which made it feel special and memorable.
My one tip with any buffet style character meal: once the characters start coming around, you do not want to be up at the buffet and risk missing one. Make sure you load up your plate at the beginning, or wait to go back for seconds until all characters have visited your table.
This was a really lovely experience, just not one I would prioritize over some of the other character dining options if you are narrowing things down.
Rainforest Cafe
Skip it. Confidently.
We went on our Animal Kingdom day. While it is not technically owned by Disney, you book it through the Disney app and it is located inside the park, so I expected a comparable level of service and experience.
It fell short in every way.
The restaurant felt dirty. The bathrooms were foul. The service was lackluster, and the food was genuinely disappointing, especially for the price. Our appetizer arrived still frozen in the center, and it was extremely difficult to get anyone’s attention to fix it.
After several days of immersive, high quality theming throughout Walt Disney World, even the animatronics and jungle atmosphere felt underwhelming to my kids.
There are so many better quick service options inside Animal Kingdom. You will save money, time, and likely have a better overall meal.
This is one reservation I would skip entirely.
Next Time: Lightning Lanes or Lines
Stay tuned…