Disney: Places to Eat

"The food is definitely a lot better, and it's calmer and quieter, at the sit down places. They aren't cheap, nor are they totally outrageous. I really like the character meals...they don't really cost more than the regular sit down meals and it gives the kids an opportunity to get easy access to the characters they like. The Pooh breakfast at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom is great and we had a wonderful time with the characters (Minnie & Friends) at the Liberty Tree Tavern dinner. The meal was a Family-style Thanksgiving-type meal.

The meals I've had at the sit down places (and really at all of Disney) were decent, but not great. You do get a good selection with most of the sit-down places. There are some very extensive buffets.

Even if it's not a character meal, you really do want to make reservations if you want a sit down dinner. Depending on the time of year and time of day, things do fill up. And Disney has a knack for reducing staff at off-times, so they fill up too. There are some last minute cancelations, so you can sometimes get in at the last minute. Generally there will be something, somewhere that has openings, but if you want a specific place and time, you need to book in advance. When we went for just a couple days, I would say skip the sit-downs unless it is a character meal. For a week, it would probably make sense to plan at least a couple sit-downs. Also, Disney's town nearby, Celebration, has some really nice restaurant options if you want to head off world. We were able to get in to those with same-day reservations (and sometimes walk-in) during a quieter season."